portfolio 2014
fiore taking care of those that have paved the way Fall 2010
sundowners syndrome
as the day progresses, people who suffer from dementia often become angry, confused, and sometimes violent towards their caregivers. in short, the symptoms of dementia experienced by people tend to worsen at the end of the day.
sensory stimulation
aromatherapy is beneficial to those suffering from dementia, as citrus scents help energize the individual in the morning while lavender scents help relax them at night.
the goal is to improve the quality of life of people living with dementia by using snesory stimulation at the waking and waning hours to combat the effects of sundowners syndrome. waking up to a steady bright light helps wake up individuals in a calm manner, while fading lights at night help coax them to sleep.
“translating two different therapies into one cohesive product..�
simple geometeric combinations were briefly explored to see possible methods of interaction with the user.
the gesture of a blooming bud was explored as a unique manner to dispense light and aromatherapy.
the form needed to be simple and require next to little maintenance. furthermore the device needed to somehow integrate inself into the user’s livelihood in an unobtrusive manner.
the device needed to remain in a designated area throughout the day in order to have a constant prescence in the user’s livelihood. thus the bedside table became the main context as it would be there for the user in the mornings and nights.
in the waking hours of the day, the device will slowly lighten up to mimic the effects of a rising sun. this will wake up individuals in calm familiarizing manner rather than by a buzzing alarm clock.
the main body of the device would be the source of light for the user. utlizing a translucent opaque surface. the inside consists of diffused LED light that strengthen as the peak waking hour approaches.
8:00am at the peak morning waking time the device will disperse a citrus scent to help energize the user to begin their day. while during the waning evening hours a lavender scent will be dispersed to relaxingly ease the user to sleep.
8:10am
8:20am
8:30am
in the waking hours of the day, the device will slowly lighten up to mimic the effects of a rising sun. this will wake up individuals in calm familiarizing manner rather than by a buzzing alarm clock.
waking
day
night
the citrus and lavender scents are dispersed in a similar manner as an airwick automatic scent dispenser.
the two scents are contained within a chamber that is able to be unscrewed from the bottom in order to be refilled.
a diffuser is placed over the LEDS in order to disperse the light evenly throughout fiore and allow it attain the calm and waking lighting effect for the user.
scents
lights
tthe walls of fiore consist of a thin opaque plastic that allows light to shine through based off luminosity and radiance of the LEDs contained within.
fiore taking care of those that have paved the way
rethinking how we wait at the airport Fall 2013
“change passenger’s perception of time while waiting for their flights at the airport”
intial research
how individuals perceive themselves based upon their body language and body stature.
the average passenger spends 1.5-2 hours waiting for their flight.
how do distractions, especially positive ones, effect a person’s perception of time.
in an attempt to cater towards passenger’s needs, airports provide them with free wifi/electricity in order to utilize their smart devices as a means of stimui.
how does active movement and constant change to one position affect how they view and experience time passing by.
every passenger is different, what are these differences in types of passenger’s needs and desires.
deconstruct.
sacrifice.
security.
construct. reward.
collaboration.
control.
ideation
intial concept of where passengers view the gate area as an arena filled with building blocks containing a central source to create their own seating surface.
ideation on how change passenger’s perception of time began by focusing upon key themes based upon the previous research done. aspects such as collaboration and creation exhibited pontential as they provided an active distraction and possible interactions for passengers.
the idea continued ,however, became more personalized as the building blocks came in different shapes and sizes for different needs and desires found in wanting a seating surface.
dynamic seating
seating surfaces at the gate do not make sense., they are fixed in place and offer only one postion to sit. thus research was done on dynamic seating postures and chairs. The benefits of having a chair that is able to change how it fits the user according to their posture allows for not only better posture but as well as a more focused and active state of mind. This active and state of mind aspect is what was further explored because passengers need distractions through dynamic seating to change their perception of time and not mindless sitting in static seats.
the idea lastly developed into focusing on how the user created their own posture while waiting at the gate, it’s goal then became to subtly engage the user in a dynamic manner while they wait at the gate.
how balance points /form affect seat posture.
deciding upon the form of the chair.
laser cut models to test balance.
final prototype
the laser cutter was used to create the main body of the final prototype.
utilizing pvc piping the main sound dampening cushion body of the prototype was was used to make the able to be held together. prototype bearable to sit upon.
lastly, synthetic wool was used to finish the prototype and allow it to be tested by users.
“passengers need distractions.... not mindless sitting�
Aika is a chair that battles the user in a subtle manner through its unique center of balance. Begging to be sat upon the user experiences a sensation of falling forward. The only way to combat this feeling is for the user to rock backwards. This rythmtic sequence subtely engages the user in a mild enough manner that their perception of time is altered. Aika keeps the user’s body and mind distracted as they constantly search for the perfect body position that allows them to balance effortlessly. Thus Aika is not a solution for negating long periods of waiting but rather a unexpected positive distraction to be experienced.
easy connection.
