© Nadeem Haidary 2009

Emergency Device

Emergency devices spend most of their existence in a passive state, doing nothing. This classroom device, which mimics an organism, sits on a wall or table and “breathes,” filtering the air and indicating that everything is alright. Like many living things, in an emergency, the device changes color and sounds an alarm. The professor (or student, if none is present) can remove the device and recieve instructions on how to handle the situation. They can then relay the information to the class and knowingly lead everyone to safety. The device can also be used to signal an emergency.

The initial research was conducted in small groups. This questionnaire helped us to understand how students would react to an emergency. They overwhelmingly expected professors to take control, but some doubted their ability to do so.

A map of the stakeholders involved in an emergency helped us to understand the total impact of an emergency. In addition, we created personas, read case studies and looked at existing systems.
Image Credit: Ben Wojtyna

We used a medium-sized classroom to study the device's context, understanding the existing emergency systems, escape routes and architecture. At left is a visualization of where people would expect to find an emergency device.

Ninety-nine percent of the time an emergency device does nothing. Generating concepts individually, I explored the idea of breathing as a way to conclusively convey that there is no emergency.

Metaphorically, the device mimics an organism. These three directions show different ways the idea of an organism can be expressed through form. The middle direction provided a form that was simple and organic.

An internal shell structure protects the electronics, pinpoint radio technology from Sima (the project's sponsor), and gives a skeleton for the breathing. With each breath, the classroom air is filtered, eliminating dust and germs and providing a more total protective device.

A digital model was created from which a physical model was 3d printed, sanded and finished. Lights and a motor from a breathing animal toy was put inside to simulate the behavior of an actual device.

This storyboard shows a scenario for the device's use. A trained professor could use the device in an emergency to give instructions that are displayed on-screen on the back of the wall-mounted device. Multiple devices would act as loudspeakers to convey the message to the entire classroom. The professor (or student if none is present) could take the device and receive updates in the event of an evacuation. The device has two-way communication, so it can also be used to alert authorities to suspicious activity or give status updates.

These photographs show how someone might use the device to receive evacuation instructions in the event of a gunman on campus.