James Dyson is most famous for his vacuum cleaner design, but he also hosts a design challenge that yields very interesting inventions, as you can see from the examples below. Glance at the pictures then take a look at the video demonstrations to see how each design works.
Chance and close observation are sometimes the catalyst to the wonderful inventions we find all around us. Gizmodo recently listed the Top 10 Greatest (accidental) Inventions of All Time. Yes, of course they are, comically, not the greatest of all time, but they certainly include great stories of inventors discovering that what they stumbled upon was more successful than what they had intended on creating.
I was amazed to see this early invention of the GPS (1932). It used a rolling key map to gauge where you were as you drove. Not so much global positioning, but it was a clever way to track your location around the neighborhood.
As for newspapers, reading in real time hasn’t always been as easy as picking up an iPad. Check out these kids in 1938 reading the children’s page of a Missouri newspaper as it is fed out of an early fax machine.
Even life vests have evolved into a state-of-the-art device, as compared to bicycle inner tubes wrapped around the upper bodies of these young Germans in 1925.
Nathan Martin is CEO and Art Director at Deeplocal, Inc. but he has also worked with clients like Palm Computing, Brodia, Panasonic and Nike. Nathan has shared his passion for art and design through public speaking engagements as well as teaching at several universities. Nathan recently found some time to share his thoughts on creativity and design with Davison Creators in his Pittsburgh office.
We recently met at TEDx at CMU. You have also appeared on the BBC television show “Beat the Boss,” and in Washington, D.C., speaking before a panel of the FCC. Do you enjoy public speaking? Yes, I do. In the last three months, I have had five big themed speaking engagements; of those, TEDx at CMU was by far the most nerve racking. I am comfortable talking about many things, but speaking about being fearless was a hard topic. That’s saying a lot because I have joined forces with Mark Cuban when speaking before the FCC, and I have even followed speakers like the COO of Twitter at large events. I made the topic fit to me, though. TEDx was one of those events I really enjoyed attending because I got to view many speakers as an audience member and then meet after their presentations.
I thought I was going to follow this older guy talking about a seemingly boring topic (finance), which would have been easy. In reality, this CMU finance guy actually did this hysterical rap to close his talk, and I was thinking ‘I have to follow this guy?!’ He’s great, I am actually meeting with him later; I really connected with him even though we do very different things. I love sharing ideas, having a conversation with people. Speaking engagements are a great way to meet people, hear ideas and share my thoughts with others.
Beat the Boss was a cool experience. It was filmed locally in Pittsburgh, and I teamed up with other entrepreneurs to compete against a team of kids to make a new condiment for Heinz. I told my team, “if you want to win, just mix cheese and ketchup.” We went that direction and it worked. We won by the largest margin in the history of the show, actually.
As CEO of Deeplocal, you have many projects running at one time. How do you manage to work in a creative designer mindset when you have to worry about the business side of it all? How do you fit in with your design group? I have to remind myself of the role I play, growing to accept that I am more of an art director than a designer. But I am better as an art director than a designer so it makes playing that role easier for me. I have surrounded myself with great employees which also makes it easier for me. Our environment also has a lot to do with our productivity at Deeplocal. So much in fact, that everyone was asked to sketch out what they would want their new work space to be as far as lighting, layout, sounds; pretty much a list of what you want and why you want it.
We are expanding, but we’re still small; we still afford the time to meet one on one and consult each other. We also try meet as a group outside of work at art events or pick-up kickball games (hence Pickupalooza). I have had the compliment of being told that Deeplocal is a culture. I want to further that culture by growing our design team and creating our work environment together.
Much of your creative work relies on using already existing technologies, assembled as new working parts in a system. What is the prominent advantage to developing designs using simple technologies? Oh yeah, repurposing items, yes! This is the value of being an amateur versus being an expert. You see things stripped down and basic. Like this (points to a fan), this is not just a fan. This has a motor; can I play a record on it? Can I put a needle on it? Can I use it to spin something else? You almost are squinting at everyday items. When you are a specialist you presume a lot of things to be true. By being an amateur, you see things as source materials. As you squint, you see things not as how they are, but as how they can be.
