Kaiyao Li
Beat-it Glove
Prompt: This assignment was to research the exoskeleton concept (the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal’s body, in contrast to the internal skeleton), state the inspiration from it and then make a project by three stages. The first stage was mainly about research and background investigation to obtain primary ideas and combine them into rough model ideas through sketching while the second was to make rough models based on the research and ideas step by step. Ultimately, phase three was to take materials into consideration, combine and finalize all the ideas, and, without glue, conduct experiment and finally make a practical product from the theme “a wearable exoskeleton”.
I focused on the protection, support, and movability that an exoskeleton can provide biologically. I constructed a glove-like, ring-triggered, movable installation using wood, aluminum wire, aluminum pipes, and plastic straws with the help of driller and sanding machine. The main idea is to create a protective and supportive piece that can move and possibly scare people. Inspired by insects, I added spikes onto the “spine” of the glove and bent aluminum wires to build four sets of “wings” as an ornament; when people pull the trigger, the ring, there will be a level that pulls up the “spine” installed with spikes and wings to frighten others. Besides, I also used an OLFA knife to cut out the spider-web-shaped aluminum sheet and attached it to the vacant place of the Beat-it Glove so that it gives the audience a sense of boundaries and support. For the level, I used a drilled wood block as a basement, surrounded with many aluminum wires which provide strength to the whole rotating level so that it can tightly function.