Electrolux Design Lab Technology of the future

September 28th, 2009

The Electrolux Design Lab competition this month threw up some interesting, if a little scary, technological ideas.

First prize went to Cocoon, 27-year-old design student Rickard Hederstierna’s new invention which ‘grows’ meat and fish from a pre-mixed food packet containing muscle cells, oxygen and nutrients.cocoon

The Star Trek-esque idea was billed as having the potential to tackle the world’s impending food crisis, as well as meaning less animals being slaughtered.

It’s a controversial idea, and not one that everyone’s going to be comfortable with. But the food developed would have the make-up and the nutrients of real meat.

Equally fascinating was the sun lounger that cleans your clothes for you while you sit back and relax. It runs negative ions through the grass on its surface, which prompts self-cleaning chemicals in the clothes.

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Dragons Den Presenter To Be Awarded Honorary Degree

September 16th, 2009

Presenter of Dragon’s Den Evan Davis has been awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Coventry University in Business Administration, for his work on Finance Journalism and Economics editorial. He has also been the presenter of BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, after having served six years as the BBC’s economics editor. His work and services to the financial world has been recognised and has made him a famous household name.

Before his career in broadcasting took off he worked as an economist for the Institute for Fiscal Studies and London Business School’s Centre for Business Strategy. His expertise has demonstrated his strong abilities to make difficult issues available and accessible to the public. Vice Chancellor of Coventry University, Professor Madeleine Atkins comments “His contribution to financial journalism and the way he continues to make the most complicated issues accessible has not only made him a household name but also a respected authority on his subject.”


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Dragon’s Den Presenter To Be Awarded Honorary Degree

September 16th, 2009

dragons_denPresenter of Dragon’s Den Evan Davis has been awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Coventry University in Business Administration, for his work on Finance Journalism and Economics editorial. He has also been the presenter of BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, after having served six years as the BBC’s economics editor. His work and services to the financial world has been recognised and has made him a famous household name.

Before his career in broadcasting took off he worked as an economist for the Institute for Fiscal Studies and London Business School’s Centre for Business Strategy. His expertise has demonstrated his strong abilities to make difficult issues available and accessible to the public. Vice Chancellor of Coventry University, Professor Madeleine Atkins comments “His contribution to financial journalism and the way he continues to make the most complicated issues accessible has not only made him a household name but also a respected authority on his subject.”

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Latest in Jedi Product Development: Force Trainer

August 24th, 2009

It seems like a piece of product development that might be several decades, or perhaps a galaxy, away – but a new toy inspired by the Star Wars films actually allows you to control a ball with your mind. It’s true. This ultra futuristic piece of equipment is aimed at the 7-13 year old market, but the truth is that this unique toy will have as many adults enthralled by it.

Jedi Product DevelopmentThe system includes a headset and a unit containing a transparent tube. In this tube a Jedi ball can be raised or lowered by tiny jets of air from beneath. The headset uses dry sensor technology which can detect various kinds brainwaves in your head. Crazy, but true.

Alpha, Beta Gamma and Delta waves are flowing through us every day. According to the manufacturers the unit initially detects which of the four waves are dominant in your brain. After establishing this, it can detect any changes in wave type – which either raises or lowers the ball.

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Iceblading on Dragons Den!

August 5th, 2009

Karen O’Neil and Karen Coombes of KCO Iceblading Ltd. skated their way to success in the Dragons’ Den. The Karen’s appeared on tonight’s episode of the popular TV series, and after a perfect demonstration of the “Dry Ice Blades” from their skaters Poppy, Leslie and Corrina, they pitched their idea to the Dragons.

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Applied Product Design is proud to have worked with the Karen’s on the design and development of their “Dry Ice Blade”. Lawrence Crossman from Applied spent many hours making tiny adjustments to the design at our site in Ongar, whilst Karen Coombes then  tested all the variants out, until the perfect setup had been achieved. At the time of the Dragons’ Den recording the skaters were using prototypes to demonstrate the capabilities of the Dry Ice Blade to the Dragons.

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New ESPRIMO Tablet PC Wins iF Product Development Award

August 5th, 2009

Fujitsu was recently awarded the coveted iF (International Forum) Product Design Award for its ESPRIMO series of mobile computers. One of the products in this series is the ESPRIMO MA notebook, designed specifically for the health sector.Fujitsu Product Development

Fujitsu’s substantial investment in product design appears to have paid off for the company, as the health sector tablet PC in particular has met some challenging design brief criteria.

The notebook had to fit in with the way hospitals and medical facilities hold hygiene as a top priority – that is, making it easily cleanable and not likely to harbour germs.

The result is a striking, cutting edge looking piece of technology that meets the d

urability standards required by the health profession. The touch-screen basis of the product and the simple fact that it does not need to be opened like a traditional laptop, makes it a very easy to use piece of product design.

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Applied Product Design Assists Dry Ice Blade Inventor For Dragons Den

July 31st, 2009

Karen Coombes had the idea of a Dry Ice Blade when the ice skating show she was working on fell foul of an unusable ice rink. This initial concept lead her to team up with leisure operator and contract manager Karen O’Neil – with the ambition of bringing the invention to a mass market. They formed KCO Ice Skating Ltd.

The two Karens face the Dragons on August 5th, BBC2 9pm

The two Karens face the Dragons on August 5th, BBC2 9pm

The striking design aims to replicate the ice skating experience on dry land, with its unique blade.

The two Karen’s approached Applied Product Design to assist them with protecting the idea, as well as developing it to a level where it could be manufactured. Paul Ponting of APD took on the brief and whilst he went about perfecting the design, Karen Coombes applied to the BBC’s Dragons Den TV show with a view to obtaining further funding.

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Kaputt R. Demolition Robot Brings Down the House

July 23rd, 2009

kaputt2It might look like something you’d find lurking around some science fiction space ship. But the Kaputt. R. Demolition Robot is a piece of product design that has been dreamt up very recently by a certain Tony Weichselbraun.

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.

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Revolutionary Product Design: Driving the Thunderbird into the Canyon

July 22nd, 2009

Design studio Mike and Maiike are the first to admit they love the muscle cars of the past. But according to these forward-thinking designers  – Dutch and Californian respectively – it’s time to grow up and revolutionise the way we travel.

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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.

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Dragons Den Back in Business

July 10th, 2009

The all new 7th series of Dragons’ Den starts this Wednesday on BBC 2 at 9pm. It is also being broadcast in HD at the same time on the BBC HD channel.

In the first program of the new series the entrepreneurs ask the Dragons for investment in an eco friendly patio heater, a hat that makes wrinkles disappear, a horror based scare attraction and personalised romance novels.

The line up of Dragons remains the same as the previous series, with Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne having been in the show since series 1, Theo Paphitis since series 2, Deborah Meaden since series 3, and James Caan since series 5.

Unlike the online Dragons’ Den show launched earlier in the year, where entrepreneurs can only ask for investments of up to £50,000, in the TV show they can ask for between £50,000 and £250,000.

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