Outcome & Reflection
The finished lamps retain a quiet elegance. The pebble transmitter is soft and smooth in the hand, while the larger lamp emits a pulsing glow; mirroring the rhythm of another person’s heartbeat. Every decision, from material choice to sensor placement, was made to preserve the poetic clarity of the interaction.
This project reinforces the power of design as a medium for emotion, storytelling, and sensory presence. The challenge of merging handcrafted aesthetics with embedded technology highlighted the value of working across disciplines, and the need for empathy not just in what is designed, but how it is experienced.
It also revealed how intimacy and interactivity can coexist; where form and function support one another, and where the object becomes a conduit for something deeply human: connection across distance. In an increasingly digital world, Heartbeat offers a quiet reminder that design can reintroduce warmth, softness, and meaning into our relationships with technology.
Skills Used
- Wood turning
- Glass blowing
- Digital fabrication (laser cutting, CNC)
- Sensor-based interaction design
- Arduino programming and electronics
- Collaborative prototyping
- Material research
- Lighting design
- User experience & emotional interaction mapping