Natalia Escobar

ChopSmart focuses on empowering emerging adults, especially those cooking for themselves for the first time, to adopt more intentional, low-waste cooking habits. While digital tools are widely accessible, they often lack the real-time adaptability and tactile feedback needed in everyday cooking. This project aims to reduce those barriers through a modular, screen-free system that encourages ingredient reuse, substitution, and intuitive organization. By embedding circular principles like modularity, repairability, and behavioral resilience into an everyday kitchen tool, ChopSmart supports the shift toward more sustainable, scalable domestic practices.

Fitness instructors often rely on audio and visual cues, excluding participants who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, especially when sightlines are broken. CORO uses wearable haptics to offer discreet, clear movement prompts, providing a way for Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing users to integrate into any fitness class easily. The CORO system includes two bands: one for the instructor and one for the participant. The instructor’s band has three tactile buttons that can wirelessly send signals to the participant’s band, which translates them into haptic cues using three vibration motors. Each button corresponds to a specific cue: 1) A short countdown vibration: a cue to look up for the next move, 2) A single nudge: to switch sides, and 3) A steady metronome: to follow beat-timed movements. With a pairing mobile application, participants can connect their bands to an instructor, and can tweak their vibration settings as needed. During the class, the instructor cues movement by pressing buttons in real time, allowing Deaf/Hard of Hearing users to receive movement prompts, even when not looking directly at the instructor. The CORO system helps all fitness class participants feel confident and included, fully immersed in the shared rhythm of the class. This project was showcased in an interactive exhibit at the RISD Grad Show 2025.