The goal of the Droplet Radio is to explore new methods of interaction. The radio was chosen because of its simplicity and how very little has changed in the way we interact with it. The Radio is milled from a solid piece of wood and contains no speaker. Instead, a surface transducer vibrates the wood, effectively turning the radio's surface into a speaker. Additionally a weight sensor contained inside determines the volume, raising it when weight is placed on the speaker. Tuning is determined with the hematite stone, which stands out against the other rocks. A magnetic sensor embedded under the dark strip of wood reads the position of the magnetic hematite stone and tunes to the corresponding frequency. In this way the radio operates without moving parts. Wood was chosen to create a soft look while the ripple gives both an impression of sound as well as a "target" for interaction. The idea is that through play and discovery a person can understand how the radio works in a short time.
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