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Samsung's Crazy Multiple Moving Modular Monitors Concept Display

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Samsung's "Future TV Zone" booth at CES featured some mysterious, information-absent displays apparently intended to be a demonstration of their technological prowess. While neither appears to have much application for the average consumer in a domestic setting, it's tough not to be wowed by the set-ups, the first of which features eight individual screens that can become one, and the second of which is a monitor that can change its aspect ratio by splitting in half, rotating each half 90 degrees, then coming back together:

Referring to the booth as "a tantalizing vision of the future of TV," Samsung Electronics' President of Visual Display Business, Hyun Suk Kim, stated that "We believe the possibilities for innovation in TV are truly endless, and in the years to come, customers will experience ever greater choice and control, as the current barriers around screen size, shape and versatility are overcome." That being said, there's no word on whether either of these concepts will ever see daylight, and for the life of me I can't think of what you'd use them for. But darn if they ain't cool.


An Ingenious, Sustainable Way to Quickly Build Tunnels That Will Last Forever

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One of the first things we learned about in History of Architecture 101 was Romanesque architecture, and thus Roman arches. Moving beyond the Greeks and their boring lintels, the Romans figured out that you could create massive, self-supporting archways that locked into place once the keystone in the top was inserted.

Taking advantage of the compressive strength of stone, this system of archbuilding yielded magnificent structures. And unlike those moody Goths who later devised their own lousy take on the arch, the Roman arch was a nice, rational semicircle.

So effective is the technique that it even works with old computer monitors; all you need is an intern labor force that understands they are required to come in on Saturday to realize your architectural whims.

Ready to make a difference in the world

The thing about Roman arches is that the arch doesn't lock into place until the keystone is added. That means that until you get to that last piece, the entire structure must temporarily be held in place by scaffolding (or interns).

Seven interns working in concert can develop tremendous compressive strength

However, a Vancouver-based company called Lock-Block has devised a clever, mobile scaffold that happens to come in the shape of a truck. The company's mainstay is producing interlocking rectangular concrete blocks, akin to enormous Lego pieces. Their Arch-Lock system applies this concept to wedge-shaped pieces. Once their special Zipper Truck is driven to the site, the Arch-Lock blocks can be stacked using the truck itself as the scaffold. Have a look at this:

Pretty crazy, no? And it appears, judging by the way the driver occasionally scoots the truck forwards and backwards, that the array of beams is actually tapered towards the rear; this irregularity would allow the driver to jiggle the pieces into place, until the protrusions properly nest into the cavities and gravity takes over.

The benefits of the Zipper Truck system are manifold. For one thing, the structure goes up relatively quickly; the company claims their system "reduces construction time by as much as 90% [versus] a comparable conventional reinforced post and beam concrete structure. And with no embedded steel to limit the service life, the structure will last indefinitely."

The design is also seismic-resistant. And despite the fact that the structure will last--if Roman creations are any indication--for thousands of years, should you decide to relocate the structure, the process is completely reversible. In contrast to other concrete structures that must be taken down with dynamite and a wrecking ball, the Arch-Lock blocks can simply be plucked out of place and reused elsewhere. That's a wonderfully sustainable benefit to using gravity for joinery, and a lesson you can easily teach your interns over a weekend.

Are happy to cancel their brunch reservations in order to participate in team-building exercises

Design Job: Imagine the Next Gen of Wearables as Huami's Lead Industrial Designer in Mountainview, CA

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Seeking candidates to imagine the next generation of smart wearable devices. You'll lead projects from product definition to manufacturing. You'll need 5+ years of experience, strong sketching skills, a proficiency in 3D modeling, and excellent 2D/3D rendering skills. Experience with design research including user, trend, color, material, and finish required.

View the full design job here

A Radical Board Design from the 1920s Set Surfing Up for Popularization

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Back in 1927 Tom Blake, a competitive swimmer from Wisconsin, found himself working on an interesting craft project in Hawaii. Introduced to this weird Hawaiian activity which came to be called surfing, he'd been exposed to the sport through fellow swimmer and surf pioneer Duke Kahanamoku. Blake had spent three years trying it out and visiting a museum in Honolulu to look at early surfboard/paddleboard designs, called olo.

Olo were gargantuan affairs. They were some fifteen feet in length, three to four inches thick, made from a local wood like koa in Hawaii or redwood in California, and required plenty of muscle to haul around; some weighed well over 100 pounds. Blake was building replicas of the olo he'd studied in the museum and wondering if he could make them lighter.

