Whisker Evaluation

Evaluation of our whisker

Our whisker is constructed from a hacked printer's material. Our original design used a haptic input and audio output. We experimented with placing different material (cardboard, metal, acrylic) along the gears to create different audio sounds. The audience was engaged in the design, not only did the audience have to touch spring to generate a sound, they could also change the whole design and personality of the design by changing the material.

In our second iteration, we wanted to give our whisker more personality. We took a more obvious approach by adding laser cut ears and a mask to the whisker, which created a visual resemblance to a cat. The new design was no longer interactive or engaging.  We tried hard to create a visual resemblance to a cat, and in that process we neglected the actual material of our whisker. We did not make use of the gears, metal or spring. Instead we covered the material with a mask. This more obvious resemblance was also less appealing because it left little room for imagination. A positive change we made was removing the metal rods. 

In our third iteration, we removed the mask and focused on the actual material. We focused on the theme of gears and rotation by adding wheels to the whisker, which also act as a stand.

The newer design still lacks a narrative. However, the original design is interesting because we were able to construct a module that takes touch input and generates audio output using very cheap and primitive material. It's reusable because changing the material pressed against the gear changes the sound the whisker makes. Some material create high pitched, squeaky sounds, they can be used as warning signs. Each sound can be used to communicate or evoke emotions in the user. Some material create a heavy sound that could resemble an evil laugh. Others create high pitched sounds. Each change the persona of the whisker and can evoke an emotion in the user. The whisker can be used as constructive material that enables objects to communicate emotion or creates a persona for the object.