Design and Technology On The Web - DTOTW

So in these current times of grounded aircraft, low fossil fuel demand and a heightened awareness of the environment, air transport has to be one of the areas seeing research and development happening at a rapid pace - the industry might take a while to get back to 'normal' though. We've probably all seen the trial aircraft designs from around 2016 that can fly around the world simply supporting the weight of the craft itself [ https://youtu.be/dnhL8fiTYoY?t=241 ] but making a commercial plane is a different target. There are engineering problems in many areas too as battery technology is itself developing and providing more efficient and lighter designs .... But ... the prospect of getting a huge aircraft laden with passengers to be driven by electric power might seem a while away. Small aircraft deisgn seem to be developing and just recently (June 2020) an electric plane performed well. [ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200617-the-largest-electric-plane-ever-to-fly ]. There is some hope for the future when airlines themselves start to get involved and although Easyjet isn't the biggest of players on the airline scene it teamed up as long ago as 2017 with US company Wright Electrics to develop commercial electric aircraft. Maybe they, as a smaller airline are more likely to succeed - perhaps needing to be more innovative to be competitive.
Well worth researching the topic yourself..... [ https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2020/01/easyjet-partner-takes-crucial-step-towards-its-first-electric-plane/ ]

With many students, designers and artists looking to the natural world for inspiration it is hardly surprising that an attraction such as Chihuly Gardems in Seattle is so visually inspiring for visitors. Many gardens include sculptures as a secondary component but these 'gardens'/'this installation' depend on both the botanical content and the glass sculptures for their success - the two are inseparable.
Dale Chihuly started working with glass while studying interior design in Washington and after graduating in 1965, he enrolled on the University of Wisconsin's 'Glass Programme' . He later founded the glass programme at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he taught for more than a decade.
In 2012 'Chihuly Garden and Glass', opened in Seattle as a long-term exhibition.
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'Gardems' Website:
https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/about/exhibition
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Inspirational - Chihuly Website:
"I want people to be overwhelmed with light and color in some way that they've never experienced."
https://www.chihuly.com/life
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It might be said that the best art stimulates thought and emotion and UK artist & sculptor Luke Jerram's Seven-metre diameter Museum of the Moon traveling exhibit certainly stirs the imagination. Created in 2016 from urethane-coated ripstop nylon and then overprinted with NASA images of the moon (taken from the Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter Camera) the installation is effectively a helium balloon - but when shown creates environments that can be magical. Currently one exhibition is in the UK's Natural History Museum (until January 2020) but there are also a number of duplicates that tour the world. For tour dates see: https://my-moon.org/about/
The exhibit is planned to tour for up to ten years.

A host of organisations were involved in the project including; Luke Jerram and Norfolk & Norwich Festival, At-Bristol, Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, Lakes Alive, Provincial Domain Dommelhof, Brighton Festival, Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, Without Walls and Les Tombées de la Nuit, Rennes.
The artwork was also been created in partnership with the UK Space Agency, University of Bristol and The Association for Science and Discovery Centres.

The sphere is lit internally and is accompanied by music composed by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award winning composer Dan Jones. During the tours new audio compositions will be created and performed by composers and musicians enhancing and expanding the 'Museum of the Moon' collection.

Inspiration & info : http://blogs.nature.com/aviewfromthebridge/2016/07/21/lunar-balloonist/
Museum of the Moon info : https://www.lukejerram.com/museum-of-the-moon/
Video : https://youtu.be/3YDOmKezwsI

If you own a new A-Class Mercedes (launched May 2018) then "revised.backward.hamster" may mean something to you in that the headquarters of Mercedes is not too far from that 'what3words' code for their address - and the new car in which you're travelling is the first to be fitted with a sat-nav that uses this developing system of navigation.

Developed over the last five years the 'what3words' system has divided the globe into 3 metre squares, each of which has a 3-word identifier that is simpler than a map coordinate and perhaps more memorable too. When it comes to roads and paths in open country where no street addresses apply then the system may come to rival coordinates - but with the clear disadvantage being that "frown.enveloped.ducks" is not obviously just a little to the west of "capillary.gripes.urgent".