The idea he came up with was to drill hundreds of holes in the board, just to remove mass. Then he skinned both sides with thinner layers of wood in an effort to seal the surface.

Blake's invention worked well enough that he continued down this road, eventually striking upon the idea of not starting with a solid piece of wood at all, but instead cutting thinner pieces of wood into ribs and a spine, in the manner of an airplane wing. He'd then skin the skeleton in wood, creating a relatively watertight surface—a plug was needed to drain whatever water got inside after each session—and succeeded in getting the weight down to around 40 pounds. By 1931 he'd applied for a patent, and the following year was awarded U.S. Patent No. 1,872,230 for his design (amusingly referred to as a "water sled").

By 1932 Blake had opened a business producing his innovative surfboards and paddleboards in Venice, California, and later licensed his designs to other manufacturers. In 1935 he came up with another idea—adding a fin to the underside of a board—and again found success, as the simple addition provided lateral stability and gave the surfboard better maneuverability. 

By 1936 he was holding classes to each others how to build his designs... 

...and by 1939 his designs had been published in both Popular Mechanics and Popular Science, with Blake writing accompanying articles on how to DIY them.

Popular Mechanics, July 1937, Volume 68, Number 1. Image: The Wood Buddha
Popular Mechanics, July 1937, Volume 68, Number 1. Image: The Wood Buddha
An end user in Lanai with one of Blake's designs that had been published in Popular Science. Image: The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum

Along the way Blake had begun surfing competitively and winning competitions like the Pacific Coast Surf Riding Championships, America's first such organized event. And his innovation wasn't limited to board construction; he came up with the idea for a waist-mounted leash so that boards wouldn't get away from him after a wipeout, and so in love was he with the sport that after learning photography, he invented a waterproof housing for a Graflex camera that allowed one to shoot surfers from within the water. As GoPro would do decades later, Blake's invention allowed the public to see images of an exciting new sport from a perspective they'd never before seen, like this:

You can read about a couple more of Blake's inventions here, but let's get back to the boards for a moment. What Blake's modifications achieved cannot be overstated. His innovative and lightweight design suddenly opened the sport up to folks for were previously either unable or unwilling to lug 100 pounds up and down a beach. According to Steven Kotler's West of Jesus: Surfing, Science, and the Origins of Belief,

"Blake altered everything," surf journalist Drew Kampion wrote in 2001. "He almost single-handedly transformed surfing from a primitive Polynesian curiosity into a 20th century lifestyle."

Blake accomplished this despite having no industrial design training—heck, back then most people didn't even know what industrial design was—and indeed, lacking a formal education, as Blake had dropped out of high school. So, would-be design entrepreneurs among you, I'd urge you to look around at objects within your own realm of experience. There is something around you that more people would like to use, but do not, because it's too heavy, too light, too big, too small, too unwieldy, too hard to learn, or in some way inaccessible. Think about how you might be able to improve it, and if you've got the passion to see it through, perhaps you could be the Tom Blake of [fill in the blank].

Here's a look at a Blake design from the 1940s:

Blake's hollow boards eventually became supplanted by better material technology, and today polystyrene foam, fiberglass and resin are the rule. But that doesn't mean that all modern-day boardmakers have forgotten what a Blake board was like. Stay tuned.

Modern-Day Small-Batch Hybrid Production Techniques: Combining CNC with Hand Tools for Effective Results

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When Tom Blake was designing his revolutionary surfboard in the 1920s, I'm sure he had no notion that it would change surfing. Nor could he have any idea that his design would eventually be usurped by foam and plastic. Nor could he have possibly envisioned that nearly a century later, a small shop would go back to wood and produce new designs inspired by his, and that this shop would not be located in his stomping grounds of Hawaii or California, but way over in England.

Cornwall-based Otter Surfboards produces Blake-inspired hollow surfboards, featuring a skeleton with sturdy ribs that nevertheless might have appeared shockingly thin to Blake. To adhere the rails and surfaces they use adhesives with efficacies Blake could only have dreamt of. And while he'd recognize some of the hand tools Otter uses, the CNC mill would likely throw him for a loop. Check out the hybrid techniques they use to put their boards together:

This will sound naïve to those of you familiar with the usage of Japanese hand tools, but I was amazed at how he used a ryoba to cut curves. I have so much trouble getting the flexible blade to cut straight, it never even occurred to me that you could intentionally bend it and cut without binding.

