IDW 0013: Enlightenment 1.0

[Form]

http://davivsjapan.com/IDW.jpg

Topic: Enlightenment 1.0

Background: In the future we last spoke of, the inclination towards the aesthetic and luxurious continued for many years. People were comfortable and relaxed in their world. Life seemed to be steering a straight course, and the planet was slowly healing its wounds.

However, the continuum of human evolution had not slowed. While a paradigm shift back to the ideologies of bygone times had been achieved, their could be no denying that the human mind was vastly more complex than ever before.

While society functioned outwardly, a hidden threat was festering. The human desire for something 'more' was growing stronger...

In 2078, a group was formed, who were known amongst themselves as the 'Thinkers'. They were adamant that the peaceful existance of the world was merely a ruse. They thought it was simply too good to be true.

Their basic human nature led them to question their existance, to continue the decades-old search for a meaning or purpose to life on earth. Their studies delved deep into the heart of the now fragmented religious beliefs of many cultures. Over several years, they concieved of, and marketed a system of 'Enlightenment'.

As word of the grou spread, people were torn in two minds. Many felt the same insatiable frustration that led the 'Thinkers' to their work, and still others were convinced that this 'Enlightenment' was nothing but a marketing ploy. These naysayers were sent into overdrive not long after, when the 'Thinker Corporation' announced it had ifnished a prototype model of its 'Enlightenment 1.0' spiritual evolution machine.


Brief:Your task is to concieve of a machine that the thinker corporation is using to help it's patrons achieve spiritual enlightenment. You must first choose whether you believe the Thinker Corp, or think that this machine is simply a clever marketing strategy designed to increase wealth, power, or ego.

How you, the designer, approach this problem, will have a big effect on the outcome of your design.

Have fun with this one!



Deadline: 2 weeks again. July 3

[dragon4lunch]

Hehehe, "a clever marketing strategy designed to increase [...] ego". Yeah, mind is in the gutter already ;p

[Flip]

Final:

http://users.bigpond.net.au/laing/phil/comps/idw-enlightenment.jpg
The Thinker Corporation has developed along the notion of 'knowledge is power'. With the goal of turning the world's people into their puppets Thinker Corporation developed the Enlightenment 1.0 bringing happiness to people through the idea of 'ignorance is bliss'. Enlightenment 1.0 is, in fact, a glorified lobotomiser, capable of various degrees of 'stupification' through the focusing of electromagnetic waves on particular areas of the brain. The level of 'stupification' is globally controlled through an encrypted satellite network so that the company can wait for market saturation before dumbing down the populace too much. In order to detract from the negative impact this product has on a person's mental capabilities Enlightenment 1.0 releases spores that create endorphins on contact with the skin, aiming to be released primarily in the nasal cavity or mouth to provide that feeling of 'enlightenment'. The spores are generated through the application of an electrical current to a bio-engineered 'mother' and decay rapidly leaving virtually no trace. Multiple use at the same level results in a negligible decrease in cognitive power, relying purely on the released endorphins. The workings of this model are kept in tight control - anti-tamper features stop users from deducing it's workings. The workings are hermeuticaly sealed as the internals are designed to decay rapidly in anything but an inert environment (argon is used). The endorphin releases need to have contact with air so have a decaying agent attached to both panels so in the event the back is removed the agent will be released. Another decaying agent is used to accelerate deterioration of the internals. The vials are completely destroyed in the process, leaving almost nothing for analysis.

[Simon.Rain]

Flip, that endorphins defuser is really clever...

I ll think of my own version soon

[Form]

sounding fantastic flipster.

[D-Holme]

I apologize for my ignorance but I had two questions:
#1. Is there any restriction on what medium can be used (digital, pencil/inks, computer model)
#2. How would one submit an entry for this activity

[Form]

d-holme

Hey, welcome to CA. Any medium is fine. You submit by posting your image and backstory here in this thread. Just see the past threads for an example.

[SquirrelHunter17]

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/SquirrelHunter17/thegodmachine-2.jpg

Enlightenment 1.0, a.k.a The God Machine.

The Thinker Corporation has keyed in on the ideology that if one is told to believe, they will. The consumer visits an "Enlightenment Instalation" where a trained professional sits the user down, feeds them a sleeping pill and pain killer, lowers the God Machine behind them, fits the "mouth" over the back of their head and then monitors the situation as the computer goes to work. A "god cartridge" is fixed into the back of the machine and a long needle slides into the back of the user's head, seating itself deep into their mind. From the cartridge comes a series of information bits that spread throughout the brain effecting all parts and making the user see how god makes the world work. The amount of time changes how strongly one will believe what The God Machine makes them believe. From a mild belief to over-religious zealot, the time can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Sleeping Pill and Pain Killers- Because the God Machine is effectively sticking a needle in your brain and bombarding it with informtaion, the process is indeed painful. Migranes are an uncommon side-effect after an "Enlightenment Operation." A worst-case scenario can put a user into a coma that may cause permanent brain damage, but this has only happened once, due to the failure of one technician to properly monitor the operation.

