Despite the economic challenges that face all business people, the Dragons know that the best way to keep ahead of the competition is to continually find new ideas that help to address specific problems –and make lots of money along the way. For any developed nation, it is of course paramount that it’s resident are as inventive as possible – and the new Dragon’s Den series looks set to demonstrate just how inventive the UK still is.

Last year Applied Product Design was lucky enough to help develop the Dry Ice product with Karen Coombes and Karen O’Neil. The invention aims to replicate the experience of ice skating – on dry land. The pair won £100,000 of funding from Theo Paphitis – who loved the concept. APD were involved with everything from the screws and fittings to protecting the intellectual property.

The success of the Dry Ice Blades demonstrates Applied Product Design’s consummate approach to design – as well as our long standing experience in developing ideas that people want to buy. Our strong connections with manufacturing facilities in China also mean we are able to help with long-term mass production, when ideas really take off.

If you have an innovative idea you think has the potential to fill a gap in the market, get in touch with us today, and see how we can bring your concept to life.

Apple’s latest invention went on sale recently in the United Kingdom and just like the iPod and iPhone before it, customers queued up for hours before on the streets outside the shops in order to get their hands on one of these devices. The tablet, which basically presents users with a scaled up version of the iPhone, allows the consumer to browse internet pages and construct emails in near A4 size perfection.

Although the product doesn’t feature a physical keyboard, an external USB keyboard can be plugged in to assist with the construction of emails or when entering website addresses. Alternatively there is an electronic touch screen version of a keyboard on the product that is extremely easy to utilise.

Apple has certainly become world renowned for their innovative product development and design and if the iPad goes on to be the commercial success that everyone assumes that it will be, then there will be a number of their competitors anxiously looking over their shoulders at the brand as it continues to advance on its journey towards market domination.

True, it’s another reality TV show, but it gives a fascinating insight into the design process – so familiar to many of our clients. It demonstrates the importance of fresh thinking and going beyond the obvious ideas, so that something genuinely unique, exciting – and above all functional is created.

Unlike Starck, here at Applied Product Design we think product design is alive and well in the United Kingdom. We’ve had the pleasure of working on some truly exciting projects, as you’ll discover looking around this site. Even if your concept or project is on the ambitious side, why not contact us to see if we can help. In fact, the more ambitious, the better.

The success of the Nintendo Wii lies in its product design; they managed to put some very impressive technology into a very small piece of kit. Video games are notorious in many people’s minds for not promoting physical activity, so the Wii Fit was arguably a masterstroke in getting people off their sofas and getting actively involved in a video game.

Hula Hoop, one of the Wii Fit Plus’s new games, is meant to burn off 140kcal in half an hour.

The updated system will be available from October 4^th – which is of course just in time for the holiday season, during which Nintendo will be looking to make big gains against their competitors Sony and Microsoft. In terms of main consoles, the PlayStation 3 will cost you £249, the Xbox Arcade can be picked up for £140, and the Nintendo Wii costs around £200. The actual Wii Fit Plus unit will retail for around £65.

Despite the recession, the lure of these video games consoles is still likely to attract some seriously big sales. When firms can come up with such attractive piece of electronic product design and still make money in a recession, you know they’re onto a good thing. And at Applied Product Design we pride ourselves on bringing great ideas to the market – so if you’ve got a big idea, why not contact us now to see how we can help.

This striking yellow-and-black concept looks like a relation of animated creation Wall-e, and much like the rubbish-stacking Disney character, the Kaputt. R. robot also has a very practical function. It has two demolition arms that fold out, counter-balanced by enough weight to ensure they can tear walls down with ease.

Driven by 4 electric caterpillar tracks, this piece of robotic muscle can disperse its weight across a wide area – crucial when the floor beneath might be unstable.

Weichselbraun has dreamt up a range of useful tools that can be attached to the Kaputt. R, including a plow, a buzz-saw – and high precision tools such as the Powergun. Inspired by long standing explosive demolition techniques, this propane gas powered shock wave tool makes light work of even the most stubborn wall. It effectively creates holes in the given wall, weakening it enough for the demolition arms to pull it down.

You can just imagine these advanced looking pieces of product development in their dozens, busily pulling down disused buildings. One of the main benefits of using the R Kaput is that it would remove the risk of injuries or fatalities when structures are being pulled down.

The product development they’ve been conducting is sure to shock many of us who like the old fashioned driving experience. An experience, say the designers, that has not changed significantly since the 1960s. They seem to have taken every facet of what we think of as a car, and driven it off a cliff.

The AutoNoMobile, or Atnmbl, seems to be designed to take the entire driving experience away from the car owner altogether. With its spacious interior and windows that cover almost the entire left and right sides – this car looks like the ipod of the personal transport world. A matrix of glowing lights are the answer to traditional rear lights, while the idea of looking out of the front of the vehicle has been completely removed; passengers sit facing each other as the car moves.

This bold product development might be described as a small moving sitting room, designed to remove the task of driving completely – and with it the stresses of urban car journeys altogether. Simply input your destination along with the level of urgency (if any) – and away you go! A shiny, super-futuristic exterior is matched by loungey interior comfort – complimented by a cute little coffee table for good measure.

No driving licence is required for this machine, where access for the disabled and elderly would be particularly easy. The design also proposes a feature whereby the car will drop the passengers off before parking itself – surely one of the most annoying aspects of driving eradicated? And to win over the Designated Driver with a chip on their shoulder – how about the mini bar? Drunk driving has never been so legal.

Product design such as this is unlikely to influence those traditionalists at GM or Ford – but given the state of their factories, as well as environmental concerns, everything points to the need for some kind of revolution. The Atnmbl is arguably the kind of drastic change of course required in order to decongest our roads-and our lungs.