Posts Tagged ‘industrial design’
Merging The Physical + Digital: The Ceramic Stereo
May 22nd, 2013 – Swedish born industrial designer Victor Johansson’s new Ceramic Stereo seamlessly merges the physical and digital to create interactions with improved sensory richness. Using the Ceramic Stereo is simple; connect your smartphone device via bluetooth, place your phone on the wooden center, then move your phone towards a specific edge of the speaker where the phone will detect a command (play, pause, radio, etc.).
Johansson constructed the Ceramic Stereo during his final year at London’s prestigious Central St. Martins University, to illustrate a cohesive way of human interaction with digital design.
“The Ceramic Stereo is one of three outcomes from my degree-project at Central St. Martins. This means that there is about 6-months worth of research and design work preceding the concept,” Johansson explained. While building the Ceramic Stereo, the designer seemed to breeze through the technicalities of constructing the device, but molding the ceramic was a different story. “What took the longest was to create the ceramic bowl itself, I had no prior knowledge to working with ceramic so this was quite a challenge, luckily the amazing technicians at CSM helped me.”
“The interaction-design paradigm of the moment is being centered around swiping our fingertips on glass. May it be phones, tablets, computers, in-car systems, or even refrigerators.” Johansson wanted to reach further, and create objects that humans can interact with in a less tangible way, such as voice commands and waiving your hands in the air.
More tangible options do exist. These options often offer more natural interactions with greater tolerances and error margins and that stimulate a wider range of human abilities than it’s screen counterpart. However, more often than not these tangible interfaces end up having very few functions and limited in terms of adaptation and customization. The Ceramic Stereo is Johansson first stab at creating an interactive product containing user friendly commands that act upon movement.
When Nature Calls Toilet Paper Capsule, Alberta
March 25th, 2013 – When Alberta College of Art & Design asked their design students to create something that generates social or economic value, students Sarah Jensen, Janet Molchanko, Amy Pon, and Morgan Smith immediately thought of one thing – number 2. An adventure in the great outdoors comes at a steep compromise of comfort, and when nature calls, leaves don’t always do the trick. In response to the discomfort of forests-sans-toilets, Jensen, Molchanko, and Smith created a waterproof toilet paper capsule made from a 2L plastic soda bottle, a resealable bag, reflective tape, silicone, twine, and recycled paper. The capsule is designed be hung and has an optional light attachment, for those late night rumbles. Now, at one point or another, every camper has made some sort of make-shift toilet paper holder, but kudos to this crew for refining it, packaging it, and giving it a clever name, When Nature Calls.
The GROWLER City Bike
February 22nd, 2013 – The GROWLER City Bike was created with the design lover, recreational urban rider, and local pub in mind. Industrial designer Joey Ruiter, Founder and design lead of jruiter + studio, has a soft spot for people who opt to cycle instead of drive. Riders have needs too, and one of those needs is transporting their beverages. Now, we’re not condoning drinking alcoholic beverages and cycling, but we are condoning functional and easily accessible bicycle storage. The GROWLER is outfitted with a 29er fat wheel set, monarch springer front end, 2 speed internal kickback hub, disc brakes, and a drink holder that fits a 1 gallon jug of beer….or milk. As spring is approaching, yes, we’re almost there, the bikes are starting to hit the roads in effort to make up for lost time. If one of your favorite summer pastime is taking a ride to meet friends for an outdoor BBQ, then the GROWLER is right up your street.
Dean Van Dis Photography
Brazier ‘MIKADO’ Fireplace by VanJoost
January 10th 2013 – The Netherlands is known to get cold. Very cold. Dutch designer Joost van Veldhuizen, founder of VanJoost, created a portable standing fireplace to help beat the freeze. Calling the little heater Brazier ‘Mikado’, Veldhuizen’s cool arrangement of bent steel is able to maintain its sturdiness, even amongst the very spastic set of legs. Because the Mikado is light weight and compact, it can easily be moved from spot to spot depending on where the outdoor gathering is happening.
Joost van Veldhuizen at work in his Voorthuizen workshop for VanJoost.
The Dome Oven
Industrial Designer Xavier Lopez says that “we are experts in precooked meals made in 5-15 minutes.” It seems, at times, we can be so caught up with our faced paced lives that we forget to stop and smell the roses. Lopez’s DOME Oven might just be the trick to slowing us all down!?! “The idea is to recover the idea of DOME cooking fire and slowly, as our ancestors did, generating a meeting around food because you have to wait to be done,” the designer explained. The DOME is relatively light weight and can be used in the kitchen, or you can take it on a picnic to the beach. The oven is constructed of all handmade pieces with a refractory ceramic and a little shallot. Lopez chose a dark black glaze to line the inside so the food becomes more attractive and the small structure is sculpted to give the food perfectly distributed heat!
(Photography: Xavier Lopez)
