In this product design unit, we were required to design a prototype of a tool capable of identifying smells. The design is labeled Design 3 on my design paper. My product, the Smellificator 2000, took inspiration from the Portal gun from Portal, a Sous Vide cooker, and Nitrous Oxide Canisters. The machine functions as a drone, as well as a gun. The bottom grip was designed to easily wrap around the user’s hand, as shown in image 1, for easy handling, and drone release. In addition, four propellers on all four sides and one rocket propel and control the drone, the propellers able to pivot on an axis. The first layer sucks in the smell and holds it within the fourth layer, and identifies it on the third layer. The data is then brought to the computer, the cylindrical object suspended on the first layer. The computer features an on-off button on the bottom, and a touch-pad screen on top, that displays all data and controls the entire machine. The battery is located in the middle of the machine, where the propellers are placed. To reach it, unscrew the bottom, and the battery is exposed. The gun can be used on the spot, to identify the smell. However, that won’t reveal its location. That’s what the drone is designed to do: track and locate the smell’s origin. The drone is deployed by throwing it into the air, rocket side down. There are 9 layers in total, 1-2 for sniffing, 3 to identify, 4 for smell storage, 5 for battery and propellers, 6-9 for the rocket.

This Product design unit required me to design a laser-cut landscape, divided into several wooden layers, as contents within a 95 – 55 –  30 millimeter box. The box features a special location that we couldn’t visit due to Covid-19 related reasons. I occasionally visit cousins in Vancouver, British Columbia in the winter. However, The trip was unfortunately canceled due to the situation occurring. The environment I chose is in Manning National Park, Lighting Lake, a campsite we frequently go to during the remaining days of the visit. It’s a multicolored shed on an open field across a mountain range.

During this assignment, I learned several skills involved in the process of designing a lightbox. This includes merging objects, rounding edges, image tracing / expanding, and forming silhouettes from images. I used a software program known as Adobe Illustrator, which allowed me to laser-cut the lightbox. I also utilized websites, for example, the noun project for icons, and makecase

for the design of the initial box. I also received more practice in using acrylic paints, like using masking tape to isolate areas of the product, and blending colours.

There are several things I would like to change about the lightbox. I thought the initial box design was too complicated, and I despised some aspects of the design. I also wish I was less ambitious with the design because I had significantly greater plans that eventually were abandoned due to time issues. I would’ve estimated the amount of work, made reasonable assumptions of what I can do in that time, and started on level 1, and built it upwards from there.  I also would’ve opted for a less dynamic box, because the repeating chains of etched layers seem too diorienting and strange for my tasting. Now, I think a more bare-bones, simple design would be nicer.  Next, I think I’d blend more colours for the backround, using several colours rather than just one. Finally, I think I should’ve used more trees in the design, in less perfect shapes, so the natural aspect is more apparent. Imperfection is perfect.

These are my plans to eliminate a users phone addiction.

I took on a more cruel and forceful method of making a user more social.  First of all, there is a AI (Jesse) that monitors the users daily time in contact with others. There is a machine attached to the back of the phone that monitors the persons active time with the community, friends, etc. This tracker is a Rubik cube with entity sensors attached to it so it can monitor the amount of time the user has been with people and interacted with them.

The Rubik cube is always imputing data into a USB, so when the phone is plugged into the AI charger, the AI will foresee if this person has been being social enough, and also extracting info from conversations the Rubik cube overheard. The AI will then ask a series of questions about his friends, family, and community. If he answers correctly, his phone will be unlocked, and the cycle continues. If not, the phone will still unlock, but cannons attached to the phone will release negative charge and disable the phone every few hours, rendering the phone useless for the day, meanwhile, the phone plays a screensaver reminding the user to be social. This is a blue pill red pill sort of option.  And if the user tries to destroy either of the machines, they will instantly kill the phone.