The Challenge

Design a system that responds to the emotional needs of those who would otherwise have difficulty regulating or meeting those needs. For example, if the system detects the user is happy, the environment opens up and becomes brighter in accordance with that emotion.

My role

I served as largely the solo-developer for this project, collaborating with the machine learning team working with EKG data (detecting emotions based on heart rate sensors). During this time I would re-imagine an old design, creating a functional digital model that could be animated and rendered, develop mechanical parts, and write software to operate the servo motors.

Background

Along with the project goal, a secondary premise of this project was to reimagine a project from the previous year seen below. The goal was to keep the flower-like façade design, but massively simplify the previous design, while also enabling it to respond to personalized data fed to an EKG-based machine learning algorithm that responded to the inhabitance emotions.

Software team constructing the EEG headset.

Innards (top) and back (bottom) of prototype.

At the Morphogenesis lab, two systems detected emotional states: a pin array reading neurological signals and a wrist device measuring biometrics like heart rate and skin temperature. SOMATA is a facade system responding to these detected emotions.

Opening a Mechanical Flower

The first challenge to solve was the mechanical system. "What is the simplest way to design a circular-type system that has panels that will open or close?" I would try several different variations of mechanical transfer, and they failed, again, and again, and again. However, with each iteration, the system performed a little bit better.

mechanical Ideation

The first challenge to solve was the mechanical system. "What is the simplest way to design a circular-type system that has panels that will open or close?" I would try several different variations of mechanical transfer, and they failed, again, and again, and again. However, with each iteration, the system performed a little bit better.

Iterative gear prototyping. Design proved to be challenging and precise.

Exploring alternate forms of motion transfer. 

Putting It All Together

Now that a method of mechanical transfer had been worked out and tested, the goal now was now to construct a sample prototype panel for testing, and hook it up to the EKG software.

Showing a proposed “scared” configuration. Initial configurations are based on anecdotal evidence. Each configuration differs between person to person, as the system responds to their unique emotions.

Fabrication Documentation

Servo motor housings, u-joints, and gears were custom designed and printed with a high-strength PLA plastic, supplemented with machine screws and laser-cut MDF where applicable.

Gallery Installment