The God Cartridge- This contains all of the information in just the right amounts for the user's choice of enlightenment.

Because of the amount of technology, power, and risk involved, the Enlightenment Operation doesn't run cheap and isn't currently available for home use. The entire operation will run the user $200 to $800.

[Octothreat]

Awesome topic.
edit: final
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/2504/idw13enlightenment104zj.jpg
Critics of the "Enlightenment 1.0" were correct to be wary. Their suspicions were validated when they discovered ThinkCorp's new "spiritual evolution machine" to be nothing more than a pleasantly humming air purifier and lit container of bubbling water. However, what they did not realize is the research behind this placebo. The altruistically-oriented Thinker Coporation has realized the ease with which the human mind can attain true enlightenment. Most people do not reach this state because of psychological blocking. They do not believe that they can attain it on their own. With a little positive reinforcement of thier efforts (the mystical bubbly water) and an environment to concentrate in (fresh air), the human mind can deeply connect with the body, and the spiritually transcend the vices of the world.

[D-Holme]

A quick initial sketch:
http://www.milecastle.com/DHolme_Enlighten01_200606.jpg

Background blurb:
Enlightenment I - the first of the Thinker's machines, a device which merges the mind and they would say spirits of their volunteers into a new gestalt consciousness. The first unit only has space for five subjects but once processed the new consciousness claims a blissful existence, the combined minds have constant experience of each other producing a feeling of togetherness and being. A.I components of the device refine emotion and sensation so that the subjects now experience with increased clarity preventing thoughts from becoming clouded by emotion and feeling.

The figures represent automata controlled by the consciousness to allow it to interact with its environment.

The Thinker’s claim a great breakthrough, an elevation of humanity towards enlightenment, that now humanity can live free of its mundane shackles. Critics are fearful, they see the shadow of ever belligerent religion raising its head again, this time under the banner of a manmade god.


EDIT 03.07.06
Looks like work has got in the way of this one. Hopefully I'll get chance to finish it off someother time.

[Simon.Rain]

I based my concept on the old buddist and monk theory. It's basically a meditation machine but instead of reaching enlightment through years and years in a far away temple, you can do it a lot faster. It works by purifying your thoughts and washing away the desires that stops you from getting to a more spiritual level.

It's also like dreaming, it cleans what should be memorised and what should be discarded. The helmet completly shuts down your thinking process and take away all negative energy and put it in the small bottle in the back that you can recycle when you get a new one.

You can only use it once a day. The whole process last for as long as you decide but cannot go further than 30 mins because advanced testing clearly indicated lost of memory to even putting you in a coma/vegetable state. Since you are no longer conscious during the process, the time limit is also set to not loose contact with the rest of the world for too long for security matters( in cases of emergency, disaster, fire...)

So here's my first attempt at the IDoW

If I get the chance, I might play with the colors so I might update it

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/Kaze_sr/enlightment22.jpg

Critics and comments would be gladly apreciated :)

[Sogbad]

Hopefully I'll get time to do a proper photoshop rendering of the device, but until then here's an email hacked from the Thinker Corporation server....

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h155/sogbad/E1.jpg

[Lingmerth]

Stuff like this alredy exist. (kinda). For example flotation chambers (http://www.izame.com/ingles/). Might be good insperations for some people.

Oh, and also, Simon.Rain I think I would be a good idea to crop or fade the image at the bottom, unless you intend to finish his torso.

[Simon.Rain]

Lingmerth - Good idea thanks, I also have to put more value so it doesnt look so flat and faded

[SquirrelHunter17]

c'mon! let's get more of these finished people! you only have 4 days!!

I dont want this to be a 2 person race!

[tier_one]

**** CANCEL THIS ENTRY ****

That's what I came up with tonight after discovering this thread. Nice idea by the way. I'd also enjoy tasks that are a little more "realistic" though ;)

Anyhow... My idea are cristal-like pendants:

http://mud.ladaponte.com/work/temp/enlightment1.jpg

Each one of them has a unique shape so it's very personal. When purchased, it's completely black and is worn around the neck with a black cord.
The idea is to take this cristal everywhere with you. The cristal (and cord) reacts to pure sunlight, fresh air, fresh water and pollen and changes it's color, the more contact it has with those things. The cristal and the cord not only change color but also light up more and more. First it's only a dim light but will ultimately look like a beautifully glowing, white neclace.
This way, the owner of the cristal is motivated to travel around the world, seeking more beautiful natural resorts travelling far and wide to collect the biggest amount of different "enlightment-points". This concept is about cherishing nature and actively experience it. So in the end, enlightment doesn't come from the product itself, but the actions that the product motivates you to do.

