cameron brown

http://www.industrialdesignserved.com/gallery/Hybrid-Land-Rover-Defender-Concept/2392154

THE LAND ROVER DEFENDER HYBRID CONCEPT

cameron brown

http://www.industrialdesignserved.com/gallery/SCARPRA-BIQUINI-CHAIR/2243922

SCARPRA


BIQUINI CHAIR

cameron brown

http://www.industrialdesignserved.com/gallery/Shell-Eco-Marathon-2010-project-Pirania-2/2228818

The Kickstarter Revolution

http://www.domusweb.it/en/design/the-kickstarter-revolution/

An interesting article from Domus on the growing success of Kickstarter project.  They point out that Kickstarter won't supplant most traditional methods of production, but it is quickly becoming a great tool for people to get their ideas out and made.

posted by Paul Tucker

KeyShot Rendering

http://keyshot.com/

Those who have experienced Solidworks 2011 know that the new version of Photoview 360 leaves a lot to be desired.  It is difficult to use, and takes a lot of time and effort to get a good render.  Now there is a powerful tool that will create better renders with less effort.  Keyshot is a stand-alone rendering package that can render parts from Solidworks, Autocad, Rhino, Alias, Catia, and more.  Simple renders are quick and easy, and KeyShot has a myriad of features.  A designer friend who showed it to me also said that some companies are now asking for KeyShot experience in job postings on Coroflot.  You can try it for a limited time for free, and the educational version sells for $95.

posted by Paul Tucker

This is a Program about Death and Product Design

"This is a Program about Death and Product Design"

An Interesting article on Core77 about a new episode of the British series "The Genius of Design."  This episode looks at the impact that WWII had on design and production.  The article includes a link to watch the full episode. 

posted by Paul Tucker

Zapata's outrageous, US$6,600 Flyboard - Aquaman meets Iron Man

We don't think Franky Zapata knows what's about to hit him. The French jet ski champion has just put together an absolutely insane leisure product, released a short video about it - and then took off on honeymoon, where presumably he's having about the least romantic getaway of his life as his phone and email inbox go absolutely bananas. And here it is: the Zapata Flyboard. This ingenious and deceptively simple device bolts on to the powerful motor of a jet ski, then routes the resulting water jet through a long hose that connects to a pair of jet boots and hand-held stabilizers. The arrangement lets you fly, Iron Man style, up to 9 meters in the air - or leap headfirst through the waves like a human dolphin. The best part? You can buy it for under 5000 Euro (US$6700). That is, once Franky digs his way out from under the avalanche of orders he's going to come home to.  Details are fairly scant at the moment, as I can't distil too much from the video with my high-school French, but here's what we know. The Flyboard is a bolt-on attachment that connects to a jet ski. You attach a tube to the main jet exit, which is then routed up the side of the vehicle. From this tube comes a thick, flexible 9-metre hose that connects to the jet boots - and the hand controls come out of the jet boot platform.  If you've got a friend handy, you can use the base, €4900 (US$6570) model, which gives control of the throttle to the jet ski operator. If not, you can pay an extra €900 (US$1200) to have a trigger throttle built into the hand unit - and we'd imagine that's a lot more fun. In this configuration, you can more or less forget about the jet ski, which just trails along behind you as you soar through the air on a column of water and plunge into the waves.  It's a magnificent looking device, as Zapata himself demonstrates in his promo video - and it allows the rider quite a lot of gymnastic flair. Given the absolutely ludicrous amounts of horsepower available from today's monstrous, turbocharged jet ski engines, the Flyboard looks like a truly extravagant and ridiculously fun way to hurt yourself this summer.         http://youtu.be/lM8kEHjQz9U?hd=1

Posted by Tom Clark

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Airborne Wind Turbine in flight

Remember the Airborne Wind Turbine covered by Gizmag towards the end of March? The creators of the prototype, Altaeros Energies, has been in touch to show us a video of the prototype in operation and we can confirm that a) it flies and b) the turbine goes round.

Though we wouldn't typically post an update with relatively scant new information, the combination of this product's uniqueness and the interest the original story garnered among Gizmag readers means we thought this was worth letting you know about.

Posted by Tom Clark

SmartShell uses hydraulics, not bulk, for structural strength

When things like bridges or stadium roofs are built, they’re designed to withstand not just the stress that they will experience on a frequent basis, but also the maximum stress loads that they’ll only be subjected to once in a while – these could take the form of things like snowfalls or wind storms. This means that much of the heavy, costly materials that the structures are made of will only occasionally prove necessary. Researchers from the University of Stuttgart, however, have come up with an alternative. They’ve designed a lightweight structure that actively adapts to increased loads via built-in hydraulics. Known as the SmartShell, the open-air structure covers over 100 square meters (119.6 sq yds) of the university’s Vaihingen campus. Its curving wooden shell is only four centimeters (1.6 in) thick, and has supports at each of its four corners. While one of those supports is static, the other three incorporate hydraulic drives, made by project partner Bosch Rexroth.

