Ambient Igloo

Project Details

In a Master’s level course called “Design as a Reflective Practice” I was tasked with designing an interactive tool or experience aimed to autistic children in order to give them careful ways of engaging their senses so as to not oversaturate them with stimuli that can be perceived as overbearing. I created a low-fi prototype for The Ambient Igloo, an igloo-shaped space where the user's upper body would be placed inside of the igloo and provide full freedom of arm-movement. The cubes of “ice” that would make up the foundation of the igloo would be touch-sensitive and be equipped with lights and speakers that would trigger upon touch. A ripple-effect of lights combined with the sounds of a steelpan would play in harmony and the user is incentivised to explore different cubes and see the patterns and ripples that form as well as enjoy the sounds it provides. A timer and a script would ensure that a maximum amount of lights and sounds could play simultaneously to ensure that the levels of stimuli would remain at an acceptable level for the intended user-group.