It’s been a while since the last series of Dragons Den and although there are the small scale online versions it was refreshing to see them back on Sports Relief last week. While many people dislike them, they do at times reveal both the huge reserve of ideas in the country, but at the same time the need for effective product design.
Among the hopefuls in last week’s special was Michael Killian, the inventor of a sideways bicycle. It was a magnificent machine in its own right, but he hadn’t put much thought into its application. It was a fun idea to be sure, but would it work in the market place? He had no idea, but to be fair he didn’t seem to care.
When asked what his plans were he replied: “I’m going to make bikes and sell them” – brilliant in its simplicity, but not what the Dragons wanted to hear. To the ire of his celebrity backer, Patrick Kielty, they sent him packing.
The series, which offered one lucky designer the chance to spend a 6 month stint at Philippe Starck’s design school in Paris involved 12 British designers. Ilsa won over Starck with her innovative walking aid – Flo. Following her time with the famous French designer, Parry returned to Liverpool and established her own design agency – Rethinkthings. Her new product is being stocked by Firebox.
It might look like something you’d find lurking around some science fiction space ship. But the Kaputt. R. Demolition Robot is a piece of 
