March 2019

Brainstorming

Pen that vibrates and buzz annoyingly when being held
Bra that refuses to unhook or clasp
Toilet paper dispenser that wouldn’t dispense toilet paper in times of need

Sketches

Settled on idea 3 as it’s a good stepping stone to experimenting with before attempting more complex and larger applications.

Click on image to enlarge

Final Prototype

gag poster

1. How does your hacked object behave in a way you least expect it to?

Jia Eenn: A toilet paper dispenser dispenses toilet paper at the convenience of the user. It meets the demand and expectation of the user to be available when needed. However, our hacked object retracts the toilet roll when the user approaches it and dispenses when user doesn’t, thereby teasing the user and taking away her access to toilet paper.

Yen Ling: Reaching out for toilet paper is a natural action every one of us does everyday that it forms a kind of expectation. However, our hacked object goes against that expectation to create the unexpected which is to make the toilet paper out of reach.

2. What are some reactions you observed from your participants when they interacted with the object?

Jia Eenn: Our first participant was tricked when she initially approached the dispenser, only to realise that the dispenser retracts the paper when she approaches it and dispenses when she doesn’t. However, our second and third participants very soon realised that the photocell was only at the top of the slit, hence an underhand wouldn’t trigger the servo motor, allowing them to access the toilet paper. In general, most felt that this was a comical lighthearted tease on toilet paper dispenser.

Yen Ling: There were confusion and slightly surprised, which may be due to the suddenness of the action, as well as the action itself. However, they seem to understand the concept quickly after the initial shock.

3. What are the challenges involved and how did you overcome them? What problems still exist? How might you overcome them eventually?

Jia Eenn: Brainstorming wasn’t much of an issue given that the project is pretty straightforward. Identify the mechanism of an object and tweak the process such that the object becomes defiant and disobedient.

Coming up with the code however, was a slight feat. We could easily figure out a code to make the servo motor respond to the photocell however, the motor only vibrated in response instead of rotating. After consulting Lei, we figured out a code that worked.

Later, we drafted the set up of the prototype and worked on putting it together. We had issues in ensuring that the weight of the toilet roll doesn’t detach the blades from the servo motor. Little did we know that we could screw the blades in place.

Even though the hacked object remains hackable (underhand method), this could possibly be overcome with installing more photocells to detach incoming movement from all angles. Dispensing the paper from the underbelly of the box could also be another way to ensure that users can only reach for the toilet roll within the detectable region.

Yen Ling: The initial code does not allow the motor to stop at a position but instead resets itself once it reaches a set position. It only occurred to me after but it might be due to the power supply. We did not manage to solve the problem with the codes, hence we compromised and wrote the codes in a different way. Another challenge may be the execution of the product. The toilet paper holder is not meant to be fixed to the wall, but the opening for the toilet paper had to be at the bottom. This makes the set up hard to be secured due to the weight of the servo motor and toilet roll which is on the top. The toilet roll would also have to be attached directly to the servo motor (or an extension from the motor) in order to rotate with the motor. Eventually, I added support from the other side, but the problem still exists. This problem can be overcome by screwing in the servo motor blade which was something I did not know at that time as well as better attachment of the motor to the wall of the box.