Make Magazine

Building a custom PC requires a specific type of engineering mindset, but shifting that focus to wearable hardware—specifically a fantasy Spacesuit—demands a hybrid approach where electronics, ergonomics, and aesthetics collide. Designer Sophy Wong recently showcased a project that perfectly captures this struggle. Tasked with creating a suit for a short film, Wong had to bridge the gap between high-concept sci-fi and the harsh physical realities of on-set production. The result is a masterwork of iterative design that uses everything from 3D Printing to custom microcontrollers to bring a mysterious, "underdog" character to life. The Engineering Logic of Fantasy Design Designing for a film isn't just about making something look cool; it's about solving problems the audience will never see. Wong’s design brief was deceptively simple: create a green suit for a character with memory loss wandering a natural environment. She immediately identified a major hurdle: the color green often carries military or utilitarian connotations. To avoid the "Master Chief" trope, she leaned into a woodsy, teal-leaning palette, using Make Magazine as a platform to document the process. The silhouette was designed to be "top-heavy" and "cumbersome," signaling to the audience that the character is vulnerable, effectively utilizing a visual "Save the Cat" trope through the helmet’s cat-ear-like silhouettes. Digital Fabrication and Physical Fitting One of the most impressive technical feats of this build was the creation of the non-spherical helmet dome. Because Wong was in Seattle and the actor was elsewhere, she relied on a 3D scan of his head captured via an iPhone. She modeled the helmet directly over this digital double in CAD, ensuring a perfect fit without ever meeting the subject in person. The scale of the helmet exceeded the build volume of standard hobbyist machines, requiring a massive 3D Printer to produce a buck. This buck was then smoothed and cast in Hydrocal Plaster to withstand the heat and pressure of vacuum forming. This process underscores a vital DIY lesson: use digital precision to create the foundation, but rely on traditional molding techniques for the final, high-fidelity finish. Integrating On-Set Electronics The tech stack inside this suit goes beyond simple LEDs. Wong integrated an Arduino-powered system that gives the director real-time control over the suit’s lighting. Using RGB LEDs and physical potentiometers (knobs) mounted on the chest plate, the colorist/director can dial in specific hues—red for danger, teal for neutrality—without stopping production. She even built "memory" into the microcontroller code so that the suit returns to the previous color after a battery swap. Cooling is handled by two squirrel cage fans, a necessity when sealing an actor inside an airtight dome of EVA Foam and plastic for hours in the Nashville heat. The Materiality of the Future Wong’s material choices reveal a pragmatic, resourceful approach to prop making. The base of the suit is a modified snowboarding onesie, which provided a known, comfortable fit. On top of this, she layered laser-etched EVA Foam and flexible resin prints. The resin pieces were printed flat and then curved to fit the body, allowing for complex geometries that would be impossible to print in 3D as a single rigid unit. She even utilized an inkjet printer to create custom fabric labels, proving that high-end results don't always require industrial machinery. Even the "overglove" design serves a dual purpose: it looks like futuristic protective gear but allows for easy glove replacement if the actor's hands don't fit the base layer. Designing for Longevity and Ergonomics A suit that breaks on day one of a shoot is a failure. Wong addressed this by building in "theatrical tricks," such as an adjustable harness with a sliding ring in the back to accommodate different body types while keeping the chest pieces centered. This institutional knowledge—understanding how a body moves and where a suit will chafe—is what separates a display piece from a functional costume. By focusing on the actor's comfort and the director's creative needs, Wong created a machine that doesn't just look the part but performs under the abusive conditions of a film set. Summary of the Craft Wong's project highlights the evolution of the modern maker. It's no longer enough to just be good with a soldering iron or a 3D printer; you have to be a multi-disciplinary engineer. By combining CAD modeling with vacuum forming and Microcontroller programming with soft-goods fabrication, she created a cohesive piece of technology that feels grounded in reality despite its fantasy origins. For those of us building PCs or tinkering in our garages, the takeaway is clear: the most successful projects are those where the technical execution serves a clear, human narrative.