SESSILITY: THE QUALITY OF A BARNACLE, ANCHORED AND UNMOVING.


The modern flashlight still bears much resemblance to its ancient namesake, the torch. These devices are typically tubular in form, with a head on one end projecting light upon the work-surface, and have seen little evolution for decades. Technology has progressed but the flashlight has not. Most flashlights still require the attention of a carrying hand, and generally only illuminate objects within a narrow cone.



























 

























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The initial design brief for Sessil was directed at the lack of hands-free, low-voltage task lights. The few lights in this sector, such as gorilla-pod mounted flashlights, can be quite limited in their range of compatible environments. The initial concept for Sessil consisted of identical LED panels mounted to a textile backing, to act as a hinge. This was to accommodate a layer of Velcro, in order to allow Sessil to stick to a user’s shirt. After some feasibility testing, it became clear that this aspect would not be possible without a mating Velcro swatch, and so was scrapped.



















































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During form development and testing, the fabric/panel assembly was substituted with a single part with living hinges. This phase also saw experimentation with the size, number, and height of the panels for optimum lighting. The rare earth magnets were tested for pull strength, and it was found that one magnet could support 200g.

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The final design made use of 18 surface-mounted LEDs (arranged on 3 identical printed circuit boards) to project light 180º horizontally and 120º vertically. When folded flat, Sessil takes up 55% of the volume of its upright position, and can easily fit in a glove compartment, toolbox, or even a pants pocket. The overall thickness of Sessil’s panels was constrained by the battery compartment, and could be reduced by improvements in battery technology.

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A working prototype was constructed by FDM 3D printing each panel separately and mimicking the integral hinge using PVC tape. Surface-mounted LEDs were hand mounted to copper wire and attached to a paper model of a printed circuit board. Sessil proved itself a viable product during photography of the use cycle (below), illuminating the whole engine much more than by streetlight alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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