Samuel Frei, IN A DOG’S WORLD – Smart Objects to Keep Us Happy

In a Dog’s World Smart Objects to keep us happy Bachelor’s thesis in Design Frei Samuel 078 641 51 61 samuelfrei7@gmail.com Eichrüti 9 6333 Hünenberg See Hochschule Luzern Design & Kunst XS Schmuck Tutors Hua Thai Schenker Anina Schwippel Ilona Zellweger Christoph Experts Fleischhut Jantje Wild Julia 17 June 2021

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Contents 2 Contents 3 Project 4 Motivation 5 Research 11 Experiments 17 Process 53 Execution 64 Final 78 Contemplation 79 Acknowledgements 79 Legal notice 80 Tutoring

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Project This is the documentation of my artistic/design Bachelor’s thesis. This book shows the complete process of my practical thesis, including field research, experiments, strategy, execution, and the final result.

With this project, I would like to explore how communication between me and Enzo (Dog), my/ our values, and norms reflect itself in my creative work. This is relevant because they mirror me as a human/designer and Enzo as a dog. Therefore, how can I approach my creativity to boost it? The framework for this work is Enzo and, therefore, everyday situations.

Many studies discovered that dogs often take on the same personality traits as their owner. In addition, dogs have personalities that are shaped over time.

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Motivation My motivation for this Bachelor Project is based on very personal experiences. Enzo is a brindle Akita Inu, a Japanese dog breed famously known as “Hachi: A dog’s Tale”, from a movie produced in 2009.

The year Enzo turned five years old, he started suffering of an unknown and unnamed autoimmune disease, which most probably is triggered by heat. In the summer of 2019, the break-out was particularly intense, resulting in an in-patient stay of five nights at a veterinary clinic. Afraid of losing Enzo, these five nights were a most unpleasant experience. The decision to utilize this negative incident caused by heat, to design something that creates awareness was my motivational force in this case.

My intrinsic motivation is not solely based on negative experiences.

Asking myself how I could enhance, celebrate and enjoy the togetherness with my closest friend, embodies my motivational core for this project.

I plan to submerge myself into a world where dogs are being part of a family, enjoying the role of an emotional, respectful and intelligent companion.

Including simple Arduino sensors, this project is additionally about technology-enhanced wearables.

Although, it is not my main focus for this particular design project.

Enzo’s heat sensibility led towards various approaches on how to capture and communicate vital information to me and the dog.

On both pictures: visible rush on Enzo’s skin caused by temperatures over 28 degrees celcius.

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Research In my written Bachelor thesis, I looked closely at already existing products like “Pet Cube.” Being able to send a live video feed to its owner, it represents a category to which most technologically enhanced gadgets belong to Pet cameras.

Other popular gadgets are GPS tracking systems or pet feeders.

To investigate the range of gadgets in physical stores, I visited two pet stores in Switzerland. One is called “Fressnapf” and the other “Qualipet.” Instead of a Pet Cube, I found other interesting things.

Although generally, the ones found were not as sophisticated, there were simpler with less technology involved than in the Pet Cube. For example, I found “Memopet,” a device attached to the dog’s leash, harness, or collar capable of saving information about the dog. Using a smartphone with NFC technology, other people can read the data stored on the device.

Another object I found was the “top-matic.” A training system consisting of an orange magnetic rubber ball and a ring-shaped magnet. The magnet is used to place the ball onto the trainer’s, e.g., jacket or shirt. Therefore the visibility of the ball is ensured, and the dog can reach it at any moment. It is an instant rewarding method and thus promises a high success rate. I did not test it but was curious, especially about the training nature of this analog gadget.

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Even though these products are not related to technology-enhanced objects, they communicate a template of what information is essential to the customer.

For example, things like “For dogs up to 25 kg” indicate the suggested size of the “user.”

The tag with “MyFamily” written on it is part of a medium-large dog leash package, caught my attention because of a technical aspect, and also, some D-rings are produced with an antique silver finishing. There is also the leash with the name “Bilbao,” which gives a specific identity to the product.

Even if these specific features might not influence my further work, the concept surely will.

“Tags of Love” by “MyFamiliy” (page 5) shows almost endless possibilities on how to customize pet tags. The different sizes and shapes allow the customer to engrave the desired tag with several lines. “MyFamiliy” has its roots in Valenza as an ancient goldsmith tradition.

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How do we hold our leashes?

Based on a prior first “experiment” with an old leash, I decided to start small research on how we hold a dog’s leash.

There are many ways to hold a leash in your hand, and I wanted to find out how most people grab their leashes. If there is a right or wrong way did not catch my interest. I mainly focused on how we tend to wrap the leash around our wrists. Are there any patterns or shapes I could use for further investigation?

I found an inspiring fact that everyone had several ways to hold it depending on the dog’s behavior, the outside temperature, the owner’s mood, and the leash itself.

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Tierferienheim Stolzboden

As my research went on, I visited an animal vacation home where dogs, cats, and other animals can stay while being taken care of. The following impressions were made possible by Ivo Zürcher, the manager of Tierferienheim Stolzenboden.

So many dog leashes!

It is a meaningful physical connection between a human and a dog. Especially the ones with the pull-out function were interesting to me because of their rigid shape.

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I was happy to help with some cleaning too.

There were two dogs per “room” with an opening to go outside. While cleaning, these doors were shut, so I could work without being disturbed. Each dog had a bed and a big bowl of water inside. After this part, I sat down with Ivo Züricher, and we had a stimulating and refreshing conversation about the relationship between dogs and humans. Part of these impressions helped me, especially for the written portion of my Bachelor-Thesis.

