Happy Holidays
Thanksgiving is here and many of us including myself are on holiday for the next few days. Happy holidays to all! Stay safe, eat more than you can and enjoy family and friends. Articles will resume Sunday.
Four Fifths Design
Inspiration for the Creative Mind
Month: November, 2008
November 24, 2008
Rainbow Star
Designer: LumenWorks Design
Lumenworks is a lighting company in Japan. They are recognized as being an eco-friendly company. All of their illumination is from LED which results in conservation of energy as well as a longer lighting lifespan. This design, Rainbow Star, acts as a small acrylic lighting fixture that smoothly and gradually generates and transitions colors.
November 21, 2008
Solar Vertical Lamp
Designer: Yoon-Hui Kim and Eun-Kyung Kim
What do you get when you take an average vertical blind (the kind found in practically any rental apartment across the United States), outfit it with special mini photovoltaics and LED pixels, then add a healthy dose of creative inspiration? The surprisingly chic and witty Solar Vertical Lamp.
The two-dimensional lamps are brilliant in their simplicity. During the day, miniature solar pads soak up the sun’s energy. At night, artfully placed lighting pixels (similar to those used on billboards) illuminate. Simply close the blinds to ‘turn on’ your lights. These smart lights come in table lamp, floor lamp, and chandelier forms that add dramatic ambiance to any room in the house. Besides being completely energy-efficient and saving you tons of money on your monthly bill, you never have to dust them!
November 20, 2008
Scarab
Designer: David Miguel Moreira Gonçalves
A designer by the name of David Miguel Moreira Gonçalves presents the Scarab:
The aim of this project was to develop guidelines and a holistic solution for a new system of urban transport, composed of vehicle and infrastructure, in a sustainable way and adaptable to various urban environments.
And the specs for the potential vehicle:
-The vehicle is composed of interchangeable modules that can be customized.
-Powerpack module composed of a permanent battery plus 3 options for the main energy pack (battery, biofuel ICE or a fuel cell).
-4 wheel drive through electric brushless in-wheel motors with directdrive.
-Wheels with regenerative braking through EW Brakes.
-Drive by wire and tactile HUD embedded in the Lexan canopy.
-Structural elements in Carbon-Aramid composite.
-Embedded sensors, Lidar, radar, transponders, GPS. These serve to exchange information with the system, with other drivers and to have precise location data.
-Renting of the vehicle or modules that allows for a private/public/mixed utilization and transport access for people with less financial resources.
-Doesn’t need new infrastructures.
-Is backward compatible with current transport systems and uses current day technologies.
November 20, 2008
Social Robot
Designer: Nicolas Myers
This project offers an indirect way to deal with these problems. A virtual robot makes and keeps new contacts for you by taking over your virtual identity. Your only control over its decisions is through an interface representing the network itself : a black liquid surface covered by numerous spikes that stand for each of your “friends”. It is by altering the surface of this « liquid », that one can interact with the robot and influence his actions in the virtual world.
