From the class Space and Materiality · Fall 2019

Super Human Glasses

Over 75%  of people use vision correction products such as glasses and contacts. These products allow people to exceed their natural limitations and see either closer or further than would be regularly possible to the naked eye. Glasses are great and have improved human life tremendously but they only ever solve one or two issues at a time. A tool that is created to solve more than one issue at a time is the Leatherman. Leathermen are multitools built around a knife or set of pliers. They provide a handy set of tools that are compact and portable. These tools allow people to accomplish a large number of more tasks than their bodies would have allowed in the first place. I want to combine these two tools and create a modular collapsible pair of glasses.

My non-human is the Leatherman Multi-tool. Three of its main characteristics that stick out to me are:

• Its collapsibility.
• Its multifunctionality.
• Its portability

Senses, perception, and language of response of the Leatherman:

• Sense of pressure and tension. (Pliers grabbing and holding things.)
• Sense of structural integrity. (Knife, saw, and file being used to cut through other things easily or not.)
• Sense of torque. (Screwdrivers sensing how much torque and pressure are being applied.)
• Sense of Proprioception. (Perception or awareness of the position and movement of the parts in relation to each other.)
• Sense of distance. (Ruler used to measure length.)

Key Design Aspects

• Rectangular Shape that transforms into a triangular shape.
• 1.5 x 0.85 x 4.5 inches (collapsed) 5.5 x 0.85 x 7.5 inches (expanded)
• Surface material comprised of 420HC Stainless Steel and 154CM Stainless Steel
• Patterns include inch and centimeter markings along the handles and very symmetrical compartmentalization of tools.
• Hinges allow for tool utilization and collapsibility.

20-minute non-human embodiment exercise

After spending 20 minutes trying to embody my Leatherman Multitool I noticed one key motion that kept manifesting in me. The motion of the Leatherman that I mimicked the most was the plier opening and closing functionality with my arms as the head of the pliers and my legs serving as the handle. I also often mimicked the process of unfolding and extending the internal tools by folding and unfolding my arms at the elbow.

(10) 3D sketch models

6 Concept Sketches

Process Photos
Technical Drawings

Full-Scale Prototype

1 set unobstructed studio photos

1 set staged photos on site

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Embodied Lessons

3D printing flexible filament is difficult but once you tune in the settings it is easy to bond to carbon fiber filament. This is because Carbon Fiber infused PLA plastic and TPU (Flexible Material) print at the same temperature. To print TPU you need a direct drive 3D printer system that has gears in the extruder and not a Bowden system that uses a Teflon tube to move the filament to a gearless extruder. The TPU especially when molten will take any leeway given to it before exiting the nozzle. This will result in jamming your printer and you will have to repair and clean it up to work. This happened to me on several occasions and the best way to prevent it is to print slowly and with tight gears.

Research /Mood Board + Body Maps

Copied from my Learning Portfolio: Project 3: The Human Non-Human (December 15, 2019).