Intelligent design meets string theory
10th February 2006
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| Tricia Ho displays her violin |
Violinist and industrial designer Tricia Ho is drawing plaudits for her ergonomically designed violin that takes the pain out of playing the bowed string instrument.
Ms Ho, who has just completed a Bachelor of Industrial Design at the University of New South Wales, designed her idea of the “perfect electric violin” using high-tech materials for her final year design project.
Dubbed “EV” (for ergonomic violin), the prototypic instrument is to receive a German design award and is short-listed for this year’s Australian Design Awards, to be announced in May.
Made from a combination of carbon fibre and a high-tech “shape memory polymer”, Ms Ho designed EV so that it could be literally moulded to suit a player’s personality and physique. The instrument’s rigid carbon fibre body couples to a range of flexible polymer frames. These interchangeable frames include a self-supporting option so that a player doesn’t need to grip the instrument under the chin while playing.
“It’s my idea of the perfect electric violin,” says Ms Ho. “I designed it to help reduce the neck and shoulder pain that plague many violinists, and to make playing as comfortable as possible.”
Both the malleable frame, which sits around a players' neck, and the lip which curves around the shoulder, are made from a high-tech shape memory polymer, called Veriflex™. The polymer, which can be moulded at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius, allows violinists to shape the frame to their body to maximise their comfort. The waterproof frame can be manually reshaped after immersing it in a dish of warm-to-hot water for a few minutes. The reshaping of the frame is reversible and can be changed as often as desired.
“Shape memory polymers can be altered because they posses dynamic shape "memory" properties. They can be moulded into any shape when heated, and cooled to retain the new shape,” says Ms Ho. “They’re a bit like ‘The Incredibles’ cartoon character, Elastigirl; they can be stretched and folded into endless shapes, and tolerate being elongated by up to 200 percent. In its elastic state, a shape polymer will recover its "memory" shape if it’s left unrestrained.”
Veriflex™ is a trademark of CRG industries: http://www.crgrp.net/veriflex.htm
Photo editors note: high resolution images of ergonomic violin available online
High resolution images: http://www.fbe.unsw.edu.au/exhibits/7degrees/binddes/student.asp?id=ho
Link to EV at Australian Design Awards: http://www.designawards.com.au/ADA/05-06/student/140/140.htm
UNSW Media Contact: Dan Gaffney (mob) 0411 156 015
Date issued: 9 February 2006
Ms Ho, who has just completed a Bachelor of Industrial Design at the University of New South Wales, designed her idea of the “perfect electric violin” using high-tech materials for her final year design project.
Dubbed “EV” (for ergonomic violin), the prototypic instrument is to receive a German design award and is short-listed for this year’s Australian Design Awards, to be announced in May.
Made from a combination of carbon fibre and a high-tech “shape memory polymer”, Ms Ho designed EV so that it could be literally moulded to suit a player’s personality and physique. The instrument’s rigid carbon fibre body couples to a range of flexible polymer frames. These interchangeable frames include a self-supporting option so that a player doesn’t need to grip the instrument under the chin while playing.
“It’s my idea of the perfect electric violin,” says Ms Ho. “I designed it to help reduce the neck and shoulder pain that plague many violinists, and to make playing as comfortable as possible.”
Both the malleable frame, which sits around a players' neck, and the lip which curves around the shoulder, are made from a high-tech shape memory polymer, called Veriflex™. The polymer, which can be moulded at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius, allows violinists to shape the frame to their body to maximise their comfort. The waterproof frame can be manually reshaped after immersing it in a dish of warm-to-hot water for a few minutes. The reshaping of the frame is reversible and can be changed as often as desired.
“Shape memory polymers can be altered because they posses dynamic shape "memory" properties. They can be moulded into any shape when heated, and cooled to retain the new shape,” says Ms Ho. “They’re a bit like ‘The Incredibles’ cartoon character, Elastigirl; they can be stretched and folded into endless shapes, and tolerate being elongated by up to 200 percent. In its elastic state, a shape polymer will recover its "memory" shape if it’s left unrestrained.”
Veriflex™ is a trademark of CRG industries: http://www.crgrp.net/veriflex.htm
Photo editors note: high resolution images of ergonomic violin available online
High resolution images: http://www.fbe.unsw.edu.au/exhibits/7degrees/binddes/student.asp?id=ho
Link to EV at Australian Design Awards: http://www.designawards.com.au/ADA/05-06/student/140/140.htm
UNSW Media Contact: Dan Gaffney (mob) 0411 156 015
Date issued: 9 February 2006
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