I do wish the video was edited a bit less; I would've liked to see more footage of how he built up and contoured the rails during that time jump between 2:36 and 2:44.

For those of you within proximity to Cornwall—perhaps you're headed to see boatmaker Ben Harris?—the chaps at Otter offer workshops ranging from one to five days in length, where you can learn to build surfboards, bellyboards or handplanes (the swimming kind, not the wood-shaving kind).

Click here to see more of their stuff.

Reader Submitted: WATER PASS: A Sink Filter Upgrade

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WATER PASS provides a simple yet clever solution to an age old problem— it is a filter for your sink that allows water to drain quickly even with food waste in the center well.

View the full project here

Slow/d: "The First Distributed Design Factory"

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At first glance, this design for a stacking chair called the RJR might not seem like much:

It's simple, clean, consists entirely of 90-degree cuts and looks like anyone could make one. But that's actually the point. That's because Italy-based industrial designer Mario Alessiani designed it for Slow/d, an Italian outfit that bills themselves as "the first distributed design factory." What Slow/d is shooting to be is, in essence, a production company with no warehouses, no inventory and no fabricating facility of their own; instead individual craftspeople and artisans scattered throughout Italy are their production arm.

Under Slow/d's scheme, designers submit their designs to the Slow/d site for approval. Consumers peruse the chosen designs, and when they purchase one, an artisan local to the consumer that's been pre-approved by Slow/d is then tasked with building and delivering the piece. "In this way," explains Alessiani's entry to the VModern Furniture Design Competition, "everyone works and we have less transportation and pollution."

The aim of the designer was to make a wooden chair that can be [built] by the most number of carpenters in order to make the net of artisans capable of doing it as big as possible. The idea was to create a design that could be done with base carpentry tools but with something more that makes the chair recognizable and functional.

Thus far Slow/d claims to have some 1,300 designers and artisans signed up, but I could only find 20 products currently for sale on their site. Some examples of the furniture currently being sold are Nicola Dalla Casta's Woodrope, a flatpack stool with structural stability being provided by rope in tension:

FareDesign's similarly flatpack Join coatrack:

Mess+Simoni's Cullatonda cradle:

All of the designs feature straightforward construction similar to Alessiani's. While design snobs might sniff at what they perceive to be "idiot-proof" construction designed to attract producers of varying talents, I think the idea of distributed manufacturing has merit, and the long-term environmental benefits, if such a thing were to work, are undeniable.

Less clear are some of the details of the precise payouts offered. First off, the site states that designers score a 10% royalty on each piece sold—if that percentage sounds low to you, it's still far higher than what you'd get from an established furniture brand—and the initial fabricator who helps them prototype that design gets a 5% royalty. Those numbers seem fine to me, and is a particularly good way for a fabricator to continuously earn a little coin after a one-time job.

Where it gets murky, at least for me trying to puzzle through the badly-translated English description, is that once a particular design's "manufacturing license" is sold to the fabricator who will ultimately build the exact version going to a consumer, the designer gets 65%; is that a one-time fee, and who determines the price of the license? Furthermore, that last-mile fabricator is said to receive only 5%. The website is not clear on whether the fabricators are also paid for the actual materials and labor, but I imagine they'd have to be; otherwise the payout in building a €280.60 (US $305) RJR chair only amount to €14 (US $15.25) per unit for the last-mile fabricator, which hardly seems worthwhile for what is likely several hours of labor.

In any case, here is Slow/d's pitch, and I hope they can hire a proper translator in the future to make the financials a bit more clear:

How a Traditional Korean Inlaid Lacquer Box is Made

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For those of us who are beginner or even intermediate level woodworkers, making a delicate box with a perfect finish is hard enough. Imagine that you get all of that done, and then the real work starts.

If you've ever been to Korea, you may have seen some of these lacquered boxes inlaid with what looks like pearl or shells:

In fact they're shells, and while a purist might say the techniques used to get them in there aren't proper inlay, well, watch this guy (master craftsman Lee Kwang-Woong) make one and see if you'd find it any less difficult:

"I was about to ask how much one of these boxes go for," writes one commenter on the YouTube page, "but then I saw it takes one year to make one of them so I think I'm better off not knowing."


