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.

Blind Gardener @ Yahoo Groups

Joined a Blind Gardening Mailing list, which became finalized 2 days ago. Within a day of sending out my initial "Hi, I'm Andrew..." email I had two responses from seasoned blind gardeners!  One is from Washington state and the other is from the UK. I have been corresponding with them and they have given me some great insights and outstanding advice regarding some of my project ideas.

This is my second project that has been focused at a community with physical impairments. The first was a project for impartial quadriplegics and now the blind. Talking to people who are actually part of these impaired communities is such a game changer. There are so many times when I feel like crap about my ideas and the project in general, but hearing the sincere gratitude from these guys just makes me understand how thankful they are for someone to be helping them with the challenges that they face everyday. Even though this project was assigned to me, its moments like these that help me to remember why I love design; because of how it can truly help.

Here is the excerpt from the one email:
"Hello Andrew,
First I want to thank you for your work in helping the blind.  Regardless as
to what  comes of this, some people will be blessed.  So allow me to first
thank you for your time and desire to help others.  In this world there will
never be enough people who are really willing to help another."

So, there is my motivation to make something that completely kicks ass...

Two Coasts Brewing - Beer Label

Another project that I did a while back.  We had to create a product label. I, of course, chose beer. Here is my final product.

The brewery is called Two Coasts, because Terrence J. and I are from the East coast and Nathan A. all the way from Cali.  Note the inclusion of both coasts in the label.  The beer itself is called: 2700 Mile IPA (India Pale Ale), because of the distance from coast to coast.

Nokia Phone Color Study and Redesign

Also did a project that built off of the phone rendering...  this was a color study.  I had to do some color and material variations on the original phone, and the create a new phone (The Transformers Phone!) and do color/material variations on that too. I call the first one on the bottom row Optimus and the last one Bumblebee.

Nokia Phone Render

 Had to draw and render my phone.   Check out the final product!

GARDENS! duh.

So...  sorry about never posting the sketches, but one might say that they were no good.  I'd been having a massive amount of trouble with this project, but I think I have a foothold now.

I started to focus on finding ways to increase socialization by encouraging recreation and other activities. I had been focusing on the younger end of the age spectrum, but once I started looking at the elderly I came across gardening. Gardening!  I can't believe that it didn't cross my mind.

So now I am looking at ways to make gardening more accessible to the blind. Gardening promotes being active, eating healthy, and helps people to have a sense of purpose. Having a nice garden also provides people with interests to talk about and can even lead to participation in a gardening club, which then increases socialization.

So... for the project: Lightness + Blindness + Wire.  How does this gardening business exude lightness, you may ask.
Here:
- Making products to make gardening easier reduces the stress of blind gardening
- Gardening reduces general stress, making that burden less
- Gardening encourages physical activity and can encourage healthier eating, making the gardener lighter in weight
- These wire-based products will be lightweight and easy to use

There may be even more, but I'm done for now.  Time to start doing what everyone else did 2 weeks ago...  woo!