3-D Research: Heaps of Sketch Models and Toys

Throughout my design process for this project, three-dimensional models and things that you can actually feel, move, and play with have been a major part of my lines of thinking.  As you can see and read below, I did a combination of experimenting with found mechanical objects to see how they work and creating props from scratch to experiment with ergonomics, size, and shape.  I found myself going to cheap gift shops and similar stores for inspiration, buying tools and small appliances so that I could play with them and take them apart.  It was all just a day in the life of trying to figure out what the best piezoelectric actuator would be (what it would look like, feel like, and handle like).