Description

In our initial proposal, we considered designing a more playful fish tank that supported interactions with fake fish. For example, if someone tapped on this tank, the fish would hide underneath the large shell or if someone called the fish by its name, the fish would swim to the top of the tank. However, after initial feedback we realized that these interactions are not necessarily intuitive because people are not accustomed to playing with standard fish tanks or the fish inside them. Therefore, we decided create a nonstandard fish tank that would encourage a more active interaction.

The idea is to create a new level of interaction with a fish tank. Instead of passively observing a fish tank, our design will allow people to have a much more rewarding interaction with their fish.

We have replaced the standard rectangle fish tank with a sphere that people can pick up, roll and even squeeze. We believe the spherical shape affords a natural interaction, people will want to pick it up and play with it like they would a ball. At the same time, the fish tank will be a good weight to it, to discourage any rough interactions such as throwing or kicking.

The fish tank will change colors based on the amount of force being applied to it (e.g. someone squeezing the tank). The tank will also have inputs that will in turn activate the familiar air bubbles often used in traditional fish tanks. We also plan to incorporate ambient sound when the fish tank is being rolled around.

Tank in your houseMoving the tank

Picking up the tank

squeeze tank