If you don't yet own a new Mercedes car with its "what3words" sat-nav a smartphone app also helps with the conversion and can show exactly where you are - or the route to where you need to be. The ‘what3words’ system does however totally depend on technology to interpret the 3-words into a real place for you – Is that a big disadvantage ?
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what3words video
https://youtu.be/JTy7C47I8w0

what3words map
https://map.what3words.com/dates.stone.slot

Mercedes video
https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/mercedes-benz/iaa-2017/downloads/what3words/

what3words outline
https://what3words.com/about

background
https://youtu.be/x3YtWW9-7x8
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The downside of plastic packaging :-( A major rethink is clearly needed to sort out this particular issue resulting from our 'throw-away society' but a few people are making a start on tidying up their environment.

https://youtu.be/ffwqucHq00M

The Downside of Plastic A sort video filmed by the BBC and highlighting the issue of plastic rubbish in our waterways - shared here to link to a similar venture from PHCC in Dorset....

A look back to a DTOTW post from 2014 and with hot days and blue skies luring us out into the water again here's an idea that might be ok on calm water but may not be so great on other occasions ! :-(
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1123921304317580&id=267299709979748

https://gearjunkie.com/pull-behind-canoe-kayak-cooler

Following on from the 'Extreme Knitting" theme there are a number of artists and art installations using the material. Inspiration for ideas and themes can start almost anywhere - In late 2016 an exhibition inspired by climate change - and using wool & knitting - was shown at the Ballarat Gallery in Victoria, Australia. One of the co-founders explained how the inspiration for the show came from a discussion with a sheep farmer struggling with the effects of climate change and the impact this had on his farming. "The problem is we’ve become so dependent on fossil fuels to keep warm, we’ve forgotten how to warm ourselves with wool".
Danish Artist Isabel Berglund also seems to be wrapped up in the artistic potential of the textile world with numerous installations.
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-07/woolly-art-project-aims-to-gently-encourage-environmental-aware/7811050
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http://www.isabelberglund.dk/
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DTOTW has covered GPS art previously - most notably when Japanese artist Yasushi Takahashi wrote "Marry Me" across the Japanese Islands. - but now in true festive spirit
Self-proclaimed “Strava artist” Anthony Hoyte, from Kent, UK says he took just ten hours for the trip to create this festive masterpiece.

Mr Hoyte has previously created several virtual doodles including a map featuring birds in Bristol, UK that won first prize in the city’s Strava art competition last September.

A few months back on the North Yorkshire Moors in the UK, a 3 metre high sculpture appeared - The Seated Man gazes across the heather and the undulating moors and has attracted a fair number of visitors prepared to hike the half mile of moorland to visit him. The painted bronze statue was created by artist Sean Henry and commissioned by the David Ross Foundation. David Ross is the co-founder of the UK company Carphone Warehouse and owns the land the statue stands on at Castleton Rigg in Westerdale.
[Main image : Steven Iceton - https://www.facebook.com/SIcetonPhotography/ ]
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https://vimeo.com/231893473
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http://www.seanhenry.com/sculpture/
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http://www.seanhenry.com/news/

Are you fed up with the conventional design of cars that everyone else has - and maybe want something a little more eye-catching ? Well here is one solution if you can get hold of an old aircraft body and a car that works well enough but that you don't mind 'writing off' in its current form. A little design and planning and you can morph two types of transport together.. The end result might be the perfect 'prom' car and pay for itself in no time at all - just as long as you don't need to park too often.
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https://youtu.be/4YeN_Ze7nLk
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https://goo.gl/XF58RP
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There are perhaps a couple of viewpoints (:-)) on this as a road-safety idea - on the one hand the road art pieces certainly are eye-catching - but is this something that would really slow down vehicles or would the art installations distract and potentially create more dangerous situations ? The 'Dunedin' example is perhaps less realistic than the more unnerving Icelandic 'Perspective' example. The promotional virtual presentation for the Icelandic example perhaps highlighting the more likely effect on the local community than the one intended.
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Dunedin
https://youtu.be/Zgdw0XelgnE?t=3s
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Iceland Promotion
https://www.boredpanda.com/3d-pedestrian-crossing-island/
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Technology meets Origami. Robert Lang, a US physicist shows how those 'doodling' moments when you've been folding paper could show the way to the creation of some fantastic space innovation.
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Video >> https://youtu.be/DJ4hDppP_SQ
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http://www.sciencealert.com/behind-the-science-of-robert-j-langs-origami
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More Info >> http://www.langorigami.com/

