Developing with design flaws as the focus.

“Your Cousin From Boston” is a multi-year campaign centered around a stereotypical Bostonian and his antics. In partnership with Boston Dynamics, “Your Cousin” gets a job as a night watchman at their laboratory. He takes this opportunity to throw the ultimate keg party with all their robots. Unfortunately for him, he is caught and let go from the company. He fights back by forming his own competing robotics company from his garage and launching it on social media during the Super Bowl. This moment is where my team comes in. We created four bots that enhanced the beer-drinking experience but had one unique, counterintuitive flaw.

There is a subtle notion that the “bots” were created in a drunken haze. What will be their key design flaws? The IPArm lets you pour beer directly into your mouth with a third arm, freeing up both hands to eat and use your phone. However, you must simultaneously operate the pulley system with one hand to bring it to your mouth, which completely defeats its purpose. The Bar Car is a cooler mounted on a small remote-controlled car. While it can transport drinks easily, if you stop abruptly, the weight of the cans causes the Bar Car to tip forward and spill beer cans everywhere. The Brewtooth Koozie combines music and drinking for convenience. However, its speaker is on the bottom, forcing the user to hold it to hear the music. Otherwise, the sound becomes muffled. Finally, the Channel Chugger allows for accessible channel and TV settings changes. However, the beer koozie is stitched to your hand, so attempting to use the remote with a beer in hand can result in beer spilling onto your lap.