Mechcircuit Ynteraktyf Prototypesysteem by Weijia Lin and Shuyue Feng is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award yn Sulver in Produktyngenieurswêzen en Technysk Ûntwerp Competition Category.
SulverYngenieurswêzen· 2023
Mechcircuit Ynteraktyf Prototypesysteem
Client: Zhejiang University
A' Design Award yn Sulver Winner in Yngenieurswêzen Category
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- Verified Award Winner
- Verify Award Status for #148666
The Design
About Mechcircuit Ynteraktyf Prototypesysteem
Mechcircuit is in prototypesysteem foar ynteraktive apparaten dy't elektroanyske sirkwys en meganyske struktueren kombinearje. Neodymium-magneten binne sawol magnetysk as geliedend, sadat se tsjinje as sawol bewegende gewrichten as elektryske ferbiningen. Rotearjende en lineêre bewegingen wurde berikt sûnder tradisjonele meganyske ûnderdielen. Bedrading en soldearjen wurde ferfongen troch magneten en lasersnijde sleuven, sadat ûnderdielen fluch ferbûn en feroare wurde kinne. Prototypen wurde snien út akrylplaten fan 2 mm, en geliedende sulverinket foarmet de sirkwys. Computer-aided design-software stipet net-saakkundige brûkers.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award yn Sulver
Mechcircuit Ynteraktyf Prototypesysteem is in winner fan de A' Design Award yn Sulver, in bûtengewoan prestisjeuze erkenning foar topûntwerpen dy't prachtich en yndrukwekkend binne. Sulverwinners binne tige briljante en ekstreem kreative wurken dy't de treflike ekspertize, it talint en de skerpsinnigens fan har ûntwerpers yllustrearje. Fan Mechcircuit Ynteraktyf Prototypesysteem wurdt ferwachte dat it in prachtich foarbyldwurk is, opmerklik profesjoneel en djip ynnovatyf. Dit winnende ûntwerp fan de A' Design Award yn Sulver is in tige opfallende, bewûndere útfining dy't foardiel bringt en de grinzen fan keunst, wittenskip, ûntwerp en technology ferleget. Mechcircuit Ynteraktyf Prototypesysteem is in skepping dêr't breed oerjûn wurdt, dy't winsken wekker makket, positive gefoelens bringt en ferwûnderjen en fernuvering opwekket.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Mechcircuit enables non-expert users to design and fabricate interactive prototypes with electronic circuits and mechanical structures. Users can achieve mechanical functions like rotary and linear without using traditional mechanical parts. Meanwhile, instead of involving complicated operations like wiring and soldering in conventional electronic circuits, Mechcircuit applies magnetism and laser-cut slots to connect the components, making connecting and replacing quick and easy.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Mechcircuit uses acrylic sheets with a thickness of 2mm. Usually the prototype is no smaller than 10mmX10mmX5mm. the size of the prototype varies depending on the actual design.
- Tags
- Interaction Design, Magnetoelectric Materials, Prototyping, Computational Aided Design
- Production Technology
- Taking advantage of the fact that rubidium magnets are both magnetic and conductive, we have designed mechanical structures with magnets. It is much easier to design and assemble than the traditional mechanical structure. At the same time the mechanical structure is still interactive. To facilitate user design and generation, we have developed computer-aided design software. The software integrates various modules for user-friendly prototyping. We used a commercial grade laser cutter for cutting and processing and conductive silver ink for the circuitry.
- Design Challenge
- Mechcircuit wanted to integrate the design of structures and circuits, while simplifying the design and manufacturing process. It was challenging to use a different design and fabrication approach than traditional ones and to use materials that were readily available. Based on several attempts, we finally chose rubidium magnets as the magnetoelectric material and used conductive silver ink paint to replace the traditional Dupont wire.
- Research
- Mechcircuit leverage the neodymium magnet’s natures of magnetism and conductivity to integrate electronics and mechanical structure joints into prototypes. We conduct the evaluation to explore technological parameters and assess the practical feasibility of the fabrication pipeline. And we organized a user-observing workshop for non-expert users. Through the outcoming prototypes, the result demonstrates the feasibility of Mechcircuit as a useful and inspiring prototyping method.
- Inspiration
- In prototyping, the design of electronic circuits and the design of mechanical structures are often carried out separately. In addition, the electronic circuitry and the mechanical structure also affect the prototype's styling. This makes the design often not optimal.
- Project Duration
- The project starts in July 2022 and ends in December 2022 at the School of Software, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China
- Operation Flow
- The mechanical structure composed of magnets allows the user to design and assemble easily. As the user manipulates the structure, the circuit signals change. The user can interact with the circuit by manipulating the structure.
- Patents
- All photos/videos are from Shuyue Feng, Department of Industrial Design, School of Software, Zhejiang University
- Team Members
- Weijia Lin
Shuyue Feng
Jiayu Yao
Jiayi Ma
Masulani Bokola
Ziyu Fang
Guanyun Wang
Cheng Yao
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