'Henderson Island' highlights a sad fact that's not going to disappear until plastic manufacturing,recycling and reuse is considered even more seriously than it already is. Unfortunately the extensive use of plastics in packaging and manufacturing relates directly to the ease with which they are shaped using forming, moulding and shaping process; the various characteristics that different polymers possess that makes them suitable to such a wide range of applications - and their comparatively low costs to produce.
The impact we make on the environment brought into sharp focus when ocean currents and gyres deposit it in significant quantities on otherwise 'untouched' island beaches; uninhabited since the 15th Century. :-(
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video > https://youtu.be/oF4UxP9J-Zs
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http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/487

Now that Summer's coming again - time to get the bike out. If you want to stand out then you know what to do (just check out this creation) - This is from a couple of years back and highlighted here on DTOTW
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https://www.facebook.com/267299709979748/photos/a.267303193312733.63816.267299709979748/560960553946994/?type=3&theater

Do you like bikes ? Do you like height ? Do you like to stand out in the crowd ? Then this is for you !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bJXXckWLc0E

A breath of fresh air in the approach to monitoring air pollution levels in major cities maybe ? London's air pollution problem was monitored during 2016 with a trial using homing pigeons carrying small monitoring units attached to their backs - the pigeons being taken to a point outside London with a predictable line back to their home lofts. Equipped with GPS devices and sensors to monitor nitrogen dioxide and ozone levels, the birds dubbed the "Pigeon Air Patrol" were released from Primrose Hill, a wealthy area in north London.
The results when analysed were immediately made available and accessible via an air-monitoring app for smartphones.
Certainly an innovative idea and of most use in raising awareness of the current situation with pollution - the next step of course is to reduce the pollution - but at least this scheme is a step in the right direction. The project was led by Romain Lacombe, founder of the French start-up Plume Labs, with Pierre Duquesnoy of DigitasLBi.
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video >> https://youtu.be/xdqqj4sQEkY
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info >> https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21032016/pigeon-power-future-air-pollution-monitoring-tiny-backpack
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info >> http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/pigeon-air-patrol-takes-to-the-skies-over-london-to-monitor-air-pollution-levels-a6932031.html
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http://www.pigeonairpatrol.com/

That inspirational moment and you have a new product idea - It could be a great product - If I can see the opportunities surely someone else can..... Just get the funding - Sounds easy.
"So I turned my living room into a workshop, filed for patents, teamed up with some great designers and built 14 generations of prototypes."
That's the next step - and was the one taken to develop and produce the Wolffepack.
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https://youtu.be/FrKxw5iYVpE
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http://www.wolffepack.com/blogs/our-story
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One of those interesting product ideas that really could be useful is the remote controlled lifebuoy. Inventor of the system; Tony Mulligan - CEO of Arizona-based Hydronalix Inc. originally built the device in September 2009 for scientific use by the US's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) but it is now developed as a 4-ft long remote controlled buoy that can power through rip-currents and swift water at speeds up to 22 mph - reaching distressed swimmers faster than human lifeguards. Operated either by a shore bound lifeguard or perhaps as well, by on-board sensing equipment - the device clearly could have a dramatic impact in rough-sea rescues.
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Video >> https://youtu.be/_cuawMA4dnM
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Information >> https://thetechjournal.com/science/remote-controlled-robotic-lifeguard-emily.xhtml

