Industrial Design + Product Experience
Various Projects at Instillmotion Labs
Instillmotion is a product and system design studio based in Hyderabad. A small team working on smart futuristic products - right from research to prototyping and production.
Designation
Industrial Design Intern
Internship Duration
5 months (February - June 2022)
Sambrani+Diya render
Project Brief
To develop a semi-automatic, controlled, safe ignition system for household Sambrani’s
Different usage contexts
  • Used in households in Pooja
  • Used to cleanse the environment
  • Used to keep away mosquitoes
  • Used for the fragrance
  • Time of the day in use: Dawn, Morning and Dusk
ISM Sambrani
ISM Sambrani
Different types of Sambranis - they range from small conical ones large ones that burn for hours with upto a 8cm diameter
Different possible types of Ignition
Electricity-based - Nichrome
  • Requires a fan to create airflow
  • Requires to be plugged-in/ some power source (can be battery operated)
Gas-based - Jet Lighter
  • 2-4 Seconds to light up
  • Requires Refilling
Requirements & Constraints
  • Time to ignite - 3-5 seconds max
  • Cater to sizes - upto 10cm in Diameter
  • Safety of the users - Electrocution, Burns
  • Ease of operability
  • Safety for children and adults (Electrocution & Burns)
  • Power Consumption - Max 250W on operation
  • Portability? (Added value)
Concept ideation for how to ignite the sambrani
ISM Sambrani
A cross and an edge-only variations of Nichrome plates were tested. The Cross wasn’t functioning as expected. It was melting the middle of the Sambrani cones instead of igniting the edge. The edge version was functioning better.
ISM Sambrani
ISM Sambrani

Burning a Sambrani from the bottom

Insights: Gives an even burning, overall experience isn’t affected. Burning from the bottom is a viable option for the igniter

Ignition from the bottom will also help reduce the overall complexity of the product to bare minimum - helping reduce overall production cost. Time taken to burn fully is 19 minutes.

Base plate concept wherein the plate can be turned to compensate for the height of a smaller sambrani.
ISM Sambrani
Concepts similar to a plug-in mosquito repellant
ISM Sambrani
Learnings & Takeaways
Apply Intuition
No one had considered burning a sambrani from the bottom. It was a rejected idea thinking the end-consumer wouldn't want it burning that way either. The initial tests showed otherwise. Burning from the bottom was the ideal way to go. Applying intuition works sometimes. Trust the instinct!
Feedback and Iteration
Receiving feedback after each experiment provided more clarity on the goals to achieve. Discussing failed experiments gave way to new and better ideas.
Ideation is key
Most of the ideas came about through spending more time with the project. Ideation is a key component of any project. Scribbling and sketching continously gives new ideas every once in a while.
Creating electronic products with heating elements
Gained experience in how electronic products with heating components can be produced with end-user safety in mind.
Other Instillmotion projects are under an NDA