Project Connect is a new transit plan for the city of Austin, Texas, introducing a Light Rail System and reinvigorating other transit services throughout. A significant stop along the route of the Light Rail is along Guadalupe St. on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, providing me and my peers with the opportunity to illustrate the mobility journeys of the members of the UT community. MVMT, the project borne out of the collaborative work with Project Connect, seeks to delve into the intricate narratives of UT community members, capturing the essence of their unique journeys and perspectives. MVMT aspires to foster a deeper understanding of our collective mobility patterns, igniting conversations and inspiring innovative solutions for the future of movement within our community and beyond.

Research included surveys, public transit ride-alongs, and mindmapping.

We developed insights through collecting quantitative and qualitative data on student mobility experiences.

To address this gap, I envisioned a concept for a set of VR controllers that would correspond to the main structural categories of surgical tools.

01 Stylus

• Scalpel
• Electrocautery pen
• Curette
• Syringe

02 Hinged

• Cutters
• Forceps
• Axial laparospic handle

03 Ringed

• Scissors
• Clamps
• Shank laparoscopic handle

The controllers are designed with the ergonomics of different ways each tool can be held. For example, the button on the stylus tool can be pressed with either the thumb in a scapel pencil grip or the index finger in a scalpel palm grip. The top button can be pressed like a syringe. The hinge tool can be held like tweezers, or reversed like an axial laparoscopic handle. The controllers have slanted top surfaces to contain the IR lights for a VR headset to read easily at multiple angles.

I created physical prototypes iteratively and made adjustments to the design after each one, focusing first on ergonomics and then on VR capabilities.

Version 1: Foam

Version 2: Wire and Clay

I adjusted my design to include a third controller, then 3D modeled my final designs in Autodesk Maya for production.

The controllers were printed in white PLA. I encountered difficulties printing a living hinge with enough tension for the hinge controller, so I printed it as separate pieces which I then connected with a coiled 18-gauge wire coated in white foam clay.