Design Job: Yarn-ing for a new job? Join Warrior Sports as their next Knit Technician in Warren, MI

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Seeking an experienced knitwear technician with programming and hands on knowledge on flat knitting machines. High level of competency in fully-fashioned programming and knitwear machines is required. Ideal candidates can manage large and complex 3D knit development projects. Extensive knowledge of yarn selection, gauges, stitch techniques, patterns and layouts required.

View the full design job here

Taming the Kitchen and Dresser Drawers 

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Anyone who's tried to find one specific item in a large, crowded drawer will appreciate how drawer organizers can help make things easier. 

DrawerDecor from KMN Home is one cool way to provide that organization, with a silicone mat (which can be trimmed to fit) and repositionable pieces. It's easy to install and easy to clean—and it makes it extremely easy to find things. It can be configured as needed by each end user. However, not everyone has enough drawer space for this approach.

The Dream Drawer Organizers from Dial are spring-loaded, so they're easy to install—no tools required. They come in two sizes to accommodate different drawer sizes. These organizers subdivided the drawers while still allowing a group of kitchen tools, for example, to overlap.

One concern: A number of purchasers have complained that while the taller-but-shorter dividers are supposed to expand from 12 inches to 18 inches, they didn't actually compress to 12 inches, and therefore didn't fit into some shorter drawers. 

The expandable drawer organizers from Axis are also spring-loaded. One added feature are the notches which allow for horizontal pieces to be added to subdivide the rows into smaller sections—a nice option. However, purchasers noted these dividers, like the Dream Drawer Organizers, didn't fit drawers on the shorter side of the given range. And one purchaser had a drawer destroyed when the compressed spring let loose.

The OXO drawer dividers come in two sizes; they provide the same ease of installation as the spring-loaded drawers, but use a different mechanism. The end user pushes down on a button to expand the organizer to fit the drawer. However, a minority of purchasers have reported problems with the dividers staying in place. 

The slotted interlocking drawer dividers from Sorbus are also easy to install and configurable to the end user's needs. Each set has three strips that snap apart without the need for any tools. Using these dividers will require the end user to do some pre-planning and measuring, though, to get the configuration right before snapping the strips into pieces. That may sound trivial, but for some end users it will be a challenge.

The custom drawer organizer strips are another fully-configurable design. As The Container Store says, "You just measure, score, and snap dividers to the length you need; then slide them into the self-adhesive mounts in whatever configuration you want." However,  some purchasers found the "score and snap" part to be somewhat difficult. 

The honeycomb drawer organizer from Whitmor is intended for small things such as socks and underwear. The pieces just snap together; purchasers agree the installation is simple. But they also note the sections are pretty small, and work better for a child's items than for those of an adult man. (Any organizer like this, with set compartment sizes, can't possibly work for everyone.)

Some organizers are designed specifically for tall kitchen drawers. The Tra-Sta Deep Drawer Kit from Omega National includes three prefinished maple dividers and six predrilled mounting rails. They can be trimmed to fit various drawer depths, but the height is not intended to be altered. (Trimming the bottom would remove the finish from the edge and void the warranty.)

The deep drawer inserts and the kitchenware and plate organizers from Häfele use a base plate and posts. This seems like an effective way to store plates in a drawer, but no one I've worked with would care about organizing pans that way, especially since it would seem to reduce the number of pans that could fit in the drawer.

The Hettich Orgastore 100 kitchen drawer storage set, designed specifically for Innotech drawer systems, uses yet another configurable approach: a rail system with dividers.

Some drawer organizers are designed to meet a very specific need. That's the case with the diagonal cooking utensil divider from Diamond Cabinets, which gives the end user space for large utensils that might not fit in a drawer with standard dividers.

Using Design and Technology to Produce a Safer Football Helmet

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As the devastating effects of football-related concussions become better understood, many are worried that one of America's great sports is in danger. Non-football-fans likely don't care, as it's easy to dismiss football players as knuckleheads; but to the American communities and youths who are bound together and individually shaped by football—read H.G. Bissinger's Friday Night Lights, or see the stunning, 96%-on-Rotten-Tomatoes documentary Undefeated—it's a big deal. Yet American sporting goods companies have not been able to create a helmet that can adequately protect the braincase of a 300-pound man being crashed into by other 300-pound men.

