Newton & Straws & Toys... Brilliant....Arvind Gupta: Turning trash into toys for learning | Video on TED.com

Concept Board

Concept & Model Development

 A child's inability to communicate often leads to frustration, repetitive behaviour and emotional overload. So the concept has evolved into a learning toy for non-verbal children; something tactile that can help encourage decision making and teach sequencing, as well as provide a method of communication with parents or carers.

I began by looking at  different materials that I had available, I was hoping to try and use timber  as I love the look and feel of traditional wooden toys.  I have partly returned to the aesthetics of the blocks in my first concept.  The round model & toy I was playing with earlier provided the inspiration for putting things in order and threading onto something...   and the products featured in an earlier post  have given inspiration for the overall direction in the use of materials, the tactile interaction and something for children...

A wooden block and cut wire coat hanger provided a nice base to represent the sequencing. 
The coat hanger has been cut into different heights to provide cues as to where to begin.

The wood has sanded up very well, it is smooth and silky to the touch.  I have rounded off the ends and corners.

 I am using the little communication blocks to represent both fun activities and daily routines such as playing with friends and brushing teeth.... Some of the 'sets' below...


Play with friends



Get dressed

Have a shower, brush teeth

Colouring in

Shopping

Toys



Toys



Food

 So the idea is, considering the advice given by parents and teachers earlier - keep it positive and focus on things to look forward to, as well as help with sequencing and planning of the day, building confidence and improving communication.

 The child can choose from the block to 'build' and plan the day in order.  Used in communication with the parent or carer they can plan together to make sure things are achieved in the correct order.

I would like to have each block with its own sound.  Say for example, as the 'Shower' one is placed onto the 'wire' the sound of water running in a shower is heard, or the when the toothbrush one is chosen you hear the sound of someone brushing their teeth.  Playing with friends could be children laughing & giggling.  This could provide stimulus and feedback for both parents and children.... A 'cause & effect' - confirming the choice made and encouraging to continue on and make more decisions.

Model Exploration

Sequencing ...?

Pieces found in the workshop.  

   

Started me thinking about processing, order and sequencing thoughts...

Auti - An Interactive Toy for Autistic Children

Auti from Helen Andreae on Vimeo.

Communicating with kids

I started looking further into communicating with children, specifically toys and tools used to help children communicate.  There are many reasons that children have difficulty communicating.  Those on the Autism spectrum are often termed non-verbal, not because they don't understand but because they cannot access the necessary skills to process and sequence their thoughts.  This leads to frustration and emotional overload.

Kids

  What do kids talk about?  How do they answer when asked, 'What did you learn in school today?' ?  And what do they really want to say?

So, using the wonders of modern communication tools, I asked for a bit of insight...

One thing that didn't occur to me, that came out of this brief, (and casual) research

was anticipation and the importance of keeping it positive.....

What are you looking forward to?

Behaviour: Input / Output, Action & Reaction

WEEK FOUR: Concept Bomb

I never do well in these situations, I know its meant to be, anything goes, don't hold back, but the reality is, I question.  And I analyse. And I can always find a reason not to.  Always asking 'so what?'

Three tasks were presented:
BEING AWARE:

One: communication between two different generational groups - with an emphasis on social awarenes...

Two: connecting couples - an emotional awareness, reflected perhaps in the way the message is communicated and the materials used in the design...

& Three: between friends during physical activity- with a recognition of a sense of the task at hand...

Concept 1: Storytelling between children and grandparents

Each block represents a task or activity the child has done in the day, play with friends, read a book, crafts etc...
they place the blocks into another? hollow block perhaps? that then communicates with a paired object  at the Grandparents house... although I'm not sure what would happen after this - Does the grandparent reply somehow?  Completing the circle of communication, giving feedback to the child?

Concept 3: Marathon Stats - pace, distance, location... a band that communicate the  progress of a friend  in the event so friends or followers can keep track throughout the race.  Once again though, I'm unsure of the output....



Two, I didn't manage two.  That emotion is a difficult concept to communicate through a device.  It would need to be voice, or smell, or a song... a heartbeat... a moment... a memory... how do you communicate that ?



From the tasks though, did come a train of thought...  the 1st concept - communication between children and grandparents...  You know the questions we were all asked as kids... "So tell me what you did today"... "What did you learn in school today?"  To which the answer was usually  - Nuthin', or, I dunno....  So perhaps something that could encourage communication for children....?  I know though that I want it to be meaningful...

Inspiration...

Sifteo Cubes 

Eye Writer ... Just plain brilliant.

Jonathan Ive

"You're seldom intimidated by something that you can feel"

Screen shot of a Google image search for 'touch'... meh.

Beautiful...

I love these, both for the product and for the presentation.  Without any dialogue the concept is communicated clearly and emotionally.  Both products provide lovely interactions in how they are meant to be used, and with the materials used to create them.


Sniff from Timo on Vimeo.

And beautifully simple...


Skål from Timo on Vimeo.

Week Three: Introducing the supercharged electric razor powered boat with wheels and a propeller??

Well in the end it didn't technically come together, but some good collaboration revealed interesting possibilities.
Our task this week was to 'deconstruct' old electronic gadgets and material items, then using these individual components, create something completely different.  It was about understanding the interactions and developing new possibilities... An old remote control car, boat and helicopter with an electric razor, a couple of batteries, blue-tac, a rubber band and Voila! Well... sort of...

 Our gadgetry

The batteries were rechargeable, but no longer managed to charge...
As you couldn't get to them, it rendered the shaver useless. 

After smashing it to pieces and replacing the batteries, the motor started without hesitation.

The 'Altantic '95', the wonderful green boat seen on the right, was brought in by another group &
provided the perfect vessel for our rejuvinated motor...

The intention...

Our motor had great potential, but the best part of the exercise happened when two groups came together to share ideas and materials.