Design For Speed

2009-05-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

Pratt Show Recap

In case you missed it. Here are some images from the 2009 Pratt Show.

2009-05-17T14:03:00.000-07:00

Hot Skateboarding: Designing Color in Motion

Here is some of the material from my final presentation of my thesis project. This photograph shows a study of a surface that responds to non-rigid motion (a morphing or stretching surface). The surface changes from yellow to yellow and red striped when it stretches.

This concept is applied directly to the knee panels of an outfit for downhill longboard sliding, there is a correlation between the movements of the athletes knee joint and the intensity of its color expression.

2009-03-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

The TARQ

This is the skateboard I have designed to embody my concepts of color-motion for my thesis. It is being made as a collaboration with Bustin Boards who are famous for their custom graphics and colors.

Patterns were laser cut into the top two layers of ply, then the interior edges of the cavities were painted different colors so that when the board is viewed from different angles there are different color expressions. When one moves the board there is a wonderful color shifting effect. In the cavities I have also put highly reflective mylar, which increases the effect and even gives the illusion that there are holes all the way through the board when viewed from afar.

The bottom of the board is not yet complete and hardware will be added. I will keep you posted on the progress.

2009-02-09T22:01:00.000-08:00

Hot Skateboarding
Designing Color for Products in Motion

I just concluded my first session of product testing. I made a prototype pair of pants and one arm guard based on the drawings from my last post. These were quick mock ups to gauge two things, how do the colors affect the way people watch the tricks? and how well do the 3D color patterns protect the body. This video that I put on YouTube documents the testing.

I am also including photos of the pants so that you can see how the color changes as they rotate in front of you. The front of the pants are dark purple with bright accents at the knees, because that is an important point of complex motion during the execution of tricks. as you rotate around there is a corresponding color shift. The back of the pants are a lower intensity purple and there is almost no color accent at the back. The padding on both sides is also different to differentiate the two sides of the body, so that when the rider rotates quickly in front of you there is an alternation of colors adding exhilaration to the trick.

2008-12-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

Here are some skateboarding apparel designs based on the color/motion concepts I outlined in my last post. There are 2 women's and 2 mens. 2 are for board walking/dancing and 2 are for sliding. Thanks to Cory, Micku, Brian and Russ for their inspiring riding styles.

The design inspiration came from the following images.

Apparel for Hot Skateboarding.

2008-11-15T11:40:00.000-08:00

Here are some preliminary studies for my thesis entitled "Hot Skateboarding: designing color for products in motion" By composing color that elucidates movement on a 3D object the aesthetics of motion are better conveyed making the performance of movement more intriguing to watch.

The first component is to make 3D patterns that are colored to reflect the difference from surface to surface. When these surfaces are moved they generate a corresponding color shift for the viewer.

This concept works just as well if the object is stationary and the viewer is the one moving like looking at the side of a building as you walk past.

The second component is to color objects in a composition in a way that corresponds to the complexity of their movement relative to the rest of the group. The greater the complexity of motion the greater the intensity of color and contrast of colors should be to convey the motion. Here you can see a basic rectilinear 3D composition set in motion. The dominant form rotates about the y axis, the subdominant forms rotation is compounded by its dependency on the dominant and the subordinate element has the most complex motion because it is compounded by its dependency on the rest of the composition.

The same concept is employed for any moving object that has to be highly visible. Like a tennis ball or a javelin. But what if the entire outfit of the tennis player were coordinated to convey the entire performance from the tip of the racquet to their feet?

One of the most dynamic moving objects is the human body. Many style based sports employ thrilling performances of dynamic motion to enthrall audiences from freestyle snowboarding to figureskating. How can the body and the products on the body be colored to enhance the performance of the athlete and generate more visual interest for the audience. This is important to making the activity more fun to participate in more exciting to watch and promoting the lifestyle of the performers.

By distinguishing the performer from the background, by coloring the more interesting moving parts of the body so that the movements involved are clear and distinct from the rest of the body, by coloring the body to display the hierachy of motion to the viewer the experience of any trick will be improved.

2008-11-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

Lemnos sent me images of the clocks in the final round of their competition at the Art Gallery Complex in Tokyo, Japan. Judge for yourself.

