HOW OUR JOURNEY BEGAN
When we teamed up, we brainstormed every possibility around "Robotics and Artificial Intelligence". We later learned that the opportunities were endless.
Eventually, while we took a break from the session. We began talking about where we would like to go, what places we wanted to visit, and that it would have been nice to experience them... Sooner rather than later.
Being students we both said, "someday"... Presumably after we graduate, and have enough money or time saved up.
Then we asked, "what if we could travel there right now?" -- that moment inspired us to bring this idea into a realistic concept.
Point of view: needs, historical indicators, contemporary insights, pain points, projections, opportunity spaces, and ethics. These were all considered as guidelines for the project.
Gathered the logistics of how this system can function. From communication methods, capabilities, sensors and how we can transmit data to the user.
Inspiration and mood board.
BUILD, PLAY & ITERATE.
Building prototypes was the main source of how we iterated and refined our design.
All of our decisions were made by testing how electronic components, with the physical mechanics can influence the overall form.
We had a ton of fun here, and eventually led us to the final design.
Initial mockup, of having separate legs for landing and for maintaining flight.
Started out with three legs, and this general mode prompted us to explore four legs.
We sketched on large sheets of butcher paper and explored ideas as we went.
We learned that four legs provided more stability, capability and symmetry. It was a great study and this comparison shows the differences well.
The idea of being suspended by a balloon, helped in preserving energy. The challenge here was maintaining control and considering for weight.
INTEGRATING ELECTRONICS.
We had to prove our concept by using real electronics. This allowed us to solve the puzzle of where to place sensors and other key components. Doing this refined our design to be more believable. Although we are not trained engineers, this allowed us to be more realistic and think through the concept in a more grounded manner.
Figuring out the essential “guts” of the unit. This was important to understand so we can design for placement of components and how wire routing can affect the design / capabilities.
Built separate proof of concept models to prove the functions of the design. This model proved that the legs can rotate 90 degrees.
Another model to proved how to route the cables through metal tubes. We also used it to locate the placement of circuit boards and sensors.
We refined our ideas and decisions on the fly using larger boards.
Gathering the parts before final fabrication and assembly.
Final model on display at the ArtCenter gallery.
Team Discover: Industrial Designers -- Seijin Beag (L) and J Gabe Rustia (R)
