Date of Award
Spring 6-1-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Industrial Design
Department
Industrial Design
First Advisor
Jessica Brown
Second Advisor
Sam Sheffer
Third Advisor
Fran Slutsky
Abstract
Embodied human communication within the Anthropocene. Existing at the intersection of technology, and the body.
The design industry has developed technology that is, paradoxically, isolating. The exposure to a vast audience in the digital sphere has introduced new societal pressures, leading to a disconnection from our immediate surroundings, detached, and donning metaphorical masks. Technocene lives on the fringes of the discipline by blending conceptual thinking with practical application. Through curious, experimental artifacts, it prompts us to shed our masks and embrace vulnerability. Technocene endeavors to reimagine the human experience by acting as a discursive design project. It probes the boundaries of possibility wherein all beings are equipped with an extension of the human body (chimera) that serves as a modality of communication. Personifying emotion into unrestrained physical gestures and the impacts that it may produce on our ability to empathize with fellow beings.
Chimera aims to enhance human experiences by externalizing internal emotions. Using wearable soft robotics, fosters connection and communication by translating emotions into tangible outputs. Challenging conventional notions of self-presentation, it catalyzes introspection and extrospection. These robotic augmentations mimic biological responses, creating a shared language and visible expressions of our inner states. By embodying emotions externally, Technocene explores how this impacts human connections. Creating a sense of dynamism and collectivism that transcends isolation by fostering intrinsic links among people.
Recommended Citation
Naidu, Vir Joseph, "technocene" (2024). Masters Theses. 1337.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1337
Creative Commons License
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