Hasta La Ideas

Yesterday, we saw a series of ads for the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, slyly warning parents that “1 in 5 teenagers will experiment with art,” a satirical PSA that urges parents to talk to their kids about art school. Lo and behold, Herald Ureña is the lucky one of the five: he’s currently completing his BFA in Product Design at CCS, and his recent furniture collection came to our attention.

The “Arms Up” Chair series is a different take on the arm chair: it’s “a triptych of chairs based around mannerisms people act out when sitting, [which] range from functional and comfortable to artistic and conceptual for statement purposes.”

Model AUSC is the starting point: “it is based off of sitting on a bench and being able to put your arms up except for the fact that it is made for one individual to enjoy, It seems like a pleasurable sit driven by slight greed.”

Model AULC-1 is a bit more fleshed out, insofar as it is based on a more substantial article of furniture: “This chair design is based off a couch corner. The sitting area is more than one person needs but not large enough for two individuals to sit comfortably. The back arm is elongated so that the persons arm mannerism is mimicked by the chair and enhanced by the look.”

Lastly, model AUHC is perhaps the most refined, where an armrest extends along a second surface, a small table that hovers just above the ground. “It is meant to create a holistic feel in the corner of a room.”

Additional process and more (as per the Portfolio Handbook‘s advice) after the jump…

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We’ve got an oldie-but-goodie today: it’s an upcycled photobioreactor for cultivating algae, which (ideally) could be exchanged for biofuel credits. But that’s only half of the story: “Bio-Grow” took second place in the International E-Waste Design Competition 2010, incorporating refurbished waste materials—namely a laptop, an iMac and a tower enclosure—into the unassuming, bathroom sink-sized unit. Thus, Mark Schnitzer and his teammates Timothy Harvey, Elliot DeVries, Reza Shiftehfar and Meg Kenney designed “Bio-Grow” to hit the sweet spot between forward-looking sustainability and repurposing e-waste materials.

Rising oil prices and overflowing dumps are ongoing problems… Can we solve for a ‘green’ issue while utilizing recycled electronic materials? For the 2010 International E-Waste Design Competition, my team has designed a photobioreactor for the cultivation of algae, to be later manufactured into biodiesel. Utilizing salvaged and refurbished electronic waste, my team has reinvented the components user experience. The Bio-Grow exists as both a local and global system. With the combination of these two systems, the Bio-Grow is envisioned to help solve the problems of both e-waste and oil consumption. Ultimately, algae-based biofuels will completely replace fossil fuels.

As for what’s under the hood, so to speak: a Dell Latitude CPX notebook serves as the control panel, displaying the vital statistics of the ecosystem. The Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) of a discarded iMac, concealed within the base, has been adapted as a lighting and heating unit, which can be adjusted to the ideal wavelength for growing algae. Lastly, a G4 tower has been repurposed as the clear tank itself, its iconic form factor suggested only by the protruding corners of the box.

In other words, it’s essentially the opposite of burning the candle at both ends: by adapting detrimental electronic waste into a source of green energy, “Bio-Grow” is a sort of ultimate win-win.

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Raul Gonzalez Podesta of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has been working for design consultancy Design Plus since 2005, completing both a Bachelor’s and Masters in Industrial Design though apparently it’s taken him as much time to discover our sister portfolio site, Coroflot.

Of course, we’re more than happy to have him: Raul’s got mad software skills, from Rhino+Vray to Solidworks and Creative Suite. The results are as nice as any consumer product renderings that I’ve seen, and if some of the designs are almost overrefined, they’re always impeccably executed.

The Soberlink Breathalyzer is one of Raul’s many outstanding designs

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Clockwise from top left: Benoit Vignot, Glynn Kerr, Arturo Arino, Daniele Pesaresi, Nikola Vargov

This edition of Flotspotting is largely inspired by two motorcycle designers who happen to have posted several incredible images to Coroflot during the past month or so, not to mention yesterday’s post on Matt Machine. We’re presenting their work here alongside a handful of up-and-comers, each of whom has their own ideas as to the future of the motorcycle…

Benoit Vignot of Andon, France, may be relatively new to Coroflot, but he’s definitely got the experience when it comes to motorcycle design. According to his CV, he’s got over a decade of experience and as of last week, he’s seeking employment.

We’d like to extend a warm welcome to Benoit and wish him the best of luck in his search—his work certainly warrants a closer look.

Glynn Kerr (work pictured below and after the jump), on the other hand, is a veritable institution of motorcycle design who has been quite active on Coroflot lately, uploading several images that drew me into his impressive (and extensive) portfolio of professional and avocational work. According to his profile, he’s an “internationally renowned designer who has collaborated with most of the major motorcycle manufacturers worldwide for over 25 years. Co-founder and President of the Motorcycle Design Association.”

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Editor’s note: Updated on Monday, October 17

Sara Krugman is a Brooklyn-based designer, artist and health educator whose interests intersect in her current focus on the aesthetics of healthcare technology. She recently collaborated with designer Eric Forman on “Gio,” the One-Handed Blood Glucose Meter, which made it to the semi-finals of the Diabetes Mine 2011 Design Challenge.

The Gio is a small, sleek one-handed blood glucose (BG) meter designed to make testing fast and instinctive. It combines existing technologies (meter, lancet device, and lancet/strip drum) in a sleek and portable form that can be used at work, on the street, while exercising, even while walking fast to a late appointment. Displaying BG results only, the Gio offers a radically simple and clean user experience.

The device itself is intuitive and ergonomic, neither over- nor under-designed, and duly unassuming. The “Gio” is so discreet, in fact, that it might be mistaken for something else—an office accessory, candy dispenser or even a toy—such that a user would still be wise to keep it somewhere safe.

– On-the-go usability: needs just one hand and no surface
– Fast: 7 second total test time vs. ˜70 seconds with current meters
– Less pain: lancet drum automatically changes lancets
– Compatible with all application and other devices via bluetooth and mini-USB
– Self-contained and durable: no external case needed
– Dual-sided screen for fast testing with either hand
– Clear viewing lens keeps port clean while allowing visibility
– Lancing depth adjustment via intuitive finger pressure
– Fits in your pocket

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