My designs intend to bring awareness to the world around us and how we experience it;
cooking
sewing
lighting
coffee-maker
transportation
communication
to draw out beauty that is hidden in the way we live.
craft knife
furniture
50 43
34 30 24
18 10 4
4
takami Junior Project
furniture competition constraints
use our patent-pending hinge that will hold at any angle up to 90Ëš
adaptable
family of furniture for the living room
There is a need for furniture to accomodate new ways of living.
Tools we use for daily life are being refined into portable touch displays, creating new postures and means of interacting inside the home.
It is not natural for our bodies to sit in one position for very long. My concepts were driven by the desire for more open space and a rise in doing work in more comfortable and informal environments.
6
“I move, therefore I am.� - Haruki Murakami
Geometry and sizing factors were refined through quick momdelmaking.
After settling on a final form, I went to work constructing a prototype for our presentation from scratch.
takami
1
piece of furniture to satisfy all necessary surfaces in a living room.
8
fold up to reveal table
Table
Steel frame snaps the three sections into place to fit through doorways. Hinging edges highlighted
Multiple Takamis may be fitted together to adapt to the space available.
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veer Junior Project
Design a tool for the office space.
Create a craft knife ideal for a straight edge.
After observing flaws in the form of the Xacto blade related to its main uses, I layed out a concept statement.
Many classmates used their finger as a pivot against the cutting surface to gain more control and compensate for the form of the Xacto, which hasn’t changed since its inception as a surgical tool nearly a century ago.
The design office has a large demand to cut pieces with perpendicular edges for model-making and poster boards.
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I orchestrated tests throughout the architecture school to gather responses to different forms and blade placement.
I found that the power grip , instead of the precision grip, offered more comfort when applying heavy, repettetive pressure.
I developed a form that would fit in the hand just like a handle yet still have a face that can glide along the edge of a ruler.
With a few adjustments, the form allowed itself to be perfectly symmetrical, allowing lefties to snap in the blade on the opposite end.
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After creating a CAD file for detailing, I refined the form with a high density foam to find something widely accessible, then began making my final prototype.
For application of the blade , I looked to the ease and security behind the removal mechanism used with most razor blades today.
Injection molded dyed ABS thermoplastic, Pantone Q390
Lock/Spring
Blade Sheath
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Button
one
plan
e to glid e al ong a st ra i g h te d ge, ano ther es edg ical ver t ctly er fe for p
press button to pop out blade
veer crafting knife
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Red Rubber Plate
Sophomore Project
Design an electronic for the home.
Why aren’t you cooking?
28% don’t know how
25% too much mess
21% general time constraints
April 2011, random group, 25+ of 1087 by Impulse Research
How many separate devices are necessary to cook a meal?
Prepare
Cook
Eat
Clean
How can they be combined ?
I tested how well different heating elements cooked various foods and how the heat can be insulated to allow for eating directly from the surface. 20
Safe Cooking Temperatures Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb
160F
Turkey, Chicken
165F
Ham
150F
Egg
150F
Fish
145F
Leftovers, Casseroles
165F
For an insulating material, I came across silicone , which has increased in poularity for cookware. Foodgrade types are made to t tan te pe atu e o up to 0Ëš
I found that enough space between the silicone and heating element created enough insulation to rest comfortably on the lap.
With only the metal prongs extruding from the silicone, the power supply is washable, and requires only a simple extension cord.
But 423 million people, or nearly one-third of the population, still lack access to clean cooking facilities due to antiquated coal stoves, the IEA said.
Non-stick steel plate The report on financing energy access for the poor estimated that 377 A/C million rural residents and 46 million in China’s urban areas were stillpower cable using “highly polluting” coal stoves to cook food.
Aluminum enclosure dissipates heat 0˚ e tan e eat ng o l
Food-grade silicone mold, casted around aluminum frame
Prepare
Cook
Eat
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Clean
Red Rubber Plate personal stove
24
press Sophomore Project
Create a tea or coffee set.
wood veneer veneer
weld
The cleanup after each brew takes away from the simple beauty of the French Press.
The plunger mechanism requires excessive cleaning. I looked into how multiple parts could be avoided.
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I found that embedding neodymium magnets into the filter and outer dish allow the filter to be pulled through the coffee grounds.
scoop
PRESS coffee/tea
p o u r g ro u n d s
ad d h ot wa te r
i n s e r t f i l te r
p u l l d ow n
e n j oy
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perfect lovers Sophomore Project
Create a lighting system focusing on the on/off mechanism.
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The interaction between human, power, and bulb offers exciting opportunities.
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With one sphere casted in resin around two LEDs, and another to house batteries, the light can be hung from anywhere with just two screws.
Perfect Lovers
When pushed close to one another, embedded magnets will hold the two bodies together, completing the circuit.
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seam Junior Project
Create a product based around User Centered Design.
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Meet Daniel & Jessica.
