Table-case is a cardboard exhibition structure designed for product showcase. Each structure was created from a single sheet of Tri-wall cardboard to achieve material efficiency. The single sheet was folded into a form to maximize the strength potential of the material, enabling the table to take the load of up to 100 kg.The form was locked in place without any use of glue.

Considering the flexibility of use, the legs of the tables were designed to be detachable. For ease of storage and portability, the table surface was designed with an openable flap to store the legs when not in use. The table also features a handle for easy carrying.

This article is part of the Design for Impact series, a collaboration between Core77 and Autodesk focused on designers using their craft to promote environmental and social change.

Imagine the moment a baby is born. In a complications-free birth, the infant is delivered to the safety of its mother's arms where it feels the mother's heartbeat, rises and falls with the mother's breath, snuggles into and smells the mother's skin, and hears the mother's voice. Several medical studies have described the importance of this early maternal-infant bonding for the survival and development of an infant as well as the basis for a child's sense of self. Nurturing designed by nature.

Babies delivered prematurely do not benefit from those critical, intimate moments of nurturing care. While every parent hopes for a complications-free birth, the reality is 15,000,000 children are born premature every year across the globe – approximately 10% of all births. In the United States, these newborns, due to unfortunate necessity, are taken from their mothers and placed in the isolation of an incubator to receive medical interventions that monitor infant health, provide doctors with critical information and deliver medical care. In the NICU, nurturing is tertiary to safety and practicality.

A prematurely born infant

Camilo Anabalon, the designer behind BabyBe, wants to ensure all infants have access to the benefits of immediate physical nourishment. His work aims to offer premature infants the same emotional care available to those delivered complications-free by facilitating the nurturing crucial for them to thrive.

You Are Not Alone

The physiological benefits of care—breathing, heartbeat, sound and touch—are emotional cues that signal to babies that they are not alone, that they are connected and cared for. "Babies are quite isolated inside of the NICU. They are inside an incubator, which is full of lights and sounds. There is not much real contact with the baby's body," says Anabalon.

Physical contact between mother and baby helps both recover faster. Research shows that babies taken out of the incubator and placed on the mother's chest improve 50% faster than those who experience no physical contact. A clinical trial currently supported by the National institutes of Health is investigating the critical role neo-natal nurturing plays in a baby's development. According to the study, "Mother-infant interactions are the foundation for the organization of the infant's neurobiological, sensory, perceptual, emotional, physical, and relational systems." The dilemma is that many babies are too fragile to be allowed out of the incubator for even brief moments until they become more stable.

BabyBe delivers the benefits of contact with the mother's body to babies who cannot be taken away from the incubator machine. The baby sits inside the bionic mattress, which mimics the feeling of lying against the mother's body with a soft, breathable, polyurethane gel material that emulates body density and skin texture. On the other side of the incubator, the parent (mother or father) wears the "turtle" component, which transmits breathing sounds and a heartbeat to the mattress. Haptic systems allow the infant to both hear and feel the parent's signals. BabyBe also features a recording feature, which can play the mother's voice— allowing her to sing to, talk to and sooth her newborn.

The bionic mattress and "turtle" component of BabyBe with a simulated infant

The emotional feedback loop between mother and baby activates physiological changes that improve both infant and maternal health.

The mother's physiological information is essentially the only experience the baby has ever known. "When the baby reconnects with that feeling that he or she already knows and feels, he or she can develop this sense of closeness, this sense of comfort, which triggers relaxation, which then reduces cortisol levels and increases oxytocin levels," says Anabalon.

Medical research shows that high levels of cortisol work against the development of major organs in infants. Reducing cortisol and increasing oxytocin helps the body heal itself. Says Anabalon, "this relaxation state promotes better digestion, so the baby gains weight faster; and slows breathing which improves oxygenation." The body initiates a chain reaction of self-healing.

Designed to Communicate

When Anabalon began to develop BabyBe, he was delighted to partner with Autodesk. He found that Autodesk's software gave him the ability to think deeply about functionality, to get into the mechanics of it, and play with the form factor.

"When I was first introduced to Fusion 360 technology I was like, 'This is the perfect mix.'" As Anabalon describes it, Fusion 360 was the Rage Against the Machine of software, mixing the best elements of the genre to make something exceptionally powerful. "You have the mechanical tools for engineering married to the artistic or design-driven elements," he says.

