Week 7 Inflatables

(I don’t have a video for this bc I went to work after class, but will upload it later ;;
This is the first project. I didn’t figure out the mechanisms when modeling it in Rhino. Instead of making lines, I should have made rectangles.
- The “mechanism” here is that the gaps are where two layers of plastic get stuck together. When modeling, pathways for air should be made! (didn’t think of that before)

I encountered great trouble when laser cutting the box. Because of the heat the baking paper curled up so some parts didn’t get cut. Special thanks to Dalin!! He suggested that we should put some tape on the paper, so that the paper would become heavier and easier to cut. But this failure was a good experiment in that I figured out the air flow, so I made the rhombuses a bit smaller.
a failure 🙁

With the crane, we were able to experiment with different shapes and how they affect the direction of the shape. We also found that it is necessary to cut those little triangles where the inflatable folds because without these gaps, it may not be able to fold.

We realize that the semi-circle “watermelon” could be a chest/ breast piece. When it contracts, it nicely holds our breast.
For future improvement, it would be better if I can make a rim around the semi-circle, as shown in the reference picture, the melon rind part.

Inflatables are fun to play with! Korrina and I experimented on the nano tapes as well because I watched some cool videos on Xiaohongshu. They are fun to play with, tho a bit toxic. These little bubbles can be scattered around the body, and if you puncture them, they will make loud (unexpected) sounds. (I only have pics from online, because we punctured ours .. )
As for the application of inflatables, I am fascinated by their motions — they contract and expand with air. They fit into our ideas for the wings: to take more space and to feel bigger. And they remind me of protection & air sac.

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