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DATE
2025
BRIEF
Speculative
Design
ROLE
Product Design
3D
UI/UX
Motion
SUMMARY
Hourglass confronts the rise of self-commodification, which is the treatment of personal traits as products or commodities. Through speculative design, it envisions a near-future where this is taken to the extereme, and intangible assets are traded, challenging ideas of identity, ethics, and human value.
Concept Video
A concept trailer was created to showcase the wearable device as well as connected app imagining a world where life can be traded for cash
exploring
self-commodification
in a provocative way
This project poses a provocative question: What if your life had a price? Specifically, what if your remaining lifespan could be exchanged for cash? Rooted in the growing phenomenon of self-commodification—where individuals are encouraged to monetize aspects of their identity—the project adopts a Black Mirror–esque lens to imagine an extreme future where life itself becomes currency. Designed to be both provocative and unsettling, it challenges users to confront the ethical dilemma: would they trade away their own lives if given the opportunity?
a platform where your life is tradable
The project envisions a dystopian digital platform that analyzes users’ biometrics to estimate their remaining lifespan, converting it into a monetary value that can be directly traded for cash. The design of the platform was inspired by web3, crypto and banking platforms, allowing users to treat their life as if it was a stock market.
a connected wearable device
The project also envisions a futuristic wearable device that connects to the user’s spine at the neck, extracting their lifespan directly for trading on the platform. In this speculative scenario, the device quite literally ‘drains’ life, turning it into a tradable commodity.
interactive prototype
The interactive prototype was 3D-printed and embedded with an Arduino ESP32 chip, connected to an LED light strip and vibration motor. Integrated with a live database, it responds to user actions within the platform, enhancing the ‘life-trading’ experience with tactile feedback for every transaction.