Robotic Floor Tiles

These "tiles" have a number d.i.y industrial conductive textile sensors coupled along with a program that ques them to safely arrive on time for the next step. A very interesting and different approach to the moving floor simulator. Very different from the conveyor belt types that we are used to seeing today

http://www.gadgetreview.com/2009/02/circulafloor-a-moving-floor-for-virtual-reality-video.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWNz5icl6Kg

Tactile Interface Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi came up with a concept of a tactile interface. The buttons change height and color as notifications or based on the mapping configuration needed for current tasks. If you need for example arrows up down and right the buttons that are raised correspond with that shape.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX8I5wiFdLo&context=C4631e6cADvjVQa1PpcFMUY4Kaj2cuILlqIrzOhDDIe0v-EM54ORc=

Domino's Scooter Sound

One of the disadvantages of electric transportation is that they emit no sound, and this poses a threat to pedestrians since they sometimes rely on sound to determine if a vehicle is approaching. Domino's has a creative solution, check it out!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n17B_uFF4cA&feature=player_embedded

Jaguar Bookshelf

Creative use of an old vintage car.

A vintage Jaguar has been re-purposed by Dutch design firm Denieuwegeneratie so that it could serve as a stylish bookshelf in a living room.
The Jaguar Bookshelf was specifically designed for a Dutch Mountain house, an eco-friendly house built halfway into a hill, with a jutting roof that creates a mini-mountain.





To get the Jaguar book-ready, they had to cut out a large swath of the roof and remove the engine. The trunk has also been converted into a convenient cabinet.


LINK - Jaguar Bookshelf

Hologram Tupac!

Hologram Tupac: What's so live about live performance anyway?

The Globe and Mail

Miniature sandblasting chamber.

Came across this product at the green living show. It uses the suction from its vacuum to attach a miniature chamber that has the sandblasting nozzle and a light source. The sand that is used for this sandblaster is recycled crushed glass.It is very mobile and the posses is safely isolated. It is called the Tornado ACS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTeWBHx_ElU

Kristoffer Hvitfeldt

De Fietsfabriek means The Bike factory in english. It‘s a Dutch bicycle company that manufacturers and sell hand built quality bikes. This is student work. The assignment was to redesign their existing brand. I love nice packaging design

Recline Personal Cardiovascular Fitness Equipment by Technogym Spa

Recline Personal features an ergonomic seat and pedals with elegant finishing. To keep boredom at bay, the machine hooks up to the Internet and keeps you entertained while do your workout.

BGL35Move Series Vacuum Cleaner by Robert Bosch Hausgerí¤te

The MoveOn vacuum cleaner features 360-degree ball connection and XXL wheels that make it easier to navigate around obstacles in the living area. With its mat shock-absorbing bottom shell and bumper strip, the appliance is well equipped for everyday use.

Mindport by Lista Office LO & Greutmann Bolzern

The objective behind the interior furnishing system “Mindport by Lista Office LO” was to create a working environment in open-plan offices that supports different ways of working as regards concentration and communication, ensures the efficient use of available space and provides a private sphere, a possibility to retreat and optimal acoustics.

Craft Design Technology

Unless you've spent a lot of time in Japan, odds are you haven't heard of Craft Design Technology ($3-$120). But you have now, right? Makers of high-quality office goods like memo pads, pens, pencils, notebooks, and some insanely awesome scissors, their stuff is an easy way to set your boring cubicle apart from the rest of the herd — no red stapler in sight.

"link to vetted"

 

OpenSpace Shower Screen by EOOS Design

Manufacturer: Duravit AG

OpenSpace is a shower screen that transforms to a discreet wall panel. A frame in brilliant chrome look provides the outer contours. Two large glass doors are fitted into the frame and the door on the side of the taps fittings is made from mirror glass.

 Web app fragmentation

While web apps should find increased success in 2012, Lawson fears the year will also be one of fragmentation, replacing one group of proprietary systems (native apps) with another. “The spirit of co-operation between browser vendors will continue for the HTML5 spec, but not filter into other web stack specifications,” he says, sadly, noting that we’ve already seen Chrome-only apps. “A severe case of ‘not invented here’ can be seen in the 10 – yes, 10! – different app manifest formats invented by vendors instead of collaborating to make the W3C one better. This harms developers and, worse, lack of interoperability hurts consumers.”

Mozilla technical evangelist Rob Hawkes is optimistic that Boot to Gecko, Mozilla’s ‘operating system for the open web’  could boost the chances of web apps and “remove the reliance on proprietary single-vendor stacks for app development”. Initially focussed on mobile, it will implement a variety of Web APIs to access elements of mobile hardware.

Still in its early stages (the grab shows a UI mock-up idea from the Wiki), Boot to Gecko could aid in the fight against web-app fragmentation

A touching story. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faIFNkdq96U

Hydro-Fold !