Camilo using Fusion360 to prototype BabyBe

For Anabalon, a critical feature is the ability to communicate both overall vision and specific technical details. With medical technology, the constraints can mean the difference between a device that gets approved by regulators and one that sits on a shelf. "You have to be able to communicate a lot of information to manufacturers because they are making something that is so new and that has such specific requirements and needs and you need them to be able to see the possibilities of how to take your concept and to turn it into something that's really usable," he says.

Anabalon and his partner, Raphael Lang, are often on different continents, yet with Fusion 360, working in different locations no longer means delays or miscommunication. They conduct live reviews of the device as if they're in the same room. "That's really valuable for us because instead of just talking about a production detail, we go to the file and solve the problem together."

Camilo Anabalon and Raphael Lang with BabyBe

For Pam Hochman of the Autodesk Entrepreneur Impact Program, the choice to support Anabalon's work is clear. "This project is such a gorgeous marriage between hard science and human connection. And of course, it shows the power of a designer to see beyond what the technology does (monitoring and collecting data) to how it can facilitate interaction and healing," she says.

The Technological is Personal

Anabalon observed mothers' gestures with babies to learn how they connect at this most basic level. It's the simple, subtle moments that seemed to mean so much.

"We watched how mothers held their babies, patting on the back and caressing their necks. We observed how, when mothers got into this maternal state of mind, their heartbeats changed, their breathing changed, their voice changed. That's the information the baby needs. That's information we need to deliver to the baby," says Anabalon.

Medical technology can seem dry and technical. But in reality, it is fundamentally personal. A medical intervention has the potential to save not just one life, but the lives of a family and community.

For Anabalon, the personal aspect of his work came into focus when a good friend called to say that her baby needed to be delivered pre-term at 28 weeks. She implored him, "Man, you are my only chance."

The clinic allowed the mother to use BabyBe. "She told me how incredibly meaningful it was for her to be able just to see that her own heartbeat and breathing was with her baby when she has to go home to take care of her older son. It was something that touched the fiber inside of me."

BabyBe at work

Building Knowledge Together

Anabalon is eager to increase BabyBe's implementation in hospitals and clinics. "We are looking for partners who want to conduct research on the device," he says. The more BabyBe is used, the more feedback there is to inform its functionality and design. With any luck, Anabalon hopes BabyBe will soon be available for any parent who wants to provide their infant with the immediate nourishment of their touch and presence.

Image via The Siberian Times.

Picking out the right Halloween costume is stressful—there are so many options out there and so many questions to ask yourself before making a final decision. Scary or funny? Obscure or iconic? Very rarely, someone hits the nail right on the head. This year, it happened to be a 1,500-year-old mummy that proved the best shoes really are vintage. 

Image via The Siberian Times.

The Adidas Dragon trainers would look much better with dusty cobwebs on them.

The stylish mummy was found in Mongolia back in April but now that Halloween is upon us, this bit of mummy news is more relevant than ever. Hitting the perfect balance between scary and ironic, this mummy was buried with a full sacrificed horse and donned what looks to be a fresh pair of Adidas sneakers. The mummy's stylish kicks closely resemble a pair of Adidas Dragon trainers—from the iconic stripes to the slim silhouette to the placing of the side darts.

Did Adidas take inspiration from traditional Turkik burials or is this a classic case of time travel? Either way, the mummy's look is a Halloween costume in the making. Grab some old rags, throw on your old Adidas trainers and test out this cobweb gun—you've just won Halloween. 

Image via Nike.

The 1,500-year-old style icon isn't the only one taking trips back to the future. Last week, we took a look at Nike's Air Mag raffle to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The raffle recently came to a close, but if you still have Nike Mag fever like I do, here's a video of Casey Neistat enthusiastically testing out the auto-lacing sneakers. In the video, Neistat asks some important questions that haven't been addressed before: "What does a lace engine mean?" "How do you charge it?" "Is it a generic tightness or is it different for everybody?" Nike's Senior Innovator does a pretty good job answering:

Now the only question you have to ask yourself before October 31st is Sneakerhead Mummy or Marty McFly? Maybe you should travel to the future to see which one you picked.

I don't consider myself much of a designer, I'm more a student of history. I look at a lot of furniture and I stopped buying "how to" woodworking books years ago in favor of coffee table books and museum collection books filled with images of furniture from every style. This has developed my eye for what I like and what I don't like. I like lines whether straight or curved. I like shadows that punctuate a surface and I like wood grain that echos the line. I don't much care for clutter and excessive ornamentation. While I respect the technical challenges of some of the really crazy Baroque furniture, I just can't get excited about it. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in that when you look at the historical evolution of furniture and architecture since then. We have "matured" to simpler designs that cast a striking silhouette or mimic a natural line.