The problem may be intractable, but now a Seattle-based startup called Vicis is attempting to tackle (ahem) the issue with better design and technology. The company reckons that by pulling together a superteam of doctors, designers, engineers and manufacturing experts, they can produce a cutting-edge—and extremely expensive—helmet that better protects the brain. Here's what they've come up with, called the Zero1:

The LODE SHELL - Absorbs impact load by locally deforming, like a car bumper. Automotive safety engineers have used local deformation to protect people for decades. We're the first to bring this proven innovation to football helmets.
The CORE LAYER - Employs a highly-engineered columnar structure that moves omni-directionally to reduce linear and rotational forces. The columnar geometry used in our CORE Layer is based on principles first described by Leonhard Euler, a Swiss physicist in the 1700s.


The LODE Shell and CORE Layer work together to reduce impact forces, leveraging well established engineering principles and materials long-used in stringent aerospace and automotive applications. Tested to withstand multiple seasons of play, the VICIS ZERO1 delivers 21st century innovation built on bedrock scientific principles.

Even if Vicis has gotten it right—thus far the testing has been limited to laboratories and simulations, with independently-executed field tests forthcoming—the Zero1 will initially be out of reach for most, as the $1,500 asking price is well beyond what your average high school can afford. (A typical youth helmet starts under $100.) But the price will be a drop in the bucket for the National Football League, for whom each team is worth roughly $2 billion, and Division One colleges will also likely be able to muster up the scratch. And "eventually," Bloomberg reports, "[Vicis] hopes to develop lower-priced models for high school and youth ball."

Sorry to hit this point again, but if you are not a football fan and cannot understand the culture, I highly recommend you watch Undefeated. It will change your perspective by introducing you to the little-seen, positive effect on character in young American males.

Objects You Can Attach to Your Head

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When Google Glass was announced in 2013, I figured we'd all be wearing them on our heads by 2016. Instead they were canned last year. But as you look around, you'll notice there are plenty of other technological items you can wear on your head, either for on-head usage or mere storage.

A Single GoPro Camera

This is perhaps the most obvious one, and it's not just for extreme athletes. It's not uncommon now, at least in New York City, to see an otherwise unremarkable-looking cyclist zip past you while wearing one of these. You can opt for center-forehead-mounted, side-mounted, chin-mounted or the all-important selfie-mounted.

Two GoPro Cameras

For those who can't make up their mind.

Two GoPro Cameras on a Rotating Swivel Mount

Wise manufacturers have discontinued this product, and GoPro not only doesn't produce one, but distances themselves from it. Sure it can capture some cool footage, but it's dangerous. Imagine the leverage this could place on your neck if, say, you slid into a copse of trees while skiing.

Seven GoPro Cameras and a Canon 7D

Again, not something you want to be wearing on your head in the event of an impact.

An iPhone

And the iPhone 4, by the looks of it. I can't think of a single reason why you'd be wearing a helmet and needing to have your phone float in front of your face, but apparently this thing is for sale.

An LED Headlamp

I was first introduced to these on a camping trip, and I now occasionally use one during sewing machine repairs. As a side bonus, wearing it makes you look like a complete tool.

Night Vision Monoculars and Goggles

Soldiers have of course been wearing these for years, and nowadays they even have quad-lens panoramic models.

Display Night Vision Goggles

Helicopter pilots now have access to NVGs like these that also feature a display to relay vehicle information.

Night Vision Goggles, a Communications Headset with Batteries and a Flashlight

That's a lot of gear, isn't it? That's why they sell, to prevent your head from getting unbalanced…

…Helmet Counterweights

At the end of the day, I'm glad my jobs and hobbies do not require me to wear a helmet.

Two Cooperative Kids Figure Out an Awesome Way to Share One Bike

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When I was in Hue, Vietnam, I met four schoolteachers who all lived in a single-room shack. The four women could only afford two bicycles between them, so the way they commuted was two to a bike--with the one sitting on the rear placing her feet on the pedals alongside the driver's feet and pedaling in sync. It seemed they'd been doing this for years. "More faster," one of the teachers cheerfully explained to me, "less tired."

I can't tell what country the following video was shot in, though it also looks to be somewhere in Southeast Asia. In any case, these two clever kids have also figured out a way to share a single bike between them:

I am dying to know A) How they thought this up, and B) How they get started!

Design Job: Studio Red seeks a World-class Designer/Director in Menlo Park, CA

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Candidates should have an Industrial Design degree, 7+ years experience, and will be responsible for producing concept sketches/refined concept renderings of a wide variety of tech and non-tech products. They'll be directly responsible for successful aesthetic outcomes of multiple projects and will oversee and guide concepts from research through development.

