Making Toys

Updates from March, 2011 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  lpercifield 10:15 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Ideation 

  CSO outfall sensor: This is a device that will measure the amount of an outfall and accurately report when a CSO is outfalling. It will take other measurements about the waste water at the time of the outfall.

  Magic Mirror: This is a mirror that will allow people to try on clothing with out actually trying it on. The mirror will “place” the clothing on the person standing in front of it. The person will be able to choose the piece of clothing that they wear. This could be used for historical clothing as well as for a shopping aid.

  Flush-me-not: A device that the user installs on their toilet that reminds them not to flush if there is a CSO outfall in their area. This device also makes the recommendation about how else to save water.

  Public flush-o-meter: A display device that simple shows how much people are flushing and how much of that is ending up in the NY harbor.

  Mobile flush-o-meter: Based on where you are it flush-o-meter tells you whether or not its safe to flush a toilet.

  Mobile PaintOut: a mobile platform for people to create digital graffiti. This would allow people to create graffiti on any surface with out actually leaving a mark on the surface.

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  Chris Piuggi 9:36 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Six Ideas and Diagram 

  

   

  1. Open CV Shape Puzzle

  

  Similar to american and Japanese game shows players are challenged to fit into shapes, openCV and a projector would be used to take the game anywhere.

   

  2. Concert Room Visualizer

  

  Using environment and sound sensors a wall of LED would visualize that the concert hall was experiencing within its walls.

   

  3. Room Synthesizer

  

  Use openCV to create sound synthesizer out of people walking within the room.

   

  4. Smart Home Recommendation System

  

  Track data inside and outside house to make recommendation and train users on best home practices.

   

  5. Aquaponics

  

  Track and create a system for hydroponics and fish farming, tracking water nutrient data in order to facilitate growth of fish and plants.

   

  6. Emotional Computer

  

  Computer that responds to your activity with it. You must keep it happy to continue to use it. If it is unhappy you must make it happy before using it.

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  Yury Gitman 9:31 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Final Design Document 

  Design writing represents one form of expression with the MFADT program. As a result, students in the Major Studio.  In addition to learning how to write a design brief, students will also be asked to produce a longer piece of writing associated with the many aspects of their course work.

  *Document Objectives
  1.    Present a clear and concise overview of the project concept;
  2.    Situate the project within historical and creative contexts;
  3.    Provide a set of criteria used to evaluate the project;
  4.    Provide self-assessment of the project’s strengths and weaknesses
  5.    Give an overview of the design process;
  6.    Present a list of related resources.

  **Guidelines
  This document will be composed of the following sections:

  A Thesis Sentence and Thesis Paragraph: One sentence that summurized the big picture of the project.  This is located in on paragraph that expands on that one sentence.

  Domains: what are the domains with which your project engages? What relationships exist between these domains?

  Summary: a narrative description of the project. What is it, who is it designed for, what is it designed to do, what kind of technology does it explore, etc.

  Precedents: What are examples of work that share something in common with your project? These precedents can be contemporary or historical, can be drawn from the realms of design, technology, sociology, psychology, etc. In preparing this section of your document, please include the following information for each precedent discussed:
  • title of work and author/designer/artist
  • brief description of project
  • relevance/relation of the project to your own work
  

  Iterative Design Process and User-testing: a narrative description of your process, prototypes, user-testing, key methods and discoveries, sample sketches, storyboards, diagrams, etc.
  

  Evaluation: the Evaluation section of your document has two parts:
  • a narrative summary that outlines your thoughts on the strengths and
  weaknesses of your project.
  • a list of criteria that you are using to evaluate the quality of your project. These criteria will be shared with the critics during your final presentation, and will serve as the basis for feedback during your review.

  Future Directions: Summarizes what step would be taken if this project would be continued in the future. This should be written absolutely last, and after final presentations.

  Bibliography, References, Resources: a list of important works used to guide your project. Bibliographic information should include the title of the work, author(s), publication date, publisher, and pages cited.

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  Behnaz Babazadeh 9:30 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Mini-Thesis Concept Ideation 

  minithesis

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  Alvaro Soto 9:18 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  6 Ideas-Alvaro 

  
  

  As a product designer I am very interested in the intersection of both Technology an objects. for my 6 ideas I gravitated into 6 domains:

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  hilalkoyuncu 9:11 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  6 ideas to change the world 

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  • 

    breegeek 11:46 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    Check this out RE EEG thingie: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/03/browse-flickr-emotiv-epoc/

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    hilalkoyuncu 5:01 pm on March 25, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    Thanks very much Bree!

