Interim Submission: Modules 1-3

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS MODULES 1-3: IDEATION TO FABRICATION

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MODULE 1: IDEATION

MEASURED DRAWINGS AND RHINO MODEL Much of the inspiration for the current iteration of the design comes from the measured drawings of the artichoke. Drawing it made me really think about how you can repeat a simple geometry to produce a more complex geometry.

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MODULE 1: IDEATION PERSONAL SPACE

BODY LANGUAGE AND BOUNDARIES Our concept of personal space is not concerned with the actual distances as much as the idea of exaggerating the body language which indicates an invasion of personal space and using this to establish a boundary or “warning” aimed at “invaders”.

We are working with shoulders because we think they are important when expressing boundaries.

They create personal space for your head and move upwards when you feel insecure.

We’re also looking at arm movements as a common action is crossing your arms.

CONNECTIONS WITH THE SECOND SKIN Because we want our second skin to imitate and exaggerate body movements it is important to think about how it may be connected to the body and how we can make those movements a part of our design.

In this drawing I look at how crossing your arms could pull a string and create the necessary tension to move a part.

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MODULE 2: DESIGN

PANEL DEVELOPMENT Here I considered what kind of geometry can be repeated to create a cohesive form, imitating the artichoke’s geometry.

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MODULE 2: DESIGN

COMBINING DESIGNS At this point I began to work with Michael and Arvin, and we decided to take Michael’s idea of a dynamic second skin and combine it with my idea of the repeated panel. We found that our ideas about personal space really alligned and this made it very simple to combine our work at this point.

The main difference is that Michael designed his second skin as a skin and bone system and I designed mine as a panel system. Interestingly we ended up combining the two rather elegantly to acheive a dynamic design.

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MODULE 2: DESIGN

DIAMOND PANEL I designed this panel by simplifying the geometries of an artichoke leaf and thinking about stackability.

The result looks good digitally but I faced some problems when it came to prototyping. A dynamic item requires more consideration than a static one.

The ribbing I needed to add was clunky and made the structure laterally unstable. (See page 8)

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MODULE 2: DESIGN

STACKABLE PANEL After my initial prototype this panel was designed to accomodate the necessary mechanisms for a dynamic design.

The additional ridge doubles as the ribbing I needed to add to the previous panel and maintains the stackable nature of the design.

Having designed a new type of panel, I experimented with the posibilities of repetition with this piece.

To the left you can see how the panel may join side by side as well as up and down. This function may be improved with further experimentation.

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MODULE 3: PROTOTYPING AND FABRICATION

UNROLLING AND PROTOTYPING PANELS

DIAMOND PANEL I tried two different methods of flattening this panel. After printing and trialing, I found that the second way was much messier due to the longer join line.

STACKABLE PANEL I tried two different methods of flattening this panel. After printing and trialing, I found that the second way was much messier due to the longer join line.

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MODULE 3: PROTOTYPING AND FABRICATION

FAN AS A PRECEDENT Fans are very simple items which are well resolved and elegant in a design sense. When I thought about the type of movement we wanted for the second skin, fans showed a number of desireable characteristics.

Fans use a series of repeated geometries which can be seen in two states: open or closed. They pivot around a screw in order to do this but the most important aspect of the fan design in terms of my design was how they stop from swinging too far. This is done with a string which ties the ends together which also forces the blades to follow each other. When you move one blade, the next must do so also and so on.

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MODULE 3: PROTOTYPING AND FABRICATION

FAN MECHANISM: PROTOTYPE ONE

This prototype worked in essentials. The three panels fan out when the string is pulled. However it had several problems which need to be resolved.

In order to make a pivot I had to add ribbing to the interior of each panel. This is not an elegant solution. Because of the way the ribs must be stacked to imitate a fan, they crush the panel below when the prototype is closed and pull laterally when it’s open.

The other issue I have with this prototype is the inelegance of the pivot system.

These two issues may be resolved by redesigning the panelling as can be seen on pages 5 and 9.

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MODULE 3: PROTOTYPING AND FABRICATION

FAN MECHANISM: PROTOTYPE TWO

This prototype, although and improvement on the initial one, still has some issues.

We used pasteboard and fishing wire rather than paper and cotton to make this one because we wanted to experiment with materials more like the ones we will eventually use in the final design. It also uses the new panel with the fold which will replace the ribbing.

The extra weight of the card created an issue with the mechanism. In this version the movement is certainly not as smooth as the original. The change in the shape of the panels also contributed to this. The string would sink into the lower part of the panel and we would lose some leverage and the panels wouldn’t move when the string was pulled.

This was somewhat resolved when we added a wire guide to the pivot section which ensure the angle of the “pulley” is sufficient to move the panels.

The other issue we faced was the new flattened version of the panel. Because the main slit which flattens the design is behind the string it is not very strong and the string may slip down and break it. This may be easily fixed by moving the slit.

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MODULE 3: PROTOTYPING AND FABRICATION

REFLECTION

Although there are some problems with this prototype, it was definitely a successful trial. The mechanism, although not perfectly smooth, works quite well and can be further developed. It also showcases the wearability of the object and its potential as a second skin.

The next aspect of the design we need to work on is the application of this mechanism to a larger object and it’s proper attachment to the relevant parts of the body.

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