2008-08-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

Costume design for the circus. These are sketches for chinese pole performer costumes in the NYCAA's TAKURA show in November.

2008-08-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

I have entered these designs in a clock design competition in Japan for this company Lemnos
.....wish me luck.

2008-07-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some pages of the first watch I designed that will be going to the factory for sampling.

2008-05-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Longboard Porn

The prototype for the new Earthwing speedboard. A custom paint job outfitted with dropped through black powdercoated Randal 180s and Earthwing 82A 76mm wheels. This board will be tested at the Central Park Race on June 7th.

2008-05-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

2008-03-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

Matt Redman ripping the white rabbit at Val d'isere. The snow just keeps on falling. I will be out of the studio visiting Matt and Janel until the 21st making good use of the fresh powder falling in the French Alps.

2008-03-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

NIELUS

Here are images of the completed concept car for Nissan. It will appear at the press preview for the NY Auto Show on the 19th. We hope they will decide to keep it in the show for the public to see from March 21st-30th. I will post more pictures from the booth at the Javits center. Right now I am skiing in France and will not be back to the US for a week.

2008-02-17T21:13:00.001-08:00

Nissan "Cubeness" interpreted by Pratt students.

These are process shots of one of the Cubes being prepared by students at the Pratt Institute for the upcoming U.S. release of the Nissan Cube.

“Nielus”

Nielus fuses two bold styles, one juxtaposes aggressive shapes and vibrant hues, the other melds organic colors and mechanical forms. These two styles consume the cube instigating a dramatic tension where one style transitions to the other. The interior draws on the organic colors and the angular shapes to reconcile the exterior patterns engendering an environment subtle in color and rich in physical texture.

The Nielus concept has a color scheme that changes according to the three dimensional characteristics of the car. From every vantage Nielus provides multiple levels of visual interest to engage the viewer Each side of the car was simplified to represent the sides of a cube that displays a shift in the colors of the patterns and the character of the pattern’s shapes that is proportional to the amount of surface change. To accent asymmetry the car displays stronger color relationships from the front to the left side and from the right side to the rear. Nielus combines two very different stylistic color schemes into one harmonious composition through the aesthetic considerations of hierarchy, proportion, scale, direction and movement.

The car is being prepared for the New York Auto Show and will be on view at the Nissan "Cube" Gallery.

2008-01-12T14:06:00.001-08:00

Longest dirt bike jump.

2008-01-12T13:55:00.001-08:00

The future of windsurfing.

2008-01-12T13:48:00.000-08:00

Fastest man on skis, 156.22mph.

2008-01-12T13:44:00.001-08:00

Fastest road bike.

2008-01-11T20:06:00.000-08:00

Here is the animation of Aeru and how its movement is controlled by the operator.

2008-01-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

This is the model of AERU a vehicle that turns waste products into fresh soil and resources for human consumption. This is a vehicle of the future with advanced controls that integrate into the movement of the operators arm. I will also be posting an animation that shows how AERU moves. The models below show the formal development of AERU and the drawings illustrate the functional capabilities. There all also images that describe the lifestyle of its operater and the envirionment it exists in.

These are two of the many sketch models used to develop AERU.

A surface analyses was made to adjust the relationships of the major surfaces of the vehicle.

This color study was done to finalize the color layers before applying them to the developed model.

These drawings show how the vehicle moves, what it does and how it is controlled. There is a design of shoe that was done to understand the lifestyle of the vehicle's operator and how that should be reflected in the vehicle design.

2007-12-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

The long wheel base on this bike allows him to extend the back wheel and absorb an amazing amount of impact.

2007-12-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a fun looking commuter type tricycle.

2007-12-23T06:50:00.001-08:00

This is a good example of dynamic acrobatics, which is what I am learning at the circus academy right now. Check out what they are able to do with a simple oversized looking hula hoop.

2007-12-08T22:45:00.000-08:00

Here is what happens when a person grows wheels

and here is what happens when a person grows wings.

2007-12-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

What is better than skiing? Skiing with wings. Thanks to Ali for this video.