But all things are cyclical, and what was old is now new again. Retro has been in vogue so often that it is hard to say when the incarnation of what is now retro actually is. Each revival adds its own spin that posterity will mark as a separate style like an endless software release of new versions of the same application. Such is the case for some of the new furniture I am seeing in galleries and exhibitions. The lines seem to be the same but ornamentation is sneaking back in the form of wood grain. It seems that our global marketplace has opened furniture makers up to the entire palette of wood and like kids in a candy shop we are consuming anything we can get our hands on. The problem with this is I'm not seeing the restraint that defines good design. Just because you have hundreds of wood species at your fingertips does that mean you need to incorporate all of them into your table or chair?

Wenge, quilted Makore, Walnut, Maple, Satinwood, Bubinga, and Ebony?jeesh!

I think the wood can tell a great story but less is more when considering figured wood. A highly figured board can be stunning, but when exploited to cover every inch of surface in the piece, that lovely figure becomes distracting and even tacky. Now when the designer decides to contrast with a different species and makes that one figured as well. It's like wearing stripes and plaid! You certainly don't need an additional pop of inlay to punctuate the chaos between those conflicting figures as that just confuses a lost cause.

The pieces seen here are just a few from a gallery that I ran across this summer and I honestly don't even know who the maker is, but I took the pictures because they reflect a growing segment of designers that seemed to have lost the ability to edit. Just because you have access to all these wonderful and exotic colored woods doesn't mean you have to use them all! Believe me as someone who derives at least part of my income from the lumber industry, I want people to buy exotic woods and to utilize figured woods as well. That's the best way to protect them. But let's use them sensibly and not waste them. These figured woods are truly unique and when too much of them is used, it just dilutes the impact and even distracts. Frankly to me, it's ugly! Let the shape and line tell the story. The bench pictured could have been really beautiful on the merit of the shape alone.

Can you imagine how much farther this highly valuable pommelle Bubinga could have been stretched if the craftsman would have edited themselves to just using it for one element? Obviously this is all my opinion but I think history will back me up when one looks at "masterpieces" in museums and books. Its not just figure either as I have seen many pieces where 5 and 6 different species were combined to create a patchwork piece that just falls short. Personally I try to restrain myself to just 2 species in a piece and if I go beyond, the additional woods are used in tiny amounts like inlay. Lately I seem to have gone back to a single species (not including unseen secondary parts) and a pop of contrast here an there with another wood.

Am I crazy here? Is the greater availability of exotic hardwoods only making us lazy in our designs?

________________________________________________

This December, Polk Audio rolls out their Signature Series of speakers, aiming to "bring the big surround sound theater and music experience into the comfort of your living room." Core77 sketchmaster Michael DiTullo, who happens to be Sound United's Chief Design Officer, put together this behind-the-scenes sketch video explaining the Signature line's design inspiration:

The UK's new, polymer £5 note is touted as being wrinkle-proof, waterproof and more durable than the paper one it's replaced. A Briton named Michael Ridge observed that the new bill's corners are crisply sharp, and tried using it as a record needle:

Crazy, no? The bill is not producing the music on its own, of course, but it is rigid enough to transmit the tune to a contact microphone and amplifier that are off-screen.

The tune, by the way, is ABBA's "Money, Money, Money."

TIDAL keeps growing at an exceptional pace, we need more talented people to join the team at TIDAL’s HQ in Oslo. Interested? As an UI designer in TIDAL, you’ll get the chance to: + Create awesome user experiences for a global audience + Work closely

Amid the plethora of keyboards on the market, I find few of them really stand out. But Logitech's K780 wireless keyboard, designed by Netherlands-based Feiz Design Studio, is absolutely gorgeous:

The rubberized cradle allows you to rest a tablet or smartphone.

These three white buttons…

…make it easy for you to switch the keyboard between devices, as seen here:

As someone who hates typing on my phone and tablet, the ease-of-use alone is pushing me towards getting one of these. I am a little suspicious of the round keys—whenever I see something too aesthetically pleasing, I worry that they've made an ergonomic trade-off—so I'll have to swing by a Best Buy or someplace where I can test this thing out.

The designers at Feiz describe what they're going for:

The design is based on the interlocking of two formal elements, the keyboard and the 'device-cradle'. 

