INNOSENSE: Innocent Playful Sensibilities are Essential Characteristics for Innovative Culture

Innovation has been the buzzword in academia and business alike, but one large question remains: can there be a process, a method, or a system which elicits innovation in predictable manner?  Although highly coveted as yet another marketable item of value, isn’t institutionalized innovation akin to arranged marriage?

One clear thing about the innovative process is that it is easy to recognize one after the fact.  Many business articles tend to be written with such 20/20 hindsight, praising the foresight and achievements of Jobs and Wozniak for having founded Apple Inc.

But we must not forget the lesson of Ron Wayne, the third partner of Apple Computer.

Wayne was the third co-founding partner of Apple Computer, who decided to relinquish his 10% stake in Apple for $2,300 after only two weeks of company’s formation.  Today, it would be worth $35 billion.  Wayne was older than Jobs and Wozniak and had more assets, which would have been seized by the creditors if the company went under.

Almost 100% of people are critical of Wayne’s lack of courage and foresight.  However, the reality is that the voice of Wayne is the loudest one in the meeting rooms of organizations and institutions across the world when discussing rationale, feasibility, and practicality for new ideas.  Along the same line of Wayne’s outlook, the view taken by John Sculley and the accompanying board members of Apple had forced Jobs out of Apple Inc., and eventually drove the company to near extinction until Jobs returned to rescue the firm.

Innovation is not something which can come about by following any sort of formula or a manual.  Rather, the secret weapon for innovation is the fostering of innocent playfulness of the individuals who possess innate curiosity, empathy for people, and act upon it to put their creativity and humane values into practice to solve real world problems.

The Pratt DAHRC reserachers come from a variety of backgrounds ranging from humanities, business, science, medical, law, entertainment, and arts of all kinds.  Many have given up high-paying stable jobs in order to seek fulfillment of their lifelong thirst for creative lifestyles.  The claim here is not to wager that these are the only ways, or even any ways, to innovate.  Rather, the INNOSENSE exhibit plays the role of eyewitness, communicating and celebrating the playful and courageous efforts of the researchers who hope to bring about curiosity, learning, and smiles to those who choose to visit and look.

HyukJae Henry Yoo 2014

 

INNOSENSE

Proposed Exhibition of Pratt DAHRC Research work

Singing Flower : Cyclamen I

by HyukJae Henry Yoo 2011

Media:
3D Printed Flower Pot
Integrated Custom Electronics

Using embedded custom electronics, the living flower senses other living beings in its surroundings and sings out loud.  One can learn to control the body gesture, and let the flower sing musical melody with sufficient practice.  The ready-made planter pot as shown in the photo has since received an update, being replaced with a custom designed 3D-printed pot.

Fashion Products for Dogs

by Michael Schafler 2014

Michael has found his new love of being with dogs upon his recent marriage.  His wife Katherine introduced him to the world of dogs, which he has come to enjoy immensely, so much that he decided to devote his Master’s thesis to investigate and design useful products for dogs.

 

 

Media:
3D Printed Dog Mannequin DigiDog 
Custom Designed Products: Dog Harness, Leash, Clasp, Dog Pillow
Print and Video: Digital Simulation Visualization of Dog’s Olfactory Sensory Experience

E-pa:Electronic Pipa(Chinese Lute) for the Modern Music World

by Seal Xi Zheng 2013

 

E-pa was designed and crafted by Seal Xi Zheng for part of the design exploration for the Master of Industrial Design thesis work in the Pratt Industrial Design Department. Pratt DAHRC director and Professor of Industrial Design HyukJae Henry Yoo was the advisor for Seal’s thesis work.

Sylvia plays the E-pa:

E-pa was a collaboration between designer Seal Xi Zheng and Sylvia Jiaju Shen of the music group FJ Music Fusion, who are aspiring to bring together traditional Chinese music with modern western music, and were in need of the properly designed instruments with modern updates in order to compose and perform the music.  Chance meeting of Sylvia with Seal has so far resulted in the creation of the E-pa, and they are onto developing the erhu(Chinese violin), and guzheng(Chinese zither).

Sample pf FJ Fusion’s modern composition in performance at the Klavierhaus:

More of FJ Music Fusion’s performances can be viewed here.

Umbrellas, Trees, and Math in Nature

by Matt Cavanaugh 2014

What started out as a simple fascination with the umbrella has turned into a master’s thesis investigation of fractal mathematics, kinetic structures, and shape transformation in man-made and natural world.

The full blog of the thesis process can be viewed  here, with the password [laser].

Media:  
3D printed Kinetic Studies
Hand-built Transforming Structure Studies
Table-size 3D Printed Fractal Tree Umbrella
Documentation Film of Fractal Design Process for Mathematical Design of Umbrella

Motus: The Fractal Tree Umbrella by matt cavanaugh

 

 

Design for Outer Space

by Virgil Calejesan 2014

The romance of outer space is being addressed by Virgil’s Master’s thesis on designing space suits for astronauts.  He has been utilizing the CO3D virtual garment design and digital draping & pattern making technology to speed up the design process of the space suits by tenfold, which if successful will revolutionize the space suit industry.

Media:
Full size Working Prototype of IVA Space Suit

 

Intelligent Life Forms

by Arnold Chu 2012

Unlike animals, plants cannot speak.  Catering to the needs of plants requires constant attention, which is challenging at times.  Intelligent Life Forms was a Master’s thesis work investigating how to use robotic technology to help plants nourish themselves with light and water in modern urban settings.

 

When plants are placed on shelves, their location is usually not ideal for maximum exposure to sunlight. When plants get hungry for sunlight, what are they to do?

Enter ERNiE.

ERNiE is a robotic shelf planter system which allows the plants move to where the sunlight is shinning on the wall. Without being disruptive, they move over to where the sunlight shines. ERNiE was designed, engineered and built by Arnold Chu as partial fulfillment of his Mater of Industrial Design degree at Pratt Institute Industrial Design Department. Shown here is a full working prototype in action.

 

 

ERNiE in action can be seen here:

 

It is healthy and comforting for people to have large plants in the room, but the corner of the room rarely gets sufficient sunlight. When the large plant in the corner of the room is starving for sunlight, what is she to do?

Enter KATiE.

KATiE is a robotic planter with intelligence and wheels. She lets the plant move to where the sunlight is shinning in the room. She possesses light sensors to see where the light is, and movement sensors which let her know that there are no people in the room at the moment, so that it is the right time for her to get food. When there is no one in the room, she simply moves over to the part of the room where the sunlight shines.

KATiE was designed, engineered and built by Arnold Chu as partial fulfillment of his Mater of Industrial Design degree at Pratt Institute Industrial Design Department. Shown here is a full working prototype in action:

PROTEKTIVA – Protective wearable device & fashion for women
by Lauren Currier, Nadine Foik, Pachara Kangchirdsri

Most of the projects have extensive documentation in the form of thesis books.  More information is available as needed.