Inventors are the same; they find new ways to use old things. And as a consumer, people only care about end results. They don’t care where the motor came from, where the speakers or buttons came from. Chalkbot is a collaboration of a lot of already invented components, assembled as a new device. That’s why we want to expand and create a bigger workspace with more ‘things’, and ask ourselves, ‘why can’t I use a power drill using Twitter’ or any other challenges we want to ask ourselves.
Your most famous work to date, at least in the eyes of the design community, is Chalkbot. Chalkbot was debuted at the Tour De France in 2009 as a pneumatic powered painting robot with a software system that brings Twitter feeds to life in real time. In the process of bringing this project to life, did you have any other ideas? What is going on with Chalkbot now? Nike is going to run it again this year for the Tour de France! Chalkbot has since been recognized as a CLIO gold and silver award winner and also won an Andy Award and a One Show Award this spring. At first we were going to use powdered chalk to paint the road, but the nozzles limited what material could be used. We then tried environmentally-friendly spray paint, and it seemed to work.
What ever happened to the test run sprayed in the alley behind your house? The first thing Chalkbot wrote was, “hello world,” the famous words written by programmers. I actually did a test run behind my house about a mile from here. My new neighbors were curious to say the least about what was sprayed in the alley, but I don’t think they really know what Chalkbot is or understand the graffiti. Hey, it may be a historical landmark someday!
You helped in the creation of BikePgh’s new 2010 edition trails map. What can riders expect to see in the new layout and design, something that has been added since the last printed edition? We have created new icons and have updated recommended paths with newly created bike lanes; neighborhoods have changed and the bike paths are growing! There was over a decade between when we picked up on the bike map project, so now we are looking at three consecutive years where people have come to see Bike PGH map as expected. Once we get feedback, probably in the fall, we will get started on the new map. Of course, the cover was new, and we will do a new cover for the next edition.
Where do you go for creative content? For some people it is a short list of blogs or websites, or maybe a group of creative people that stir their creativity. Where is your creative drinking hole? I find myself getting sick of new media. I read a lot of print; the New Yorker, Post Gazette, plenty of books. I get a lot of links from friends and colleagues, but I try to spend less time online. My functioning computer is at work, so when I’m not at work I try to stay active and off of my computer. I hike, I bike and I run. Not that each one defines me, like I am a ‘hiker’ or a ‘runner’ but I pursue qualities that I want to encompass me. My creative input comes from picking and choosing what things I am a part of: music, time with family, outdoor activities. I go beyond blogs and online new media for creative input.
Are there any new projects you can speak of that you are excited about and looking forward to launching in the near future? We are looking to expand to create more room – possibly acquiring a nearby store front. It would be used to host Waffle Wednesday, have a working lab with kind of a gimmicky appeal. We are also working with Nike and EA Sports, too. We have a project in the works for World Cup 2010; I really can’t speak about that now, but you’ll see it soon enough. But watch for more things to come from Deeplocal!
Thank you so much for your time!
The most expensive balloon experiment, ever! Take a look at this domino-style fan arrangement that passes a single balloon through what seems to be a never ending sequence of Dyson Multiplier fans in an oversized warehouse.
2 cufflinks, 4 total GB, 8 character engraving upgrade option, 200 dollars. But hey, the shipping is free! It seems a little outrageous, but I think I like them.
This eraser has 5 different widths to accommodate the line width of the paper you are writing on. Designed to be used in what could be called a dying art, handwriting, this eraser is none-the-less a good idea. Maybe the designer of this product can squeeze out a highlighter version of the concept.
This hidden grill could blend in anywhere. Designed to be wall mounted, it doesn’t appear as if it could be fully functional. But, looks can be deceiving.
Spare key cut into a plastic “credit card.”
New password generating “credit card” with LCD and keypad.
1 GB of voice data and a flip out USB connector.
“Credit card” cutlery for a meal on the go.
Credit card sized calculator for quick arithmetic.
Wallet sized template for precise markings.
An iPod stand for your wallet.
USB storage as thin as your bank card.
Perfect top popper for your wallet.
And a survivalist’s “credit card” — don’t leave home without it.
VW has revealed its newest transportation design: the bicycle. This foldable, compact electric bike has a range of a little over 12 miles, and cruises at a little over 12 mph. It derives its energy from the vehicle, not needing to plug into a socket or be removed from the vehicle to charge. I hope this concept becomes a reality.
