Dystopian Followers

There is a curiosity in many of us of the world that could be, if everything in the human world, the structure, the hierarchy, society, culture collapsed under the weight of itself, creating a situation where we are brought close to the standard of living of our primate relatives.

As said very well by a student in a future scenario presentation, artists harness ideas and concepts and make them understandable to the common people. And we as designers bring the same ideas and concepts and create an interpretation in a physical and tactile form much like ‘Trashtastika’ (unable to find real name) and Martijn Van Strien have in their work. ‘Trashtastika’ is a editor and collator and studier of designer comparisons and Martijn Van Strien is a fashion designer design his own clothing line for his unique dystopian world.

Trashtastika was involved in a film project, the setting being a post-apocalyptic film in the near but run-down future with outposts under state military control similar to hunger games called The Cottonwood Fence. Her inspirations were of Goth but more modern version but also more “grown up than the PVC shininess of the cybergoth style. It is still futuristic but lived in; more Burning Man than warehouse rave, more Mad Max than slime circa early 2000’s.” (Trashtastika 2015)

It is interesting to see variety of designers and their take on there own dystopian futures. The difference in each garment is significant with cuts, lines, and features like pockets similar to our design, adding so much differentiating character.

Martijn Van Strien has a collection described as dystopian Brutalist Outerwear created for dutch design week in 2013. The material that acts as his main focus is heavy duty black tarpaulin each garment made out of one single piece with staright cuts and sealed seams for easy manufacture.

Much like our group design the garment is made out of durable material with easy joining methods. The Strien garments are made for easy manufacture and we took a slightly different approach which was the that the garment had to be made in the easiest manor for the ease of the maker Pedro, our hypothetical case study in the future.

Not a design but rather a writer, Brian Klems writes novels and wrote a set of guide lines on how to write a solid dystopian novel. This was extremely educational as it gave me insight into a set of rules that could produce a dystopian world much like our methods. Techniques such as projecting current day problems into the future and how to take current technologies and extrapolate are both similar techniques. Analysing a different set of rules expanded my thought of what could be in a dystopian future.

The variety of different professions and the methods they each use to tackle there process are all so unique and similar at the same time. They are also possibly informative to one another like the examples that I have come across and make for a more well round scenario.

References:

Martijn Van Strien, M. 2013, ‘Dystopian Brultalist Outerwear’, de zeen magazine, viewed 28 October 2015 <http://www.dezeen.com/2013/10/20/dystopian-brutalist-outerwear-tarpaulin-martijn-van-strien/&gt;

Trashtastika, 2014, ‘Dystopian Designers (part 1)’, living the life trashtastic, viewed 29 October 2015 <http://trashtastika.com/dystopian-designers-1/>

Klems, B. 2014, ‘Writing Dustopian Fiction: 7 Tips’, The Writer’s Dig, viewed 29 October 2015 <http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/writing-dystopian-fiction-7-tips&gt;

An Engineer’s or Dad’s Perspective

Within my future profession as industrial design or even more broadly as a designer, our job has a need, a need for assistance and collaboration with others in order to produce well thought out ideas and concepts. You do not collaborate with only fellow designers but people with market experience, production and communication experience etc. but a profession that is always needed is the engineer; someone who knows in-depth the functionality of materials, electronics, and physics in general. Whether is be at the start of the process, right throughout or just the tooling stage, the engineer is always vital.

For a completely different take on our future I asked engineer and father, Andre, to discuss with me his point of view on certain future issues. My father is an experienced electrical engineer with over 25years in experience in his profession with large variety of companies including car part manufactures, large corporate businesses and small business practices.

My first question to Andre was this; “Where in your view does the interest of the consumer lie currently with electronics and where will it be in say the year 2050?”

“Currently there is a large volume of clients that are always interested in trending products. For example, we recently have been working on a product with a small group of industrial designers to produce a rechargeable ‘puck’ unit that is portable, rentable for a small amount of money over bars that will then charge your phone up to 4 times. Products are always being produced to facilitate or accessorise with other products, especially ones like the smart phone. As for the future I predict that there will be a massive shift towards environmental technologies because it will without doubt in my mind resurface again as a bigger issue than ever before and governments, unlike the one we have now, will have to invest in more renewable ways of living.” (Andre 2015)

The conversation progressed to focusing on the importance of the environment and the lack of stress placed on the subject. “Why do you think that there is such a lack of focus on the environment?”