With its concave and convex circular keys the K780 offers a great ergonomic feel and actually improves the target press of the buttons, resulting in a friendlier product. 

The 'device-cradle' is executed in full rubber to provide more stability for your mobile devices and eliminate the possibility of scratches. We capitalized on the aspect of the size and proportions of the 'device-cradle' to house the bulkier components such as the batteries and the PCB to manifest an ultra-thin keyboard profile enhancing the ergonomics of typing.

This lightweight #8 skillet is our first product for startup, the Field Company.. It is the result of a comprehensive research and design project which culminated in an extremely successful launch on Kickstarter. It mixes classic details and a contemporary form and utilizes traditional American manufacturing knowledge.

Japanese design firm nendo has brought their 50 Manga Chairs exhibit across the pond from Milan to New York. The manga comic-inspired stainless steel chairs are currently on display at Friedman Benda in the Chelsea gallery district, accompanied by a light installation. 

The exhibit's Milan set-up.

The environment of Friedman Benda New York varies greatly from the chairs' open setting in Milan. During Milan Design Week, the chairs were displayed in an outdoor courtyard, spaced far apart and arranged in a large square. In New York, the chairs are in a contained space, placed closer to each other and have a graphic light show backdrop.

Seeing the exhibit up close was refreshing because some of the chairs' meticulous details were difficult to appreciate from far away. Each chair is meant to reflect a different emotion—the close proximity of the chairs really let their personalities shine and allowed them to interact with one another.

At first, the light show felt distracting. However after a few minutes, it was clear how much thought went into the placement of the lights—there was a lot of shadow play between the light beams and the thin stainless steel pieces coming off of the chairs, which made for a calming and beautiful mirror effect.

nendo: 50 Manga Chairs closes on October 29, 2016—visit before it's too late!

Core77's editors spend time combing through the news so you don't have to. Here's a weekly roundup of our favorite stories from the World Wide Web.

There's No Erasing the Chalkboard

The Atlantic's latest Object Lesson zeroes in on the history of the chalkboard and its lasting symbolic importance despite our education system's leap into the technologically-savvy new age. 

—Allison Fonder, community manager

Korean Bat Flips

Look at that form.

Maybe if I watched Korea Baseball Association games I would like baseball. This ESPN article travels around South Korea to uncover the mystery behind KBO players' artful bat tossing, complete with some pretty cool graphics.

—Emily Engle, editorial assistant

Why Lithium-Ion Batteries Explode

While Samsung is currently taking the heat—it is unfortunate when your flagship product is combustible—there is a long history of companies, from Airbus to Sony, that have had to deal with this problem. "A battery is really a bomb that releases its energy in a controlled way," says former MIT researcher Qichao Hu. "There are fundamental safety issues to all batteries, and as you get to higher energy density and faster charge, the barrier to explosion is less and less."

Consumers want batteries to be smaller, to last longer between charges, and to charge quickly. With current technologies we can achieve those things. But a subset of the batteries are going to explode.

—Rain Noe, senior editor

Archiving Herman Miller

Eames fiberglass shell chairs, seen in a midcentury advertisement. Photo courtesy Herman Miller.

A great podcast with Herman Miller archivist Amy Auscherman on the history and business of Herman Miller through the lens of the company's historical documents. Plus, a little inside scoop on Mad Men and the way that knock-offs effect the market.

—LinYee Yuan, managing editor

Emergency Foot Powered Lathe

During his Hurricane Matthew evacuation exile, Izzy Swan made another emergency machine: A no-power required, foot-powered lathe that he can then use to build other things. In keeping with the emergency spirit, he builds it primarily using hand tools:

Stainless Hinges

Here Jimmy DiResta fabricates custom hardware, creating a beefy set of stainless steel hinges from scratch. Check out the drill trick he uses when cutting the tubes at the saw.

Angle Grinder Cut-Off Jig

Anytime I hear Matthias Wandel say, "I have to warn you, I haven't actually tried this thing yet, so I have no idea what's going to happen," he's got my attention. Here he rigs up a jig to use his angle grinder to cut metal at an angle:

Coat Hook Shelf

Another from Wandel, as he builds a coat hook shelf with angled dowels. Check out the jig he creates to help him drill the angles consistently:

Wooden Recycling Bin

As Frank Howarth builds a recycling bin, you can really see his design training in carrying over motifs, and as always he puts plenty of forethought into his construction process:

One-Day Clock Build Off: April

April Wilkerson, Jay Bates and Nick Ferry all tackle individual clock builds in Nick's shop. For material, April goes with spalted maple:

One-Day Clock Build Off: Jay

Jay Bates starts his off with a modern design, then switches it up halfway:

One-Day Clock Build Off: Nick

Nick Ferry goes with curly maple and a wraparound design. (At the end of the vid, you get to see the punch-drunk trio clowning around during a long day in the shop.)

