Sphinct!
The lifestyle sphinctometer
Sphinct! is the newest innovation in fitness technology. Sphinct is a sphinctometer which is comfortable inserted into your rectum. It then captures data on pressure, muscular performance, and stress levels. Sphinct redefines the way we approach fitness. Sphinct also syncs to your smartphone. Where you can track your progress and take control of your body. Compare your results to friends and even unlock achievements.
My primary inspiration for the Sphinct manifested from the discovery of the medical sphinctometer and my desire to own one. Then I got the inspiration to take this to a different platform. The health and tech industries cater their content towards the cisgendered and able-bodied individual. I wanted to queer this narrative by branding this as a high end, performance enhancing technological innovation. I created this to exist in the space of speculative design as well as capturing the audience. I wanted to take the took I made and create something with more sustenance.
Firstly looking at speculative designers like Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby’s Park interactives piece. They created objects that mimiced objects that belonged to that space. They create a public intervention in the space and twist the habitual narratives.
what worked: I physically got it to work which in itself for me is wild. The concept, branding, and logo design were what really saved this. I needed to use my strengths to make something presentable.
What failed: I shot for the moon but I landed amongst the stars. I just went right over my head with fabricating and coding the device, getting accurate and good data, and not being able to make a proper video or a sleeker project. I would have loved to had done this with funding or with a dedicated team that I could direct. Honestly, I’m meant to make ideas and be the boss.
To make this tool I did research on teledildonics and talked to different engineers and artists. I had to hack an inflatable buttplug with an airpressure sensor. I got code from one of the people I was in contact with.
Process photo of us working in the lab (sorry I wish I had others this was unfortunately the only one I took)
Code
8 second video of the plug being squeezed and it reading the data.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4elSq8KsGgfRHZiVmlqbjVLZFk/view?usp=sharing