CANARY / Environmental Sensor Device/DIY Robotics Kit, 2007

UNPACK / Transformable Cycling Bag, 2007

CLEAN DIGNITY / CHI 2008 Student Design Competition Entry, 2008 (PDF abstract)

Developed by the CMU Robotics Institute, the Canary is a low-cost electronics kit which reads environmental data (light, sound, heat, humidity, air quality) and outputs light, sound, and kinetic movement.

Housed in a low-cost, rugged enclosure, the device is an open-ended platform for amateur robotic art.
Built of laser-cut corrugated plastic and velcro, the device housing costs less than $2 to produce, and is easy to assemble without tools.

The electronics component kit is composed of a highly flexible, expandable logic board, and numerous sensor accessories. The overall cost of the board and basic sensor kit is under $100.

The development of the device and its interface included extensive testing and user research, in the form of robotic art workshops around Pittsburgh, mostly for children and teens.
Participants built all manner of robotic sculptures that crawled, buzzed, twirled, jumped, and twitched in response to stimuli.

A supplemental bag for bike messengers, built from reclaimed vinyl. The bag unfolds totally flat, and holds its shape with snaps and velcro.
Designed to mount to the strap of a messenger pack, the bag gives quick access to things like snacks, keys, ids, or cellphones.

The design of the bag was based on extensive input from Pittsburgh cyclists,
who emphasized the importance of individual identity, and a disdain for "overly designed" or unnecessary accessories.

The 2008 Computer Human Interaction conference hosted a student design competition, the prompt of which was to "design a product, system, or service to aid those living without a home".
The project began with a long research phase, including interviews with homeless citizens of Pittsburgh, and an evaluation of their living circumstances.

Eventually, three of the research subjects came to serve as "case studies" for the analysis phase. After establishing a list of basic human needs, each subject's living situation was evaluated, to find common areas in need of improvement. The degree to which each of the needs was met was mapped, alongside the degree to which each subject was independently able to fulfill each need for themselves.

The conclusions of the analysis indicated that the availability of lavatory facilities was a major roadblock to each subject's feelings of independence, upward mobility, and self-worth. The goal of the design phase became the creation of washing facilities for urban homeless citizens that afford dignity and confidence without being "parasitic" on regular citizens.

The design solution was a pay-per-use lavatory facility, which gives access to a toilet, sink, shower, and small single-unit washer/dryer. The facility is designed to be installed in a typical municipal parking garage. Entry to the facility is between 25 and 50 cents, much like many pay toilets throughout Europe. This way, average citizens who use just the toilet and sink help to subsidize homeless users, who are granted ability to wash their clothes and themselves.

The placement of the facility in a parking garage is integral to its function. The "public" half of the facility (benches, sink, washer/dryer) are visible from both the street and from a garage's attendant's booth, through glass walls. Since the space would force citizens to share facilities with the homeless, this additional visibility helps all users to feel more secure.