ASUS’ “Bamboo” Laptop
There have been bamboo themed products in the past, but 2008 has seen the release of several products made using bamboo, a trend that is growing more popular for the eco-friendly conscious designers and consumers. The latest into production seems to be a bamboo notebook by ASUS. The benefits of using bamboo, other than being biodegradable are that it looks elegant and has a high tensile strength, making it a useful replacement for conventional materials.
More details here
Jia Wei’s View on Chinese Design
“Taking the Pulse of Chinese Design”
LKK Design’s founder, Jia Wei, gives an interesting take on the current status of the Chinese design industry in an interview with http://en.visionunion.com/ entitled “Taking the Pulse of Chinese Design”. Noticeable points he mentioned were; china needs its own style; more professionalism needed from the large number of Chinese designers; understanding of symbiotic design. He further explains that he believes China’s design style should be based on Chinese culture.
Here is an extract from the interview;
Here is an extract from the interview;
Q: How do you view the current state of Chinese design?
A: We’re not short of good designers in China, nor good design agencies and good clients. What we do lack is a systematic approach to design, a design process with a particular cultural basis. I’ve always believed that it’s the underlying economic foundation that determines what can be built. The current boom in the Chinese art market is a result of the expansion of the economy.
I am convinced we will soon be seeing a similar boom in Chinese design. The important thing for a designer is to be able to use economic, artistic, cultural and scientific methods to make design something three-dimensional. Design that only considers artistic or scientific aspects is not good design. So many designers now fail to use this three-dimensional approach when they design a product. They only consider aesthetic aspects and try to copy that clean European look. That is someone else’s creation and they’ve been developing the style for decades now. Even if we do design like that really well, that’s not being creative, it’s just continuing what’s gone before. We ought to be creating an age of three-dimensional design that is our own thing.
Read the rest of the interview here
Design Trends
The Scope Camera for Kids
This prototype by designer Bas Groenendaal
is an easy-to-use camera for kids that encourages them to interact
directly with their surroundings from a fun, new perspective. Inspired
by James Nachtwey’s TED Prize wish,
The Scope is shaped like a car steering-wheel and has a windowless
viewfinder, helping bring the photographer closer to the action and
his/her subject. The picture is captured with a simple squeezing of the
sides of the wheel. Groenendaal designed the camera “to be used as a
therapeutic instrument for underprivileged children, e.g. children
living in (former) warzones. Children can take photographs and
self-portraits in order to rediscover their environment and identity,
and share their point of view with others.” TED Blog explains more:
Design Trends
http://www.shapeways.com/
Welcome to Shapeways. We want to be a fun, inspiring place where you can create and print your own 3D designs. You can get started by uploading your own designs or by rating and commenting on other people’s. We would appreciate it if you told us how we could improve Shapeways via the forums or by contacting us directly.
latest produced objects
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Touch Sight: A Camera For the Blind
Urban Electric bike for US market. (Sonja knows the designer and the model!)
A clever name, a clever design and a solid premise — now, if only we didn’t see a set of front and rear pegs along with Dave Mirra grinding down a stairwell each time we looked at it, we could actually take this thing seriously. Unfortunately for our childish hopes, Ultra Motors’ A2B electric bike actually won’t be used in the next X-Games, but it may just get you to and from your downtown apartment. This comparatively small electric bike features a full suspension setup, an oversized seat and a battery arrangement that provides 20 miles of travel without a touch of the pedal. Also of note, riders can reach speeds of up to 20mph (or 50mph if traveling downhill, so we hear), and an optional secondary battery can double the aforesaid distance capability. Look for this one to hit authorized dealers next month for a presumably lofty amount of scratch.
Kids’ spaces
Ask a child what their favorite subject is at school, and chances are they’ll say recess. It’s the one time during the day when they are almost absolutely free to make decisions for themselves – from who to play with, what to play, and where to play. And as children grow, the social dynamics of who can play where shifts and an age-based pecking order ensues.
The Netherlands-based design team at Carve integrate architectural expression into their playground design thereby generating unique play experiences for children of all ages. Don’t let the kids know, however that the Carve team strives to encourage a cognitive process – even during free time. This new equipment and play structures stimulate decision-making, group and continuous play (use of the same equipment in varying way) encouraging children to climb, hang, swing, skate, slide, run, jump, vault, hide.
