



DESIGN DETAILS DESIGN NAME:

Happaratus



PRIMARY FUNCTION:

Sculpture tool



INSPIRATION:

I developed the sanding power-glove because as a designer, I am very interested in exploring geometries and the relationship between a form and the material it is made from. The idea of doing this directly with the fingertips, without distancing the user from the material, would enable people to work much more intuitively with complex geometries and create hand-crafted objects really quickly, and with just one tool. The need for making without a workshop and all the tools that is usually needed was essentially the motivation that resulted in the first early experiments.



UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Happaratus is a power-glove that makes it possible to shape and sculpt hard materials such as wood or stone with your hands. The haptic power-tool is developed in close collaboration with artisans and craft experts from various disciplines including sculptors, designers, model makers and tinkerers. The nature of the workflow makes it easy to create shapes with a very soft and organic aesthetics. London based sculptor and artist David Neat used a Happaratus prototype to create Grinlings, a series of beautiful wooden objects.



OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION:

The tool is worn like a glove and enables a very intuitive workflow, as you can feel the shape of the piece, as you are creating it. A collection of objects was created using a Happaratus prototype. The objects demonstrate the opportunities in shape development and the soft form-language, which is characteristic of shapes generated with this augmentation of the human hand.



PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION:

This my personal graduation project made at the Royal College of Art in London. The project took 6 months to develop and has since been exhibited in Dubai, Milan, Tokyo, Copenhagen and Shenzhen. The project is ongoing with the aim of realising this as a commercial product.



PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY:

Its important to stress that the project consist of a works-like demonstrator and a looks-like model. The demonstrator that was tested, works by oscillating two abrasive pads at each fingertip, in a particular motion that provides high efficiency and exceptional control. The working demonstrator of Happaratus was successfully tested by three accredited artisans, and show the potential for changing both tools and workflows in future craft practice.



SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES:

One size elastic glove. On the demonstrator the pads are moved using a motor that push and pull steel rods. In the product proposal the idea is to use flexible hydraulic tubes instead of stiff rods.



TAGS:

Sculpture, power-glove, tool, wearable, happaratus, work, professional, tech, mechanical



RESEARCH ABSTRACT:

This experimental project is about augmenting the human hand as a crafting tool, by increasing its power and capabilities. The functional demonstrator of Happaratus was tested quantitatively with 12 users, and qualitatively by three accredited artisans; stone carver Nina Bilbey, Furniture restorer Colm Harris and Modelmaker David Neat. There is a broad acknowledgement of the innovation and the consensus between experts is, that it is desirable and has potential to change their individual practises and work flows.



CHALLENGE:

The research question: How would the augmented hand, as a tool for form giving, change the nature of the objects we create, and how would the new opportunities manifest themselves in contemporary craft? The most difficult part of the project was the mechanical engineering, and finding a solution that made the glove easy to control, and work reliably during the user testing. A modified electric kitchen knife showed to be a good solution for a rough works-like demonstrator.



ADDED DATE:

2016-11-20 19:27:19



TEAM MEMBERS (1) :





IMAGE CREDITS:

Image #1 : Photographer Morten Grønning, Happaratus in use scenario, 2016

Image #2 : Photographer Morten Grønning, Happaratus, 2016

Image #3 : Photographer Morten Grønning, Happaratus at exhibition, 2016

Image #3 : Photographer Morten Grønning, Happaratus, 2016

Image #4 : Photographer Morten Grønning, Happaratus prototype in use by David Neat, 2016

Image #5 : Photographer Morten Grønning, Morten wearing Happaratus, 2016



Visit the following page to learn more: http://www.groenning.me