GloFlo is designed for overtaxed people to manage stress and improve focus by encouraging them to take a moment to relax their minds. The soothing white light energizes the mind and helps the user focus. The lamp consists of lights on the end of eight arms that move up and down. The mechanism is controlled by the users hands in proximity of the sensors on the device. As you move your hands closer to the sensor the lights move up and if you move them farther away the lights move down. If you remove your hand from the sensor entirely the lights move back to their original state in the upwards position. An Arduino inside the base relays information from the ultrasonic distance sensor to the servo which moves a certain number of degrees depending on the distance measured from the sensor to the moving hand. The servo spools up string that attaches to each of the arms, which then pivot on the y-axis in unison. The lights, which are always powered on while the device is plugged in, are attached to the end of each arm. The meditative motions conducted by the user in combination with the soft white lights will serve asa helpful way to reach a calm and relaxed state of mind.

Wall decor for the home that tracks locations of family members and reminds them of the importance of spending time together!   

Sallie's Brief: 

Wall decor for the home that tracks the locations of family members and reminds them of the importance of their time together. With many families' busy schedules, it is hard to keep track of who is at home and easy to forget the importance of time together. Home Base was designed to unite families by creating a fun wall decor for them to gather around. Each family member is represented by a frame, and their proximity to the house is represented by the frame's position. When everyone is out of the house each frame casts part of a shadow on the wall. This is due to the frames not aligning. As everyone returns home, the frames rotate to align so you are able to see through all the frames, as the complete pattern appears! This new shadow design will light up the room and gather the family!  

Roisin's Brief: 

Home Base:  Home decor that helps keep track of your family and reminds you of the importance of spending time with your family. Life gets busy and sometimes you forget to check in with your family members. This raising the question of do I make an effort to reach out to your family when they aren't there physically? Our project consists of 4 picture frames, one for each member of a family. Each frame presents a certain family member with a pattern that represents each person individually but together represents one big family. Once they leave the house there frame will fall to the side and when they come home it will come back to the middle. How we got that to work is we create a pulley system with a base frame. There would be two pulleys and the top pulley holds the frame. Using a servo and sensor from Arduino, we can get the frame to move to the side and back to the center. If everyone is home it will show one pattern but apart it's a broken patter. It also cast a shadow of this pattern on them all. It makes you think about your family and brings you all together.

Chiara's Brief:

‘The Productivity Helmet' is a helmet that combats the tendency to procrastinate and break a fruitful flow by minimizing distractions and providing an escape while completing their work.

With more people working from home than ever before, students and desk-workers are extensively reforming their workspaces, adapting it to maintain a productive workflow, while coexisting with their family members and roommates. In an ideal situation, everyone working from home would have a quiet space to retreat to while they complete their tasks or attend lectures and seminars. But as we know, this is not the case; what was once a dining table is now an office, and most everyone's work fecundity is at risk. Fortunately, we have a solution. Aside from limiting the user's field of view, the ‘Productivity Helmet’ is noise-canceling, provides temperature control, and has embedded speakers and a microphone to account for remote working conditions and render a more comfortable oasis (i.e., Zoom calls, meetings, listening to music, and holding confidential conversations). The goal is to have the user get in the habit of wearing the helmet each time they complete a task that requires much focus. Over time, they associate the helmet with a positive connotation; the user reaches for the helmet when they want to be productive and crank out lots of work.

Mathew's Brief:

The Productivity Helmet is a hood that provides an environment free from distractions, to better facilitate working from home, or in an open office space. The helmet is designed to limit the field of vision and is constructed with materials to help dampen outside noise.

Working from home has been difficult for many, creating unique problems, and exacerbating ones that already exist. Some things that have been lost in our move to work and study from home is routine, a designated work environment, and personal space free of distractions. We created a hood that has a multifaceted approach to combating these work from home specific difficulties but also carries over to other environments like open office spaces.

The noise dampening design helps combat auditory distractions and speakers that can be used for ambient noise enhance this. These same speakers, alongside a built-in microphone, also help facilitate video conferencing and phone calls. The Productivity Helmet also limits the user's peripheral vision, reducing visual distractions, and promoting a productive environment. The main feature of this product is not about its technological functions, it is the space created that the user may then utilize associates for work. The Productivity Helmet is a mindful queue to the user that they are in a work environment. Over time, the user will associate the helmet with productivity, creating a comfortable workspace with a unique design that can be used anywhere.

Anara's Brief:

‘Productivity Helmet’ is a device that aids the wearer in focusing on video calls. The product limits the users peripheral vision to cut out distractions. It also has passive noise cancellation, personal speakers, and a microphone built in to create an enhanced work environment, all in one convenient wearable.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a large increase in people working from home, and many are struggling to concentrate with roommates or family also at home, working remotely or attending school. Many people do not have sufficient home work environments, and tend to become distracted easily. The Productivity Helmet minimizes distractions, and creates an environment that your brain will positively associate with efficient and focused work. The wearer's peripheral vision is blocked by the sides of the hood so that they only focus on the work in front of them. Additionally, speakers are built into the frame of the helmet to create a surround-sound environment, with an adjustable microphone so that co workers can hear you clearly through the call.