One of Crave’s creation in particular, the wall-holla, has received special notoriety as it was nominated for the Dutch Design Awards in 2006. Thirty children at once can climb, crawl, roll and maneuver through the large fence-like structure. Older children are able to scale the climbing wall or just relax and look out over the domain they’ve waited countless years to control. By Andrew J Weiner.
Kids indoor spaces
Playground in Berlin
China’s internet access has been plagued with rumors of restricted browsing, missing articles and even bloggers who can’t publish to their personal sites.
The Freedom Stick gets around this problem. This €20 ($30) USB dongle is pre-loaded with software which will secure the communications of any computer it is slotted into. Made available by Germany’s Chaos Computer Club, the stick uses the TOR (The Onion Router) network to cloak your connections, routing traffic around the world through anonymous computers, thus avoiding detection.
The name is a little antagonistic but that’s the point, you can actually achieve the same hack with a software solution. Still how bad can getting detained by Chinese customs over issues of censorship really be.
Design Trends
Microsoft gives glimpse of the Sphere
Are You Ready to Go Green?
The science is in: The time to save the planet is now. But going green isn’t just about reversing global warming. It also means creating safer places for your kids and pets to play, improving your own heath, and saving money. But if you think going green demands a radical overhaul of your life, think again. In Treehugger’s new book, Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living, our super-savvy green staff shows you how to make the simple adjustments that can get you started on your way to living a green life. Already a card-carrying member of the green brigade? Our program can help you take it to the next level.
If you’re tired of scanning lists of green tips that don’t apply to your life, Ready, Set, Green can help. Our goal wit this book is to debunk common eco-myths and equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to achieve a lifestyle of health and sustainability, whether you’re a soccer mom or a rock star. From the truth about what’s in your sunscreen to assessing the air quality of your home and workplace, this week-by-week plan can help you shift into a state of pure, green bliss.
Barack Style: Providing a stylish yet clear approach to speaking your mind without saying anything at all, the statement tee has become a popular wardrobe choice among consumers. Depending on the issue at hand, one might be able to get a clear read of what’s going on in the minds of consumers just by looking at their t-shirts. Speaking to this trend, CafePress, a popular online destination for consumer submitted t-shirt designs, has got some hard numbers that seem to indicate where young people’s political allegiance lies (or at least that of the creative DIY crowd…who like to submit t-shirt designs). Pitting the number of t-shirt designs featuring Barack Obama with those featuring John McCain, as ofthis morning Obama is in the lead with about 26,000 t-shirt designs while there are just 6,400 McCain designs. Either way, the t-shirts are way cooler than anything available during the Reagan administration; our favorite designs include “John is my homeboy”, “Barack to the Future” and “My Mama’s For Obama.”
You can be a materials geek if you want–you can think titanium’s the coolest, or carbon fiber bike frames are full of awesome. Maybe you’re a little more esoteric and dream about aerogels or aramids, or maybe nanocoatings. But in the end, the only title that really matters is Strongest Material in the World, and that title’s just been granted to…something you’ve never heard of.
It’s called graphene, and anyone familiar with molecular structures probably won’t be surprised to know that the new Strongest Material Ever is mostly carbon, the same building block in diamond and buckytubes. The difference with graphene is it lays neatly in a sheet one molecule thick, like ultra-thin plastic wrap. If plastic wrap could do this:
[Columbia professor James] Hone compares his test to stretching a piece of plastic wrap over the top of a coffee cup, and measuring the force that it takes to puncture it with a pencil. If he could get a large enough piece of the material to lay over the top of a coffee cup, he says, graphene would be strong enough to support the weight of a car balanced atop the pencil.
The catch, as you may have surmised from the quote, is that graphene has so far only been synthesized in extremely small pieces, making it useful for high-conductivity transistors, but not so much for physical applications. No word yet on when you’ll be able to run to the fabric store and buy a yard or two for making the ultimate shred-proof parachute pants. Assuming you could figure out how to cut the stuff.