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Swicofil

Many products which are in direct contact with a dog’s body are textiles. The idea of working with sensor-enhanced objects led me to swicofil. They make plasma metal coated yarns which can be used in various fields as: - sensors - high-end fashion - embroidery/sewing - medical end uses - electronic components - defense applications - computing - jewelry & luxury A big advantage is the flexibility of the textile being a conductive material. SwicoSilver yarns reach conductivity values of > 1 ohm/cm - SwicoSilver HiCon values of even > 0.05 ohm/cm. Losing energy by badly conductive materials would be problematic because it would affect the body-related prototypes’ size and weight.

The picture below shows some possibilities on how to apply the conductive yarn to other textiles.

A piece of polyester FDY with plasma silver coating. After 60 household washing cycles 81% of the silver is still there.

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Experiments Old leash I had this orange old dog leash which I decided to cut. The leash was separated into two identical belts sewn together.

There was a bolt carabiner attached, and along with the leash, there were two D-rings and one O-ring distributed at each end.

Conclusion As seen in the pictures, this leash was out in the sun for a long time by the difference in color. It was held together only by the filaments on the long sides, which once pulled out, the entire leash collapsed. I realized the two-sided property was fascinating and that I might use this in the future for this project.

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Ways to grab a leash

What other possibilities exist to grab a leash comfortably/securely?

I tried out a regular leash without any modifications or add-ons because I wanted to keep it simple, hoping to find a discovery by just playing around with it.

Conclusion However, my conclusion is that many people like to hold the leash, as shown in the first column on page seven. This grip is the easiest and firmest, especially if the dog pulls a lot; the participants in the research mainly used it. Ironically, it is also the grip medical practitioners advise against, hence a higher risk of injuries on the wrist.

However, it also seems to be the most comfortable grip.

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Scratching Enzo

One of my first attempts was this scratchdevice printed on a 3D-Printer. The used material was a supporting structure for another print but proved to be helpful to upgrade Enzo’s experience of being scratched on his back. He could not get enough of it.

The experiment is part of a series of simple, quick, and dirty experiments, including “The old leash” and “The Grip.” They all reflect my handling of already existing materials before exploring new ones.

“Scratch a dog and you’ll find a permanent job.” – Franklin P. Jones

Conclusion The scratching always comes in combination with fur coming out. In this case, a lot, and it quickly “jammed” my improvised scratching-device, so I had to cleat it every minute.

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Chewies

I wanted to test two different things with these materials: Manipulate the shape of something my dog likes to facilitate him to shape it with its teeth differently. He would chew on the objects I used, but he would chew them differently by changing their size and shape. I wanted to test to see if he reacts differently towards objects he likes to chew on or even to eat if I have worn it before as a piece of jewelry.

Therefore I utilized two different types of horns and also a chewing root.

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By cutting the horn into smaller pieces, Enzo could get quickly to the softer inside, and he tried to rasp out as much as possible using teeth and tongue. Unfortunately, the smaller pieces were also more delicate and therefore exposed to break quickly, which caused a hazard to Enzo since the pieces were quite sharp.

Something similar happened to the chewing root: It increasingly gained popularity because it enabled him to break it quicker. But, nevertheless, these too acted as a health hazard in case of swallowing the bigger pieces.

He took a different approach once the objects were around Claudia’s or my neck.

I made two different necklaces, one consisting of horns and the other of the chewing root. Although he wanted both badly, he did not grab them until we allowed him to. I presume this is because he sees the piece as something that belongs to us, and he knows he should not chew on those things.

After about an hour of wearing the pieces, I gave them to Enzo for five minutes. I repeated this process several times and realized: He only cared when he could not have it.

Something we all are pretty familiar with.

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I started to wear the piece during daily walks with Enzo and realized that his attention towards me improved while wearing it.

Since he became more focused on the objects, I wondered if I could connect them to a specific person. For this, I built the “Enzo-Station” next to the door of our apartment, where each object would have a place. One object was used by me and the other by Claudia. My inspiration to make such a station arose during my day at Tierheim Pfolzenboden after seeing all the different leashes connected to the dogs. My motivation was to turn the tables by not letting a human choose which dog/ leash to take for a walk but instead making the dog choose its human/leash to take him for a walk.

Conclusion Because one person takes Enzo out for walks more than the other, the pieces are used differently. I learned that Enzo preferred the horn piece before the root piece because of its material. He loved to eat it, which made it hard for him to choose the person behind it before the material the object is made of.

Before this experiment, I had in mind using a horn for further objects, which by now I crossed out.

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Process The prior experiments were a process that helped to start thinking about objects which are related to Enzo and me. They also helped going one step further by conceptualizing some ideas based on my motivation and experiences with Enzo.

In this section, I documented the process from the beginning of each idea until selecting a few I chose to pursue further.

I named each idea based on Enzo’s personal motivation, which arose from daily routines, experiences, chances, or problems.

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Heat sensivity What is it about?

As mentioned in the beginning, Enzo started suffering from an autoimmune disorder connected to heat, causing heavy rashes on the skin, leading to infections. At first, intolerance towards UV radiation was also an option, even though Enzo’s fur is thick.

Nevertheless, after some tests, UV radiation could be ruled out.

However, to cool their body temperature, dogs start panting when they are hot. This is the first sign Enzo shows when it is starting to get hot. The body’s temperature can rise from within or/and is connected to the outside temperature. Enzo’s body temperature raises during physical activity, no matter if it is hot or cold outside. It is pretty normal to see him panting in winter during hikes. However, the rashes only occur in summer, which means that the outside temperature plays an important role. The question is: how do I know what the critical temperature is?

