In the devices for discovery studio, we explored the concept of delight and discovery through the design of devices for children and adults. We planned to create a project that would bring the user wonder, curiosity, and imagination. For our project, we decided to create a spin off of a normal everyday object, which would make people pay more attention to everyday wonders, like a child would. Our product is The Friendly Flower, a flower that moves along with the movement of the user and opens its petals when the user faces the flower, to reveal stamen that light up. Many people, especially adults, don't have the excitement they used to and our device is aimed at bringing back that delight.  

Our robot has motion sensors in the front that detect the movement of the user. When a person walks by, the metal stem joined to a servo motor rotates. Strings connected to each petal are attached to a separate servo motor. Simultaneously when the servo rotates the stem, another servo rotates releasing the grip on the strings allowing the flowers petals to open.  servo motor which opens the petals of the flower. Underneath the petals, is fiber optic stamen with pink LED light.

While working on this project, we faced a few challenges. On the last day, our machine fell over while rotating due to instability at the base. Another obstacle we faced was difficulty with programming the sensors and servos. We ended up with a working model, but with more time to program, I think we could have really perfected the movement. Overall, I am very satisfied with the end results of our project.

When starting this project, we didn’t have a strong sense of what we wanted to complete. After our first iteration was unsuccessful, I was able to collaborate with my partner and create a blueprint of what we wanted our final product to be. We had many different iterations while designing this project. A lot of time was spent testing different styles and materials for the petals and stamen to find which combinations worked best. Once we found the correct design and material for each component of the project, we focused on assembling, programming, and 3d printing extra pieces we needed for the project.

Created by: Saba Ghole

Creator: Kate Reed