Text from Adam :
There are over 400,000 reported drownings and 8 – 10 times as much near drowning experiences worldwide every year. In the UK there are 500 annual drownings. These figures have remained the same for nearly 20 years which tells us that any current equipment and practice is not having the required impact to reduce these numbers.

I have been a beach lifeguard for a number of years and further primary and secondary research has shown that there are a number of key problems that reduce the survival rate of beach users.
These problems are:

• Slow response time
• Surveillance
• Lifeguard safety
• Human limitation of lifeguards

From this research it was decided to look to the future to see what could potentially be new directions for beach safety equipment, this design is therefore based for the year 2020.

The design process was in close collaboration with the BSA (British Surfing Association) headquarters in Newquay (UK). Starting with brainstorming where no idea was a bad idea, followed by concept generation and a wide variety of modeling and system/ scenario testing, the design took innovation from nature, new and existing technologies and user testing.

Explanation of final design

The ‘Mantra’ lives on the sea bed during peak seasons just off the coast of beaches; it uses small hairs on its surface to collect and store energy from tides and waves (called ‘Super Cillia Skin’). It detects distress and drowning using electro sensors coupled with sonar which even today are highly sensitive, for example heartbeats and movements can easily be monitored. When a casualty is detected it swims up to 15mph using SMAs in the wings. The victim is carefully picked up onto an inbuilt stretcher where they are carried on top the water using hydrofoils and impellers. The ‘Mantra’ is always in constant communication with lifeguards and so is met at a specific beach location by lifeguards and ambulances where an EAP is in place and the stretcher is removed without disturbing the patient, who in the worst case scenario may have neck injuries.

Stretchers are replaced and the ‘Mantra’ can assume its position at sea once more. The whole process is estimated to take under 2 minutes.

The final design as can be seen from images, uses biomimicry from a manta ray for many reasons –

• Large flat surface area for all weather stability
• Excellent turning circle and manouverability
• Excellent strength to weight ratio
• Low energy travel
• Considered as a non aggressive creature/ form

Advantages of ‘Mantra’:

• Removal of contact with bodily fluid
• Safety of lifeguards
• Immediate response time
• Completely automated
• Better for spinal and other injuries
• Aesthetics
• Function
• Sustainable

Designer : Adam Scott

[Press Release]
Thousand Oaks, California, June 23, 2009 – World-recognized strategy, innovation, and design consultancy RKS and Water Advocacy KOR Water teamed together again to create a strategy that empowers consumers to make a difference. The result of this collaboration is the introduction of KOR’s Thirst for Giving™ program.

News of the original KOR ONE’s release was met by an immediate and overwhelming positive response. The viral PR campaign driven by RKS resulted in countless blog pickups, with the KOR ONE landing on Oprah’s “O List,” winning awards for both design and environmental preservation, and driving sales beyond all projections.

To build on this success, KOR Water enlisted RKS to create a Brand Trajectory and Product Proliferation Plan that would amplify the authenticity of the KOR brand. The first result of this effort is KOR’s new Thirst for Giving program to raise funds for water-related charities and help increase understanding of the vital role clean water plays in all our lives. Announced in conjunction of the introduction of three new KOR ONE colors, this innovative program empowers consumers to improve their health as they improve the health of the planet. “KOR’s mission is to celebrate and protect water,” said KOR founder and CEO Eric Barnes. “The Thirst for Giving program is our way of bringing more awareness to issues that deeply impact the future of water on our planet.”

The RKS strategy team first used Psycho-Aesthetics to enable KOR to identify organizations whose passions and goals aligned with KOR’s mission. Next, RKS created a strategy to create meaning… increasing the consumer’s ability to make a difference. Through this program, KOR has aligned with non-profits who are doing exceptional work related to causes KOR supports: ocean and watershed protection, the global water crisis and container recycling.

