Project Statement

Play-do is an inclusive playscape designed for individuals with sensory processing disorders, autism, and similar conditions. It features four rooms focused on tactile sensory therapy, providing even pressure along the body for soothing. Additionally, there's a playground accessible via climbing nets or stairs. While these spaces are made with the needs of sensory sensitive or under sensitive people in mind, it is a free and collaborative space that welcomes everyone, fostering play without stigma and encouraging consideration of each other's needs.

"Why?"

• Playgrounds are loud
• Playgrounds lack accommodations for sensory sensitive individuals
• Playgrounds lack a space to calm down if an individual is battling a sensory overload
• Playgrounds lack spaces for individual play

User Persona

Broad problem being addressed

• Sensory overload
• Classroom setting

Users interests

• Free play, Cats
• Horror
• Fantasy/Anime
• Rhythmic music (drums and bass)
• Fluffy and warm objects bring comfort to them.

Sensory Triggers

• Excessive writing by hand
• Bright lights
• Being forced to remain in order
• Not allowed to fidget in order to release anxiety

How does the user currently solve the problem

• By taking breaks and using the restroom, and sometimes using the designated neurodivergent space in their school

Name: Krysto; Age: 7

What is the problem with the way the problem is currently being solved:

The neurodivergent space often had a stigma associated with it which made the student feel as an outcast, The bathroom isn't the most comfortable space to soothe oneself

Product Goals

• It should be open and free to all students not just neurodivergent students and provide a space and comfortable space to everyone.

• We could use colours to designate which space is for quite space and which is for collaborative play Incorporate users interests in the product to further soothe them.

• Good lighting
• Prioritise comfort and coziness

Precedents

Conceptual, technical, and visual

A play device for children

Key elements for sensory inclusivity: Open ended, customisable, encourages motor skills, organic form

Biophilic design

Key elements for sensory inclusivity: Natural, Organic patterns, Lack of visual clutter, being free

Bands and bracelets for non verbal communication

Key elements for sensory inclusivity: Non-verbal communication

Sketches - Product

Sketches - Playscape

Prototype 1(Product)

Prototype 2 (Product)

Prototype 3 (Playscape)

Prototype 4 (Playscape)

Prototype 5 (Playscape)

Prototype 6 (Combination Playscape)

Final Sketches

Final Sketches

Reviewing Product Goals

• It should be open and free to all students not just neurodivergent students and provide a space and comfortable space to everyone.

• We could use colours to designate which space is for quite space and which is for collaborative play Incorporate users interests in the product to further soothe them.

• Good lighting
• Prioritise comfort and coziness

• The rooms will have paned or translucent glasses to allow for natural light to illuminate the room
• The rooms create space for comfort and privacy

1. The entire structure is very customisable outside the doors they could be set as individual or collaborative play by the user
2. The top level creates space for collaborative play but doesn't enforce it

• The space welcomes all. However, neurodivergent students could choose to get prior permissions from their teachers to use the space outside of class time

Project Statement

Our goal is to create a miniature DJ controller for anyone who wants to flesh out ideas on the go, while running an advertisement campaign. Our product is mobile, so you can just take it out and use it when you have an idea. Through this Project, we will explore the processes of design, production, and advertisement.

؜Begining Brainstorming

We only kept sections of common decks that needed tactile effects to them, to keep the feel that you would get for doing it for real. We kept the volume and filter knobs, cross and volume fader knobs, and the turntables.

Precedents

Conceptual, technical, and visual

Conceptual Precedent

Name:

Creator:

Technical Precedent

Name:

Creator:

Visual Precedent

Name:

Creator:

Sketches

Prototype 1

Prototype 2

Prototype 3

Prototype 4

Designs !!!!

