Connection Light Pebbles
Industrial & Sympathetic Design
Wood-turning | Glassblowing | C++ Arduino Programming
Oak | Soda-Lime Glass | Acrylic
University Brief
One-Off
A dual-function device that works as both a night light and message sender, translating touch into presence across distance.
When the user places their finger on the small pebble, ergnomically designed to sit in the palm and invite touch, the device detects their heartbeat and transmits it to its paired light which begins to pulse softly, mirroring that rhythm.
What would normally be a message becomes something quieter:
a shared, ambient signal of presence.
An intimate way of saying “I’m thinking of you.”
Crafted from recycled soda-lime glass and locally grown and felled oak timber from Scottish Woods in Fife.
Design Intention:
To design a device that feels less like a tool and more like a gesture.
The design prioritised:
presence over information
subtlety over notification
emotion over efficiency
Development focused on:
Natural interaction
Subtle feedback
Emotional resonance
The project combined:
Arduino programming for biometric sensing
Glassblowing methods for light diffusion
This project introduced an interest in designing for emotion and relationships.
It demonstrated that:
objects can mediate human connection
subtle interactions can be more meaningful than explicit ones
material and form play a key role in emotional perception
The system consists of:
a handheld pebble that detects touch and heartbeat
a paired light that responds with a synced pulse
additional nightlight function if wanted by user
The interaction creates a quiet signal of connection, replacing explicit messaging with ambient presence.
In collaboration with Vincent Taheny.