• May 31st

    alesaitoc • 06/06/2022 at 15:02 • 0 comments

    We finally finished integrating all of the components that go inside the box. We made sure they would all be of the proper measurements and manage the arrangement of the textures to make it visually appealing.

    Due to the fact that the texture where about 3 cm long, we decided to put some foam in order to fill the free space between the bottom of the box and the actual texture to keep it light but functional. 

    To make it safe we manage to paste all of the components with hot glue and super glue to make sure they wouldn´t be able to take them out of the box.

    At the end the colors turned out to be pleasing and the electronic part (LED ring) was working well. Because it had a battery inside we had to put some foam in it too so that it would have the proper height as each square.

  • May 25th

    alesaitoc • 06/06/2022 at 14:57 • 0 comments

    We finished the design for the box and the walls in order to laser cut it and then assemble it together.

    We had some trouble finding the proper glue to fix the outer walls but we manage to make it work. We ended up using super glue to place them correctly and let it dry.

    Also we where making the finishing touches to our code of the LED ring. The final result showed 3 basic colors that turned on by clicking in the button. The three colors where red, blue and purple.

     We also made the finishing touches of some components of the inside of the board. In the gel we added some figures and other small pieces of clay to give it more texture and color. Also we defined the emotions with molding clay for it to be 3D and the user would be able to touch it.

  • May 18th

    alesaitoc • 06/06/2022 at 14:48 • 0 comments

    We continued making the proper adjustments to the textures that we had and completing the right measurements of them. We also make the arrangements of the order of them.

    We also continued to keep working on the code, because the light pattern was a little bit too fast and too bright. This would definetely affect our users so we had to make some changes in the code. Also we wanted for the light sequence to be one color each click intead of a mix of them (we had a little bit of a setback to get that part right). We had also to configurate how to turn it on by the usage of a button (that was easier than the light changing).

    We started as well to make the design of the box based on the measurements of the plywood that we had chosen which is 4mm.  We had some trouble findind the correct measurements at first but then we managed it and continue in the designing process.

    We chose to make a design in which we could assemble the box without using that much glue (only for the outer borders), that is why we decided to put small holes that the other pieces would fit perfectly to just intertwined them.

  • May 11th

    alesaitoc • 06/06/2022 at 14:28 • 0 comments

    Based on the materials received we started distributing the components in the box to see the proper order and how it would be more appropriate for the user. Also we started to test them to see how they feel and their visual aspect. Because it is what our users would focus on. We also had to make sure that the components we where using would not harm the children.

    We started cutting pieces to put them in the cardboard prototype and continue doing touching tests to see which textures would have a contrast and how they felt. 

    Then based on a comment from a person that has interacted with people from autism we decided to change a texture to give it a more broad variety to help stimulate more people. Because one challenge that we face is that every person reacts different or likes different things.


    We changed a pink fabric pasted in a almost rose form to a bag with hair gel in order to give a more watery texture that they could touch and move with their fingers. 

    We also started to do some braids with two different types of threat to give a more complete texture.

    We also started to see which was the best way to incorpotate our LED ring so that it would be pleasant to see. We decided to user ARDUINO to be able to program it.

  • May 4th

    alesaitoc • 06/06/2022 at 14:19 • 0 comments

    Based on the feedback we adapted some of our components of the inside of the box and started to make a bill of materials to see what we would be requiring, also managing to see a way to incorporate some electronics that didn´t affect the user.

    In this session we also investigated how to incorporate the communication elements and end up in the conclusion that people who suffer from autims tend to associate an action with a figure or drawing rather than a word. This is why we decided to have only images to help them relate to their emotions and basic needs.

    When finally deciding on the different sections of the board we received feedback because we were starting to put some textures but losing focus if it would really help the user. Because not every texture is safe for the user and also is not always helpful.

    At this point we also started making our second prototype made out of the carton with the estimate dimensions we wanted for the final result. This to see how the final product would look and to see how big the squares where going to be.

  • April 20th

    alesaitoc • 06/06/2022 at 14:06 • 0 comments

    It was the first day we worked on the project and we had 2 ideas in the beginning:

    - 1: To create a device to help people in a wheelchair to transport from the wheelchair to another chair or surface to sit.

    - 2: A board to help people that suffer from autism by giving them different types of texture to help them calm down.


    At the end we develop more the idea of making a sensoring box that would help people that suffer from autism. But we thought it would also be important to help them communicate, so we researched which was the best way to make that functional.

    We made a list of what we could incorporate to the board and what was the best way to do it.

    We also asked for some guidance from a person that is working with people with autism to give us some feedback and insights based on his previous experience. This helped us a lot in terms of how to variate textures.

    Here we made our prototype out of paper.