DDF module 2

DIGITAL DESIGN + FABRICATION SM1, 2015 M2 JOURNAL - FOLDABLE HELMET Lucas Buainain Alves & Xiaodi Zhang

705387 & 657695 Tutor: Michelle Emma James Group: Paneling and Fold

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Sketch Design Development Agenda: A helmet that can produce adjustable personal distance for an individual and provides different dense of permeable eye sights for people.

Explanation: Many people have a common sense that head is a part of body that they do not want to be touched by others in most of the time. Also, people may want to reduce the eye contacts when they are in depression or feeling insecure.

Thus, we decided to design a helmet to cater to the “phycological needs� for people.

Challenge: One problem with the original sketch was the rigidity of it.

So we combined the ideas of strips and rigid pattern, and decided to avoid the solid cover. A complex foldable pattern will be used that can be permeable or not depending on the angle.

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refined Sketch Model The “shell idea“ is too rigid that cannot achieve the purpose of movement and permeability. The “strip idea“, as mentioned in the Design Development part, has the limitation of rigidity.

We chose the strip idea to be the mechanism of the control for the helmet.

When pushed down creates a volume, and springs back when held upwards.

To improve the refined model, we replaced each strip with a group of “star” pattern. There are three advantages: (1) It provides different dense of permeability (2) The gaps bounded by units are changeable (3) The volume of each strip will be changed according to the compression.

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2nd Skin proposed design V.1

Plan: Compressed Status

Elevation: Compressed Status

√ FLEXIBLE √ VISIBLE √ CONTROLLABLE

Perspective with low visibility

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Plan: Normal Status

Perspective with high visibility

Elevation: Normal Status

Measurement Diameter of the top circle Diameter of the bottom circle The height above the head

Total height of the helmet

The top circle of the helmet is put on the forehead and the bottom of the helmet is seated on the shoulders. According to the measurement, an individual can easily adjust the height of the helmet.

Adjustment of personal distance

Max personal distance Min personal distance

The purpose of compression is to make the private space adjustable. By compressing the helmet, the personal space is increased. Thus, the normal status provides the minimum private distance while the compressed status maintains the maximum personal space.

Normal Status Compressed Status

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Visibility

The helmet is designed with different dense of visibility. The user can change the visibility of by rotating the helmet.

Part 1 Part 3

Part 3

Part 2

People prefer to have more eye contact with closer friends while they want to reduce direct eye contact with strangers. The difference of pattern density meets the user’s need.

Also, the user’s face is largely hided by the high density surface, which prevents strangers from disturbing the user. Thus, it meets the demand of both communication and isolation.

The difference of visibility is achieved by the low density pattern (pattern 1)and the high density pattern (pattern 2). Two patterns can be connected with out gaps, so that the surface is changeable with different connecting ways.

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Pattern 1

Pattern 2

2nd Skin proposed design V.2

Plan: Compressed Status

Elevation: Compressed Status

√ FLEXIBLE √ VISIBLE √ PROTECTIVE

Perspective with low visibility

Perspective with high visibility

Plan: Normal Status

Elevation: Normal Status

Measurement of the surface

Visibility

3.5CM

The dimensions of the surface is the same as that of the first design.

47CM

The spacing of strips minimize the visual limit within the helmet.

There are three types of triangle pyramids in the design which have the same size of the bases with different height.

The strip is consisted of equilateral triangles with 3.5 centimeters sides.

238 degree

94 degree

Measurement of the triangular pyramid

The spacing of the strips is designed unequally, which allows the user to adjust the visibility in different occasions.

50 degree

94 degree

3.5

CM

Functions of triangular pyramids

Personal Distance There are two functions of the triangular pyramids: (1) Compared to the 1st design, the pyramids enhance the protection for the helmet. With the pyramid on the surface, the helmet becomes untouchable, which makes the individual feel secure. The pyramids with 2 cm heights are mainly used to protect the surface. Lower pyramids are designed at the top and bottom of the surface in order to prevent the user from pyramid thrusting.

(2) The triangular pyramids increase the personal space from the outside. High pyramids are located at the middle of the surface, so that the private distance will be increased largely when the helmet is under compression.

Low density of strips

Comparison of the 1st design and the 2nd design Part 1

2nd Design

Part 2

Min

Max

The density variation of the spacing of the strips and the amounts of the pyramids are similar. More pyramids are located at the dense strips area (part 1) while less or no pyramids are located at the loose strips area (part 2). Part 1 provides the user with communication and closer personal distance. However, part 2 supplies with protection and larger distance in order to meets the need of protection, isolation and security.

Low density of pyramids

1st Design

Max distance of the 1st design Max distance of the 2nd design

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Precedent Research California: Stage Set for John Jaspere

by AEDS/Ammar Eloueini

Interaction / Flexibility / Geometry / Materiality / Pattern

The force applied to the form contributes to the variation of changeable shape.

The connection type affects a lot in the performance of the form. Flexible connection is used in order to make the form change spatially and geometrically.

The design is modeled from a computer-generated surface, the form of which was developed to allow for maximum flexibility, creating a geometrically and spatially changing set that emulates and adapts to the performers’ movements. Using a basic fabric-pattern layout, the design unfolded into individual segments that piece together to from the developable surface.

The primary material is polycarbonate, maintaining translucency and reflectivity so the surface absorbs and diffuses light. Zip ties secure the segments in place with ease of construction

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Precedent applied to design Interaction / Flexibility / Geometry / Materiality / Pattern

Force interaction

Flexible connection

Pattern unit Flexible Connection

How can you use this precedent to influence your design ?

The individual pieces linked together by a simple zip tie make it for an ease of construction, while still having the possibility to create complex and variable forms.

In our project that could be applied directly, having the star shaped module connected and tied together similarly.

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Design development - Version #1 President Research - Pattern

The original pattern was consisted of randomly bounded star module. It is hard to control and change the permeability of the surface because the pattern is not regular.

Thus, the original pattern was simplified and replaced by two units of patterns.

Permeability was much easier to change and control by using a few single patterns. Better performance was achieved.

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Design development - Version #2

Prototype

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Testing Effects

For the 1st design, the pattern did not bend geometrically as what we imagined. Each segment bend slightly and it works like a fabric in total.

For the 2nd design, we changed the “group pattern” into “strip pattern”. The strip bent geometrically under compression.

However, connected to the wires, strips fell badly because of gravity. Thus, substructure is necessary for this idea.

Testing for strips without pyramids: achieved the structural demand.

Testing for strips with pyramids: achieved the structural demand.

Several substructure are tested: (1) Wires bent in three dimensions which is hard to control.

(2) Cardboard connecting by screws bent in two ways which is also hard to control.

(3) Scored cardboard was easy to control and could achieve the required shape.

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