Reimagining a side table through joyful storytelling and material exploration


Rolly,
the Mug

An interactive companion that communicates through  movements—exploring presence and awareness.


Duration
November 2025 (2 weeks)

Skills
Mechanical Prototyping, CAD modeling (SolidWorks) , IDE Prototyping, 3D printing (Bambu Lab)

Materials
ESP32, N20 motors, DRV8833 motor driver, VL54L0X Tof distance sensors, capacitors, 4x1.5v AAA battery case, AAA batteries, LM2596 buck converter, metal ball,
PLA (3D printing)







Our everyday environments are filled with functional objects that make our lives work. Through the lens of someone with ADHD, because of inattention, they have difficulty maintaining focus, following through on tasks, or staying organized (NIMH, 2024). These objects often remain emotionally and perceptually invisible until the moment they are needed, which is why people with ADHD often lose their belongings and spend a lot of time looking for them.


This made me wonder:
What if everyday static objects are no longer passive participants in our everyday lives, but become an active presence? How would that change the way we see or interact with them?

“Objects With Life” is my Master of Industrial Design thesis at Rhode Island School of Design , where I look at everyday static objects in domestic spaces and explore what happens when they begin to move. My work focuses on how motion can suggest intention, emotion, or personality, and how that changes the way we relate to objects. Through mechanical prototyping and behavioral design, I’m exploring how movement can become a form of communication, creating cues through behavior.




Intention



To test this, I created Rolly, The Mug. It looks like any ordinary mug you'd overlook on a desk, but when someone reaches for it, it rolls away, and can never quite be picked up.

People were surprised the moment it moved. They immediately wanted to know what it was doing and why. My hypothesis held: once the mug gained motion, it became impossible to ignore. Even the smallest movement turned an ordinary object into something that invited attention and curiosity — its motion reading not as mechanics, but as gestures with intention.



Process




Exploded assembly — modeled in SolidWorks