Proximity Vest

A design tool for the exploration of proxemic zones

Master thesis (2021)

Authors

T.E.K. Gerard Industrial Design Engineering

Contributors

H. Verma Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence - IDE (mentor)
A.J.C. van der Helm Design Conceptualization and Communication - IDE (mentor)
Faculty
Industrial Design Engineering, Industrial Design Engineering
Copyright: © 2021 Thor Gerard
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Published Date

16-08-2021

Language

English

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Faculty

Industrial Design Engineering

Abstract

Everybody has a personal space. A zone that you naturally preserve free around you, so you feel at your most comfortable. That personal space varies quite a lot from person to person. It is also a fluid zone because it is very much dependent on the type of interaction you are having at that moment. 
This thesis was the development of a design tool for the exploration of proxemic zones. It focussed on using modern sensors and technology to be able to measure exact distances towards people. By user testing the different iterations in the development, it became more apparent how people set distances. 
The final design is called the Proximity vest. The tool is a vest that is easily deployable and can be used all day without interrupting the user or the people around them. It uses a stereoscopic camera in the front that has the same field of view as a person. It accurately detects people and measures the distance they are apart from you. The video is locally processed to distance data-points and sent to the cloud for easy data analysis.