by r'honest | Dec 24, 2019 | 3D PRINTING, ALL, RESEARCH
Since 3D printing large scale objects is relatively expensive and time consuming I explain my clients how it’s often more efficient to use conventionally machined materials for large flat surfaces. To provide examples / practice what I preach I regularly experiment with this principle for personal projects. In 2019 I developed two concepts within this scope. 1.A desk stand that levels my laptop screen and standalone monitor on the same height (and at a perfect eye level for me at my current desk). 2. A breakfast tray that can transform between a flat version and a low table for breakfast in...
by r'honest | Sep 9, 2019 | 3D PRINTING, ALL, RESEARCH
As a small favour I assisted a few collaborators from the Lantern Project who work at McGill University in Montréal, Canada to develop the next iteration of their ‘Haptistrap’ prototype; a device that can be used to strap a sensor to an arm or leg with constant pressure – even when moving around throughout the day. The original design consisted of four parts (excluding the velcro) and was partly 3D printed using FDM technology: I redesigned the device into a single-part piece that could be reproduced identically anywhere around the world using SLS 3D printing...
by r'honest | Aug 12, 2019 | 3D PRINTING, ALL, RESEARCH
360 photos turned tangible; memory marbles are a great way to collect your favourite memories as tiny worlds of experience. My first experiments used full color sandstone as the 3D printing material, but the resolution was insufficient to get them small enough to become actual marbles. In collaboration with Marketiger I’ve produced a second series of photo spheres that do the name justice, using Mimaki (3DUJ-553) Material Jetting technology. I also played around with different ways to present the memory marbles: in a jar, on separate stands or on a topographical platform to show the location of each...
by r'honest | Jul 5, 2019 | 3D CAD, 3D PRINTING, ALL, PROJECTS
After winning the second prize at the Mozilla WINS Challenge – Wireless Innovations for the Networked Society – the Lantern Project proceeded to evolve toward an operational platform. I was kept involved through the development of the next hardware prototype, code name ‘Hyperion’. This design features an e-ink display that can be used to provide user feedback independent from wireless connection with a smartphone. Eventually it might even be capable of acting as a navigation system towards strategic locations during a distaster. In June of 2019 I was invited to join the team in Montréal, Canada and Beacon, New York for a field test of the latest hard- and software. The first tests were very promising, and allowed us to communicate intuitively between 5 separate devices over distances beyond 1km without the use of cellular networks. Of course the field tests also brought numerous points for improvement to light, which have been evaluated thoroughly – leading to a new concept design that will be the bases of future...
by r'honest | Jun 12, 2019 | WORKSHOPS
For the fifth year in a row I participated in the Capstone Project of the Hotel Management course at Breda University as the lecturer of ‘Design Thinking and Prototyping’. After the lecture I coach and judge all the groups on the development of their first rapid prototype, and bestow the team with the best failure a custom ‘lemon award’ – to communicate how important it is in a design process to take risks and make mistakes. The lemon part of the award can be screwed open to reveal a block of post-it notes, this represents a perfect example of the power of failure: an experiment in glue development made the substance semi-sticky. Someone made the very smart call to turn it into a product you can easily peel off, turning it into one of the most successful products ever...
by r'honest | May 25, 2019 | RESEARCH
Together with Michael J. Dawkins and Giuseppe Zanella Sampaio I participated in a hackathon organized by MAD Emergent Art Center. We developed a concept called RE:ACT, a concept for a self-sustaining electric truck that could roam Europe while being energy positive and carbon negative, enriching biodiversity on its way. With great advice from Paul Kemper, the context beautifully framed by Michael, the elaborate calculations done by Giuseppe and the visualisations I created combined we managed to win the second...
by r'honest | May 12, 2019 | 3D CAD, 3D PRINTING, ALL, RESEARCH
I own a pair of headphones that represent to me all that is great about 3D printing: when ordered all you receive is a small package that fits through your letterbox, containing just the electronics and soft parts of the product. From the Print+ website you can download as many casing designs as you want, and 3D print them locally. Since it’s made easy to assemble and disassemble yourself, when something breaks you can simply repair it yourself. What’s more, since you have access to the source files you can even adapt the design to your own liking. In my case, I loved the design but I was used to wireless headphones by now. Print+ allowed me to solve my own problem by customizing the design. Fitting in an actual Bluetooth module seemed a bit complex, but since I had an old iPod Shuffle lying around the solution became much simpler; I just added a little bracket to the side cover and bought a short jackplug adapter, this way I created an autonomous headset without any wires interfering my music...
by r'honest | Apr 18, 2019 | 3D PRINTING, ALL, RESEARCH
As my personal give-away I designed a variation on a game I really enjoy called Story Cubes by Rory’s. The concept of the original is to throw some dice and then improvise a short story based on the icons facing up. I wanted to create a more interactive version, so I created three dice (theme, time and emotion) that shape a random question instead of a story. This way one person throws the dice and creates the question, the other person tells a story. I think it suits my work because it’s 3D printed, featuring game mechanics and changing the dialogue....
by r'honest | Apr 10, 2019 | ALL, PROJECTS, VIRTUAL REALITY
For Topmonumenten Brabant (Grote Kerk, Breda | Sint-Janskathedraal, Den Bosch | Markiezenhof, Bergen-op-Zoom | Kasteel Heeswijk, Heeswijk-Dinther) I developed an interactive digital lesson plan for high school students, using Cardboard VR viewers to make the challenge more immersive. The students are asked to choose a quest (one of the monuments) and answer questions about different traditional crafts to gain access to the next scene – eventually leading them to the most impressive space of each landmark, which awards them a ticket to visit the monument in real life. The VR experience makes the educational element more playful, and because they have to look around for clues they’ll get a better sense of the high levels of detail incorporated in these buildings. Hopefully they’ll get excited enough to visit, so they can look around with more freedom of movement – and engage all their senses in exploring our heritage. . The experience can be found here: https://topmonumenten.vrdeck.co/quest. The security certificate has expired but it’s still...
by r'honest | Apr 6, 2019 | 3D PRINTING, ALL, PROJECTS
“Imagine losing access to the internet, power, email and phone service
all at once. With the rapid pace of natural disasters globally,
lines of communication too often fail and it’s hard to find solid ground, both in terms of physical shelter and emotional well-being. New wireless solutions will help reconnect, gather and share crucial information community-wide when infrastructure fails.
With a global team of experts, that’s exactly what we’re building.” That’s how we won the 2nd prize at the Mozilla WINS Challenge – Wireless Innovations for the Networked Society. Of course I only played a small part in designing the enclosure, but this project has gotten really close to my heart: open source innovation with lifesaving impact. Which does now have the funds to build their next generation device: with custom pcb and e-ink screen....
