My role
We designed, prototyped and developed a mechatronic system. I acted as the creative director, primary fabricator, and integration lead on this project.
Project Story
Inspired by the highly personal experience of anxiety in reaction to being approached by unknown people when surrounded by crowds, we created a mechatronic system lives on the body, like a symbiotic parasite. The parasite was a project meant to explore the intersection of technology and intimacy, bodies and data. This wearable system is animated by the breath of the host as the host responds to their environment and in turn the host has an augmented sense of their physiological function. The talons on the shoulders pulse with increasing urgency as a sensor, embedded in the largest eye, detects the proximity of other people; light emitting diodes in the smaller eyes flicker as the host breaths in and out; and the part of the parasite located on the spine of the host vibrates with each breath.
