Lunar Vision: Futuristic Tower View

Design of Connected Objects and Experiences (IPD 529) 

Project Timeline: October - December 2019 (2 months) 

Project Objectives

The project for the final showcase of my Design for Connected Objects and Experiences course challenged us to design an object that juxtaposed futuristic ideas against designs from the past. The showcase, entitled “Nostalgic Futures”, required each project to incorporate the learned design manufacturing techniques, as well as electronic components powered by the micro processing chip Particle. The submissions conveyed a message through an in-depth story. Our project’s message is we all must take responsibility for our environment and our planet. Lunar Vision is an old-time tower viewer. The Lunar Vision experience imagines a post-apocalyptic world where humans live on the moon because of the destruction of the earth due to climate change. When a person looks at the earth in the year 2148 (the screen in front of the tower viewer) he/she is transported into multiple places where the massive effects of climate change can be seen through the destruction of our environment. However, when a person looks through the viewfinder, they can see the ‘past’ attempts by humanity to save the earth from this inevitable doom. The images of devastation on the screen correspond to the images in the viewfinder of humanity trying to save that part of the earth (whether it be the ocean, or the forest, or the city, etc.). We used the nostalgic aspects of the tower viewer and the view-master, a toy that lets children look through slides of different pictures, and juxtaposed these nostalgic designs with a futuristic vision of the world reinforcing the message that unless we act today, this could be our future.

The mechanism itself was powered by the microprocessor Particle. Once an earth coin was inserted into the tower viewer, the Particle would detect the coin and activate the tower viewer. The user would then press a button on the side of the viewer to advance to the next location viewed. At each location, an LCD screen on the face of the tower viewer would explain both the image on the screen and the image in the viewfinder. After the user cycled through all seven locations, a coin with the image of the moon that read “The Lunar Republic Est. 2148” was dispensed as a souvenir and reminder of our responsibility to the earth today.  The experience was very well received and generated a participation line throughout the event.

The tower viewer itself was designed and manufactured using MDF, ABS, and steel. The head of the viewer was designed in Solidworks then laser cut with MDF. The body was manufactured with steel piping, and the joints were created by 3D printing connections. As the only mechanical engineering major on the team, my job was to CAD and manufacture the head of the tower viewer. I also designed and manufactured the coin-op system and coins. Lastly, I worked on the slideshow to edit the visual effects on the images in the earth experience.