April | 2009 | Making Toys

April 2009
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Updates from April, 2009 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

Yury Gitman 3:23 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

Detailed Sketch & Unexpected Logisitcs
Usually I try to think about what all will be necessary to build a model or product as I sketch them out. There have been a few changes to my Nester the Baby Lockness Monster.

1. The motor I hacked for this project seems a little to big and bulky. The distance the motor travels from the hacked motor is too short in comparison to how much space it occupies. The toys fins would not travel very far assuming how large the toy would become because of this point.

2. The mechanics of the toy are much more complicated that I had expected. Moving 4 stuff animal appendages with one motor requires a certain amount of engineering that I am unprepared to do in a 3 week period. Anything that I would create would suffer several issues like 1. being to fragile 2. moving parts 3. fabrication

3. The color sensor I wanted to use [ to make my toy swim when recognizing the color blue] adds way too much complication to the toy. Also I don't think this add very much to the toy or concept to make it a worth while endeavor.

4. I realize that sewing the shape of this toy is going to be complicated. Making a pattern for the toy will be very important. I would consider a 3d SolidWorks printed file given more time. I think the best thing here would be to fashion a clay model and then use material cut outs to make a template of the toy pattern and then cut this onto felt material for the final skin.

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Yury Gitman 3:23 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

Bruce – What unexpected things happened when you created your design files?
I decided to further the stress doll concept.

1. Stress relievers are usually pressed or squeezed so I modified my design to include such capabilities. It is now a tactile interface as opposed to being sound responsive.
2. From the feedback last week it was apparent that the doll appeared to be more of a 'voodoo' doll. So I drew inspiration from these sources and while thinking of the look and feel.
3. I felt it would be interesting if the LED's in the eyes exploded when the doll is pushed to the limit. This seemed like an unreasonable objective since it'll be difficult to change LED's once they are blown and might cause damage to the doll.
4. I felt it would be interesting if the arms and legs could be ripped off. I need to think more about this aspect. For now I think velcro and conductive fabric can make this possible.
5. I modified the design so that the neck is longer, so that it is possible to strangle the doll by hand.

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Yury Gitman 3:23 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

Unexpected things from design process
What unexpected things happened when you created your design files?

In reviewing the concepts that I proposed a few days ago I felt
somewhat intimidated by the timeline presented us for submitting a
final product. Two weeks seems a bit daunting as a time limit. Further, I guess after reviewing the concepts I originally thought about, I didn't feel like they were objects I would be spectacularly interested in implementing as a part of my life. They seemed more like things that would serve primarily as good intellectual exercises rather than objects I envisioned as practical pieces for everyday living. This seems to be a recurring challenge in the brains of designers, whether it is necessary to confine one's designs to the useful rather than just the intellectually piquant.

In developing the Constellation Skirt concept it was surprisingly challenging to imagine a way in which one might embed clunky, hard technology into a soft garment. Further, what about washing? It certainly wouldn't be feasible to just dump the whole kit and kaboodle into the washing machine and call it a day. So I realized that I would need to spend some time thinking about how such a garment could be something people could actually use and abuse. I also struggled a little bit in thinking how I might conceal the technology portions that are indispensable and not able be "softened" or minimized further to the scale required by subtly used technology.

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Yury Gitman 3:23 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

What unexpected things happend when you created your design files?
When I started to sketch my ideas I realized that I will have to find ways to simplify the concept and the toy. More simple it will be- more effectively it will work. Then I started to look for the hardware solutions for it, this is actually what helped me to redefine my project.

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Yury Gitman 3:23 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

Free Writing
:: What unexpected things happened when you created your design files? ::

My design files were pretty well thought out last Tuesday, 14th. I knew I wanted to create a plush sea animal or creature that involved sound, buttons, movement, and a sensor. After presenting to the class, I decided to create the "Shy Turtle" who ducks into his shell when someone or something gets too close. Yury said it would be alright to focus on the technical side of my project by using a pre-made plush toy. I found a GUND stuffed turtle that I believe will work quite well for this project.

One major design hurdle will be figuring out how to connect the head to the body so that it pulls back into its body. I think I'll need to create a hard plastic neck and entrance to the body but overall, I think it will be doable. I enjoy sewing and craft making but I would really like to focus on the technical aspects of this project as they are still somewhat new and difficult for me.