This question made clear what is the object’s first objective: to measure the outside temperature.

It should be relatively close to the dog to measure the temperature since temperatures could vary between places in the sun or shade. Of course, there are many places to put a small sensor with a microcontroller and a battery on a big dog. However, I decided not to reinvent the wheel and go with something that is already there and potentially holds such a small device: the collar.

Nevertheless, on the collar, unlike the harness, there is the risk of rotating it on the dog’s neck, and if the device is on the throat side while the dog lies down, it easily changes the result.

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What do we relate to summer?

I think of a mild summer evening with crickets chirping in the grass.

The chirping sound is something nice if it is not too loud. Connecting something that is, in Enzo’s case, crucial to his survival should also have some alarming effect to create awareness. The loudness, in this case, becomes interesting, mainly because it can get annoying. Especially loud bugs are cicadas. Investigating more about cicadas, I found out that they start chirping at around 22° celsius.

I first drew different versions, which I brought to reality with aluminum foil, and later with gray play dough to create fast prototypes.

The shape should have some features to remind of a cicada.

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The first prototype was made with a synthetic material called Cibatool, based on the prior shapes of the cicada. In one prior experiment, I explored the two-layered leash. This quality, too, I encountered in the collar.

Based on this, I started looking for different, more elegant attachment possibilities.

Working with playdough proved to be helpful, especially regarding the size related to the technological parts, which should enter the device later.

By 3D-printing the actual size of each necessary part, I was able to scrape out the excess material.

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I started designing different shapes, now directly using Cibatool. I usually draw the idea prior, but some of them I translated directly into three-dimensional objects.

During this process, I changed the direction of the cicada on Enzo’s leash from generating a cross-section to following the direction of the collar. This allowed a more comfortable position, which especially proved valuable for longer intervals of wearing the device.

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To attach the object to the two belted collar, I designed a simple and effective way. On each side, there is a t-shaped hook to insert one belt.

By placing the t-shaped hooks in the reverse direction, the inserted belts are locked with the object. By designing different versions of this, including the shape of the cicada, I got to a more straightforward abstracted shape of a cicada.

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Working with cardboard helps a lot to understand the shape itself, even including function and properties. Nevertheless, I quickly started to work with Cibatool again to convert from two-dimensional-shaped cicadas into three-dimensional ones.

Cibatool has proven to be an advantageous and easy material while working with dogs, since it can get wet and is quite hard in case it falls, or the dog tries to grab it.

Being at this point, I started to construct some shapes in Rhino and further 3D-printed them, as shown in these two pictures above.

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Coming home What is it about?

What if dogs really can feel you coming home before you even enter the door? I and others asked this question many times over. For example, Rupert Sheldrake studied over 600 dogs in his book “Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home.” In his book, telepathic communication skills are mentioned among dogs.

If this is true, and my dog can detect my presence of coming home or being on my way back home, I would be interested in having some confirmation.

Enzo is happy when Claudia or I am coming home after some time out. It goes without saying; Enzo’s heartbeat accelerates once he hears the door opening, knowing something will happen. Alltogether, in this particular case, the pulse reflects an evident change of the status quo. We do not know if the change is based on emotion, behavior, temperature, physical activity, or the unknown. Getting more into detail about why the pulse’s vary is my goal or my motivation’s objective. I solely focus on IF and WHEN a difference in BPM (Beat Per Minute) occurs to establish a correlation between action and reaction.

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The approach for this object was slightly different due to one significant fact: the location where to read the dog’s heartbeat. Because of this, I started to design around a specific piece of technology; the heartbeat sensor. Due to Enzo’s thick fur, it was impossible to have any readings on his body, except on the lower part of the belly with less hair, and his ears. Therefore, the most consistent readings, based on my experiments, were clearly on his ears. Since I already designed around a technological piece, I decided to prioritize its function.

I used the open-source Arduino Software (IDE), an Arduino UNO, some jumping wires, and the pulse sensor to do the first sensor activity.

The code I used to do the first heartbeat readings on Enzo’s body.

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Nevertheless, a dog’s ears are susceptible to touch. Inside are many tactile hairs that can detect tiny movements in the ear. Once detected, the dog shakes its head to get rid of whatever entered. This notably did not simplify the future endeavors at all.

This leads to another intrinsic motivation of mine. I like to include tests and experiments in my work, and I am always looking to find something new. I wanted to find a way to attach the pulse sensor, including the cable to Enzo’s ear without him realizing he had something in his ear. Trial and error, and many treats for Enzo proved to be a successful strategy. To summarize: the weight, position, angle of the cable outlet, and thickness, and the structure’s grip are crucial. Another important role is played by the dog’s patience and its accustoming process for several weeks.

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In the end, I was able to walk for about 30 minutes with the sensor in place. At home, without any distraction, the time with the sensor in place was a little over 2 minutes.

For this project, it was not enough. However, further investigation combined with the trial and error method will eventually lead to a solution that works.

Either way, after this, I found myself with the question of where the power supply and the processing unit would be. Due to a cable starting on the ear, it should be somewhere close: The collar.

Instead of using the existing collar, I decided to make a simple, flexible open steel ring that was spacious enough to keep the necessary technological pieces and could be easily placed on the dog’s neck.

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The BPM, I planned to be sent to another wearable device worn by the owner. Ideally, this device was small and had something to do with the action of going home.