“People are far too concerned about what is in right in front of them like their smart phone rather than looking to the future and their childrens’ futures and seeing the damage that has been done and will continue to be done… within the last 2 years my company has not been associated with anything environmental and the time gaps between these environmental projects have been getting larger and larger since the intense global warming media coverage around 2005.” (Andre 2015)

From my interview with Andre I found most interesting is the division in his mind between needing to work and not able to take part in projects that interest him most, namely the environmental ones. He said that he came into the profession optimistic with the goal to make a difference. This concerns me, as people seem to be naturally more invested in personal a narrow minded ideas, which leads me to believe that we are just naturally inclined to make our future shorter and shorter with every breath we take together. Does our future rely on a handful of people to see otherwise I wonder?

3-d Printing Futures

What is it about technology that has altered the way we humans live? Is it how easy it makes our lives, for example the invention of the car? Or is it the new possibilities that technology opens up for us like space travel? Whatever the reason technology will continue to shape history and has cause for much concern and attention as technology is still being produced at a rate that we cannot adapt to quick enough without it having adverse affects on many aspects of our lives for example social media.

As a student of Industrial Design I have become familiar with a variety of production methods, e.g. injection moulding, vacuum forming, etc. but none have had the impressionable potential for such high impact to our future than 3D Printing.

The Design Architecture and Building faculty building is equipped with several 3D printing machines of which I have used frequently across multiple assessments within the past year and the results are amazing. The process of producing a prototype of 3D Printing equivalent standards is a lengthy and labour intensive one, with many hours spent sanding away at a pieces of foam or uriel (a resign composite material) making precise measurements and the potential for human error is much higher. But with 3D printing all that is needed is a CAD (Computer Aided Drawing) model, which should already exist from ones’ design process because of the need to produce renderings and for final production. But although the 3D printing is such a useful tool, for myself, the expense of the material is quite dear and is not sustainable for students of my income level to be producing even half of their physical prototypes using 3D printing. Also 3D Printing is a fixed time process, which means no short cuts can be taken and it cannot be sped up.

As time goes on 3D printing will become a far more accessible means of producing products with materials and machines becoming dramatically cheaper each year like any fresh technology, and will also have the largest variety of materials in history for a specific type of production. 3D printing could become so accessible that like printers, photocopiers or phones, end up in each an every home and workspace. The potential of the process reaches as far as large scale printing of houses; to produce houses for third world countries where humans have not shelter. Even further is the possibility the ability for 3D printing to print skin cells replacing damaged regions tissues.

But also as a result of these major benefits come with the opposite adverse effects and that is thing such as large scale loss of jobs considering there and massive amounts of people that work in assembly, manufacturing, and distribution.

Through my primary and secondary research it has come to my attention that 3D Printing and it historical impact is an inevitably; going to be with us in the future no matter the consequences and therefore has much to be concerned about.

References:

3DPrinting.com. 2015, ‘3DPrinting.com’, What is 3D Printing, viewed 29 October 2015,<http://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/>

Ihde, Don 1993, ‘Technology,’ Philosophy of Technology: An introduction, New York: Paragon House, pp.47-64.

Federico-O’Murchu, L. 2014, ‘How 3-D Printing will radically change the world’, CNBC, TechEdge, viewed 29 october 2015, http://www.cnbc.com/2014/05/09/will-3-d-technology-radically-change-the-world.html

Latour, B. 1992, ‘Where are the missing masses? The Sociology of a Few Mundane Artifacts”, in Shaping Technology/Building Society: Studies in Sociotechnical Change, edited by Wiebe E. Bijker & John Law, MIT Press, pp. 225–258.

