lab.Assignments

Assignments

A7 Pecha Kucha:: Final Project Presentations

Beginning 11/12 you will be presenting to several guest designers your overall project and it's development from concept to prototype to (projected) outcome.  In the interest of time, and exercising your own understanding and presentation, you are asked to package your presentations in the Pecha Kucha style, with one variation, you'll be even faster!  Your format will be 10x20: 10 slides, 20 seconds.

These slides may include, but are not limited to:

• Scope
• Inspiration 
• Background
• Materials/Technology
• Processes
• Prototypes
• Discoveries
• Final Int

Take this as an opportunity to begin preparing your final presentations.  Please use this TEMPLATE.

A6 Final Project Proposals:

Dale and Zack will be discussing this with you between now and 10/18 (Fall break).  This, combined with the final presentation of your 'whisker' objects will be used to determine your mid-term standing in the class.

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MTI Final Project Proposal

‘There are things that intelligence alone is able to seek, but which, by itself, it will never find. These things instinct alone could find; but it will never seek them.’

Henri Bergson

MTI has engaged you in the often-messy process of design thinking. The design process is messy for a reason: it draws upon associative and intuitive thinking as opposed to purely pragmatic problem solving. You have been asked to embrace ambiguity and engage these modes of thinking as non-linear means of connecting (seemingly) disparate ideas. It is our assertion that both body and brain store information that can be unlocked or triggered by instances of drawing, making and most importantly engagement in serious play. We think there is a strong connection between physical, sensorial and intellectual dexterity.

Our projects have engaged the body in some way – more often than not, they have engaged the fingertips. We have seen examples of projects that provoke our interest, gain our trust and insight empathy. These were welcome, disruptive and unintended outcomes of the course. For that, we thank you.

Now it is time to develop a project for the remainder of the term. The project may be a continuation of current exploration, a new direction, individual, or team-based. It may be an interactive object, system or environment.  You will bring all of your skill and understanding, old and new, to bear on this project.  You will create amazing, thoughtful things!

Think: Project Definition + Scope

·       Define the project intent

·       Define the project scope – (timeline with delivery check-points)

Collect: Information

·       Project background

·       Consider Looking Out and your whisker experience

Design + Develop: Initial Ideas

·       Prototype

o   Behavior and Interface

·       Materials

·       Technology

o   Hardware

o   Software

·       Fabrication Processes

·       Component Sources

·       Cost

Improve + Debug: Rethink

·       Analyze

·       Evaluate

Integrate:  All together now

·       Hierarchy of Test/Fab/Assembly

·       Re-Design/Fabricate/Assemble

Document:  Deliverables

·       Object/Systems/Networks

·       Images

·       Diagrams

·       Text

·       Video

·       Poster

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A5 Thinking through reading.  We will discuss this material as a seminar on 10.7

All:

Norman

Pick one:

Kirsh/Maglio pp513-527

Mackay

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A4...redo

A3...redo

A2 Design a whisker apparatus (or how to think like a human/chinchilla)

Due Tuesday 9/10

·       The whisker should retain sensitivity to a physical input

·       Consider the output in terms of Balance, Fluid Motion, Animatronics

·       Model with analogue tools and a simple construction method (2 gestural + 1 more refined)

Analyze your whisker. What is it? What can it do?

Think around the problem. Be determined. Define new solutions AND new problems.

·       Hack something. Sort. Analyze. Use the bits to influence the design of the whisker.

If you are able, try to work with stop action photography to document your entire process. 

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A3_ Design Process_ Thinking through Drawing – Prototyping

Draw anything – Erase anything [Groups of 2+/-]
Intent 1_ To build inventiveness, technical competence and confidence with creative problem solving
Intent 2_ To develop facility with 2D drawing and laser cutting

Due 9/17 present in class

· The Brief is intended to direct creative work without prescribing solutions.

1. Redesign the whisker from A2. Evaluate your work based on our class discussion Tuesday. Keep the important ideas. These were likely a combination of mechanics, performance and aesthetics. Write a 50+/- word abstract. Post to Site

2.Rethink_ Draw (by hand) new ideas based on your evaluation. Post to Site
  The whisker should retain sensitivity a stimulus and consideration should be given to the output. For example, the printer hack (9/5) that used a haptic (touch) input and an acoustic output. These should remain for A3.
  Try to keep the thread from the original whisker prototypes made in class on 9/5.

3.Draw in Rhino
  Use the laser cutter to augment (or reconstruct) the whisker model from A2.
4.Build a working prototype.
5.High quality photographs + stop action or video.  Post to Site

· Materials
  Laser cutting_ Acrylic, mylar, bass wood, chip (paper) board

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A4_ Design Process_ Thinking through Writing – Evaluate

Intent 1_ To build language, observational skills and critical thinking skills.

Intent 2_ To test your understanding of your own work.

Evaluate:
Eval 1 Work of Another Group (In Class 9/19)

• Be Open | Honest | Constructive
• (Sometimes it hurts)

Structure for the Evaluation: (150+/- words)

• What is the narrative?
• What is gained/lost from A2, A3? What is fundamental to the work?
• Is technology used appropriately? 
• Articulate purpose(?) and value(?)
• Is it imaginative? 

Eval 2  Do the same for your work.  Post to site.

Prototyping (Rethink!_ series 3)

Apply the above evaluations to a new round prototypes. Post to Site

Guide to prototyping for 9/24 

Intent_ provide a scaffold for creative work without prescribing solutions

• What component of the experience is tangible? (input or output)

• What does the whisker 'read?' How does the tangible experience augment our perception or the environment? 

• How does interact with multiple whiskers?  Does it create human-to-human, human-to-object, or object-to-object interactions?

• Is the whisker part of a larger system? Part of an environment? 

Maintain the thread (the essential characteristics) from the original whisker prototypes made in class on 9/5.

· Materials

 Cerebral cortex, hands, paper and pencil, photos, text, tech bits.

Present in class 9/24

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