By connecting the device to our keys as a key ring, a connection between the coming home, the dog’s changing heartbeat was established. The two objects in the pictures above are prototypes. On the left, the pulse should also be felt on the skin by applying it onto, e.g., the forearm. The object in the pictures on the right side is based on an organic shape very comfortable to hold in your hands or pocket. At a very early stage, a different design proposal was a ring-shaped handle. The dog’s pulse was to be felt by small vibrations caused by the eight silver-colored knobs on the right side of the ring.

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Parcour at home What is it about?

This idea/motivation is about informing the dog about hidden treats using acoustic stimuli.

It stimulates and entertains a dog as well as its owner and might consist of two separated objects. One is a speaker module, and the other works as a socket for treats.

The set might consist of one speaker module and three sockets. A contact sensor is activated by pulling out the treat. Instead of a contact sensor, a humidity sensor too should work. Integrated loudspeakers allow the holder to reproduce acoustic signals by speaking into the device (similar to a phone).

It is a device that digitally supports ‘training/entertainment for dogs and owners.

If the dog finds the treat by pulling it out, the owner is immediately signaled visually.

Speech connection is established, e.g., for praise, motivation for further search, short contact build-up overcomes distances.

It can be used both indoors and outdoors.

Difficulty can be increased by olfactory “shielding” the treat; thus, the directional hearing of the dog could be trained.

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What about the design? What should it trigger, emotionally, formally, etc.?

The object for the user (not the dog): the design leans on the commercial dog clicker with push-button and loop with simple walkie-talkie function. Its formal design should be organic and comfortable to hold. It is ideally related to the pulsing object for the human.

Object to hide (for the dog): a Funnel-like shape with a treat attached in the middle. Fastening: Rubberband, the extra movement through makes it difficult for the dog to remove the treat.

Conceptual: The object should or can criticize by creating an entertaining program that the dog uses when alone. Does this lead towards a clear conscience leaving the dog alone at home for more extended periods?

This is not my motivation. To me, the object represents an exciting interaction and even might lead to an improvement of the dog’s life by some exciting moments for him.

This is based on my own experience. By hiding some treats in different places, e.g., on a chair, under the table or under pillows it was possible to reduce howling or barking to zero after leaving the house. The hiding places I changed over time to increase the difficulty.

This leads to other ways, for example, making him a big box filled with old corks from wine bottles, leading to another interaction - digging.

The hiding I do now, is when Enzo does not see me, so he has to work with his senses. The memory can also be trained by showing him where I hide it and after distract him for a while until I tell him to look for the treats.

In the first seconds, Enzo searches with the eyes whereon the sense of smell is sharpened.

If he does not find it, it helps to motivate him, especially by acoustic signals.

The acoustic component adds another exciting aspect because emotions can also be communicated through the voice, which can be very easily combined with training.

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A few years ago, I started to distribute treats around the apartment before leaving. Enzo loves tracking things down; that’s how it started. I realized later that it also helped with the separation anxiety he sometimes has. By repeating this process, I found each time other small spots to hide his treats. I decided to take things to the next level by creating objects which hold treats and, at the same time, does not give it up so easily.

Once he found it, he had to do something more than just devouring his motivation.

That’s why I created this straightforward but very effective treat holder, which reminds me of a shuttlecock. A rubber band on the inside of the shape allows to chuck in any treat as long as it fits into the opening of the shape.

I designed another prototype in grey resin. Instead of fixing the treat with a rubber band, a small bowl on its top contained it. A lid should prevent him from grabbing it. The idea was for him to tilt the object in a specific direction releasing the reward. The shape underneath performed as, a part weight to lift the thing again once tilted, and part technological. I liked the action Enzo had to do with his paw in order to get the reward. This will have an impact on the final shape.

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Back to the shuttlecock-shaped prototype. Various parameters played a principal role in how easy/hard the treat was to get. First, there was the overall size where the dog’s nose dove into to get to the treat. Enzo’s frustration grew rather quickly by narrowing the diameter to this point where it was just possible to reach the treat with the tongue. Scaling it up a few centimeters allowed him to open his mouth in the funnel-shaped form to grab what he desired. By analyzing the different dog skulls, I came at three basic skull shapes in domestic breeds: - Long-nosed (dolichocephalic) - Short-nosed (brachiocephalic) - Medium-nosed (mesocephalic) Under the FCI breeds nomenclature, Enzo belongs to group five: Spitz and primitive types and therefore has a medium skull shape. Short-nosed dog breeds are, for example, Boxer, French Bull-Dogs and more. Long-nosed dog breeds are German Shepards, Greyhounds, or Beagles.

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The rubber band’s tension also played an exciting role in getting the treat out, as did the size/position.

The shape lying on the floor was tough to grab for Enzo. Either he put his paw onto it while biting it or pushed it towards a wall to get some counter-resistance. Due to the shuttlecock shape, the object also was interesting to play fetch. Enzo is not the kind of dog who enjoys playing fetch, and I thought maybe if he gets the proper motivation, he would run after something he knew will reward him. He ran for the shuttlecock, but once he got the reward, it was over. I tried to teach him that I would “load” the thing again after he brought it to me, but as I mentioned before, Enzo never was an enormous fetch enthusiast.

Due to fundamental uncertainties about propper implementation, function, and further applications of the object itself, I tried to open up again towards other ideas.

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An almost complete hemisphere. The missing piece of about 20 degrees allows the shape to fall always on the flat side. At the curved side, a small tube-shaped inlet can contain a small treat.

