So..... I'm a super bad blogger...

I said I'd post pics of my "Lightness" Project... here goes.  (Finally)

It might not make entire sense.... but I can't link to the PDF file that would explain it... so bummer.

Finished!

So, on Friday night we finally had our end of semester exhibit, which means that I had to finish my Lightness project in order to present. I did go with the planter, and I was very very happy with how it turned out. Once I have some nice pictures I will be certain to post them up!

Back to the present

So here we are... all caught up.

So currently: I worked on the retractable tool belt idea for some time, but it didn't quite capture the full potential of wire.

An after-market attachment to existing tools so they won't be lost as easily

Different idea for the belt. Uses pouches to hold tools and optional suspenders to take weight off of the waist

Two different attachment ideas for tools. These would not be after-market tools.

While the idea is cool and well-received, it is fairly basic and, as I said, does not capture the essence of wire, which is a huge part of the project.

So, I am still going to do a rendering of this idea and include it as part of a product family. My prototype, though, will be of the plant cages. These will come in different sizes (or will be resizable) and I will try and do that whole "capturing essence of wire" thing. So I guess I'll keep y'all posted on how thats coming!

Rewind #3

So... these tomato cages.

This was the first iteration, constructed on the weekend of November 7th/8th.

Second iteration... no idea when it was finished

Third "iteration," completed sometime last week (I think)

So the idea is this. Its like a tomato cage but it is stepped instead of fully conical. Looking at the third iteration, the thin bottom section would be what sticks into the ground. The flat area above that lies on the ground and is covered with landscaping fabric. The top section is like a regular plant cage, but it will have an area for some type of tactile label (possibly braille) so that the gardeners can tell which plant is in which caged area.

The logic behind it is this: The landscaping fabric discourages weed growth around the base of the plant. The cage also provides a definite boundary for each plant. In this way, it is easy for anyone to determine if something is a weed or not. Essentially, if a plant is growing outside of the cage, then it is a weed!

These cages also provide protection for the plants. Mainly, protection from the gardeners themselves. I have heard multiple stories about gardeners accidently kicking a plant or stepping on one while they were not being careful. These cages protect against that.

The area for a label is important too. Many visually impaired gardeners rely on learning which plants are which by feel or smell. However, for the novice gardener this could be horribly difficult. A label will ease this difficulty. Along with that, knowing which plant is which aids (kind of) with navigating the garden (i.e. if I am near the tomatoes I am closer to the road than the house) and with harvesting (i.e. pick cucumbers instead of zucchini).

These could also be used to help plant in straight lines with some type of wire guides that integrate with the cages.

Rewind #2

So then, I settled on the idea of "Gardening for the Blind" on November 4th, which I had already mentioned in an earlier post. So... I identified a few main needs/problems for the blind gardening community:

1. Weeding
2. Watering
3. Planting
4. Losing tools
5. Identifying plants
6. Harvesting
7. Navigating garden

I had a few ideas that sought to solve these problems.

A. A belt-like device integrated into a standard gardening waist pouch. The belt device will have thin, retractable cables that will attach to your existing tools. This way, tools will never leave you unless you want to detach them.
SOLVES: 4
*** Well-received by a few gardeners that I have spoken to

B. A simple, tactile planting calendar. I am not sure of the form, but I am thinking about a simple tool that will help people to remember to check if some of their cucumbers or tomatoes are ready to be harvested.
SOLVES: 3, 6
** Gardeners that I have spoken to usually have help with harvesting and this could help. No idea how it could be done without being a tedious process though.

C. A soaker hose grid. Almost, like a pool cover, this could be pulled over a bed before planting and would help to automatically hold straight lines. Additional grid segments of soaker hoses could be added with simple twist fittings.
SOLVES: 2, 3, 7
*eh...

D. A new take on tomato cages. Will be extrapolated on later...
SOLVES: 1, 5, 6, 7
** Folks thought it was interesting... but wanted to hear more

I decided to proceed with the retractable tool belt and the new tomato cages ideas.

Rewind #1

So, I've been talking about all of this project stuff but I really have never extrapolated as to what I am doing. So, to reiterate, the project is entitled Lightness. I have defined lightness as a relief of burden. Along with the lightness, I was assigned with the material of metal wire and a population of visually impaired individuals.

My general interest is in recreation, so I initially came up with some ideas that related to that. These were all drawn as of October 28th.

Hands-free White Cane...  not so good...

 

Wire exercise dolls... tactile dolls that help to better illustrate the correct way to perform certain exercises... creative?

Lane Keeping device that I mentioned to Vincent Martin. RFID antennae installed under white lane markers on running tracks. RFID tag goes in shoes and links to a glove. Glove has a left and a right vibrating mechanism that increase intensity the closer one gets to the edge of the lane. This could enable blind people to run alone, and at full stride.  Thought this was cool!

Materials

Finally got a ride and went out to Ace Hardware and bought wire-stuffs on Saturday afternoon.  I got two 33" tomato cages, 50 feet of 12 gauge wire (overkill, I know), and a cheap tape measure. Then, on Sunday I went to Home Depot quick and picked up 6 feet of vinyl coated wire that seemed perfect for one of my ideas. I was then able to alter the tape measure and now, instead of pulling the "tape" out, you pull wire out. Good times.