Archive for the ‘industrial design’ Category
The computer used is a 1st gen unibody macbook pro (core2duo 2.4ghz / 4gb ram), by no means a fast machine. The 8 hour render is simply an “overnight render” where the settings are all bumped up and I just let it go. Removing the liquid from inside the bottle greatly reduces the scene render time.
What I learned from this exercise is that longer render times seem to make little difference in the outcome. I’ll need to experiment more to find the best balance between quality and efficiency.
look what I got in the mail…
In case you haven't heard, Autodesk is now taking a cue from Adobe and offering software "suites." CAD lovers of all stripes can now purchase a whole assortment of tools, some they use and some they may not (yet), rolled into one slick package for a steeply discounted price.
I was a huge fan of the Creative Suite when it debuted, and jumped at the chance when I was asked to write a review on these two fabulous packages. I'm currently pulling, prodding and poking them to the best of my ability. Stay tuned for a full write up soon...
( Big thanks to LinYee Yuan @ core77 and Jon Winebrenner @ OneOak Design for the hookup )Starting out with some concept ideation, I’ve taken the existing mechanism and foldability and tried to freshen it up. I’ve repurposed the brushed metal on some. I’ve tried using friction instead of the stepped block for adjustable pressure. It’s awkward having a cable emerging from both earphones, so I’ve modifed the headband to be thin, flat and flexible yet still accomodate a wire channel. This concept direction, named Audiopile-P (for portable) takes the original proven architecture of the portapro and updates it for 2010. To see the rest of this project, goto the PP3 project page->
PortaPro3 : Concept 1
I've compiled the first set of ideation concepts for the PortaPro3 project.PP3 > define
To kick this thing off, I’ve compiled a few boards of 1) inspiration from current “designerly” headphones 2) the PortaPro timeline of products and I’ve identified 3) headphone user groups. I’ve also quickly noted pluses and minuses for these headphones. This feedback is derived from 6 years of personal use and online headphone forum discussions. Pssst, goto the PP3 project page->
PortaPro3 : Define
I've always been a fan of the Koss PortaPro headphones. They were designed in the early 1980's and have been through a few revisions over the past 25 years. The original designs are still the best. They are an open ear headphone design, with outstanding sound. These are perfect for use walking down the street or working in an office. The PortaPros are comfortable for long term use, yet fold up to a compact pocket size. The PortaPro's styling is charmingly vintage. My goal is to update the design and function while respecting the heritage appearance and features. This project will be posted as a series of steps in the order i complete them. At the end, I will post a complete project.
motorcycle anatomy
I spent last Sunday morning sketching motorcycles. There are many things I can draw "off the top of my head" and motorcycles aren't one of them. I've never really considered the anatomy of a motorcycle. These exploration sketches are not intended to be designed per se, just me experimenting with fitting forms and lines into the architecture of two-wheeled vehicles.
I used underlays to help guide the layout and structure of the motorcycles. Maybe soon, I will attempt to design a bike considering all the cool electric motorcycles making the rounds!
Yesterday, GE introduced the Wattstation, designed by fuseproject. It strikes me as a nice looking, attention drawing design that seems appropriate for its assumed (by me) role of publicity and promotion for GE and urban electric vehicle initiatives. There is good technology beneath the pretty surface, citing faster charge times, smart grid power allocation, upgradability, etc.
It’s easy to call out issues of environmental durability at first glance. Though more so, I was struck by the stark contrast of these devices looking completely out-of-place in the city streetscapes in the banner images:
Charging ahead: WattStation (image links to WattStation site)
Once EV’s become more common and it would no longer be necessary for cities to trumpet their EV friendliness. Looking forward a bit, I imagined how a system like this be integrated into an existing landscape. I sketched this idea (quickly). It’s not wholly original, as I’ve read about concepts involving piezo electric generators + induction chargers to power electric cars as they drive. Still, I think my concept makes sense while minimizing the visual and technological “exposure” / “clutter”:
Coincidentally, there was a time when cars themselves were viewed as ugly, out of place visual clutter in urban centers.
nduc
Featured in the Brief DVD 1. This project's goal was to design a new one cup coffee maker. I treated this as a full design project (and video recorded my entire design process along the way!) Check it out at www.thebriefdvd.com project date: December 2008
(First, this product DOES NOT make the drink for you. It is not a vending machine. )
The Siren is an ordering device that uses rich, interactive gestural controls to allow the customer to custom craft his or her drink. The controls are designed to simulate the real action used by Baristas.
For example, to add espresso shots, toggle a horizontal lever which resembles the espresso portafilter. Three clear “ice” button toggles determine the amount of ice, and a cylinder resembling an inverted whipped cream aerosol can is pushed to add whip. A large hand crank wheel is used to add “foam”
Once the drink is specified, a printer located below the cup prints a QR code on the bottom. This code is used by the baristas to know what you ordered. You can also scan it later with a cell phone cam to tweet what you just drank.
The Siren also features a “siren” button which can be used to complete a partially configured drink based on your order history, tracked via your starbux card. When this aggregated drink data is combined with advanced barista algorithms it can be used as the “siren’s intuition” to generate a new drink you might like, on the spot. Putting a generative design tool into the hands of customers.
(also, this is supposed to be a little silly, but in a fun way)
1HDC Gestural Interfaces
The latest 1hdc over at core77 is an interesting one. With the rise in popularity of gestural based screen interfaces in devices such as the ipad, there is a level of interactive richness lost by touching a flat smooth screen. Buttons click, knobs twist and switches rock and pop. The task is to design a gestural interface for anything that goes beyond the screen.
Update: Here is a photo of my little sketch on display in Rochester:
city car sketch
A colleague and I were asked to contribute to a local IDSA chapter's display booth at the Rochester Auto Show coming up this spring. This series of car sketches was an afternoon exercise done in sketchbook pro. It is conceptually a two-seater "city car" which takes on the form of a landrover crossed with a mini.
sightings: Skid Steer Ideation
My entry for the 1hdc ideation sketches challenge at core77.com was given an honorable mention for "cool topic" ! Sweet.
The second image is taken from a hands-on demo video for a new Lenovo ideapad u1 hybrid tablet on Engadget.com. They happen to be browsing Core77, and you see (for a few seconds) my skid-steer concept sketches. Original post here.
