April 2011 – Dona, Just & more
Dona
DONA is a robot that interactively solicits donations from passers-by. It engages people in a pet-like interaction. People rarely respond to adult humans in need but babies and animals? It’s very hard for us to resist. A wonderful exercise in behavioral science, sociology and robotics.
Just Simple
Just5 is a global provider of mobile phones that are designed for optimal ease of use, reliability and emergency response, offering basic features that are ideal for people who love things to be simple. Features include large buttons, a high-volume speaker for amplified sound, a long-lasting battery for reliability, and a Personal Emergency Response System. Is your grand mum still allergic for the mobile phone? Try this one!
The ideal pencil
The Mitsubishi Pencil Company’s Kuru Toga model features a gear inside that rotates the pencil lead every time it’s put to paper, continually keeping a sharp, centered point on it. It seems they really did create the perfect pencil after all.
Pleasurehunt
Advertising material being instead of annoying froth a viral game, cool, interactive, which you will like to play again and again? Hard to believe? – check it yourself!
Left Shoe Company
The Left Shoe Company placed their 3D scanners at Heathrow airport. From now on you can scan your foot for free and get a lot of interesting information about yourself. And then (unfortunately only for men) you can place an order and within a couple of weeks get an individual pair of leather shoes. As an addition you can even more personalize you shoes with a prevocational inscription according to your own taste.
Flux Chair
The flux chair design from Tom Jacobs and Douwe Schouten is based on the fascinating principles of the art of folding. Just in 10 seconds and with a few simple actions you can make from a plastic envelope a stylish design chair. Watch the video /
Acousto Optical Lock
Have you ever paced up and down a rack of bicycles trying to remember where you locked yours up at? The Acousto Optical Lock from Liu Yu is a steel ripe style cable lock that sends out an audio signal and lights up when you press a key.
Tactile Green Heater
This design by Younes Duret takes inspiration from Eastern oriental graphics and the traditional Moroccan hearth to create a transportable and calming space heater. The unit is composed entirely of recycled plastic.
Efficient design: quicker product introductions
What impact can design have on your business performance? A very large one. Especially if you implement design for a specific goal, so that it will give measurable results. In this serie about efficient design this time how design can be used to introduce products quicker.
Does the speed of product introductions become more important for you as well? Many R&D departments find that because of longer decision making processes and many people involved their time to market is no longer quick enough.
Design Tips
Speed does indeed become critical for companies when it comes to product introductions. R&D departments do not always have the resources and flexibility to quickly make decisions, therefore product developments take longer then needed and it becomes interesting to have product design done by a flexible design studio, which is quicker able to take a product from idea to production.
Case: Bloom Talk
Within 7 months this intercom system was developed from concept stage into production, including engineering, certifications, documentation, packaging, tooling, validations of first-out-of-tool products, quality assurance and a first production run of 1000 pieces.
Client
Belgium manufacturer of home automation systems
Strategy
Integrated development of both the electronics as well as the mechanical parts, strong project management, early stage involvement of manufacturing partners and suppliers.
Quickstart
Did you not work before with a design studio? Or do you like to try out our way of working, compared to your partner design office?
Then the Design Quickstart is an excellent project, offered to you for reduced rates. Read more about a quickstart project /
Turn-key product design
Do you want to realise a turn-key design project from plan to production? Do you need extra knowledge or capacity for your product development? We love to work with your team and take care of your concerns.
Our speed of product development and the possibility to develop both the product as the electronics and software are two reasons why companies work with us. Read more about turn-key product development /
Bluelarix presents on BNO Tallks
Different design studio’s presented different ways and visions on sustainable design during a full programm of BNO Tallks.
Inspiring was the way Andreas Knol from Bluelarix Designworks develops the Design Checklist, with a large number of sustainability aspects. This list is a fruitfull way to implement sustainable design before, during and after the design process. It is not just a memory list, but an extra inspiration during the design process.
Read more about BNO Tallks (dutch only) /
Design News
Paper / PP alloy
PEGA design & engineering introduces a new material: a recycled paper and polypropylene plastics based alloy that is attractive to the senses, environmentally friendly and uses the same injection mold machine and process as standard ABS plastic products. The paper PP alloy has the same high strength and elasticity as ABS, but is a cost effective, available, recyclable and reusable.
Squizits
Made for people who’s gotta keep moving to focus on mundane tasks. Developed in collaboration with a child with OCD and ADHD, Squizits provides children with a way to release excess energy through repetitive hand motions and various fidgets. Not just for kids, by the way!
Twist & Brush
A clever idea from Kawamura-Ganjavian: Twist & Brush, a convenient traveling toothbrush. You decide how much toothpaste you need, fill up the toothbrush, and twist to push the toothpaste up into the bristles.