Week 5 - Creative Type Proposal

I did some searches for new technology, and one that I found interesting can be found at the following url:

Crystalline Material Absorbs Oxygen

Something that is fascinating about the material, which is primarily cobalt, is that it could potentially replace oxygen tanks. The material is capable of absorbing and storing oxygen from surrounding areas, including underwater. It is released through heating the material or creating a vacuum. Scientists are researching whether or not sunlight could be a potential catalyst to cause the expulsion of the oxygen. This could be a major step in technology, because the material could be manipulated in ways to create masks or attire for people with disabilities or simply those who require a constant oxygen supply in larger doses.

In relation to the experimental concept, I would like to create a geometric, modern, sans-serif typeface that changes color in congruence with how much oxygen is stored within the letters. The crystalline material becomes blue when it stores oxygen, and pink when it releases oxygen. Because of this, people will be able to visually see from the color of the font on the article of clothing or whether the text may be, how much oxygen is stored. One other important aspect would be how to transport the oxygen stored in the characters to the person who needs it. For an example, if a person had the name "John," and he had his name constructed from the crystalline material, then he could supply himself with oxygen without the need of a heavy oxygen tank. The name would be attached to his diving suit. Moreover, because only a few grains are necessary for one breath of air, while he depletes one letter's worth of oxygen, the other can continue to store oxygen. If the letters had a way of being removable, then divers in teams could replace each other's letters in need of oxygen. For an example, "John" and "Natalie" could exchange N's incase one is running low on oxygen. Furthermore, the attachment of this font would be lightweight and more personal to each individual.

It would have to created by first designing the typeface, most likely in Adobe Illustrator. Creating a legible typeface would be most important, but also working through geometrics to utilize the most capacity for oxygen storage while using the least amount of material and surface area of the font or crystalline material. I suppose the typeface could then be created via a 3D printer or cut from the crystalline material itself. One of the most difficult parts would be creating a way to easily remove or attach the letter for easy exchange. Magnets might be a reliable.

It could work in the world by providing oxygen to deepsea divers without the clutter and weight of oxygen tanks. In theory, it would seem to be able to provide a nearly infinite amount of oxygen as it constantly absorbs oxygen from its surrounding area. For people who need oxygen supply more than the average human, this could be beneficial. Beneficiaries could range from athletes, to ill patients, to people with sleep apnea, and the elderly. Oxygen is essential to maintaining life, and it is also important in keeping the human body's processes working properly and regularly. If every person had the availability to extra oxygen supply, then that could potentially mean extra oxygen supply to the brain, and consequently, could lead to a brighter and healthier future.