Design Trends
Dog Poo Bags
http://www.notcot.com/archives/2008/07/dog_poo_bags.php
Austin-based automotive design and manufacturing company Ronn Motor’s has built the Scorpion; a hydrogen fuel injected hybrid. http://www.thecoolhunter.net/transportation/ECO—EXOTIC/
Architect Jean Nouvel designed this Roman Baths inspired spa/pool in the old port of Le Havre, France. Soon to come in Paris too. http://www.thecoolhunter.net/design/Le-Bains-des-Docs/
How do you make a hard drive “green?” Fabrik’s SimpleTech Turbo is designed with rippled sides to dissipate heat, negating the need for a fan, and it’s made from recycled aluminum and, of course, bamboo. For best results, do not use near pandas.
Dell Studio Hybrid Mini-PeC for $499. comes with Recycling Kit:
· Reduced packing materials 30 percent by weight.
· Packing materials are also 95 percent recyclable.
· Reduced printed documentation 75 percent by weight.
· System recycling kit is included.
Next Designer of the week: Jean Nouvel
Design Trends
Prefab Homes Trend
“Flat-pack, pop-up and prefab are all terms that are becoming increasingly popular int he world of design and living. Prefabricated products go way beyond the shelves of Ikea; in fact, prefab homes—yes, entire houses—are one of the biggest new architecture crazes.
From cardboard to recycled shipping containers, instant homes are made from a diverse range of materials. Some are built as temporary post-disasters shelters, while others are just super-hip homes like the Dwelling Dock featured in the main photo. Below are some of the most interesting concepts we’ve featured on Trend Hunter.” (from Trendhunter.com)
Women make Greener Business decisions
Bike Sharing Program Launched in Mexico City
Ride Share programs
- Call a Bike, Munich inaugurated in March 2000
- Cityräder, Helsinki inaugurated in June 2000
- Citybike, Vienna inaugurated in June 2003
- Pekin, inaugurated in 2005
- Vélo’v, Lyon (France) inaugurated in May 2005
- Bicing, Barcelona (Spain) inaugurated in March 2007
- Sevici, Sevilla (Spain) inaugurated in April 2007
- Vélib’, Paris (France) inaugurated in July 2007
- Bizi, Zaragoza (Spain) inaugurated in May 2008
- Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective
Robots
Nao humanoid robot
Aptera Typ-1
More fuel efficient than anything ever produced. Two seat, three wheel vehicle. If you live in California, you can reserve your model for $27,000 or $30,000 now for an All Electric or Plug-In Electric Hybrid.
www.aptera.com
Design Trends Observations
Observations
The eco-friendly trend is growing stronger and stronger. I believe in a few years no cell phones or cars will be un-eco friendly. Companies that collect environmentally friendly materials and reselling them is a new business trend. Running shoes are looking futuristic, but casual shoes are reverting back to old style converse type things. Companies such as http://www.shulong-shoes.com/ and OSPOP:
“OSPOP who introduced us to the Tian Lang canvas trainers, the choice of footwear for millions of Chinese miners, farmers, construction and factory workers for decades have released the Skywolf series. Slightly re-engineered, they thankfully took the initiative to increase the comfort and quality of the shoe while maintaining the iconic colors and design.
For those skeptical about cultural appropriation, OSPOP works closely with the Tian Lang factory and a percentage of every pair sold is contributed towards a scholarship for high school students who lack the funds to begin their first year of college.” Core77.com
Transformations of homes
Multimedia is taking over our lives more than ever, with the lasting craze over the iphone and rockband venues for example. House interiors need to adjust to the growing demand of home entertainment systems. Teenagers stay at home with friends rather than go out in public places where it’s more dangerous (USA). Parents prefer to keep them at home with entertainment rather than outside.
Design Trends
First there was Tivoli, which packed walloping hi-fi sound inside a pert, ’60s-style plastic package. Indonesian designer Singgih Kartono’s Magno, available through Areaware, arrives like an eco-friendly heir to that retrograde throne, with styling that evokes the feel-good ’70s, three sizes all done up in smooth-edged, sustainably harvested, uncoated wood. Kartono, though, isn’t some greenwashed novitiate: The radios are assembled by hand in the designer’s native village of Kandangan, where Kartono helped built a craft-based community to shore up a floundering agricultural economy. And don’t be fooled by the old-school knobs and dials: AM/FM and transistor frequencies are accompanied by a line in for the MP3 player of your choice. Prices start at $200 for the small. www.areaware.com