2025 Cyborg Enhancements

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    Prototyping Methods

    Prototyping Methods

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    Description 

    As we approach the end of the studio, our sessions should shift towards preparation for the final presentation of our projects. The first step of this preparation is the completion of a final, refined, physical prototype of our cyborg enhancement.  

    Instructions 

    Using the full scale drafted drawing, along with the skills developed in earlier activities, create a final prototype. This prototype should be a development of earlier iterations, taking what you have learned from testing and critique to advance the demonstration of your concept. 

    Deliverables 

    Once your prototype is complete, record your work with many photographs of your cyborg enhancement. Photograph the project on and off of your body. Shoot video of your project moving and functioning. Upload all pictures and video to a blog post. 

    Wearable Performance Piece

    Wearable Performance Piece

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    Description

    In this exercise, you will create a wearable performance piece that helps you recreate a popular meme dance in a new way.  

    Instructions

    Using basic prototyping materials, create a body attachment that moves.  Your performance piece should reinterpret the dance move of your choice and generate movement in a specific, intentional way.  

    A few ideas to get you going: your attachment may act as an extra arm or leg, simulate another person dancing alongside you, or maybe help you combine two dance moves into one.  Tap into your inner choreographer/ youtube star and get grooving!  

    Deliverables

    Shoot a video / GIF and post your performance piece as a blog post with a description of how it works and what dance it enhances. 

    Materials and Tools

    • Cardboard
    • Paper
    • Wood dowels
    • Plastic Drinking Straws
    • Hot Glue / Hot Glue Gun
    • Olfa Knife 
    • Cutting Mat
    • Popsicle sticks
    • Paper clips/fasteners
    • etc...

    Embedded Circuits : Motors

    Embedded Circuits

    Motors

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    Description 

    This activity introduces the technology of DC motors as a possible component to use in prototyping the cyborg enhancement. Motors automate rotational motion in the cyborg design. 

    Instructions 

    The electrical circuit that powers the motor consists of four basic elements: the battery, the wire, a switch, and the motor. There are a variety of motors, batteries and switches that can be used. You must ensure that the voltage supplied by the battery is within the operational range of the motor. 

    Deliverables 

    Once the motor is spinning an element of the cyborg enhancement, record and upload a video of the prototype in action. 

    Future Fiction

    Future

    Fiction

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    Description

    We will create montages using photo editing software (or physically by cutting and pasting) of a future world. Imagining either a utopia or dystopia and describe how we arrived at this future. 

    Instructions  

    Use Photoshop to generate a Fictional Future World. 

    Start with a blank canvas with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 or greater. 

    Place each element on a separate Photoshop layer

    Use high resolutions (large pixel count) images to build your montage

    Consider perspective, color, brightness, and scale

    Try multiple different options to determine which best tells your narrative

    Deliverables

    Create a post to showcase your image montage of a future fictional world. 

    Write a description to explain the world and how it became that way. 

    Cyborg Enhancements

    Today, instead of waiting for natural selection to run its course, we are actively controlling the changes in physical and genetic traits in our species. Technological advancements are happening faster than ever before, and we now have the ability to enhance every aspect of the human body, from appearance, to physical strength, to memory.  We’re approaching an age in which 3D printed organs, augmented vision through telescopic contact lenses, personalized drugs to enhance performance, and brain-computer interfaces to control neuroprosthetic limbs with the mind are no longer ideas of the future. But with all of these augmentations, larger questions abound. How can the design process influence the way we perceive our human potential?

    In this studio, students will create beyond-human body extensions and enhancements that range from practical to provocative. Through brainstorming, rapid prototyping, ideation, and ongoing feedback, students will design, build, and activate these enhancements while uncovering what makes us human. 


    Concept Thesis

    Concept

    Thesis

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    Description 

    A concept thesis is an important step in starting a collaborative partner project. We will use this time to combine ideas and arrive at the conceptual directions of our projects. 

    Instructions 

    Start by sharing the ideas that each partner brought to the brainstorming and what conclusions we arrived at by the end of the session. Take time to figure out shared interests and begin to draft both a project name and a thesis statement of what you will build. 

    Deliverables

    At the end of this activity, each partnership should have a draft of a project name and a draft of a project concept thesis. 

    Story of the Design Process

    Story of the

    Design Process

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    Description

    Presentations are the story of your project - from early sketches and inspiration, through prototypes and more developed ideas, presentations highlight the pieces of the process that led each student to their latest project.

    In this activity, you will compile and create your final presentation, which will become part of your online portfolio of work, able to be shared with the public.

    Instructions

    The story of your design process has two components : the visual presentation and the written project description. Each component is outlined below and should be included in the same post.

    Deliverable 

    1: Visual Presentation

    You will create a slide deck that captures the story of your design process. Follow the template outlined about and use the slide editor to best represent the artifacts that you have created throughout this studio. If new pictures need to be take, photograph them in a professional manner.

    Deliverable 2: Project Statement

    The Project Statement is a 1-2 paragraph project description that explains the overall idea of your project to someone who is unfamiliar with the topic. Below is a series of key points to consider as you write this final project description. Keep in mind that you should not simply put all of the answers together -- you must weave it together into a clear story. Add this to your final presentation (in the text section below your slides).

    Things to consider:

    The what is a clear statement of the overall idea/thesis.

    The why explains how your project changes the world. It is the reason your project exists – what social issue is it engaging, who is your project helping, how does the project change the world, and what important social, intellectual, or technical questions does it raise? The scope of the why can vary widely.

    The how briefly explains what technical prowess, innovative methods, or cool materials you used in your solution.

    The who explains who will use your design, why they will use it, and in what context.

    Think of the reader - it is good to imagine that a university admissions officer AND a potential employer in the field of your design should both be able to understand and be excited by the project based on your writing.

    Feedback Example

    Take a look at some of the peer feedback comments for a team project. 

    Critique and Feedback

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    Description

    Feedback is a crucial step in the design process. It exposes you to new ideas, methods, and techniques for developing your ideas further. Continuous feedback throughout the design process also creates a collaborative studio culture, where ideas are shared across projects, which leads to more exciting, developed, and innovative ideas!

    Instructions

    In this assignment, you will review the full-scale diagrams made by the project teams in the previous activity and provide feedback to your peers. You may look around the room if the drawings are still available or go to the Projects Tab, and explore your classmates' drawings and descriptions

    You and your peers will consider this feedback as your teams decide how to proceed with their final project. Be thoughtful in your feedback, and refer to the guide below when giving feedback to your peers:

    How to Give Useful Feedback:

    1. Feedback should never have mean intentions! You can be positive and critical at the same time.
    2. Be as specific as you can.
    3. What kind of feedback would you find helpful if it were your project? Try to give the type of feedback that you would like to receive.
    4. Always elaborate with WHY. Instead of just saying, "your idea is great," explain what part of their project you like, and why you think it is interesting.
    5. Ask questions! If something doesn't make sense to you, ask a question about that part of the project or idea. This is a great method for getting someone to think about new ideas, different perspectives, and new approaches.

    Deliverable

    Select 3 project teams to provide feedback to. After reviewing their post from the previous assignment, click the "comment" button to add your feedback. You may also ask clarifying questions in your comments.

    Cyborg Precedent : Third Thumb

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