gabriel stacey-chartrand
gabriel stacey-chartrand
Intermission Object is a handheld ritual device for finite, screenless breaks.
The project explores how a physical object can make taking a break feel intentional and complete without using screens, numbers, or cigarettes.
Instead of watching time count down, the user feels time passing through the object.
The object is held in one hand and interacted with through a rotating dial. Warm light, gentle haptics, subtle sound, and tactile motion create a break experience that can be influenced, but not fully controlled.
The device is designed to be engaging enough to replace the urge to check a phone, but finite enough that it does not become another endless distraction.
The user does not need to stare at it the whole time. The object is tactile and responsive without demanding visual attention the way a phone does.
The device uses a magnetically coupled dial mechanism. A motor slowly drives an internal ring with steel pins, which is coupled to an outer dial with embedded magnets.
When the user lets go, the outer dial rotates with the internal mechanism. When they hold the dial still, the magnetic coupling slips. This allows the user to feel soft magnetic pulses passing underneath their fingers as the internal ring continues to move.
This creates a tactile sense of time passing. The user can interact with the object and influence the character of the experience, but they cannot simply skip to the end.
The user begins by picking up the object and deliberately interacting with the dial. This starts the intermission.
As the experience begins, the object emits a warm glow and gives a subtle haptic confirmation. The internal mechanism starts moving slowly, creating tactile motion through the outer dial.
During the break, the user can hold the dial, let it move, or occasionally resist it. When they hold it still, the internal magnetic ring slips underneath, creating soft pulses that can be felt through the fingers.
Light, haptics, and sound respond to the state of the interaction.
The duration of the intermission is not fully controlled by the user. Their interaction influences the pace and feeling of the experience, while the device maintains its own internal rhythm.
At the end of the intermission, the object settles. The motion stops, the light changes or fades, and a gentle haptic or sound cue signals closure.
| Component | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Seeed XIAO ESP32S3 Sense | Main microcontroller | Controls the lights, motor, haptics, sound, and sensor input. |
| 5000 mAh USB-C battery bank | Power source | The battery bank will be removed from its enclosure but kept as a complete system. It has two USB-C I/O. |
| Hall effect sensor | Dial movement sensing | Mounted stationary in the enclosure to detect magnets embedded in the outer dial. |
| MOSFETs | Motor and LED control | Motor speed control via PWM; LED dimming via PWM. |
| N20-style geared DC motor, 15 RPM | Inner rotor drive | Turns the inner rotor slowly for the magnetic coupling interaction. |
| Bicycle headset bearing | Outer dial bearing | Provides smooth, stable rotation for the user-facing dial. |
| Neodymium magnets | Magnetic coupling | Embedded in the outer dial; attract the steel pins on the inner rotor. |
| Inner rotor with steel pins | Magnetic coupling | Connected to the motor and attracted by the magnets in the outer dial. |
| Flexible COB LED filaments, 3 V, 100 mA each | Warm light output (2220K) | All LED filaments are wired in parallel and dim together. |
| LRA haptic actuator | Haptic feedback | Mounted to the outer shell where the object is held. |
| Gravity TM6605 haptic motor driver (DFRobot) | Haptic actuator control | Drives the LRA actuator with controlled vibration patterns. |
| Adafruit MAX98357A I2S amplifier | Audio output | Drives a small speaker using digital I2S audio from the microcontroller. |
| 3 W 8 Ω speaker | Sound output | Mounted at the bottom of the object inside a small speaker chamber. |
This documents my exploration as I start defining my final project concept. At this stage, I’m not trying to lock in a final idea. The goal is to clarify what I want to explore, what questions I’m interested in, and the type of experience I want to design.
For me, good design sits between aesthetics, usability, and inclusivity.
Aesthetic quality matters. Beautiful objects can improve everyday wellbeing and quality of life.
User experience is equally important. An object should be intuitive and enjoyable to use (low cognitive load).
Accessibility is essential. The experience should be just as meaningful for someone with visual impairments as it is for a sighted user. This could mean using touch, sound, and physical feedback.
I want this project to be:
Much of this project is informed by my experience with ADHD. Firstly, relating to time blindness and difficulty sensing the passage of time. Secondly, the difficulty of staying focused, moving between tasks, and not being sucked in by distractions (a phone, for example).
Smoking is a useful reference here, not for the act itself, but for the ritual it creates. A cigarette segments time. It has a clear start, duration, and end. I often found my best creative ideas during smoke breaks. It allows you to take a break, forces a change of scenery, and gives you one specific thing to focus on. There’s also a ritualistic element in the tactile aspects of smoking a cigarette.
I started questioning traditional clocks and alarm clocks. They are precise, but often stressful. I’m interested in a relative-time object that communicates a finite experience without numbers. The kitchen timer is a source of inspiration for the mechanism and form of the object, but the goal would be more to emulate the ritualistic experience of having a cigarette.
Tech as ritual: "the goal would be more to emulate the ritualistic experience of having a cigarette"
Time could be communicated physically, through the position of a dial or mechanism. Sound and haptics could accompany this, making the experience accessible to blind or visually impaired users.
A proximity sensor could detect someone approaching and draw attention to itself, encouraging interaction. I’d like to explore using PIR or mmWave.
The ritual should be finite. There is no snooze. Once it ends, you move on. Closure is part of the design.
The experience could also be analogous to striking a match.
I’m interested in a final, satisfying settling moment that combines movement, sound, haptic feedback, and light.
A stepper motor could be used for the rotation and mechanical functioning of the dial during the experience.
Ideally, the ritual begins automatically as you approach or touch the object.
Think:
“I step away from my desk and go to the object.”
The concept is still loose, but the core idea is a multimodal alarm clock that uses light, sound, and touch together. The time display is hidden behind a distortion grill: you can't just glance at it. You have to pick it up and wrestle with it to read the time or turn off the alarm. That friction is intentional. It also prevents you from glacing at the time while you're trying to sleep (that's the worst).