With each KOR ONE color tied to a specific cause, KOR will donate 1% of all sales to this select group. The original Ocean Blue KOR ONE supports Ocean Protection through the Agalita Marine Research Foundation. Sunrise Orange is for the Container Recycling Institute, while Sawgrass Green sales support Watershed Protection through The Wetlands Initiative. Orchid Pink is for the Global Water Crisis, with purchases supporting Blue Planet Run, a non-profit dedicated to bringing the global community together to provide safe drinking water to the more than one billion people who suffer for lack of access to clean water. “Blue Planet Run is thrilled that KOR Water recognizes how important safe drinking water is to every aspect of human life and is taking the lead in making change happen, said Lisa Nash, CEO of Blue Planet Run. “Our partnership will fund safe drinking water projects around the world, where as little as $30 can give someone a lifetime of safe drinking water.” KOR Water’s Thirst for Giving™ program is administered by 1% for the Planet, a non-profit dedicated to building and supporting an alliance of businesses that are financially committed to creating a healthy planet.

All four lustrous colors are made of BPA-free Eastman Tritan™ copolyester and include the original KOR ONE’s see-through design (eliminating worries of what might be hidden inside a metal bottle), innovative one-handed opening, a cap you can’t lose, inspirational KOR Stone inside lid, and a “just right” spout big enough for ice cubes and easy on the lips.

The Thirst for Giving program and the release of the new colors are just the beginning. “We’re excited about the new product lines we’re developing with KOR,” said Tom White, Executive Vice President of RKS. “RKS is thrilled to focus our strategy, design, and innovation teams on building the KOR Water brand and enabling them to achieve their goals.”
Designer : RKS for KOR Water

[Press Release]

MIT unveils EyeStop: an iPhone‐like interactive bus stop for the City of Florence

May 14, 2009. MIT architects and engineers have unveiled EyeStop, an interactive bus stop designed for the city of Florence. On Saturday 16 May the project will be presented officially at the Genio Fiorentino by the President of the Province of Florence Matteo Renzi (dubbed ‘The Italian Obama’ by TIME Magazine).

EyeStop, developed by MIT’s SENSEable City Lab, is an exploration into the next generation of smart urban furniture; it aims to enrich the city with state of the art sensing technologies, interactive services, community information and entertainment. The project is partially covered with touch sensitive e‐INK and screens, so that it can deliver information to people seamlessly. Users can plan a bus trip on an interactive map, exchange community‐relevant information on a digital message board, surf the web, monitor their real time exposure to pollutants and use their mobile devices as an interface with the bus shelter. “Interacting with EyeStop could change the access to urban information in a similar way to how the iPhone has changed our mobile life” commented Carlo Ratti, Head of the SENSEable City Lab at MIT.

At the touch of a finger users can indicate their desired destination; the system will then display the shortest bus route from where they are and the position of all relevant buses real‐time. The EyeStop will glow at different levels of intensity to signal the distance of an approaching bus. Riders and passers‐by can also post ads and community announcements to an electronic bulletin board placed on the bus stop, enhancing its functionality as a public space ‐ a place to gather and exchange community relevant information.

In addition to displaying information, the bus stop also acts as an active environmental sensing node, powering itself through sunlight and collecting real time information about air quality and the urban environment. “EyeStop is an experiment into urban computing: it may be considered an “info‐tape” that snakes through the city, rising up like a pole or cropping out of the sidewalk like a shelter. It senses information about the environment and distributes it in a form accessible to all citizens” – commented project leader Giovanni de Niederhousern.

A generative parametric model produces a unique design for each bus stop, providing both optimal sheltering for users and maximum sunlight exposure for direct photovoltaic powering. Unlike the typical mass‐produced bus stop, EyeStop is designed to fit the physical characteristics of its surroundings, with each unit being slightly different from the others. Furthermore, simple materials like shiny steel, extra clear glass and gray local stone (pietra serena), together with its minimalist design, serve to optimize how it blends into the historic urban fabric of Florence.

“Since the Renaissance, there has been an interplay between the physical form of the city (urb) and its citizenship (civitas),” added Carlo Ratti. “Today’s technologies are adding new possibilities to that age‐long relationship, thanks to the addition of digital information to physical space. It is as if a new materiality were emerging in architecture, with the seamless blending of bits and atoms…”

EyeStop was developed at the SENSEable City Laboratory by Giovanni de Niederhousern, Shaocong Zhou, Assaf Biderman and Carlo Ratti, in collaboration with the Province of Florence and the local public transportation authority ATAF.

