In 2017 I went to Turin, Italy, for an Erasmus+ exchange. D’aria is the result of one of my courses at the Politecnico Torino. The for this project was to create an open source, DIY smart product for the house of the future.
About the concept
D’ARIA is a project that improves the indoor air purification capacity of a plant. Inspired by the Japanese concept of “wabi sabi”, we want to enhance the plants aesthetically power to produce wellness.
When you approach DARIA, bubbles will arise in the waterreservoir of the plant. These bubbles represent the breathing of the plant. By setting your rhythm of breathing to DARIA’S breathing rhythm, she will guide you to calm down and connect with nature.
To get more information about the product, click on the button below to view the website we created to present the project.
My contribution
The idea behind the project was to create an open source, DIY smart product for the house of the future.After creating the concept together as a team, I took the role to create the greater part of the prototype. I designed a digital 3D model using Rhinoceros and created the laser cutting files from this. Furthermore, I used my knowledge in coding and electronics to created the interactive Arduino part of the prototype.
Lessons learned
It was interesting to notice the difference in study-background and interest within the design process between me and my project members. After creating a design-direction together, I tended to build things to try them, where my group members were focusing more on the story behind the product and the presentation of the concept. In the end this actually resulted in a very professional and complete design.
Ellis Bots 