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  thisisvictorkim 9:08 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Victor’s RPG (Role Prototype 

  

  1. Reverse Incognito Adult Toys.  In this example the user is using a telescope that is disguised as a penis enlarger pump to view the cosmos.  this can also be a vibrator.  other ideas would be a porno dvd case that would be a a cigarette/cigar case or nicotine patches hidden in condom wrapper.

  2. Musician Cam is an easy to use and wearable camera that would display a musician’s point of view during a live show.

  3. Smart Spray Paint Coozy wraps around your spray can and alerts you when cops are near by

  4. Mid-Day Nap Preventor shocks you if you fall asleep during the day

  5. Smart(Ass) Ashtray collects environmental data  and tells you how many days you’re shaving off your life

  6. Turntable Diagnostic is module that tells you what’s wrong with your turntable.

   

  

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  Yury Gitman 9:01 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Schedule for Second-Half of Semester 

  3/21-  Begin Mini-Thesis

  3/24-  Role Prototyping, Domain Mapping

  3/28-  9 Prototypes, Update Domain Maps

  4/4-  9 Prototypes, Research, User-Test

  4/7- Present Pior Art, Prototypes, User-Feedback

  4/11- Iterate 3-6 Prototypes for User-Feedback, Document

  4/14-  Present User-Feedback to prototypes, Iteration 1

  4/18- Present User-Feedback to prototypes, Iteration 2

  4/21- Present User-Feedback to prototypes Iteration 3

  4/18- Document your work, Assess you Progress, Plan Steps forward.

  4/21-  Research, Iterative Prototyping, User-Testing, Documentation

  4/25- Research, Iterative Prototyping, User-Testing, Documentation

  4/28- Research, Iterative Prototyping, User-Testing, Documentation

  5/2- Research, Iterative Prototyping, User-Testing, Documentation

  5/5- Research, Iterative Prototyping, User-Testing, Documentation

  5/9 – Final In-class Presentation, Final Draft of Paper Due

  5/12- Final Critiques, Presentations

  5/16- Final Paper Due

  WEEK 8	3/28 & 3/24	Mini-Thesis Begin
  WEEK 9	4/4, 4/7	Mini-Thesis Begin Research, Prototyping,User Testing Read: Design as Art
  WEEK 10	4/7, 4/11	Mini-Thesis Begin Research, Prototyping,User Testing Read: Design as Art:
  WEEK 11	4/14, 4/18	Mini-Thesis Begin Research, Prototyping, User Testing Read: Design as Art Guest Speaker
  WEEK 12	4/21, 4/25	Mini-Thesis Begin Research, Prototyping, User Testing Design Writing
  WEEK 13	4/28, 5/2	Mini-Thesis Begin Research, Prototyping, User Testing Design Writing and Distribuition
  WEEK 14	5/5, 5/9	Mini-Thesis Begin Research, Prototyping, User Testing Design Writing, Distribution, and Presentations
  WEEK 15	5/12, 5/16	Design Writing, Distribution, and Presentation

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• 

  Thom Hines 8:39 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Project Ideas 

  Simulated Hive Mind

  

  This idea came partially from a project I was working on last semester, and partly from a series of books by Orson Scott Card. What I would like to create is an artificial lifeform that can adapt to its surroundings, and as it encounters other members of it’s ‘species’, it can communicate with them and teach them. If one creature discovers a hazardous area, or learns a more efficient way of doing something, that knowledge will spread and soon all the creatures, will have this enhanced knowledge.

  Self-Constructing Teacher

  

  I have been interested in education for a long time, and after being in this program for the last several months, I’ve thought about ways of teaching students through technology. My self-constructing teacher will teach certain skills to a student, and require them to solve problems or create solutions in order to proceed. Sometimes the student will have to do outside research to accomplish these tasks, and as they progress, they will actually be creating the more advanced structures of their curriculum, and will adapt itself to the interests of the student.

  Robotic Lazer Tag

  

  Whether for the solitary lazer tagger looking for an opponent or for those hobbyists who would like to move on to a more tactical version of battle bots, I want to create robots that are aware of their surroundings and their opponents, and essentially use artificial intelligence to make use of their surroundings and outthink their opponents.

  Database-free CMS

  

  After living in Beirut for a year, I realized that the we tend to take our technology for granted. While we have the benefit of fast and virtually unlimited internet, many parts of the world don’t. I propose to make a CMS that will allow for a simple and efficient way of letting somebody update their own site without having to use a database, while transferring as little data as possible.

  Arduino A/C Shield

  

  While most of what we have been focussing on is making things smaller and more energy efficient, there is still a need for high power devices, and the ability to control them. There are many proprietary solutions out there, but I haven’t seen any sort of open standard or universal way of communicating with certain devices remotely and simply. This device would allow for a lot of adjustment based on input from the Arduino, and provide info back to a server.