Designer : Giovanni de Niederhousern, Shaocong Zhou, Assaf Biderman and Carlo Ratti via Core77

When it comes to reasons to live, art and human interaction top the list for Carson Hill, painter, tattoo artist, and inventor. “Art is very inspiring – to me the universe and everything in it is art,” said Carson. Steve Johnson, Carson’s right hand at Neuma (the company behind the Neuma Hybrid) comes from a very different, but no less creative world. The idea for Amuen (am-yoo-en) struck when Carson and Steve realized there was a need for a site that welcomes creatives and artists of all types. No matter what your medium, there are elements of the creative process that transcend any one discipline.

Why the name Amuen? Well, Amuen is a type of African word that means “spirits,” – a nod to the creative spirit within each of us. Neuma on the other hand, is Latin for “spirited” or air-powered. Oh, and if you hadn’t noticed, Amuen is Neuma spelled backwards. But that’s strictly coincidence.

Designer : RKS Design

Green Teckell as well as the entire Teckell family is crafted by local Italian artisans combining their years of experience with the most sophisticated technologies. Wood is a material that doesn’t age, it matures, like the game foosball; a classic entertainment for all social classes and age groups. Green’s simple but pure design is created to have zero impact on the environment with the use of completely recyclable natural materials; aluminum, glass and wood. Green Teckell is not just an ageless game, Teckell is EVER Green.

“Teckell is not just a simple Foosball game table, Teckell has something more, an stylish reinterpretation of the classic game table. Teckell is no longer that old beat up table in the corner bar that we knew growing up; it has now become a design object with esthetic value.”

Designer : Adriano Design for B.lab Italia

Diabetes Jewelry
Diabetes jewelry is a neckpiece and rings for administering insulin through the skin via a nano-engineered patch. The Diabetes Neckpiece is a wearable applicator device to apply Nanotechnology Victoria’s NanoMAPs to the skin. NanoMAPs are small (10 x 2mm) circular discs which have an array of micro needles on their surface. They allow for pain-free delivery of insulin to the body, replacing syringes. The Diabetes rings are designed to keep the nano-engineered insulin patches against the skin once they have been applied.

Arsenic Jewelry + Water Vessels
Leah also developed a neckpiece and water vessel for purifying water of arsenic and other contaminants. The neck piece is a receptacle that carries mesoporous iron oxide (Fe2O3) which can remove arsenic from drinking water. The Arsenic Water Vessel is used in conjunction with the neck piece and contains specialized filtration devices to ensure that the purified water is safe to drink. The jewelry and water vessels are designed for people in transit in countries where arsenic is prevalent in found water, such as India + Bangladesh.

The Arsenic and Diabetes projects were both exhibited as part of Liminal, an exhibition at RMIT Gallery in November 2008; in.tangible.scape.s in Belgium; and will be on display at the Levitas exhibition at Gallery fortyfive downstairs from 11-21 March 2009.

Designer : Leah Heiss

From the website:
Xsmall machines have been designed to satisfy a public of young managers and career women, highly-evolved and urban consumers who live in major cities and in small homes, but who enjoy a dynamic lifestyle. Accustomed to optimizing space and time, the “new yuppies” favour functionality and essentialness in the appliances they buy, without having to surrender anything in terms of design, high performance and quality.

They spend much of their time away from home but this does not stop them creating a “homely nest” in which to enjoy quiet moments of personal pleasure: “islands of relaxation” within their frenetic and stressful daily lives. The selection of objects within the home is the result of a curiosity that drives them to try out the latest products the market offers, in a search for that something extra that makes them feel they are riding the crest of the wave.

The new automatic Xsmall machines are like small, light and compact jewels, in which are enclosed all of Saeco’s technological know-how. Characterised by an ergonomic design and rounded, sinuous forms, the Xsmall espresso coffee machines are the result of a project conducted by BMW Group DesignworksUSA, the German consultancy studio with which Saeco has worked in close collaboration for a number of years.

The new Xsmall machines are the smallest on the market in the automatic machines sector.

Thanks to the ease with which the various compartments can be extracted and to the compact design, they are perfect for small spaces to provide an extra touch of style in the smallest and most modern kitchens.

The Xsmall range has the added benefit of providing a simple and intuitive interface; all it takes to make a perfect espresso is the press of a button.

Designer : DesignWorksUSA for Saeco

“We congratulate JBL on the incredible reception received by the release of the new EON,” said Ravi Sawhney, Founder and CEO of RKS. “We’re thrilled that our collaboration and JBL’s leadership have taken powered PA to a whole new level.”

