Design is in

The Ironing Board Mirror

Enabled by Design is a site that’s “all about people powered products”. Enabled by Design is a community concerned with finding ways to transform equipment for people with disabilities, by making it more useful, aesthetically pleasing, and funky. Why should the image of assistive equipment be boring and drab?

Enabled by Design was started by Denise Stephens, a 30 year-old who suffered from multiple sclerosis. "It's about removing the stigmatising image of assistive equipment and encouraging designers to adopt the concept of inclusive design," she explains. "I feel very much that the disabled community are put in a box. Things are designed and produced, and then you get the disabled community saying: 'We can't use it.' They try to retrofit the equipment to people. Why not take that into consideration during the design process?"  It is also an attempt to turn on its head, "the uninspiring one-size-fits-all approach to assistive equipment.

When Denise was in her early twenties, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. This condition would alter the whole course of her life, as she says, “You almost feel like an alien in your own life.” You can’t do the things you once did. With multiple sclerosis, came periodic relapses, extreme pain, constant visits to the hospital and fatigue. She could no longer hold a full-time, or even a part-time job, though she struggled to for a long time. 

She was given assistive equipment, which she says was great as it helped her do things around the house and function normally. However, every time friends came over she would hide the equipment, and she realized this wasn’t right. Her growing concern was that people with disabilities were missing out on good design aesthetics. She felt that the designs for the disabled look 50 years outdated, and unchanged. The equipment could be fun and inspiring, besides being practical. She started Enabled by Design with the help of a friend, Dominic Campbell, who later became a partner. 

Enabled by Design has three section, Loves and Hates, where you can rate products, Ideas Factory, where you can say how you would like to improve things, and Product Reviews. Some things featured on the site, such as the Etac Relieve Angled Carving Knife are amazing simple innovations, where slight changes in the product can result in major improvements in a person’s life. Similar are the Electric Heat Pads which are like hot water bottles that wrap around painful joints. The Ironing Board Mirror is space saving, and useful to anyone. The Lifestyle Bath makes bathing much easier for the disabled, or the elderly. The website encourages a sort of ‘open-source’ design, where users can rate the designs, and post suggestions and ideas.

Enabled by Design is a winner at the Social Innovation Camp 2008. As the founder Denise says: "I would love it to be the case where inclusive design becomes the basic design for all products that are manufactured, because that would completely mainstream disability."

By Armeen Kapadia

Eco-friendly bags made of juice cartons

Someone is finally putting those millions of juice cartons, which we all happily chuck in the bin, to good use. These juice cartons are being recycled to make an attractive, lively set of bags. Juice cartons are quite non-biodegradable, and end up in landfills, or littering the streets, or are burnt creating more pollution.

The Eco-friendly Juice Bags are not only eco-friendly, but they are also helping poor communities, as they are made by a woman’s cooperative in the Philippines, where the women are the main bread-winners in their families. This cooperative is formed of more than 500 women of Pasig City, Philippines, and was started in 1999. The cooperative provides a livelihood to 200 families, creating income to pay for education and healthcare. Their main objective is to recycle cartons, plastics and the rest into bags and accessories. Working with local community leaders, the cooperative convinced people to separate their waste, and sell recyclable matter to the cooperative. The local council provided pushcarts and weighing scales and established an Ecology Center. This ultimately led to Pasig City being awarded first place as the cleanest and greenest township. 

Of all the recyclable materials, the colourful juice cartons attracted the women’s attention. After collection, they are sanitized, and made into bags. The bags have a wide range of shapes and sizes. There is the ‘shopper’ a large divided bag that can accommodate A4 size files. There is the ‘woven handbag’ made from interwoven lengths of juice carton. There are insulated bottle bags with zip-up lids. 

The Recycled Juice Bags look great, function great, and utilize waste. Design at its best, even without the designer. 

By Armeen Kapadia

David Grass's stool out of cardboard

Steve Haslip's HangerPak

Tom Ballahtchet's TV packaging cum stand

Newton Running shoe's packaging

Packaging is one challenging discipline. The challenge for a designer is not to feel guilty of using unnecessary resources to pack a product. There have been instances where packaging becomes a functional element. The packaging itself, becomes another product. One great example is David Grass' furniture from cardboard. Today we cover four such examples. 

Zero-waste design is a school of thought where nothing goes waste. David has designed a stool and chair made of cardboard. A single sheet of cardboard is machine cut, and can be easily assembled by the user. His website says, "You not only assemble this stool yourself, but, because product and packaging are both made from cardboard, also finish it yourself. Two parts of the stool are simply cut loose from the box where the remaining six parts are packaged in."

Packaging is tricky. Although the amount of material used to pack needs to be reduced, it also has to protect the product that will be shipped. Steve Haslip's HangerPak can be transformed into a hanger from the packaging in a few easy steps. The hanger has a limited lifetime, but it can still be recycled. The fact that the user gets more than what he or she expected from the delivery is wonderful.

