OceanLamp
Objective: Bring ocean health awareness to more people, especially those who don't live near the coast.
Concept: Design a device such as a lamp to create a dazzling display of lights, or even a soothing melody, which is activated by data from live API feeds containing information such as plastic trash in the ocean. Or possibly shark data displayed in away to help people realize 1) sharks aren't like the movie JAWS and 2) without sharks there is no healthy ocean.
Technical: Design and build a lamp or similar device that uses IoT connectivity to track data and process it for changes in light, sound, or movement in the lamp. Having the lamp in the shape, or giving the feel, of the ocean would be staying within the theme. Ideally I would like to be able to connect to live data related to plastic in the ocean, harmful impacts on marine life created by humans, or something of the sort. However, depending on the data available, my backup plan for the data stream could stem from #'s used in twitter or some other widely used social platform.
Still Need (as of 11/15) To Figure Out…: Aesthetics are a good place to begin, but ideally I want the device to incorporate a feature that continues drawing the user back. Similar to "likes" on facebook, points in a video game, or gas points from the grocery store, I would like to find a way for the user to always want to switch on that lamp. Maybe every X amount of pings relays could result in a coupon or discount to the local aquarium, zoo,….Amazon.com, or something like that.
Case Studies
Awareness:
The purpose of this lamp is to guide people, whether directly or indirectly, in an ocean-friendly direction when making decisions about purchasing items. As Pew Research recently stated in an article "It starts with being aware of the problem, thinking about it anytime you buy something." The more conscious and aware people are about the total life of the products they buy, the greater the chances are that they opt for an item with less or no plastic at all. Given enough people making enough decisions, this could help change purchasing trends which would help change manufacturing trends. This could drive big businesses to produce more reusable products that don't pose a harmful threat to our oceans in an effort to gain customers.
Lamps:
After investigating current trends in the market for lamps a clear pattern of simple, organic designs can be seen. This is perfect considering the lamp I want to design should be simple, elegant and subtly but clearly be able to communicate the relevant message of our oceans conditions to spread more conscious awareness about our use of plastics.