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Yury Gitman 3:22 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

i’ve only opened adobe illustrator precisely 14 times, ever
What unexpected things happened when you created your design files?

I have almost 0 visual design experience. Literally, I have used
photoshop and illustrator a combined total of about 15 times. My eye
for design is really embarrassing, and it's something that i have been
trying to improve on since attending parsons. so this was not unexpected at all, but what WAS unexpected in this process was the final design of SOBEaR. S (which will probably end up changing again, anyway). Specifically, i knew that i wanted to have indicator lights showing the users current alcohol consumption status, but i didn't know where. while creating the 'blueprint' it dawned on me that visually it looked neat directly in the center of the bear.

when beginning the file, i had no idea what i wanted the bear to look like. but then after googling images of bears, i was able to find a bear who's posture and positioning was perfect. And it's adorable. I am now going to try to make SOBEaR look as much like this bear as possible.

Also, i was a little bit wishy-washy on this concept UNTIL i thought of the name. The moment I thought of the name, this became a PROJECT. at least in my mind, it was not legit until the name was thought of. I think perhaps, in all projects, the title might be the most important element, especially when trying to sell it (not necessarily literally, but in general).

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Yury Gitman 3:21 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

What unexpected things happened when you created your design files?
When I started designing my puffin robot I realized that there is no innovation or real purpose to a little bird running around on the top of a table. So, I thought of something that I would be useful for me. I live in a basement apartment, with one window that gets light. So, when it is time to wake up, it could be 3 am or 3 pm and the light in the room would be the same. So, I figured it would be nice to have the sun shine in from the window and light up the room. This is where my new concept evolved from. I would like to make an alarm clock that opens the blinds so that you can wake up easier. I could not figure out how to incorporate a clock into the contraption on the blinds. And then I thought of having a plush alarm clock that you could hit in the head to snooze and hold its head to turn it off. The plush toy would be the controller for the blinds and would send out the signal to open and close them. Moving his arms up and down would allow the user to open and close the blinds manually. He would display the time through his teeth.

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Yury Gitman 3:20 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

Unexpected things that happened when creating my design files
After creating my design files, I began to get a clear idea of the concept that I am trying to execute.

The physical form of the whole piece was first changed after doing basic sketches and realizing that I could easily make the project customizable by adding a removable faceplate for it. This inspired me to create 2 layouts, one for a faceplate and one for the main body of the project.

Laying out the controls was also very interesting. I was able to quickly figure out where things should logically go, as well as refine and change the way in which different elements would be interacted with. By thinking of the types of switches that would fit the design, I was also able to do some technical research for both physical items and costs which helped me to realize if my ideas were feasible.

Now that I have created a basic design for the product, I hope to be able to use this for some simple user testing and refine the layout, mainly of my buttons, before moving on to creating a fully realized product. I also need to test out several form factors that fit within the dimensions that I have laid out in my document and adjust them accordingly until they make sense as far as fitting the speakers in relation to the overall size of the product.

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Yury Gitman 2:15 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

“Mometer” Sketches

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Yury Gitman 1:59 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

Morning Monster

This little guy acts as an alarm clock. The time is displayed through his teeth. When the alarm goes off, he vibrates and an annoying buzzer sounds. This guy also controls your blinds, so like 20 mins before it goes off, it starts opening your blinds and after 20 mins, your blinds are fully open and the buzzer sounds. You can manually open and close the blinds by moving his left arm up and down. There is a capacitance snooze button that is the top of his head and to turn off the alarm, you must hold his head for like 3 seconds.

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Yury Gitman 1:55 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

Stress Doll

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Yury Gitman 10:58 am on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

:::Blue print for Colony:::

Colony is made out of 3 nicos. In their natural environment, Nicos glow softly in different colors and make little sound to communicate with each other. When a user picks up a Nico from its environments at they get annoyed and make high pitch sounds and their light flickers. If the user is friendly and gently with Nico, Nico will become his/her friend and return to its peaceful state.