Samotheruser 2012, 3D printer can build a house in 20 hours, Youtube, viewed 29 October 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehnzfGP6sq4>

Winner, L. 1986, “Do Artifacts have Politics?” in The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology, University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, pp. 19-39.

DESIGN IMPROVISATION

It is the year 2050 and the world is slowly decaying politically, economically and environmentally. This is as a result of the hacking of an Emotion Balancing Unit (EBU), a chip designed to eliminate negative emotions in the human brain that can interfere with one’s ability to think positively. As a consequence of our own invention, the earth is now a dystopian world. This is further reflected by this imagined sketch of what has become of Sydney’s inner west area.

The narrative of our world follows our focus candidate Pedro Gonzales who has this EBU implanted into his brain and is trying to survive as he deals with the devastating repercussions of the chip. He is unstable and paranoid as he tries to get by in this dire world he lives in. After much consideration of what it must be like living in these circumstances, we asked ourselves what would ultimately be useful for Pedro and was not entirely unrealistic for him to make himself or find. We decided then that he would need a wearable object that provides camouflage and protection from the elements. This purely functional garment designed for everyday use has many attachments to what used to be a pair of worn jeans and wind breaker jacket. Through consistent work, addressing certain functional needs discovered through his everyday survival, wear and tear, and finding new materials, this garment is constantly being edited and is a work in progress. Although it may be clear, this garment was created with the idea that Pedro has no skill in sewing and therefore the stitch work is authentic.

This framework has made me realise that Pedro has become a designer in his own right; he improvises his way to freedom and survival. This style of designing is similar to that of The Campana brothers, Fernando and Humberto from Brazil. Their designs represent the colourfulness of their home country and their style is characterised by their trademark use of existing materials, which allows for much attention to be paid to the potential of each individual material with form and functionality as the main focus. Funnily enough, the most impressionable of the Campanas’ designs were those made through improvisational approaches to design. This direction has allowed them to experiment with materials and give them a new meaning. One of their most renowned works is the ‘Sushi Chair’. It has been made from scrap pieces of fabric, foam and carpet to form an aesthetically pleasing seat as a result of chaos.

The Sushi Chair, by the Campana Brothers

After much research I found that improvisational design – which may not always be created with the intent for survival- is a rather popular way of gaining inspiration when creating new forms. As a student of product design, I find myself often doing the same; making do when I do not have the ideal resources on hand. It is definitely a survival skill from any perspective.

Bradford Keeney, creative therapist, cybernetician, anthropologist of cultural healing traditions, improvisational performer, and spiritual healer further explains this notion of improvising as he states that “Becoming an artist involves moving away from impersonating others and developing one’s own improvisational style. An artist fully utilises his or her personal resources and limitations to create a unique style that is an aesthetic portrait of self-in-context” (1991). Furthermore, this supports the relevance of our speculative object in the context of the dystopian 2050 world.

 

References:

Ishizaki, S. 2003, Improvisational design, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

Keeney, B. 1991, Improvisational therapy, Guilford Press, New York.

Metropolismag.com, 2013, The Campana Brothers’ Improvisational Design – Point of View – February 2013, viewed 21 October 2015, <http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/February-2013/The-Campana-Brothers-Improvisational-Design/&gt;.

MY TRIP TO MARS

In our fourth week we had the honor of hearing a floor talk by Adam Norton, whose work was on display in the UTS Gallery. He presented My Trip to Mars which attempts to portray the mental and geographical landscape of our present, through the utilisation of scientific ideas from the recent past and near future. It is a multifaceted work as it consists of videos, installations, signage and various objects, and all of which help him set the tone for his audience through this world he has so seamlessly created.

“I have always had a deep interest in science ever since school and I like to keep up with new developments. As an artist I have been able to explore the grand themes of science, like nuclear warfare, the International Space Program and other esoteric interests like UFOlogy. Space exploration, for example seems to be a great optimistic and collective endeavour where a bunch of interested humans work together to realise extraordinary achievements. I like to celebrate that mythology by recreating personalised moments of that adventure and to share them through art. Art is the best delivery system for plugging ideas directly into the human brain.” (Norton 2015).

