As cavemen, we bonded over fire. As millennials, we bond over smartphones. Interaction designer Ramon Marc at the University of Arts Zurich has designed a phone charging experience called IMTI that draws from these two concepts. Instead of rubbing two sticks together to make a fire, Marc’s device harnesses that energy into charging your iPhone.The idea behind IMTI is that we are all “digital nomads”, which Marc defines as “a person, who uses technology, particularly wireless networking, to work and live, without requiring a fixed location.” As digital nomads, the act of charging your cellphone is a ritual in itself, which Marc wants users to reflect on by employing this device. At its core, IMTI presents “the issue of comprising freedom, autonomy, self-responsibility, and the balance between the pleasures from being connected and the freedom from not being connected,” says Marc. Check out the video below to see IMTI whittle wood into phone charge.
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