Personal project

Length: 14 Weeks (May - Aug 2019)

Tools: Arduino, Metal, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe AE.

Pollen is an herbal tea machine based on the concept of butterfly movements. It customizes your drinks based on your skating motions, movement space, and personal body data.

Backstory

Inspired by The Buttery Lovers, a great performance by a Chinese skater Chen Lu, the skater spins, jumps, and skates easily on the ice surface as if a butterfly dancing in the cold wind. In addition to the visual effect, a variety of methods are explored in this project to help the audience remember the beautiful moment of the skaters. In my childhood, the best memories I have for my time on the ice arena is a warm drink after a few hours of hard training. Herbal tea is a traditional way Chinese people can transfer the scents and short lives of the plant into a worthwhile and savoring drink. These could also apply to translate instant movements into unforgettable memories.

Design Insipiration

Expert Interview

Technology Support

Because figure skaters need to perform many risky movements on the ice, but are unable to wear hard materials such as helmets, I decided to use soft material to collect various data points.