Technology Of The 1900's

Looking back at the last post, we know that to achieve a realistic yet striking design for this project, there must be some understanding of technology and mechanics of the period around the 1900s.

As mentioned, games like Bioshock have managed to 'devolve' items whilst making them still stand as aesthetically and ergonomically readable.



The cars used around the 1900 era are a good starting point to look at how mechanical technology worked back in this period.
as we can see, the actual design (as is the same for pretty much all vehicles from this era that I have looked at) is an attempt at elegance. the curves and minimalistic structure, lead us to believe that this was built not only for purpose but style as well.



Another good place to look would be the industrial sector during this time. A lot of factories were moving away from 'steam' and coal based mechanics and utilizing pulley systems, and other systems which were almost more manual but cheaper to run than earlier machines. again, minimalistic structures lead us to believe that technology in this era was once again trying to move towards, purpose and cost rather than effectiveness.



The sewing machine above shows that size was also an issue when creating machinery during this period. this is something to take into account when designing my gadgets, as although they are fictional, it could be too unrealistic to have the technology required in such a small place. for example, the PKE Meter, is a small handheld device, but perhaps in this case, it may require 2 people to operate?



Obvious design patterns and components are quite common with the technology I've been looking at. You will notice a lot of gear/pulley like mechanisms on equipment, also a lot of pipe work and valve work. A lot of machinery, by today's standards (even the heavy duty machinery) seems, for lack of a better word, flimsy, and connective structures were clearly not understood to the degree in which they are today. what I mean by this is bolt placement, edge connection, component attachments etc. all look as though they could be disassembled or broken with relative ease.



As well as this, one last thing it was obvious to notice, was that the materials used to construct certain machines, are by far different to today's materials. Wood and copper seem to be quite popular materials in comparison to today's plastics and steel blends.

This is a decent amount for me look at, and make some conclusions and decisions at what exactly I could be adding or taking away from the original ghostbuster designs in order to create my 1900's gadgets.