Here Norton explains the value and importance of art on the human psyche as well as the imagination as it opens many doors to discovery. His work explores technology’s affects on the human condition. It invites the viewer to imagine a scenario where a trip to mars is possible and as easy as a trip to the corner store. Norton frames the story around space exploration and as he adventures in the video Mars Project we watch him endeavour across the extremity of this red planet. It was in actual fact set in Broken Hill, which was chosen as the location because of its extreme environment; in its own way it is slightly another planet. The video became an exploratory travel log for Norton and was initially not created to be part of the exhibition. He was wandering the land while the camera was still rolling and after watching over it, he realised what an asset to the entire experience this film was. He gives no explanation of it but instead lets the audience decide what is occurring in the film clip.

All of the speculative objects he presented such as the wearable objects- the spacesuit, and goggles that we could decide are gas proof, all of which are hinting at technology, came about individually. It was an integral process and not every item was created in one sitting; it was constantly being refined. Norton has borrowed aesthetics from movies and novels to create this future idea that sparks the imagination, as no one really lives on mars.

This interview gave my group and I inspiration for our speculative object project. We decided on creating a garment as the centerpiece that our main character would wear for protection and a reflection of the dire times he was living in. As humans, we like to create our own speculative futures, and this is what Adam Norton has presented to us.

References:

Adamnorton.net, 2015, My Trip To Mars : Adam Norton, viewed 29 October 2015, <http://www.adamnorton.net/projects/my-trip-to-mars/&gt;.

Extending Scenario Design

Inspired by the topics ‘big data’ and ‘human technology interactions’, as a group we envisioned a future scenario for the year 2050.

We took our initial inspiration from a speculative fictional television series, Black Mirror (2011) (IMDB 2015), with dark, satirical themes revolving around an apocalyptic modern society that reveals the dark side of technology and human co-existence.

With this theme in mind we fashioned our own microchip designed to alter human emotions. The Emotional Balancing Unit (E.B.U), were implanted in the frontal lobe of the brain and designed filter its emotional output. The E.B.U eliminates the flow of negative emotions that inhibit your ability to think positively and work efficiently, therefore increasing overall human productivity. By January 2017, the government had imposed compulsory E.B.U implantations in all newborns and by 2048, 80% of the world population had the implant.

Fast forward to the year 2050, hackers had discovered a way to infiltrate the E.B.U’s and reverse its effects, causing worldwide anarchy, as those who had the implant were now highly unstable, unpredictable and dangerous.

Psychologist Daniel Kahneman, notes that the way that humans process and remember information, make decisions and solve problems, ‘cognitive biases’, are not always helpful in achieving the best result, yet are the most practical for time and energy expenditure and considered ‘good enough’ to survive. Human emotions have evolved to be our most valuable survival tools. “Hot” emotions, e.g. surprise and disgust, are experienced instantaneously and powerfully. These emotions signal an imminent threat to our initiating urgent action in response increasing our chance of survival. (Dr. J Taylor 2012).

As those who had the implant no longer had the ability to regulate between their emotions and were constantly experiencing emotions within the ‘hot’ spectrum survival is considered paramount.

As a group we decided that rather than focusing on producing a prototype of the E.B.U itself, we would explore the effects it had on the world after the hacking had occurred.

We came up with the idea of creating a character profile, describing how a person that had received the E.B.U implantation, in this case Pedro Gonzales, would live their day-to-day life, aiding his survival.

Design Academy Eindoven graduate Marie-Elsa Batteux Flahault created an ‘apocalypse survival coat’ incorporating floatation devices, signalling flags and weapons. Batteux Flahault designed this suit in response to a discussion she had with a group of ‘preppers’ preparing themselves for the end of the world, “I was exploring the end-of-the-world fever that expended with the 2012 Mayan prediction… I was interested in their approach that is more pragmatic than the religious fanaticism.” (D Howarth 2014).

Marie-Elsa Batteux Flahault’s  ‘Apocalypse Survival Coat’

(D Howarth 2014).

