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SO7

Project type

Industrial Design

Brief

Design and build a lamp use innovative solar technology

Introducing SO7, pronounced like soul, is a minimalistic LED table lamp that integrates innovative solar technology making this lamp self-sustainable. Incorporating new engineered processes makes SO7 easier to remanufacture and refurbish creating a more circular product.

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Phase I : Research

New Technology

My goal and objective for this product was to find innovative solar technologies in our world currently that could help in pushing a design for a circular self-sustaining solar table lamp. Exeger is a company that has created flexible solar panels called Powerfoyle that are able to power smaller devices like headphones or bike helmets. I took this technology and tried envisioning what the future household lamps may look like. 

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Phase I : Research

Inspiration Board

I took inspiration from a variety of lamps but a big influence for me was the simplicity and delicacy of the AJ lamp by Arne Jacobsen. This design influenced me in making a lamp with simple lines and that may hold its self in a modern and clean aesthetic.

Phase II : Ideation

Sketching

Ideation of this lamp was found their rounds of sketching to conceive the right idea for this lamp.

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Phase II : Ideation

Form Exploration

My approach was to produce a minimalistic lamp and was inspired by the simplicity and lightness that came from the AJ table lamp. I found an interesting concept when exploring the idea of what bent rebar stuck in a concrete cylinder may look like. I ran with the idea and started to explore forms for different ways of posing and holding the rebar.

Phase III : Prototyping

Scale Models

Taking the CAD model from Fusion360, I sliced it in Cura and printed 3 1/3 scale models on an Ultimaker FDM 3D printer. I used these models to explore the base form of the lamp. As well as taking in how the lamp moves within the space it is placed in. One of the biggest takeaways I got from the scale models is my measurements were way off and this first iteration of the lamp was way to large. Nearly 2 feet tall and 3 feet long, it was too big to be a table lamp.

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Phase IV: Revision

Design Iteration

After playing with the scaled prototypes I went back to sketching a few more concepts keeping the initial form as close as possible. It was very hard adding to the form because adding elements threw the balance of the form off and I wanted to keep the minimalism. I redesigned the lamp to be a more comfortable size for a table lamp, and tried keeping dimensions more formulated and continuous throughout the design. Next was thinking about the engineering and manufacturing of such a product so that it can fit into a more circular design.

Phase V: Research

Technology Integration

Alongside Exegers innovative Powerfoyle technology, I came across the company Frolic with its 4 circular speaker designs. I found the aluminum speaker with its magnetic locking pin to be an interesting way to hold the product together without the need of glue or additional screws. I wanted to implement this locking mechanism and the Powerfoyle technolgy into the base of my lamp design.

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Phase VI: Final Deliverables

Functionality

Taking inspiration from both Frolic and Exeger I tried engineering the lamp to have a circular economic design. The Powerfoyle is integrated seamlessly into the core structure of the aluminum casing allowing sunlight to charge the lamp throughout the day. 

Phase VI: Final Deliverables

Circular economy

SO7 was designed with the intention that it can be disassembled to be refurbished, remanufactured, or recycled. 

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