Prototype

For our prototype, we aimed to create a scale model of our memorial with a working hologram as the central focus. The physical apparatus consisted of a cube with openings on all four sides to act as viewports into each of the students four years at Carnegie Mellon. Visible within those viewports is the prism which captures and displays our holographic time capsule. Below this viewing deck is a box that stores all of the technical equipment needed to manage and process the individual student's data. Above the viewports is a smaller box which contains the projection that becomes the hologram in the prism below. For our prototype, we used Rhino as a primary modelling and rendering software, with Photoshop and Illustrator used for secondary touch-ups. For fabricating the model, we used 1/4 inch plywood and 1/8 inch clear acrylic (for the body and prism, respectively). We utilized both laser cutters and analogue fabrication techniques to create and build our structure. The prototype functions as a model at a large enough scale that one may begin to understand their relationship to the memorial. Some technical difficulties prohibited the placement of technical materials in the lower box, but overall the prototype functioned smoothly as a proof of concept.