SPIMER

Prototyping and 3D Product Design -

DAC 2008-2009
Name of the object (Student name): Spimer (student: An-
tonio Dell’Ava)

Introduction of the problem which problem this object

try to solve?
Running alone is always difficult because there is no per-
ception of “the other” and time is not always the right fee-
dback.
In fact, running is not only a quantitative action: it is
rather a qualitative act. People are mutually involved
when they run together. The sensomotor perseption of the
others’ movements are the same thing within our’s action.
Spimer tries to simulate this engagment (similarly to “the
clap“ for long jumpers).

Description of the object/ functionality

a little egg (4cm x 6 cm x 2 cm) provides a sensomotor pre-set

an elastic wrap in order
to hold spimer in your
hand
feedback based on the rhythm. For everey step you should do
this module give you a vibration in your hand.
An aGPS sensor allows this feedback. The provided feedback
is always relative to a particular track, thanks to the presen-
ce of an aGPS sensor.
Futhermore there is an USB that connect Spimer with your
computer and share informations on web2.0 and recharge
battery. Due to big amount of energy needed by the vibrations
feedback you have to recharge your spimer battery evrey tra-
ning: this is a good constrain that rememinds you to review
... last but not least a large
LED monitor, that tells you
if you are running in rhythm
(doing in the right numbers
of stemps) and in time.

a social network community on

a step sensor in web2.0 where you can share your
your shoes (like track and results. In this way you
Nike+) can run with someone else also if
you are separated by space and
time (if you set your leg lenght). In
this way you can also discover new
tracks, and organize little challen-
ges.
Prototyping:

to prototype the wrap i cut

mediacal textiles, whereas for
the spimer’s egg i try
to use the fab @ home 3d
printer, and i take the usb
from a gadget.
Deployment:

pv pl

po
Conclusions

fab @ home it’s a great project for the future, but from my point of view spi-
mer could be prototyped much bettar with more simple techniques for 2 rea-
sons: imprecisions, impossibility to do smoth shapes. For these i had to over-
simplify spimer in order to print.