Astronauts have many concerns while in orbit. The comfort of their gloves is constantly on their mind because the forces at play are very difficult to resolve and counteract on a scale as small as the hand. Creases that are strengthened by the pressure of a simulated atmosphere prevent circulation in the astronauts hand, which causes nail delamination, fatigue, and general discomfort.
I decided to take on the task of redesigning the astronaut glove through an exploration of material, connections methods, and form.
I became very comfortable throughout this project with the iterative process. Over the span of 5 weeks I researched, designed, and fabricated 8 gloves. I learned that not only is it important to prototype often, but to also prototype different aspects of the project, to gain a more encompassing view of the object/experience one is designing.
A constant conversation with one's material - it's limitations and it's preferences was a huge lesson that I learned from this project. A designer must always be listening to his/her material and accounting for its shortcomings, but more importantly capitalizing on its strengths.
One of the most important things that I learned through this project was the about the constant interplay between working in two dimensions and three. Below, find a charting of my different pattern designs, and how they evolved throughout the course of the process. All patterns were drafted by hand, then later scanned and vectored for posterity. Please contact me if you would like access to any of the patterns for your own prototyping purposes.