DIGITAL DESIGN + FABRICATION SM1, 2015 M2 JOURNAL - SKIN & BONE FENG CHAO (596539)& Haotian Wu (668986)
(Tutor Name + Group Number
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Sketch Design Development
KEY IDEAS FROM M1: The idea of marking one’s own personal space so that it is visible to others has been carried forward to the second stage of design. As mentioned previously, personal space have much ambiguity, differed by gender, culturem personality, status, social perception etc, physically drawing out boundaries can help one to possess the space. The idea of using human body as hinges has also been brought forward to the second stage of design. The plan is to untilise human’s own skeletal joints to open up a series of frame to define personal space. We believe that the second skin should not be a mere attachment to the body but to be part of the body. Combining these 2 key ideas from M1, the second skin is amied to achieve one of the following effects: 1. When user wants to defense his own personal space, he will raise his elbow to push away the intruder. This instictive human movement will resut in the contraction of elbow joints, deploying an expandable skeletal systen marks out the users personal space. 2. When the user wants to have some personal space in a crowded area, he can squat down. The movement of hip and knee joints will deploy a skeletal frame which expands and mark one’s personal space.
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Refined Sketch Model Initial Sketch Models
Development Process Moving the cable which plays a mechanical role parallelly forms a parallelogram. This developmen transform the mechanical structure to a more aesthetic and elegant design and creates more space.
Stewart’s sketch model explored volume through using strings and expandable arms. Space is defined and marked out when the strings gain tension.
Combined Sketch Model Steward’s Sketch Model
Chao’s sketch model exlpored the idea of changing direction of force, hidding volmue at plain sight and contact points of space through the use of levers and membranes. The model made of straw combines Stewart’s idea about expansion and space; and Chao’s idea about hidding, showing and transparency.
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2nd Skin proposed design V.1
Front Elevation
Right Elevation
Isometric
Plan
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Description The Elbow Space Expander The first design is a elbow attachment for users. As seen from the model, when the user bend his arm, the structure will expand outwards, creating a volume. In an analysis of personal space, we discovered that personal belongings such as bags are usually used to extend personal space, and when others are intruding, raising elbow would be the most direct reaction. The volume created by this design represents both a belonging to expand more personal space as well as a offensive/defensive signal to intruders. We verify the angle and size of the quadrangles of the structure so that it looks more offensive and less geometric.
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2nd Skin proposed design V.2
Front Elevation
Isometric
Right Elevation
Plan
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Description The Human Hinge Expander Elbow, hip and knees these human joints are used as hinge in this design. When expanded, the second skin can create a large personal space around the body. When the user is standing, the structure is collapsed and hardly occupis space. When people crouch because of pressure, fear or strangeness, they need more personal space surrounding the whole body so that no intruders can disturb or harm them. But the space is temporary because when they are ready to accept others and stand up, the space will be collapsed
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Precedent Research “11:11” COLLECTION By WINDE RIENSTRA
Highlight body // Permeability // Enlarge Body CONCEPT1: ‘The garment channels instead of containing the body.’ The lines clinging to the body contour shows the body itself’s beauty. Even without seeing body, we can still feel it by the lines. Body’s existion is highlighted by the garment.
CONCEPTION2: The lines attached on the structure create an additional space which is however permeable and semitransparent.
Description of precedent
In Winde Rienstra designs, she often utilises materials which have contrasting properties. For instance sturdy MDFs and flexible nylon strings, hard cardboards and soft leather strips. This combination of hard and soft materials enhances the effect of both materials. She utilised evenly spaced strings to create permiable space; spaces that have a clear volume defination and yet unagressive. She also utlises leather, another flexible material to wrap around making a skin and define body. While using soft materails, she also used hard materials like MDFs to create frames to support the ‘skins’. These frames are often off-set from the users body to enlarge their personal space.
