The single-axle Honda type E concept uses similar physical principles as a segway for maximum maneuverability in the urban jungle. The ultrasmall vehicle focuses on minimum space consumption, maximum driver visibility, easy access, high efficiency, and, most importantly, driving dynamics that make it capable of turning 360 on the spot. It’s got a far-out aesthetic, but it’s really not all that unrealistic from what we’ll probably see not-so-distant future.
Pros: - no drive chain (lower weight, low fictional resistance) - no steering ear (lower weight) - turns on a dime - high efficiency start/stop-drive with regenerative braking - standing phase without loss of energy (traffic) - minimum use of parking space - zero emissions
Yanko Design is proud to have been a part of Electrolux Design Lab’s evolution and this year we are excited to announce the commencement of the 2013 competition. The idea is king for Electrolux Design Lab 2013 and the competition opens for submissions on 18th February. The theme for this year is Inspired Urban Living and the focus of which falls into three key areas; Social Cooking, Natural Air and Effortless Cleaning. Designers take note, Electrolux Design Lab has made some important changes to the competition so be sure to READ all the instructions thoroughly before you get started.
Amongst the biggest changes this year, is the fact that any design stream student can apply.
The best 100+ submissions around the world will receive instant global recognition; from offering the public the chance to vote and influence the selection, to Electrolux professionals encouraging entrants with constructive feedback throughout the competition.
The competition is divided into 5 Stages and the entry deadline for the first competition stage, a concept description and a sketch, is 15th March 2013.
Over 100 of the best submissions from around the world will be published online in the beginning of April allowing them instant global recognition.
This year’s theme, Inspired Urban Living, asks for all to submit design solutions that consider evolving challenges set to shape our future. The focus of which, falls into three key areas: Social Cooking, Natural Air and Effortless Cleaning.
First Prize – 5,000 Euros and a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre
Second Prize – 3,000 Euros
Third Prize – 2,000 Euros
People’s Choice Award – 1,000 Euros
More information about the competition can be found and submissions can be entered on Design Lab web page electrolux.com/electroluxdesignlab.
Five submission stages:
Stage 1: Submit a Concept Idea and a Sketch, 15th March
Stage2: Concept Development, April
Stage 3: Visual Development, May
Stage 4: Functionality Development, June and July
Stage 5: Design Lab Final Event, October
Process:
Submit an idea and a sketch and develop your work Share your work in social media and write a development blog Receive feedback from professionals Present your stunning work at the finals and win Design Lab 2013
This year Electrolux Design Lab is breaking new ground and presents key innovative features within the competition. By giving you more possibilities during your design process, you will have the chance to get the most out of both your participation in the competition and your path to becoming the winner of the 2013 edition of Design Lab.
Students are to submit only a description of a concept idea and a visual sketch by 15th March for the first evaluation stage. The best entries are placed online, after which the entrants will go through three more selection stages before reaching the finals. This selection method enables entrants to initially concentrate on the most important part: the concept.
Design Director Thomas Johansson is in search of design with relevance and aesthetic appeal. Head of Advanced Development Mats Ekblad is interested in the thought process behind creating innovative design solutions. Insight Marketer Director Julia Lilliehöök is looking forward to seeing design solutions that go beyond products.
The alarming decline in honey bee populations has gotten a great deal of attention in recent years and this has translated into numerous products to curb the odd disappearance. Rowan Dunford’s Urban Beehive represents a modern take on the traditional hive that will appeal to contemporary home environments. The lightweight, stackable, and flat-pack-ready design has a simple and understated aesthetic. With straightforward setup and operation, the casual beekeeper can be up-and-running in no time.
Product news: Dutch designers Studio Makkink & Bey have combined a desk, shelves and swivel chair to create a flexible workspace in a single item of furniture. (more...)
News: relaxing planning restrictions on the green belt would destroy London's vitality "even more surely than it would despoil the countryside," architect Richard Rogers has warned. (more...)
You see them popping up in your garden, and soon the dandelion may also parked in your driveway. Dutch biotech firm KeyGene has plans to use the latex found in dandelion roots to create a new material for tire production. With global demand for rubber set to outstrip current supply by 20 per cent in 2020, the common weed could become a renewable alternative worth nearly $100 billion a year.
Scientists working on a project to slow down the relentless flooding that has swamped Jakarta since mid January say that cloud seeding is getting the job done. Usually used to promote rainfall, cloud seeding might seem like the worst solution to slow floods in Indonesia’s capital, but by scattering salt on rain clouds above the ocean, officials believe they have prevented those clouds from emptying over the city.
A new program in the Netherlands helps you eliminate wasteful spending on clothes. Instead of owning a pair of jeans for life, you can now just keep them for a year before you send them back to be recycled so you can try something new.
Companies normally use a leasing model for durable goods, such as cars or heavy machinery. But Dutch entrepreneur Bert van Son thinks it could have a role for other products, too--like jeans.
A few weeks ago, Van Son, who owns a small line called Mud Jeans, launched a new service allowing people to rent, rather than buy, his products. He figured that he might not make much money up-front. But it might allow him to gather valuable fabric after use, and perhaps cement loyalty with his customers.
"We thought it must be possible to get our jeans back somehow, and reuse them in the recycle process," he says. "So, we thought, 'Why not stay the owner of the jeans and let people use the jeans, rather than owning them?'"
Customers pay a one-off 20 euro fee ($27), covering shipment and admin, and then 5 euros a month for a year (80 euros in total). At the end of the contract, they have three options. They can send the jeans back. They can get a new pair, paying a reship cost and the lease fee. Or, they can choose to keep the jeans, paying another four months at 5 euro plus a further 20 euro deposit. That goes towards another pair, when they eventually need one. Since launching in January at a jazz club in Amsterdam, several hundred people have signed up.
The jeans are made of a high-end organic cotton from Turkey, which is "quite expensive" and hard to source. So, it makes sense to increase the proportion of recycled, or off-cut, material. At the moment, that’s about about 40%. But Van Son thinks he could get it to about 50%, if he gets the leasing scheme right (it’s not possible to go fully recycled, as long, virgin, strands are needed initially).
When the jeans come back from the user, they are either washed, repaired, and put back into service, or shredded and sent back to the factory. "Cotton is a very big polluter in our world. Even organic cotton uses a lot of water. So, if there is a way of helping, it’s good," Van Son says.
He doesn’t expect to make a lot of money--though it’s early, and it’s possible publicity will give it a boost. "I had a hard time talking the bankers through this concept," he says.
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