When brainstorming the idea of modularity was kept as far from thought as possible. However, the more the shape of the chair developed the opportunity proved to great to pass up. Thus the four 110mm holes in the chair would contain contraptions with the ability to be pulled out to a certain point in accordance to the users discretion. Thus from these four independent pieces can the user attach mutiple chairs to each other. Additionally the extruding pieces can also be used to create a mounting storage space for passenger’s luggage/ belongings.
taurus. Spring 2012
ten million people suffer from loco motor disabilities in India this is where jaipur foot comes in. Jaipur foot is a non profit agency whose goal is to provide these people with prosthetics and mobility aid devices. I had the extreme privelige to visit them in Jaipur, India and work in their hand pedaled tricycle factory fro five weeks to gain insights for my bachelor thesis.
livelihood mobility
storage
“fresh” is key
the key to raising their street amrket value is to provide consumers with food that is either fresh or made readily quick and fresh. these attributes are what attract buyers to certain market vendors along the street.
livelihood these people are at the bottom of the street market pyramid. this is because they transform their mobility devices into permanent stands that sell only junk food and chewing tobacco. furthermore their “stand” also becomes their home thus creating an unwelcoming look towards potential consumers and buyers.
the propulsion method of the current model uses a single gear hand pedal system. the length of the drive train however is built in a manner in which
mobility
a crank leverage was explored due to its intergration of propulsion, steering and braking. futhermore though this manner of mobility rougher terrain and obstacles can be overcome.
to be able to have an intuitive steering linked to the amount of effort done by the user a swivel cast system was explored. this allows the user to focus all of their effort on simultaneously propelling and steering themseves.
with the current hand pedaled tricycle the main issue was it required the user to have “three� hands in order to operate effeciently. the steering/braking and propulsion methods were seperate from one another.
the frame of the current model is bulky, cumbersome,and inefficient in terms of it main purpose of mobility. A majority of owners of the device thoughout the day have to bring along their personal belongings in which they are only provided a small toolbox underneath their seat.
storage two wheels up front give the individual more or a dynamic road prescence.
there are three touch points that had to be designed around. these being the three wheels and their positioning in regards to the user of the device. the form indeed needed to be a simple, organic, and flowing however the user’s external perception was of higher priority.
two wheels in the back give the device a more stable appearance and calmer appearance.
mobility.
livelihood.
storage.
taurus.
the taurus is fitted with a tail that is a versatile component for the overall product that brings added value to the user’s livelihood. this is discussed in detail on the following page.
the crank levers of the taurus were not only designed to provide steering and propulsion in one movement but also to act similar to a rower’s oars and provide the user a fluid motion when exerting force.
the crank and gear chain in the taurus has been designed smaller than the previous model to require more force to propel the device while giving it an overall more stable look.
the frame of the taurus is more flowing, dynamic, and open in regards to the previous cage-like model.
taurus was fitted with a front swivel cast system to allow the user of the vehicle to decide which direction to steer depending on the amount of effort placed into the right or left crank levers.
the hooks on the tail of the taurus will act as carabiners inorder for easy use and secure holding of personal belongings.
the “tail� of taurus was designed to act as versatile space saving attachment that aligns with the needs of the user. By having the ability to keep their personal belongings behind them rather than on their steering or movement area the tail gives the user and device a cleaner more welcoming aesthetic. furthermore the tail of the taurus allows for external market carts to be attached. this moves the owner of the device up the street market vendor hierarchy by giving them credibility as a reliable source for fresh foods and services.
neptune Fall 2011
! there are over 3,300 unintentional drownings every year The main focus of this project was not to come up with a solution that would help victims from drowning, but rather to create a product to help the lifeguard on rescue perform their job to their fullest capability.
pool testing was done to determine which touch points of the human body needed to be supported by floatation in order to lift it from the water in the most effecient manner.
lifeguards in California are trained to rescue unconscious/struggling drowning victims by hooking their arms underneath the victims armpits and tow them back to shore with their backs against the water. adding floatation to this method was tested to discover whether or not this could provide aid and ease for the lifeguard.
after in multiple in pool testing of floatation support locations it was determined that placing floatation underneath the neck and lower back upper glut area provided the most effecient manner of lifting the user’s body out of the water.
inspiration for the form of the floatation device came from the seats found in sports cars, their comfortable and enveloping shape made them an ideal starting point for ideation.
built to cradle the smallest children while snuggly fitting the largest of men.
a extending feature was explored to easier fascilitate bringing the victim’s body above water making it easier for the lifeguard to tow back to shore.
a extending feature was explored to easier fascilitate bringing the victim’s body above water making it easier for the lifeguard to tow back to shore.
the upper handles were designed for concious victim rescues for the victim to hold onto as the lifeguard towed them to shore.
neptune
every minute counts because every life counts
the middle handles are designed to be used by the lifeguard to plunge neptune underneath the water behind the individual under distress in a cradling action.
the lower handles were designed for aiding other life guards carry the individual in distress onto to the beach once they have been brought/ rescued to the shoreline.
the neptune was designed to split in half in order to allow the lifeguards to be able to safely lay the victims onto the ambulance stretcher without causing further harm to the spinal cord/neck area
in order to bring victims to shore in a quicker manner, the victims body needed to liftedout of the water to create less tow. Neptune’s extending lower half allows floatation to reach the victims lower abdomen and lift it from the water resulting in the lifeguards tow back to shore less arduous.
the victims neck area is cradled by the two upper handles.
neptune
thank you.