When conversation turns to the future it's probably robotics that is the ultimate topic. Linked with Artificial Intelligence one goal is clearly to create a machine in the form of - and with the capabilities of - a human. Obviously some environments might not be ideally suited to a robotic creation like ourselves but for the moment watching engineers and scientists creating humanoid robots is interesting if nothing else. Robotics company Boston Dynamics has created Atlas - a humanoid robot that looks pretty sophisticated,; and with a light-heated and amusing touch at the end of the video - actually might be sensitive enough to bullying to walk out of the lab :-)
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https://youtu.be/rVlhMGQgDkY

It might be fair to say that we are all getting a little accepting of how readily available a great variety of data and information actually is in our modern 'techie' society. Ocean currents are logged in real time in a NASA project - OSCAR (Ocean Surface Current Analysis Real-time) with the information obtained from satellite altimetry and wind speed/direction data. The end result is used for scientific research and can be used to determine the distribution of pollution.

In a similar way NOAA ( the US's National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration ) wind data is fed into supercomputers and the result is enormously useful in analysing weather patterns - but alongside the professional and commercial use, the field of education is supported by providing animated displays of the data; updated every three hours.
Sit and watch the mesmerising swirls of air currents: In purely visual terms its good to learn when you have resources like this -
Drag the world around with your mouse pointer and zoom in >>

https://earth.nullschool.net/

Using the same fundamental laser technology as created the 3D scan of President Obama ( see the last post ) the subterranean tunnels and structures of ancient cities and buildings - in this example, Rome - can easily be seen and examined.
Archaeology and other scientific and artistic studies clearly benefit enormously from such an accurate way of examining artefacts and locations that are difficult to access and can easily be damaged or just need to be more easily visualised and explored.
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https://vimeo.com/120708083
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https://vimeo.com/129658037
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Further research into the potential and other projects >>
https://vimeo.com/scanlab

With one US president leaving office this is a timely reminder of how in 2014 a digital scan was done of President Obama by the Smithsonian Institute - the first time such a scan had been done of a head of state. The end result allows a 3D printed version of the outgoing president - allowing future generations to see a perfect replica - a look back into history - using a technology that didn't exist only a few years ago.
This impressive short video of the technique of President Obama being scanned and then 3-D printed
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http://youtu.be/4GiLAOtjHNo
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2864360/Obama-goes-bust-3D-printed-presidential-portrait-goes-display-Smithsonian.html

If you're a fan of computer games this should interest you; if you're a fan of technology and it's development this should interest you; if you're a fan of how computer graphics and handling have been utilised by progressive teams of developers then you should find this fascinating. If you just want to see how many games you can remember playing from when they first came out then this should be fun too - Mainly from 1972 to the present - but with a mention of 1958's 'Tennis for Two' !
The main video is a 'coffee-time' (40+ minutes) but to see the developments under their 'tek' headings - (Pixels, Sprites, Polygons, Voodoo Bloom and The Future) as 5 separate videos (each about 10 minutes) then use the link.
(Thanks Peter C for the original link)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyjyWUrHsFc
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https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOQZmjD6P2HlOoEVKOPaCFvLnjP865X1f

From time to time you hear of an invention that was directed to solve one issue and that has found a really great additional market - probably wider than the intended use.

The eyeglass lenses that glass-scientist Don McPherson invented were meant for surgeons. But by fortunate chance he found an entirely different and possibly far wider use for them - as a help for those with colour deficient vision. 'Colour Blindness' is a term used to describe a condition brought about by the receptors in the eye being unable to clearly separate the red, green and blue light that in various proportions makes up all the colours and tints that we see.
In a chance discovery when a friend tried the new glasses on it was realised that the glasses effectively separated the overlapping regions of colours that make colour vision so difficult for those with the condition. Working with a technology start-up group the manufacturing company 'Enchroma' were founded in 2012
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http://arstechnica.co.uk/science/2016/02/seeing-in-techicolour-one-month-wearing-enchromas-colour-blindness-correcting-glasses/
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video >>> https://youtu.be/SyB4Igy1_xA
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https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601782/how-enchromas-glasses-correct-color-blindness/
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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/business/enchromas-accidental-spectacles-find-niche-among-the-colorblind.html?_r=2