2007-11-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

So these are awful pictures, but my camera has gone missing and I was so excited about getting this arm finished for my model. It has two CV joints at the base cylinder, hydraulic joints and then two more CV joints. Everything is a tight enough fit that I should be able to articulate the assembly at different levels to give the vehicle different poses with out it sliding out of place. It actually functions similar to a human arm, if you notice the inner joint can cross under the outer joint creating a twist similar to that of the muscles in the human arm. It didn't have to be functional, but sometimes you just have to go for it. Eat your heart out Woody.

2007-11-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

I was tricked one late night into believing that a car company decided to give a car an interesting paint job when I saw this car only to discover that it was a shadow cast from a chainlink fence. It is pretty much the exact same thing as texture projecting in Alias or Maya, neato.

2007-11-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

Well they have gone and done it. There is pretty much no reason for this blog to exist anymore. The flying version of the segway has been developed for the military. If I could just design the body and colors of this thing I would count it as a fulfilling career as an industrial designer.

2007-10-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

This is a drawing of the operator of Aeru and a shoe design that is manifested from the style of the vehicle to extend the vehicle design concept to an entire body of products that embody the lifestyle of the user.

This is a detail drawing of the operator controls for the vehicle.

A wire model study of each surface of Aeru. This is a good way to clarify a form and to give yourself cancer by inhaling to much lead laden soder. Below are shots of the semifinal model.

2007-10-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

Here are the three transportation concepts that were selected for development.

This was the rock crushing diamond vault concept that has become a vehicle that runs off the methane in landfills and reconstitutes the solid waste matter. The drawing is a detail of how the mechanics would operate to seperate out the refuse from the soil and remediate them back to the earth.

This was an ascending vehicle for transporting materials at a building site. Here it becomes a vehicle that would transport molten steel to different levels of production at a casting or forging operation.

This was the vehicle for drying off playing surfaces at outdoor sporting events after a rain delay. Here it becomes a bouyant vehicle that would clean up oil spills.

2007-10-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to upload images of the latest additions to my transportation project, but the world wide web is not always a sure thing. In the meantime here is yet another color study.

You can A. look at this and say "I don't get it, but it looks good"
You can B. look at this and say "I don't get it and it is ugly"
Or I could try to explain it.

The background layer is the most complex changing from Sunburst Yellow to Forest Green at the bottom. This means that the gradient goes from high value and high intensity to low value and lower intensity and there is no scale change.

The next layer is circles that are comprised of variations of blue and red. These get larger from top to bottom and the colors get higher in value. This contrasts what is happening in the background layer, so that the highest contrast between the two layers is at that top and bottom of the page in both hue and value.

The top layer decreases in density as it moves down the page, but it also increases in scale. Otherwise the hue value and intensity all remain the same. However the yellow appears much more intense at the bottom because of simultaneous contrast with the background, whereas at the top it fades into the yellow around it. Like wise the red is very subtly less intense at the bottom where it is seen in the context of the reds in the the middle layer and the greens in the bottom layer that have some red in them.

All this description basically means that there is a lot going on. A lot of issues for the brain to sort out and therefore a lot of visual interest.

2007-10-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

I am taking a break from all the fun weird stuff to show you that yes we do also do the more typical product design exercises. This assignment was to design a family of products, in this case a toothbrush, razor and toothpaste or shaving cream container were designed. Using deform tools in Maya the simple shapes were deformed using the same frameworks to create a series of products that share a similar flexing component and tapering triangular profile. This rendering was done using an incandescent image plane and Maya's final gather feature to give a realistic lighting effect.

2007-10-16T20:25:00.001-07:00

And people think I perform questionable stunts!

2007-10-16T19:52:00.001-07:00

OK this one might be bigger.

2007-10-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

I have been hanging in the computer lab for the last 10hrs waiting for renderings of toothbrushes and razors. I was doing some youtube research and I found something that epitomizes "design for speed." If this blog could be about one thing, this would be it, supersized homegrown slip and slides.

The ramp is 60ft. long and the air is 16ft. to the pool. I can't imagine what calculations were made, but I guess the engineer was the guinea pig.

2007-10-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some more images of my transportation concept. This is the design that I will be developing for my final presentation. Also shown is a shoe that is designed in the same style as the vehicle. This shows the concept as an extension of a lifestyle. The vehicle performs a function in the future, therefore it supports a lifestyle of the future (that which has not been experienced yet). If you don't get it, if it looks weird, thats because it has never existed before.

