🔑 Keybot
The research interaction project, known as Keybot, addresses the challenge of limited key access in shared studio workspaces at design and art schools. Typically, only a single shared key is available, causing repetitive and frustrating interactions for individuals seeking entry. To facilitate this process, I designed and constructed a device to automatically notify colleagues of someone's presence, indicating that the doors are already unlocked. By simply placing the key in its usual location, the device handles communication automatically.
The aim of Keybot is to replace cumbersome human interactions with a robotic solution while maintaining a sense of communal connection. Initially, one might assume that reducing human-to-human interactions, even the annoying ones, could diminish the team's dynamics, which is not the desired outcome. Therefore, the tension lies in designing a device that automates the tedious aspects while nurturing the communal atmosphere within the shared workspace.