Milan 2012: this inkjet printer has been adapted by Ecole Cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) student Christophe Guberan to print patterns that contort pieces of paper into specific 3D forms.

www.dezeen.com

Microsoft Surface & August de los Reyes

This presentation was originally shown at OCAD as part of the president speakers series. August de los Reyes at the time was working for microsoft, specifically with surface. Microsoft surface is an emerging technology already present in many offices and schools that allows interaction with other digital devices through a table top touch screen interface. I uploaded a clip from this presentation that describes the direction of technology within our lifetime. I highly suggest watching the entire hour long lecture via OCAD's itunes U podcast page.

August de los Reyes is the Principal Design Director for Microsoft Surface whose team is dedicated to pioneering intuitive ways to interact with technology.
De los Reyes is a member of the Advanced Studies Program at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design where he received an MDesS with Distinction in product design through which he explored the relationship of emotion and design intent. An affiliate design faculty member at University of Washington, de los Reyes was a visiting associate at the University of Oxford, and a 2009 juror of the International Design Excellence Awards. He is researching his next book entitled The Poetics of Everyday Objects.

Lockeeper designed by Youngdo Choi

Invoked Computing

Invoked Computing: spatial audio and video AR invoked through miming

Above is a link to research being done in the realm of human computer interactions, By using high tech object recognition software in combination with directional speakers and projectors, any object can become an interaction point between a user and a computer. This development implies that in the future the concept of associating computing with a certain type of experience relating to the technology being used i.e. laptop, desktop, smartphone etc, may be soon over and new opportunities for interaction design will be able to be investigated. Below is a video giving an example of the possibilities of this technology.

Future of the "real" Desktop.

Above is the EXOPC EXOdesk. Good example of a new way of interacting with a computer that bridges the idea of a desktop and a tablet. Ironic that it uses a desk top in that the idea of a desk top has become a simulacrum of the original idea of a desk top as a working space now associated more with computer operating systems than it's original origin.

Lightest Material in the World

Lightest Material In the World

Above is a link to HRL Laboratories who have recently revealed the worlds lightest material. Using a micro architecture the foil can be woven to be strong and resilient or flexible and compliant. This could suggest the future of material use as reducing weight in objects without affecting their strength applies to many ideals of product design industries.

OrcaM - Reconstruction Sphere Demonstration

Above is a demonstration of a reconstruction sphere, designed to take a 3-D analysis of an object it uses many synchronized cameras and lights within the sphere to perform a high fidelity scan of any object.
This could imply the future of virtual experience as it allows for the introduction of real objects into a virtual space.

Modern Lantern

Lampe H is a super-modern lighting solution that gives a slight nod to the old-school lantern. Similar to a kerosene lantern, the user turns a simple knob to activate on/off functionality and can transport the lightweight lamp anywhere with its thin handle. Probably not the best for camping, but it will look great inside!
Designer: Mathieu Azema

http://www.yankodesign.com/2012/03/29/modern-lantern/

Perfectly Green Humidification

There’s a brand new way to humidify your room, and it comes in a rather green looking – and acting – product from Wonsang Lee. This design takes first a simple white bucket and a green handle and rim, adds a sort of sprout-like pod which sits at the top of the water inside the bucket. The pod converts the water it sits on into steam as it moves downward through its supply – and it’s simple as that!

Of course there are other value added elements to this equation such as the meaning of the actual product name: seçac Humidifier. The first of two words there is pronounced sessak and means “sprout” in Korean – and the shape of the pod in the humidifier is derived from a tulip bud – cute!

Designer: Wonsang Lee

http://www.yankodesign.com/2012/04/06/perfectly-green-humidification/

Composting 

KOMPOST is a ceramic cylinder you bury half way into the ground. It allows you to dump your organic matter into the top and thanks to the easy access holes, worms will turn your garbage into rich compost.

Designer: Kellee Kimbro

 

The New Age of Nuclear Power

For any students researching or interested in sustainable energy, read further:

It doesn't run the risk of meltdown, creates much less harmful waste, and operates on an abundant resource. Thorium nuclear reactors were researched for decades right here in Canada and briefly operated in the US, but during the cold war era, plutonium-uranium based reactors came to be the chief choice as the byproducts of these plants allowed for nuclear weapons development. Thorium does not create a weapons grade byproduct, and so it quietly has been shelved awaiting a new awakening. Enter China:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/8393984/Safe-nuclear-does-exist-and-China-is-leading-the-way-with-thorium.html

The Advantages of Thorium Fueled Reactors

Less Dangerous - Reactors, using generation IV molten salt designs, have a greatly reduced risk of an escape of highly radioactive materials as a result of an explosion, meltdown or fire following an earthquake, tsunami or system failure. There is nothing to burn or melt down.

Less Radioactive Waste - They produce a small fraction of the radioactive wastes associated with the uranium/plutonium fuel cycle and they do not have to be stored for tens of thousands of years.

Less Expensive – They don’t use raw materials like uranium, which are scarce and expensive, neither do they need massively strong containment structures.

Less Need for Potentially Dangerous Fuel - They only require fissile materials, (with a potential to make nuclear weapons), to start them up. Afterwards they are self-sustaining.

Less Risk of Proliferation - They don’t generate fissile materials and therefore the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons is much reduced.

