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. While surrounded by the darkness in the winter time, thinking of family and comfort is especially warming to the soul and body. Warm Hugs is informed by that personal memory and sentiment.
Warm Hugs is a sculptural lamp for those who endure seasonal depression during the cold, winter months. It is a natural alarm clock triggered by the sunrise and can also act as a warm lamp during the dark hours.
Instructable:
https://www.instructables.com/Warm-Hugs-a-Sun-Lamp-for-Seasonal-Depression/
Final Product:
Process
Sketches
Failures
Construction
I forgot to take pictures of the clay modeling (probably because my hands were so full of clay)
Learnings + Future Projections
I had a lot of failures in this process, and I think the biggest lesson I learned is the first thing you try might not work, so always have a back up plan. I originally thought I could make my sculpture out of foam and use a hot wire cutter to shape it. That turned out to be an expensive epic failure. Thankfully, I pivoted to clay and it turned out pretty great.
I also learned to think ahead while troubleshooting circuit and code construction. I soldered both sides of my strip because I wasn’t sure what side needed to be facing the Huzzah, and that saved me a lot of time in the long run.
In terms of further refinements, I would have loved to use my clay model as a positive mold and make the final prototype in plaster and possibly also make the base in wood. But the planter plate ended up looking great after being painted.
I also would have loved to work on my video a little more. I didn’t get the opportunity to film during sunrise time, which would have added to the feel of the video I think. Overall, this was a very interesting journey with lots of twists and turns.
