PARSONS SCHOOL OF
DESIGN PRESENTS:

Yue (Krystal) Huang

NEW MEDIA ARTIST & INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIST
Yue Huang is a sustainable technologist based in Brooklyn NY. Grounded in the belief that accessible designs can transcend cultural barriers and even species to become an indispensable part of the broader ecosystem, Yue’s design ideology emphasizes the synergy between human creativity, technology, and ecology.
Yue determined to reshape the traditional notion of anthropocentric designs and highlight the innovations that exceed form and function to engage audiences of different backgrounds. Their design negotiates inclusion, interaction, and empathy for one another.
Thesis Faculty
Ernesto KlarMelanie CreanAlexander KingAyodamola Tanimowo OkunseindeGloria Duan

THE BREATHING SHELL

The Breathing Shell is a bionic wearable device designed for humanity in the post-apocalyptic world. The ideology behind it is grounded in a hypothetical future where excessive human interventions have eventually made Earth uninhabitable. To survive amid deforestation, extreme temperatures, and reduced oxygen levels, humans need to adapt and evolve.
As the largest and one of the oldest species on Earth, insects have weathered numerous major environmental changes throughout their 480 million years of existence. The one feature that enabled them to do so is the spiracles on their bodies, the external respiratory openings that passively deliver oxygen into the tissues. This hypoxia-coping mechanism might be the solution for post-apocalyptic humans.
As a result, The Shell is designed to perform assisted ventilation by mimicking the insects’ respiratory system, offering insights into a potential human evolution in response to environmental degradation and contemplating the capacity of bionic innovations. Leveraging a wearable device as the medium for interaction, The Shell aims to raise the users’ awareness of sustainability and underscore the interconnectedness between mankind and nature.