View the full design job here

Reader Submitted: 'Painful' Chair: An Original Approach to Traditional Woodworking

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A handmade wooden chair not only demonstrates the beauty of the wood, but through stylistic choices also reveals the cultural influences and elements behind it. "Painful" doesn't mean that you feel painful when sitting in this chair. Instead, "painful" refers to the material language of this traditional "Ming" chair—the inspiration behind the chair, Chinese acupuncture, is translated into the form through the 800 hammered wood nails that make up the seat of the furniture piece.

View the full project here

Using Cradle to Cradle to Eliminate the Concept of Waste

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Presented by theCradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute andAutodesk, the Product Design Challenge asks emerging designers to develop new solutions for improving our environment through sustainable design. Each iteration of the challenge brings us closer to realizing the imperative to create a circular market standard. After receiving applications from 18 countries, the design challenge recognized winners in four categories: Best Student Project, Best Professional Project, Best Use of Aluminum, and Best Use of Autodesk Fusion 360. Find out more about their work below:

Best Student Project: Gabriella Jacobsen, Onward Bag

Jacobsen developed an aluminum stamp to press a wavelike pattern onto the finished bags—a storytelling element meant to instill a connection between user and nature. 
"It is not enough anymore to just design a computer bag. One must ask, 'Why should this computer bag exist? and 'Where in our product system does the life of this computer bag fit?'"

The Virginia Tech student responded to the growing issue of plastic bag waste, which is a major pollutant of oceans and waterways despite the fact that the High Density Polyethylene used to make plastic bags is 100% recyclable. Her laptop bag is made from 60-70 recycled plastic bags, organic cotton canvas, canvas thread and biodegradable dyes. At the end of the product's life, users need only cut a few stitches to fully separate the two types of fabrics, allowing the entire bag to be recycled and composted respectively. 

Best Professional Project: Barent Roth, BikeShare Helmet

"I envision a time when sustainable design thinking is so completely integrated into the process that it does not even require to be defined as such, it just is. With 80% of a product's environmental impacts being determined in the design phase, it is imperative that ecological solutions be woven into the design process of every object."

Designer and educator Barent Roth designed a simple unisex style bike helmet intended to integrate with the growing bike share community as an optional purchase accompanying bike share memberships. The BikeShare Helmet uses a recycled aluminum foam shell and a sustainably grown cork liner to provide maximum protection with minimal bulk and weight. He incorporated mechanical flanges into the sides of the cork liner so the two layers could "snap" into place, so no glue is necessary to secure the cork to the aluminum shell. 

Best Use of Aluminum: Michiel Meurs, AtoB Seat

"To me, Cradle to Cradle is a design-philosophy that turns the way we look at things upside-down."

Along with his team, Meurs designed a seat for public transportation made from recycled aluminum, recycled PET and formaldehyde free bamboo plywood. In the research phase, they found out that current commuter seats require a whopping 60-120 parts for construction. Their design is focused on creating a far simpler approach, requiring just a basic aluminum frame, a continuous, ergonomic seat panel and customizable upholstery options. The category Best Use of Aluminum was a new addition in this round of the challenge, meant to highlight the "infinite recyclability" of the material. 

Best Use of Autodesk Fusion 360: The Engineers for a Sustainable World Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Chapter, Sweeping the Nation with Change

The design incorporates a mechanism at the base of the broom handle that allows the handle to be adjusted between 0°, 45° and 90°. "This feature allows a customer to afford the functionality of three separate brooms for the material and monetary costs of one," note the designers. 
"The design-led revolution is ingrained in our generation and, as engineers, we see ourselves playing a large role in transforming today's industries."

A group of RIT engineers developed a recyclable broom with a bristle head made of highly biodegradable material that can be replaced independently of the broom's other components. "We looked at everyday household items and wanted to transform one of the biggest wastes into something sustainable," they explained. "Broom bristles don't last very long and so the entire broom is then thrown out to go to a landfill." The product uses recycled aluminum, steel springs and wheat straw—an abundant crop with low commercial value to keep the final product cost-effective. 

The bi-annual Product Design Challenge is an ongoing platform. If you're interested in the Cradle to Cradle approach to design, keep an eye on our Calendar for updates on the upcoming call for submissions. 

Germany Building Bicycle-Only Highway That Will Link Ten Cities

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The ADFC is Germany's bicycle advocacy group, and they've come up with a funny term: MAMIL, which stands for Middle-Aged Man in Lycra. What they're referring to are studies that show it's typically macho dudes in their 30s and 40s who feel most safe riding a bike, particularly in adverse conditions; the number of bike-riding females, elderly, and well-parented children are kept down due to safety concerns.

