PLIX Inflatables.
Team : Public Library Innovation Exchange (PLIX); Kyung Yun Choi (MIT Media Lab); Allie Affinito & Dave Fink (public library co-designers/beta-testers)
All learning materials for Inflatables are freely available (and remixable) on the PLIX activity repository, here.
With the Public Library Innovation Exchange at the MIT Media Lab, we co-developed PLIX Inflatlables: a creative learning activity for the public library setting that introduces patrons to the concepts of pneumatics, soft robotics, and rapid prototyping (based on the research of PhD student Kyung Yun Choi). Learning prompts explore wearables, bionics, pneumatic toys, and sculpture. The “robots” are made of upcycled materials (including snack bags and newspaper), actuated with air, and are readily customizable to different functions or types of motion.
As part of this project, we experimented with a “public” facing co-design and beta-testing process, shared with a community of public library professionals on the PLIX Forum. Read more about the development process here.
Below are some photos of our play-testing and tinkering:
Testing geometries/actuation using mylar:
Testing geometries/actuation using paper:
