BOOM Chair:
Haptic Vibration
A multi-sensory exploration between haptic vibration, audible music and the interaction between musical artist and enthusiast. This chair gives the user the experience of being able to feel the beats of the music while enjoying it from the comfort of their home.
Project details
Role: Design & Model Maker
Length: 6 Months
Key skills: Design Thinking, Electronics, Material Design, CAD (Fusion 360), User Research
Background
The concept began with the exploration into different types of haptic communication. I wanted to explore how it could be used to make a product more experiential. The 4 main types of haptic feedback are warmth, vibration, pain and textures. After looking at these I decided upon exploring the connection between vibrations and music. For the stylistic and physical design aspect of the chair I studied two Scandinavian designers called Arne Jacobson and Hans Wegner.
Design process
A series of different shapes and seating positions were conceptualised to try and understand how best to feel the vibrations and to be immersed in the experience. Wood was chosen for the building material because of its ease of use, affordability and its natural ability to carry resonance. The design was mocked up using CAD (Fusion360) with the idea that the legs and back could be done on a CNC.
For the electrics, two amplifiers were wired in series with one powering the bass shaker and the other the headphones. Rubberised foam was used to isolate the vibrations to just the seat and back to make sure energy was not lost to the ground or cancelled out in the middle.
Final Outcome
The final feeling is an immersive sensation of the music and is a product and chair that aesthetically fits into the home or recording studio. The product’s aim was to close the experiential gap between the music artist and the musical enthusiast, by having an interface that better transfers and communicates the beauty of music.
