Archive for the ‘polymers’ Category

Clampology

Clampology
Clampology is a family of informal objects designed to increase functionality of interior spaces. Manufactured by London-based designer Jorre van Ast of plastic and spring steel, the collection of adaptive utensils for the domestic environment include a bookend accompanied by a “book finger,”...
November 15th, 2007 | plastic | Read More

BioHarness

BioHarness
The BioHarness system uses patented smart-fabric technology in a diagnostic tool that measures heart rate and respiratory performance. Because the harness is textile based, it provides increased performance and comfort over traditional equipment. The device is small enough that it does not encumber or...
September 20th, 2007 | textile | Read More

Noodle Block Cube

Noodle Block Cube
Lauren Moriarty’s Noodle Block Cubes represent intriguing experiments in digitally fabricated three-dimensional cellular structures that may be compressed and return to their original form. Moriarty designs the pieces in a digital environment, and they are then laser cut and hand finished. The...
August 4th, 2007 | rubber | Read More

Accura Bluestone

Accura Bluestone
3D Systems’s stereolithography process creates three-dimensional objects using a laser to cure sequential layers of material to form shapes that have been modeled in digital environments. Accura Bluestone is an engineered nanocomposite designed specifically for this process. Accura Bluestone is...
August 4th, 2007 | plastic | Read More

Active Protection System

Active Protection System
Dow Corning’s Active Protection System is a “smart” textile that remains soft and flexible until it is struck by high-impact force, in which case the material instantly stiffens to help protect against injury. When the collision has passed, the material immediately becomes flexible...
June 24th, 2007 | feature, textile | Read More

Tweel

Tweel
Michelin has developed an integrated tire and wheel combination missing one ingredient that is vital for traditional tire performance – air. The “Tweel” is comprised of a deceptively simple looking hub and spoke design that replaces the need for air pressure while delivering performance...
May 29th, 2007 | rubber | Read More

Vy & Elle

Vy & Elle
Vinyl billboards are used nationwide as temporary banner advertisements and are usually discarded into landfills where they create toxic pollution. Upset by this wasteful practice, Nicola Freegard and Robin Janson founded Vy & Elle in 2002 in order to transform this landfill-bound material into durable...
October 5th, 2006 | plastic | Read More

MetaMaterials

MetaMaterials
The idea of invisibility has fascinated people for millennia and has been an inspiration or ingredient of myths, novels and films, from the Greek legend of Perseus versus Medusa to H.G. Well’s Invisible Man. Dr. Ulf Leonhardt at Scotland’s St. Andrews University has recently published two...
August 17th, 2006 | polymers | Read More

Abacá

Abacá
Named for a species of banana harvested primarily for use as fiber in the production of rope and twine, Abacá employs residues from banana harvesting and recycles them into a high-pressure decorative laminate with 40 percent postindustrial recovered content. The fibers are sprinkled over an array of...
May 26th, 2006 | plastic | Read More

Mind the Gap

Mind the Gap
Mind the Gap is an interconnected network of acrylic hexagonal boxes and strips applied in varying densities. Designer Ane Lykke uses these boxes as bricks to construct custom walls with specific depths and perspectives. The parallel layers and reflections on the acrylic surfaces create optical illusions...
May 12th, 2006 | plastic | Read More