FastCap's Power Mag

Ron Paulk gives a quick demo of FastCap's Power Mag, which makes keeping screws at hand easy:

How to Remove Dents from Wood

The Samurai Carpenter demonstrates the steam iron trick for getting dents out of wood. He also shows you a trick for fortifying a notched tenon to prevent it from splitting:

Building a Bed

This is an impressive build. The Samurai Carpenter builds a timber-framed bed for his son, starting off with pieces far too massive to flatten on any jointer or planer:

Air Conditioner/Pool Pump Cover Fence

A basic build from Bob Clagett this week, who builds a simple fence to cover a domestic exterior eyesore:

Classroom iPad Docking Station

Sandra Powell does a favor for a schoolteacher friend, building a charging station to hold 18 iPads:

End-Grain Work Station to Stereo Repair

What do you do when you're making a butcher block workstation and your belt sander breaks? If you're Linn from Darbin Orvar, you cope by tackling another project: Converting an old stereo receiver from AC to DC.

Bar Cart

Ben Uyeda whips up a bar cart from iron pipes, couplings and oak from the big box store:

Laser Cut, Thermal Formed Lamp

This is pretty cool. Uyeda experiments with a laser cutter, acrylic baked in his kitchen oven, and plywood forms to make this lamp:

Easy to Make, Perfect Fit Jig

Here's a useful tip if you ever need to insert a panel into something that you're not sure is 100% square:

Headphone Stand

Chris Salomone waxes philosophic while making this handsome walnut headphone stand:

The medical device space is a slow-moving behemoth bogged down by regulation and in need of disruptive ideas and design innovation. In recent years, we've seen a number of interesting ideas emerge in the space from designing handwashing to the ways that rapid prototyping has transformed prosthetics. As the medical industry braces for radical change, the way people administer and receive medical care will also shift, demanding different products and systems.

Core77 recently spoke with Bresslergroup and Eastman Innovation Lab about the trends and material innovations informing the next wave of medical device design. Materials matter in the future of medical device design—the space cannot progress without practical, safe and durable materials to accommodate new ways of working.

NuGen Syringe - Tritan allows outstanding chemical and lipid resistance for frequent contact with substances, superior clarity to allow health care practitioners to easily see the syringe's contents, and retention of color and functionality post-sterilization.

In her role as Market Development Manager for specialty plastics in medical devices at Eastman, Ellen Turner has a keen eye for these trends. Turner leads global strategy by understanding what the market needs and what new products Eastman can develop to fill that gap. She works in collaboration with designers, design engineers and product managers to match the technical capabilities of Eastman's materials with the product needs of the market.

Founded in 1970 as "Designs for Medicine," Bresslergroup has medical device design in the firm's DNA. As Mathieu Turpault, Managing Partner and Director of Design explained, Bresslergroup's approach to medical device design is rooted in a comprehensive understanding of the history of the field while looking towards new opportunities in material and technology innovation.

SUSTAINABILITY

When it comes to material considerations for medical device design, manufacturers have two main concerns: durability and cost. Durability is especially pertinent because medical equipment is subjected to a battery of harsh chemical cleaners, varied sterilization methods and concentrated drugs. Higher durability means fewer products in landfills. As Turner explains, "the leading reason someone would take a look at Eastman Tritan is that it has less cracking and breaking when it contacts drugs or disinfectants or body fluids." For example, a blood oxygenator has many different components that would be assembled with adhesive and solvents. A polycarbonate with higher molded-in stress could see cracking whereas a copolyester like Tritan has a very low molded-in stress and good resistance to lipids. "The ability to come in contact with multiple drugs, solvents, adhesives, flushing—all of those things in combination are very important."

Within the life cycle of a medical product, durability can also mean cost savings. Tritan does not have the same color shift that polycarbonates or acrylics have after sterilization and there is a lower scrap rate from problems like the black specks in molded polycarbonate. "Materials make a big difference," Turner points out. "The bigger story is, how long is that product going to last? How many of those housings are going to end up in the landfill? How many of these housings are going to look terrible? And will the patients in a hospital think less of the healthcare system that's utilizing this brand of devices because they just don't look clean."

