Biologically-Inspired Light

I got sidetracked with summer festivals and took a mini-break from posting projects from the Industrial Design (ID) program.  Not that I'm complaining.  Summer festivals are a great way to interact with local artists and to meet new people.  I digress.  I'll probably be sprinkling ID projects here and there from now til indefinitely in between other festivals, furniture launches, and hopefully more features *fingers crossed.  You'll be able to get your ID fix today. 

Design Challenge 3: Design a light that aids in providing natural light for those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  The light will be organic in form and be made using sustainable materials. 

My light was inspired by a human eye and eyelid.  I used remnant strips of thin wood soaked in water to create a curved form to represent the eyelid.  The bolt on the side allows the "eyelid" to move over the "eye" to change the amount of light emitted.  The lamp neck fell right into place by supporting the eye and controlling the direction of the light.  I used a flexible metal tube with metal rods and pins to create a resemblance of a spinal cord.  The base of the lamp and the outer eye are made from handpoured concrete, the cornea is made from a plastic ball, and the retina is made from a bolt.  Not only will the lighting provide light therapy for SAD but maybe the bio-inspired quality may provide you some company as well?  Hm.
See images below.

CYCEL: Making Night Cycling Safer

Onwards to Post 2 of the series- projects from the Georgia Tech ID program continues.  This project was done in conjunction with Tory Harrison. 

Biking has become a newfound interest/“passion” of mine.  I use “passion” loosely since I haven’t had much time to ride this past year but I will say every time I hit the pavement and elude mac trucks and school buses determined to run me off the road, my heart starts racing and adrenaline begins pumping.

Tory and I decided to create a product through my “Wearable Technology” class to help  bikers on the road.  A huge concern among bikers is their visibility on the road, particularly at night.  We decided to create a jersey that is comfortable, functional, and will allow drivers to see you better at night.  Thereafter, it’s up to the driver as to how kindly they want to “share the road.”  I digress.  See below for model pictures of the jersey and design concepts.  Kudos and lots of thanks to Jocelyn Chen for lending me her sewing machine and to both Jocelyn and Starr Banks for providing me a crash course in sewing, guiding, pedaling, and for providing encouraging words as we broke countless needles and zippers.  Although, I did realize at the end of the night that sewing isn’t too far from sawing.  Who knows, maybe we’ll be on the next Project Runway.

Title: CYCEL

Materials: Polyester and EL (electroluminescent) wire

This image presents multiple design concepts and ways to incorporate the EL (electroluminescent) wire.  We ended up incorporating the EL wire as a box piping framing the shoulder after accidentally breaking the curved form by sewing over it (learning curve).  I would like to attempt the curved form sometime in the future.

Final product: Thanks to Mona and Starr for the bicycle modeling.

Cardboard Chair

I started MDC Interiors 8 years ago and have learned so much in the process.  As the business has evolved, I found myself gravitating more towards design and product development. . . .which in turn led to the launch of the reclaimed furniture line in 2011.  I learned quite a bit through the furniture line and decided I wanted to learn more about design, production, and technical processes.  Enter graduate school.

I just finished my first year of the Industrial Design program at Georgia Tech.  It was a challenging year, balancing work with a full time school load, but I made it through.  Perhaps with many sleepless nights and one too many bowls of ramen noodle, but made it through nonetheless. 

I'd like to share some of my projects with you.  The next few posts will highlight some of the projects completed through the Fall semester ID program.
-Mike

Design Challenge 1:  To create a chair composed of cardboard that utilizes the integrity, structure, and function of the material to create an aesthetically pleasing and functional seating unit.

I really enjoyed working with cardboard.  Working with unexpected materials inspires creativity and forces you to think outside the box (literally).  I also appreciate that cardboard is recyclable, greener than many materials, and readily available to most people.  Next time, you're tossing out that cardboard box think twice about its potential.  

I've included the final product and process images below.