Early Ideation
Upon beginning to ideate, our group wanted to do something fun. Something maybe a bit eccentric, to mark our very last design project of undergraduate studies. As we all loved nature and animals, we decided on animal themed furniture. As we progressed through iterations, past the more static iterations above, our ideas started to further incorporate movement as a way to present the spirit and personality of these animals. Playfulness was key here. We wanted the user to have fun every time they interacted with the design.
The Expanding Ladybug Table
After investigating various forms, we decided on an expanding ladybug table. As the shell of the ladybugs part, an intricate wing design underneath is revealed. This allows for an increase in real estate of table space, as well as a playful way to display the ladybug's essence.
Scaled Down Mechanism Test
Before we built the final model, a scaled down version including an updated mechanism for spreading the wings and inserting the feet was built. As the top layer of wings spread, they would drop down to make space for two more wings. Upon being spread even further, two more wings were able to be inserted manually. Although the mechanisms proved to be correct in this model, building it at full scale would prove much more challenging.
Full Scale Build
Since this build had so many moving components (both the wings revolving around the dowel rods on the z axis , and the wings dropping down and sliding up on the y axis), tolerances proved to be extremely important. Pieces needed to be loose enough to move, but not too lose to come dislodged.
We decided to fill the ladybug holes with white felt, to act as coasters! These are easily removable, if the user would prefer to use the coaster elsewhere or perhaps not at all. The extruded difference in texture also adds another playful element to feel within the piece.