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CONCEPTION3: The structure enlarges the body contours. It supports an encircling space additional to the body surface. The model herself is slim while with the structure, she seems wide on shoulders. Material becomes a part of the body
Precedent applied to design Highlight body // Permeability // Enlarge Body
CONCEPT1[HIGHTLIGHT BODY]: Inspired from the precedent study, we start to consider developing the second skin to the whole body. Concept 1 is to wrap the material around the body to show the natural body figure and proportion. The desired effect is even when the body is removed, the human figure can be still recognized by the second skin. The second skin highlights the body figure and users’ personal space
CONCEPT2[PERMEABILITY]: The second idea is to use strings weaved on the structure we developed so far to create a permeable space. The space created by soft strings can remind others of users’ personal space while not be too offensive and hard. And the transparency shows the openness and the accessability of the user. The luminous effect will be used here to strengthen the permeability
CONCEPT3[ENLARGE BODY]: The third idea is to offset the most important body contours and make structures to protect them. It is for creating a surrounding personal space as well as highlighting the most sensitive body components. The quadrangle structure we developed in previous models can be applied here.
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Design development - Version #1
Front Elevation
Isometric
Right Elevation
Top
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Design Process 1. Understanding Personal Space The original design is to wrap irregular quadrangles around the body to make the user look like offensive and threaten others away. A red luminous effect was planned to added in order to highlight the offensiveness, along with the action of elbow blowing. But this proposal is crticized by tutor as without logic and lacking a detailed analysis of personal space. So we measured the personal space for ourselves later and refined the idea. 2. Designing Concept
3. Incoperating Precedent Study
We discovered that neck(including head above), chest and hip are the three areas on the body which require most personal space. So we started by adding structures around the three areas(1), and then added more quadrangle structures on the neck to increase the layers and create a permeable space(2). We also tried to add vertical membranes to make the design solid and consistent with the arm part(3). The final proposal is to erect four small quadrangles around a big quadrangle to protect the three areas, which is consistent with the structure on the arm. String or cable will be used to create permeability. This proposal is developed from the sketch model for the expandable arm component(temporary personal space), and inspired by the precedent studies for the body component(permanent personal space). Firstly, this design highlights the three most important areas on body, reminding others of the user’s existence . Secondly, a surrounding personal space is created by the solid structure. Thirdly, the strings make the space permeable and transparent. The body is visible to others while they are not allowed to intrude. A luminous effect will be added by the use of special paint, LED or optic fiber.
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Design development - Version #2
Front Elevation View
Side Elevation View
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Isometric View
Plan
Luminated Spread Effect
Singularity
Design Process 1.Understanding Personal Space
2.Designing Concept Plan View
The design concept started as to seek a continuity of geometric shapes from the expandable arm spacer section. We started off by looking at the planer view of the arm frame. From there, we discovered that the frame creates diamond shape when fully expanded and decided to use this as the theme for the body section. One of the personal space we looked into is the chest and shoulder. As seen from the indiactive diagram, most people feel uncomfortable when they are being touched at the chest than to the shoulder. This behaviour can be trace back to human instinct of protecting importrant organ such as the heart, hence shoulder can be less protected than to the chest. As a result of this fact, the design should both display a image of protection (hard materials), while still allow some level of ‘welcome-ness’ as we do not wish to chase people away.
We modulised the diamond shape from planar view and paneled it across a surface. In order to add dimensions (z-plan) to the shape, we extruded 2 opposing points outwards, forming 2 inverted ‘V’s. Refering back to personal space investigation, given that shoulder can be less protected than the chest, the diamond module is scaled down towards the shoulder to represent the decrease of protection needs. We create 3 diamond modules of varying sizes to trecend the scaling. Prespective View
3.Incoperating Precedent Study Upon studying the precedent, we feel that the idea of using contrasting materials such as hard wood and soft stings can be used to show the idea of permiable space and untouchable space. The strings are used to define a space while allowing some approachability while the hard wood protects the users. Hence, strings were spreaded from a singularity point at the shoulder towards the other end of the frame. This marks the frame and body, while hintting the untouchable resgion of the body as seen as the hard spiky wood. Strings which passes through the singularity point from the chest will then spead out again towads the expandable arm section, producing the same effect.
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Prototype OverView Of Results Arm Section
Body Sections
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Glow Effects
Joints
Testing Effects Initial Designs
Components
End Of Prototype
Arm Frame Joints
Perspex frame wirh 3D printed joints
(Cardboard, Cotton Stings, Eyelet) Issues: Material is weak, like to collapse in life size frame
Arm Module
MDF frame with steel bolts and nuts joints
Body Frame Body Module 1
MDF frame with metal wires and eleastic bands
(Bassal Wood, Screw Eye, Nylon Strings) Issues: Balsa is soft material, might not be able to withstand weight of structure.