؜Drawn by Vexx (sigma)

Designs

؜Drawn by Vexx (sigma)

FINAL DESIGN

1) Fully design the electronics, and connect to a softwere

2) Grow audience through the instagram account

3) Design custom softwere for users

Next Steps

؜Creating an art installation in the NuVu main space could address a problem within the space. The main space, used as both a gathering area and a workshop, is very large, loud, and uncomfortable, with many things happening at once. This creates an ineffective workspace and limits productivity. Creating an art installation will help to create a calming space that quiets down and becomes more efficient, while still serving as a gathering space.

؜Thesis

؜Sketches

Precedents

؜"Final" Sketch

؜Prototypes

؜Final

Water Xylophone

Kesariya, Adyana, Nate

Project Statement

؜This device is a two-person musical instrument intended to foster social collaboration and challenge fine motor skills for people on the Autism Spectrum (ASD).

We wanted to take on the research because we care for the people who are part of the Autism Spectrum (ASD) and have similar conditions.

؜modality and The project reaching as many out to more people is what we want for this project. the general population as well.

Overall, creating a physical installation that looks fun to use

Our Thesis

؜Finding a User

Why interview:

1. To avoid making assumptions to focus more on solving real problems
2. interviewed the user's parent to get a better understanding of who they were
3. their likes and dislikes

About the User:

1. Nine years old
2. Enjoys structure and routines
3. Struggles with Rs, Ls, Ts
4. Interested in Arts, Games, and Music

Some questions included:

1. What is your current support doing well?
2. What tools ( or products ) does your child use?
3. What are some of your child's biggest strengths or areas of interest in free time?

Some of this seems like stuff you could say just keep the KEY details and write in bullet points

Project Paths and Directions

Fine Motor

Social Skills

Emotional Regulation

؜Food

؜General Motor

Speech

Loud Sounds

We identified seven categorizes following interviewing our user.

Thus we went down seven paths of ideation until...

Project Paths and Directions

Fine Motor

Social Skills

Speech

We identified seven categorizes following interviewing our user.

Thus we went down seven paths of ideation until...

We decided on three!

This slide is PEAK

3 Options

From there we developed three project directions.

؜All of this text should be said, make 3 icons or images evenly displaced horizontally that represent your ideas

3. Instrument

2.Game

1.Chair

Instrument

؜We decided on creating an instrument to:

1. focus on 2/3 categories being
2. Social skills and fine motor skills.
3. Specific to our user

Ideating Build

؜Two person instrument: this allows for users to have social connection while doing something they enjoy!

One person makes the note while the other changes the pitch by changing the level of water in the cups

To change the pitch, one has to use fine motor skills based off of existent theraputic games with screws.

bowls instead of cups bc we couldn't find enough

Precedents

Conceptual / Visual Precedent

Water Xylophone

Technical Precedent

Camping Sink

Visual / Technical Precedent

Game with Screws

Prototyping

From there we developed three project directions. The first was to design a new kind of chair for the classroom. As we grow older and, these previous seating choices are limited if offered at all. These chairs in the classroom are also meant for school-year children with vibrant colors, floor seating, or smaller sizes. We were thinking about how to design more options that could be appropriate in adult environments.

We swayed away from this in order to center our project more around our user and due to

for people with are neurodiverse and to make it accessible for higher levels of education, such as universities, where seating options become limited.

working on making a sleek design to help children they grow up

Key parts of our build were

The frame: where the system would be housed

The drainage system: how someone would allow for water to fall in or go out

The Arches: where the bowls would be held

؜Frame

From there we developed three project directions. The first was to design a new kind of chair for the classroom. As we grow older and, these previous seating choices are limited if offered at all. These chairs in the classroom are also meant for school-year children with vibrant colors, floor seating, or smaller sizes. We were thinking about how to design more options that could be appropriate in adult environments.

We swayed away from this in order to center our project more around our user and due to

for people with are neurodiverse and to make it accessible for higher levels of education, such as universities, where seating options become limited.

working on making a sleek design to help children they grow up

؜The frame: where the instrument lives

We went through many iterations. One of the main ones was changes in thickness depending on material use.

