for the first assignment of the class, we are to design a clock/watch for a person with severe seeing disabilities.
my first idea was a sort of palm-sized mat or wrap. it would either lie on a flat surface (e.g. desk, nightstand) or wrap around a user’s wrist. it would be activated by the touch of the user’s hand, and depending on the hour, 1-12 internal balls would lift upward into the hand, so the user would count to know the hour. no minute or am/p m feature would be involved. some pros are that the device would be mobile, silent, and likely inexpensive. some cons are that it’s unattractive, could absorb body odors :), and wouldn’t be too accurate.
some other ideas involved key shaped objects, an ergonomically shaped braille hand piece, and finally, a mini, metallic, rectangular, pocket-watch. it would have a flat bottom, four sides, and the top would have three angle faces. the user would feel for two nodes to find an estimated time. the position of a square node would give the hour, and the position of a rounded node would estimate the minutes (on the hour, 15, 30, and 45). although i don’t have a great idea of how to build this piece, i like that it is silent, easy to learn, personal, portable, reminiscent of the classic pocket watch, could be hung to a set of keys or kept in a pocket. simple.
with some sculpting materials found at blick art supplies, i started chipping away a design, and then went in for a quick paint job. i’m still not sure how the mechanics and electronics would work on the inside, but these two models let us experience how the device would feel, at least. the material/color i would prefer would be lightweight metal of some sort..
