Design for Physics
English
Design for Physics is a project resulting from the collaboration between Sapienza Physics Department and IED (Istituto Europeo di Design).
During the year 2022/23, students from the product design course at IED designed and made devices for the study of physics under our guidance. The devices, besides being functional, also have special aesthetic features and are inspired by the design of the 1960s, which made many Italian brands famous in the world.
Thus, we have created new educational tools for secondary schools, designed to enhance physics learning through the use of smartphones as well. The work was presented at the 11th edition of Maker Faire Rome, the most important European event dedicated to innovation, where it was a great success with thousands of visitors who visited the booth set up for the occasion. The prototypes were requested for display at London's most important educational technology trade show, BETT, at the MuSe in Trento and at the Explora Museum: the children's museum in Rome.
CAD files for laser cutting the parts needed to build the devices are available at the bottom of the page. The files are distributed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. They can thus be self-produced or outsourced to an appropriate external service. The project was distinguished with the Maker of Merit, awarded by the Fair organisers to the most interesting projects at the show.
The tools
Springs, pendulums, inclined planes, tumbling: various laws of physics can be studied through the tools of Design for Physics, which in order to stimulate interdisciplinary connections uses a line of unusual and colourful shapes designed to inspire creative associations between art and scientific disciplines. Based on simple geometries and bright color combinations, the shapes evoke the radical style that characterized Italian design in the 1960s and 1970s, repurposing a provocative and revolutionary vision that foregrounds creativity and design identity. All tools are low-cost and intended for large-scale production or self-production directly in schools, which are increasingly equipped with digital fabrication labs. In addition, all materials and components are inexpensive, readily available, and environmentally friendly. Unlike the traditional model in which schools invest in high-quality but expensive devices, limited in quantity and intended for shared use by an entire class, Design for Physics allows work in small groups, on regular school desks, without the need for dedicated spaces.
The use of smartphones is one of the focal points of this innovation, enabling the digitization of measurements and promoting the learning of calculation, graphics and programming software. Finally, the proposed tools are highly versatile and adaptable to the different sizes of smartphones, allowing students to take advantage of the sensors built into common devices, as well as take advantage of free applications already available online.
The ideas behind the projects are by Flavia Colonnelli, Marco De Michele, Daniele Abbati, Giulia Azioneti, Fabio Caricato, Paola Hofmann, Alessandro Malaspina, Clelia Menghini, Lara Mucci, Francesco Poletto and Federico Vicario, students in the second and third years of the three-year course in Product Design IED Rome, led by lecturer Mauro del Santo, supervised by Gianfranco Bombaci, Coordinator of the School of Design, and advised by Giovanni Organtini, associate professor of Experimental Physics at Sapienza University of Rome.
More info and downloads on the pages in Italian.
Ideas for use
The following are only a few basic ideas about how to use the tools. If you have got smart ideas, contact us: we will make them public!
An experiment to study free fall.
Ideas to use the launcher.
Studying the dynamics of a spring is easy with our tools.
Measure the gravitational acceleration with our experiment with the pendulum.
Studying the dynamics of a cart falling down an incline.
Ideas to use the launcher.
Studying the dynamics of a spring is easy with our tools.
Measure the gravitational acceleration with our experiment with the pendulum.
Studying the dynamics of a cart falling down an incline.