First Week of SmartSurfaces

Hello!

One week of smartsurfaces down and I can already tell this class is going to be awesome. I admit my first thought was that I was in way over my head because my group consists of three grad students who possess more mechanical and construction knowledge than I do but now I'm glad I'm a little out of my depth because I will be challenged in the class and undoubtably possess a whole new set of skills by the time I'm done. So lets begin!

My group's three words were "light, seasonally, and rotating." Immediately we wanted something that was functional, simple, and beautiful. Our initial thoughts was that the product could function as a shade from light or the rotation could be used for ventilation in a house. We each drew out our own sketch of what the device could look like then shared our ideas together. We came up with a design consisting of different moduales that would rotate open like a camera aperture when light were to hit it. We struggled with a lot of the details though and left many questions for next time. I, for one, have a hard time coming up with ideas on the spot and like to have time to mull things over.  

When we met later on in the week we had a much better time putting all our ideas to good use. We decided the device would ideally be an energy storage unit. Light would hit a solar cell which would trigger a gear to turn and start the first module rotating. This module would knock into the next and create a domino effect until all were turning. This action would collect energy when there was a abundant sunshine, which could be used with there was less sunshine. Therefore we managed to tie all our words cohesively together- light causes the rotating which is effected seasonally. All credit for the original design of the module goes to Ning. She created a beautiful tower shape that fanned in and out in an undulating fashion. Erika and I played with this design more and drew up sketches of how the towers could be designed so that they interacted more and continued the domino effect of rotation.  We kept refining our idea and adding on things. Currently each tower has a spine of photo cells that harvest the sun's energy. LEDs are also included to give it a spectacle effect and also reenforce the idea of seasons. For instance, the LEDs would give off yellow light during the summer nights and blue light during the winter nights. We also liked that the rotation of the device would make the towers look like one surface as opposed to separate items.

In conclusion, individual modules make up a rotating surface that uses photo cells to collect energy in the summer. With less light in the winter the device slows to a hibernation and the energy perviously collected can be used. The design gives it an intriguing aesthetic and sculptural beauty that can be added to one's home.