The shell also contains sensors in various locations, that are linked to a control system. When these sensors detect a change in the structural load being placed on a particular part of the shell – such as might be caused by a shift in the wind – the hydraulics react independently within milliseconds to compensate for that load, keeping material stresses and deformations to a minimum. Computer models were used to determine what movements would be necessary in order to counter specific load values on different parts of the shell.

The scientists believe that the technology could find use in a wide range of structures, where it would minimize weight, materials costs, and structural fatigue.

Posted by Tom Clark

HemLoft treehouse is a quiet forest retreat ... if you can find it

Described by its creator as "a secret treehouse hiding in the woods of Whistler," in the Canadian province of British Columbia, the HemLoft is, unlike many buildings that describe themselves such, a treehouse in the truest sense: the entire weight of the egg-shaped structure is supported by the tree around which it is built. Though welcome to visitors - the right sort of visitors, at least - one first has to find it. And the ongoing story of the HemLoft's ever-widening profile is as compelling as the story of its construction - and it's a story with an uncertain ending.


Posted by Tom Clark

Adapter lets you mount SLR lenses on iPhone

There's little doubt that when it comes to snapping spur-of-the-moment photos, nothing quite matches the always-ready convenience of the smartphone. Apple's iPhone is second only in popularity to Nikon's D90 for overall image uploads to Flickr, and takes the top three spots in the Cameraphone category. There are now a whole host of apps available that can help add numerous clever effects to the photos taken with an iPhone's camera, and a growing number of hardware-based enhancements. If you find yourself yearning for a little more zoom than the Eye Scope offers, or the close-up goodness of the Fisheye and Macro/Wide Angle lensis just too small and fiddly for you, then perhaps what you need is an iPhone SLR Lens Mount. The iPhone SLR Mount from Photojojo is essentially a phone case that acts as an adapter for either Nikon F-mount or Canon EF-mount lenses (although it's not compatible with Canon EF-S or FD lenses). Placing your Apple smartphone into the tough but lightweight aluminum casing allows you to choose from your collection of telephoto, wide-angle, macro or fish-eye SLR lenses and use it with the iPhone's camera.


Posted by Tom Clark

Magnifi case connects iPhone to binoculars, microscopes and telescopes

The list of add-ons that let you to tinker with the photo taking capabilities of your iPhone is about to get even bigger with the launch of Magnifi. Rather than tacking azoom or fish-eye lens onto the smartphone, Magnifi integrates an adapter into the case so that your phone can be hooked-up to most optical instruments with an eye-piece such as binoculars, microscopes or telescopes.  Using a similar approach to iPhone adapters for digital SLRs, Magnifi aligns the camera on your iPhone 4 / 4S to the eyepiece - something that's virtually impossible to do by hand.

The device comes in two parts - the case itself and a detachable bayonet mount designed to precisely align the iPhone’s camera with the optical axis of the eyepiece by means of a latch that locks it in place.

The detachable bayonet means that the case itself remains slimline enough for everyday use while also aiming to make the system (partially) usable with not-yet-released iPhone designs.

Posted by Tom Clark

Earthquake-proof school desk provides cover for natural disasters

Anyone who has been through earthquake drills in school knows the standard defense against falling debris is for students to crawl under their desks. Unfortunately, while this might block a few pieces of stray drywall and glass, a wooden desk isn't going to withstand the crushing weight from large chunks of concrete or steel. In fact, people hiding under their desks could very likely become trapped with no way out. That's why two designers have developed an "earthquake-proof" desk that can absorb the impact of up to a ton of weight and even provide emergency routes for rescue crews to reach trapped students.

Posted by Tom Clark

Batman-inspired wall-scaling system built by engineering students

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory wants to find a better way for airmen to scale tall structures or rock faces, so it did what just about anyone seeking new ideas does these days – it held a contest. Its 2012 Service Academy and University Engineering Challenge saw teams from 17 universities and three service academies showing off their wall-scaling systems, earlier this month at Wright State University’s Calamityville tactical laboratory in Fairborn, Ohio. One of the teams, from Utah’s Brigham Young University, devised an impressive system that was inspired directly by Batman’s grappling hook-shooting, power winch-equipped gun.


