Sketches

Poster

Description of Concept

Suitable for households and public areas.

Smart floor is a floor that is able to detect movements, objects as well as liquid placed on it. Depending on the type of that specific thing, the tile where the object is located will respond by displaying different colours on that area. This aims for letting people know what is in front of them to stop them from accidentally stepping on objects.

An example would be potential danger to people such as shattered glass, some pieces of glass are often difficult to pinpoint with bareeye even if one has good eye sight, let alone people who wear glasses. Smart floor would then light up all the tiles where the pieces of shattered glass are at, make it easier to clean up and minimise the risk of getting hurt. The same also applies to small hazards such as water, screws, needles, and the most notorious LEGOS.

There also is a counter measurement specifically for bugs, bugs that cannot fly such as cockroach, I believe most people have had the experience of chasing after a roach with a shoe or magazine in your hand, smart floor can make this easier by sinking a tile that the roach is on, and trap it in a sunken tile that is surrounded by smooth surfaces so that the roach isn’t going to be able to escape.

Discarded Ideas

• All-in-one Stationary kit
• Smart bed that read user movements/postures to adjust the surrounding electronics
• Smart light that read user’s movement to determine whether it should be on/off

Brainstorming Process

I spent most (70-80%) of my time trying to make one of my discarded ideas work, smart bed was the one I was so stubbornly determined to work on, unfortunately the features I could think either does not make much sense to me or it is already out there.

The initial thought was to design the bed to detect user's movement on it to perform different types of services, such as switching the lights off when the user was detected to be asleep, tune the music down and so on, however if I were the user, most likely I would just use voice command to turn off the things I want to turn off, which voice command is already out there.

Inspiration

Saw this in one of my previous courses (DECO2300 if my memory is correct)

Piano Stairs : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw

Pillow Pal

Concept Sketch

Concept Description

With constant pressures being placed on our shoulders everyday and an increase in demanding situations that people feel the need to succumb to, people are dealing with stressors and unwanted negative emotions all the time. These can be very hard to overcome when feeling surrounded by people or being placed in unfamiliar situations, as people tend to not even realise the distressing feelings that they are experiencing.

I myself get quite stressed and upset when things don't go according to plan and don't even notice how I'm feeling! Once those feelings come, I find it very hard to restore myself back to a calm state right away.

So, to combat these emotions, that's where the Pillow Pal can help. The Pillow Pal is pillow that senses the negative emotions a user is undergoing (potentially through heartbeat and body warmth). It uses a meditative approach to create a calming atmosphere.

Based on the particular emotion a user feels, the Pillow Pal releases a scent and song to relax the user, as well as changing colour to make the user aware of the type of emotion they might be undergoing. Initially, the song that is played will try to resonate with how the user is feeling, before gently transitioning to a more relaxed song. Once the Pillow Pal has registered that the user is calm, it changes its colour to a warm comforting white, while maintaining its soothing scent and calming song.

The Pillow Pal hopes to bring some light to those darker days that almost everyone experiences on a day-to-day basis, and to bring about awareness of recognising these negative emotions.

Resources

• https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/negative-emotions
• https://www.verywellmind.com/how-should-i-deal-with-negative-emotions-3144603
• https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-power-of-music-to-reduce-stress/
• https://www.ambius.com/blog/scents-that-elicit-emotion/
• https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/scents-and-wellbeingn5193609

Idea Explanation

Climate change is the biggest problem we are facing today and we really need to be making immediate changes to our lifestyle. It can feel very powerless seeing the big companies and governments not really doing much to help this issue, so by having a fun and playful interaction like Artificial Conscience, it can motivate everyday people to make small changes for a bigger cause.

I am very passionate about minimising the effects of climate change but still find it difficult to find ways to do this in my everyday life. It has been found that one of the quickest ways to change behaviour is through disapproval (https://digest.bps.org.uk/2013/01/10/social-disapproval-leads-to-longer-lasting-behaviour-change-than-cash-fines/). Now not everyone has a blunt friend who will tell you when your makeup looks bad or when you’re using too much electricity, so that’s where Artificial Conscience comes in. Artificial Conscience is a digital figurine that responds to the environment around it. It can be used in many different settings but the most appropriate and common use would be in a public place in households where all members of the family can interact with it (e.g. living room). It is used to encourage conscious effort in reducing energy and water use in households by reminding the user when they are ineffectively doing so.

It can respond to its environment through its rotating arms, colour (string of LED lights inside frosted casing), facial expressions on screen. For example, if the user has a 20 minute shower, they will then come into the living room to be publicly shamed by the drowning plant on the coffee table (see figure below).

I think its a very interesting interaction as instead of just a meter showing you that you have used 22L of water today, it gives an emotional context to situation. By personifying the environment in this way it allows people to have an emotional response to their inefficient use of resources, utilising the human values of compassion and need for approval.

Inspiration

This idea was inspired by lua, a digital plant pot that visually alerts the user of what the plant needs.

Digital Plant Pot - https://mu-design.lu/lua#lua-intro

Shadow Band

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About the idea

Many people have a dream about a rock band, but for most people, it is difficult to learn to play an instrument and form a band. Their lives are full of work and trivial matters, they don't have time to learn to play an instrument, or they don't have spare money to buy an instrument. When they see the band playing passionately on TV, they will remember their inner pursuit of music. If my idea can solve a "problem", I think it is to help people make up for their regrets about their music dreams.

I used to play a virtual piano on my mobile phone. For a moment I even felt that I was a pianist, but the realism of 2D games was not enough. I played some somatosensory games. They can capture my actions and give feedback. So I think instrument playing can also be a somatosensory game, and this is my original inspiration.

You don't have to pay for real instruments, and you don't have to worry about playing skills. These instruments will be projected on the wall, and there will be your shadow on the wall. The sensor that captures your figure will connect your movement with the instrument. When you make a playing action, your shadow will be the same, then the instrument will sound. You can choose to be a guitar player, your friends can play drums and saxophone, etc. Then the shadow band is set up and starts playing.

As for the context of use, this is a highly interactive installation and has artistic value, so it can appear in interactive technology exhibitions, as well as in the modern art museum.

Of course, it would be very interesting if it can be developed as a somatosensory game for people to play at home. You can form a band with your parents or friends. This is an entertaining way to promote good communication.

Source of inspiration

https://virtualpiano.net/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyjNqksc-m8