Body Module 2 MDF frame
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JOINTS Stages
Lasercut Perspex Board
Effects & Issues
MDF connection joints
The first attempt to custom make a rotational joint to meet the needs of the project.We find it difficult to purchase joint and bolts which fits our need for this project: hollow nuts in the market. Eventhough this joint is able to perform as aspected, the joint is not as aesthetic pleasing as we wished it to be. We decided that we should continue with 3D pinted joints in the future.
We find it difficult to purchase joint and bolts which fits our need for this project: hollow nuts in the market. Hence after seeking inspiration from some master’s project, we decided to 3D print our own joints. The issue with 3D Print connection joints
3D printing is that the quality of the printed nuts are inconsistant, probably due the precision limiation of the machine. This make the failure rate of the material very high.
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ARM MODULE Effects & Issues Stages
Cotton strings are tied cross 2 arm component to create a permiable skin for the deisgn. This material create sectors of screen in the arm component.
MDF: The 3mm MDF performed well as it is able to withstand the compression during the expansion of the frame and is able to withstand the tension during the collapsing process. However, something to note is that during compression, if the 2 expandable structure is not properly aligened and excessive force are put into the system, the MDF bulk and possibly break. Hence carefull craftmanship is needed to ensure Lasercut MDF Board
Prospex:
all components are aligened before expansion.
Upon doing the prototype, we found that prospex is a much
The expansion space is adequate to mark out a comforatble area for personal
heavier and brittle material then MDFs. It is not the ideal mate-
need.
rial to make the expandable arm compnent as it is not able to
Glow in the dark
support its own weight and is not able to withstand the com-
A layer of glow in the dark paint was applied on to the cotton strings. This gives the
pression force. However, this material have a nice gloss finish
users the ability to define personal space even in the dark. The challenge we face
than MDFs, hence more aesthetic pleasing. It is possible to
when applying this paint on the stings is that the it cant be appllied evenly. Also,
reinefoce the prospec by utilising thicker 8mm prospex than
with a layer of paint, the cotton strings loses its original soft and light charateristic,
the current 3mm.
becoming hard and dense.
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BODY MODULE 1 Stages
Lasercut Perspex Board
Effects & Issues
Type 2: The second attempt to suspend the smaller componet to the larger frame. Elastic band with a fabric wrapping was used. It managed hold the component in place, however as the frame was previously designed to fit wires, impromptu modifications were made one the MDFs frames. This damaged the aesthetic quality of the component. After installing the elatic bands with fabric wrapping on the frame, we sprayed it with glow in the dark paint. Its night glowing effects are satisfactory, as it gives off softlights. giving it a sense of permiability of space while defining personal space. However, the unexpected was the fabric wrapping reacted with the spray chemicals and shrinked. The elastic band with fabric wrapping hence lose tension, losing its previously intended effect in daylight.
Type 1:
Type 3:
The first attempt to suspend the smaller component on the larger component is connected by wires. However, this did not produce a satisfactory result as we find it very challenging to make the wire straight.
The final attempt to suspend the frames was to use rubber bands. It perfomed well as lines are straight and simple.
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BODY MODULE 2 Effects & Issues
Stages
Lasercut MDF Board
Screw eyes are installed to the diamond modules for sting looping.
The modues are sticked together via hotglue. We understood that this method is not elegant, however this process allows us to gauge the distance for laser grove cutting for further development. After the connecting the modules from right big to left small, stings are attached so that they can converge at a singular point; the shoulder. The soft light strings used contrasted against the hard dark MDF, which is produces a effect which is desirable for us: hard untouchable personal space and permiable space.
V-shaped are sloted together via precut grove to form a dimentional diamond
Inverse side of the chest panel. Sharp edge facing the front to defense
shape module. The diamond shaped module varied in size to give a effect of
the personal space. However this is not the effect we want as we wishes
transition.
to create less aggressive but permiable personal space.
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Appendix
Winde Rienstra https://www.notjustalabel.com/designer/winde-rienstra http://www.winderienstra.com/ Crouching Person Image http://www.masterfile.com/stock-photography/image/614-03551907/Mature-man-crouching-down
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