A2 Presentation Boards

To satisfy your keen interest within our groups design - these are the two A2 Presentation Boards made by the group to explain, justify and resolve our design "The Gonk" (child and parent - telepresence companion and communicator). Satisfies physical and emotional well being for everyone who chooses to interact with the object. Thanks for a great semester of Industrial Design!

Properly Rendered Solidworks Images

Top Orthographic View of the Gonk OBJECT!

Inner Structural Dimensioning - shows all relevant components and their locations.

Outer Shell casing render without squeezable rubber material and without individualization soft skin covers. [To Show Inner components and surface appearances].

These solid-works files made it possible to derive accurate dimensions, scales and allow a list of materials to be made which was submitted in hard copy form with numerous other accurate orthographic drawings made for the Gonk design, this included top, body, bottom, eyes, structural spine and inner workings.

Using the Gonk(s)

Scenario/Behaviour/Object - the user using the Gonk Design - these are snap shots from the previously posted Youtube video which highlights a desired level of acceptance amongst young children and reveals itself to be a highly resolved and appropriate design for the intended target user/market.

DNB601_Gonk_Video.wmv

The Gonk Design In Context

These images clearly demonstrate how the Gonk will be utilized by both parents and children to communicate emotional well being. Allowing the child and parent to feel more comfortable and at ease with the current situation.

Presentation Pages

These images are what we covered in the presentation to outline our Scenario, Behaviour and Object. Its important to note that the evolution of the design went through various stages of design and one of the most important parts of this was the prototyping and model making which helped define weights, scales, aesthetics, heights, widths, sounds, light appropriate applications and to adhere to an acceptable pressure of touch for it to be suitable for sick children. in finding , the gonk is very similar to other soft comforting toys for kids so that they can easily relate to the object and instantly feel as if they understand and therefore want to immediately interact with it. feeling comfortable to share interactions, communications and just to hold it/cradle it like a soft comforting toy and to be able to send these telepresence messages back and forth between loved ones.

YouTube

links of experimenting, contextual use, fine tuning and preparation of the final Gonk design can be found at the following links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=symTufta3jo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO5pf34n1YA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqdAS-Mdx3U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0g15mVaKm0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArNaRNHUKVk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxKKsAptJek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b_f0stww40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMv4JrJNl7I

The Gonk - Continued...

This shows the gonk vibrating. it didnt seem to work in the earlier video! dam technology.
All in all this shows how each device can communicate comforting interactions between child and parent. allowing the sick child to feel at ease once he or she see's that the parent is their and in a sense the parent is the telepresence that is communicating through the device, understanding and comforting the child accordingly, even though they may be miles apart the child can be at ease knowing they are not alone and can still have the ability to emotionally communicate to mum and dad!

DNB601 The Gonk - Telepresence Interaction Design

Lights, Vibrations, squeezes, rumbles, illuminated hair. Great interactivity between users. working models indicate how it is to be used within context of a hospital environment. Intuitive usage and understanding. The product is Lithium Ion Battery Powered and utilizes magnet induction charging. The inner base material is to be a non porous flexible material that is hermetically sealed, waterproofing it and allowing it to be rigid yet fairly flexible as a materials similar to a rigid vinyl material.

OBJECT

The design intent for object, in which was my initial designated role, is to encompass various critical design attributes of our design. This mainly entailed the physical, and classic industrial design aesthetics, manufacture-ability, processes, materials and other such physical aspects of the design. This meant ingraining a sense of understanding for the physical, visible and or tangible components of our group’s design.

