Thought Process & Concept
Out of all the buildings, we decided to choose the Parkside Building to investigate this project in because it was the building that we were all most familiar with; what activities go on in each floor, the spaces in the building and the sound levels on each floor. Hearing was the sense that was chosen to research within this project because Parkside is a multi-use building and we already knew that there are noticeable differences in sound levels on each of the floors.
The main idea or concept of our project was to create a headpiece that will alter the way sound waves travel through our ears thus changing the way a person experiences sound throughout the building. The purpose of this device is tailored to the route we chose through the different floors of the Parkside Building for which we illustrated through a comic panel illustrating the spacial interiors of each hotspot. In use, the headphones can be used to lessen or block sound from the environment using the different materials that come with the headphones. This device was designed for a student studying at the Parkside Building and from sound recordings and observation we found that some floors were significantly nosier than others . We then started thinking about how students on those nosier floors may actually want to work/read in quiet instead of being distracted by the noise from their environment. With the headpiece, the student merely puts them on and selects their desired material (low density material for a more numbed sound from the environment or the high density material which would block most if not all sound from the environment) and will be able to work or concentrate on what they want without any sounds from their environment distracting them.
The main idea or concept of our project was to create a headpiece that will alter the way sound waves travel through our ears thus changing the way a person experiences sound throughout the building. The purpose of this device is tailored to the route we chose through the different floors of the Parkside Building for which we illustrated through a comic panel illustrating the spacial interiors of each hotspot. In use, the headphones can be used to lessen or block sound from the environment using the different materials that come with the headphones. This device was designed for a student studying at the Parkside Building and from sound recordings and observation we found that some floors were significantly nosier than others . We then started thinking about how students on those nosier floors may actually want to work/read in quiet instead of being distracted by the noise from their environment. With the headpiece, the student merely puts them on and selects their desired material (low density material for a more numbed sound from the environment or the high density material which would block most if not all sound from the environment) and will be able to work or concentrate on what they want without any sounds from their environment distracting them.
Sketches
Development
The first ideas that we had were based on the purpose of altering our hearing through the use of materials. The first prototype made was based off the design of headphones, but instead using paper cups. We experimented with different materials attached to the end or inside the cups to test out whether there were any significant differences in the way we hear the environment around us. In these experiments, it was found that the more dense materials such as metal blocked out more of the sound coming from the environment and the lower density materials such as tissue paper numbed the sound a little.
The changing of materials as part of our device was then decided to be a vital feature and our second prototype adapted to this feature. We wanted to create slots in our receptor to in cooperate the changing of materials which led to the design of a square shaped headpiece (see below.) The advantage that this design had over our first prototype was that it made changing materials on the device quicker and more convenient for the person using it. However, something that we found to be a major flaw in this design was that it actually stopped the purpose of the device actually being fulfilled. The way it fit around the head was too loose and sound would be coming through from where the headpiece wasn't fitted around the ear. We had also used cardboard to construct it which proved to be something that we needed to change in our final design. A material that could be moulded to fit round someone's head was needed to be included instead. We experimented with moulding clay, sponge and wire which are all flexible materials however what was decided in the end was elastic. The reasons why we thought elastic was the better option out of all the materials was that because it is able to stretch, it would be able fit around a lot of head shapes and sizes and it would be able to hold the metal structure that's included in the final design of the device.
The changing of materials as part of our device was then decided to be a vital feature and our second prototype adapted to this feature. We wanted to create slots in our receptor to in cooperate the changing of materials which led to the design of a square shaped headpiece (see below.) The advantage that this design had over our first prototype was that it made changing materials on the device quicker and more convenient for the person using it. However, something that we found to be a major flaw in this design was that it actually stopped the purpose of the device actually being fulfilled. The way it fit around the head was too loose and sound would be coming through from where the headpiece wasn't fitted around the ear. We had also used cardboard to construct it which proved to be something that we needed to change in our final design. A material that could be moulded to fit round someone's head was needed to be included instead. We experimented with moulding clay, sponge and wire which are all flexible materials however what was decided in the end was elastic. The reasons why we thought elastic was the better option out of all the materials was that because it is able to stretch, it would be able fit around a lot of head shapes and sizes and it would be able to hold the metal structure that's included in the final design of the device.
Construction
What materials were used to construct the device was an important factor because we needed to control where any sound came from. Steel was the material that we chose to be covering the back and sides of the headphones to not allow hardly or any sound waves into the ear from that direction. Any sound waves that came into the ears would have to be from the front only so as to fufill the purpose of the headphones.
Comic hotspots of Parkside Building
Video recording
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Sound recording
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/wav.png)
park_side_ground_floor.m4a | |
File Size: | 1108 kb |
File Type: | m4a |
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