Materials

encasing:

1.brushed cotton white for the face and other color for body

2.thread for detail for face

Electronics

1.Piezo sensor

2. Reed Switch

3. 3-color LED

4. Speakers

5. ATMega 168

6. 16Mhz crystal

7. capacitor

8. resistors

9. 7805 voltage regulator

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Yury Gitman 8:18 am on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

Blueprint: Constellation Skirt
The following are some of the design sketches for a proposed constellation skirt. The constellation skirt comprises three layers:
1. outer skirt (dark matte silk, velcro)
2. electronic underskirt (stiff cotton muslin, conductive thread, sewable LEDs, velcro, arduino)
3. lining (acetate, sewn to outer skirt)

The overskirt is attached permanently to the lining, but the electrical layer is removable anchored to the outer skirt with velcro, for ease of cleaning if necessary.

None of the electronic/conductive components are meant to be attached to the middle layer, the electronic layer. I thought something like this disk could serve as a good star element as a button.

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Yury Gitman 5:12 am on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

detail sketch phase 2 – Nester Baby Lockness
Nester the baby lockness monster will be made of:

1. felt material top side
2. foam bottom side
3. servo motor [or hacked bunny guts]
4. wired button
5. blue/purple led pwm
6. photo sensor
7. cotton ballz
8. threading
9. undecided beads for eyes

“I want my baby back, baby back, baby back lockness ribs”

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Yury Gitman 3:11 am on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

SOBEaR
SOBEaR is the perfect product for anyone who has trouble knowing their limits while consuming spirits and liquors. The user approaches the bear, and places their cup in between SOBEaR's legs. This activates the alcohol sensor which is located at his nose (an LED indicates this). The user then blows into SOBEaR's nose (as if blowing him a kiss, because he's that cute) and the Meter below displays the user's current consumption status. SOBEaR then calculates how much the user should continue to drink. If he determines that you are as sober as he is, he will pour a stiff drink (a healthy ratio of alcohol to non-alcohol). If SOBEaR decides you are well over your limit, he will perhaps be pouring you a glass of tonic water (or OJ, cranberry, soda, your choice).

2 servo motors pour drinks. a simple button/softswitch/short range IR to detect the cup. 6 LEDs for drunk-meter. PERHAPS a DC gearmotor to STIR the beverage after pouring…. need to think on this.

Essentially a biofeedback machine, SOBEaR uses real-time biometric data to control/determine the user's experience to which they are entrusting SOBEaR.

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Nick Hardeman is discussing. Toggle Comments
- Nick Hardeman 1:51 pm on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  Those are some sick illustrator skills!
Yury Gitman 3:03 am on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply

:: The Shy Turtle :: (part 2)
Second round of blog submissions for My First Robot:
Apartment Therapy
Boing Boing
Colette

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(I'm not sure yet what I'll use for the plastic neck and entrance for the body.)

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Yury Gitman 11:51 pm on April 16, 2009 Permalink | Reply

Plush Beats
The concept that I am going with for the final project is the plush beat box. This project will take what I have accomplished with our short sound project and push it further, both code-wise and in form factor.

The main unit will contain all the the electronics (speakers, circuitry, buttons) but will not be designed. It will contain two magnetic strips under the fabric which will allow users to swap out fabric "faceplates" or create their own from any material, continuing the theme of inexpensive customization.

The toy will feature 4 speakers (2 large, 2 small) which will be either used together (in alternating form to make beats) or used seperately to play back beats. The controls will consist of mainly soft push buttons, hopefully with either LED feedback or sound feedback. The beat selection will use either a "hot pot" slide potentiometer (linked below) or a homemade slide capacitance sensor. I would *love* to do the homemade capacitance sensor since it would cut down cost BIG TIME but I think for sake of time and prototyping I may be better off going wtih the slide potentiometer or an available capacitance slide.

View the Potentiometer

Here is a basic schematic for what I want to accomplish. Colors aren't there just shape layout, it still needs to be designed but I'm more concerned with getting the usability down first. I'd also like to possibly do at least 2 different faceplates for it, using inkjet fabric prints as a stand in for silk screening…

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joe is discussing. Toggle Comments
- joe 2:57 am on April 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  steve look at this! http://nnnnnnnn.org/080625.html
Yury Gitman 5:53 pm on April 14, 2009 Permalink | Reply

homework assigned 4/14
1. submit to 3 or more blogs if you haven't yet
2. readings
3. design document/blueprint/specs/description

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