Student Test

31 posts

Tyler, Sam, and Sophia’s Aesthetics of Design Game

May 5, 2016

Major Design Movements Aesthetics Game 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

For Our team’s aesthetic of design game categories were the modern style aesthetic and LAMPS. The essence of modern style is to use angular, geometric shapes with swooping curves, and simplicity. We know that there are other possible definition, but these were the key aspects of the design that we were trying to capture. The…

Spider Toy: April 13th Update

May 4, 2016

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Student Work

I have made a lot of progress this week by building the wind up toy’s skeleton, but there is still a lot more to do before the ITLL Design Expo (4/23/2016)! First I began the week by going to the ITLL machine shop to start the fabrication process of my wind up spider toy and…

Spider Toy: Wednesday Update March 30th – Industrial Aesthetics

May 4, 2016

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Impact of 20th Century design movements plus update Weds March 30 2016, Student Work

Just got back from spring break, and the project is coming along slowly. I went to McGuckins Hardware Store to collect several “solar powered hobby cars” to collect small plastic gears and metal parts to build a prototype of my design, and then salvage the parts for the final design. I also bought spring steel…

Spider Toy: Wednesday March 16th Update – Fabrication Timeline

May 4, 2016

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Student Work, Update Weds March 16, 2016

The wind-up spider toy is off to a rocky start! There have been a few issues related to collecting my materials through online distributors, because some particular crucial components for building sets of 125 plastic gears only cost $13.oo but two months to ship from China. These gears would not arrive at my apartment until…

Spider Toy: Final Report #2

April 27, 2016

Student Test

Student Work

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Introduction: This is the second part of my final report blog, and it will cover my project summary and lessons learned for students taking Aesthetic of Design. The project summary is a review of the successes, and failures of my wind up spider toy design. The purpose of this part of the report is to…

Final Project Report #1: Wind-UP Spider Toy

April 27, 2016

Student Test

Student Work, Update Weds April 20 2016

INTRODUCTION: This is the first part of my final report blog, and it will cover my inspiration behind the design, explain the aesthetics in greater detail, walk through the dynamic components of the spider toy’s drive train, fabrication of the overall design, and the mishaps that happened along the way. The purpose of this report…

Levitation Audio Visualizer Final Report Part 2

April 23, 2016

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Final Report Main Project 2016

Results Despite demoing the project at the design expo, I was unable to get the levitation audio visualizer to work as originally intended. The original idea for the levitation audio visualizer was to read in audio and change the height of levitating ping pong balls/color of lights to visually display the music. Although I was able to get the audio…

Levitation Audio Visualizer Final Report Part 1

April 20, 2016

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Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work

Project Description The Levitation Audio Visualizer is a dynamic sculptural-like device that allows a user to interact with music in a new way. Seven ping pong balls are suspended in clear columns using fans, and their suspended height is changed according to filtered frequency bands of input audio. The enclosure is made of opaque white acrylic which is illuminated by high power…

Levitation Audio Visualizer Update

April 12, 2016

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Update Weds April 13 2016

This past week was spent gathering the last of the loose ends before assembly. I purchased all the required fasteners, pipe clamps, fans, tubes, and the remaining electronic components. I was nervous about some components that were shipping from China, but luckily those arrived over the weekend. One of the items I was waiting on was the power…

Spider Toy – Update April 6th

April 6, 2016

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Student Work, Update Weds April 6 2016, ZZ 2016

Hey Everyone, The design for the spider toy has been going well, but I have hit a few design challenges that I am trying to work through. Plus senior design has taken a little more of my life than I would have liked it to over the past few weeks. I will be doing a…

Levitation Audio Visualizer Progress Update

April 6, 2016

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Update Weds April 6 2016

This past week I have continued to make a good amount of progression the levitation audio visualizer. Up until this point, I had been focusing on the electronics and software required to filter audio, read the ball distance, and control the ping pong ball height. This week I switched to the mechanical side, and put my…

Aesthetics Game – International Style Umbrella

March 30, 2016

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Major Design Movements Aesthetics Game 2016

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Progress Update

March 22, 2016

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Student Work

This week I managed to successfully filter input audio using the MSGEQ7 IC. This chip allows you to input the audio signal, and it will assign a value between 0 and 1023 for each filter range: 63Hz, 160Hz, 400Hz, 1kHz, 2.5kHz, 6.25kHz and 16kHz. After some frustrations (poor data sheet and a few mistakes while…

Project and Schedule Udpate

March 15, 2016

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Update Weds March 16, 2016

My levitation audio visualizer is off to a good start. I have created a detailed BOM for the build, and I have ordered/received the parts required to prototype and functionally development one column. The remaining items to be purchased are only the ones that will be needed during the assembly of the final unit. As things are still in flux,…

Toy Spider – Top 5 Constraints

March 9, 2016

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Student Work, Top 5 Constraints 2016, ZZ 2016

Over the last few days, I have started designing and ordering the dynamic parts for my project. The list below are the top action items, that I need to complete for the success of my final toy. Hydraulic System – The mechanics behind making the spider move are going to be tricky. My idea is to…

Levitation Audio Visualizer Constraints

March 8, 2016

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Student Work, Top 5 Constraints 2016, ZZ 2016

Time: It almost doesn’t need to be said, but the primary driving constraint on this project is the time remaining to have an operational product demo at the design expo in April. Cost: As with any non-defense/government project, cost will play a huge role in the components that I select to use. I am currently in…

