| Pop-Sci Core77 Design Challenge/ Description HUMAN POWERED 10/20/03 |
| Description of Design | |
design philosophy Live the life of a kid again. Enjoy hours of endless entertainment yo-yoing and listening to music everywhere you go - and never run out of batteries again! Introducing REGEN: A yo-yo/MP3 player complete with wireless headset and docking station. This new concept has now become feasible due to advances and convergence of many key technologies. MP3 replaces the CD, MD and cassette as the musical medium of choice, not only because it is infinitely re-writeable, but also because it is so much smaller. The solid-state storage provides a solid skip-free environment from which the music can play in a shock-filled environment that is the everyday world of the yo-yo. High energy density, custom shape-moulded Lithium-Ion batteries allow battery backup and sustained play-life in such a small package. Finally, wireless technologies allow low-power, high-definition music transfer from the yo-yo to the headphones. performance: Between 10-12 tosses per hour are sufficient for continuous music play. A wireless headset allows the user to listen to music while yo-yoing. Storage capacity of up to 200 MP3 songs on flash ROM (the equivalent of 15 CDs) user interface: REGEN has been designed for one handed, intuitive operation. To activate the MP3 player, simply hold the yo-yo in the palm of your hand and squeeze the two halves together slightly. Stress transducers located within the axle unlock the keypad. Traditional play/stop/skip LCD touch-screen buttons exist in combination with a virtual thumb jog-wheel to fast-forward, rewind and adjust volume. The yo-yo also features a quick-volume feature, which is accessed by twisting the two faces of the yo-yo with respect to each other. The flip side of the yo-yo contains another LCD screen, which gives the user information about battery charge status. headset: The wireless headset uses Bluetooth, a wireless communications standard that allows the user to freely listen to music while yo-yoing. The neckband headset folds up like a set of earmuffs into a tight package that holds the yo-yo inside, making the headset a great carrying case that keeps the yo-yo safe however you choose to punish it. From time to time, headset batteries must be recharged in order to allow wireless reception to continue indefinitely. This is accomplished with a cable that is normally stored in a manually winded spool contained within the headset that is plugs into the yo-yo. The MP3 player can also be used with a set of conventional earphones. docking station: The docking station serves several functions. It is a convenient way to download new music onto the yo-yo, charge the batteries (both yo-yo and headset) and also serves as an Art Deco styled clock. REGEN also comes with a special cable that allows it to interface with USB port, to download music when you’re away from your docking station. Chris Aimone Tomek Bartczak |