Shashwath Santosh is a designer based in New York. Currently at Google Creative Lab.


About
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2022



Desires of
My Microwave 


Role:
Designer, Collaborator

Researcher




As a designer drawing inspiration from post-human critical theories such as Object Oriented Ontology, I was interested in separating form and function and examining how objects influence each other solely on their affordances.







GOAL

To turn my microwave into a fully functional calculator that could perform mathematical operations using only its existing buttons.




FIG 03. Reaching out to Engineers


FIG 04. Communicating to Non-Designers











FIG 05. Planning and Research 











INDUSTRY COLLABORATION

Opening a microwave is dangerous due to the high-voltage capacitors inside. To ensure safety, I had an electronic engineer supervise the discharge of the circuit before reprogramming it.

With the assistance of a creative technologist, I developed a custom Arduino circuit to power the microwave's new arithmetic brain.
















WORKING MODEL

A microwave has multiple buttons and functions that are already similar to those on a calculator, such as addition, subtraction, and a clear button. To me, a microwave was always a calculator that is waiting to be unlocked.














REAL-WORLD TESTING


I went to Whole Foods to buy groceries, and I brought my microwave to add up my grocery bill and heat up some food after. When I arrived, I found that the microwave conveniently fit into the shopping cart, which made it easy to transport around the store.











OTHER EXPLORATIONS



Adding grow lights to my Microwave to help plants grow. All after removing the heating of course.

(More Info Coming Soon)









Research under the guidance of:
Allan Wexler, Award Winning Artist + Designer

Special thanks to:
Creative Technologist: Krithi Nalla
Electronic Engineer: Usama Mughal
Programmer: Usama Mughal
Studio Photography: Arjun Sivaprakasam
Lighting: Arjun Sivaprakasam