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/all-watched-over-by-machines-of-loving-grace/

For anyone considering a thesis project centered around digital technologies or networking, these hour long BBC documentaries (3 episodes in total)  by BAFTA award winner, and personal hero of mine, Adam Curtis, would be an essential viewing experience. I promise this will not disappoint and is well worth the time investment.

A series of films about how humans have been colonized by the machines they have built. Although we don’t realize it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of the computers. It claims that computers have failed to liberate us and instead have distorted and simplified our view of the world around us.

1. Love and Power. This is the story of the dream that rose up in the 1990s that computers could create a new kind of stable world. They would bring about a new kind global capitalism free of all risk and without the boom and bust of the past. They would also abolish political power and create a new kind of democracy through the Internet where millions of individuals would be connected as nodes in cybernetic systems – without hierarchy.

2. The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts. This is the story of how our modern scientific idea of nature, the self-regulating ecosystem, is actually a machine fantasy. It has little to do with the real complexity of nature. It is based on cybernetic ideas that were projected on to nature in the 1950s by ambitious scientists. A static machine theory of order that sees humans, and everything else on the planet, as components – cogs – in a system.

3. The Monkey in the Machine and the Machine in the Monkey. This episode looks at why we humans find this machine vision so beguiling. The film argues it is because all political dreams of changing the world for the better seem to have failed – so we have retreated into machine-fantasies that say we have no control over our actions because they excuse our failure.

Aerogel

The worlds lightest solid material! Aerogel is essentially glass foam. Made from silica and air Aerogel is a material used in aerospace industry where a thermo barrier or insulation is required for extreme temperature differences. Like in a rocket where sensitive electronics need to be protected from thermal damage. It was also used in a satellite that flew through the tail of a comet and returned a sample to the earth for analysis. The Aerogel acted as a"hand" grabbing particles and holding them to be returned to earth. The picture bellow is from this mission. Cutting edge materiality. To give you a sense of price I have a small square that is only 2 cm squared and it is probably worth 60 bucks!

This is the matrix it was packed in.

This is a comet particle embedded in Aerogel

As you can see these crayons wont melt!

Enter the Replicator!

It has arrived! The future of personal manufacturing. Fully assembled and tested, dual extruders for different colours or materials at the same time, integrated interface, prints without the need of a computer attached and better resolution by printing with thinner material filament. So many new features that make this the best Makerbot yet! Mine is on order and I am eagerly awaiting its arrival. It will be here in a few weeks...oh how I am waiting!
In the mean time here is a picture of it and a link to the Makerbot website where you can watch a video about it.
So amazing!
http://store.makerbot.com/replicator-404.html

LEGO 3d milling machine!

OH Yeah! This is what happens when you take two of my favourite things and mash them together?  Watch the video and be prepared to be amazed! The only component that isn't a LEGO element is the drill bit cutter head.
Totally amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX1cO2XhMrg

Shameless self promotion

Like the title says, here is a link to my blog. I like to write and post about a variety of things but mostly 3d printing right now. I also add my shows, projects and various other design and art stuff I do and other peoples interesting things.
www.gregmcroberts.wordpress.com
Please leave me some feedback!
MakerBot TV S01E04! « MakerBot Industries

john.. one crazy guy. is it science? money scheme?

here is a very realist explanation: http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/John_Hutchison
http://www.hutchisoneffect.ca/ and here is
 one seriously horrible site, but free energy and alternative sources of energy always are a relevant subject.

Thingiverse.com

A world of things awaits on Thingiverse.com! Share upload and chat about 3d digital designs. I have been a member for about a year and seen some amazing things uploaded and uploaded my own designs They have blogged about them and featured me on an episode of makerbot TV! My handle is sirmakesalot, have a look via the link bellow.
http://www.thingiverse.com/sirmakesalot
Here is a shot of some motor models I made.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:10895

Love & Coke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A-7H4aOhq0&feature=watch_response

A new way of Brand recall. I like it, very personal.

Thumbtack design by Toshi Fukaya

Fall, 2008

paper art done by Peter Calleson

ingredients magazine free

http://www.moreingredients.com/

Chris Lefteri quater annual magazine on the newest innovative materials and technologies.

URBANIZED

by director Gary Hustwit the man who brought you "Objectified" and "Helvetica" completes his series about the three categories of design Graphic, Object, and now space.

Flex Chair

Crafty Wooden ‘Flex Chair’ Uses Clever Flat-Folding Plastic

http://dornob.com/crafty-wooden-flex-chair-uses-clever-flat-folding-plastic/

Licentia

Twist and Squeeze

Designer Jason Kline discovered people don't use most of buttons on today's TV remotes. The complex array of function only confuses some and alienates others. Most people also only watch 12 different channels so why are we still using these ever elongating sticks? Kline suggests another way called the Licentia. 

The Licentia is straight forward, no-nonsensical remote control consisting of 2 disc which can be spun or compressed in a number of gesture patterns to interact with your TV. Once you get the hang of it, channel hopping will become easier and faster. None of that cumbersome numeric keypad stuff. 

Unfortunately it's saucer-like shape doesn't mean it comes with alien technology so you won't be turning off neighboring TV's at huge tech conferences.

Designer: Jason Kline