MAMILs

"With MAMILs only, you cannot build a cycling nation," the ADFC states. "[There must be] younger and older people, fathers with children on their way to school, well-dressed women on their way to work, girlie girls in pink, ministers and doctors, teenagers on their way to sports training, musicians with double basses on their backs, elderly ladies on their way to the library [all riding bikes]."

If you hit the "studies" link above, you'll find another study reporting that "in European cities with separated bicycle infrastructure, women account for 50% of riders." In other words, bike lanes bring equality. And now there's good news for the ADFC, as well as the residents in the Ruhr region of Germany: The country is launching a 100-kilometer (62-mile) fully-paved roadway dedicated entirely to bikes, no cars allowed.

This "bicycle Autobahn," as Phys.org is calling it, will be located in the densest part of Germany. The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area has a population exceeding 12 million people spread over nearly a dozen cities, and thus this super bike lane will connect ten cities and four universities.

Almost two million people live within two kilometres of the route and will be able to use sections for their daily commutes, said Martin Toennes of regional development group RVR.
Aided by booming demand for electric bikes, which take the sting out of uphill sections, the new track should take 50,000 cars off the roads every day, an RVR study predicts.

For now the bikeway has been kicked off with a 5-kilometer stretch that's 4 meters (13 feet) wide, as the rest of the path is projected to be; in order to complete the remaining 95 kilometers, financing is required. At €180 million (USD $197 million) the bikeway isn't cheap, and the question of whom will pay for it must be negotiated. So far the RVR is off to a good start: While they paid for 20% of the initial run, they got the local state government to pay for 30% and the EU to pick up the rest. With any luck, the ADFC will soon get their wish of seeing MAMILs and non-MAMILs alike all pedaling to work.

It's not really called the "bicycle Autobahn," by the way; the cycleway's official name is the RS1 or Radschnellweg, which I believe translates to something like "Fast cycleway." (Can any of our German-speaking readers clarify?)

Weekly Maker's Roundup

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DIY Dust Collector

A strip sander puts out a fair amount of fine dust, but Matthias Wandel found it inconvenient to keep connecting his dust collector. Thus he built a smaller dedicated dust collector, virtually from scratch, right down to the impeller blades:

The LesnarBlade

Ever see that crazy-looking sword tattooed to Brock Lesnar's torso? So has Jimmy DiResta, who decided he could make the real thing, with milling machine, blacksmith's anvil and a bunch of other tools:

Segmented Bowl Clamping Jig

Sometimes you need to make things to help you make other things. Here Frank Howarth builds a unique jig to help him better clamp glue-ups for his segmented bowl turning adventures:

Floating Corner Shelves

We all have at least one unliked piece of furniture in our houses, and here April Wilkerson decides to do something about it. She jettisons a corner cabinet, then builds a set of floating shelves to wring a lot more storage space out of the newly vacated corner:

A Drum Sander with a Great Design Feature

Most of us can only dream of having a shop full of stationary Powermatic tools, but it's still fun to watch someone who does. In this episode of The Wood Whisperer, Mark Spagnuolo answers a viewer's question: Is the Powermatic PM2244 drum sander, which has a cantilevered drum design, going to be adequate for doing fine work? Will the drum sag over time and go out of parallel?

Timber-Framed Japanese Gate

In this episode of The Samurai Carpenter, timber framing maven Jesse de Geest makes this practically lost art look easy. Here he cranks out a traditional Japanese-style gate with a combination of hand tools and power tools and shows us his favorite ryoba in action. We also observe that the guy can use a circular saw both left- and right-handed!

Table Saw Basics for Beginners

Chances are you're not a timber framing maven. Heck, maybe you've never even used power tools, but you're looking to start. For those of you in this camp, here's Steve Ramsey walking you through the basics of how to use a table saw, the most crucial piece of kit in many peoples' shops.