The treat is inaccessible as long as the hemisphere is not turned onto its flat side. By falling on the propper side, gravity releases the reward. The hemisphere met all the requirements I had so far.

It invites/challenges the dog for some action, one could hide it in different places, and it was big enough to hold the necessary technology.

The basic idea of building a parkour independently if using it out-or indoor, and facilitating the participation through digital enhancement for the owner still did not change. However, after some talks, another idea came to light.

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Wagging a tail What is it about?

It is a thin strap at the base of the dog’s tail with an integrated motion sensor. It sends a signal via Wi-Fi to a distanced object during wagging. When the activity ends, so does the transmission.

The communication content is digitally assisted “emotion sharing” from dog to owner, family members, fans, or godparents/ sponsors. While apart, the sensor lets the holders of a receiver device know that the dog is wagging its tail at a specific moment and therefore is happy. This moment is translated into a poetic signal at the receiver device, e.g., playing the holder’s favorite song, changing from black/white into a favorite color.

The “product” comes in a set, including a strap and two receiving devices.

With the owner’s consent, up to 5 people can receive the emotion-sharing at the same time.

Tail wagging is visually perceptible, and it is measured by the change of direction/weight shift on the dog’s tail. Even if the wagging is an activity not including any noise, dogs often make other sounds like barking, sneezing, or happy hauling.

Therefore acoustic signals on the receiver are an exciting feature.

Possibilities for reproduction in the remote device: A) Visual with one or more LEDs flashing one after the other.

B) Vibration in, e.g., two small balls that vibrate one after the other (can produce noise)

What is the design? What should it trigger, emotional, formal?

Idea 1(receiver): Fan-like (visual), the movement creates a fan shape in space, gives a flat surface when open, inconspicuous when closed.

Idea 2(receiver): Simple basic geometric shape (sphere, vibratory, or/and visual). Easy to replicate, with multiple receivers, it generates belonging.

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Early prototypes in Cibatool Surprisingly, it did not bother Enzo at all. For the first experiment, the object worked better than expected. It is easy to attach, although it is made of cardboard.

I received some positive feedback about how it could look on a dog’s tail if more noble materials were used.

What’s next?

Test more objects, Cibatool, possibly without a solid structure (cardboard), link Cibatool elements together with string, elastic material, cable?

Exact determination of the weight including sensor, battery, cables.

It probably will remain speculative design.

Which materials?

Because the object is placed directly on the dog and will move, the weight is significant.

Bare coating with a transparent protective layer (e.g., epoxy resin) of the object?

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Testing the object went surprisingly well. I would not have expected that he would leave the object on his tail for more than one minute. Nevertheless, even if I distracted him, once the distraction was over, he immediately turned to remove it, which was not surprising.

I could imagine that the sensor is implanted instead of attaching it to the tail in the future. Microchips for pets are already in use. This microchip has the same rice grain size and is normally located in the dog’s neck. It contains a 15-digit number that is connected to the dog’s passport containing information about the dog and owner. Size is crucial! For such a sensor in the tail, existing technology is too big to succeed.

I think implants are very interesting to pursue further, but as for my practical thesis, I decided to leave this topic aside.

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Different interaction with other dog owners What is it about?

It is a device with a round-shaped touch screen (35 mm) capable of establishing a connection via Bluetooth (about 20 m).

This device helps to communicate with other dog owners presuming they both have the same device.

However, it works independently from a smartphone, over a distance, and it needs the apparent consent of each sight partner before sharing any information.

What is the content of the communication?

It is a digitally supported ‘info-sharing between dog owners based on voluntariness and tells something about the dog and/or themselves. One can choose if a piece of certain information is shared or not.

Information about the dog Name, age, health, origin, breeding status, gender, heat, and character.

Information about the owner (examples) I am still inexperienced as a dog owner or: Is my third dog of this breed. I have attended dog owner school. I am a dog trainer.

Open information (examples) Personal or promotional information: I currently have four puppies at home which are looking for a new home.

Alternatively: I am looking for dog owners for trips together, ideally over 4 hours in high mountains, preferably Saturdays and Pilatus, GA/car available.

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What about the design? What should it trigger, emotional, formal etc?

Idea 1: Dog paw as basic shape (unmistakable, cheesy but unambiguous - scalable).

Idea 1+2: Simple universal basic shape (tends to be organic, fits well in hand). The potential for different uses/attachments/handling possibilities arises through the large opening, which seems to be a unique selling proposition compared to other gadgets with a screen and Bluetooth.

Before working with Cibatool, I made a mock-up with aluminum foil and play dough.

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Early samples in Cibatool The large opening gives plenty of room to attach the object to the thumb, little finger, umbrella, or even dog leash.

--> The object should be more prominent.

The loop or eyelet is convenient but a little uncomfortable because of its stiffness. Maybe flexible options for this part of the object or improve the shape and the way of holding it to reach better comfort and using design language as communicating method between object and user.

Side note: All dog interviewed owners have very well received the object or idea.

How to proceed?

Uneven distribution of the interior (technology) to include necessary openings/slots.

I am combining CAD programs with hand-made objects by utilizing a 3D-Scanner.

Which materials?

If the loop is designed with other materials than the rest of the shape, it should be comfortable on the skin and still be robust, washable, have high thermal conductivity, and be replicable.

Properties materials for the hard-shelled object: firm, waterproof and dustproof, washable, replicable. How to seal it? What’s about the weight?

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Different prototypes followed, including one with a shape to connect a more flexible material to wear it more comfortably. The first 3D-printed model was of lenticular shape with the opening for a small round screen to show the necessary information. Because it had similarities with the other objects, for it was a simple shape, comfortable for holding and playing with it in the hands, I decided to develop this further.

