Videos
Why Design Now?: Power Aware CordFriday July 13, 2012Why? 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 |
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Why Design Now?: M10 Kite-Power SystemFriday July 13, 2012Why? 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 |
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Why Design Now?: MIT CityCarFriday July 13, 2012Why? 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 |
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Bill's Design Talks: Walter HoodFriday July 13, 2012Walter 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. |
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Why Design Now?: Learning LandscapeThursday July 12, 2012Why? 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 |
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Why Design Now?: Norwegian National Opera and BalletThursday July 12, 2012Why? 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 |
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Why Design Now?: bioWAVE Ocean-wave Energy SystemThursday July 12, 2012Why? 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 |
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Why Design Now?: Bodyweight Support AssistThursday July 12, 2012Why? This device reduces the load and stress on the lower body, reducing fatigue and injuries and enabling a broader range of activities among the elderly as well as workers who spend extended periods of time on their feet, climbing or descending stairs, or maintaining semi-crouched positions. Weighing less than fifteen pounds, the device supports the wearers weight—when a user bends his or her legs, the assist force adjusts accordingly Honda, Bodyweight support, device, stress reduction, support, lower body, Wny Design Now, Exhibition |
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Why Design Now?: Eco-Machine at the Omega Center for Sustainable LivingThursday July 12, 2012Why? The Eco-Machine is a carbon-neutral and environmentally safe wastewater-treatment system at the OCSL. In a 10,000-gallon anaerobic tank, microbes digest the sludge, and the wastewater travels to four constructed wetlands, where plants, microbes, fungi, and algae scrub the water. After passing through a final filter, the water is ready for non-potable use. EcoMachine, carbon-neutral, carbon neutral, wastewater, treatment, Omega Center for Sustainable Living, OCSL, Why Design Now, Exhibition |
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Why Design Now?: Loblolly HouseThursday July 12, 2012Why? Loblolly House is comprised entirely of readymade components and elements fabricated off-site, reducing assembly time while increasing energy efficiency. The house comprises four key architectural elements: scaffold, cartridge, block, and equipment. The aluminum scaffold system provides the structural frame as well as the means to join the other three elements, using only a wrench. Smart cartridge panels distribute heat, water, ventilation, and electricity throughout the house Loblolly House, Process of New Architecture, Readymade, Energy efficiency, assembly, construction, Why Design Now, Exhibition |
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