GreedSpider 1.0 was an attempt to get the public to interact with a small toy. The idea behind the project was that as the user walks towards the box to accept their gift, the box proceeds to walk away from the user. This is the first prototype of the object.
2. INTRODUCTION
Project Goal
My project goal was to initially
create a gift box with built in legs
that were triggered by sensors. The
idea behind that was that as an
unsuspecting person came close to
the box to accept their gift, it would
walk away from them, forcing them
to chase the gift.
My project was originally meant to
be an exploration of how people
give and instead of expecting a gift
to be handed to them, would people
go out of their way to seek the gift
out on their own?
3. MAKING THE SPIDER
Rough Sketches
My first concept sketches were of
the box with sensors built in. I wasn't
sure how I would implement this into
my design; I wanted to be able to
hack a Hexbug Spider toy with the
intentions of rigging it up with the
sensors. I wasn't able to prototype it
this far and hopefully, if I revisit this
project, that would be my next step.
For my first prototype, I used the
Hexbug with the remote control. I
designed the gift box utilizing
materials I purchased from my trip
to Target.
4. MAKING THE SPIDER
Supplies and Steps
I headed to Target where I
purchased some wrapping paper, 3
bags of Reese's Peanut Butter
Hearts, decorative ribbon, tissue
paper, a bow, and a Hexbug Spider.
I found two box tops that I found to
be useful. One with a hole on top,
which would allow me to send
signals to the spider without the
wrapping paper intruding on it in any
way, and another where I had to
make a base hole for the spider's
head to stick through.
5. MAKING THE SPIDER
Cutting Up Holes
For the bottom of the box, I made a
hole and used a box cutter to be
able to create a hole that was the
same diameter as the back of the
spider.
For the top of the box, I used an
inhaler box as a top box, I left the
hole uncovered, and made a line
that went across the middle of the
box. From there, I cut the box in half
and taped off the sides.
6. MAKING THE SPIDER
Wrapping Up Holes
After taping off the top of the box
and finally wrapped around the lid of
the box, I decorated it with a box
and set some chocolates on it.
While the box would work from
certain angles, I soon discovered
that there were some issues to run
into during the test driving. Here are
the first videos of my box walking
after it's completion.
9. ISSUES TO ADDRESS
Conclusion
A lot of people took immediate
notice of the project, but no one was
really compelled to chase it. While
my robot got a reaction, I was
hoping someone would engage with
my project. It seemed people made
the connection between the spider
as a gift/delivery object, but they
didn't try to pick it up. I also blame
this partially on the technical
maneuvering of the project, as
certain angles made it hard for me
to move the spider in the direction I
wanted. There was also a balancing
issue with the box, and therefore I
found no need for the tissue paper.
I think I would need to figure out
how to communicate the project
more effectively, etc.
