27.2.11

Coffin Couch

This Coffin Couch by Etsy seller VonErickson for $3,500. And the lid can be closed.
This little gem has a velvet covered thick foam cushion and classic metal spring construction seat. It folds up to a fully shut position. Available in purple, red,or black fabric.

Jason Browning

New Automotive Materials Development Project

"By integrating proprietary olefin polymerization catalysts, condensation polymerization, and material design technologies, the New Automotive Materials Development Project aims to develop highly competitive automotive products possessing superior functionality and improved cost performance."

Jason Browning

New Technology

"The memristor, a microscopic component that can "remember" electrical states even when turned off. It's expected to be far cheaper and faster than flash storage. A theoretical concept since 1971, it has now been built in labs and is already starting to revolutionize everything we know about computing, possibly making flash memory, RAM, and even hard drives obsolete within a decade."

Jason Browning

Secret Identity Furniture

It's a Chair! It's a Desk! It's a Podium! It's Marius Goetze's Ecobank!

Posted by Levi Smidt

Stepladder Drawers

Climb the Staircase Storage Solution and Save Space with Ease

Posted By Levi Smidt

NOVA Making Stuff: Smarter

I watch PBS because i don't have cable. Nova has a new series called "Making Stuff". I just saw the episode that features smart materials. follow the link. The self healing plastic was my favorite.
-Bill

Staircase Storage

These Unicraft Joinery Step Drawers Offer a Convenient Place to Store Things

Posted by Levi Smidt

A Tiny Apartment Transforms Into 24 Rooms

Kurtis Michie

25.2.11

Water from Air

Water from condensed air – Air Water Pty Ltd' Air Water Machines

Similar to "Whisson's Windmill" the Air Water Machines also harvest water from air by using a condensation method. An example of the principle is the water you see on the ground under your car's air-conditioner, or the water in the bottom of your fridge: water from air!

These machines "pull air over a condenser, chill it and harvest the resulting water." Simple! Why did I not think of that!

This company's "Lifesaver" machine is the world’s first unique PV Solar Powered system that stands alone, in any place, 24/7, while producing huge amounts of water. The Lifesaver can provide water and power independence practically anywhere.

It produces 500 litres of water in 24 hours. It needs input power of 8.8KW and consumes 0.4kwH per litre of water produced.

It sells many different types of water from air harvesters, ranging from domestic use to that of a village!

The "Villager" produces 1000 litres per day (264 gallons) and the "Irrigator" an impressive 5000 litres (1321 gallons). At an estimated AUS 3c cents per litre this is still costly if using a diesel generator. But with wind or solar...

Air Water Pty Ltd link: http://www.airwater.com.au/p1.htm
International Water From Air LLC. link: http://www.internationalwaterfromair.com/

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Apparently there are several companies who make this machine.
Just do not stand too close and too long by that machine. You might get suffocated. :-)
The link attached to the title is about couple different methods of how to create water from air.

Ted

24.2.11

IMEC creates flexible microprocessor with organic semiconductors

EVAN BAKER

Green Goose sensors monitor your life, you earn experience points (update)

Evan Baker

Video of Danish Design School students building for the SFF

Evan Baker

22.2.11

Is brass coming back?

Swedish designer Carl Hagerling presented his collection of brass objects with design collective Landet as part of the Greenhouse at Stockhom Furniture Fair earlier this month.

Link

~Aaron Venturini

EGO Boat/Submarine

Its called the EGO. A mini-sub made by Raonhaje. I bet its reasonably priced...

Link

-Aaron Venturini

20.2.11

Ferrari Visio Binoculars

"I'm not sure why, but William Optics has teamed up with Ferrari and created their new Ferrari Visio binoculars. The waterproof, 25mm binoculars come in a red carbon fiber body and have 8x magnification with fully multi-coated lenses. And I guess they go really fast. Or something."

Jason Browning

"Just wrap a flexoelectric ribbon around your lung and harness your breathing"

Future flexible lung belts could harness energy from the rhythm of your breathing, powering pacemakers or other implantable medical devices.

Jason Browning

Industrial Ecology- Bio Gas Power Production

Generator that burns landfill methane- see link for video

-Bill

Self-Healing Polymer

"In nature, damage to an organism elicits a healing response. We apply this concept to synthetic material design and have developed a self-healing polymer."

"Tiny capsules containing a healing agent are embedded in the polymer. When the material is damaged, the capsules rupture and release the healing agent, which repairs the cracks."

Jason Browning

Material ConneXion Announces its MEDIUM Award for Material of the Year

Material ConneXion announced Novacem's Carbon Negative Cement as the winner of its second annual MEDIUM Award for Material of the Year. The award recognizes materials juried into the company's Materials Library in 2010 that demonstrate outstanding technological innovation and the potential to make a significant contribution to the advancement of design, industry, society and economy. In addition to Novacem's Carbon Negative Cement, the company recognized nine honorable mentions as exemplary material innovations that will change the way we design in 2011-from product and packaging to architecture.

