It just so happens that the 2014 Masters is underway today; so, we thought, what better way to tee off this prestigious tournament than with a blog about some new golf inventions? Let’s start with some innovative technology that can be used the next time you hit the links.

In an effort to better their game, golfers are always looking for new inventions to help them play their best. There is one invention in particular that can help golfers gain a newfound sense of confidence and accuracy on the course; and, that is through the innovation of range finders.

The range finder informs the golfer of their yardage for more than just the flagstick. Additionally, this invention gives golfers a better grasp at the distance between targets and is accurate to within a few yards of the mark. This invention comes in handy for those golfers who don’t trust the yardage markers located on the course.

On par with the range finder, there is another invention that is geared toward helping golfers make the most of their time on the green. A golf GPS is an innovation that is frequently being used by golfers today. This global positioning device can help a golfer better navigate the golf course, in addition to recording and saving their scores and statistics. Furthermore, these systems usually include a map of the course, which marks your location on the green and the precise distances between you, your ball and the hole. For those advanced systems, they even provide satellite images of the course. But, if you’d rather have a more compact golf GPS, there are apps that can be downloaded to your mobile device. And, in the realm of wearable technology, companies are inventing their own innovation in the form of a golf GPS watch, too!

Golfing isn’t just about the actual sport, it’s also about the fashion and Nike is never short on innovative golf-wear inventions. The Nike Lightweight Innovation Color Polo is a perfect example. The framework of this polo includes a new seam construction that allows for optimal movement. Rather than stitched, the seam is bonded so that it lies more closely to the body. Designers even shifted the seam towards the upper back, so that it wouldn’t run across the shoulders. This invention design allows for maximized movement through the swing, free of interferences!

From head to toe, golfers want to look their best and the latest innovation in the form of spikeless golf shoes is no exception! There has been an evolution of sorts in the world of golf shoes over the years. Now, spikeless shoes are overshadowing plastic spikes as plastic spikes once overshadowed metal spikes in the 1990s.

These shoes are equipped with nubs on the soles that are specifically designed to support the foot and make the shoes stay connected to the ground when golfers swing his or her club. This makes for good traction, which then enables the golfer to swing without slipping on the green.

These features play an important role in keeping the golfer from getting injured and can help improve their performance by enhancing the distribution of the golfer’s body weight to his or her feet. Let’s not forget spikeless golf shoes are fashionable and mimic the look and style of a fashionable pair of athletic shoes.

From inventions that measure distances on the green and everything in between and innovative, fashionable clothing, whether you are an average Joe or a PGA Pro, these inventions are helping golfers far and wide refine their game!

Copyright Davison 2014

Sources:

• Nikeinc.com
• Golfdigest.com
• Golfwrx.com
• Howstuffworks.com
• Golf.com
• Bestgolfshoes.info

The post Golf Inventions for the Average Joe to the PGA Pro appeared first on Davison.

Some companies stick with a more traditional route with their packaging; however, there are those companies out there that put just as much time into their packaging as they do into their product.

Let’s take a look at some of the most creative packaging designs that we’ve come across in our research!

Butter! Better! – Step aside butter packets, there’s a new package design in town. Butter! Better! offers a new idea for the packaging of butter by inventing a convenient, single-serve package. Most single serves are used on a daily basis, whether at a coffee shop, during travel or at a picnic to name a few places. Unlike most butter packets, this invention includes a wooden spoon lid that is used to spread the butter without having to carry additional cutlery.

Kirei Towel- It may look like a pencil, but the sole purpose of this towel is to clean! The Kirei Towel’s packaging design is meant to look like a pencil, with the towel acting as the “eraser.”  The idea behind this packaging design is to illustrate the strength of the towel by correlating it to the strength of a pencil eraser.

Fruit Juice- This creative and innovative product package design will never leave you questioning what flavor juice you are about to enjoy. This creative invention came from the mind of Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa. The fruit juice packages were designed to have the look and feel of the fruit that they contain.

Nike Shoe Box Stadium- Not only does Nike design insanely creative and innovative merchandise, they upped their game when they invented their Stadium shoe box packaging design. Nike has long been a huge supporter of soccer; so, what better way to show their support than to design the 2007 Cannes Lion-winning Stadium shoe box. There were only a limited amount of these shoe boxes that were designed to look like a stadium with an image of a stadium and an embedded sound chip. When the box was opened you could hear the crowd cheering. Now, that is some creative packaging design!

