Qian Jessie Wang
Story: The “Rotten Tomato” is for people who feel stressed or anxious. The soft, squishy texture and comforting light offer a soothing way to release tension. When squeezed, the tomato lights up, mimicking the feeling of squishing a real overripe tomato, which can feel satisfying.
- Light Diffusion: The LEDs inside will glow brighter when the tomato is squeezed by using a combination of red and orange LEDs to give it a soft, glowing, “overripe” look.
- Materials: microfiber fabric could allow the light to diffuse softly as the shape changes under pressure.
prototype
circuit diagram
sketches
Fun idea, Jessie! you mention using multiple LEDs in your proposal but your diagram only has one. here’s the example from class to show how to wire multiples, and keep in mind if you mix colors you might also have to use a slightly different resistor per color: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/fwj573eA2ow
What will be your approach to the green part at the top of the tomato?
I really like your idea and I think the idea of the tomato toy glowing along with the squeeze is great. As a tomato lover I would definitely want one of these stress relieving toys. I think it’s good idea to use two colors of lights, it would make the tomatoes look more realistic that.
Jessie!! I love the idea of creating a plush night light that helps reduce stress. We can all use that! However the color red and I believe different shades of orange is stress inducing. I think the material color of this product may cause the opposite effect to what you’re looking for.
Check out article
https://maxidentsoftware.com/the-importance-of-color-in-a-clinic-and-the-impact-it-has-on-patient-anxiety/#:~:text=Stay%20away%20from%20bright,and%20stress%2C%20sometimes%20even%20fear.
With that said I’m wondering if its possible that the red tomato changes color when squeezed to a bright yellow or white that way it will reinforce the idea of releasing stress.
I love your tomato story, it’s a perfect proposal and I’m very much looking forward to your squeezing sensation, but I think it’s a difficult job, do you plan to put something like a Slime in your tomatoes? It would add a wonderful touch. Maybe a crazy idea: put ketchup in it, add a spout where ketchup can come out, so your night light will have the functionality of a ketchup container.
Hi Jessie, the fabric you choose is great! It feels like a real tomato skin. Maybe you can adjust the tightness of the polyester filling in the different colored LED areas. For example, fill the yellow part very tightly and the red part more loosely, so that the tomato feels more overriped when squish it.