We are currently working on a design with Brian Osborn for Eyebeam’s annual Benefit and MIXER Version 3.0 to take place on June 16th and the 20th. We are working on a design that incorporates a series of multifunctional “lanterns” that help to illuminate and navigate the space. Below are some images of our prototypes for the lantern design as we work through the process.
Fluxxlab is working with artist Beatrice Coron and fabricator Philip Anzalone of Columbia Universitiy GSAPP Digital Fabrication Lab for a proposal to install a temporary version of the Revolution Door on the revolving door at the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC for the show Slash: Paper Under the Knife in Fall of 2009. Below are some images of the prototype that we created to present to the museum which uses the harnessed energy from the door to illuminate a papercutting by the artist for the entry.
Wiring the papercuttings with LED's to illuminate from the energy harnessed from the door
Using a hand-crank flashlight to illuminate the LED's in our prototype.
We are currently working on some prototypes for an exhibition/benefit event. The duration of the installation is for one week, so we were asked to create an experience in which to frame the artists work that is sustainable and easily installed and taken down with little expense. In the following images, we are working through a prototype that uses balloons as the primary material which are biodegradable, and deflate making the take down simplistic. This is one of a few options that we are proposing in collaboration with Brian Osborn.
Balloon test - how long will balloons stay inflated with different closures
Bending conduit to form rigid bottom of structure
Placing pvc fittings to attach pvc tubing to rigid bottom structure
Bending bottom form into shape
Inserting pvc tubes to create parabolic frame
All of the tubes inserted
Attaching the net to the structure
Attaching balloons to net
Balloons!
Fluxxlab was invited to give a talk at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia to help encourage students during an intensive 3-4 day charrette titled “Apocolypse Now”, which looked at how to aptly respond to such a crisis before, during and after. Here are some images from the talk.
Panel of presenters: Mark Yim, U Penn Robotics; Harris Romanoff, Make:Philly and Neat Receipts; Red Cross
Here are some photos of the Powerslide installation at Guestroom 2010, part of the HITECH convention in Austin, TX from 06.17.08-06.19.08. Our prototype is mounted to a closet sliding door within the “Guestroom” - a temporary hotel room designed to display future products for the hospitality industry. It turned out pretty well and we are satisfied with the results, minus a few minor hiccups - but hey, it is a prototype!
The glass sliding door installed in the Guestroom. On the floor is our Powerslide mechanism as we prepare to mount it to the door.
Mounting the magnet panel to the sliding door.
Wiring the lights inside of the closet with the Powerslide mechanism attached to the door and wall. The coil panels with aluminum valance is a stationary component mounted to the wall.
LED lights used to light up the contents within the Guestroom closet.
Wiring the lights and mounting to the inside of the closet.
The Powerslide mechanism with installation complete.
Sliding the glass door powers the LED lights inside of the closet.
See how bright! And they stay illuminated for 20 - 30 seconds.
See the Powerslide in motion!
Guestroom 2010 in motion
Here are more images for the Powerslide prototype that we are exhibiting at Guestroom 2010 at the HITEC exhibition in Austin, TX.
Coils wired up and placed next to eachother in the casting armature.
Getting ready to to a test resin cast with woven fiberglass.
Preparing a mock sliding door to test the prototype on.
Magnet panel attached to a mock door for testing.
Coils in place on the armature with woven fiberglass. We covered the mold in plastic so that we could pop out the resin easily - though I would not recommend this in the future - as we discovered it left a wrinkly texture on the resin.
One of the resin coil panels ready to be added onto the aluminum door valance.
Attaching the resin coil panels to the valance.
All installed.
Resin coil panel and magnet panel. Ready to make some power!
Wiring the LED lights that display the harnessed power.
Here are some of the images of our upcoming prototype called Powerslide to be exhibited at Guestroom 2010 in Austin, TX from June 17-19, 2008.
Powerslide is an innovative product that turns the sliding motion of common building components such as sliding doors, windows, and drawers into a source of energy. The device uses an integral alternator designed for each application to harness and locally redistribute the energy. In Guestroom 2010, the Powerslide is attached to a sliding closet door. Each time a hotel guest opens the closet door, a negligible amount of their energy will be converted to light, illuminating the closet’s contents.
We are working frantically, and believe it or not effectively, toward this end - perhaps some of our past experiences have finally taught us a lesson!
Winding coils again!
This time we have made an armature to cast the coils in resin.
Coils wired up and soldered together.
Assembly line for putting together the magnet panel.
Magnet panel - which still needs a coat of paint.
Fluxxlab with Mouna Andraos taught a workshop on Alternative Energy at Eyebeam on 04.05.08 in conjunction with the FEEDBACK exhibition, where participants were shown how to make a new and improved version of the personal powerPlant. Eyebeam will have the first edition of the kits for sale in the bookshop after 04.19.08 - more venues are soon to come.
Preparing for the workshop.
Our demo version of the personal powerPlant for reference. The new design incorporates a cardboard box and masonite gears instead of acrylic.
Setting up the kits before the workshop.
The kits contain similar parts to the original PPP, but we have switched out the 7.2 V NiMH battery for a standard 9V. We will post updated instructions on Instructables and electroniccrafts.org once we have the kits finalized.
Paricipants of the Alternative Energy Workshop in coordination with the FEEDBACK Exhibition.
Soldering the circuitboard.
Testing out the visual multimeter with the stepper motor. It works!
We added the donated, reclaimed panels from 3form. They look really beautiful. In the near future we will install all four door panels, but for now it is just two. We also made some adjustments to the mechanism, since the large sprocket was slipping from the central shaft.
Four different types of reclaimed 3form with embedded materials such as - copper wires, shell, tree branches, glass.
Detail of the panels with copper wire and shell.
Here are some images from our first succesful attempt with Prototype C!!! We are very excited to finally get this working properly and are impressed with the output so far. We will be tweaking the Prototype to see if we can get better results as time goes on.
Adjusting the screws holding the wire coils in place on the armature.
See how bright the LED’s are. The amperage at this point are are so high that we are blowing them out - this will need to be adjusted.
Video: Prototype C in motion, successfully lighting an array of LEDs