2007-10-05T23:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the drawings thus far. This represents only a fraction. I will be posting more soon and the freshly painted second stage models will be finished on monday, so if you are one of the nonexistent people who check this blog....stay tuned.

This drawing is an exercise in creating depth and drawing the figure.

These two are of the same form indicating two possible uses (not what it IS, but what it might DO). The oil pastels are a good way to loosen up and generate color sketches for the vehicles.

This shows how to draw the "gesture" of a figure to show human interaction in a drawing without overrendering the figure and taking attention away from the product. You can see this figure hanging from the cable in the oil pastel.

This is a higher level drawing of one of the forms that became a vehicle that dries up wet surfaces. This vehicle could be used at Wimbeldon after a rain delay, on the golf course or to dry up sensitive areas like art storage after a flood.

2007-09-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

These 3d color forms will ultimately be developed into a transportation vehicle of the future. By starting with abstract forms we can generate new ideas for what transportation might be as opposed to what it already is. Drawing these forms interacting with the human figure engenders new concepts in how a vehicle might move to perform a function that benefits people. Soon I will be uploading some of these drawings.

2007-09-28T22:59:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago I went to the hudson river traveling rings with some german exchange students. I have only done the rings once before at venice beach with my brother. What I did not realize is the extent to which people have taken this sport. Here is the most well produced video I could find of this activity (at the rings at muscle beach). Pay attention to all the self made products, tapes and wrist protectors they put on their hands.

2007-09-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Here is another example of how a disability can give rise to a totally new form of sport and totally new products that facilitate them. These are amputee breakdancers that use their walking braces to perform totally new moves. The possibilities for prosthetics strictly for breakdancing or other acrobatics would be an interesting product field.

2007-09-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

I have a new hobby of combing youtube for the frontlines of product design. This kid has a wheelchair that takes a beating and if you scroll to the end of the video he does a backflip. He will have able bodied kids wanting tricked out wheelchairs for getting air in the park before you know it.

2007-09-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

More color studies. These were done under the influence of being in Vienna, seeing designs by Kolo Moser and paintings by Egon Schiele. These first two deal mainly with resolution. They were done on a 4 by 6 inch sketch book so step back and squint a little so that the colors bled to make secondary and tertiary colors.

These next two deal a little with resolution and warping space.

2007-07-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

MONGO "The push for speed"

The fruits of this summer's labor is a new skateboard, built for speed and stability out of the most high tech materials. Carbon fiber around a Nida Core substrate. Titanium flywheels and aluminum trucks. The top mounted trucks in front lower the board to the ground making it easier to push, it also lowers the center of gravity for stability at speed.

The design targets those that grew up learning to skate in 60's, 70's and 80's who no longer can ride street or vert but still get the rush of carving up a hill. This generation likes to take their kids out and show them the stoke of the good old days. However, things have changed since the 70's and sports equipment updates itself with new materials and designs. The aging recreational generation has carbon fiber bicycles and fiber glass surfboards, kevlar board sails and tennis raquet strings. There is a new standard for sports equipment and this is skateboardings next generation. Below are some images of the future of skateboarding and the context in which the MONGO board will exist.

2007-07-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

On Vacation

I was dilligently working on a summer project and then I started my vacation. For those that do check in and have been dissapointed, here is a little taste of what I was up to this last week. This device is called the Sumo Tube.

This is what happens when I get into the Sumo Tube.....I bleed from my eyeball. Luckily this shot was taken after the swelling went down and the bleeding stopped. So go ahead and give the cocoon of death (I mean sumo tube) a try, it's fun for the whole family.

2007-04-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

The Senf Chair.

This chair is designed to be cut out of a half a sheet of 60 x 60 inch birch ply with very little waste. It packs flat and fits together in three easy steps with no hardware. I had to make 6 of them (with one week to design and one to build) to complete the assignment, so it was a lot of work and I learned a lot about woodworking. This was truly an exercise in designing for speed. I designed these chairs around maximum efficiency. After calculating cost each chair comes to $24.00 in plywood and took me 2.3 hrs for me to make myself. I figure if you were to set up a production run these chairs could be very affordable. Quick to make, quick to put together, nice to look at and comfortable enough to sit on for the length of a good dinner.