As drones become more a part of our everyday lives and as the technology of their control offers new challenges, that as rapidly as they are posed seem to be just as rapidly solved - - it seems obvious that we will see more of the creative use of drones. Aside from these videos being heavily promotional enterprises the potential for more ambitious and inspiring displays is significant.
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video >> https://youtu.be/eZ-js5zn-I0
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https://youtu.be/KV5Jjd0ww5Q
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https://youtu.be/1S8c3fVAwLA

If you missed this design competition for illuminating the bridges across the Thames in London then you have the advantage that as it has recently ended - you can decide if the best one was selected.
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Video >> https://vimeo.com/190531286
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Background >> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37896022
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36436263

Art & Engineering frequently come together in sculptures and the end result will often be designed to interact with its surroundings. At Zadar in Croatia the sea is the driving force for a sea-organ - designed by Nikola Basic with the pressure of waves forcing air into tubes that create the sound. Not far away is another linked creation in which solar power is harnessed to create a lightshow at dusk. The mix of acoustics and architecture was created by Dalmatian stone carvers and architect Nikola Basic in 2005 - and was awarded the European Prize for Urban Public Space work.
In Backpool, UK way back in 2002 a sculptor and artist, Liam Curtin created a wave driven organ - a 50 foot tall sculpture known as The Blackpool High Tide Organ, this uses the swell of sea water at high tide to compress air in pipes which in turn sounds a series of musical chords, serenading the high tide. The project connected an unlikely team including, civil and structural engineers, a composer and musical adviser, an astronomer and artists.

https://youtu.be/LBhk5KFwLVc
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http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om24550.html
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Blackpool - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/wave-powered-organ-to-hit-high-notes-for-blackpool-tourism-179447.html
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The disposal of plastic rubbish has to be one of the biggest concerns - among many - that society faces. On almost any beach on the planet there are microscopic fragments of plastic that have arrived on the ocean currents but many people aren't aware of the extent of the problem. What better way to highlight the issue than use the material in attractive plastic sculptures - and this is exactly what many creative displays have done.
These glowing purple shapes were part of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development that was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012, Hundreds of plastic bottles were shaped into two giant fish sculptures that lit up the night sky.
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The problem
>>http://www.azula.com/plastic-bottle-fish-are-both-beautiful-and-a-wake-up-call/
>>> http://www.bottlesupglass.com/tag/plastic/

Innovatively the Netherlands introduced a shuttle (AGV) at the Rivium Park
" Rivium GRT - The initial decision to implement the ParkShuttle between the subway station Kralingse Zoom and business park Rivium in the city of Capelle aan den IJssel was taken in 1995. The goal of the Rivium GRT pilot was to prove that reasonable expense, a better service and higher frequency could be achieved – making public transportation a more attractive alternative for car drivers"
[ http://www.2getthere.eu/projects/rivium-grt/ ]
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> One step perhaps towards a realistic long-term solution to the increased congestion and pollution evident in many cities would be similar networks to replace the random movement of private vehicles and the current public transport routes.
> Manufacturing has used guided vehicles to transport materials and products withing factories (AGVs) so why not the majority of cities ? ( https://youtu.be/7xvP645fVnI?t=40s )
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http://www.2getthere.eu/
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Rivium GRT - 2getthere 2getthere's Rivium GRT (Group Rapid Transit) system has been operational since 1999, with the 2nd generation system commencing operations in 2006.

Environmentally friendly ways of generating electrical energy are high on the list of interesting and innovative product designs. A French company called 'New Wind' is installing tree-shaped wind turbines at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France and hopes they will become a familiar sight in other urban areas.
At £23,500 each ($30,500 USD) they aren't exactly cheap but they're functional and in an urban environment - possibly more cost effective than planting a tree and maintaining it ? Company founder Jérôme Michaud-Larivière conceived the idea while in 2014 whilst sitting in a Parisian square watching leaves shimmer and tremble in the breeze. The units were installed outside the 2015 United Nation’s Conference on Climate Change (COP21).
[Thanks Monika L-B for the link]
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http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/tree-shaped-wind-turbines-paris/
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