Focus

A Smart Notification Lamp

Focus is my solution to Autodesk’s Desktop Fusion challenge. Focus is a smart notification lamp designed to reduce workflow distractions and smartphone reliance. With the use of its built in projector module, Focus projects content directly onto a surface (desks, notebooks, etc). This makes it easy for a user to view notifications without having to access his/her phone.

Notifications Modes

Focus has two notification modes: Discreet and Priority. Discrete mode keeps disturbances at a minimum by only showing the app icon of an incoming notification. Priority mode lets users see both the icon as well as the contents of a notification, enabling users to never miss important notifications. Focus can also display data from other apps such as the currently playing music track or a permanent clock image.

User Interaction

Focus utilizes user friendly gestures to interact with notifications. For example, one can simply swipe away notifications that are not important. For notifications that require immediate responses, a holographic laser keyboard is displayed as the method of text input. A user can type out and send a response without ever having to touch their smartphone. It’s as easy as that!

How it works

While many of Focus’ features seem futuristic and hypothetical, the lamp can be made using a variety of readily available components in today’s electronics market. To interpret notification data from smartphones, Focus is powered by a Raspberry Pi 3 running a custom software. The data is then passed to the lamp’s inbuilt projector module and then displayed onto a surface. In order to capture user interactions, there is an IR sensor designed to track the fingers of the user. This movement is interpreted by the Pi to perform the necessary functions. The holographic keyboard is displayed by a laser projector located close to the lamp’s base. There is also a wireless charging pad within the base to keep your device juiced up while using Focus. These electronics are then housed in Focus’ 3D printed frame. The simplistic design of the lamp makes the process of printing/manufacturing its structural components a breeze. For smaller printer beds, the symmetry of the large components makes it easy to slice them in half and assemble them post print using screws or acetone welding.

Check it out!

Electronic components found on GrabCAD:
Raspberry Pi: https://grabcad.com/library/raspberry-pi-3-1