Edit: I just realized that I didn't pay to close attention to the assignment... Hope to still be able to enter the contest even if my solution is not really a "machine" per se.

**** CANCEL CANCEL :) ****

[SquirrelHunter17]

Despite not being a machine, that is a very awesome idea tier_one. I'd vote for you ;)

[jasonnavarrette]

Sog, I love it love it! that sort of graphic manipulation is what I'm good at too...good stuff!

[Flip]

Added my design, but if there's still time tomorrow I might do some more work on it, or possibly do a redesign, I'm not entirely happy with the design as it stands.
EDIT: Re-design is up, entry is finished..

[IcyM]

Really cool ideas everyone! Here's my entry!

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i88/icym/idw13_enlightenment.jpg

The Thinker Corp had achieved one aspect of their goals of aiding the enlightenment of the masses. With the release of the Enlightenment Mark-I, aka the Flower of Light, the Thinker Corp started spiritual evolution of mankind.... Unfortunetly, the Thinker Corp was not as good as people believed. The Enlightenment Mark-I was not an aid to only achieve spiritual elation, but a filter to find certain people with an abilty yet to be determined.

The Enlightenment Mark-I is a device of unknown origin. It cannot naturally stand on its own, but when an individual with certain factors mentally and genetically, focused and brought their EKG and other bio-rythems at certain levels, the Enlightenment Mark-I would stand up right and "blossom" giving way calm light to each indivdual's spiritual center allowing for personal enlightenment... while sending out a homing beacon at Thinker Corp HQ

EDIT- Sorry.A few misspellings made it sound really dumb Heh...

[jcdied4me]

I only wish I had more time, which seams scarce at the moment. I hope you like it.

THINKERS:
The thinkers have constructed a chamber, which places the seekers in a trance through
gas and visual stimuli thereby causing the subject to hallucinate and is said to bring about
visions of enlightenment.

http://www.jeffsfolio.com/IN-OUT/FORUM/personal/IDEnlightenment01.jpg

[Tenno]

This is still running? If there's time I might have a crack at it when I get home.

EDIT:

Here's what I came up with:

http://www.graphuji.com/IDW0013.gif

Worn across the shoulders Enlightenment 1.0 or 'The Butterfly Wing' as it soon became known, amplified the empathic ability of the user and projected their own feelings to those nearby. The 'enlightened' would be always in tune with those around them and respectful to all life.The feelings of those around them would become more important than their own and they would strive to better themselves for the benefit of others. The fine metallic threads woven into the material of the wing act as small aerials recieving and broadcasting the empathic signals between devices, the hub mounted on the collarpiece then routing the signals to the brain passively through the body's own bioelectric field.

[SquirrelHunter17]

This is supposed to have gone to polls 3 days ago. :/

[Form]

im letting this go on. I dont see enough entries of quality to see it through to the poll.

[IcyM]

Hm.. could you crit our work so that it might attain the quality level we need for it to goto poll? I'm always looking for ways to get to the next level!

Thanks!

[Form]

i dont do much industrial design work in my concept jobs so im not the man for specifics, but primarily ID is about presenting a concept of a functional object. it is not about mood, or story, its about a clear presentation of a functional model. As artists here, we also try to make it look good! (Which is of course essential if a product were ever to be marketed...this topic is a good example!)

I dont have time to make individual critique today but i will when the topic closes over the weekend.

[IcyM]

"a clear presentation of a functional model".. I see. Since we have over the weekend, I'll get to work on that aspect. Thanks Form! :confident

[Form]

cool man.

Yeah, just think about it this way...

I have this flower object thing... that opens up when the right conditions are fulfilled...

But you have to really make it look functional... SHOW how it sense these things... show the opening mechanisms... show as much functional stuff as you can.

Think of the most simple of objects, say a torch.

SUre its a black cylinder with light at the end... but how about...

The textured grip on the handle? The light button? The seam where the bottom screws off for batteries? The logo and specifications around the collar? The reflective surface within the globe, the globe itself? The small hook on the end for hanging it up in the tool shed? The twisting mechanism to adjust the strength/scope of the light? ... soon a torch can become a complex amalgamation of elements that are designed to make it the most functional object possible.

[tier_one]

Form, you might be right with what you say about presentation etc. But you should then also choose assignments that don't completely drift away into this ultra conceptional moody storytelling style.

