Our objective was to create illuminated coffee tables. These tables are different from any other because they are interactive and can bring people together. When the coffee tables are separate, they light up blue, but with each additional connection each coffee table makes, it displays a new color until it reaches its maximum 3 connections and cycles through the color wheel. Last trimester a different group began this project, but they were not able to finish. We have taken their project's basic foundations and redesigned it, fixing the creation's electronics as well. The original product had all of the electronics adhered to the sides by a double sided tape, while our redesign has an internal structure that has all the electronics hard-mounted to it. By doing this, we were able to eliminate the need for screws on the outside of the table to hold the sensors to the walls, making the outer design cleaner. The electronics are also removable now, so the product is more versatile. Our product is space efficient, electronically precise, structurally secure, and an overall more beautiful design.

We sought to solve the timeless problem of discomfort in high heel-wearers. This often leads to intense pain and carrying a multitude of more comfortable shoes everywhere just to minimize wearing heels. Previous attempts at a changeable high heel have been either ugly or difficult to use. 

Imagine living in an underground world where the conditions are unpredictable and safety isn't always guaranteed. In these volatile conditions the possibility of falling rocks is always present. Whole body protection is always needed, which is where our dress plays a crucial part. This futuristic design uses  4 strategically placed rings that rest along the body and offer protection and coverage to the entire body from falling rocks. With 3 rings resting along the waist, hips, thighs and neck, and a preservative material resting in-between each disk, the body is shielded from any debris, boulders and dangerous material. While our design is not only well built and protective for the body, it is also built with intricate and beautiful designs as well. Each ring of the dress has intricate carvings that surround the dress and compliment its shapes and features. While using detailed designs to enhance the dress, the design uses minimal features to make the piece more pleasing to look at.

For our one week Independent Project we decided to improve upon the cycling exoskeleton we had worked on in the 3rd session. As we have explained in our original portfolio, our product is a 3D-printed exoskeleton that fits around a running shoe. For our independent project we honed in on improving our exoskeleton in a few different ways: making the shoe lighter, giving the shoe a better fit, and creating a more aesthetically pleasing shoe. Also, we consulted with a local bike shop and entry level cyclists to receive their input on our shoe.  

When meeting with cyclists, and shop owners they gave us a small list of things that could be approved upon:

1. We could emit certain parts from the sole 
   • ​​We ended up using a grasshopper called Voroni to excise parts of the sole in an intricate pattern. 
2. The bike clip we had attached on the bottom was backwards
   • This was an easy fix to correct because all we had to do was super glue the clip the other way. The heel of the shoe was too hig
   •  
3. We rectified this by going back to the T-Splines file to lower the heel
   • The toe overhang was too large
4. A simple T-Splines edit helped 
   • Airflow needed to be increased 
5. We increased air flow by extruding multiple arrays of circles in the heel, and also with Voronoi; the grasshopper function.
   • The back extrusions for velcro could be rotated so that it would be easier to use the heel strap.
6. Learning new grasshopper functions in just one week was very hard, but; thankfully, there were many Voronoi tutorials online to help us out. 

Having a disability often means a lack of privacy and independence. We wanted to create a series of attachments to help in getting dressed for people lacking fine motor skills. All of our creations are adaptations to clothing, so there is no cutting or sewing required.

Button:

The button we designed makes it much easier for anyone to button up their shirt, jacket, or pants. It is put through the original hole on their clothing, and left there until its ready to use. On one side, it has a faux button making it look normal to the outside world. On the other side there is a mouth for the regular button to slide into. This way, the person can pull one side of the garment over the other and easily close it up.

Zipper: 

The zipper is made to hang off of a regular zipper. It's much larger and easier to grasp with their entire hand. It can be pulled up or down, but not only does it zipper the pants, it can be dragged across to a belt loop or pocket to close the pants without the need of a button. If that's not enough, you can always use it in conjuction with our button.

Bra Clasp:

If buttons and zippers are hard enough, the clasp on a bra will be even harder. It's not only on your back, but equally small, if not smaller. What we are doing is adding a longer piece of fabric and larger fasteners which cross in the back, closing it, and then go around to the front so you can fasten it. This way, they can put the bra on, bend forward, pull the fabric around to the front, and fasten.
 

Pocket Helper:

Since we are on the topic of getting clothes on easier and without assistance, we also thought using the clothes would be helpful too. Most of us use our pockets a lot, taking our phones and wallets in and out way too often than we should. Our device attaches to the bottom of a pocket so that when it is twisted you can easily fit something inside your pocket. Once you want to take that item out, you can pull up on the hook and the entire pocket will come up exposing the item.

Main Idea: Our product is a stabalizer for a cane or crutch made specifically for people with Cerebral Palsy (CP). It is an attachment that goes on the bottom of a cane or crutch; when the patient shakes, our design prevents the cane or crutch from collapsing or getting off balance.

Design Problem: With a typical crutch, the bottom has only a single leg that is meant to keep the person stable. This can be difficult with CP because of the jerks and twitches that come with it.  Our attachment has four feet that can bend; when a person gets shaky it keeps the pole and person stable. This stability is caused by springs expanding when pressure is put on the pole, causing the feet to go further apart, making the base wider and more stable. If we were to do another itteration, we would have incoorperated only one spring and made the design sleeker. Additionally, the piece that keeps the legs at an angle aren't strong enough.

Why it is important: Our attachment makes the every day lives of people with CP easier and safer. People with CP will feel safer knowing that if they make an involuntary sudden movement they will remain stable. It also doesn't look that different from crutches with four legs at the bottom that do not move, so they won't feel too abnormal in a group of people.

Having a disability often means a lack of privacy and independence. We wanted to create a series of attachments to help in getting dressed for people lacking fine motor skills. All of our creations are adaptations to clothing, so there is no cutting or sewing required.

Button:

The button we designed makes it much easier for anyone to button up their shirt, jacket, or pants. It is put through the original hole on their clothing, and left there until its ready to use. On one side, it has a faux button making it look normal to the outside world. On the other side there is a mouth for the regular button to slide into. This way, the person can pull one side of the garment over the other and easily close it up.

Zipper: 

The zipper is made to hang off of a regular zipper. It's much larger and easier to grasp with their entire hand. It can be pulled up or down, but not only does it zipper the pants, it can be dragged across to a belt loop or pocket to close the pants without the need of a button. If that's not enough, you can always use it in conjuction with our button.

Bra Clasp:

If buttons and zippers are hard enough, the clasp on a bra will be even harder. It's not only on your back, but equally small, if not smaller. What we are doing is adding a longer piece of fabric and larger fasteners which cross in the back, closing it, and then go around to the front so you can fasten it. This way, they can put the bra on, bend forward, pull the fabric around to the front, and fasten.
 

Pocket Helper:

Since we are on the topic of getting clothes on easier and without assistance, we also thought using the clothes would be helpful too. Most of us use our pockets a lot, taking our phones and wallets in and out way too often than we should. Our device attaches to the bottom of a pocket so that when it is twisted you can easily fit something inside your pocket. Once you want to take that item out, you can pull up on the hook and the entire pocket will come up exposing the item.