The task of the project was to find a way to upgrade or reinvent an object from the past.

The starting point of my work were the McDonalds mini plastic radios which were available in the Happy Meal Menu in the early 2000s. They played one song for 30 seconds and were portable. I realized that the launch of smartphones lends people to forget about regular MP3Players, so my goal was to find a way to connect these former popular objects into one. With simple modern design, I created a concept for little balls with loudspeakers that work like mp3 players.

My first concept showed a design that reminded of the EOS lip balm, in the sense that is has a similar shape and you have to unscrew the device to put away your headphones and a wrist loop.

I started the modeling process by trying out various sizes in my hand, using crumbled up aluminum foil for the prototypes.

In the end, I decided to 3d print my prototype. I worked with Rhinoceros to create a .stl file for the 3d printer at our university.

In order to print the prototype the most efficient way, I split the Rhino model into three parts which were printed individually.

Next up came the most time-consuming part which contained getting rid of the support material and grinding the prototype to get a smooth surface. At last, I glued the pieces together.

For the semester end presentation, I put my prototype on a black podium with a mac that played the animation I created that showcased my idea. I also had a poster on the wall that explained my project and the idea behind it.

https://youtu.be/hFTcpCMWml0