Acrylic or Wood? Both!?

prototyping

؜ expand this

؜Frame

From there we developed three project directions. The first was to design a new kind of chair for the classroom. As we grow older and, these previous seating choices are limited if offered at all. These chairs in the classroom are also meant for school-year children with vibrant colors, floor seating, or smaller sizes. We were thinking about how to design more options that could be appropriate in adult environments.

We swayed away from this in order to center our project more around our user and due to

for people with are neurodiverse and to make it accessible for higher levels of education, such as universities, where seating options become limited.

working on making a sleek design to help children they grow up

؜

Before making our decision...

We made a prototype out of cardboard first under the dimensions for acrylic depth

prototyping

؜ expand this

؜Frame

From there we developed three project directions. The first was to design a new kind of chair for the classroom. As we grow older and, these previous seating choices are limited if offered at all. These chairs in the classroom are also meant for school-year children with vibrant colors, floor seating, or smaller sizes. We were thinking about how to design more options that could be appropriate in adult environments.

We swayed away from this in order to center our project more around our user and due to

for people with are neurodiverse and to make it accessible for higher levels of education, such as universities, where seating options become limited.

working on making a sleek design to help children they grow up

؜

Remaking the model: we adopted thin wood for our bottom base, thicker wood for the supports, and acrylic for the top reservoir.

We also shrunk our model to four bowls instead of six.

prototyping

From there we developed three project directions. The first was to design a new kind of chair for the classroom. As we grow older and, these previous seating choices are limited if offered at all. These chairs in the classroom are also meant for school-year children with vibrant colors, floor seating, or smaller sizes. We were thinking about how to design more options that could be appropriate in adult environments.

We swayed away from this in order to center our project more around our user and due to

for people with are neurodiverse and to make it accessible for higher levels of education, such as universities, where seating options become limited.

working on making a sleek design to help children they grow up

؜Mini iterations for Design

1. One Support Shorter
2. Slanted floors: guides water to plumbing
3. Hole for plumbing
4. Side cabinets for plumbing

*Inside View

؜Frame

prototyping

؜Arch Supports

؜How were we going to support the weight of the bowls on the box?

We went with arches to hold them.

؜ expand this

Arch Support

؜- Having the gaps and the arches allows the plumbing and the valves to ave acess to the water

؜- using a lip to secure its place rather than a flat stand, so as not to disrupt the sound vibrations of the glass bowls

؜Pinch valve

؜- A valve the will pinch the tubing forcng the water to stop

؜- Demonstration with a screw and bolt

؜Prototyping: water valves

We had to print many times because the calculations were a bit difficult. And also understanding the location of the valve itself.

Valve

؜Handle

؜ expand this

Iteration I Pinch valve

Iteration II Pinch valve

؜

؜- Keeping the function of the valve the same but changing the desing

؜- Be able to stick to the arch base of the bowl so it can screw secrewly in

؜We ended up with three types of materials:

Thick Wood

Cut with a handsaw then ____

Thin Wood

Laser Cut Pieces

Acrylic

Laser cut pieces

؜

Top Resevoir

prototyping

Printed six three by three scrap pieces؜

Tape Tension

Superglue

Silicone Calking

؜Building

؜

Thick Wood

Cut with a handsaw then ____

Thin Wood

Laser Cut Pieces

Acrylic

Laser cut pieces

؜

thick wood

thin wood

acrylic

bottom

Building

bottom

tape tension and superglue

Calking after dry

Building

؜Laser cut arches and glued them

؜

Arch Supports

Build

؜The Water Xylophone

؜The Water Xylophone

؜The Water Xylophone

؜The Water Xylophone

؜The Water Xylophone

group photos

next steps:

1. 3d print?
2. switch the pump for the right thing
3. go on vacation play music

All Photos

All Photos

؜The Water Xylophone

Thank You for Listening!!!

