» Ringdog

User Test – First conversations, Yukiko

maxmollon — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:24:39 +0000

Dog acceptation of the collar can take some time and training.

First phone call with Yukiko: EPIC FAIL  The sound was really to loud and Daniel felt onto his son’s answering-machine.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QazxRV-S9m4]

2nd phone call to Daniel’s wife. Talking about meeting each other later and traying to talk to the dog.
Daniel’s wife: “Yukiko doesn’t reply to me!”
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F5B5dOjK7U]

3rd phone call with Yukiko, watch it until the end!
The starting of the conversation is a bit tensed, they talk about the device and the experiment, after having given a biscuit to Yukiko the conversation really starts (about work), as the dog move the owner follows her, down on his knees on the carpet.
Daniel: “It’s the first time I use a hairy phone!”
Daniel: “That is a really ‘mobile’ phone…”
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB3Hq40aYro]

User test – Fitting, collars tests

maxmollon — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:16:51 +0000

I didn’t have the opportunity yo touch Yukiko, Daniel decided to meet first in the park—even if it is not the best situation for using the collar—to relax Yukiko. I had to not pay attention to her and let her come to me with her tennis ball (to throw it) as a way to say hello… Quite a wild dog, indeed.

I didn’t have the opportunity to directly interact with her (except by throwing the ball) but, she is quite a nice dog in the end.

The first collar was OK for communication but really too big for the dog.

It’s interesting how dog owners easily talk to each others thanks to their dogs, dogs sociabilisation forces owners interactions.

User Test – Introducing Yukiko

maxmollon — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:56:27 +0000

Photo of Yukiko by Daniel Pinkas
Yukiko is the most challenging tester for my project, we can expect from this race of dogs (Shiba Inu) to not be cooperative (at all :D).
Portrait of Yukiko and Daniel Pinkas

Prototyping – Sound echo problem

maxmollon — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:41:31 +0000

The sound from the speaker makes a loop with the microphone

Temporary solution, using an iPhone (which has an algorithm for echo cancelling)

Paper and tape prototype, very light collar holding a (heavy) iPhone

User Test – Eliot, this collar really suits you

maxmollon — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:40:38 +0000

First try on of the collar, the noise of phone conversation didn’t disturb the dog. But the microphone was broken. First phone conversation will be for the next time.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2oP1SZqv-o]

Introducing Eliot

maxmollon — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:30:52 +0000

Photo of Eliot by Vincent
Portrait of Eliot & Vincent De Florio

Electronics, fail – battery empty

maxmollon — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:29:33 +0000

Trying to find the problem I opened the whole collar,
and finnaly realized it was a matter of battery

Electronic – attaching electronic to the collar

maxmollon — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:11:37 +0000

The collar

Handeling the size and weight

Using “heat sheath” to protect circuits

Sound wasn’t good enough therefore I rebuilt a speakerbox

Design – study

maxmollon — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:46:59 +0000

A selection of the state of art (the barking translation collar and the 1st person view dog camera),
Dog morphology study
Collar study
Sound speaker study (interesting fabric speaker technology)
Dog position study (where does end the collar)
Fashion design study (so many possible clothes that I just classified them and drew a summin-up diagram)
Choice to only work on the collar (It enhance the concept at it keeps the aesthetic part simple)
Now I have to study electronic size problems…
[slideshow]

Electronic, fail – bluetooth burnt

maxmollon — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:12:23 +0000