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Even though I chose this object for the photo shooting, more drawings followed since I was not happy with the lenticular shape. There was missing a connecting link based on the shape with the other objects I made. In addition, the existing opening turned out to be small and therefore restricted to use.

The question about how it should hang and, therefore, where the hole is put got more critical at this stage. Instead of holes, round-shaped hooks were also a possibility. The size too changed; it got about two times bigger. In my eyes, this is where exciting things started to develop.

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The lenticular object from the pictures on pages 46 and 47 I mainly designed in CAD software. This time I planned to start working directly with my hands in the three-dimensional room.

Cibatool has some advantages in testing it with dogs and has a unique disadvantage: it is challenging and takes time to work with. This is why I started working with Tech-Clay, which turns soft after being in the oven for 20 minutes at 50 degrees celsius, and it turns hard once it is cooled down.

Many other models I designed work with Tech-Clay.

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Tech-clay hardens during cooldown, but it is hard to use it for testing in real-life situations.

I liked the shape with the big opening because it appeared somehow honest to me. As mentioned, the big opening allowed different ways of using it.

There is another feature I discovered in the already finished heat sensitivity module and the parkour module. Both had a particularly shaped curve— this curve I designed on the object with the big opening.

I started to work with Cibatool again, but this time with a different method. I took a piece, drew the shape I wanted and started to abrade it on a grinding machine. Working with the machine was quite limited but fast. This time I did not use any machine at all. Instead, I started to saw the Cibatool by hand. This process was almost identical to the one I used with Tech-clay. The object I translated later into CAD and printed it in grey resin.

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The same model I 3D-Scanned using my camera and photogrammetry software. In this case, in its “raw” state, without any modifications to the surface.

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Execution This section is tied to the process, but I chose to pursue further and put prior experiences into practice with specific models.

Then, it was time to get serious!

I chose three topics and therefore objected to working with: 1. Heat sensitivity 2. Connecting with other dog owners 3. Parkour To connect an idea with an object, I decided to name them.

I already mentioned why I stopped the wagging tail project. I discarded the pulsing object because, during the process, I turned it into a device to collect data. I looked for ways to obtain evidence that might prove telepathic abilities in dogs related to my written thesis. I wanted to make a product every dog owner could have and therefore be a part of collective data-collecting. Behind this is my motivation and belief that we should listen to nature. We can obtain a lot of valuable data from, e.g., wildlife bird-tracking, but this information is primarily analytical.

Getting into our homes and connecting a highly emotional being with collective data might change something from within. One could argue that many of today’s dogs are far from wildlife and, therefore, nature, but so are we. It is about the connection between collected data and empathy, something we all could use a little more in our daily lives.

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Cicado Based on prior models, meetings, and discussions, I designed two possible shapes.

One shape is consisting of two, and the other of four flaps. Both could hold a leash or collar perfectly, but the figure with four wings felt more reliable in terms of not detaching itself. The downside of this shape was the inside space and its distribution.

In order to pack everything inside, the middle part had to be more voluminous, and therefore, the outside wings had to be thinner, assuming it still had to be comfortable to wear.

So I combined both. I created four wings based on the shape with only two.

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I had to choose between secure and more than secure. Both models did not fall out while testing with Enzo, but both models will fall out eventually, not because they do not hold but because nothing holds forever. The shape with two wings is steadier, especially the wings since they are connected through a larger surface than the one with four. So in case it falls, this should be more resistant. Another reason why I decided myself on this shape is the simplicity of attaching it—the two-winged shape allows the user to strap it in quickly and easily.

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The first 3D-Printed prototype in the process of surface-finishing is shown in these two pictures. I used a spray-filler to cover any unwanted tracks from the 3D-Print. Between each interval of spraying, I honed it very carefully to obtain a smooth and shiny surface. After several layers of spray-filler, I applied the color and finished it with a protecting layer of clear coat.

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Quizzo

A significant demand to Quizzo was that Enzo understands how to move it properly, so he gets a reward. This was achieved best with the hemisphere.

What is in there?

How do I get it?

Is there more?

These three questions were key for Enzo to understand the model. It took him not even a second to realize what is in it. About five minutes until he realized how to use his paw or nose to flip the shape and an undefined time to realize nothing was left. I was surprised by one action he did: To flip it, all over again to see if something else falls out. That said, it came to mind to try sort of a dispenser that shares another reward if flipped twice. Based on this potential, the decision was made!

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This device does not have a micro USB outlet because the risk of damage is too high.

As tested, the object will get wet, bitten, and scratched. To bypass the charging problem, this device will work with an interchangeable battery. A click-system or screw system will allow the user to open and close it safely after changing the battery. Being connected to the internet/WiFi will also be possible to download updates or upload different sound patterns.

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Unio

I constructed/designed an interpretation of the same object using CAD. To me, a remarkable difference is its symmetry. Even if I tried to create a symmetrical shape by hand, it is not. Here I decided to cherish subtle asymmetrical shapes, which only appear by looking at the model a second time. I might start symmetrical and end asymmetrical by taking a 3D-Printed model and modify it by hand later. Sensor wise this was the most complex module due to its connection via Bluetooth. I decided to concentrate on the shape and finish instead of the technical finish since I am studying design rather than electric engineering.