Any questions, meet us at our table in the fishbowl

Key takeaways from the project

--> When wanting to create something for a specific target audience or user group. Meeting and working side by side with that group is important; don't make any assumptions

-->This project is more of an art installation than a product, and if we were to do it again,n we would have focused more on making the physical product than on the software ideation.

--> The ideation process can be long and difficult, and being okay with the uncertainty

Drumroll...

Prototyping : The Base

1. ؜Depth: changed based off of the material we chose to use. begun with one inch everything thinking we would need thick wood to hold it together
2. individual pieces: changed the base to be four pieces instead of its individual components like the walls bottom and top. this turned out to be too big for the acrylic and wood we were using. needed to redo it and scale it down
3. acrylic or wood? both!
4. change the thickness to account for two types of wood and the acrylic too.

Testing: the top rreservoir

We wanted to test the silicone caulk first before going on to the real thing. We printed out six 3x3 acrylic scrap pieces to try!

The strategy we used was to first use tape tension to line the pieces up, superglue them, then wait for them to dry before moving on to the calking gun.

؜Material analysis

Thank you for listening

Project Paths and Directions

؜Instrument

Chair

Game

... we picked three

Fine Motor

Social Skills

Speech

?

After ؜many ideating sessions and sketches...

Thesis

Image of cool soft robot

Kaits enatglement robot

؜Soft robots are really cool because they are compliant, meaning they can form around and wrap around objects more gently than a rigid robotic actuator or mechanism. This means that you don't even need to know what shape or the orientation of the object you are picking up to be gentle. Because of this, they have a lot of potential in applications where there is a lot of human-to-robot interaction, like in health or physical therapy.

add why soft robotics is good -- it can coform and cpy to objects -- they have a lto of potetial in health and humman-root interaction and handleing delicate objects

talk about soft robotic manufacturing as a growing feild and lacks a lot DFM knowlegde of soft robotic componetnts espeially actuators

Ribbon core casting is a technique for making soft robotic actuators that will make soft robotics more accessible by using a design that is optimized for and utilizes 3D printing in a novel way. This project will later become a conference paper co-authored with a lab at MIT.

؜Answer what why and how, make sure to metniontthat the goal of this is to publish a paper

who im working with...

FIDL

(Fabrication - Integrated Design Lab)

Qifan Yu

Kaitlyn Becker

PHD Candidate at MIT

؜Assistant Professor at MIT, lead of the FIDL

try to find an icon for this

make this lside look better

؜Who am I working with?

Soft Robotics Basics

Image of cool soft robot

Kaits enatglement robot

؜Soft robotics is important because they are very gentle and very simple to control due to their compliance.

Soft Robotics - Robots made from flexible materials.

Actuator - A part that creates movement.

Pneumatics - Using air pressure to create motion.

Compliance - the ability to bend or deform safely.

Strain limiting layer - Fibers or structures added to control how something stretches.

add why soft robotics is good -- it can coform and cpy to objects -- they have a lto of potetial in health and humman-root interaction and handleing delicate objects

talk about soft robotic manufacturing as a growing feild and lacks a lot DFM knowlegde of soft robotic componetnts espeially actuators

Make this a diagram of an actuator inflating

Chen, Gang & Yang, Xin & Zhang, Xujie & Hu, Huosheng. (2021). Water hydraulic soft actuators for underwater autonomous robotic systems. Applied Ocean Research. 109. 102551. 10.1016/j.apor.2021.102551.

timeline

Phase 1

؜Manifold exploration

Phase 2

؜Proof of concept for Ribbon-Core casting

Phase 3

؜Fine tuning of proscess

Phase 4

Writing paper

Now

Phase 1- Haptic Climbing wall

؜؜In the winter session one, there was a soft robotics studio that collaborated with an MIT lab. My project was a gamified climbing wall designed to be inclusive of people who are blind. After that studio, the lab we worked with at MIT liked the work we had done during the studio and wanted to do more work together. This then led to collaborating on a research paper.

include both of these images

make more of a thesis, or mabye bullet points, less "I"

Phase 2 - Proof of concept

؜The goal of phase 2 was to come up with a topic that I would base a research paper around. and then later make proof-of-concept prototypes to validate the idea. After a lot of literature review and brainstorming, we landed on an idea we were really excited about that seemed to have a lot of potential.

