tennis simulation

There are virtual versions of popular sports such as golf, football and baseball. There is a company called ‘Chosen Events’ that posses this technology for temporary installations.

It works by having the technology start with a set of four high-speed machine vision cameras: taking 2000 pictures each and every second with pinpoint shot accuracy, the patented Micro Sight camera technology can determine the exact trajectory, direction, speed and spin of any object. A combination of  high performance CCD chips, LED technology and leading edge optics help track the object from any location.

The games involve the player throwing a ball at a goal on the screen. they are given 3-5 attempts and the on-screen data records the distances, speed, number of shots and goals scored. The camera technology seamlessly maps the ball onto the screen image and is measured over a distance to give highly accurate ball trajectory – even spin is detected. There is also an option to adjust the difficulty settings to accommodate those of different skill types.

The simulation is housed in a bespoke designed polished quad truss frame with black covering, Allowing it to be used both indoors and outdoors. The simulations have digital stadium hoardings that can also be branded.

Dimensions: Standard simulator occupies an area of 4m width x 4m depth x 3m height.

Dimensions: Compact simulator occupies an area of 3.7m width x 3.7m depth x 2.7m height.

Power: 1 x twin 13-amp socket (3kw). If powered via a generator, rather than a mains supply, this must be earth-bonded.

Source: https://www.chosenevents.co.uk/event-types/?1456_act_Multi-Sports-Simulators

Materials research

Wood

Plywood – A manufactured board made from layers of solid timber veneer thats usually 3 millimeters thick. this method makes it incredibly strong but also light in weight and resists cracking,bending, warping, and shrinking. But they’re not suitable for many joints.

Cedar – A wood that is a natural moth repellent that is lightweight, durable and stable.It is also resistant to warping and cracking. It is commonly used to create  wood shingles in roofs and interior panelings.

Birch Plywood – a popular fine-grained wood, it comes with a nice smooth pale finish to add a touch of elegance to the finished product. It’s also durable and doesn’t have any jagged edges.

Metal

Cast Iron – an alloy of Iron containing varying amounts of carbon,silicon and manganese. there are four different types of cast iron: White, Grey, Ductile and Malleable iron which have their different physical and chemical properties. It’s mainly used for pots and pans as the surface distributes the heat evenly. It can also be used for outdoor finishes and settings such as bench legs and iron tables.

Aluminium  – a light and corrosion resistant material. It is heavily utilized for stamped and cast furniture, mainly molded chairs,  in order to take advantage of its qualities.

Stainless Steel – a metal with high tensile strength, which allows it to be applied using hollow tubes. It is used in many hinges and supports of furniture.

Gold leaf – Gold that’s been hammered into thin sheets. It’s available in a variety of karats and shades

Glass

Float Glass – a basic type of glass that has a high degree of light transmission and is available in a variety of sizes, thickness and colours and opacities. It is also a starting material used to create laminated, toughened or coated glass.

Toughened glass – a type of glass created using the thermal tempering process. Making it have structural durability, thermal strength and highly resistant to breakages. Though it cannot be recut after it has been toughened.

Tinted glass – glass with colour added to create a tint made by altering the chemical formulation of the glass and the colour and density change with the glass. This gives it UV protection ,the colour is durable and while it maintains it’s transparency, the brightness from the outward view is reduced which prevents passers by from seeing inside.  

Laminate flooring is a multi-layer synthetic flooring.Its designed to look like wood or stone when its actually a large photograph covered in a clear ‘wear layer’ Its fast and easy to install as well as easy to clean

https://www.timbertown.com/why-using-lightweight-woods-is-perfect-for-some-projects/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_furniture

 

 

a visit from CAST

CAST is an expert team of jewellery designers and makers that don’t exist in a studio or workshop but at hotels,restaurants and bars where the participants are given a kit containing a handful of tools and a sample of jewelers wax to carve out a custom shaped ring, pendant, cuff links, earrings and other types of jewellery. The finished piece is then sent back to CAST where they take it to their casting workshop to cast the piece into solid gold, silver or platinum, hand finish it then send it back to the client usually within 3 weeks.

cof

cof

The other day Cast visited to give a presentation and explain what they want from those who have chosen this client for the next project. They had also brought some kits along to show us what the packaging looked like and what the kits contained. They also displayed some finished pieces and some rings that had already  been carved but not cast.

I was allowed to have a go with the tools and make a shape out of the wax. First, I tried to shape the wax into a bunch of crystals on top of the ring but the wax turned out to be harder than I thought and instead used the file that came with the kit to make some cat ears instead. This was the end result of this experience with using CAST’s Jewellery making kit after my hands got tired.

The file was easily the best tool out of the kit since it got into the wax very easily while the two thin silver tools I barely had a chance to use while I struggled with the craft knife because my hands shake a lot and wound up with a minor cut as a result.

Objectives – 10/12/18

Now added rooms to all the floors I wanted to use for this project and adjusted the balcony roof to make it more stable. steel beams have been added after a discussion with a structural engineer about how this building should work.