In addition, the FDA has issued warnings to stop using polycarbonates and ABS in certain applications like oncology drugs. Not only are chemicals of concern-free solutions like Tritan important for patient health, but also important for the health of the planet once products enter the waste stream—there is no BPA, BPS, halogens, antimony or metals in Tritan. "It's not even a plasticized solution," Turner explains. "There are no orthophthalate plasticizers—there are a lot of people looking to match up their environmentally-preferred purchasing plan and Tritan doesn't have any of those chemicals."

HOSPITALS OF THE FUTURE

Cost pressure is also spurring medical technology manufacturers to look five to ten years out to speculate on the hospitals of the future. "All of them are coming to the conclusion that care is shifting away from traditional hospitals and doctors' offices and moving more towards home care or point of care," Turpault notes. Research shows that healthcare costs go down considerably the less time people spend in the hospital. 

ViSi Mobile System allows doctors to monitor patient vital signs remotely. Tritan was chosen because of its durability.

To this end, new models of healthcare delivery are emerging and demanding new product solutions. What that means for design is that there's real work to be done in researching human factors for home healthcare and translating that knowledge to a new and category of home med tech. Using the example of the recent outrage around the EpiPen auto injector price hike, Turner underlines the fact that, "the way the drug is delivered can be just as important to a drug company as the drug itself."

CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS

As medical devices expand beyond traditional physical product design, expect to see broader and richer user experience. "Digital experiences enable you to teach people how to use the product the right way from the get go," Turpault underlines. "Then it gives them a way to track their performance and communicate back with healthcare professionals."

It's important to note that, just because the user experience is going to require embedded technologies, doesn't mean that the material choices for the housing no longer carry as much importance. As medical devices push into the consumer space, "effort is being spent on the tactile experience so that you have a very physical connection to the product," Turpault points out. Custom textures, finishes and tactility can really differentiate a product but the challenge remains to balance those needs with the "burden of cleaning and sterility." Copolyesters like Tritan address the challenge with lower molded-in stress and higher chemical resistance offering a solution for designers seeking to differentiate their product while standing up to safety standards.

As consumer expectations begin to drive the development and design of medical devices, it's important to remember that we all have a personal stake in medical device design. As Turner reminds us, "When you combine the ability to provide a material solution that enables a cleaner, better, safer way of infusing drugs for patients along with the cost saving measures that come with using a material that lasts longer in harsh hospital environments—it not only makes sense, it helps fuel your passion."

Learn more about Tritan and the ways that #MaterialsMatter at innovationlab.eastman.com.

For over 137 years, the humble incandescent lightbulb has been the gold standard for indoor lighting. The original electric lighting source has preserved its place in our lives not only for its functional value, but also its particularly captivating luminescence. Despite new lighting options on the market including halogen and LED bulbs, most energy efficient bulbs simply don't provide the same warmth and light quality of the original.

To create a flawless LED light bulb that entices consumers to invest in energy efficient light bulbs, designers at the pioneering designer-bulb company Plumen found it important to ask: why is the incandescent lightbulb such a difficult thing to leave behind? For more than 5 years, their team has been working towards addressing this predicament, rolling out products like their wildly popular Plumen 001 in 2010 (we hosted the US preview for the product at Hand-Eye Supply) and then Kickstarting the Plumen 002. "There's something about something that burns," says Plumen Co-founder and Creative Director Nik Roope, "it's mesmerizing. Thinking about us as human beings, there's something essential about that relationship you have with fire and light... that's clearly the missing part of what we see when we look at LED products."

Development of their new Plumen 003 lightbulb was, as Roope notes, "technology initiated, but not necessarily technology led." The 003 bulb has been marketed as the bulb that's designed to make you and your surroundings more beautiful. Although this might lead designers to consider technical and scientific innovations surrounding CRIs [Color Reproduction Index] or filament engineering, what might surprise you is that the innovation comes from a pure design approach to problem solving.

"One of the things we were playing with early on was just how if you take a directional light, which LED is, there's only so many ways that you can direct it around. One is optical, another is refraction and reflection. So we were just playing with all of those [options] with prototypes and models."

Many, many prototypes they might add—the team started off their explorations with a hefty amount of 3D sketches, moving on to laser cutting three dimensional shapes and then 3D printing elements of the design to see how all of them came together to truly soften the directional light. "I think with product design the tools that exist make it very easy to render and visualize, but when you're dealing with light...there is really no way of gauging what the effect will be without using it in reasonably similar materials to the final product," Roope mentions.

