Hasta La Ideas

Exactly a year and a week ago, we put forth the idea of having a cell phone designed with an airbag that would deploy in the event of a drop. Unbeknownst to us, Apple had actually patented a similar technology two quarters earlier.

Just coming to light now, as reported by the Patently Apple blog and now making the rounds, is this patent for a “Tunable Shock Mount with Micro Inflatable Bladder” that, unlike our somewhat silly suggestion, is more sensibly placed inside the phone:

Apple’s patent FIG. 5 shows a housing and a cover glass in cross sectional view having a tunable shock mount 505 disposed there between. The tunable shock mount could comprise of an inflatable bladder 506 filled with a fluid 507. Tuning could be done in various ways such as by selection of materials for the bladder and fluid, and by varying an amount of inflation. Hmm, think of it as a form of air-bag for portable devices.

Unsurprisingly, there’s no word on whether this particular invention will ever see the light of day.

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RoboKopter footage of Warsaw riots from last week

Last year we wrote about the disruptive technology of flying cameras as developed by Eric Austin, a videographer, RC pilot and founder of Heli Video Productions. To refresh your memory, Austin combines sick flying skills, cutting-edge remote-control technology and high-end Canons to pioneer an entirely new type of cinematography. Since last year he’s been busy with both a forthcoming ABC show and commercial projects. Check out the following footage, where you get to see both his rig and a demonstration of serious skillz—he’s flying the thing in and out of a jungle canopy in Puerto Rico:

(Warning: If in an office, turn your sound down, extremely loud soundtrack.)

It’s not surprising that technology this cool is seeing parallel development overseas. A Poland-based YouTube user known only as latajacakamera (“flying camera”) has built his own “RoboKopter” heli-based shooting rig, which enabled him to capture footage of the Warsaw riots four days ago. It’s stunning, particularly when seen full-screen:

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The line between advertising and design agencies has been a blurry one for some time, but it seems to be getting even more malleable now that design is reliant on interfaces and user experience. Advertising seems to find us wherever it can and increasingly on our phones and computers. IDEO recently dove right in to the ad game, working with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy to create Bedsider.org, a service design solution for birth control awareness.

Bedsider.org won our Core77 Design Award for Strategy and Research, mostly because it’s a smart and thorough, multi-faceted approach to behavior design, especially in a complex arena. The National Campaign states that 7 in 10 pregnancies among unmarried 18-29 year-olds are unplanned, and their mission is to change this and educate. IDEO identified the main obstacles to this goal as mis-information (or lack thereof), inconvenience with methods, and materials that don’t speak to the target demographic.

To solve for these, IDEO built a service design solution with a central component of a delightfully navigable website packed with interactive tools on birth control methods, educational and entertaining “Fact or Fiction” animated clips (complete with dancing condoms) illustrated by Kate Binghamton Burt, and “Real Stories” video clips of people telling their sex and birth control stories (MTV Real World confession booth-style).

“Fact or Fiction”

Central to the website (and the project) is tone. IDEO and the National Campaign recognize that they can’t embrace all points of view on young women having sex (their target demographic is 18-29-year-olds), and make no attempts at trying to prevent sex. Rather, Bedsider smartly accepts that sex is going to happen—afterall, the National Campaign is trying to prevent unplanned pregnancy, not sex. So, directed primarily at women, the site adopts a conversational, tell-it-like-it-is tone of a non-judgmental best friend. Several voices add to this tone—the people talking in “Real Stories,” and the engaging female doctor who wraps up the “Fact or Fiction” bits with the medical response about the myths gathered through research. Overall, it speaks to the demographic in their language—straightforward and funny, but helpful.

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Découverte de ce superbe concept-car intitulée “Ferrari Aliante” par le designer Arunkumar Shanmugam, en collaboration avec Magnus Grettve et Daniel Soriano. Des rendus très réalistes et des images qui sont à découvrir dans la suite de l’article.

Previously on Fubiz

• Audi E-Tron Spyder
• Cay Sofa Concept
• Citroën Tubik Concept

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Découverte de ce nouveau concept car, la “Mercedes Benz SF1″ imaginée par le designer Steel Drake originaire du Kirghizistan. Un très beau travail sur le style, les formes ainsi que l’identité et le logo du constructeur automobile. A découvrir en images dans la suite de l’article.

Previously on Fubiz

• Citroen Taranis
• Peugeot HX1
• BMW 328 Hommage

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