Explain traditional multi step casting proscess

؜How are traditional soft robotic actuators manufactured?

؜Traditional pneumatic soft robotic actuators are made using a multi-step casting process where you first cast two halves of the part, and then glue them together.

The biggest limitation of this method is that it produces parts with a seam where the two halves of the actuator were glued together. This seam is always the failure point of these types of actuators.

(Lei, J., Ge, Z., Fan, P., Zou, W., Jiang, T., & Dong, L. (2022). Design and Manufacture of a Flexible Pneumatic Soft Gripper. Applied Sciences, 12(13), 6306. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136306)

LVC Casting and soft core casting

؜The main paper this project is building off of, introduces something called LVC. Instead of using silicone, it uses thin, low-volume cores (or LVC) made of thin plastic that are flexible enough to be pulled out of the actuator with little resistance. In addition, the low volume of the internal cavities makes it more efficient and more durable than the previous techniques

(Source: Yu, Advanced Functional Materials: Volume 34, Issue 46, 2024)

Overview of Ribbon-Core casting

؜Diagram of Ribbon casting

؜Ribbon casting is an innovation building off of LVC. Instead of using meticulously assembled polypropylene sheets, this method uses 3D printed cores that are designed to delaminate and unravel to allow for easier demolding of the actuator.

؜Ribbon casting is a technique where the 3D printed part is designed and printed as one continuous extrusion that, when enough force is applied, will peel apart, allowing the core to be pulled out of the mold. Each fin peels after the one before, in sequence. This means even when printing an actuator with a huge amount of fins, the force does not scale with the number of fins like in LVC casting. In addition, because the manufacturing of the core is so automated, it can be mass produced at a very low cost and is more accessible to anyone with a hobbist 3D printer who wants to cast soft robotic actuators, sensors, etc.

Make the core fully extend

Why is Ribbon-core casting important?

؜Benefits:

1. Low cost
2. More automated manufacturing process
3. The force required to demold it is not reliant on the length of the actuator
4. Reduced stress in the core when being demolded
5. Reduced stress concentration when the actuator is being inflated

less text

Add labels, add a summary for the key takaways and such, pros and cons/ cahllenges and progress.

؜Where did I leave off?

1. ؜Needed to make the delaminations take less force
2. The tops of the fins were under too much stress when being pulled apart
3. Not all the fins delaminated

Actuator

؜Strain limiting layer

Core

Phase 3 - Parameter Testing

The goal of phase 3 is to find a set of parameters and a geometry that works somewhat consistently. Then that set of parameters will be the basis for a more rigorous characterization.

mkae a slide that just has Phase 3 then the next lide is the description of it

Parameter Testing

Before even touching silicone, I needed to tune the distance between each side of the fin, such that when sufficient force is applied, it delaminates in the intended way.

The smaller the distance, the more force it takes, because more bonding occurs between each side.

line up of the differnt geometrys that show all the tiny and fine features that i am changes

Label with what changed and such

؜retak image so the 3 clusters are aligned better horizontlally and better images, also use a grid to make it better

Label with what changed and such

؜retak image so the 3 clusters are aligned better horizontlally and better images, also use a grid to make it better

Force graphs

Force graphs

Delam

Delam

Delam

Delam

Cast #1

؜Me slipping

Delam

Delam

Delam

Delam

Last fin pulling out

cast #1 anaylysisi

Cast #1

cast #1

Cast #3

graph (need to finsih anallysing)

Delam

Delam

Delam

Delam

؜Last fin

Cast #3

cast #1

؜This Cast was differn't than any of the others. This one has 10 fins, as opposed to the 5-fin actuators I have been making so far. This test is intended to show that this method is capable of making large actuators without the force becoming too much to successfully remove the core.

