The Sonatome Teller
Overview
This is a work of speculative fiction and design, developed in collaboration with Bella Colosimo and Peter Rosenthal. Given the volatile nature of global politics and the uncertainty of our future, we felt imagining an idealistic outcome for humanity would provide respite from the problems of the present and open our minds to more hopeful possibilities. Our design is set within The Provinces of Yigdrasil, a self-sustaining ecosystem meant to shelter humanity from an inevitable nuclear fallout. Following a period of prolonged global warfare, various political and financial powers established contingency plans in order to ensure the survival of the human race. The Amazon funded World Tree was one such plan. Over time, the inhabitants of the World Tree went on to generate their own customs and culture, involving a division of 5 provinces, focused on maintaining various aspects of society.
Our design is concerned with story telling and literature, how the functionality of the oral tradition has evolved to suite the needs of this civilization. The conclusion we reached was the Sonatome Teller: a multipurpose orating device, centered around education and compassion training. Stories are contained within Sonatomes, audio-based artifacts, which are often shared and discussed among peers. Due to biological differences, the humans of Yigdrasil require frequent empathetic engagement in order to sustain their ability to connect with others. One sect of Sonatomes is dedicated to fulfilling this need, while the other is used to educate citizens on the culture and practices of each province. Further explanation of Yigdrasil, Sonatomes, and more can be heard in the Sonatome Library found here.
Demo
ideation
The origins of the project were rooted in a desire to explore solar punk aesthetics, envisioning a world where eco-sustainable practices result in a more idealistic balance between humanity and nature. After molding the features of such a world, we were drawn to the notion of storytelling as a means of conveying our ideas. Specifically, using speculative design, we could produce an object that allows users to engage with our potential future while simultaneously reflecting on the state of western culture as we know it.
Since solar punk was our main aesthetic inspiration, we wanted our final design to have a very ornate and organic feel. Wood and resin would be our main materials, with the inclusion of minor metallic components. Given the audio-based nature of the project, we modeled our early designs off of hi-fis and similar devices. Our primary user experience would involve placing a story into the Sonatome and closing the lid to begin playback.
Using those preliminary designs, we began generating some 3D models in blender to better grasp the implications of each. Through those models, we got a better sense of texture and feel, how various finishes would impact the overall product. Eventually we settled on a slanted cube design, slimmer at the base than the top. Resign would line the inside of the box, seen when the user places the Sonatome inside. The “speaker grill” would be emulated using a union jack style aluminum mesh.
PROCESS
Outer Shell
The device itself was fashioned from a 12x14 foot piece of 2” thick pine wood, cut into 6 10”x10” squares using a table saw. Two of the pieces were measured to be 8”x10”, and each square was then cut into an angled shape. In order to fit the pieces together, the opposite sides needed to be slightly smaller: 7.5”x9.5”. To connect the wood, we used a pocket screw jig to drill four holes into one piece of wood. The screws were then drilled into those holes to avoid using external screw. This process was repeated for the opposite side, joining all the pieces together.
In order to fill out the bottom, we measured the opening formed by the conjoined pieces and cut one of the remaining 10”x10” squares to fit it. To ensure a perfect fit, we took the internal sloping angle using a protractor and then adjusted the table saw to fit that angle. Then we cut each of the four corners. This technique ensured it was flat internally and filled the necessary space externally. We repeated this step to create the top, but we cut the wood slightly larger. Due to the angles, we couldn’t fit internal hinges into the design. Therefore, we added a set of external hinges and a handle for easy opening.
The seams of the box didn’t fit together perfectly, so they were sanded to make them flush with the other sides. We started off 80 grit sandpaper, then 120 grit, then 220 grit. Using the bigger grit first helped smooth large blemishes, while moving to lower grits allowed for more control of the finer details. To make room for the metal portions, a cope saw was used to cut out the sides. An opening was marked and sawed by hand. The cope saw cut fairly unevenly, so the sides needed to be filed afterwards to ensure they remained perfectly square. The metal was cut to fit the opening then set aside to be glued in after staining. Since it was thin, the metal could be cut using shop scissors. Before we began staining, the entire box was gently sanded. Using a dark walnut wood stain, the inside and outside of the box were stained with foam brushes and a small towel. Multiple coats were added. Afterwards, we drilled holes to screw in the handle and hinges, glued the metal pieces from the inside and any outstanding details were perfected to complete the project.
Resin Core
In order to learn the process of optimally mixing colors, we poured several test pieces. We found contrast was important, one color needed to be lighter in order to stand out. Meanwhile, density affected how the resin would settle, so we needed to account for that when applying the dye. Lighter opacity dyes would’ve allowed us to produce a more visible swirl, but those we had were all fairly dark.
The final resin insert consists of two pieces: one larger piece with a square hole in the center and a smaller recessed piece to fill that hole and make room for the Sonatomes. The molds for the final piece were made out of plastic binder separators, reinforced with cardboard. Our first attempt at pouring the main piece resulted in a failure because we exceed the maximum pour depth, leading to a runaway cure reaction. The second attempt was much thinner, so some thickness was added to achieve the proper recess depth; we did this using some dark colored cork board.
Sonatomes
Our Sonatome Teller design meant the Sonatomes could be any artifact that can have an NFC tag pasted onto it and fit the square opening. As a result, we ended up using many of our resin test pours as Sonatomes, so as to not waste materials. Beyond that, we designed and 3D printed a Sonatome model using a resin SLA 3D printer.
Electronics and Code
The computer operating the Sonatome teller is a Raspberry Pi Zero W. We chose to code the project using python, which can be found here. The main loop involves a directory that stores associated NFC tag IDs with the names of stories stored locally on the device. When the NFC sticker of a Sonatome is placed in the reader and the lid is closed (completing our copper tape circuit), the story plays through the speakers. There are some additional features as well, such as: NeoPixels which update their color at roughly 17 frames per second and operating system signal handling to ensure the NFC reader, LEDs, and all other GPIO pins are showdown properly before closing the program. The complete list of electronics amounted to: an NFC reader, a stereo speaker set, 2 NeoPixels, and a custom-built switch. These were mounted to the bottom side of the resin core. A wiring diagram can be viewed below.
User Testing
In order to conduct some user testing we wired up a prototype using the same electronics that would go into the final design. The outer shell was made using scrap OSB. It’s construction can be viewed below.
Once assembled, the prototype was shown to two users with no background knowledge on the project. At first, they found the need to close the lid confusing, as they expected the stories to begin playing once placed inside the box. After brief explanation, both were able to achieve the core interaction loop we were looking for and suggested that the device would fit well in either a museum/gallery setting, as well as an escape room, which we hadn’t really considered while making it. Although, given the depth of the worldbuilding, fleshing out an escape room centered around the Sonatome Teller would be an ideal next step for the project.
