Videos

Cooper-Hewitt: Cherry Blossom by Antenna Friday July 13, 2012 Industrial designers Masamichi Udagawa and Sigi Moeslinger are partners in the firm Antenna. Udagawa and Moeslinger create functional products for complex systems. For the 2003 Triennial (Inside Design Now), Antenna created a shower of cherry blossoms. Petals float and cluster in relation to the number of visitors traversing the Museum's grand staircase, creating a satisfying symmetry between the electrodes that trigger the blossoms and the nerve endings they touch in us. Cherry Blossom, Antenna, Industrial Design, Inside Design Now, Exhibition, 2003
Why Design Now?: AGV (automotrice á grande vitesse) [high-speed self-propelled train] Friday July 13, 2012 Why? Trains are among the most sustainable forms of transportation, and the AGV is at the forefront of high-speed, energy-efficient train design. Ninety-eight percent of the train is built from recyclable materials, its traction systems and low weight are energy-efficient, and its permanent-magnet synchronous motors and regenerative braking system create electricity and minimize energy loss. AGV, automotrice á grande vitesse, trains, high speed, self-propelled, recyclable, materials, energy efficient, Alstom, Why Design Now, Exhibition
Why Design Now?: Modular Prosthetic-limb System Friday July 13, 2012 Why? The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sponsored research for this configurable bionic-arm prototype, which mimics the speed and dexterity of a natural limb. Neural-integration strategies are being tested to control the arm and restore sensory feedback, from injectable myoelectric sensors that transmit signals instructing movement to muscle reinnervation, allowing for thought-controlled prostheses. Modular Prosthetic limb System, prosthetic, bionic, sensory, sensors, reinnervation, thought-controlled, DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Why Design Now, Exhibition
Why Design Now?: Power Aware Cord Friday July 13, 2012 Why? Most people have no sense of their energy usage until they receive their monthly utility bill. The Power Aware cord is a poetic gesture that indicates energy is flowing to an appliance through glowing pulses and intensity of light. For instance, changing the volume on stereo equipment becomes immediately visible, as does the silent drain of electricity from appliances on standby. Power Aware cord, energy usage, visualization, light, Interactive Institute, Why Design Now, Exhibition
Why Design Now?: M10 Kite-Power System Friday July 13, 2012 Why? This kite system harnesses the winds energy with a tethered wing that flies at high altitudes where the wind is both strong and more consistent. As the kite sweeps through a vast amount of area, small wing-mounted turbines extract power from the wind, converting it into electrical power. The tether transmits electrical power to the ground, where special conditioning hardware connects to a power grid. 2 M10 Kite Power System, kite, wind power, renewable energy, turbine, tether, Makani Power, Why Design Now, Exhibition
Why Design Now?: MIT CityCar Friday July 13, 2012 Why? Mobility on-demand and shared use are alternatives to private car ownership, and CityCar is a concept vehicle that combines the two. This two-passenger electric car can be made available from a network of urban parking zones, where users swipe a card and take the first fully charged vehicle. It provides a non-polluting, noise-free, energy-efficient, and convenient alternative to current modes of short-distance travel. MIT, citycar, SmartCities, electric car, battery, lithium-ion, transportation, personal mobility, intra-urban, two passenger, William J. Mitchell, Why Design Now, Exhibition
Bill's Design Talks: Walter Hood Friday July 13, 2012 Walter Hood, landscape architect, professor and author, has been praised as a "community whisperer, creating spaces that have elements the residents want before they even know it." His inclusive and innovative designs transform overlooked sites like street corners and highway underpasses into vital gathering spaces. His approach puts community members at the center of the design process, instead of treating them as an afterthought.
Why Design Now?: Learning Landscape Thursday July 12, 2012 Why? Learning Landscape is a universal, adaptable approach to elementary math education. This simple grid of half-submerged tires can be built anywhere in the world from cast-off materials. Using chalk to mark numbers on the tires, teachers and students play games that mobilize the natural excitement of group competition and physical movement. The concept comes from Project H Design, a not-for-profit organization that uses design to improve the quality of human life. Learning Landscape, education, primary, elementary, math, mathematics, GRiD, tires, materials, active, activity, Project H Design, Why Design Now, Exhibition
Why Design Now?: Norwegian National Opera and Ballet Thursday July 12, 2012 Why? The first purpose-built home of the Norwegian Opera and Ballet is both a bridge and anchor for the Oslo community. As part of the first phase of an extensive transformation of the waterfront, the Opera is a monumental gateway to the harbor. Its most distinctive feature is a white marble roof that serves as a public plaza on which visitors can experience the building without going inside. Norwegian Opera house, Oslo, Norway, monument, Architecture, building, theater, marble, Why Design Now, Exhibition
Why Design Now?: bioWAVE Ocean-wave Energy System Thursday July 12, 2012 Why? Ocean waves are an abundant and untapped source of renewable energy. The bioWAVE harnesses this energy and converts it into grid-connected electricity. Mounted on the seabed, the unit is biomimetically designed to adapt to marine life. Each unit is expected to generate up to two megawatts of energy. Farms can harvest enough clean power to meet utility-scale electricity needs. Bio Wave, renewable energy, ocean energy, biomimetic, Why Design Now, Exhibition