Although this prototype is a bit bulky, I think the technology can be reduced further in scale and materials would make the bracelet more wearable. It was important to consider the user and their trust in the reliability of technology. Some successful devices are Apple's iPod, cellphones, digital watches, and laptops. Some frustrating devices have been rechargeable alkaline batteries, hearing aid and coin-cell batteries. Not only does the power determine the size of the device, it also determines the objects' usability. How often would the girls play with it? How difficult would it be to recharge the battery? In the initial prototype, we used a coin-cell battery, but then opted to change the power to a cellphone battery. We wanted charging the bracelets to be convenient for the user.
We also had to humanize the technology by considering the reed switches and magnets placement. We wanted to reinforce the comfort of the gesture and the proximity of the physical contact of the bracelets. Which arm would the girls wear the bracelets? Would they gesture up or down when they come in contact (which would depend on how discreet or open their message was)? Will the design of the bracelet be displayed or hidden during the gesture?
The bracelet form is emulates a wide cuff to appear differently from a watch. The lights are a visual metaphor for jewels. I wanted to communicate a "special bond" in the design of the bracelet. I played with negative space, patterns, and inverted patterns. The aesthetic theme is complexity, and I explored layering several designs over the circuit board. More iterations will involve etching the front and back of the transparent material, which would allow the users to create their own meaning and method of communication with the bracelets. Based on the first design iteration of the bracelet, James N. Sears, design the circuit boards to fit in the cavity of this shell. On the top of the circuit board, we wanted to show the RF links, reed switches, magnets, surface-mount LED lights, and switches to be apparent. On the back of the board we wanted to hide the other electrical components.
Soldering surface mount chips, LED lights, resistors, capacitors, and switches.
We added constructed our own switches and structural components.
We wanted to experiment with different colors of Plexiglas, and how the light would affect the color of the material, so we colored this prototype with Easter egg dye.
Here's an experiment with embedding rhinestones in a sample cuff.
Irridescent Silk-Screen paint with red hues:
Methods and Materials
Ideally, we would like to make these bracelets comfortable by embedding the circuit board into the bracelet. We researched method of cast/molding, materials made out of resins, silicone, latex, plastic, leather and fabrics, and different treatments of material.
Ochie's Cube Circuitry
We had to use 8 Superbright LED lights to illuminate this box. In another class, I found that we could manipulate the light by etching patterns.
Instead of using patterns of overlapping curves, we used a pattern of dots spaced equally apart to diffuse and carry the light approximately 8 inches each side.
