DESIGN NAME: BlobHertz
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Coating
INSPIRATION: As a child I used to play with cornstarch mixed with water and I was fascinated by the properties of the fluid. Growing up I discovered that it was a non-Newtonian fluid, which viscosity varies depending on the shear stress that is applied. This characteristic can be exploited by subjecting the fluid to sound waves to record the surface deformations that are created. Blobhertz was born from this experiment to allow touching the key frames of our favourite songs.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Blobhertz is a furniture product extremely customizable. According to the material used, its index of transparency, the refraction of light and the kind of soundtrack to which the fluid is subjected, you will get a product with unique features. Its vocation, however, remains that of wall covering for music lovers, which not only want to listen but also touch the sound that they are passionate about.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: Blobhertz borns as a customizable wall coverage. The idea is to decorate a wall with the key frames of a soundtrack made of a material chosen by the customers. The project aims to give character to an area and translate physically the emotions communicated by the music. When passing your fingers on the deformed surfaced is then possible to begin an intimate experience. When using the 3D printer you can also create an empty module that can be illuminated from inside.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in January 2011,Rome for the "Theory of Form" course at ISIA ROMA and it finished in September 2011. The project was included in "Design For 2015" volume by Promote Design and it was presented at Salone del Mobile Milano and at the EXPO 2015.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Building Materials and Construction Components Design
|
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The demonstration model of Blobhertz was made by covering a subwoofer speaker with plastic wrap and pouring into it the fluid consists of water and rice starch. The fluid then was subjected to a soundtrack containing several bass sounds. The behaviour of the fluid was photographed from multiple angles and rebuilt using a 3D software. The model has been realized starting from a gypsum block worked with a CNC milling machine. Models can easily be realized in wood, marble or using a 3D printer.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Width 150 x Depth 150 x Height 170
TAGS: Sound, fluid, interior design, coating, surface, deformation
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: The goal with this university research was the analysis of the causes of deformation on surfaces. The collected data led me to consider the possibility to exploiting the power of sound waves and merge them to a non-Newtonian fluid to make them translatable and tangible. The strength of a project like Blobhertz is that collected data can have an extremely intimate source: a phrase, a sound, a music track are viewed from a different outlook.
CHALLENGE: The biggest challenge was to understand how to collect the movement caused by sound waves. Not having a 3D scanner or any other special equipment, the reconstruction of the shapes by software has been crucial in order to get a faithful correspondence. The analysed soundtracks has been divided following the 4/4 time rhythm, to identify the most lively moments. The production is extremely simple since it is achievable through 3D printer or CNC milling machine with many different materials.
ADDED DATE: 2015-03-23 12:48:46
TEAM MEMBERS (1) :
IMAGE CREDITS: Image #1: Photographer Roberto Maurizio Paura, BlobHertz on wall, 2016
Image #2: Photographer Roberto Maurizio Paura, BlobHertz Black, 2014
Image #3: Photographer Roberto Maurizio Paura, BlobHertz composition, 2014
Image #4: Photographer Roberto Maurizio Paura, BlobHertz focus variation, 2014
Image #5: Photographer Roberto Maurizio Paura, BlobHertz top, 2014
|