utilization.
Form.
Use.
Our idea for the final project was created following the precarious security situation in the State of Israel which leads to the scattering of concrete shields of different sizes and shapes in open spaces in different areas of the country.
Most of the year, the shelters stand empty and without any use, as a grey, still and dominant object in the public space.
The dominant appearance and the lack of use of an object that occupies a prominent place in the public space led us to formulate the ultimate goal of our project, which is to find a practical solution for existing objects and utilize the space they occupy to contribute to the environment and active public use.
First, we arrived at the point in Be'er Sheva where the element exists, we took measurements and created simulations for the purpose of placing our future proposal in the form chosen for development - the circular form.
In the next step, we began to plan shapes and the use of PVC material in order to create a surface that will swell inside the cylinder into useful shapes such as a bench, table and chairs, etc.
The weighting we sought at this stage to maintain by a real-time alarm notification that would activate the facility's usability and thus fulfill our main goal in the project, which is to use an existing unused structure.
Later, we started messing with the material, after the attempts to obtain PVC in Beer Sheva were unsuccessful, we examined uses of other flexible materials as well which will serve our desire for inflation.
We took an inflatable mattress and cut it into different shapes and started soldering to test the reaction of the material and put the plan into action.
After that, we inflated the products that we soldered with an air compressor and tested their strength level and the strength of the soldering and drew conclusions for improvement towards the final result.
Use of course technologies
For the purpose of formulating the final idea, we decided to take a different approach, out of a desire to get out of the box and create an unusual use of the concrete facilities, we decided to change the placement of the inflatable surface instead of inside the cylinder, we decided that it would be a shell that would inflate in different geometric shapes and would be a game and a factor of amusement for those around.
The inflation will be activated by a loop we created, by playing the piano with predefined notes, a command will be given to the air compressor to operate and inflate the surface.
ELECTRONICS
Using Arduino, we created a code that will read the presses of the piano buttons, and if they are pressed in the pre-defined notes and in the correct order, air pressure will be released from the compressor into the inflating surface and it will inflate.
Laser cutting
After realizing that the soldering methods we have used so far are not strong enough for a complete seal, we used laser cutting to cut and sew the material in a way that would allow it to be closed and sealed the best and in fact this is how we created different shapes.
The shapes were created out of a desire to produce articulation, shapes like a cube, circles connected to form a carbola image, etc.
This is out of a desire to produce a complex and non-literal final form that will allow games to use imagination and develop creativity in the use of forms.
3D printing
For adaptation to the air compressor we have for the operation of the mechanism we created in a coherent way, we created 3D models that will bridge the process.
We created a valve that connects to the compressor nozzle and allows moderate air flow that will not cause excess air to tear the material.
In addition, we created two elements that connect the compressor's activation button and the motor, which will cause the entire system to be activated after responding to the correct notes on the piano we created.
