Design As Catalyst
Sam Sheckells
A designer from Baltimore, Maryland passionate about tactility and developing meaningful relationships between user and product. Sam has a background in engineering and a studio art bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland. He participated in the International Integrated Design Camp in Seoul, South Korea in 2019, entitled "Towards Inclusivity: Smart and Sustainable Cities." In 2016, he worked with engineers from NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX to develop new tools for astronauts exploring near-Earth asteroids. In 2018, he exhibited his work, "Topography" at the Immersive Atoms Spring Exhibition, an artist collective at the University of Maryland centered around digital processes. He has worked in the engineering and construction fields, giving him unique user perspectives when exploring tools and human-product interactions.
Sam's work as a product designer investigates tactility, function, and the complex relationship between user and product. His process questions how certain products are such a joy to use and what makes them so personal to people. He uses multitudes of processes in his work, but experimentation and learning through failure ultimately guide his practice. At the beginning of a project, Sam is eager to break out the modelling foam, clay and cardboard and get to the workshops in order to materialize his thoughts and find out what will and will not work as imagined. Through this, he can prove or disprove assumptions, identify challenge areas and gain a better perspective on his research area. From there, Sam has experience with workshop equipment, 3D modelling, rendering, and digital manufacturing processes, using them as tools to refine the vision of the project. Even at this stage, iteration and fine detailing is extremely important to Sam's process.
Sam has moved back to the United States since completing his degree and is planning his next steps, excited to see where he goes next.
Sidekick, Sam Sheckells (2020)
Sidekick, Sam Sheckells (2020)
Sidekick, Sam Sheckells (2020)
Sidekick, Sam Sheckells (2020)
Sidekick, Sam Sheckells (2020)
Sidekick, Sam Sheckells (2020)
Sidekick, Sam Sheckells (2020)
Sidekick is a system which drastically reduces the in-hand weight of power tools in order to reduce repetitive strain and fatigue on the shoulders and neck. In this specific instance, the main components of an electric power drill - the battery and the motor - are isolated and offloaded away from the hand and to the waist. This achieves an in-hand weight saving of over 60 percent compared to existing tools, reducing the fatigue associated with repetitive drilling and driving screws, particularly when working overhead. It would be extremely beneficial to builders working in framing, carpentry, concrete form-building, electrics, refurbishment and more, with expansion possible to include different tools. The top section of the tool can also swivel 360 degrees to aid in maintaining safe ergonomic positioning when drilling above or into corners. The construction industry is crucial to the world around us, and the workers deserve an acceptable working environment.
Medium:
Various MaterialsSize:
65 x 60 x 30 cm
Sam Sheckells, Smart Interactions (2020)
Sam Sheckells, Smart Interactions (2020)
Sam Sheckells, Smart Interactions (2020)
Sam Sheckells, Smart Interactions (2020)
Sam Sheckells, Smart Interactions (2020)
Sam Sheckells, Smart Interactions (2020)
Sam Sheckells, Smart Interactions (2020)
Smart Interactions (2019) explores how we may communicate with smart technology in tangible ways. This project borrows cues from past analogue technologies, which relied on human touch to trigger mechanical movements and modulate their performance. Through this, Smart Interactions aims to develop new tactile relationships, reconnecting us with the technology we live with and allowing meaningful emotional connections with it.
This concept manifests itself in three domestic products: a smart speaker, an alarm clock and a desk lamp. Sound, a WiFi speaker, uses a simple LCD display and concentric rings to let the user modulate the volume and equaliser as well as select songs on the fly. Wake, the alarm clock, allows for easily setting wake up time, along with a snooze “lever” that lets the user visualize how much time remains before they are woken. The desk lamp, Light, gives the user full hardware control over color temperature and luminosity by turning clicking dials on the lamp. By avoiding use of a smartphone, these devices aim to renew physical interaction with these well-known domestic items. The user knows how they work by looking at them, giving them full control over their function.
Medium:
Various MaterialsSize:
Various SizesWhen The Place Shuts Down: Martin Darbyshire