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Final Renderings & Photos In a dogs’s world is based on real-life experiences as a dog’s best friend. This series of sensor-enhanced objects are designed to enrich the togetherness with our closest companions and inject life into our daily routines. Capable of sharing and communicating valuable information between dogs and us, these product prototypes monitor its environment, create awareness and support the dog’s training and development in a playful and engaging way.

I chose the color white in all the objects because it is bright and can create a sense of space or add highlights. Like black, the color white is a neutral color. During my research, I realized that most of the toys and gadgets for dogs are loud in color. Color is discerned by the nerve cells in the eye. The retina of the eye has two main types of cells—rods, which detect light levels and motion, and cones, which differentiate colors. Human eyes have three types of cones that can identify combinations of red, blue, and green. Dogs possess only two types of cones and can only discern blue and yellow - this limited color perception is called dichromatic vision. Therefore I did not see why use many colors if the dogs can not even see it. Nevertheless, most importantly: I do not consider these objects as regular toys for dogs. Besides white surfaces, I too consider copper, silver, or gold-covered surfaces.

Do they actually work?

They work to the extent of tested experiments for this project. I intended to make them all work.

I bought the necessary electronics, including sensors, batteries, MP3-Player, loudspeakers.

Nevertheless, I had to discover that especially Unio with the Bluetooth function is beyond the scope of this work in design. This object will, therefore, only be visualized.

On the other two, I am currently working on, and I hope I can demonstrate the function of Cicado on the day of the presentation.

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Cicado with the opening for the audio is shaped like a button.

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Cicado represents a central issue as many dogs suffer during intense heat waves in summer. This object creates awareness especially to the owner. I trunst Enzo knows well when it gets too hot.

He communicates it by heavy panting. Cicado should come before its too hot for him. It should notify the owner prior, therefore it supports the dog by communicating something thats predictable.

Another point of use might be if a dog is locked inside a car while its hot. Dogs in hot cars can suffer from potentially fatal heat stroke in as little as 15 minutes. Even when a window has been left open or water has been left in the car, they struggle to cool themselves down. At the beginning I thought to design a second piece which is connected wirelessly to the Cicado and in case of extreme temperatures an alarm goes off.

Thinking about it, it does not make much sence, hence people should essentially leave NO dog locked in a car while its hot. In this matter it might make sence connecting Cicado to the car itself and when it overheats the car starts the ignition automatically to cool down the car.

Anyhow, I decided to present this object without a second piece since it should enhance togetherness and not support the separation between dog and owner.

Once the Cicado sounds the alarm one can turn it off by using the button like shape which also is the opening for the audio. Because of technical reasons I was not able to implement this feature in the real prototype.

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Originally this object consisted of a second piece for the holder/human, which should have established a connection to speak to the dog. I did not design this further because it would not make any difference to the dog, hence the simple fact that I am not there. Of course, I was able to say more things, different things than just with a recorded voice, but in the end, it is not about trying to make the dog feel like I am at home. It is about giving him a good time. Enzo has a good time searching for all the pieces at home because I, too, practice it while being at home or in the garden. That is why this object does not need another digitally connected device. The specially treated surface resists water, claws, and teeth. I did not choose a micro USB power outlet because the risk of damaging it would have been too high. Instead, two replaceable AA batteries are powering the inside electronics. To prevent Enzo from chewing on the object, I chose a hard, almost glass-like surface.

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Contemplation Through the written Bachelor thesis, I learned more about the impact animals and especially pets, have on our society. They live in our homes. We give them names and might even spoil them from time to time. Especially during COVID-19, many new puppies were adopted. There are many reasons to adopt a dog; in some way, solitude in one’s isolation might have played a significant role in COVID-times.

As a dog’s best friend, I know what it takes to maintain our relationship. In one way or the other, there comes the time when routine arises. Being aware of this routine helps to break it. During my work, I realized that routine could be broken as quickly as it can be created, but each rupture deepens the relationship. This enhancement mainly shares the importance of this work.

This work is based on very personal experiences with my dog Enzo. I inspired myself in the unexceptional, daily life with Enzo and tried to create helpful, authentic interactions based on digitally enhanced communication. Luckily there are many more ways to experience this connection; the three final prototypes are the first steps.

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Acknowledgements

Legal notice

First and foremost, I am incredibly grateful to my tutors, Christoph Zellweger, Thai Hua, Ilona Schwippel, and Anina Schenker, for their invaluable advice, continuous support, and patience during my Bachelor’s study. Their immense knowledge and plentiful experience have encouraged me in my academic research and daily life. I would also like to thank Naomi Giewald, Susi Bucher, and Ivo Züricher and for their support as experts in their field on my study. I would like to thank Raisa Durandi for the great photographs. It is their kind help and support that has made my study a wonderful time. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my wife and parents. Without their tremendous understanding and encouragement in the past few years, it would be impossible for me to complete my studies.

Author Samuel Frei XS Schmuck Hochschule Luzern Design & Kunst 6. Semester, Bachelor 2021 Address Eichrüti 9 6333 Hünenberg See Contact +41 78 641 51 61 samuelfrei7@gmail.com Tutors Hua Thai Schenker Anina Schwippel Ilona Zellweger Christoph Experts Fleischhut Jantje Wild Julia Date of submission/presentation 21 June 2021

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Tutoring Mentorentreffen, 16.03.2021 Was kann laika feel? gewinn/nutzen für Mensch/ Hund?

Wie können die Daten die geliefert werden analysiert werden?

Beispiel : Puls hoch, aber weswegen?

Nur spannend wenn Hund/Besitzer zusammen sind und die Info aus dem Gadged zu sehen, spüren sind?