Coffee Top Caddie- We have all been there before. It’s a few minutes before you have to clock into work and you finally get your cup of coffee. But, you have no time to add your sugar or cream in the coffee shop; so, you grab a handful of sugar packets and creamers and head out the door. Now, you have coffee in one hand and your sugar and cream in the other hand. Good luck trying to open the door to your office. So, that’s why designer Joshua Harris found a better way to carry your morning coffee, with the invention of the “Coffee Top Caddie.” In essence, this package design is a plastic top that fits on top of your to-go coffee cup and allows you to securely carry your sugar packets and creamers in one hand!

Although the age-old saying says that you “can’t judge a book by its cover,” we think that we can be the judge of these products and come to the verdict that these creative and inventive packaging designs are pretty cool!

Copyright Davison 2014

Sources:

http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/10/29/four-flavored-butter-spoon/

http://www.packagingserved.com/gallery/Kirei-Towel-Packaging-Design/601063

http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2009/03/29/juice-skin-packaging-by-naoto-fukasawa/

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/article/detail/1759/nike-stadium–new-york

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/04/06/you-been-dunkin-long-nice-cap/ \574

Images:

http://www.yankodesign.com/images/design_news/2010/10/28/butter_better7.jpg

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kirei-towel-packaging

http://25.media.tumblr.com/SqHZoTWKZltg5d98vsbgXKnyo1_500.jpg

http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/images/nikebox.jpg

http://file.trendhunter.com/thumbs/coffee-top-caddie.jpeg

The post Uncover These Five Creative Packaging Designs appeared first on Davison.

Industry giants like Nike and New Balance have translated the advancements of 3D printed technology into the world of apparel, specifically, for professional athletes.

These 3D printed shoes use the up-and-coming invention to create lightweight shoes that, in essence, mold to the athlete’s feet, thus increasing their speed and performance.

So how are 3D printed shoes different than regular shoes? Let’s take a look at both Nike and New Balance 3D shoes and how they claim to enhance the athlete’s performance.

Nike 3D printed athletic cleat- Weighing in at just 5.5 ounces, the Nike Vapor Laser Talon was specifically invented and designed for gripping the football field turf, in order to help American football players excel in the highly important, 40-yard dash. In addition, the design of this shoe enables an athlete to maintain the initial drive stance, along with giving the athlete more speed and power during the first 10 yards, which are the most important to achieving a solid time.

The idea of a decreased 40-yard dash time is carried out by the Selective Laser Sintering technology.  This technology employs a high-powered laser to selectively fuse thermoplastic particles, usually a plastic or metal powder, into the desired solid. This technique that Nike uses allows them to create a cleat plate in a much shorter amount of time, while at the same time, increasing the overall weight, which offers many benefits to the athlete’s performance.

New Balance- All-American track runner, Jack Bolas became the first athlete to run a race in 3D printed equipment.

Bolas said, “I always wondered what it would be like to have custom shoes. They gave me a much more natural feel, with a perfect balance between the flex of the sole and still the responsiveness of a stiffer plate.”

After a long research-and-development process that was focused on ensuring that the shoes met Bolas’ individual needs, New Balance was able to create tailored spike plates. The process began when Bolas wore shoes that were wired with sensors to help designers at New Balance get an idea of how his foot interacted with the shoe. In addition, Bolas ran on tracks that were equipped with force plates that measured his impact with each stride. High-speed cameras also were used to add a detailed look at the interaction between his shoes and the track. Once this information was collected, just like Nike did, New Balance used the technology of Selective Laser Sintering to create the shoes.

For both brands, a custom spike plate entailed an expensive injection molding process. However, the invention of 3D printers offered them a solution to this expensive and time-consuming process and has now increased the speed of production, while decreasing the cost.

Both of these companies have invented a product that is intended to increase the speed and performance of professional athletes, through the use of 3D printed technology. Both Nike and New Balance have set the tone in the world of 3D printing by creating products that have a light-weight design and the ability to grip their intended surface with ease.