  Micro Web Server

  

  The world is getting more and more connected, and so the ability to have access to information from anywhere is all the more important. A device that could detect a network, collect information, and broadcast in a small hand-held device could be incredibly useful.

  

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  breegeek 8:26 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: 6 ideas, final ( 3 ), ideas   

  6 Mediocre Ideas 

  Because the idea fairy hasn’t visited me much lately, I am too afraid to look and find out that all of these ideas are done to death 😛

  

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  Oylum 8:06 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Ideas, ideas… 

  Ideas for the mini-thesis. The question is: Which one should I go for?

  1. Habit locker

  The idea came from one of my previuos projects this semester, the cigarette box that tries to encourage you smoke less. I decided to expand the idea to habits we want to stay away.

  Design question: Is social media powerful enough to effect personal agency? Can it be achieved through a personal physical device?

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  catherine 8:03 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  6 role prototypes 

  

  
  

  

  
  

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  Lee 6:07 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  6 ideas 

  
  Idea #1
  H.U.D. for Motorcycle Helemets
  A HUD system for displaying vital information on the visor of a motorcycle helmet. Instrument panels on motorcycles are by and large placed low around the triple tree. In order for a motorcyclist to monitor his speed or RPM’s he needs to take his eyes off the road ahead of him/her and quite literally look down. Always having this information within a riders field of vision will cause less distraction, allow riders to be more conscious of their speed and allow one to focus entirely on the road. Additionally it will also encourage the use of full face helmets.

  
  Idea #2
  Wearable Environmental Quality Monitor
  A wearable object which could provide ambient information about the quality of the environment a user is in. Preferable it’d be in the form factor of a watch or wristband that would change color based upon sensor input and strobe if levels were dangerous. When a user wants they could upload the data to a computer for an in depth analysis of their exposure.

  
  idea #3
  OmNom Recycling System
  Anthropomorphized smart recycling containers which talk to each other and your computer. Each container has a personality and lets you know it appreciates it when you feed them and will alert you when they’re full and need emptying. They’ll communicate wirelessly with your computer and tell you what you’ve been recycling and how much they appreciate it.

  
  idea #4
  Ambient Navigation System
  Device you wear which navigates a user by providing directional feedback in the form of vibration or other stimulus. Ideally it’d be in the form a bracelet/wristband that would buzz on top for straight on the left side for left, right etc. This would allow for users to follow turn by turn directions without needing to stare at their devices instead of watching where they’re going.

  
  idea #5
  Automatic Motorcycle 911
  Motorcycles are extraordinarily fun, but they are more dangerous than other forms of transportation and if a rider crashes and is alone he may not be able to physically retrieve or dial his cell phone. This device would dial 911 automatically and provide GPS coordinates of the riders location in the event of a crash.

  
  idea #6
  Radio Spectrum Visualizer
  Somehow detect and map all spectrum of radio waves in a specfic area and visualize the strength and type overlayed a live image. This is to help people understand the massive ammount of radio / electromagnetic radiation we’re constantly bombarded with.

  Here’s a Ven Diagram of my ideas domain’s.
  

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  • 

    scottpeterman 6:11 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    Love, love, love the motorcycle HUD idea. Hell, I’d wear that just walking around!!

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    breegeek 12:30 am on March 25, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    The radio wave visualizer would also be awesome and trippy. Kind of like a lava lamp for the modern age.

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    mkmkmkmk 5:53 am on March 28, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    http://www.reconinstruments.com/

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      Lee Williams 11:30 am on March 28, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Exactly, I saw these over winter break and all I could think is WTF this is hardly even necessary for snowboarding why don’t motorcyclists have this tech

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    Karin Bakker 1:50 pm on April 30, 2012 Permalink | Reply

    Hi Lee,
    Love the picture you use in idea 6. I would like to use it in my theses on “exposure to electromagnetic fields”. (non commercial). Can you tell me how i can obtain a big format version i could use in print? I would be very grateful. Kind regards, Karin

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  scottpeterman 6:05 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  6 Ideas I am interested in pursuing for my thesis… 

  
  1. Ghost Orchestra
  This is an idea I am already working on – it would be a series of instruments that are wearable and functionally invisible. So the players would be able to play their instrument – trumpet, trombone, drums, guitar, etc. – by “air” playing and the glove/wearable would translate their motions into MIDI which could then be translated into audio.

  
  2. Party of the Year
  This is another idea I’ve already done some work on. It is a social game for mobile devices that gives players incentives for spontaneously performing in public – imagine 20 complete strangers simultaneously breaking out in dance while waiting for a train in Grand Central.

