Overview
These Fantasy Fibonacci Shoulder Pads are made of five aluminum sheet metal pieces each, that are in proportion with the Fibonacci Sequence. The five pieces are all connected using aluminum sheet metal and wire to ensure that each individual piece cantilevers up and down off of the base. There are wire handles on the chest that allow for easy use of the mechanism.
With this project, I wanted to create a wearable piece that brought a very industrial material to a wearable product form. But instead of sitting idle, I wanted the piece to have movement, almost like a machine. And so, the cantilevered Fibonacci shoulder pads were born.
Process
First, I began by creating a Golden Ratio caliper to measure the parts I would be creating for my metal shoulder pads. As seen below, I made my caliper out of foam core and metal pins.
Then I created a paper model, and then an aluminum foil model, to test the cantilever and how it would work. The initial paper model wasn't successful in modeling a cantilever. So when making my aluminum foil model, I used a different wire mechanism that worked much better.
Once my model was set, I began working on the final metal prototype. This proved quite difficult, as the sheet metal I was using was lightweight and thin. Its weight was perfect for wearing, but difficult to work with as it broke when bent too far. In order to create sturdy joints, I found I had to connect small metal pieces using aluminum wire to act as rivets in between each piece.
Final
