Assignment: Final Project 1: Progress Report

Collaborators:

Energy consumption feedback design

The input of this design can’t be completely determined until the device’s sensitivity is tested. At minimum, the device will be able to measure the use of the entire home (or other environment) or a specific appliance.

The output of the device is taking many forms. The common features are that these objects are illuminated, commonly in the line of site, and environmentally associated. When given attention, the output objects will communicate the resident’s habits in contrast to a baseline consumption (settings will depend on input accuracy).

A few of the lead contenders are in the sketches below. The first image shows a couple iterations of a doormat that, when stepped on, will display a color-coded carbon footprint that will communicate use that is in excess, moderation, or below the level set at the input.

The second and third images are sketches of an “earth-clock,” which could display the earth as a bright, cloudy planet, or those colors could turn dark to represent carbon emissions. I’m also considering other ways that the clock could display additional information as the input capabilities are becoming clearer. Maybe they could indicate a real-time instant of “over-consumption” as well as the threshold contrast described above.