1.Our Project:
(1) Intro:
My group came up with the design called”perfumaker”, which is a device that can create smells based on the input words(descriptions). The idea actually came from the story The Veldt, in which the author fictionalized a virtual reality nursery that is able to realistically reproduce any place people imagined, and grow increasingly attached to it. So this device can be a part of the room, which can be used to create scents as please.
(the sketch of the front) (the sketch of the back)
(the front of the machine)
(2)Analysis:
- This design is interactive as it includes the parts of “listen”,”think” and “speak”.
listen: After connected with the bluetooth, the user can input phrases like “the breeze of the ocean” or “the smell that makes me feel warm” in the app to describe what they have in mind.
think: The machine will then grasp the key words in the descriptions and transform them into computer languages which represent different scents using AI.
speak: Then the machine will pump the perfumes in the little bottles in the back all the way up, mix them to form the particular scent and omit it through the fan on the side.
- Ups and Downs(based on the audiences’ feedbacks):
ups:
- The device is very realistic and feasible, for we came up with the working principles behind it.
- The device is interactive.
- The device closely related to the fiction The Veldt.
downs:
- The “bluetooth” part lack of imagination, for it propably will be out of use in the future.
(3)Teamwork and performance:
（draw the sketch） (glue the back bottles)
(adding the side fans) (draw the screen)
(me: second on the right)
I proposed the idea, as you can see in my previous blog the “Odors translater”, and drew a rough sketch of the design. The other members perfected the idea by coming up with the working principles behind it, like adding pumps instead of using only lids and adding a fan on the side to let out the odors.
Here is our performance:
Here is part of the Q&A session:
2. Others’ Project:
Another group came up with a unique pair of glasses that can be used to detect crimes. The glasses can automatically detect crime scenes, record the whole scene and then inform the wearer. The recordings of the crime scene can be used as evidence to prove the crime.
I don’t think the project is relevant to any assigned fiction. And as for the design itself, although I do think that the detecting part is pretty cool, the design may trigger a series of problems concerning privacy invasion, for one can wear the glasses to anywhere to do the video recordings. Also I think the existing surveillance cameras(security cameras) would be more useful and less controversial in most occasions.
As for the group performance, I have to say they did a great job. The scenario where two students cheated in the exam and got caught with the help of the device demonstrated how the device works pretty well. Also, I like how they demonstrated the recording function of the glasses by actually acting out the slow motion of the recording on the stage inside the cardboard-made photo frames.