CONTRIBUTION
3D Modeling
Circuit Prototyping
3D Printing
Model Finishing
TIME
Feb 2019 - Apr 2019
3 months
MOONAWAY is a lamp design that uses the metaphor of the moonrise and moonset, allowing sleepless users to adjust the brightness by following the Moon Traces. This symbolizes that insomniacs can embrace their own rhythm and personal time zone, creating a soothing and personalized experience.
The more you force yourself to sleep, the harder it is. For people without disease, the main reason for insomnia is psychological stress. In addition to having worrisome, forcing yourself to fall asleep quickly may turn the insomniac even more anxious.
All that the users need is to accept the idea of "it's okay to not fall asleep". Their anxiety of being oppressed will be reduced while they regain their own control of time, which will naturally help them fall asleep.
Based on the phenomenon of moonrise and moonset, I designed the interaction to align the Moon Traces and users motions: the higher the lightbulb is, the brighter it will be.
For prototyping, I mocked up with 3D printing to test the feasibility of the hinge mechanism. Since the brightness of the light source is changed by rotating the arm, I inserted a knob dimmer into the hinge, allowing the user to turn the knob while rotating the lamp arm. As the result, the voltage will change and influence the brightness of the bulb.
The use of MOON had the metaphor of form and also the metaphor of meaning. This lamp symbolizes the time zone of the users, between the rise and fall of the moon, which represent the passage of time in nature. Users can adjust the brightness, which also symbolizes that they can control their own time at night.
When the user had difficulty in sleeping, they could simply lift the lamp arm, turn on the light and do what they want to do to relax; when a drowsy feeling appears, they can gently lower the lamp arm and let the weak light accompany them until falling asleep.
Moon away means "wasting time". Insomniacs often feel that tossing and turning is a waste of time, and they feel anxious and panic about the passage of time. However, what MOONAWAY wants to convey is that every state and choice of the users is meaningful. If they cannot fall asleep, they do not have to force themselves to fall asleep. All they have to do is to lift the light arm gently and enjoy their night.