46 Technology: Engineering Our World Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Humans also need and enjoy leisure time, so we have toys, sports equipment, games, musical instruments, and movies. We also have products that help us gain knowledge (books, computers, and smartphones), move around freely outside our home (wheelchairs, buses, bike-sharing programs), and express our creativity (color pencils, construction kits, sketching software, do-it-yourself stores). One design team saw the need to improve safety for urban cyclists at night by making them more visible to motorists. Their bike laser light projects a bright, easily seen image of a bicycle 20′ (6 m) in front of a vehicle (Figure 3-4). Blaze.cc Figure 3-4. Safe cycling on busy city streets. What other safety products would make cycling safer? STEM STEM Link Link Art, Nature, and Technology Technology The shapes and patterns of technological products are often inspired by nature. Many patterns are based on shapes that we know quite well: leaves, flowers, birds, and animals. If you look around, you may find examples of sunflower tiles on a floor, leaf patterns on fabric used for carpets, or a necklace of wooden pieces carved in the shapes of birds. Usually, the patterns are not exact copies, but abstract versions that were inspired by the objects. For example, the design for the faucet shown here may have been inspired by the branches of a tree similar to the one shown. The shape of any object we use is influenced by our sense of touch. Have you noticed that very young children want to touch everything? They don’t understand an object until they have touched it. When we are adults, our sense of touch still influences the value we place on objects we use. For example, we prefer a door handle that is easy to grasp and operate, or a chair that feels comfortable. Technology Activity Design a mug for drinking your favorite beverage. Think of shape and pattern. First draw the outside shape. The shape must be easy for the user to hold. Then develop a pattern for the surface of the mug using an idea that comes from nature. Make sure the exterior shape and the surface design are in harmony with each other. Create detailed sketches to document your design. Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Goodheart-Willcox Publisher