chindogu
Above: wooden slippers with cotton straps, and wooden removable stopper held in place with magnets. For the Absurd Hotel, an imagined collaboration between Kenji Kawakami (inventor of Chindogu) and Kenya Hara (Muji lead designer), Joy Qiuyu Guo andI made sandals/slippers that warn you when you are about to step on something.
In order to recognize objects, the user can insert a phone into the shoe.
Above: demonstration of removable magnetic components that hold a phone in place.
The phone then runs a p5.js sketch that is connected to Teachable Machine. This machine learning model is trained to recognize images of a banana peel, ping pong ball, among other potential threats, as well as objects that will prompt greetings on behalf of the hotel.
When objects are detected, voice recordings made using Watson’s text to speech voices play. These recordings warn the wearer of potential danger, chide them for their clumsiness or messiness, welcome them to the hotel, and so on. When no objects are detected, the shoes let the wearer know that the coast is clear, and that they are safe.
Above: demonstration of image recognition.
For the color, materials, and finish (CMF), we made the base of the shoe out of wood that resembles the white oak sample we were given. For the thong part of the sandal, we used white, canvas-like fabric with cotton stuffing inside to create a thick loop.
Above: wooden slippers