Paper mechatronics: a design case study for a young medium

Paper Mechatronics is a novel interdisciplinary design medium for children, enabled by recent advances in craft technologies: the term refers to a reappraisal of traditional educational papercrafts in combination with accessible mechanical, electronic, and computational elements. We present a design case study–building computationally-enhanced paper flowers–and discuss the iterative design process involved in the creation. We also describe a workshop we conducted with teenagers to evaluate paper mechatronics as a creative learning activity for children. We conclude with a discussion of future directions. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.5.2 [Information Interfaces and Presentation]: User Interfaces – prototyping General Terms Design, Experimentation, Human Factors Keywords Paper mechatronics; papercraft; educational technology; design medium.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2015
• Where: ACMIDC
• Authors: Hyunjoo Oh, Michael Eisenberg, Mark D. Gross, Sherry Hsi
• Keywords: ACMIDC 2015, Human Computer Interaction