Posted by Tom Clark

Grand plans for asteroid mining unveiled by Planetary Resources

“I’m Chris Lewicki, and I’m an asteroid miner!” These were the opening words spoken by the President and Chief Engineer of Planetary Resources Inc., as the asteroid mining company emerged from three years of silent running to outline its plans to mine Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) within the decade. Asteroid mining has been a standard of science fiction since E.E. Smith’s Lensmanseries was published in the 1930s. Planetary Resources (PRI - previously known as Arkyd Astronautics), a start-up company with high-profile backers and strong technical depth, announced its space mining plans at a press conference on Tuesday. Its goal, as expressed by co-founder and co-chairman Peter Diamandis, is to "make the resources of space available to humanity."


Posted by Tom Clark

Anatomy of a Chair

http://www.architonic.com/ntsht/anatomy-of-a-chair/7000455

The uncanny. Freud used the term to describe the unsettling instance where something can be perceived simultaneously as familiar and somewhat strange or alien. (The original German term for uncanny is 'unheimlich', literally meaning 'unhomely'.) There's more than a little sense of the uncanny about Italian product designer Luca Nichetto's new chair design, 'Robo', which displays something approaching an archetypal chair form, but at the same time subverts this very form though its insect-like, disjointed aesthetic. This is a piece of furniture that invites and unnerves in equal measure.

posted by: Rob Alek

12 Norman Bel Geddes creations

http://www.oobject.com/category/12-norman-bel-geddes-creations/

Bel Geddes is the industrial designer most associated with the streamline style, an aerodynamic form than was as much about aesthetics as wind resistance. These designs actually look better than more aerodynamic forms and as such were used by Geddes for things that didn’t have to move at all, such as his streamlined school desk. Geddes started out as a theatrical designer then made a series of model cars and prototypes for trains and planes, including the incredible airliner number 4 - a 1929 proposal for a transatlantic boat plane carrying 450 passengers and an army of staff including a musicians and entertainers. But the other thing that Geddes created was his daughter, who was Miss Ellie in the TV series, Dallas

posted by: Rob Alek

Desperately Seeking Talent: Where to Find Great Designers for Your Team

http://www.wired.com/design/2012/04/where-to-recruit-designers/?pid=159&viewall=true

Whether you're starting a company, launching a product, or just trying to lure people to your website, design can make or break your company.
You don't have to look far for proof: Apple has set a toweringly high bar for product design. Facebook has spent billions on acquiring companies that kill it on UI design. And companies that were built with an arty eye from the get-go (like AirBnB, whose founding team are RISD grads) are raising rounds with billion-dollar valuations.

How can you compete with the high-rollers? You can't. But don't sit the game out on the bench. There's tons of young, hungry design talent out there in undiscovered corners. You just have to know where to look.

Or looking to get your name out!

posted by: Rob Alek

Rapid Prototyping Turned Jewelry

ODYSSEE RING COLLECTION BY MONOMER

"'monomer' is the ancient Greek word for single component. However, the term is also used in the chemistry for a molecule that may react chemically to another molecule of the same type to form a larger molecule." 

"monomer is now crossing these limitations by using the newest technologies. High-tech normally used for prototype production, special tool manufacturing or for medical implants for example is used by monomer to create jewellery 'in' the computer using CAD Software.

Posted by Melissa LeMieux

Objet-O

OBJET-O CHAIR BY SONG SEUNG-YONG
Says Seung-Yong, "This is not a study of shape and function system, but a process of study which can draw out the communication between objects and human beings." Oversized lampshade above the chair, made of traditional Korean paper, creates "your own space where you can feel the coziness like a bird's nest."

Posted by Melissa LeMieux

Design: Werner Aisslinger

Presented: Salone del Mobile 2012, Milan

01 product description

Moroso Hemp Chair

Product description

Lightweight, strong and environmentally friendly, Hemp Chair is the first stackable single-shell small armchair devised and designed for the use of a new industrial material based on natural fibres. A sheet, with over 75% of its composition made up of hemp, is heat-formed via a production process with low environmental impact borrowed from the car-making industry. This technique ensures extreme ease of modelling which enables the softness of the shapes to be exaggerated to such an extent that they achieve an almost 3D effect. The Hemp Chair project is backed by the German chemicals company BASF and with its gemstone-shaped structure represents a new approach to this complex type of seat.

Posted by Melissa LeMieux

I mean, who wouldn't want one?

DUTCH TUB

With the Dutchtub you can explore and enjoy the essence of outdoor bathing. This award-winning hot tub is a pure luxury and works surprisingly simple: Wood fired and with a natural circulation. With this smart construction and the sturdy, long-lasting materials you can use the Dutchtub anytime, anywhere...

Behind the Scenes at Dutch Tub

Posted by Melissa LeMieux