“I often need to fix clothing as quickly as possible; I have even used staples a few times.”
“I love to sew! But, having to set up my entire sewing machine to take care of small alterations can be a real pain.”
creating from scratch
crafting
What is sewing most commonly used for? hemming & small alterations What types of stitches are needed for hemming? lockstitch If you were to buy a sewing machine, how much are you willing to spend? $45 $15
Engineer, Student 29 years Suburban Home
Stitch Quality Concern
$250
Design Student 22 years City Apartment
Stitch Quality Concern
Enjoyment Sewing
Enjoyment Sewing
$$ willing to spend $$ willing to spend Available Time
Tech-savvy
Tech-savvy Available Time
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Embroidery
4800$ VIKING DESIGNER DIAMOND
280$ SINGER
Coverstitch
Complexity of Functions
Overlock
830$ JUKI INDUSTRIAL
90$ SINGER 1512
65$ JANOME MINI 185$
SINGER
Zig-Zag
EXCESSIVE STITCH OPTIONS
OPPORTUNITY
Lock-Stitch
12$
AWL
Chain-Stitch
15$
HANDHELD
WEAK STITCHES
Single-Stitch
Easy to Pick Up
More Complex
Take a Class
Learning Curve
Competitor Analysis
Handy-Stitch
Sewing Awl
Lil Sew N Sew
Must knot ends by hand Motor difficult to control Tough to insert fabric
Time intensive Uneven stitching
“Impossible to thread” “Tenision won’t adjust” Not able to reverse Difficult to set up
Strength of Lockstitch
Accessability of Handheld
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Bottom bobbin still pulls top thread around bottom spool to create a lockstitch .
Instead of requiring power to drive the fabric and having a circular motion in the feed dogs ,
the manual pull of the fabric will drive the gears, causing the needle to rotate and stitch.
Avoiding a motorized feed gives the user much more control over stitch placement.
PROCESS
Insert bobbin
Place fabric inside and close
Pull fabric through
Needle
Track Systems to rotate gears
Gears synchronize thread and bobbin tension 40
Bobbins
HANDHELD LOCKSTITCH
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drape 2701 Fondren Drive, Suite 123 Dallas, TX 75206 Enterprise Wearable Technology
Theatro Labs Inc. develops business applications for wearable computing devices for the indoor mobile workforce. The Company provides in-store mobile workforce communication and management solutions for the retail markets, as well as offers wearable computer, communication, in-door location, and analytics solutions.
Sponsored retail communication project We created a wearable communication device for retail store employees. Design our next version.
When plugged into a headset , our device allows employees to verbally communicate more efficiently. So far, our device has successfully replaced walkie talkies in The Container Store in Austin, but we want to expand. What changes should be made to our device that will appeal to a new market ?
BLURRING LINE
We interviewed popular stores within various categories to determine which were open to implementing our device. We concluded mid to high-end clothing stores would benefit the most, having the opportunity to raise their service to haute couture levels.
Sometimes I miss using the headset, but it doesn’t match the ‘look’ anymore.
The worst part of the headsets is the tangle of the wire.
Requrements
fit the ‘look’
no bluetooth
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heads-up display
+
My concepts were driven by combining the device with the headset. The main challenge I faced was comfortably distributing the weight of the battery without pulling on the ear.
Drape
Drape was awarded ‘Most Futuristic’ by Theatro. I was granted an internship with the company for my innovations.
Clipping the mic and battery near the collar allows weight to be taken off the ear. Bendable wire will comfortably hug an ear of any shape or size.
Battery
Interchangeable earbuds fit each employee
command button LED indicator 46
Theatro Internship Summer 2014
me boss
Applying my skills in a fast-paced start-up company taught me the difficulties of implementing new ideas in the real world. I experienced developing several projects throughout the summer.
We sought to win over Bed, Bath, and Beyond as a new client. The process of use was difficult to learn for several employees, so I layed out an easy to follow graphic script to show the features the device offered.
Theatro Internship Summer 2014
Fixes Working under an Engineer , I spent much of my time developing solutions for issues current devices faced. I quickly learned the importance of tolerances .
Manager Box In testing and developing this project from birth, I experienced how to accomodate small electronic parts and a circuit board into a CAD model.
amp mic speaker PCB
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Phone App
I learned how to tackle the complexities of the mobile platform. Prototypes of our designs were created and tested.
CIII Surveying employees to gather opinions on a new direction for the device taught me how little time a small company has to put into future projects.
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tau Senior Project
Create a company model and produce three fully-functioning bicycle prototypes for the integrated locking system within thirteen weeks.
urban commuter with an
Mark
Carlyle
Parke r
Ross
Brian
Fe lipe
Jimmy
Ju lie
Ge orge
Gaby
Dylan
Market Why do you take your bike to work? Bicyclists (n = 36) responded as follows to “Why do you take a bicycle to work? rasine
el ipede 6
edal i 6
Average miles traveled each day
le
How many miles traveled according to medium of transporation.
