Enchanted Kitchen Objects
CIIDPrototyping as a Process
Group: Elliott Wortham | Jose Chavarria
Faculty: Luke Sturgeon | Sara Salsinha
Role: Concept Development | Research | Visual Design | Physical Prototyping
Enchanted Kitchen Objects or EKO, echoes what your loved ones would do to help you stay healthy.
BRIEFOur brief was to imagine a molecular analyzer that could detect ingredients and the possible scenarios that the technology could be applied to. The team’s objective was to build physical prototypes and stay away from screen based concepts as much as possible. More specifically, the team was looking to answer the following question: How might we create kitchen objects that help users stay healthy in a fun and interesting way?
CONCEPTEnchanted Kitchen Objects or EKO, was the team’s concept to address this prompt. Eko’s appliance range included “Sally” the sugar jar, “Kip” the drawer, “Brian” the toaster, and “Brad” the cutting board. “Brian” the toaster was the main product in this scenario. Some of the key features included a set up function where users could record foods that were allergic to or needed to avoid, a mode where the toaster helps remind you to eat properly, and a cheat function. “Brian” was connected to “Sally” who controlled the amount of sugar being dispensed from the jar and adjusted it’s mood and response according to how the user interacted with it.
CONSTRUCTIONIn order to develop EKO, several rounds of prototyping were conducted. The project started with low-fidelity prototypes using paper and cardboard. As the group moved to higher fidelity prototyping, projection mapping using a MIDI controller was used to make the objects feel more real to the users and to receive more concrete feedback.