These considerations included resolving the form of the product, which embraces a small toy sized product that speaks with a visual aesthetic similar to children’s toys. The base cylindrical form is to have a skin cover placed over it and fastened with an appropriate latch mechanism. Therefore the base colour will remain a neutral un-bias colour allowing each of the users to individualize their own product to their personal liking, which we found fundamental in current communication devices and applications. However the base texture and finishes will be of medical standard plastics and metals that are waterproof and hygienically appropriate for such a sterile environment, meaning it may face frequent sterilization or cleaning. The product adheres to an ergonomically suitable shape, similar to other soft comforting toys, it has a well balanced core that allows it to stand upright and be held without strain or a great deal of effort. The controls are intuitive in use and as the user interacts with the toy it will send an appropriate message according to how it is being interacted with, hugs = pressure in and out at the waist or mid section of the product. Eyes and sounds will dictate identification issues. The designed product is to be manufactured and assembled so that standard accessibility will be restrained with fusion, screws and tight joins restricting the ability to take it apart and damage it easily by the user.

The product is to be assembled with a structural spine that has other mechanisms mounted from the structural spine within the design, this allows it to be robust and treated with a fair level of roughness and intensity with high durability and longevity. While the design is to be mainly housed in a medical environment the life expectancy of the product is fairly high and in regards to cradle to cradle will be used by many various different patients of varying ages. That’s why the individualization capabilities with skin covers allow the product to last a substantial period of time to be used by many users throughout its extended lifecycle. The components within the design adhere to behavioral appropriateness, which Brad will/has explain(ed) further. Such equipment includes potentiometers, accelerometers, vibratory mechanisms, LED lights and appropriate sounds which will help identify which users are interacting with the design at various times.

TEAM MEMBERS - REFER TO BLOGS : FINAL MODEL

It is important to state that my team members for this final design project are Alex Kinsella and Brad Landry, Alex has been our Scenario specialist and Brad has been our Behavior specialist. their blogs with uploaded utube videos of our resolved design can be found at the following links: http://adkinsella.tumblr.com/ and for brad: http://bradleyjasondesign.blogspot.com. All three blogs have a combination of object, scenario and behaviour postings and should all be viewed to get a total understanding of the project. here are a few images explaining this: (for further viewings please explore all blogs):


FINAL MODEL

Construction

Soft Model idea in holding context

Components/exploded view of final design: OBJECT

CAD Models

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These models have been screenshot from CAD solidworks drawings and show the construction that will be upheld in the cylinder and main component of the object. this represents the finalising of the end shape, cut, extrusions, moulding and overall harmony between the understanding of scenario, object and behaviour!

Primitive Mechanics: Models

These are some very primitive mechanics which may be applicable for our design. this could be considered a section of the modeling process, however, it is to show how a sound and a row of LED lights might function within the design allowing for wireless connectivity, seamless and intuitive awareness and usage by both recipients of the messages conveyed by the design.

Skins FINAL...

These are the final drawings better explaining how the skin covers are placed and fastened to the design. Fairly simply but worth demonstrating to convey the effect and further possibilities. These characters have simply been chosen to suit our users and to help them interact with the object. both are considered popular and therefore warrant an interest in a 'skin' type individualization.

Sponge Bob Square Pants Skin Cover Style

Octopus Style

Skins for final design! Initial development!

Octopus, Spongebob possibilities to be simply place over the object.

The final design is to be a cylinder base, but it was discussed early on that if this was the approach to be taken that a skin / cover solution be made so that the OBJECT can be individualised and made into a personal piece of communication. this was done according to communication research and findings of common trends and communicating styles/patterns. For the sake of the design there has been 2 skin covers to be possible to be fitted over the OBJECT - however the possibilities for this are endless and non-exclusive, for these 2 example a octopus cover and a sponge bob square pants cover have been drawn up just to illustrate how it would be placed and fitted onto the design. This is done from a securing clasp at the bottom of the covers that hinge open as the ones displayed.

But like i have previously mentioned opportunities for this are endless and can range for young female and male child patients that like such styles of Ben 10, barbie, furry animals, Pokemon, primary colours even! just to name a few. for the sake of the presentation we plan to present a fairly ordinarily coloured furry animal style that will add simplicity to the presentation allowing the team to discuss more in depth technical details and functions of the design.