The final result is a light with an internal central column made of acrylic that holds a series of eye-catching metallic collars in place. Made in a series of parts that lock each metallic collar in place, all the the central optics help with providing structure to the piece as well as managing the light. The metal collars, made of aluminum, work to refract light from the central column into the metal surfaces, which then reflect the light outwards. The color of the anodized gold coating on the metal works to shift the white LED light to a warmer tone while the facets add texture to the light, making for a rich and flattering effect (hence the claim of the bulb making you look more beautiful). 

Even after many tests and physical iterations, the light issue still presented some perplexing challenges. The gold collars inside of the bulb were originally tested as a smooth, relatively matte surface rather than their decorated final result; the original finish created a distracting line of light that reflected back on the metal surfaces. They started to play with concave shapes and dimples within the metal parts of the design, which they discovered "spread the light out and made it easier on the eyes." This design helped them avoid shadows because its complex series of angles allowed light to be refracted off the sides of the surface, creating a warm and even tone.

Prototypes for the internal metal collars in the 003 light bulb 

Another benefit of the dimpling within the design was its decorative element, which naturally inspired the team to branch out from the norm. "That's the point where we brought in jewelry designer Marie Laure Giroux," says Roope, "her process was very different, but it comes together nicely." The intentional melding of industrial design and craft in this bulb was perhaps one of the most exciting and challenging aspects of the design outside of the rigorous prototyping stage. To achieve this complex shape for mass-manufacture required a different approach. After prototyping with a jewelry designer, they initially started working with a small unit from a company that specialized in perfume bottles and finally found a way to mass manufacture by collaborating with a factory that worked in the realm of metallic homewares.

Roope notes the manufacturing process was a struggle because they were looking for a process that was as economical as possible without losing that level of refined detail—this is perhaps one reason for its $170 price tag. But, as Roope highlights, he sees the invention of the bulb as a "logical progression;" it may not be the cheapest bulb on the market but they ultimately hope its presence in the market is for a somewhat higher purpose. "By creating a stunning, aspirational product you sort of change the psychology of what you're presenting people with. It's the same way Tesla isn't the most affordable car in the world but it becomes a symbol for how you can live responsibly," says Roope.

The next hope for Plumen's future lighting innovations? To create a lightbulb that finally eliminates any doubt of wanting to move into a more sustainable age. Roope says, "I'd really love to try and leapfrog concerns and get into a position where this is the most compelling bulb [over the incandescent]...where there isn't a kind of compromise." With the Plumen 003, their newest innovation might not be the universal solution, but they are well on their way.

Layer's Pair Chair designed for Fritz Hansen is a modular system of polymer, steel and plywood seating components with over 8,000 possible combinations, offering a product adaptable to any interior environment or specification. Layer is the first British design agency to launch a product with the renowned Danish furniture brand.

Most toast lovers have a butter spreading system they're okay with, but it's often a good-enough situation at best. Having soft butter at hand usually means either messy melting or a barely-covered counter top dish that welcomes in bacteria and funk if you don't use it fast enough. And if you're comfortable mashing cold hard butter into your warm yielding toast… you aren't equipped for this design debate in the first place. I'd like to discuss the French butter keeper and how it almost solves things. Almost.

The French butter keeper (or trademarked "Butter Bell") is a familiar tool for many people, but it doesn't have the universal popularity in the States that it enjoys in other countries. For the uninitiated, a butter keeper inverts the familiar butter dish, and then dunks it in water—it's only a little less weird than it sounds.

The keeper is essentially a ceramic or stone crock with a lid that fits deeply inside. To use one, you let your butter soften to the point it just becomes malleable. Then you squish it as tightly as possible into the "bell" of the lid, packing it in firmly enough that it sticks. Then you add an inch or so of water to the crock half, and replace the butter filled lid. After that, it squats on your counter like a little mushroom or unassuming pottery jar and you're good to go.

The principle is that the water seal keeps germs and goobers out of your butter, the air pocket keeps your butter dry, and the whole contraption maintains itself close to room temperature and is great for spreading. If executed right, it keeps your butter soft and easy to access for cooking and toasting needs, while also keeping it fresher than fresh air.

Looking past some opportunities for user error (overfill the butter = wet butter; underpack the bell = wet butter), they're pretty genius. I can see why it's been in use for centuries, and can't see why they aren't more popular in the US. 

