Week 4 Journal Entry

M2: Design Week 4

Group members: Chan Joshua Tig Hay Martina Wylie Svetlana Nazaruk

Personal Space Within our designs, most of our sketches included the shoulders. The human shoulders are able to act as a protection against the rest of our bodies. Imagine a bus so crowded that people have to abandon their personal space to function together. The area their personal space is commonly penetrated first is their shoulders. Another example of this is that humans commonly relying on their shoulders during weapon-less combat, one example of this is American football. Due to this type of combat protection method within football, protection gear such at shoulder pads are worn. This form of protection therefore connects to a large aspect of our design.

(Image of Football player running with shoulder pads)

Within our group, the most vulnerable area of our bodies we thought were areas we could physically not see without the aid of technology. Our backs; especially the top half of our backs, were therefore thought as quite vulnerable.

This idea was agreed on by the group especially due to the back's lacking in meat/fat acting as a protective surface for the underlying spinal cord and parts of the human's ribs.

Sketch design ideas of personal Space

Another strong aspect within our design is the idea of leaving traces of their personal boundaries after oneself. The group noticed that this aspect was especially dominant as a social norm within certain situations and societies.

For example when on board a tram and there are no seats left. Even if you were craving for someone else's seat, there seems to be an unspoken social norm of not taking the empty seat as soon as the other person stands up. Because, respecting that person's personal space, you are waiting for at least couple of seconds after the risen passenger has left.

After large amounts of consideration the group then redesigned the Second skin into a skin which moulded shoulders, backs, and an 'essence' of personal space into one:

Sketch design ideas of personal Space The sketch design was previously created from small and large spikes of the same shape but different size to show the properties of panel and fold. These spikes emphasizes the amounts of protection humans needed at different places of our bodies. (i.e. the back would have the biggest spikes and the extension of the tail would have medium)

Front view

The design is initially wrapped around the body slightly like a protective rib cage. On one side of the skin the shoulder area is accentuated, looping around the shoulder/ arm attachment area to act as a fastening/ balancing device. The shoulder area looks slightly spiky to act as a form of protection.

We were influenced by the "Surfaces that can be built from paper" to create flat surfaced parts yet combined to look like organic shapes for the design.

When the wearer of the design is in motion, the section of the design which was previously wrapped around the wearer's torso is unhooked and is able to follow by flowing behind wearer, moving around due to the movement of wind and the movement of the wearer.

Back view

(The second skin flowing behind the wearer)

Design ideas of the panels One idea was to have the lower portion of the skin made in a lighter/ thinner material so that it is able to act out the motion of flowing. String may be incorporated within the lower part of the design to act as bone. The skin of the design was to be constructed in a slightly more ridged material to resemble the 'exoskeleton' idea. Our group thought to seek visual aid of the Sydney Opera House to display the possible type of texture our design would include.

(Sydney Opera House)

Idea two: Our second idea was to incorporate the use of air pressure to the 'moving tail' of our design. We thought that the way to do this was to base our ideas off the function of a Chinese lantern and how it is able to expand and retract it's shape.

(Chinese Lantern)

Sketch idea in Rhino: First version

Sketch idea in Rhino: Second version

Precedent: Mantis Shrimp The body system of the Shrimp is able to relate to all three systems which we are in-cooperating into our design. Firstly the body structure includes skin and bone to hold the body together and to aid/ create movement. Then there are sections, shown as the shrimp has a segmented body. The third is the use of panelling within the shrimp's tail. Each segment of the shrimp's body is a different size in order of them to slot into one another.

(Mantis Shrimmp)

The mantis shrimp is able to simultaneously observe most of its surrounding environment. This ability is able to be linked into the second skin design, as the design is not just a 2 Dimensional design, it is to be observed in movement and along many different views, each view is also unique as the design has certain leading lines wrapped around the body of the wearer for the viewers to see.

(Mantis Shrimp Shell)

The exterior of the shrimp is it's hard protective surface and is also able to act as a weapon using its claws to pierce items or shoot out bursts of hot bubbles to attack/fend off others.

References American Football http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-55619260/stock-vector-ink-guy-football-player.html

Chinese Lantern http://www.123rf.com/photo_12074166_bangkok--january-23--chinesenew-year-2012--red-chinese-lanterns-decorate-chinatown-bangkokMantis Shrimp http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/mantis-shrimp Mantis Shrimp Shell http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/mantis_shrimp