The demolding had some small issues. One is that the strain-limiting layer broke during demolding because someone (me) forgot to saturate it in silicone. The other is that the fins tore in the same fashion as the last test.

Cast #4

data

؜Delam

؜Delam

؜Delam

؜Delam

؜Delam

Cast #4

؜Here are some ideas of what geometries this method might be capable of.

cast #1

Future

؜

Need to talk to Qifan to recap what the next phase is,

have some hand sketchs of what differnt actuators and expiramental things are possible with this method.

Thank you!

Sources

Yu, Q., Cao, N., Folinus, C., & Becker, K. P. (2024). Low-Volume Cores for Fabrication of Compact, Versatile, and Intelligent Soft Systems. Advanced Functional Materials, 34(46), 2404317. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202404317

Becker, K., Teeple, C., Charles, N., Jung, Y., Baum, D., Weaver, J. C., Mahadevan, L., & Wood, R. (2022). Active entanglement enables stochastic, topological grasping. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(42), e2209819119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2209819119

Chen, Gang & Yang, Xin & Zhang, Xujie & Hu, Huosheng. (2021). Water hydraulic soft actuators for underwater autonomous robotic systems. Applied Ocean Research. 109. 102551. 10.1016/j.apor.2021.102551.

Lei, J., Ge, Z., Fan, P., Zou, W., Jiang, T., & Dong, L. (2022). Design and Manufacture of a Flexible Pneumatic Soft Gripper. Applied Sciences, 12(13), 6306. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136306

Jason Bell

؜Our Client

؜Jason works as the San Francisco State University Project Rebound project Director.

He has worked with the criminal legal system for over 20 years and acts as a mentor to many adults and youth.

Project Statement

Many previously incarcerated individuals lose connection to their past interests while in prison. This Bay Area Rebound Institute aims to revitalize these hobbies by providing a creative space.

To acquire more funding and interest for this space, this project will display the space in use and its design. To achieve this, the project will be a walkthrough of the space. It will highlight the makerspace and the classroom.

The Given Layout

What we noticed:

1. Homey feeling space

1. Warm colors

1. Exposed brick walls

The Given Vibe

What Jason Wants:

1. Non Corporate

1. Creative

1. Maintaining the user's past interests.

Meeting The Client

Makerspace

؜Class Room

Reception

؜Office

؜R.R.

؜R.R.

ADA

؜JC

Storage Trash

Patio

Tattoo

Parlor

؜Maker space

Scale 1:60

Classroom

Scale 1:60

1) Farther explore storage design

2) Finish furnishing

3) Meet with Jason

Next Steps

Thesis

Poolrooms: The Deep End is a non-linear horror puzzle game that explores an alternative approach to horror game design. Instead of guiding players through a single path, the game encourages exploration, discovery, and player choice. The goal is to create a more immersive experience where the fear of the unknown and the freedom to explore are central to the gameplay.

What are the Backrooms?

؜

1. Fictional horror universe that originated from an internet post in 2019
2. Endless maze of unsettling spaces outside of reality
3. Entered by accidentally "noclipping" through the world
4. Focuses on isolation, exploration, and fear of the unknown
5. Expanded by an online community into hundreds of unique levels
6. Inspired games, videos, stories, and films
7. The Poolrooms are one of the most popular Backrooms environments, featuring endless pools and dreamlike architecture

Why the Backrooms?