Starting Final Stage of Design for OBJECT

Possible sources for manufacturing and companies that may help further develop our design. i just thought it was interesting to note down some helpful avenues to lead down for futures of this design.
Final construction and CAD work of our model/OBJECT design. it has been finalized that an cylindrical shape is to be achieved with similar componentry as previously mentioned. this allows for a hugging and holding type motion the is reminiscent to a comforting hug or like a mother holding her baby. compression and communication capabilities are also heightened and shared with this type of intuitive design.

Stage 2: Dynamicly Changing Design Process

Lecture Notes and other notes are constantly being referred to and have had strong reference placed up the importance of particular materials and aesthetics to seem appropriate for the scenario and behavior which we have already defined.




This is a week by week process that seems to evolve daily. so far this image illustrates a desire to cater for the sick children in hospitals, however, as previously mentioned - this design is going to change to be even more appropriate, as this design does not intuitively convey a comfort companion design message in which we are trying to achieve.

OBJECT: Componentry

Object: lists of completed and yet to be completed research, drawings, objectives etc. This is to be completed by all 3 members as the sections that make up the design including scenario, object and behavior have all been approached collectively to provide an effective/efficient and shared understanding to the outcome of the project.
My basic understanding of the design so far and what type of OBJECT direction i plan to keep following. currently this design is a wrap around design that seems more like a fat belt rather than a children appropriate "comforter/companion" - it is still following many of our design directions and willingness to expand to greater potentials.


This is an example of the design outcomes for ideas we had developed. although we have agreed this initial design is still susceptible to change we like the awareness of certain componentry and other aspects prove crucial in simplifying and making our design even more appropriate.

LEC notes and Group Meeting Notes

This was to simply catalogue due processes and to keep a record of where we are all at and the direction we all intend to be heading in to achieve the optimal outcome for this design which i believe to have extended potential (beyond uni projects).

Briefs, Mindmaps and Helpful Studio Exercises

I found it hard to draw spider and bubble diagrams that clarified any direction or even outline certain aspects so in this image i have briefly outlined what it is to be achieved and what it might take. however the mind map is incomplete and unready for any direct reference. importance rest in the interpretation which we all agreed on at the start.


This is my initial brief and outline that i had to constantly change and refer to in conjunction with a such a dynamic design in which the need clarify certain "lightbulb' / pivotal design motions. this lead the group in a more carefully constructed direction and culled away any need to design outside the limits of the brief which was handy in such a dynamic group and design direction.

Tim's teapot exercises helped in that different aspects of the design can be considered in multiple stages of the OBJECT mission, so to say, i feel that the object side of design was predetermined and delayed by the need to previously define and outline our scenario and behavioral design considerations before furthering into a particularly object design. however this also allowed us to quickly and efficiently specify what we wanted to accomplish in regards to the manufacturing, materials and aesthetics of the design for the object specific part in which everyone felt responsible for. Group work running smoothly:)

Object Functions

These pages outline the preferred functions and settings our group aims to achieve within the design and also for the final presentation as it is to be clear in presentation but not exact as technology and time constraints prove difficult to be perfect within. There are functions that the behavior and scenario have brought out to be most proffered and these have been outlined within.


Many capabilities which include facebook capabilities, this enhances interaction amongst a whole network of users, lights that light up differentiating multiple users or certain users, sounds and compressions also to illustrate a furthered sense of communication. After talking with Marienella, Tim and Yasu - it was clear these had to be more seamless and evident in the object design.

Re-Analysing

Analysing the initial design and melding it with multiple other ideas and concepts that have been thrown around whilst developing these ideas.

Close UP person using object standing up: TO BE CHANGED/ALTERED

The idea is to design an Object that can interpret and communicate hugs, and also display multiple interactions from various lights, sounds and vibrations etc outputs and inputs that are received from both users being the child and the parent for example. the results of this re-anlaysis stage are yet to be outlined, however, a more simply design is inn order for weight and and appropriate sizing.