"The year in material innovation reveals a continuing drive for sustainability," commented Dr. Andrew H. Dent, Material ConneXion's Vice President, Library and Materials Research. "Whether it's through a clever substitution of natural materials, improvements to existing ideas, or a manipulation of high-tech processes, these tougher economic times are seeing a turn to simple, creative and powerful innovations that will help lessen our impact on the planet."

Novacem's Carbon Negative Cement - a revolutionary solution to reducing carbon emissions in the construction industry - is one outcome of this movement with extraordinary, far-reaching effects. By replacing the calcium carbonates used in cement formulation with magnesium silicates, and by using a low-temperature production process that runs on biomass fuels, Novacem has developed a new class of cement that offers performance and cost parity with ordinary Portland Cement, but with a negative carbon footprint.

"Concrete constitutes the greatest amount of manmade material on this planet-one that is claimed to contribute to 5% of humanity's carbon footprint," said Dr. Dent. "With a simple change of ingredient, Novacem has achieved what could be one of the single largest reductions in CO2 emissions in construction to date. This carbon negative cement reduces carbon emissions of poured concrete from 800Kg emitted per ton to 50kg absorbed per ton."

The nine honorable mentions, which hail from the US, Europe and Asia, represent some of the most important recent material developments on a global scale. Together, they promise to increase sustainability across a wide range of industries, from products and packaging to architecture.

Material ConneXion will mount an exhibition of the MEDIUM Award for Material of the Year 2010 winner and honorable mentions in its New York City showroom from March 15 - April 29, 2011, giving the public an opportunity to see the year in material innovation.

Material of the Year 2010 Honorable Mentions

Ad-Air, MicroGREEN, USA
A process that utilizes waste C02 to reduce the volume of plastic. By injecting polymer sheets with waste C02, then precisely manipulating the size and density of the gas bubbles, Ad-Air expands sheets of plastic to double the thickness while reducing density by 20%. The strength and surface integrity of the plastic is maintained, but material usage per given need is ultimately reduced as much as three times.

EcoCradle, Ecovative, USA
A packaging replacement to polystyrene foam that is grown from mushrooms. EcoCradle is a radically new approach to packaging that is grown, not manufactured. This biodegradable, compostable solution utilizes agricultural waste to grow fungal mycelium, the roots of mushrooms, into a safe, protective packaging material.

ECOR, Noble Environmental Technologies, USA
Construction panels made from cow manure and other recycled content. ECOR, a line of low-weight, construction panels made with bovine processed fiber and post-consumer waste, offers an energy-efficient, sustainable means of producing furniture, displays, signage and numerous other products and designs.

ECO-HPL, Dekodur, Germany
The world's first high-pressure laminate made without the use of phenol formaldehyde resins. Unlike traditional HPLs, this carbon neutral product can be recycled back into more laminate at the end of its life. The material can significantly improve sustainability in interiors, furniture production and transportation design.

Hyperform, Milliken Chemical, USA
An additive for creating stronger, lighter and more recyclable plastics. Developed specifically for polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), Hyperform is a breakthrough nucleation agent with the ability to increase durability, sustainability and performance in our packaging and products.

Lumisys, Top Nanosys, Korea
Flexible, transparent LED Signboard. Lumisys demonstrates a pioneering use of carbon nanotubes to achieve a level of transparency and flexibility never before seen in the lighting and signage industry. The product makes it possible to achieve dramatic visual effects in signage and consumer electronics while taking advantage of the low-energy, long-lasting performance benefits of LEDs.

MiraFoil, Henkel, Germany/USA
A low-impact printing solution for achieving metallic effects. Long used to distinguish products in a crowded marketplace, metallic effects are used on everything from retail packaging to POP displays. While other techniques used to achieve this look render the packaging material unrecyclable, MiraFoil is a VOC-free coating that can be removed through the de-inking process, enabling the paper or polymer to which it is applied to used again.

PaperLite, Flextrus, Sweden
A biodegradable paper alternative to traditional plastic food packaging. PaperLite is a new solution for protecting perishable foods and industrial products. The material contains no iso-cynates or solvents, is FDA approved, and can be used to contain meats, cheeses, electronics, ink cartridges and other products that require a pack material that provides durability, toughness and optimal barrier protection.

Saratech Permasorb Wallpaper, Blucher, Germany
Air-purifying Wallpaper. Saratech Permasorb Wallpaper is an ingenious solution for combating air pollution in contaminated buildings. The durable covering removes toxins embedded in wall surfaces, like PCBs, PCP, pesticides and radon, and safely contains these chemicals over time.

Ted Shin

Branca

London designer Sam Hecht of Industrial Facilitypresented a wooden chair combining robotic and handcraft processes for Italian brand Mattiazzi in Milan last week.

Posted by Levi Smidt

Sensation Lounge Chair

This chair was designed by Alexander Christoff. a useful tool to help people enjoy life more comfortable

with small screens built in, the chair allows the user to watch a program while lying on top of it.

Posted by Levi Smidt

Lost in Sofa

The new chair called Lost in Sofa is an excellent example of a modern and stylish furniture, by Japanese studio Daisuke Motogi Architecture presented this armchair for holding and hiding things at DesignTide Tokyo 2010.