؜

1. Large and active online community with millions of fans
2. Popular setting for horror games due to its mysterious atmosphere
3. Encourages exploration and environmental storytelling
4. The Poolrooms provide a unique mix of beauty, mystery, and unease
5. Open environments support my goal of non-linear gameplay
6. Allows players to feel lost and discover clues on their own
7. Chosen because it offers a different type of horror that relies on atmosphere rather than constant jump scares
8. Recent media and film adaptations have increased interest in the Backrooms concept

Design goals

؜

1. Non-Linear Exploration
2. Allow players to choose their own path
3. Encourage discovery instead of following a set route
4. Make exploration a core part of gameplay
5. Atmospheric Horror
6. Create tension through environment, lighting, and sound
7. Focus on unease and isolation rather than constant jump scares
8. Make players feel lost in an unfamiliar world
9. Player-Driven Puzzle Solving
10. Let players uncover clues naturally
11. Reward observation and exploration
12. Provide multiple areas to investigate instead of a single objective path

Precedents

The Stanley Parable:

Technical Precendent

؜Subliminal:

Visual Precedent

Story Board

؜Start in the office and find the elevator after playing a VHS tape

Elevator takes you down to the subway where you find a mysterious orb

You noclip through the ground as you go to examine the orb

Land in the Poolrooms and solve puzzles to try and escape

Sketches

Prototypes

Movement & Camera

Door & Keypad

Lighting & Textures

Technical Diagram

Interactables

Input

Output

Testing & Iterations

Iteration

؜User Report

؜Lever and light exploding

؜"Felt eerie and suprising"

؜Audio, inventory, doors, and movement

؜"A little unintuitive but creepy"

؜Gameplay, features, story, quests

؜"Story & mechanics slightly confusing"

Sketches Option 1

Compile all sketches in one slide (delete this)

Final Photos

؜Thesis

؜A sculpture that provokes conversation on the effect humans have had on Earth and its inhabitants through the lens of speculative evolution. The sculpture features the adaptations of a modern-day animal thousands of years after the extinction of humanity--where it has been forced to survive the extreme conditions and pollution humans left behind.

؜Elise

؜Why

؜Climate change and global warming have been on the edge of irreversibility for years, with hotter temperatures, extreme weather, and rising sea levels being some of the worst effects.

This project aims raise awareness and make these effects feel more tangible, more real, in a way that scientific explanations alone often struggle to do.

؜Max

Speculative Evolution

؜

؜A genre of science fiction with a strong base in biology. It uses hypothetical evolutionary scenarios as a framework to create fictional organisms.

1. Alternate history
2. Alien biology
3. Paleontology
4. And more!

Max

Pollution filled the air causing breathing problems, buildings collapsed faster than they could be re-built, or repaired. Humanity became reliant on technology that was advancing quicker than it was possible to keep up with. Power plants collapsed, requirements for electricity became critical, devices people blindly relied on began to fail. Food shortages became a huge problem, people became desperate. The flooded roads, and unpredictable weather patterns were the perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria populations. Uncontrollable sicknesses spread, and developed at a pace and intensity that wasn’t sustainable; most people died of diseases, while others starved. The rich left in rockets never to return, and what was left of humanity didn’t survive much longer. In a world no longer inhabited by humans, a world of gray skies, and flooded terrain, remaining life suffered. Domesticated animals died out quickly, larger animals that relied on their specific habitats could not evolve quick enough. In these remains there were survivors, adapted to scavenge, wade through flooded areas, and breathe toxic polluted air. Nocturnal animals adapted more easily to the darker skies, semiaquatic, and aquatic creatures adjusted quickly to the climate and ever-changing terrain; while creatures with wings didn’t experience a large impact. Housing, and living spaces became easier to find due to the drastic decrease in populations. Food was an issue, but scavengers didn’t have much difficulty finding food as they just needed their diets to evolve.

story-

maybe If time allows and It doesnt mess up the format I could read this out (not putting It In the presentation) to set a scene so preople really kind of understand the end goal before we get to It. you know? they hear this then theyre Interested In how we did It- and then Its a segway Into how we did the thing