Copyright Davison 2013

Sources:

http://www.gizmag.com/nike-3d-printed-cleat/26403/

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/nikes-vapor-laser-talon-brings-3-d-printing-athletic-shoes-1C8645125

http://gizmodo.com/5990352/new-balance-adopts-3d-printing-to-create-hyper+customized-track-shoes

http://www.wired.com/playbook/2013/03/new-balance-3d-printed-shoes/

Pictures:

http://hypebeast.com/2013/2/nike-debuts-3d-printed-vapor-laser-talon-cleat

http://www.designboom.com/design/nike-vapor-laser-talon-boot/

http://gizmodo.com/5990352/new-balance-adopts-3d-printing-to-create-hyper+customized-track-shoes

http://printingdress.com/tag/3d-fashion/

The post Nike and New Balance are Making Great Strides appeared first on Davison.

Furthermore, the dawn of wearable gadgets is beginning to make a name for itself in the world of technology. Inventions like the FitBit and the Nike FuelBand, EMBRACE+ and smartwatches are just a few of the new technologies that are slowly, but surely, making an impact.

FitBit– This wearable physical activity device helps the consumer become more active, eat a well-rounded diet and get adequate amounts of sleep. The sleek, compact design of the gadget allows the consumer to discretely pin the device into their pocket or other article of clothing.  Throughout the course of the day, the FitBit logs data, ranging from the number of steps you take to the amount of calories that you burned.

Nike FuelBand– In addition, Nike has a device that tracks physical activity, known as the Nike FuelBand. Nike’s goal with this product is to provide a sense of accomplishment for people doing everyday activities to reach their daily Nike Fuel Points. The FuelBand detects the user’s movement by way of the triaxial accelerometer, which is also found in iPhones.  This technology can sense the movement of the FuelBand and the tilt to which it is held.

EMBRACE+ – This technology is perfect for the consumers who generally keep their smart phones in their purses or pockets. The EMBRACE+ is a wearable technology that alerts the user when they receive a social media notification, important text or incoming call. The technology uses specific colors to indicate what type of notification was sent to their smartphone and helps the user determine if they want to reach for their smartphone or not.  The wristband also includes a security feature that notifies its user when they are too far from their smartphone, which could be very helpful when a smartphone gets stolen or left behind in a public place.

Smartwatches– This wearable device is more than just a timepiece. In fact, the smartwatch can be seen as a wearable computer or a second screen to the alerts on your smartphone via Bluetooth technology. Kickstarter companies, such as Pebble, have developed their own version of the smartwatch.  The Pebble Smartwatch enables the user to receive notifications, including email, SMS and social media alerts, in addition to calendar reminders. For those who like to screen their calls, this smartwatch allows the user to accept or reject incoming calls. Much like the e-paper display, the Pebble watch uses a 114 x 168 black and white screen that displays nearly 20,000 pixels.  This design allows the display to be easily viewed both indoors and outdoors. The Pebble watch isn’t the only device in the wearable watch market.

Technology giant, Apple, is currently working on their own version. As of July 2013, a team of 100 designers and engineers from Apple have been working on the iWatch and it is said that their corporation has filed 79 patents related to smartwatch technology. In addition, Apple recently received a patent for bezel technology that could add touch controls to a bezel on the screen of a small device. The new bezel could be hidden or revealed as needed by the user.

The market for wearable technology continues to expand and only time will tell what new technology will be coming down the pipeline.

Copyright Davison 2013

Resources:

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/other-gadgets/fitbit.htm

http://mashable.com/2013/01/31/nike-fuelband/

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/embrace-the-wristband-that-glows-when-you-get-texts-notifications/

http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobile-technology/what-look-in-smart-watch-222729

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/25/pebble-smartwatch-review/

http://www.trustedreviews.com/pebble_Peripheral_review

http://www.coolage.in/2013/07/29/the-emerging-world-of-smartwatches/

http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/02/new-apple-patent-could-finally-take-gadgets-like-an-iwatch-beyond-the-bezel/

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bezel

Images:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2411271,00.asp

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/embrace-the-wristband-that-glows-when-you-get-texts-notifications/

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/04/pebble-smart-watch-wrist-companion-for-iphone-hits-kickstarter-jackpot/

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665872/with-fuelband-nike-aims-to-crush-jawbone-up-and-overhaul-nike

The post Wearable Technology appeared first on Davison.