2007-04-08T21:35:00.000-07:00

Here is some more fun with lighting.

2007-04-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

Quick update.

Here are the latest images of LINU the underwater mammalian communication device. If you are prone to epileptic fits you may want to put sunglasses on. The image below shows the evolution from the first model to the final.

2007-03-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

No time to chat, just wanted to throw up these pictures of my last cut out photographed wit colored lights.

2007-03-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Spring Break

I decided to visit my friends Liese and Adrian in Utah. Very good times except for the first day of skiing when I got a little to radical on a steep face with thin snow cover. A sharp rock left me with a gash all the way into the muscle of my forearm and 23 stiches to put me back together again. If anyone knows of good forearm protectors for freeskiing let me know.

2007-02-23T08:24:00.000-08:00

WHO IS MICHAEL WEAKER.

Since I began grad school I have been trying to figure out who Michael Weaker a.k.a. "Tweaker" really is. If you too also wonder whether his strangeness is an affectation or not check out his interactive digital animation called "strange seed." My mind is made up, he really is a mad engineer with a perverted darkside who sometimes talks as if he is delivering an infomercial through several layers of irony. Go to www.michaelweaker.com and click on the digital section of his portfolio.

2007-02-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

Here are some more color studies and in 3 dimensions too. Let me know which ones you like best. Helps with the portfolio.

2007-02-20T21:14:00.000-08:00

I SEE COLORS

Some might claim that I have an enthusiasm for colors. I don't know why, but I have a compulsion to record colors and their relationships to one another in the infinite variations that are possible. Sometimes it feels like ideas appear as colors and just like any good journal keeper they must be recorded. For some people known as synesthetes (those with synesthesia) colors are associated with geometric forms such as triangles and squares. In rare cases, such as with savants, one may see numbers in the form of colors. Here is a link to an article that describes this phenomena.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050528144241.htm

2007-01-28T11:37:00.000-08:00

Super Slide

People ask me if this blog really has anything to do with designing for speed. Here is a project that covers one aspect of designing for speed. Creating experiences where ones physical perception of reality is greatly accelerated. Carsten Hoeller has installed these slides at the Tate Modern that allow visitors to experience movements and speeds through space that would ordinarily be impossible for an unaided human.

For Carsten Höller, the experience of sliding is best summed up in a phrase by the French writer Roger Caillois as a 'voluptuous panic upon an otherwise lucid mind'. The slides are impressive sculptures in their own right, and you don't have to hurtle down them to appreciate this artwork. What interests Höller, however, is both the visual spectacle of watching people sliding and the 'inner spectacle' experienced by the sliders themselves, the state of simultaneous delight and anxiety that you enter as you descend. [Tate Modern Website]

2007-01-22T21:42:00.000-08:00

PERKATIVE!

The latest entry into the energy drink market.

Perkative is the most powerfully caffeinated beverage on the market. Now available over the counter from your local Perkative pharmacist, Perkative beverages will get your heart racing faster than a red bull vodka cocktail. No other beverage has as much caffeine as Perkative, it is specially brewed to produce pharmaceutical levels of caffeine. For those of you who don't eat well and don't sleep well, don't worry, you can rely on a sugary caffeinated blast of Perkative to get you through the day. Don't be fooled by imitations, only Perkative in the original pill bottle cup will give you the same rush.

This product's formula and packaging is the genius brainchild of Charles Constantine, Omid Sadri, and Kaspar Spurgeon-Heinrici.

2007-01-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

More color studies y'all.

Here is a sketch for a pattern that generates the illusion of undulating surfaces. My plan is to apply it to an actual 3D surface in order to accentuate the accents of the objects surfaces. I began this process tonight, but for now I will leave you with an image of the original 3D form before the pattern has been applied.

2007-01-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

Color Studies.

Yes I am strangely addicted to patterns and colors and colored patterns. When I got back to school I told people I worked on color studies and they looked at me like I am the nerd that I am. There will be more of these to follow (there are many in the works). I am inspired every day by things you see around you (I am even doing one based on a goggle strap I saw at Jay Peak). Coincidentally the subway commute is the best time to work on these, it also does wonders for your drawing hand, if you can draw on the train, you can draw anywhere.

