Aiku

What it does

Aiku is a voice-activated object that facilitates emotional regulation at home. Without screens or data, it generates sensory atmospheres through chromotherapy, light therapy, and music therapy to facilitate introspection and daily self-care.

Your inspiration

Aiku was born when I observed a pattern of blockage, distancing, and silent emotional cooling in my environment. I wanted to design a tool that would facilitate routine internal dialogue, helping to identify emotions and stabilize the emotional state. Its biophilic form, inspired by a drop of water on a water lily, combines multisensory technology with emotional design to transform the invisible into a tangible experience. It also emerges as a response to the lack of access to professional support and help, proposing an accessible, ethical, and daily routine that upholds mental health as a basic right, not a privilege.

How it works

Aiku is a voice-activated interactive product that generates a multisensory experience to support emotional regulation processes. Its artificial intelligence analyzes pitch, rhythm, pauses, and vocabulary to identify emotions based on Plutchik and Russell's models, and responds with chromotherapy, light therapy, and music therapy. The technological components are hidden and assembled with double-threaded screws for easy maintenance and repair. The water lily, as the main charging base, contains a charging module, magnetic connectors, a battery, a solar panel, a motherboard, and a USB-C connector. The droplet includes an LED light, a speaker, vibration, a microphone, a microcontroller, Bluetooth, a battery, and a motherboard. It charges via solar energy or features USB-C as an alternative. A vibration module indicates when it needs charging: if they are separated, the droplet needs charging; if they are joined together, it is the water lily.

Design process

Aiku's design is conditioned by the psychological reactions necessary to correctly perform the self-talk routine. This activates the behavioral and reflective levels of the brain, so the product must act only on the visceral level. To achieve this, first impressions are carefully considered, using familiar, natural, and delicate materials, along with soft, simple shapes based on geons and biophilic references. Sensory therapies require stimuli that directly reach the amygdala, which is why sight, hearing, and touch are stimulated through natural textures, finishes, and temperatures. The design is composed of two parts: the water lily, which acts as a charging base, and the water droplet, which is portable to facilitate transition from shared to private spaces. This separation allows its use to be adapted to living conditions and the need for privacy. On a technical level, common and accessible manufacturing processes are prioritized, with modular technological components that allow for repair, replacement, or recycling. In addition, national or local production is considered to reduce costs and carbon footprint, thus ensuring an emotional, sustainable, and replicable design.

How it is different

Aiku not only breaks social stigmas but also offers basic psycho-emotional education to improve relationships with oneself, others, and the environment. It doesn't diagnose, collect data, or use screens: it focuses on the user's voice, giving value to the present and reinforcing introspection. It uses light, sound, and color to create emotional care routines. It advocates the ethical use of artificial intelligence as a support tool, not a professional replacement. Aiku defends mental health as a basic right, not a luxury, which is why it has been designed to be mass-produced with common processes and simple connections that extend its useful life. Its design integrates into the everyday environment through natural materials such as glass, wood, and aluminum, and a biophilic form inspired by a drop of water on a water lily. Aiku turns the invisible into the tangible.

Future plans

Aiku's next steps focus on validating its impact through pilot tests in therapeutic and domestic settings. The goal is to optimize its manufacturing to make it accessible, with national or local production to reduce its carbon footprint. The materials are already recycled (glass and aluminum), and plans are underway to incorporate recycled or eco-friendly wood. Aiku defends mental health as a basic right, not a luxury, and has been designed with simple joints for easy repair. In the long term, it aspires to become a universal, everyday tool.

Awards

Aiku doesn't have any awards yet, but I'll take this opportunity to explain the name. Its name comes from the abbreviation of the Japanese concept "Aichaku," which represents the deepest emotional bond a person can feel for an object. Not for what it does, but for what it IS.