A Rack to Hold Rides

In addition to having a shop full of tools, Bob Clagett has four kids. And as the bikes/scooters/skateboards have started to pile up in the driveway, Clagett needs to bang something out to keep them all neatly organized:

A Rack to Put On Your Ride

I'd mistakenly thought La Fabrique DIY was Paris-based, so was surprised to see that this episode they're shooting in NYC. (I'd recognize that 23rd Street Home Depot anywhere.) Here the anonymous craftsperson bangs out a DIY removable bike storage crate that comes in handy during shopping:

Design Job: Build up your resume as Saguez & Partners' next Interior Design Intern in Paris, France

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Interns will support PM's in the development and monitoring of retail architecture projects in France and Internationally. Candidates should have sketching abilities and be pursuing an Interior Design or Architecture degree from an accredited 4+ year program. Software requirements include Adobe Suite and Sketchup (CAD and 3D softwares a plus).

View the full design job here

This Week in Design: The Future of NYC, New Work by Dominic Wilcox, Contemporary Glassmaking and more

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Happy Monday! Jumpstart your week with our insider's guide to events in the design world. From must-see exhibitions to insightful lectures and the competitions you need to know about—here's the best of what's going on, right now.

Monday

A celebration of creativity

Last year, Dominic Wilcox hosted a series of invention workshops at local community groups and schools. The 500+ participants created wonderfully wacky reinterpretations of everyday objects, some of which were turned from concept to actual objects and will be on display in the Inventors! Exhibition alongside new work by Wilcox. Expect surprises!

United Kingdom - On view through January 30

Tuesday

An ancient art form made contemporary

Opening on January 19th at R&Company, a new exhibition of glass works by Jeff Zimmerman highlight the artist's evolving craft. In a variety of sculptural and functional works, he takes inspiration from natural processes like the movement of water or the formation of ice crystals. Viewers will be able to delve more deeply into his world through process drawing and sketches also on display.

New York, NY - On view through February 20

Wednesday

What will NYC look like in 10, 20, 30 years?

Some of the biggest names in architecture—Bjarke Ingels, Richard Meier, Annabelle Selldorf and Rick Cook—gather to discuss the future of New York's skyline at the 92nd St. Y. Through their own experiences building in the city and observations on changing neighborhoods and the real-estate market, the panel will provide insight on what to expect in the years to come. 

New York, NY - January 20th at 7:30 PM

Thursday

Why do objects matter?

Join Core77 Editor-at-Large Allan Chochinov for A Forum on Curating Beyond Fine Arts: Objects (Still) Matter, a discussion about the practice of design curation—and all of the social, economic and political consequences it carries. What ripple effects does the act of curating design create?  

New York, NY - January 21st at 6:30 PM

Friday

A master designer evolves his process

Prolific designer Wendell Castle takes a critical eye to his older work in his current solo exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design, Wendell Castle Remastered. For the show, Castle produced new works combining handcraftsmanship—such as carving, rasping, and finishing—with digital technologies—including 3D scanning, 3D modeling, and computer-controlled milling. These new works are installed in dialogue with the earlier pieces that inspired them. 

New York, NY - On view through February 28th

Saturday/Sunday


Trade shows galore!

This weekend, some of the biggest annual design exhibitions are taking over Cologne, Paris and Toronto. IMM Cologne and Maison & Objet will focus on lifestyle, showcasing new trends in interior and furniture design. Toronto Design Offsite will offer a more low-key, immersive environment with programming focused on community engagement through lectures and workshops. 

IMM Cologne 2016 will be on view at various venues in Cologne, Germany through January 24th

Toronto Design Offsite 2016 will be on view at various venues in Toronto, Canada through January 24th

Maison & Objet Paris will be on view in Paris, France through January 26th







Upcoming Deadlines

January 29 - Call for Entries: Ventura Lambrate 2016

Every year we look forward to the new design work we discover during Milan Design Week, and time and time again we see the most innovative work showcased at Ventura Lambrate. They recently extended their submissions deadline, so you still have a chance to be part of this year's edition!

January 29 - The Dieline Awards 2016

Submit your package design work for a chance to be recognized by a top-notch jury panel.

Plan Ahead

Beauty, the fifth installment of the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial will open on February 12th, featuring diverse work by 63 international designers, with more than 250 works on view. The exhibition will explore the idea of beauty through seven lenses: extravagant, intricate, ethereal, transgressive, emergent, elemental and transformative.

Jasper Morrison's retrospective, Thingness, will open at the Design Museum Zürich on February 12th. The show will present his designs with a focus on process and development. In addition, Morrison will select objects from the museum's collections and explain what fascinates him about each of them in the MyCollection component of the exhibition. 


Check out the Core77 Calendar for more design world events, competitions and exhibitions, or submit your own to be considered for our next Week in Design.

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