Here you can see playing with scale and a little bit of morphing. Now I am working with creating 3D patterns on a 2D surface, so using patterns to create the illusion of undulating surfaces. Finally, I am working on patterns that create the illusion of movement (vibrational and directional).

2007-01-17T19:54:00.000-08:00

The long holiday break is over and in case you missed the Pratt final review here are some images from my display.

This bike is designed for speed (not intended for those under the age of 5 and over the age of 10).

That is the coolest aluminum extrusion model you will ever see (don't ask me what it does).

2006-12-19T20:27:00.000-08:00

Color Space Analysis

Create two three dimensional blocks, one with a curved surface.
Create three planes, one with a curved edge.
Arrange the 5 objects on an 18 x 24 inch base.
Physically and visually texture and pattern the surfaces of each object so that their individual surfaces relate to one another, so that each object relates to the other objects proportional to their proximity, so that each surface of every object expresses its character as a front, back, side, top or bottom.
Remake each object 3 times to refine their sensitivity to the environment and this is what you get.

2006-12-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

FOOD.

I don't get to eat much lately. In the last 24hrs I had a croissant and a danish, so I fulfilled the "sticky sugary food group." However, we have been doing food related projects. Incidentally, sitting through a 3hr crit. of conceptual lunchboxes without having had lunch dinner or breakfast is torture.

This is a picture of a lunch box that I designed for Maya Lin, the designer of the Vietnam Memorial. I will not take the time to explain why this lunch box references her work (it will be obvious if you google her) I will simply explain the box. It is a lunch time tea box. It is made of her signature black galaxy granite. The upper portion is a resevoir for hot water. The lower portion is a tea container with sections created by undulating stratifyed bamboo chopstick laminations. The sections are filled with colorful teas like lavender, jasmine and apricot. There is a small bamboo basket to place the tea in, which is then placed in the upper resevoir to steep. The bamboo mat is then used to cover and contain the heat while it steeps. This references Maya lin's work in many ways, materials (granite, wood, water, earth), time (the process of steeping tea), interaction (interacting with the lanscape through the brewing of tea) and appearance (take a look at her work).

Here is a photo of a drawing assignment that I can only sum up as "the last supper." Our interpretation was that in a post apocalyptic world robots are having their last meal of metal parts and old office equipment (the main course is a fax machine). Creating this world is facilitated by setting up a convincing 2pt perspective. Once the perspective is in place you can go crazy with adding elements and expanding the dimensionality of the drawing. It almost feels like you can step in there and impale yourself on one of those spinning saw blades.

2006-11-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

Metal extrusion

Design a single joint out of one piece of extruded metal that can be cut only in 90 degree sections and be used to connect itself in 3 dimensions. The pictures below demonstrate a system of single identical extrusions with three arms 60 degrees from one another that have both acceptors and connectors in every arm. Each arm is fitted with flexing tabs and locking teeth so that the sections snap into place. There is also a through arm so that you can go through an element and attach again on the opposite side. Look at the photos below to see the endless possibilites for this simple creation.

These pieces snap together with relative ease and speed. One can erect multiple iterations (like legos) in very little time. This gives it possible applications from a creative toy to elegant exhibition space construction.

2006-11-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some drawings from the development of the Unicornis.
This is a dramatized version of what this little guy looks like (it is hard to draw from microscopic images).

The drawing below illustrates the life of the Unicornis and the movment of its cilia.

Finally a mechanical drawing of how this thing works.

2006-11-01T22:09:00.000-08:00

Conochilus Unicornis

This rotifera uses tiny cilia around its corona to propel itself through the water by moving them in rythmical waves. Inspired by the concept of biomimicry I used the movements and activities of this microscopic creature to design a fiber optic lamp. Stimulating 100 fiber optic endglow threads using a small servo motor this sculpture reproduces the fine movements of the Unicornis. The led light source remains open to illuminate the insides of the creature (in this case the light casing, battery casing and servo motor). By vacuum forming frosted acrylic for the body I imitated the translucent skin of the Unicornis and formed the innards to resemble its organs (with more beautiful forms and better colors of course). Where the eyespot on the Unicornis is I placed the button that activates its movement. Below is a video of this moving sculpture in action.