Hund-daten-besitzer interpretiert/fühlt und gibt Rückmeldung an daten-generator Schöner Titel, gefühl Zweischneidig: app könnte Hund ersetzen, Daten besser deuten>Hund besser instrumentalisieren > Kontext, usp? Wo hin welche Story willst du erzählen?

Spezifischer Absicht und relevanz des Objekts?

Was macht den Hund aus? Wie drückt er sich aus? Bezogenauf „feel“.

Objekt soll Beziehung zum Hund kontakt verstärken?

Oder geht es dir um Distanz!

Wie def. Distanz: ohne Sichtkontakt!

Beispiel petcube?

Kontrolle zu wissen was passiert?

Feedback: slides visuell sehr amerikanisch -> macht oder optimierungsstrategien des Hundes gezeigt > versuch eigener Weg visuell/story absicht gehen Allg. Relevanzproblem Schmuck Sekundär funktional Primar: freude/memorie, Verbindungselement Kulturelle Funktion Objekt Hund kommuniziert in einer ästhetischen, humorvoll oder wunderbar, zufälliges Ereignis beim Besitzer entsteht: Beziehung: bestärken oder ersetzen??

Kurisoe auslöser: Spekulation unerwahrtetes Sichtbar am Mensch, ausgelöst durch Tier Idee Samuel: im Tierheim ...weiterdenken 80

Mentorentreffen, 18.05.2021 Anina: Multi chip under die Haut für alle ?

Für was brauche ich Objekte?

Für mich!

Wen dieses Teil etwas schönes ist. Es soll etwas Schöneses Sein, das Teil für den Menschen.

Evtl. Mit Farben?

Status durch Hochwertigkeit Das wäre Interaessant weil nicht jeder dem Hund ein Chip einpflanzen.

Ein Teil, wo ich alles drauf machen kann. Mit einem Chip.

Beides anbieten. Palettenfächer.

Christoph: Ich fand den Quizzer einer der spannendsten Objekte.

Durch den Trichter kann er nicht rollen aber drehen. Wen der Programmiert werden auf verschiednen Weisen.

Parcour fähig währe, auf verschiednen weisen programieren. Den Körper kann etwas halten.

Hier macht Technologie etwas was zusammen mit Analogie funktioniert !

Die Form ist interessant, sie kann nicht reinbeissen wegen der Trichter form hier hättest du auch formal eine Form.

Anina: Für mich ist dem Quizzer spannend da ich ihn beschäftigen kann ohne das ich da bin. Der Hund ist herausgefordert.

Video mit Hund machen.

Auch der Hi Hund ist stark !

Weil der kommuniziert Was macht visuell etwas hin?

Die anderen Dinge können auch Proposals sein Distanz Ding spannender als direkte Kommunikation.

Die Tools sollen mir da helfen wo ich selber nichts erfahren kann.

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Zwischenpräsentation 22.03.2021 Vorstellung von Hunden vs. reale Bedürfnisse? persönliche Vorstellung von Hund eigener Hund Was mache ich, wenn plötzlich der Puls hochgeht? Dann spannend, wenn du nicht mit dem Hund zusammen bist. Weil du deinen Hund selbst je nachdem schon gut lesen kannst.

Anzeichen, wenn man mit Hund zusammen ist, die man als Mensch noch nicht sieht – Puls kontrollieren und dadurch evtl. einer unangenehmen Situation aus dem Weg gehen können.

Geht es um die Beziehung zwischen Mensch und Hund? Was noch mitschwingt – man kann auf einmal so sehen wie der Hund – Beispiel Dunkelheit, Mensch sieht nichts, aber Hund riecht «es» schon.

Idee: Dass Hund Puls von dir spüren könnte? (umgekehrt) Experimente?

Jantje sieht schon Endprodukt – man soll noch andere verschiedene Dinge reinbringen.

Geruchsinn, das Hören deiner Stimme etc. - nicht nur Puls?

Reaktionen wie Hunde auf Licht reagieren? – (keinen Einfluss) Unsere Sinneswahrnehmung ist eine andere als die bei Hunden, macht Sinn, herauszufinden, wie die Sinneswahrnehmung von Hunden ist Geruch, Gehör, auf jeden Fall nicht die optische Wahrnehmung.

Soll das Wohlbefinden des Hundes verbessert werden?

Alle 3 Punkte bearbeiten. Hundeleine konkret zw. Nutzer und Hund aber die anderen lassen noch mehr Gestaltungsfreiraum/Spielraum für dich selber. Noch besser anschauen.

Mit Formen könnte man noch spielen, aber die Technik steht. 3 Produkte können sich so gegenseitig mehr unterstützen im Erzählen über das Ganze – mehr als nur 1 Produkt.

(Geruch & Stimme) Überlegung des Bedürfnisses des Menschen…

Es stillt das Bedürfnis des Menschen, aber nicht das des Tieres. Belohnungssystem mit einem Gadget für Menschen Das Tier entlasten damit.

(Tamagochi etc.) andere sollen sehen, dass dein Tier glücklich ist?

Was brauche ich vom Tier? Was ist mir dabei wichtig und wie kann ich das technologisch lösen, um das Tier zu entlasten.

Problematisch wegen dem Egoismus, der dahintersteckt Beziehung des Menschen mit dem Tier regulieren…

Gelungene Kommunikation – wenn beide – Tier und Hundehalter*in – glücklich ist.

Materialität, Form…? Open Source? Anleitung?

Geschäftsmodell hast du ein Produkt, das alle bei dir bestellen wollen?

Was ist deine Geschäftsidee?

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