Ergonomic Violin: Intelligent Design Meets String Theory
June 5, 2006 | Levent OZLER
Industrial design graduate Tricia Ho has been awarded the Gold Australian Design Award - Dyson Student Award respectively at the 2006 Australian Design Awards.
Tricia Ho's "Ergonomic Violin (EV)", a modern interpretation of the classic violin, was designed with several interchangeable frames that allow a player to customise the violin to suit their style and reduce musculoskeletal disorders in a player's neck and shoulder region. The judges said the Tricia's design "represents innovative thinking, complete design principles and distinctive engineering."
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.
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."
The Faculty of the Built Environment's Industrial Design Program received a trophy of recognition as the educational institution of the award-winning students.
The Australian Design Award-Dyson Student Award rewards innovative and distinctive engineering and design emanating from Australia's education sector.
EV at Australian Design Awards: http://www.designawards.com.au/ADA/05-06/student/140/140.htm
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