"In 2078, a group was formed, who were known amongst themselves as the 'Thinkers'. They were adamant that the peaceful existance of the world was merely a ruse. They thought it was simply too good to be true. Their basic human nature led them to question their existance, to continue the decades-old search for a meaning or purpose to life on earth. Their studies delved deep into the heart of the now fragmented religious beliefs of many cultures."

U know, thist doesn't really add to a practical approach of a solution. At least that's what I think. "Enlightment" is a very emotional thing and whatever classicaly practical products one could design, would probably not add to the enlightment of people but to other things. What we have designed here are helmets, sunglasses, futuristic bed-pods with TV sets and some other stuff. You could just as well ask us to do one of those things. We could then focus on the design of the product and its functionality and wouldn't be tempted to think too much about some cheesy background story, that puts the "enlightment" into our product. "Enlightment" is just a bit to far-fetched to set of a competition with comparable entries and practiacally designed products.

I certainly don't want assignments like "design a bed for the year 2050". I respect you for the work you put into coming up with good assignments, but maybe you kinda overshot the mark here.

[Form]

i think the focus here is industrial design as far as film and video games go, the vast majority of films that use conceptart have these elaborate backstories, but if you have ever seen designs for props in these kinds of movies you will know what im saying about functionality. It doesnt have to be functional on earth in 2006, but it has to be functional in that setting.

So in this case, the backstory creates paramaters to work within. From the backstory you can decide many things about how to approach the design of the object.

Same as the luxury vehicle round... because of the backstory that explains what the world is like, it leads to different rationales when designing the vehicles.

Once again, we arent at an industrial design company, we are using industrial design to create designs for film/tv/video game.

[Tenno]

Looks like it's rework time! :}

EDIT - Now reworked.

[ToxicDustbunny]

Maybe we could have a series of rounds for each design concept similar to what was done with the creature design 101 thread?

Like round 1 sketches. (A's)
Round two rough renders.(B's)
Round 3 final render and concept display presentation. (C's)

With requirments of completing the first round before moving to the second in the allotted time given.

ID tends to show all of this in concept books.
Is there still time to get in on this? or is it over with the due date past?

[SquirrelHunter17]

ToxicDustBunny, I think that the thread is going to stay open throughout the weekend.

[Form]

the thread will be open till monday, my time. Im gmt+10. so i guess sunday night for all you american peeps. I have too much on until after the thunderdome submission.

as for your idea toxic, its interesting, but the level of participation here is 10% what it is in the creatures section. If the participation gains momentum we can look at your idea again.

[The Dream Walker]

this has turned into Industrial design of the month... what happened to a deadline?

[Form]

read up, its all clearly explained.

[tier_one]

Ok. Here goes my little rushed last minute entry:

The idea is still the same like before:

"The photosensitive surface reacts to pure sunlight, fresh air, fresh water and pollen and changes this collected energy into light. First it's only a dim light but this will ultimately look like a beautifully glowing, white neclace.
This way, the owner of the cristal is motivated to travel around the world, seeking more beautiful natural resorts travelling far and wide to collect the biggest amount of different "enlightment-points". This concept is about cherishing nature and actively experience it. So in the end, enlightment doesn't come from the product itself, but the actions that the product motivates you to do."

Ok for a bit more technical approach: The cristal-like pendant is covered with a photosensitive surface that reacts to all kinds of nature influences and changes these into energy, that is first stored in a battery inside. This energy is then led to the oleds inside this surface to create light. The more nature-influences are being collected, the brighter the light will be.
Additionally there's an integrated flash memory to store personal information so this pendant can also be used like a future credit card or ID: The pendant is simply being inserted into a "needle" drive that reads the information.

http://mud.ladaponte.com/work/temp/enlightment3.jpg

[Flip]

After seeing the discussion that's gone on I've added an exploded view and additional tamper info.

Also, just on ID in films and games, here's a quote from an interview with Feng Zhu (http://www.g4tv.com/screensavers/features/51346/Ten_Minutes_with_Feng_Zhu_pg2.html)
I did a lot of the detail drawings for Grievous; my friend Warren Fu actually designed him, but the thing is, after we design it, we have to make it work for animation. He’s a very complex droid, so it’s a pain making it work. That was a really hard time; I spent about a month just getting around the joints, and his arms and legs. You can see in the trailer, too, that they have a little bit of human movement to them. So I came up with some joints that should be pretty cool in the film—especially the bodyguards, and how their waists work; it’s not a traditional cylindrical, XYZ thing. And they translated that exactly into the film.


Looking forward to the next topic!

[Flip]

HALT RIOTERS!!

Form's currently having trouble accessing the forums and will change the topics as soon as he can.

[Tenno]

Damn, Form's access must be truely :skull:

[Form]

yeah i cant access ca..






nah im doing it now. sorry peeps