Alex Atwood

Re-Designed Dinner Plate

2009-12-11T04:13:00.000-08:00

Mission: To re-design the standard dinner plate for use by all people including those with limited dexterity, and/or poor gripping power. This plate is designed elegantly in order to appeal to all audiences.

Precedents/Research/Influences:

- Prosthetic design
- Other cultures
- Cafeteria tray
- Painter's palette
- Pottery
- Standard Dinner plate and silverware

Two Main Functions considered for the design of the plate:

1) Must allow the user to collect food from the kitchen and transport it to the desired destination minimizing struggles along the way.

2)Must allow the user to eat with the use of only one arm when the plate is on the table.

Process:

1st Design: Curved for the Body

2nd Design: Rectangular/Bento Box influence

3rd Design: Oval shape

4th Design: Combination of the successful elements from the previous plate designs

For this design we simplified the curved form that made the first plate design unique. We took the oval shape from our 3rd iteration and redesigned the edge of the plate (the wave) to allow for better scooping action. In plan view, the shape is an oval with part of the plate cut away to allow for the plate to rest on a person's arm. In Section, the topography of the plate is sloped in certain areas different zones for the food.

Grasping Options for a Secure Hold:

Plan and Section Drawings:

Three Different Scenerios of how the plate can aid someone during the process of eating:

Plate Design Test Comments

2009-12-02T07:52:00.000-08:00

Results from the first Test Session of the three mock-up plates:

There were a number of roadblocks with the use of the utensils when in use with the plates. For example, the knife was too dull and was not able to cut easily and the fork was too flat making it hard to scoop food onto. What we took away from this is that the standard utensils need to be redesigned when integrated with the plate. The fork needs to function much like a spoon so that the food is more contained and the knife needs to be sharper in a safe way.

Other Observations:

1^st Plate – Painter’s Palette

Successful Characteristics:

- The Grip feels secure and comfortable.

- The middle ridge works well as a wall for aiding in the scooping motion.

- Cup holder works well; provides a secure hold for the cup.

Unsuccessful Characteristics:

- When setting onto the table it is difficult to release hand from the plate.

- The edges on the outside are not steep enough to scoop the food onto the fork.

2^nd Plate – Oval Plate

Successful Characteristics:

- The wave design is the best hand grip design out of the three plates for holding and putting onto the table.

- Most efficient use of plateable area.

Unsuccessful Characteristics:

- The wave design is too low that it does not function properly when using it as an aid to scoop food onto the fork.

- The cup is not deep enough to securely hold a cup while transporting the plate.

- Proportionally the eating area seems excessive.

3^rd Plate – Rectangular plate

Successful Characteristics:

- The high edge around the plate is at a sufficient height making it easy for one to scoop the food onto the fork.

Unsuccessful Characteristics:

- When held on the arm, the small size of the plate makes it hard to set onto the table

- Eating area is too small in size and too prescriptive.

Plate Design Test

2009-12-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

Ella and I decided to step back this week and test a few different styles and shapes for our plate design. We interviewed people within our target audience and received some helpful comments; including: “Having some weight is better than being too light, they have to know they are a hold of something.” and “ Add an optional lid ... anything that can move around easily will be covered when in transport.” (See the text below for more comments.) These along with some comments from the class including; “The plate does not seem balanced” and “Could the plate be stackable?”; led us to try out shapes with more symmetry.

We also created a clear mission:

To design a dinner plate for use by all people including those with shaky hands, limited dexterity, and/or poor gripping power; this plate is designed elegantly in order to appeal to all audiences. This plate can be used in a typical home setting and can also be used in Hospitals and Restaurants.

There are two main functions provided by this plate design: 1) Allows the user to collect food from the kitchen and transport it to the desired destination minimizing struggles along the way. 2) Allows the user to eat with the use of only one arm when the plate is on the table.

Tray

2009-11-24T15:33:00.001-08:00

Dish for a Single-hand User

2009-11-03T22:59:00.000-08:00

I'd like to design something for someone who has limited use to both hands or for someone who can only use one hand. The sketches below show a plate with multiple functions such as a hand grip, a cup/fruit/vegetable holder, a scoop edge, a cheese grater, and more. A good accessory for this dish would be a one-hand steak knife. Keep posted for a more developed design.

Skateboard: A Design for the Body

2009-11-03T22:52:00.001-08:00

Using Steel tube mounted on the trucks; unfold to create furniture to rest on.

The skateboard turns into the gurney after taking a bad fall.

Deconstructed Flashlight / Headlight

2009-10-28T02:23:00.000-07:00

Materials (Scraps from Studio):

- 2 D Size Batteries
- Any copper wire
- Small bulb (2V or 3V)
- Electrical Tape

I had a couple of old batteries in my studio so I thought about what kind of power or energy I could get out of using those batteries. The flashlight was the first idea that came to mind so I built a flashlight with only the necessary parts to produce the light.

I thought about how I could take this idea of the flashlight a step further...how I could creatively switch on/off the light. I used the idea of a rotating bicycle wheel. For example, the wires could be set up in way so that every time the wheel rotates past a certain point the two wires collide and the light "flashes"....I have yet to figure out how to do this.

Until then, this device functions pretty well as a bicycle headlight.

Giving New Life to a Used Product

2009-10-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

2 Studies: Cup Noodles and USB Drives

The first study is an attempt to make something useful out of a used cup of noodles about to be thrown into the trash can.

I eat about 50 cups of noodles a week and instead of throwing the styrofoam cups away I sketched out some ideas on how to reuse the cups.

I designed an Ipod docking station. I attached the usb port to the cup making it a fixed unit. The Ipod can simply be placed in the cup making the cup a holder as well as a charging unit. The cup could also be adjusted for a cell phone charging station.

Don't Throw The Cup of Noodles Away!

Cut Dimension for the device

Fixed IPod Docking Station

Assemblage Drawing: Cardboard Cutouts and Connections

The Second Study is an idea that came from the wristband USB drives.

Make use of old fabrics by making a wristband with USB drives. The USB Drive and its cap becomes the part that locks the wristband around the wrist.

This also makes for a secure location for your USB drive. Don't put the USB on your keychain...keep it on your wrist at all times so you don't lose it.

Old Fabric or Old Wristband

Wrap around wrist and connect the USB drive

Carbon Footprint of a Bicycle

2009-10-06T23:07:00.001-07:00

Sourcemapping a House Made of Tires

2009-10-04T22:48:00.000-07:00