Project Fidget | RCA Solo Project
Fidgeting is a very human thing to do, and can be a valuable technique to manage attention.
I interviewed an ADHD specialist at Imperial College, who gave me insight into the way fidgeting aids focus. It creates a hormonal stimulant effect, leading to serotonin and dopamine production. I set out to design useful fidget tools that don't create noticeable distractions in a shared space, like a classroom.
Referencing satisfying textures that mimic nature I prototyped a "Fidget Pet" - a smooth organic shape designed to fit in the hand with textural ears that are satisfying to touch, and an animal-like purring response. It contains a fabric-based piezo-electric touch sensor, an arduino microcontroller and a small motor.
![Fidget Pet Prototypes](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_7ec40a8876854bb5a0d2b4497fef4932~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_147,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_7ec40a8876854bb5a0d2b4497fef4932~mv2.jpg)
![User Testing](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_dcf1400f334344e2830c9e7e5e0e6e6d~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_147,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_dcf1400f334344e2830c9e7e5e0e6e6d~mv2.jpg)
![Working prototype](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_e8fb32ea307d470fad782cc9ee5b8971~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_147,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_e8fb32ea307d470fad782cc9ee5b8971~mv2.jpg)
![Fidget Pet Prototypes](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_7ec40a8876854bb5a0d2b4497fef4932~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_147,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_7ec40a8876854bb5a0d2b4497fef4932~mv2.jpg)
![Canary Prototype](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_3bb24ae2f0ef485887e876834687515e~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_147,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_3bb24ae2f0ef485887e876834687515e~mv2.jpg)
![Canary Packaging](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_5350b7de5fd9490a8c043c6dad4a9351~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_147,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_5350b7de5fd9490a8c043c6dad4a9351~mv2.jpg)
![How it works](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_127cd14cf8f849248723a076032c855f~mv2.gif)
![Canary Prototype](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_3bb24ae2f0ef485887e876834687515e~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_147,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_3bb24ae2f0ef485887e876834687515e~mv2.jpg)
Canary D Pad | RCA Group Project
For our final year group project we set ourselves the challenge to design a subtle lifestyle intervention to help people monitor their health.
We began investigating the everyday situations for non-invasive testing. We decided on a sanitary towel which offers an easy everyday check-in for the signs of prediabetes, both effective and needle-free.
We prototyped a design that can be produced using conventional sanitary pad production lines. While the test is not diagnostic it can give a warning signal and raise awareness.
Elena Figus and Susan Cook, 2010
Go Global Ghana | RCA
The Go Global project brief was to develop a premium product made in Ghana with a Ghanaian aesthetic for world wide markets.
We worked using old, worn out bicycle tyres because the layers of colour showing through were visually interesting, as well as providing a tough shell for a laptop case. This material was cleaned and reused using processes found in the Kumasi marketplace. Traditional Batik printing was used for the lining, in a tyre inspired design.
This project was a 2009 Collaboration with Mawuli Dogbatse at Kumasi University, Ghana.
![Prototype](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_e2ae1033bde74804be55f2c5053f18c6~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_161,h_161,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_e2ae1033bde74804be55f2c5053f18c6~mv2.jpeg)
![Process](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_560cfd21cd17431385f913139698a2df~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_147,h_147,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_560cfd21cd17431385f913139698a2df~mv2.jpeg)
![Tyres](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_0cd8d6cf25a84ab3b8fb133f324df75b~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_120,h_120,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_0cd8d6cf25a84ab3b8fb133f324df75b~mv2.jpeg)
![Prototype](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_e2ae1033bde74804be55f2c5053f18c6~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_161,h_161,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_e2ae1033bde74804be55f2c5053f18c6~mv2.jpeg)
![Light stick](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_266f103c14f14f33805dcda3439b6fb8~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_147,h_98,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_266f103c14f14f33805dcda3439b6fb8~mv2.jpeg)
![Water Gauge](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_24d570ada95b4d5e8f2def72b4be1142~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_147,h_162,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_24d570ada95b4d5e8f2def72b4be1142~mv2.jpeg)
![Light stick](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0eecb9_266f103c14f14f33805dcda3439b6fb8~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_147,h_98,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0eecb9_266f103c14f14f33805dcda3439b6fb8~mv2.jpeg)
The Human Tide | LAB Project
When Rob Lawrence asked us to make him a seven meter light stick, I jumped at the chance to be part of an amazing film to celebrate Duchamp’s centenary. Using our stick, and with a new technique using a 3D mirror rig, Rob created a piece of long exposure footage, inspired by Duchamp’s piece “3 standard stoppages.
I also used found objects to create a “Duchampian” device for measuring the depth of the water. We rigged up a bicycle wheel, a sensor made from a serial cable, a handle from a croquet mallet, an arduino and a speaker. It emitted a series of piano-like tones to indicate water depth and created a clicking sound every metre it was pushed. These ambient sounds were then used as part of the soundtrack produced by renowned electronic artist Paul Hartnoll of Orbital.