Interesting new design for cash machines

Have you ever stood at a cash machine and received a friendly tap on the shoulder to alert you to a discarded £20 note on the ground?

If so, then shortly afterwards - after you crouched to pick it up - you probably noticed that your card and perhaps the cash you were withdrawing had disappeared.

Some £33m was lost to cash-machine fraud in the UK in 2010.

Although the figure has been falling in recent years, the industry is still trying to find ways of reducing it further.

As part of this, 13 students were commissioned to come up with designs to make ATM use safer.

Not all of their ideas will make it into production, but some - which have been exhibited at Central St Martins College in London - do raise some interesting views on how consumers can be safer when they take out their cash.

For the full article
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13798386

Pineal gland headphones prototype

These headphones will allow the user to listen to music at the same time as recieving SAD light therapy.

The First step was to take apart some headphones and figure out a way to fit a bright LED onto each of them whilst still allowing clear sound.

I powered the LED's with two small 2V batteries and created a switch, although I plan to look into means of powering the lights from the music player.



These headphones would solve the problem of getting SAD light treatment on the go and also they are hidden so the embarrassment factor for users is a lot less than that of a huge light box.

Light illusion blinds prototype

The aim behind these prototypes were to give the illusion of light trying to shine through them. The origional idea was to use electrluminescent sheets on the underside of each blind. For these prototypes however I have just used glowsticks to convey the idea

This first prototype was constructed with white foam mounting board. I think that the mirrored version (below) was too reflective.


I made another version of this idea using mirror in a bid to reflect the light even more, but i soon realised that this was too much and no longer gave an illusion but instead was too bright.

SAD Brightlight hat Prototype

Here is a prototype for a SAD Brightlight hat. Using similar ideas of combating the condition to the 'VALKEE' Brightlight headset. Yet this design disguises the product even more and so avoiding less embarrassment.


I simply used some LED's, watch batteries and ear pieces from headphones.





The batteries are concealed beneath the cuff of the hat. Obviously water proofing, power supply and comfort will have to be thought out more if I choose to take this product further.

This set could be manufactured to fit onto any hat or simply manufacture them into the hat.

Daylight illusion Prototype

This Prototype was designed to be stuck out of sight behind the curtains or blinds, around the edges of a window. The plan being to give the effect of daylight creeping round and into the room. My plan would be to have these on a timer and act as a body clock light slowly getting brighter at a desired time. This would give the user a false sense that it is light oustside even in the winter months.


Simply constructed from a piece of foam mounting board with cavities cut out so that the batteries can be slotted in and then the LEDs were pushed into the foam.

I had hoped for a better effect with this photo. It was taken with the light off but there was still too much natural light in the studio.

electro luminescent lamp

After playing with the idea of using electro luminescence I saw this lamp by 'Show and Tell Design' and found the idea quite interesting.
Here you can watch them trying to market their new lamp in 'Britian's next Big Thing' on BBC2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12998110


http://showandtelldesign.com/2010/09/try-it-out/#more-39

Sad light Ipod case prototype

Prototype for a SAD light Ipod or Iphone case. I used some cheap LEDs and part of a cover for a flourescent tube light that is shaped to magnify the intensity of the bulbs.
Slightly thicker than first planned as foam board was used for the most part.





The LEDs are each powered by a small watch style battery to minimise the size of the overall case.

Finland

while I was in Finland recently i tried to track down a valkee bright light headset but unfortunately never found one, but here are a few pictures of lighting i took whilst there.

It is interesting that the lux is noted on the boxes rather than just the wattage

peanuts again

slip casting 2