Sa et
Sa et
i
i
le
Source: Downtown Houston Commute Survey Report http://www.downtownhouston.org/
le
Our thorough literary and market research taught us how to recognize bikers’ preferences, skillsets, and environments. With our information, we categorized three types of riders and their needs.
rider archetypes
healthy green trails hilly new
industrial longer rides dark
Road bikes are optimized for paved roads, opposed to rough terrain or racing tracks. Centered around more competitive cycling.
Hybrid bicycles blend specialized road bikes, touring bikes and mountain bikes. A general purpose bike that can tolerate a wide range of riding conditions and applications. 52
culture/art sunny older
Comfort bikes combine balloon tires, an upright seating posture, a single-speed drivetrain, and straightforward steel construction with expressive styling.
After initial ideation, we split into groups to develop each feature more efficiently. My concentrations were branding, locking, and prototyping.
Core Needs
Design Considerations
needing improvement within the current market
to evenly distribute our time.
locking
branding
storage
features
branding
CAD
prototyping
I led the branding group in developing a language including colorway, logo, market approach, and distinguishing aesthetic attributes. We presented mood boards to take all opinions on colors and material choices into considerationW.
We came across a word giving a sense of unity and movement, but most commonly related to the geometry of a circle. We discovered a separate definition of the Tau Theory that stuck: the interaction between organism and environment. The role a bike has in connecting the human to the urban landscape became central to the entire brand.
locking
Felipe and I took on refining the locking mechanism. We found all locks to be breakable at some point, but U-Locks and heavy link chains proved to be the only trusted types on the market.
-
difficulty storing
awkward handling
+
versatile
space restricting hardened steel
material
Attempting to fit a rigid lock on the frame proved impractical and created imbalance. After testing an idea for using elasticity in the chain, we concluded that rigid links were strongest and easiest to maneuver.
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We tested the durability, strength,
assembly, aesthetic, and attachment new forms of chains may allow.
Keeping urban commuters in mind, we sought to capture the elegance behind a watch band , while incorporating the strength of heavy-duty chains. We wanted to eliminate how difficult they are to store.
We found the most potential for storing the lock between the split top tubes that developed. We enclosed the rivets to make them impossible to remove and 3D printed and casted the chain in a hard epoxy resin.
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dismount bike
wrap around bike + secure pole
lift latch
close clasp
prototyping Forming a relationship with a local bike frame welder, we welded and assembled the frames from scratch.
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The Tau Theory
Urban
Movement
an interaction between organism and environment
TOURING HANDLE BARS
CANTILEVER BRAKES
35 MM TIRES
SRAM 2-SPD W INTERNAL GEAR HUB
CALIPER BRAKES
VELOCITY CHUKKER WHEELS
28MM TIRES
CALIPER BRAKES
28MM TIRES
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DRIVETRAIN: SHIMANO 8-SPD INTERNAL GEAR HUB
VELOCITY CHUKKER WHEELS
DRIVETRAIN: SHIMANO 8-SPD INTERNAL GEAR HUB
WWWW
Porter
Porter redefines what many bicyclists turn their nose up at; a comfort bike. our bike has a traditionally styled frame but with all the flair to make people turn their heads for a second look. It has all the storage capabilities you will need, guaranteed.
MISSION
Mission is an all terrain machine, waiting to jump curves, dodge trees, and fly down trails. Whether commuting to work or yearning for an urban cycling adventure, this is your beast.
comfort
Hybrid
DISTRICT road
With a frame mixing geometry between a cyclo-cross and racing bicycle, District offers a truly unique riding feel. We want your road bike to ride comfortable and incorporate all your commuting needs without leaving out contemporary beauty.
presentation
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rossorudolph@yahoo.com 972 369 9947 1600 willow ln mckinney tx 75070
Education 08. 2010 current
University of Houston, Houston, TX INDUSTRIAL DESIGN Bachelor of Science
08. 2009 05. 2010
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Bachelor of Science, inc.
08. 2009 05. 2010
Mckinney Boyd High School Class Rank: 49/473 ACT: 29
Projects Exhibited Sponsored Modern Luxury Media Tile Project
Wall Garden concept chosen to be in International Journal of Interior Architecture and Spacial Design
Annual Exhibition
Hot Plate Design Selected Craft Knife Selected
Magazine display concept chosen in top designs
Uchi & Blaffer
Collaborated to conceptualize plates for a ten-course feast
Employment Theatro DALLAS TX
Again & Again DALLAS TX
Design Intern. Developed concepts and solutions for the wearable tech. startup company Image/Social Media Consultant and Photographer for a vintage furniture upcycle company
Skills Adobe Suite Standard Solidworks Keyshot Quickly Testing Ideas Conceptualizing Modelmaking Rapid Prototyping