An animal that is similar to a panel and fold system as well as an inflatable system is a puffer fish. In its deflated form, the puffer fish is reasonably soft and forgiving, though when it feels a threat is present, it takes on its inflated form, raising its spikes in order to create a barrier between itself and its threat. This idea of being able to inflate only when the animal (or person) is feeling threatened is intriguing, and raised some ideas about incorporating a system on a part of the body that is able to inflate. This would produce comfort for a person knowing they have they extra layer or ‘second skin’ that they can rely on when feeling uneasy. Humans are much the same as animals when it comes to personal space, in that both have a primary objective of protection, though humans also rely on personal space for comfort. This is why we thought looking at animals and natural systems of animals would be a good starting point for our design. The entire body becomes a part of the inflatable system, with almost every section covered with a protective layer of spikes. Appearance is unwelcoming and not approachable
The body is confined to smallest form this allows for tranquil and swift movements. Spikes are almost unrecognizable in a flat position – threat is not suspecting of defense mechanism Appearance is approachable
In our design, we would like to create an inflatable system that is able to differ in size in accordance to the individuals needs and wants of protection and comfort of personal space