Sensory Hexagon LED

Feature Lights

15/02/2020 - Kieren Albuquerque

3D Printing in the 21st Century

Imagine being able to print anything at the touch of a button. From educational purposes to medical applications , a new ICT skills is making waves in a vast range of society. And the best part about it is, anyone can do it!

We need more creatives in our world. People who can think outside the box. People who can reshape the wheel. Here are 5 existing applications of 3D Printing that is positively changing the world:

  • Medical Research
  • Saving Coral Reefs
  • Disaster Relief
  • Children’s Prosthetics
  • 3D Printing in Space

What is My Prototype

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) develop at a different rate and don’t necessarily develop skills in the same order as typically developing children. Kids with ASD have sensory issues which involve either hyper-sensitivities (over-responsiveness) and hypo-sensitivities (under-responsiveness) to a wide range of stimuli. Such problems are impacting on learning and development.

My prototypes targets hypo-sensitivities diagnosed kids who crave input; they love jumping, bumping and crashing activities, as well as deep pressure such as that provided by tight bear hugs. Here is a picture of it below.

The prototype is composed of hexagonal-designed blocks that are placed side-by-side. Each block is made up of a lid and a base which were created in Tinkercad, an free online 3D digital designing platform. The models were printed using Creality CR-10S Pro in white PLA+ filament. It took approximately 2 hours to print a complete hexagon block. Here is a short clip of the printing process.

20200212_091421.mp4

The base was specificity design to allow for the passage of RGB Strip LEDs to weave in between all of the blocks. To finally finish off the prototype, touch sensitive pads were connected to each block.

The vision for this project is to have a wall covered with these hexagon blocks for sensory kids to play with on a daily bases. They will have to ability to turn on/off the RGB lights within each block to create unique designs. Also, because the lights are RGB, any colour and colour effect is possible which is a important input for hypo-sensitivities diagnosed kids