For my final project, I will be making a sculptural sun lamp to combat seasonal depression! The idea is for people like me who tend to lose a lot of motivation and energy during the winter months where our sun exposure is less than normal.
In terms of the market for these lamps, there are a lot out there. Looking at form, a lot of the shapes are classic geometric shapes especially round spheres, rectangles and lines.
When looking at functionality, a lot of these are golden hour projections or just regular lamps that give off a warm white light. I wanted to add a differentiator to my idea which is having the lamp wake up up at night and be used as a night light during the evening i.e. adding alarm clock functionality. I want to connect my huzzah to a weather api so the sunrise and sunset can trigger the alarm sequence.
But when looking at the market again, it was saturated with spherical versions of this idea.
So I thought one differentiator could definitely be form. But I as also thinking of how I can add functionality to this as well. So I wanted to add functionality that if you got a text from someone you love ‘i.e. Mom’ this would trigger a reaction in the lights as well.
Final Idea:
Based on all of this research, my final project is [name undecided].
I have 3 goals for this product:
- Needs to be easily accessible from bed (thinking about size and placement)
- Should have an intriguing story (it is a sculpture)
- Should be pretty! (so it can appeal to lots of people)
Form: (Might not be this exact position, but abstract figures yes)
I want the material to be like a plaster? or an earthy stone-like looking material (which could be done in post prodcition)
Story:
My mother used to put me to sleep by covering my eyes with her cool hand. It’s a memory that fills me with a lot of warmth. It made me less afraid of the dark which in the winter is what we are surrounded by. I think the idea of family and support and comfort during the winter is especially warming to the soul and body. The form of this product is informed by that personal memory and sentiment.
Final Project Video:
For my final project video, I would like to set the scene with a mother putting her daughter to sleep but it will be reminiscent and nostalgic in terms of coloring. Then it will fastforward to the daughter grown up walking in the winter blowing on her hands to keep warm. She is walking home and goes into her apartment that is dark and dreary. She sighs. But she notices a package waiting by the door and its from her mom. She opens it and finds [name]. She reads the note left by her mom and smiles. She plugs it in and goes to bed. Cut to the morning where she wakes up with the lamp and is happy and humming.
Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PuXFkS6zfixkMVf0BXRLgX-nKgosK4lOc3Ksw9SHWVc/edit?usp=sharing
Instructables: https://www.instructables.com/member/samasrinivas/