A.R. Brown portfolio
2024 Gadget Fantastic LLC founded
First products: Laptop organizer system (carry handle, mobile holder, mouse holder, accessory pocket). Self-developed and manufactured at home. Two patents.
2022-2023 ChronoZen🄬 shelf version
This is ChronoZenⓇ (shelf version). It's a kinetic art clock concept that presents an ever-changing performance of color and motion while keeping time. This is a follow-on to my first project ChronoSplash which was a larger wall-mounted tank containing water and an acrylic clockwork. Both pieces have the 3 elements I think are worth pursuing:
1) The beauty of motion
2) Perpetual
3) Random
The moving part of ChronoZen has a Complication and Clockwork section fitted together. These drop onto the base which also contains magnets, sensors, and drive wheels to turn it once-per-minute. The Complication section can contain anything that moves in an interesting way (the video shows an experiment with mineral oil and colored water and also just glitter sand).
The Clockwork keeps time by moving the minute and hour hands with a post moving past a gear once-per-minute. A planetary gear reduction makes it all work out and a magnet/Hall effect sensor controls the turning rate precisely. An RGB-LED matrix array in the base goes through random patterns but also displays messages periodically. The light pattern can be changed with embedded touch sensors in the base.
I learned quite a bit making these prototypes and may produce these for sale someday. I'd want to change the clockwork away from a central spindle support to a perimeter roller because the alignment and clearances were always challenging. Other improvements are needed with the base/roller clearance to the rotating assembly for 3D printing.
Considering ChronoZen as an art piece seems to be limited to just an entertaining gadget, right? I think there's a deeper message here presenting the contrast between the regular nature of a clock and the randomness of the performance. I aspire to present a metaphor for life: long periods of marking time with random events and disruptions. I don't think I achieved that goal with these prototypes but I now have the skills and knowledge to design a piece that does.
medium: acrylic, 3D printed plastic, electronics, sensors, Arduino, RGD LED
2023 tool roll/organizer made from old pants
Legs cut off an old pair of pants to make a rollable tool organizer with elastic and hook-and-loop tape. Shorts made from the leftover pants.
2022 ChronoSplash
https://youtube.com/shorts/RpHoX70GiXE?si=ylqvMYvEimeh2mAB
Water-filled acrylic box used air jets to lift semi-buoyant plastic balls to the top of a gravity maze where they gently settled through the water creating random paths. One air jet provided the energy to fill an inverted shi shi odoshi (Japanese tipping water device) which indexed a clock, keeping time. RGB LED lighting controlled with Arduino. Entered in Artprize 2022 but not displayed due to lack of venues.
2020 RC flying wing, custom designed
Pandemic project. Foamcore and hot glue.
2019 autofocus glasses
Laser distance sensor on the bridge drives motor to slide the focus lens to the correct position. Working proof-of-concept.
2018 floor cleaning robot painting
Consumer floor cleaning robot performs random painting sequence until erroring out. Tempera on canvas.
2017 first versions of laptop handle and holders
Sewn elastic prototype of laptop organizer and carry handle. Began daily use and testing.
2015 electronic self-painting picture
Robotic arm used stylus to draw random images on digital tablet. After painting the robot arm folded back into the frame of the picture. Proof-of-concept.
2008 - 2010 Electric Pinwheels LLC (Windsor, NY)
Self-developed wind turbine with patented semi-rigid blades for the emerging home renewable energy market. The fabric-covered blades and recycled-plastic electric generators were available in a variety of colors. Leftover plastic and fabric pieces were used to make a wind gauge product.