< http://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/08/jacket-to-help-prepare-for-the-end-of-the-world-by-marie-elsa-batteux-flahault/>

She utilised ‘life-saving features’ into a pale camouflage jacket that could assist the wearer in times of catastrophe. A visor and mask protect the eyes and respiratory system, sections of the jacket inflate to create flotation devices, a blade in the sleeve that can be used as a weapon and pockets in the lining that store food and water. Batteux Flahault notes that more survival tools can be added to jacket and that it designed to be a functional garment (D Howarth 2014).

For our speculative object we also decided to create a ‘survival suit’ designed for Pedro, to assist him in his own survival. We began with a jacket and a pair of jeans, we then sewed multiple pairs of pockets, belt loops, ‘D rings’ and back straps to the garments. Like Batteux Flahult’s survival coat, the idea was that our suit would be purely functional and self-sustaining, everything had a purpose and a function; to hold/carry everyday survival items that Pedro had found/stolen along the way e.g. rope, lighters, sewing equipment, a sleeping bag etc.

Our garment was designed to be ever evolving and provide a supportive and innovative piece of hand made technology, that would function in the future we predicted.

 

 

References:

 

IMDB, 2015, Black Mirror (2011-), viewed October 29 2015,

< http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2085059/>

 

Taylor, Dr. Jim 2012, Psychology: Is Our Survival Instinct Failing Us?, viewed October 29 2015,

< http://www.drjimtaylor.com/3.0/psychology-is-our-survival-instinct-failing-us/>

 

Howarth, Dan. De Zeen Magazine, 2014, Jacket to help prepare for the end of the world’, viewed October 29 2015,

< http://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/08/jacket-to-help-prepare-for-the-end-of-the-world-by-marie-elsa-batteux-flahault/>

 

Nicole Jedelsky

 

 

 

The Machine Is US

Where is the dividing line between technology and humans? It is impossible to think of humans and technology as separate entities. ‘‘Computing is not about computers anymore. It is about living.’’ Nicholas Negroponte (1995, p. 6) made this claim over twenty years ago, which proves that technology so heavily impacts on every aspect of modern life. A vast amount of research has gone into the investigation of human-technology interaction through the study of engineering, computer science and the humanities. This is as a result of the dependency everyone in today’s society has on using computers and all other technical devices.

The romantic science fiction comedy-drama film Her (2013) is about assessing whether machines are still indistinguishable from humans. These machines develop real human qualities like emotions, naughtiness, being able to love etcetera. But a question that must be raised is whether humans are in danger of becoming less distinguishable from their gadgets and are losing their humanity. Though, the artificial intelligence in Her has no physical appeal or even existence all together. It is simply an operating system (OS) that listens to its user and understands them; it is more of a consciousness. The bland and depressed user, Theodore falls in love with his interesting and curious OS. She becomes so real to him and it is almost comical that towards the end of the film the OS appears to be more ever-evolving and vivacious than the lifeless humans, which begs the question, how many people today are so invested in their devices and cannot even put their mobiles down for dinner as they’re constantly distracted by electronic rings and chimes.

Michael Wesch a professor of anthropology uploaded his video “Web 2.0… the machine is us/ing Us” onto Youtube.com in 2007. This video went viral and was the most blogged video on the web at the time. In contrast to the film Her it aims to portray the struggles Wesch goes through when trying to put his thoughts to paper and the way Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs have made it so easy and totally changed the way people interact online. The video highlights Web 2.0 technologies and their advantages, and how simple it is to move and transform digital text online that is virtually linked to and from anywhere. It also shows that as Web 2.0 technologies do not need high technical proficiency, they are able to create a feeling of community and sharing and are more accessible to everyday people. Remarkably Wesch’s viral video has been translated into over six languages and watched all over the world. Consequently it has caused an even greater discussion on the collaborative influence of the Internet.

Often we hear of the benefits of technology and their positive impacts on human life, but this can only be so if the technology is used in the correct way. This is the only way this information system can work in favour for humanity. Otherwise technologies will be deemed totally useless. What also needs to be kept in consideration in this situation is the relationship that is made between the user and technology as this helps in helping the designer understand how user friendly and intuitive it must be for compatibility with the user (Mesquita 2011). These relationships can be much more complex than anticipated as human behaviour is heavily influenced by social, religious, cultural and legal occurrences (Mesquita 2011).

