We created an experience of floating dodecahedrons. We were inspired by Tai Chi with its slow motions and movements allowing the body and mind to be in sync with each other. We wanted to simulate this experience but for an everyday person who does not practice Tai Chi. We did this by creating dodecahedrons that have lights inside. A light turns on and the user has to slowly move their hand towards that dodecahedron to turn the light off. The light slowly fades as the person gets closer to the dodecahedron.

We made the dodecahedrons out of laser cut balsa wood and all the light and sensor work function with an Arduino. The dodecahedrons have a wooden frame on the inside and the panels are woven together with white thread.

https://cambridge.nuvustudio.com/posts/25879/our-process

This is a ball thrower. Wnen you place a ball in the scooper and flick your wrist down quickly it throws the ball about 5 feet. Abby and I first desinged a device which could slap people but then we decided that we needed to make something that would actually be helpful in the long run. Thus came the idea of the ball thrower using some of the design ideas from the slapper. The Lastest Scoop is for people who don't have a hand but still have the motion of their wrist. All of the parts of this machine, exluidng the ball, screws and string, have been designed on the Rhino software.

All humans face individual challenges that may or may not be understood by their community. In this studio we will consider prosthetics as a mode of body extensions of our selves and explore how mechanical additions to our bodies can effect our functional and expressive identities. In particular, we will examine the practical and expressive qualities of assistive devices that expand our understanding of prosthesis.  Students will identify a user, empathize with their challenges and needs, and design and build an kinetic prosthesis to enhance ability and/or communication in the world.  

Our assignment was to create a simulation of a disease for the user to empathize with the victims. To do this we had to find and research a disease that could be represented mechanically. Parkinson’s proved to have physical symptoms that wished to recreate. We chose to represent the hand tremors and the poor posture. To represent hand tremors, we created a laser cutted hand plate that would mount on the back of one's hand. Atop the hand plate we vertically placed a motor surrounded by laser cutted walls in order to provide stability. A 3.5 centimeter ellipse was then meshed to the gear on the motor. On the far side of the ellipse was a 20 millimeter M6 screw with two M6 nuts holding it in place. The hardware was incorporated to provide additional force exerted on the hand with each rotation of the motor. This created for more realistic hand tremors. To power the motor, we created a wrist module to encase a 9 volt battery. We then soldered a wire connector to the motor leaving a connectable side for the battery. Sturdy fabric strips and velcro were used to secure both the wrist and hand modules. To represent the poor posture that is often associated with parkinson’s, we designed a back brace that forces poor posture. This consisted of creating one large curve and notching four additional pieces horizontally. The back brace also used fabric straps to secure itself to the user's back. Our project produced extremely realistic results. The hand tremors were very natural and made normal tasks exceedingly difficult. One of the best traits of our project is the hand modules ability to shake more vigorously when the user performs a task. When the user grabs an object such as a pencil, the hand module will tighten around the hand creating faster tremors. This is often how hand tremors affect those with Parkinson’s disease. The back brace creates an unbalanced feeling and forces the user to experience bad posture. The two elements create for an overwhelming, slightly scary, and empathizing experience for the user.