Background (Benefits/Alternatives)

Background The idea of origami electronics was developed from my interest in origami and introducing children to STEM. My family supported my interest by purchasing special origami paper and guidebooks but my passion was always in electronics. My family is not knowledgeable in that area so they allowed me to investigate the innards of any broken electronics. While researching for a user need, I found that many parents had worries about supporting or guiding their children’s interests. A parent’s lack of knowledge in STEM led to uncertainty in purchasing an appropriate product for their child, guiding their child towards conflicting interests, and less affirmation for the child’s hobby. Parents have also noticed their child’s interest in STEM subjects but due to not seeing any application or being difficult to understand, they turn to other interests or begin to harbor resentment towards it. Parents have an overwhelming number of options to get their child in STEM or art. STEM products can be overwhelming due to the visual complexity of electronics kits. Another difficulty is correctly identifying which products are sufficient for the child’s enjoyment because of the many disciplines that STEM encompasses. Parents may find themselves choosing between a microscope, chemistry set, gears/pulleys, and more! Toys like a microscope and gears/pulleys seems simplistic meaning it may not hold the attention of a child for very long. STEM sets can either be expensive or seem dangerous. Parents may feel that chemistry sets are dangerous if the child ingests anything, be corrosive/acidic, or create an explosion. There are also an overwhelming number of products for art, but they can be simplified in many ways like coloring, drawing, sculpting, and building. Origami can grab the attention of children similar to those of other forms of art. By combining the two seemingly different disciplines, a larger audience can enjoy the two forms of art while cultivating interest through simplicity. Through the use of guided origami instructions, both parents and children can create their own origami creations freely. With the integration of electronic components and providing a straightforward user interface, interest can be cultivated by demonstrating simplicity and bringing their origami creations “to life.” Origami electronics consists of three different creations: a singing bird, talking head, and crown. The singing bird and talking head creations follow a traditional origami design for creating a single creation with a single sheet of paper. These creations are interactive where they can perform a single, specific action when operated accordingly. The singing bird has two flaps on the end which symbolizes its wings. When the two wings are pulled apart, its beak would open to mimic a “singing” effect. When the two flaps are returned to their original position, the beak would close. The talking head opens its mouth by itself and the user would close it. Repeated opening and closing mimics a “talking” effect. The crown is a modular form of origami that uses multiple sheets of paper to create a single creation. Each sheet would be folded in the same manner to create “units.” Each unit will contain slots for another unit to connect to until the creation is complete. The number of units required are dependent upon each creation, some have a fixed number of units while others depend on its use. In the case of the crown, the circumference of the creator’s head determines the number of units needed to create an appropriately sized creation.

LBP311 / Origami-Electronics

Background (Benefits/Alternatives) #47