References:

Brozo, W. and Simpson, M. 1999, Readers, teachers, learners, Merrill, Upper Saddle River, N.J.

Her. 2013, [film] Spike Jonze, United States.

Ihde, D. 1993, ‘Philosophy for Technology: An Introduction’, Technology, Ch. 2, pp. 47-66.

Kirlik, A. 2006, Adaptive perspectives on human-technology interaction, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Mesquita, A. 2013, Human-Information Interaction and Technical Communication, International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction, vol 9, no 1, pp.96-98.

Nielsen, J. 1993, Usability engineering. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Nybooks.com, 2015, The Robots Are Winning! by Daniel Mendelsohn, viewed 27 September 2015, <http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/jun/04/robots-are-winning/&gt;.

Thüring, M. and Mahlke, S. 2007, Usability, aesthetics and emotions in human–technology interaction, International Journal of Psychology, vol 42, no 4, pp.253-264.

Wesch, M. 2007, Web 2.0… The Machine is Us/ing Us, video recording, YouTube, viewed 3 September 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE>

Understanding Place, Space and Location in Design

The understanding of the word place varies based on the knowledge and personal social, economic and political experiences of an individual. It is a space which can be mapped and identified, a process referred to as ‘location’ according to John Agnew (1987). Agnew considers three layers within the understanding of place: the first, previously discussed, is location; the second is locale, the material structures which constitute a place; and finally, sense of place, the various meanings and associations which are formed within a place. Each of these layers establish a combination of physical, material and metaphysical phenomena, which are further developed in the human imagination. People are able to relate to places through these developments, which are formed based on their knowledge and sensory experiences.

Understanding this concept of place allows designers to create in relation to their environment. Scale, atmosphere, culture – these are all examples of factors which affect the space that influences one’s design, and allow individuals to relate to the piece.

‘Bulk Carrier’ is an industrial scale goon bag measuring 15 metres wide and 4 metres high. It was designed by artist Norton Flavel who is based in Mount Lawley, Perth. The giant goon bag was displayed in 2014 as a part of the ‘Sculpture by the Sea Festival’ at Perth’s Cottesloe Beach and is made out of reflective PVC and epoxy resin.The scale of this piece forces the public landscape to be altered. A piece like this demands attention from the public, both because it is so large and loud, but also because the dramatic shift in scale makes the public think twice about a seemingly average item. The entire tone of the area is interrupted, having had been reminded of what is potentially negative, but hopefully humorous element of Australian culture. Flavel considered the sheer scale of the beach and needed to design working with this scale of the environment in mind, hence the result of such a large sculpture. A small sculpture would not have been able to compete in such a large, open setting, and would not have the desired effect on the viewers.

For task 3 we designed two garments, a jacket and pants, belonging to a fictional character, “Pedro Gonzales”. We designed the garments imagining our dystopic world in 2050, taking into consideration the atmosphere and environment Pedro would be living in. In a post-apocalyptic world where life is like a game of survival, one would need to keep all of his items on his body, in order to keep them protected. Therefore the garments we created featured over 20 pockets combined, as well as D-rings and loops to hang objects from.

We drew upon the imagined location, locale and sense of place of the environments that Pedro would be living in. The location, shown below in a diagram of Newtown in 2050, features the locale or the material structures, being the broken down buildings and self-made tunnels. Understanding the sense of place required all group members to draw upon previous experiences and knowledge of similar environment, for example films such as I Am Legend (2007) or The Hunger Games (2012), which resulted in a combined vision of this world.

Considering the atmosphere and environment allowed us to design garments with relevance to our world in 2050. Our processes resulted in a completely functional, utilitarian suit, which works to make Pedro’s day-today activities as simple as possible.

References:

Agnew, J. A. 1987, ‘Place and politics: the geographical mediation of state and society’, Progress in Human Geography, vol. 27, pp. 605.

