For our night light plush and circuit homework for this week I’d like to start by quoting Einstein “I have tried 99 times and have failed, but on the 100th times can success”. I encountered quite a few challenges but I think part of these 99 failures allowed me to learn so much more than I would have if I succeeded immediately.
For my plush night light, I chose to prototype the cactus toy that ended up looking like a little boy. Going with the flow of it, I sewed but didn’t realize how much my sewing would end up shrinking the whole plush toy once sewn and additionaly even go on to tear the seams a bit when the fluff was inserted. The material I chose also wasn’t the neatest. This truly was a lesson in how important choice is right from the beginning. That being said, the transformation of my toy from emulating a cactus to looking like a mummy was definitely interesting.
Moving onto the LED circuit, after finally understanding how to Sodder and where each part went, my LED still wouldn’t turn on. I went to Kyle from the VFL and after some diagnosing we found out the battery pack itself had a fault and that the negative wire wasn’t plugged in. This was interesting again because I would have never known how to fix a wire on a battery pack had it not been for one of my 99 failures. I chose to include the LED lighting up with the heat strips cut off to show the process of investigation as we tried to figure out what went wrong with the circuit.
For my plush night light proposal, I was primarily thinking in terms of safety which ended up branching out into two fields – one for mental health and the other physical safety.
My first idea was to create a plushie based on one’s favorite pet (mine being frenchies) who’s ears or nose lights up to mimic box breathing.
The target user for this could practically be anyone but this was mostly intended for someone struggling with anxiety or to bring someone back to the present. I think this could also act as a comfort tool for those scared of the dark.
The parts and materials needed for this would be yellow led lights and fur fabric.
Following the same target user as the previous idea, I wanted to create a drum with drumsticks attached to it, that could be used as a sensory grounding technique. When hit, the drum would pop up a color and then the user would have to find objects in their surroundings of that color. This plushie could be a great way to create an experience while grounding.
This would require led lights of all different colors and soft fabric.
My last idea steered more into physical safety. I’ve noticed many people like to run or walk on streets that have no streetlights in the suburb. This can be very dangerous and sometimes it’s hard to hold your phone up to signal your presence. I would like to create a plushie that senses light changes and shines accordingly to signal your presence on a dark road.
This would require more of a harder fabric, bright white led lights and a light sensor.
Thank you!
Great brainstorm, Rhea!
That Kyle, isn’t he great? Glad you were able to fix it– Wini has extras if it breaks again.
I think your first idea lends itself most to the spirit of the project. Since we’re foregoing interactivity for this project, the drum loses some of its steam.
Love option 1 and 3.
For option 1 it looks like you would maybe need multiple fabrics to get the coloration on the face.
Attaching a video here that may be a fun reference for creating fabric layers
https://youtu.be/iimjTpyLACs?si=BSYOT8_tnGv6FjDT
For the easiest experience perhaps you can cut the fabric larger to hang over the side and trim off the excess only after you’ve sewn your pattern just to make it easy for yourself.
Especially loved the first and second designs, with the second one standing out in particular.
The second idea — the interactive color drum plushie — is brilliant. It goes beyond being a comfort item and transforms into an engaging experience. The way it encourages sensory grounding through a fun color-finding game is both therapeutic and entertaining. Users can gain enjoyment, mindfulness, and even a bit of mental exercise through this playful interaction. It’s a creative and meaningful approach to stress relief. It’s unfortunate that the interactive experience might not be fully reflected within the scope of this course, but I still believe it’s a truly inventive concept worth pursuing.
The first idea is also excellent. As someone who also owns a pet, I found the concept of mimicking a favorite animal’s breathing pattern incredibly comforting. It’s a gentle and empathetic way to soothe anxiety and ease the fear of the dark — a great blend of emotional support and design.