Current objectives:

• Adjust intro box in design portfolio so the text isn’t touching the box
• Make a style board with products, colour palette, aesthetic etc
• Make an axonametric and exploded view of the final model

Objectives – 3/12/18

This is the current state of the hotels design the hexagon shaped room will be re-arranged since i dislike the current interior layout and certain parts are difficult to navigate. as well as figure out where the stairs should be placed.

Other suggestions given:

• look up Harmonia 57 building
• put some metal plates on some of the birdhouse walls

Objectives – 26/11/18

• Make a photo collage of birdhouses on the building
• look up upcycled materials
• look at tradional swiss cabins

Objectives – 19/11/18

after looking at some birdhouses because I was low on inspiration, I decided on having birdhouse-like rooms with the rooms sticking out of the hotel.

Other things to do:

1. Redo layout of design portfolio to resemble the first page and align text to the subtitle
2. add onto the design brief about the person you’re designing for
3. look up the materials – Glass and Timber

Mattress Materials

Materials Used in Mattresses

Foam – soft material which helps with temperature regulation and pressure point relief. there are different types of foam which include memory foam, gel memory foam, polyurethane foam and viscoelastic foam (rebounded foam)

Polyester batting – used as a filling in pillow top mattress and mattress covers.

Wool – not used as a standalone material for mattress padding and instead serves as extra padding and temperature regulation and extra padding.

Cotton – a breathable material that is used both inside and outside the mattress.

Adhesives – used as a way to bond layers, materials and seams together. Quilting is often combined with adhesives to strengthen the bonds.

Flame Retardants – found in all mattresses as a legal requirement.

Steel Coils –  either formed as open coils or individually wrapped coils, they are a key structural component that are the firm support as the base of the mattress.

Mattress Types

Memory Foam – Consists of polyurethane and additional chemicals to increase its viscosity and density. The foam bubbles are open and create a matrix through which air can move and allow the foam to soften in reaction to body heat, allowing it to mold into the body shape within a matter of minutes. newer foams return to their original shape quicker. They also don’t have coils in them.

Innerspring Mattress – the most numerous and the most popular due to their affordability. They also support a variety of sleepers including stomach sleepers, people with back pain, and overweight individuals. However, they have the tendency to sag, short lifespans, noisiness and lack of motion isolation.

Hybrid Mattress – these mattresses combine two or more support systems such as memory foam and the innerspring system. making them a great way to experience the pressure of reliving benefits of memory foam while retaining the feel of an innerspring mattress.

 

 

Bird Flight Patterns

Common Bird fight patterns

1. Direct Flight – birds fly in a straight level path while continuously flapping their wings. Species that use this includes: Ducks, Herons, Shorebirds and Blackbirds
2. Flap and Glide – the bird takes a break from flying and glide instead. Species that do this include: Ravens, Owls and Hawkes
3. Glide – birds glide without flapping. Birds that do this are Swifts and Swallows.
4. Hawking – involves flying out and up from a perch and then back again in circular motion. it used by birds like flycatchers and warblers to hunt for insects “on the wing”
5. Hovering – the bird appears as if its hovering in one spot. this is mainly used by hummingbirds because they do this at will due to a unique flexible shoulder joint that enables the bird to create lift during the up and down stroke. Kestrels, Kingfishers, and Storm-prestels are capable of hovering briefly.
6. Static Soaring – Hawkes and Vultures fly in circles and soar on their long broad wings.
7. Straight-Line-Formation – Pelicans, Flamingoes, Cormorants, and cranes fly in a straight line in formation while low over the water.
8. Undulating Flight – a rollercoaster style flight pattern where birds flap their wings during the rising phase then glides as it descends. this style is used by Woodpeckers and Finches.
9. V Formation – a flock of birds arranged in a V pattern. each bird is slightly higher than the other and takes advantage of the lift generated by the wingtip vortex of the bird in front of it. the lead bird and outside positions are the most difficult physically so the birds often switch positions. these are used by migratory birds such as Geese, Ducks and Swans.
10. Zigzag – Snipes and Grouse fly up and down in a triangular path. Its mainly used to elude predators.

 

Source: https://pqspb.org/bpqpoq/10-bird-flight-patterns-to-know/

Birds in Sheffield

Birds found in the Sheffield/Rotherham area:

Barn owl, Black-Headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Blackcap, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit,  Collard Dove, Coot, Curlew, Dipper, Dunnock, Goldcresst, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Hen Harrier, Herring gull, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Linnet, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Mallard, Mandarin Duck, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Robin, Skylark, Snipe, Starling, Tree Sparrow, Waxwing, Wheatear, Wood Warbler

Total = 40

Locations:

Ponds/Wetland/Coastal: Canada Goose, Coot, Dipper, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Mallard, Mandarin Duck, Moorhen, Snipe

Total = 9

Woodlands/Parks/Farmland: Barn Owl, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collard Dove, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Robin, Skylark, Tree Sparrow, Wood Warbler

Total = 21

Widespread*: Black-Headed Gull, Curlew, Hen Harrier, Herring Gull, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Starling, Waxwing, Wheatear

Total = 10

*includes city areas as there is no singular type of bird that can only be found in cities.