The resulting design is a striking departure from the original EON. The full, foam-backed, perforated metal grill provides an added measure of protection to internal components, while offering a clean, uncluttered look to the entire line. The speaker’s shape, like the EON’s power, projects from the rear of the speaker where the amp is housed. “The design flows from the back of the speaker in a single, accelerating curve,” explained Lance Hussey, RKS Vice President of Design. The bold port vents, provide a visual accent and evoke fond memories of the original EON.

To minimize abuse to the speakers and users alike, the design team removed all the hard edges and corners. “Not only does that make it very durable, but also very comfortable to move around, there are no corners to bash into your knees and your legs and things or slide in and out of your car,” said Jones. The EON500 series includes three lightweight compact models that each feature an on-board minimixer with loop-thru or mix-out capability. The EON515 puts out a massive 450 watts of power, yet weighs only 33 lbs.

To take full advantage of JBL’s lightweight technology, this flagship EON features three handles. Each full-bar handle, one on the top and one on each side, is placed for optimal ergonomics and balance, and over-molded with a soft comfort-grip. Pole-mounting speakers has never been easier. No more bending over to lift the speaker off the floor. Just grab the top handle, and then easily switch to the side handles as you effortlessly lift the speaker and set it atop the pole.

Designer : RKSDesign

Text from IDEO :
Project Inkwell’s goal is to greatly increase the size and effectiveness of the K-12 education technology market by managing the synthesis of functional specifications for a ubiquitous computing platform. As a Project Inkwell partner, IDEO assisted by facilitating a group of experts in understanding and synthesizing the needs and desires of students, and by prototyping possible solutions. The results of this effort have been visualized in the Spark concept.

Spark allows students to learn anytime, anywhere. It provides students with a highly mobile device that supports collaboration and multimedia work through educational software. Wireless networking enables use of the internet as a learning space and a means of working with peers and mentors, and promotes the publishing and sharing of work. The configuration of Spark affords an endless number of personalization opportunities. The soft housing protects the Spark unit while providing a medium with which to convey a sense of group or individual identity. The housing and keyboard are inexpensive and can be easily replaced over the life of the device. Along with the full-function keyboard, the Spark housing provides storage for a hot-swappable spare battery and a Bluetooth mouse.

Designer : IDEO

Press Release :

Toyota Develops Personal Transport Assistance Robot ‘Winglet’
Aug 1, 2008 Tokyo — TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today development of the “Winglet”, a personal transport assistance robot ridden in a standing position.

The Winglet—still being refined—is one of TMC’s people-assisting Toyota Partner Robots. Designed to contribute to society by helping people enjoy a safe and fully mobile life, the Winglet is a compact next-generation everyday transport tool that offers advanced ease of use and expands the user’s range of mobility.

The Winglet consists of a body (with a projected area the size of an A3 sheet of paper) that houses an electric motor, two wheels and internal sensors that constantly monitor the user’s position and make adjustments in power to ensure stability. Meanwhile, a unique parallel link mechanism allows the rider to go forward, backward and turn simply by shifting body weight, making the vehicle safe and useful even in tight spaces or crowded environments.

TMC has created three models, the “L”, “M” and “S”, each having different handling features that allow consumers to select a model appropriate to their needs—from “practical” to “hands-free sporty”.

TMC plans various technical and consumer trials to gain feedback during the Winglet’s lead-up to practical use. Practical tests of its utility as a mobility tool are planned to begin in Autumn 2008 at Central Japan International Airport (Centrair) near Nagoya, and Laguna Gamagori, a seaside marine resort complex in Aichi Prefecture. Testing of its usefulness in crowded and other conditions, and how non-users react to the device, is to be carried out in 2009 at the Tressa Yokohama shopping complex in Yokohama City.

TMC is pursuing sustainability in research and development, manufacturing and social contribution as part of its concept to realize “sustainability in three areas” and to help contribute to the health and comfort of future society. Toyota Partner Robot development is being carried out with this in mind and applies TMC’s approach to monozukuri (”making things”), which includes its mobility, production and other technologies. In a related development, TMC unveiled the “MOBIRO” mobility robot, designed for use in a sitting position, in 2007.

TMC aims to realize the practical use of Toyota Partner Robots in the early 2010s by furthering its robotic development and strengthening collaboration between industry, government and academia.

Source : Toyota