Project deliverables include slides appropriate for a pitch to potential investors as well as supporting documents in the spirit of "design fiction," a playful research method that invites designers to blend design innovation and science-fiction in imagining the broad social and technological contexts in which their services will be deployed, e.g., the trends that fuel the proposal or even the opposition it might generate.
Reinventing the Wheel leverages new tread wear and tire pressure technology in your car tires to monitor and prevent tire-related problems. Our subscription tire service, will keep an eye on your tires so that you don't have to worry. 24/7 Change Agents will contact you and keep you informed if any defects or irregularities exist. The Change Agents will schedule appointments to replace your tires at no immediate cost before accidents occur. The full service charge is $100 annually, which saves the customer hundreds of dollars when compared to purchasing tires every 4 years. By partnering with Mercury Insurance, we are able to lower customer premiums and keep them safe on the road.
Inspired by the design researcher Stuart Reeves' description of the design process as a combination of imaginative, speculative thinking, and realistic considerations of today's trends, we explore the concept of weight sensors to create, and an infrastructure to exploit, connected bags. With Bagsens sensors, we know how much our bags weigh, which can help address health concerns, reduce excess luggage weight charges at airports, and more.
Pianos are a classic and ubiquitous instrument that have not change drastically over the last few centuries. Since the instrument can potentially last generations, the focus becomes on how then to take a classical musical instrument, and augment it so that players of the piano may benefit from contemporary 'connected' technologies. Pianex is the next step in connected piano technology. Using RFID sensors alongside a connected app, users can learn, create, and share music like never before.
CarpetDiem is a connected doormat, a product that collects data from activity at the threshold of the home via sensors. RFID tags acts as unique identifiers within its key ring sensors, and there are sensors within the doormat itself for proximity and weight sensing. CarpetDiem uses a WiFi card as its access point to connect to the Internet and the CarpetDiem server. From the server it then broadcasts current data arriving via the sensor's to the app and website. The app and website serve as points for the consumer to view current and past doormat statistics and to personalize the wording and images available for doormat display.
The OpenBookcase is an RFID-enhanced, connected bookcase that tracks every tagged item placed on its shelves. From this data the bookcase delivers numerous services like reminders to read books that have never moved, and recommendations based on those most often picked up. The bookcase maintains a history of every item ever placed on its shelf and automatically searches ISBNs, ISSNs, and UPCs to provide relevant and up-to-date bibliographic information on all items. In addition, the OpenBookcase ushers the user into an online community, where the collection of physical books is treasured and encouraged - not to mention competitive! The OpenBookcase represents a portal from the physical world to the electronic one, allowing most any item to be affordably tagged and tracked over time. Never misplace anything in your bookcase again, with OpenBookcase.
The Stove Safety Monitor augments your kitchen by monitoring the stove environment, keeping you and your family safe. The Monitor will shut the stove off whenever there may be danger. Simply attach the device to your gas line or electric power source and you are set to go!