Cottesloe 2014 Artist Interview Series with Norton Flavel, 2014, video recording, Youtube.com, Perth.

Dumas, D., Ghabbar, Y., Jedelsky, N., Namura-Alves, J. 2015, Jeremy As Pedro Gonzales, photographed by Dumas, D., viewed 23 October, 2015 <http://i66.tinypic.com/2hwmduh.jpg&gt;

Edith Cowan University 2014, Sculpture By The Sea, viewed 29 October 2015, < http://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/communications-and-arts/news-and-events/sca/2014/03/sculpture-by-the-sea>

Flavel, N. 2014, Norton Flavel Inflates Massive Wine Cask Bag on Australian Beach, photographed by Seng, J., viewed 29 October 2015 <http://www.designboom.com/art/norton-flavel-inflates-wine-cask-bag-australian-beach-03-27-2014/&gt;

Namura-Alves, J. 2015, 2050 World After EBU, viewed 22 October 2015, <http://i67.tinypic.com/sl1ws1.jpg&gt;

Donna Dumas

PRIMARY RESEARCH: PEOPLE WATCHING ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT

A recent exploration into the relationship between mankind and technology led me to complete several research studies to prove that we do in fact depend on technology, in particular, mobile phones. We use our mobiles every day for many different uses: setting alarms, organising schedules, taking photos, using the internet, social media, and more. My research involved travelling by public transport and observing all other passengers on that carriage. I documented their age group and made note of what each particular person did in order to pass the time on their journey. I logged the activities of passengers on 15 different journeys, and in order to ensure a wide variance in the study, I travelled on different forms of transport (bus, train, and ferry), on different days, and at different times.

An example of the documentation of one journey is as follows:

9 out of 15 passengers were seen using their phones. 2 of the passengers using their phones were aged below 20, 6 were aged 20-30, and 1 was aged 30-40. Of the remaining 6 passengers not using their phones, 2 were in their 20s, 3 were aged 30-40, and 1 was aged 40-50. The 3 passengers in their 30s travelled together and spoke with each other. The 2 passengers in their 20s travelled separately and simply looked out the window or around the train. The final passenger aged 40-50 was sleeping. 7 of these passengers were standing, and it was interesting to note that majority (6 out of 8) of the seated passengers were also those who used their phones.

The final result showed that 93 of 158 people used their phones on public transport, which equates to almost 60%. Most of these passengers were aged below 30, with a whopping 77.8% of all passengers below the age of 20 using their phones and 68.9% of passengers aged 20-30. The consistency changed with those between the ages of 30 and 50, with results showing 51.3% of passengers aged 30-40 using their phones and 57.9% of passengers aged 40-50. Only 4 out of 15 passengers above the age of 50 were seen using their phones, which is only 26.67%.

From my observations it can be stated that passengers of a younger age group are more likely to use their phone whilst traveling on public transport. Passengers in older age groups were often seen partaking in other activities, for example reading, eating, sleeping, completing crossword puzzles or traveling together and talking. There were a few exceptions with some passengers ages below 40 who were seen reading, eating or talking, and some passengers aged above 50 seen using their phones. One observation I made was that passengers who were standing during their journey were less likely to be using their phone, despite their age, which may be because they need to hold onto a pole or handle for support.

I found it interesting to observe passengers and the activities they completed on their journeys. Most passengers occupied themselves with some form of activity, and it was quite rare to see people simply and waiting to arrive at their destination. After completing my research study, I decided to complete an anonymous survey, questioning individuals on their desired activity in order to pass the time whilst traveling on public transport. The results are as follows:

The results of the survey come from individuals of all age groups, however once again, majority of those admitting to using their phones on public transport were those aged below 30. Younger generations are brought up surrounded by particular technologies such as mobile phones, whereas older generations were not. This may be the cause of results of both my research studies and the survey results.

Donna Dumas

Technology In Medicine – Primary Research

In an age when we are so heavily reliant on the use and development of technology it is no surprise that the world of medicine endeavours to keep the state of the human body up with the rapid speed of evolving technologies.

