Three working prototypes were built of Switch Critters. The prototypes focused on incorporating evocative materiality (arrived at from the various material explorations) and behavior in order to explore and get feedback on the possibilities of these aspects of the design. They have all the actuating and interactive capabilities to make them fully functional as light switches and evocative interfaces. While they don’t dynamically embody data streams into their behavior, they do exhibit an instance of designed behavior — a foundation for the design of more complex personality.

The Switch Critter prototypes needed to be easy to install for the next research endeavor — their residency in the homes of several creative writers. The prototypes are maintenance free and integrate easily into daily life: just plug the cord of any light (or other appliance) into the external box, plug the box into the wall and use the Critter as the switch. While there are elements that would be unintentional to a product prototype, like the external processing box and the cords, the working prototypes of the speculative Switch Critters functioned well to communicate an experience to the writers.→Read more about the Creative Writing as Research...

Each of the prototypes has a different form and interactions; however there are concepts that apply to all of them. The interactions are integral to the forms and feedback is given through actuated movement. There are no screens, buttons or web interfaces. See the videos, accessible through the thumbnails at left, for demonstrations of the working prototypes.

The primary actuating technology in the prototypes are silent, nitinol wires, which contract when they are heated. Silence is a difficult trait to find in actuation, but once it was achieved with the nitinol wires, the Switch Critters exhibit an internal life force that doesn’t sound of servomotors or solenoids. The more sloth-like “gummy ball” Critter has spikes, the mechanisms of which are slide switches with enough travel to create a bump when released.

“Gummy ball” is an object that requires you to manually change its form in order to turn on a household light. In one state, it is a dark, smooth ball with rubbery skin. As you find the depressions on the skin and press them in, bumps emerge. When all the bumps are poking out, the object switches on the light that is plugged into the box. The light flickers on (haltingly) and the ball buzzes and blinks its internal light.

“Anemone” has touch sensitive tentacles and a glowing interior. Touching the tentacles when they are open causes them to retract and stop glowing and also turns on the light you have plugged in to the box. When the tentacles are closed up they are unresponsive to touch. In about two minutes, the tentacles begin to open again. When they are fully open again the light turns off.

“Clamshroom” is intended to be a wireless signal repository. While it is shut, the signal is contained inside enclosed in an aluminum endoskeleton, but when coaxed to open a tiny bit, the signal escapes to its destination — a remote light switch, an RFID door opener, or a car key.

The prototype isn’t wireless, but mimics the behavior described above. It is made from translucent, molded rawhide and is sensitive to movement. When held still for a few seconds, the Clamshroom will pop open for a second and turn on the light plugged into its box. Moving it, or turning it upside-down on a surface, will turn the light off.