؜The Living Condition

Abridged version of story touching on key points

This is a story you may find familiar. As you know, the effects we have had on the Earth are grave. Predictions and sci-fi scenarios generally stay consistent to these main points: pollution worsens, technology becomes something people can't live without, and human resources begin to run out--but we wanted to explore the world after the extinction of humans. As air pollution spread, breathing became difficult. Power plants failed, food became scarce, diseases spread rapidly, and extreme weather caused uncontrollable flooding. Eventually, humanity disappeared, leaving behind flooded cities, gray skies, and abandoned buildings. But Earth's story didn't end with humanity. While many species went extinct, others adapted. Animals that could survive polluted air, darker environments, and rising water levels survived. We wanted to imagine what one of those creatures might look like.

؜Elise

؜First Explorations

؜Max

To begin we looked at a bunch of different animals, sea creatures, land animals, flying animals, real or fictional, just anything that we could derive some sort of inspiration from

Pax

Precedents

Visual Precedent

Name: Animal sculpture -

Sarina Brewer

؜We found a conceptual precedent that was very helpful in forming our thesis, this project created creatures that evolved to live in todays ocean.

؜Elise

elise you know what to say about this...

This is just a interesting creature, that is in the same style we want to do for our project.

We started looking into basic speculative evolution, and began drawing practices

For this project we will be using speculative evolution to inspire a creature based off of an animal that already exists. With this thought experiment we want to inspire ourselves and others, to think out of the box and explore biology. After we decide on a design we will use different methods of fabrication and mediums of art to bring it to life.

Early Exploration + first thesis

؜Speculative Evolution Explorations

؜Max

To begin we did some simple explorations into speculative evolution through sketching. we took animals that we liked imagined what they would look like if they evolved to live in a different environment

؜More Explorations

Pax

؜This was followed by more explorations as well as general drawings practice and ideating for potential creatures we would make.

What we actually wanted to make

؜Sculpture Piece

1. Resembles the animal we come up with
2. High Fidelity
3. Material practice
4. Full scale

Max

General reading of of the slide

Second Explorations

؜Elise

؜Framework

Max

In this stage of the process we created a framework that could referenced when creating new animals that would ensure it fit into the context of the world we created

This framework centered around a mammal that would adapt to live in the ocean

From this we went back into sketching, this time with more of a purpose for what we were designing

We took into account, things like diet, habitat, and potential living conditions

We made a list of environmental factors that would effect evolution

Aquatic Racoon

1. A Racoon that has evolved for life in flooded cities
2. Adjusted diet: sea vegetation, fish, shell fish.
3. Marine creature adaptations: Fins, webbing,
4. Natural Camo using algae growth and plastic scraps

Aquatic Fox

1. A fox that has evolved to inhabit life in flooding areas
2. Adjusted Diet: fish, sea vegetation, land mammals
3. Marine creature adaptations:

Fins, water resistant, cold resistant, longer lung

capacity, larger jaw

1. Reflective scales used for camouflage and reflecting light
2. Aggressive and very territorial

Speak about disgreement sourrounding these

Max+Pax

Pax and max explain the two creatures

Our final decision

Explain reasons for decision

؜Max

؜After meeting with the coaches and back and forth within the options we created and we stepped back and decided on a new creature, BAT.

This decision benefited us for a few reasons. 1 bats are really interesting looking, 2 we all agreed on it. Also at this point we spent all of our time deciding on a animal and only had like, a week left in Open innovation.

Animal Details

Bat being deep sea vs mroe like a pinniped. physical features lifestyle etc.

Design 1:

1. Deep sea inspired
2. Thinner

Design 2:

1. More pinniped inspired
2. Thicker limbs
3. More hair

Max

؜Fabrication

Max

؜These were the references we went off of for the creation of the creature

Plans

Pax

Painting

Elise

Our INCREDIBLE coach Orion created a painting, that represented what we wanted the creature to look like.

Armature