SolaSpine
Speculative design for fostering body awareness & protection gear for Solarpunk cyborg society.
Contribution
research ✺ concept design ✺ mechanical design ✺ 3D modeling/printing ✺ physical computing
Team
3 Design Engineers
Duration
3 months (Feb - Apr 2023)
Overview
Our team made an informed speculation that body awareness gear into a solarpunk cyborg society enhances individual health and wellness while fostering a more interconnected future. Thus, as part of the course work of my master's education, SolaSpine was born with 2 other teammates.
Approach
Understanding the design brief and defining the problem
We undertook a comprehensive literature review focusing on Solarpunk society and futuristic designs in order to understand deeper through the given design brief - in short, designing for the cyborg in the solarpunk society. The examination illuminated a critical finding: the impending high demand for human-powered labor, a consequence of the scarcity of fossil energies.
Recognizing this, we identified body awareness and protection as necessary aspects of the future society. To deepen our understanding, we extended our desk research, looking into ongoing technologies and research dedicated to advancing body awareness and protection. This investigative phase aimed to glean valuable insights that could inform and contribute to the development of a resilient and sustainable Solarpunk society.
Ideation
Our ideation process started with the application of the soma interaction design method. Initiating this method, we embraced the first step of body storming, also known as Embodied Sketching, capturing these sessions via video documentation. Concurrently, for visual exploration, we curated a moodboard to stimulate creative thinking. This dual approach supported to scope concepts related to body awareness and protection, with a particular focus on the back bone as a pivotal element, which will emerge as the most labor-intensive body part in the solarpunk society.
Left - bodystorming, Right - Moodboard
Lo-fi prototyping
For lo-fi prototyping, we used cardboards to conceptualize the overall form. The validation of our prototype ensued through the first-person perspective method, where our team members engaged with the design, meticulously documenting their experiential feedback. This iterative journey spotlighted the pivotal role of material selection in our design.
Form studies & Technical Explorations
Extensive exploration continued through numerous paper sketches, refining and reshaping the form.
Moreover, we diversified our experimentation by incorporating various sensors, ranging from simple tension sensors to ESG muscle sensors, and rigorously tested an array of motors, encompassing both DC motors and gear motors. From our explorations, we identified the most effective approach for rapid prototyping a supportive waist gear, incorporating a 3D-modeled outer casing that houses two valve rotators and a DC gear motor.
Final video prototyping with additional visual feedback
After extensive low-fidelity prototyping, validation, and refinement, we finalized our design with a high-fidelity prototype and video, adding visual feedback on the wrist, speculating to happen via projection technology. This feedback shows weight levels and safety indicators, empowering users to monitor their physical abilities and actively engage in their wellness journey.
The final video prototype is available above.
