Ref

Ref is wearable that that assists you in improving your emotional skills. It monitors your inner balance and communicates your progress though its body language.

Photo by Mike Roelofs

 

photo by Jens Dyvik

Here is an overview of my entire graduation process. You can zoom by scrolling with the mouse, and pan by clicking and dragging:

 

12 Comments

Got something to say? Feel free, I want to hear from you! Leave a Reply to Karan

  1. Karan says:

    Hi Jens,
    This is a really interesting concept. (Ref)

    I’m doing my thesis currently at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) and my topic is separation anxiety with children. My direction is a product that helps convert the energy created by children during anxiety and change it into something positive.

    I think this concept is strangely interrelated. I was wondering if you had any advice for manipulating the purpose of such an object and modifying it towards a children’s market and helping children with mental health concerns.

    Thanks,
    Karan
    kp08sk@gmail.com

    • Jens says: (Author)

      Hey Karan
      Thank you for your interest in the Ref. I think it hard to say how exactly you could apply this concept to your research. Maybe the animal as a metaphor and way of creating a connection between user and product could be relevant?

      I do think you should very careful about applying wearables and biofeedback to children’s mental health. I find this technology as scary as it is interesting, and it is the social network of people around us that will always be our strongest mental health safety net.

      gr from Jens

  2. Jan says:

    Interesting concept and product! Do you have any video of it online anywhere?

    • Jens says: (Author)

      Hey Jan, thanks you for your interest. I am working on a movie of the entire project. It should be online within a few months. In the meantime you can find some videos and animations in the process overview Prezi presentation embedded in this post.

      gr Jens

  3. Oliver says:

    Very interesting product idea. Do you have any plans to sell them? Or how to make one?

    • Jens says: (Author)

      Hey oliver

      I am not working on further development at the moment, but I will for sure in the future. I made the prototype for this project by combining a commercially available biofeedback device (emWave), a microcontroller (Arduino), numreous sensors and servo motors and laser cut and 3D printed parts.

  4. Adele Botha says:

    Good Day Jens
    I am assuming this was a dissertation? Is it published.

    • Jens says: (Author)

      Hi Adele

      This was no dissetation. You can find more info about the development process in the Prezi presentation embedded.

  5. Fernando G. says:

    Hello Jens,

    I’m really impressed with your project. I’m doing my thesis currently at the Marist College in Mexico City (UMA) and I’m creating an Animatronic Dragon with some “humor/ human reaction responding” for training a sample of states for a Companion animal, so it can be also used for therapeutic tasks, not based on biofeedback now, but’ve you just opened my panorama.

    I’m a little bit stucked on the “wiring” for movement on the neck and tail,because the prototype is a little bit small for all the movements it shall do on a final stage. Is there a chance you can provide me help on: -how you made the wire go through the “wing/arm” articulation- ? Or let me see the design file of it. Even pointing me a direction from where to study a little bit of it would be great!!

    Thanks a lot, and I’ll be watching your progress as a devoted fan ! =D

    Best wishes

    Fernando

  6. Akhil says:

    wow…..
    use permanent magnet geared (high ratio) dc motor (frame 35mm or thereabouts) to power the whole thing up…. you don’t need any other motor….. the tail/head movement can be effected by muscle wire. ….. no batteries would be required, as elbow movement alone would power the alternator (dc geared motor)……
    and for proper reception of brain-state you could look into neural driving chip tech being developed in Japan/ USA etc in their various exoskeleton projects

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