Here are its insides.

Here is a detail of its corona and cilia.

Finally here is a fully lit shot.

2006-10-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

You could die!

The words now made famous by Ian the organizer of the annual Broadway Bomb skateboard race. As a 4th year participant in this event I can tell you that those words had no more truth to them than they did last Saturday. In true Bomb fashion there was a chaotic start on 116th St. and it was a blur of moronic pedestrians, aggressive cab drivers and flashing Times Square lights.
The winning time was around 33minutes for this epic push. I am including photos taken by Nervous Ned and originally published on Adam Colton's blog, www.loadedboards.com/adam2/blog/index.php?2006/10/16/27-broadway-bomb-done It was the biggest turn out ever with the most competitive finish I have ever experienced. Both winners this year were on Earthwingskateboards. I will have more to come on why Earthwing's boards are so fast.

2006-10-12T21:36:00.000-07:00

I am posting this picture not because the drawing is any good but because it illustrates an interesting subject. I was not sure about the assignment of rendering a chair (in this case a lounge) in full scale at first. It turns out it is an insanely fun exercise in the proportions and execution speed of a drawing.

To draw full scale it helps to sketch first on 18x24 and then grid it out. Scale the grid up and transfer it to an appropriate sized piece of kraft paper. Then out line your sketch in the full scale. When I first approached this I thought about how I was used to standing over my paper and moving around it, now it was on the wall. I thought about how the size was almost 5 times as large, so would it take me 5 times as long?

Once I got started I realized that it would not take 5 times as long. For some reason my gestures scaled themselves up to match the proportions of the paper. For instance a movement of my shoulder that I might make for drawing on 18x24 became a full body motion across the wall. The marks I was making were certainly larger and longer than what I was used to but they came naturally. Before I knew it I was shuffling back and forth in front of the wall swooping my arm around with charcoal. My body movements increased in size and speed to match the new proportion of the paper. Granted the final drawing when viewed from the appropriate distance has the same amount of detail as a drawing on 18x24, but it still took the same amount of time even though it is 5 times the surface area. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

2006-10-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

Andrew Garrison(the co-creator of this fantastic device along with Amanda Wang) sent me this video showing how instantaneously one intuits and reacts to the function of a completely foreign object. Notice how ingeniously the device returns to equilibrium when finished.

2006-10-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

For the inagural Design For Speed post I chose a recent project from ID Workshop to illustrate the speed of human reaction time. We are all coming off of minimal sleep so I will keep it brief.

Certain tasks in everday life require an element of human timing to ensure that they are executed smoothly and that people emerge from their daily life unscathed. Even in the modern world of premature litigation we are surrounded by products and machines that could destroy us in an instant if not for normalized motor functions. We drive down the street at 65mph without thinking twice because the learned behavior of driving along with the reliability of the vehicle ensures that we are "relatively" safe. We step off the escalator as if it were not even moving because we have done it hundreds of times. Some of us move more gracefully and with more confidence than others but there are many tasks for which we have all completely internalized our reaction to our own movement and orientation in space.

What happens when we encounter a situation or a product that presents unknown consequences vis a vis our reaction time or physical capability? How does one adapt their behavior? To what extent should a product ask the user to develop their own physiology to make the product useful? To what extent should designers make products that normalize otherwise complex or dangerous operations? Why is it ok to ask someone to "mind the gap" or "be careful exiting the escalator?" Should we not fill the gap? Should we not design an escalator that slows down? Where is the line between a product that is too dificult to use or too dangerous and a person that is simply too unskilled or unwilling to use it?

Get used to entire paragraphs of questions. I would argue that many times designs are discounted because not enough faith is put in the capabilities of the average human. As evidence I submit this photo of a stepping device developed in ID Workshop. Proof that when presented with an unusual or difficult situation a person's reaction time and agility generally prevail. Sometimes the learning of this new or awkward movement leads to the emergence of a previously unknown ability.

For more information/history on the study of human reaction times in different situations look a this link www.chss.montclair.edu/psychology/museum/mrt.html