Levitation Audio Visualizer Design Review

March 2, 2016

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Main Project Design Review 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Inspiration (from previous blog post): For my final project, I want to create a dynamic sculptural-like device that allows a user to interact with music in a new way. My initial inspiration for this project came from the original implementation of frequency spectrum audio visualizers. These visualizers break the audio spectrum in to discrete chunks,…

Spider Toy: CDR/PDR

March 2, 2016

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Main Project Design Review 2016, Student Work

COOL! That is what I want people to say when they see my final project. My overall goal for the Aesthetics of Design course is to fabricate a toy spider that can walk or jump across a table. I do not want to create a creepy realistic spider, in my mind that is boring. I…

Project Inspiration

February 25, 2016

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Main Project Inspirations 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

For my final project, I am want to create a dynamic sculptural-like device that allows a user to interact with music in a new way. My initial inspiration for this project came from the original implementation of frequency spectrum audio visualizers. These visualizers break the audio spectrum in to discrete chunks, and adjust bar levels…

Tyler’s Project Inspiration -> Spiders!

February 23, 2016

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Main Project Inspirations 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

I am really inspired by nature, especially biomimicry! Biomimicry is to look at animals and plants for sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested evolution and strategies. Note that most animals and plants can create a lot of energy, chemical changes, and power with very little initial input energy, harmless in most cases,…

Tyler’s Aspirations

February 17, 2016

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Aspirations 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

“This week, what are you hoping to gain in experience and skills this semester and by graduation?” I just wanna dance the night away! Not really, but I do want to increase my skills in all engineer aspects and be more creative in my designs. This class allows me to look at both the function…

Thomas’ Aspritations

February 17, 2016

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Aspirations 2016, Student Work

When I first decided to go into mechanical engineering, I had the idea that I would be personally designing, constructing, and assembling hardware on my day to day job. I have since found out that (most) mechanical engineers don’t actually have a large role beyond design and documentation. My dream job would be wearing the hat of…

Tyler Smyth’s Skills

February 9, 2016

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Skill Sets 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Hi team, I hope your week is going well! If you do not remember my major is mechanical engineering, so I am knowledgeable in basic coding (C, C++, Matlab, LabView), coding aurduinos, machining, electronics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and concept design. My strongest skills are in machining, welding, and design: For machining specifically, I am…

I Don’t Even Have Any Good Skills.

February 8, 2016

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Skill Sets 2016

I come from a mechanical background, so I have decent experience in designing for manufacturing, CAD using SolidWorks, and GD&T drafting/tolerancing for part prints. Additionally, I know how to use most of the tools in the ITLL machine shop, the instron machine, and the laser cutter. In my free time I really enjoy tinkering with electronics, and can…

Candy Wrapper Desk Lantern

February 3, 2016

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Student Work, Upcycle Project Report 2016, ZZ 2016

The Inspiration The initial idea for my up cycling project started with the currently trendy bucket hat. Although the bucket has long been the functional choice of fisherman and children while outdoors, it has recently caught on as a street wear fashion accessory. The current trend is a really unique aesthetic that is created by the fabric that is…

Surf Board Night Stand – Completed Project

February 3, 2016

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Student Work, Upcycle Project Report 2016, ZZ 2016

Aesthetic of Design, DIY, night stand, surf, University of Colorado Boulder

Here is my completed surfboard night stand! I have wanted to do this project for a while, because a summer back I drove this surfboard all the way from my hometown in Newport Beach, CA. And this was the first time a well thought out idea had come to mind during the upcycle project. The…

Upcycling A Bird Bath

January 27, 2016

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Upcycle Progress 2016

It was hard to find the right idea when beginning this Upcycle project. I built a surf board table, broke a bunch scrap material around my house and tried to make anything from it, and I electrocuted myself too. But after travelling with a friend to Boulder Scrap Yard (63rd & Arapahoe), I finally thought of the…

Bucket Hat

January 26, 2016

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Student Work, Upcycle Progress 2016, ZZ 2016

Every ten or so years, the bucket hat seems to make a come back in fashion and trendy streetwear. With each life cycle, the style is tweaked, and it somehow resumes a completely reinvented aesthetic. If you do not know about this trend, this article does a far better job at explaining the background that I can: http://www.bustle.com/articles/27831-whatever-happened-to-bucket-hats-oh-wait-theyre-back The current trend of…

Design Flow Chart: Hayden Holliman, Jason McGrath, Thomas Brunsgaard

January 26, 2016

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Design Loops 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Design Flow Chart

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The Evolving Nerd Culture

January 20, 2016

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Aesthetic Explorations 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

The Nerd (adjective: nerdy), is a descriptive word to identify a person who is overly intelligent, obsessive, and/or lacking social skills. Typically this individual may spend outrageous amount of time on obscure, unpopular, non-mainstream activities or culture. Also, generally speaking the topics usually have a highly technical theme or relating to fantasy and fiction. A…

Modern Aesthetics of Coffee

January 20, 2016

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Aesthetic Explorations 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

For many people, drinking their morning coffee is a ritual needed to kick start the day. Coffee was popularized across Europe in the 17th century, which quickly launched Brazil into becoming the worlds largest bean producer [1]. Today, the average US citizen consumes 7.5lb of beans annually [2]. Recently, coffee has experienced a craft revolution that has popularized micro-roasteries, local coffee shops, espresso drinks,…