  
  3. I want to start wearing a uniform for a number of reasons, primary among them a desire to remove all instances of meaningless choice from my life. Also, I would like to open up my closet and see only matching outfits, like Inspector Gadget. I want to simultaneously embed my most common daily items – wallet, keys, water bottle, sunglasses and phone – with sensors that will alert my digital belt buckle if I am ever going to leave any of those things behind. Finally, I want it to make my computer and phone NOT work if I am not wearing the uniform, to force me to conform.

  
  4. This is an idea I’ve had since I was in high school, and has become piece of software that Thom and I are already working on and might want to pursue for a thesis. This is essentially AR technology that would allow people to see an entire second world mapped onto our own. People could put up artwork, comment on the world around them, etc. I would particularly like to pursue an idea I have of hiding monsters around the world for people to find.

  
  5. Xenomorph
  This would be a technology-enable ballet, set to Jerry Goldsmith’s unused score for the film Alien, that tells that story from the creature’s point of view. It would be an epic meditation on otherness, on man vs. nature vs. machine.

  
  6. ArtBot
  This would be a robot that took typed text instructions and turned them into art, which it then executed in paint on a wall. The test for this being complete would be whether it could successfully execute the collected works of my favorite artist, Sol LeWitt.

  7. BONUS IDEA – ZombieTag
  Oh, I forgot about this one when I was sketching but I want to make a laser tag game with squibs (blood packs) that explode when you get shot. This would first be used to host a giant Zombie Shooting Party. I have a background in theater and all of our plays have been very bloody, so I’m pretty confident with the gore part of the equations…

  And here is a venn diagram of how these ideas connect. As you’ll see, they’re all included in the broad category of “Funny,” which I think perfectly sums up my aesthetic!

  

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  • 

    breegeek 12:32 am on March 25, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    #4 is especially awesome because every kid would love to see their imaginary friends come to life. It’s part of the reason Webkins totally took off.

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  minho 6:32 am on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  6 role ideas 

  

  

  

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  • 

    scottpeterman 4:23 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    LOVE your interchangeable hand idea Minho, and great illustrations!

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    breegeek 12:34 am on March 25, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    OMG I want a code translator. Or like, a code you can talk to and ask questions. Like “why the hell can’t I get the circle to draw?!?!?!”

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  andywallace 4:15 am on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  6 Amazing Ideas 

  Each one better than the last.

  Here are some potential ideas for a final:

  

  This is an extension of my last project. Users would play a shoot-em-up game that spawns enemies and other level elements based on their actions within their homes and the actions of their friends. This would be a social game that people would play as much to compare their scores against their friends as for the challenge.

  

  Mobile Oven would be an app that allows the user to control their oven and stove top from a distance. If a person is nervous that they left a burner on, they could check the app and either be sure they didn’t or turn it off right from where they are. They could also use the app to have the oven preheat when they know they are coming home.

  

  Shadow Bot would be a game played using a robot that follows the lines created by shadows. The goal of the game would be to direct the bot to a specified location. I’m not sure if this game would be played cooperatively or competitively. It would most likely be played by children.

  

  This is another game for children. Kids playing in a ball pit would know that there is one special ball, which looks just like the others. Whenever that ball is moved (either directly or by the balls around it) it lets out a chirp. If somebody finds it and is holding it, it makes a victory sound and that kid is the winner. If this were at a Chuck-Cheese type environment, the finder might receive some prize.

  

  These would be a collection of roughly pool ball sized balls that create sound and music based on their proximity to each other and other actions. It would function as a set of toys for adults (such as would be sold on thinkgeek), being to complex (and most likely pricey) for kids, but capable of creating interesting play for adults as they experiment and find what sounds can be made.

  

  The concert locator is for people who get lost at concerts. Each person would have a small device that they could use to tell when they are getting closer to their missing friend. It would comunicate with pulses or light so that hearing it would not be an issue.

   

  And here are the projects mapped to their domains:

  

  1- Appliance Game
  2- Mobile Oven
  3- Shadow Bot
  4- Ball Pit Game
  5- Sound Balls
  6- Concert Locator

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  • 

    scottpeterman 4:25 pm on March 24, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    Ooh! Shadowbot could be really neat if you played it in teams, and if the bot ever didn’t have anywhere to go, it would start heading back to the start line, so you’d always have to have a continuous line of shadow made by your team. Very cool idea.

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    breegeek 12:39 am on March 25, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    I love the sound billiards idea.

    Also, the shadow game reminded me of this awesome kid’s book I saw on shelves recently http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Suzy-Lee/dp/0811872807