But as dead simple as it is, it isn't ideal in a couple scenarios. Unexpected hot weather and forgetting to change the water can create even more butter drama than the old stick-on-a-plate method. Is there a way to avoid your warm butter going swimming, or gunky rancid dunking water ruining your appetite?

Would glass or clear silicone make water upkeep easier to remember?

Countertop butter is common among home cooks around the globe, and it's maybe even more common among foodies, with just a few standalone dissenters in the ranks of the True Chefs. While warm butter is a nearly universal need, as far as I can find, butter keepers have been relegated to '70s kitsch and pragmatic midwestern kitchens, until the French Butter Keeper's Pinteresting resurgence within the last few years, spurred by cult kitchen brands starting to stock them and editorial plugs. 

Cute Etsy options abound, but is there a modern method that beats it? Have you used one? Is there a better solution for quick spreadable fat? Or is the future all microwaved margarine tubs all the time?

Televisions have gone from being pieces of furniture made out of wood to boxes made out of plastic and metal to glass rectangles that hang on your wall. Is its form factor done evolving?

Perhaps, perhaps not. The box-like short-throw projectors of the sort produced by Sony might one day unseat them—well, assuming everyone watches TV in the darkened environments required by projectors, or if projection technology makes some kind of quantum leap in terms of brightness.

Here's Sony's Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector, which is about the size of a toaster, yet can project images with up to 80" diagonals while sitting just inches from the wall:

The product's "lifestyle" video can't seem to decide if it's a proper TV or a novelty item:

The limitation of the $1,000 device is its 720p resolution. Those willing to pay a lot more can step up to their 4K model, which is the size of a flattened blanket chest and looks truly impressive:

As for how much more, we're talking fifty times more. The 4K unit costs a whopping $50,000. I think it's safe to say the flatscreen will remain the dominant form factor for now.

For you designers looking to change up your career, here's a subset of ID that's off the beaten path: Yacht design. Apparently there's "strong demand for [designers trained] in the pleasure craft segment," according to the Politecnico di Milano Design School, and they aim to bridge the gap with their degree course.

Their "Specializing Master" course in yacht design is conducted completely in English, contains a mandatory three-month internship, and covers the following:

The Specializing Master provides the tools for managing the design and construction of sailing and motor boats, from project brief to definition of general plans, hydrostatic and hydrodynamic calculations, fitting-out of interiors, deck and board equipment, boat systems, production in the yard and control of executive stages. Participation in the Specializing Master allows students to achieve the following training goals:

* development of planning skills, in particular problem setting and problem solving skills in the leisure boat market;

* development of specialised technical skills; acquisition of principles and procedures of construction methods and techniques;

* development of skills related to production organisation and shipyard management;

* development of the ability to work in a group and to present oneself with authority in the professional world;

* ability to manage conflicts in the team and to encourage creativity.

For those of you interested, they're hosting a free webinar describing the course in greater detail on Wednesday (this week, the 19th). You can sign up for it here.

Before making it to Maker fame, Taekyeom Lee was researching unconventional methods of creating three-dimensional type. It was part of his work as Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Appalachian State University, where he tinkered with techniques for developing three dimensional type design using unusual materials. That's where things got a little weird. Not content with digital modeling, and despite having no strong background in either 3D printing or ceramics, Lee set about building his own 3D printer fitted with a clay extruder to push this study forward.

After a good deal of trial and error, Lee succeeded. His creation is a delta esque ceramic 3D printer that produces sculptures which push the boundaries of typographic tangibility. Clay is a tricky and notoriously nuanced medium—Lee was attracted to ceramic 3D printing in the hopes that he could avoid the tools and space required by a traditional ceramics studio. Constrained by both budget and space, he did what ceramic artists have always done—he made his own tools. 

He needed to increase the capacity of the DIY kit he started from, adapt a traditional glue extruder for the heavier clay body, and reassess the load placed on system elements without introducing air bubbles or causing damage. 

To improve the pneumatic system's lack of precision, he designed and 3D printed custom screw shaped extruders and swapped plastic glue dispensers for more resilient materials. With each wave of improvements, Lee's pieces became closer to the designer's hoped-for typographic ideal. 

At this point, Lee has developed a series of functional typographic works, as well as a range of sculptures that speak to the relationship between digital design and its physical products. 

Lee's work is continuing in this vein by pushing typography to consider materiality more seriously in our increasingly digital landscape. Learn more about his trial and error process at Maker, his site, or on Instagram.