I observed a video of designer and architect, Neri Oxman, pioneering the search for ways in which digital fabrication technologies can interact with the biological world. From computational design, additive manufacturing, materials engineering and synthetic biology, Oxman is paving the way for symbiosis between microorganisms and the human body our bodies.

 

(TED 2015)<https://www.ted.com/talks/neri_oxman_design_at_the_intersection_of_technology_and_biology?language=en>

 

This got me thinking further into the possibilities of biomedical design and innovation and what the future will hold between the medical and technological world.

I interviewed a young team member at ‘Vestech – Medical Device Innovation’, Barbara Jedelsky, to understand the world of medical device innovation and commercialisation.

What is your background within the field of technology and medicine?

BJ: I have a degree in Biomedical Engineering and Medical Science, and have previously been involved in primary scientific research in the fields of bone and tendon biology. Currently, I am working within the medical device field, involved in the design and manufacture of novel medical devices, with a particular focus on orthopaedic devices.

How had technology changed the medical world?

BJ: There is no doubt that technology has had a major impact on the field of medicine, both in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Technological advancement has allowed for more efficient diagnosis of disease, through more sensitive equipment and diagnostic procedures. Furthermore, technological advancement has allowed for the development of new and novel treatments for a number of diseases, which were previously untreatable, thus resulting in the increased life expectancy of the general population. In addition, technology has allowed medicine to become more accessible to the developing world, significantly improving the quality of life within these developing regions.

 Are there any risks and/or limits with the use of technology and medical devices?

BJ: There are always inherent risks associated with any piece of technology, in particular those pertaining to the development and use of medical devices. It is for this reason that all medical devices go through a rigorous period of pre-clinical testing, followed by highly scrutinised clinical trials. Once on the market, medical devices are constantly assessed to ensure that they are fulfilling their specific requirements. Despite these rigorous assessments, the nature of biology is that we are always adding to our previous knowledge and learning things that were previously unknown. This may cause a device that was previously deemed at ‘safe’ to no longer be accepted. Therefore, it is important that all users medical devices, both medical professionals as well as primary consumers, remain vigilant and critical of the technology they are using.

Do you believe that society’s growing reliance on technology is a positive or a negative?

BJ: There are both positive and negative aspects to society’s growing reliance on technology. On the positive side, technological advancement has resulted in the vast improvement on the quality of life of the population by making day-to-day tasks both quicker and easier, allowing individuals to spend more time relaxing and partaking in leisurely activities. Furthermore, technology has greatly improved the quality of life of older generations, and this is mirrored in the growing aging population in western societies.

The growing reliance on technology has, however, also has a detrimental impact on the population. The reliance on technology resulted in a reduction in the activity of individuals by making day-to-day tasks simpler and easier to perform and research has shown that the proportion of individuals on western societies classified as overweight and obese in increasing at an alarming rate. 

What do you think the future will bring within the field of medicine, with regard to technological advancement?

BJ: I think in the future, great emphasis will be placed on mimicking biology as closely as possible. This is already seen in orthopaedic devices, where there are constant endeavours to more closely replicate the structural properties of bone in order to increase the longevity of implants. It is well known that nature has optimised the properties of biological systems, and thus replicating these properties as closely as possible in medicine will lead to much more sustainable medical devices. Furthermore, the shift from synthetic, artificial materials to more organic, natural materials will significantly reduce the impact on the environment. There is also great possibility that the shift to mimicking nature may also result in the enhancement of human capability, by replicating those from other biological systems (increasing visual capabilities beyond the visual spectrum). In the future it’s likely that technology will allow medical devices to be fully customisable to each individual (eg already being used today in the 3D printing of a rib-cage for a cancer patient). At the moment we’re just scratching the surface of what is possible. There is huge potential for the advancement in medicine through technological advancement, and this will without a doubt have an incredible impact on the quality of life and human longevity worldwide.

 

References:

TED 2015, Neri Oxman: Design at the intersection of technology and biology, viewed October 10 2015,

<https://www.ted.com/talks/neri_oxman_design_at_the_intersection_of_technology_and_biology?language=en>

 

Nicole Jedelsky