Packing for large appliances such as the TV is again challenging. The larger the product, more the waste. Tom Ballhatchet has designed television packaging that can be transformed into a television stand. He also made sure that the stand even gets a pair of wheels to move it around the house. The two halves becomes shelves for the TV stand. The design is intelligent and innovative.

The Newton Running shoe packaging takes the shape of the shoe itself. It is made out of 100% recycled pulp that egg cartons are made of. The packaging protects the shoes by becoming like skin for the shoes. The best part is even though the shape is odd, it is perfectly stackable.

Have a great weekend!

By Sanjay Basavaraju

Today we are covering something that many may feel does not relate directly to design, but design can learn lessons from the small and peaceful country of Costa Rica, a country in Central America, and the first in the world to abolish its standing army.

One person’s intention can change the way thousands of others live. In 1948, after just five weeks of civil war, the leader, Jose Figueres, announced, “'The Regular Army of Costa Rica today gives the key to its military base to the schools ... The Government hereby declares the National Army officially abolished.” As a result, the nation’s resources were transferred into more worthy causes; namely, the improvement of healthcare and education. The country’s military bases became schools. Figueres also banned the Communist Party, gave women the right to vote, granted black immigrants full citizenship, and established a presidential term limit. Figueres nationalized the banks in order to promote economic diversity and eliminate coffee grower's control over the banking system. For decades, the elite coffee growers had dominated Costa Rican society and economy. Figueres also created The Supreme Electoral Tribunal. 

Today Costa Rica has the highest standard of living in Central and South America. There is ‘cradle to the grave’ healthcare for all Costa Ricans, with special services for women, children and seniors. Costa Rica has the second highest literacy rate of 96%, in Latin and South America, and an average life expectancy of more than 75 years. Costa Rica has no enemies or terrorism, and the last elections saw a voter turnout of 90%, a lot more than what most countries can boast of. 

Costa Rica’s neighbours are struggling with civil war, military repression and poverty. Dr. Oscar  Arias Sanchez, who was President of Costa Rica from 1986-1990, and 2006 to present, advocates education and vehemently believes too many countries sacrifice education to fund armies. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his work to establish peace and democracy in the region.

Costa Rica translates as ‘rich coast’, and the nation lives up to its name. It is near the top in the Human Developmental Index, the Environmental Performance Index, the Happy Planet Index, and is also the greenest country in the world. Former President Rodrigo Carazo Odio comments that, "Costa Ricans have cultivated a civilized spirit, a spirit opposed to militarization and violence. Armed with this spirit, the people are capable of seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts and respecting the rights of others." He states that this respect has survived and flourished because "education has fostered such an attitude and because in the absence of [military] weapons with which to impose an idea, the only weapon left is reason."

Why are we covering the country of Costa Rica today, on a site called ‘design is in’? Well, because in some ways the ‘design’ of countries, institutes, states and systems, are of prime importance. Innovation in leadership is the need of the hour. Creativity, change, and innovation is most needed in governance. Design is creating holistic solutions, not short term arrangements that create a new problem in place of the old one. Design is also about having the vision to take a bold step, even if it means doing something no one has done before, trading immediate economic gain, and power domination for more meaningful benefits, for countless future generations. 

Hats off to you Costa Rica, hope there are more courageous enough to go your way.

By Armeen Kapadia

Sony has a new camera, which does not require any batteries. The Sony Odo Twirl and Take hand powered digital camera, when rolled on a hard surface generates enough power to take a photograph. 

This unusual camera is shaped like a pizza cutter and requires around 15 seconds of rolling the rubber circumference of the round wheel on a hard surface, or by rubbing it with your fingers, to take one photograph. The camera is built into the handle, and at the round end there is a power meter that tells you how much it is charged. The device sits in a flowerpot like USB, which then connects to your computer enabling you to see the photographs. There is no display system on the camera, probably because it is a big power guzzler. 

The Odo line of products is made from recycled plastic, and this one is still in the prototype stage. This line of products is aimed at establishing a sustainable society, with products powered by kinetic energy. Other similar products are the Crank N' Capture digital video camera, and Pull N' Play stereo headphones. The Odo line of products is especially good for children, but can even be enjoyed by adults too. For these products, Sony has also developed solar powered batteries that can be charged in the sunlight, as an alternative to all the pushing and pulling.

Even though there are no plans to commercialize these products at the moment, such developments by companies such as Sony are good examples of sustainable solutions for the future. 

By Armeen Kapadia 

Mahmoud Mujahed at work

One of the main difficulties faced by disabled people is while using public transport. The transportation system and often people too, are not sensitive to the problems faced by them. A disabled Palestinian man, fed up with having to wait for taxis, built his own electric car. 

Mahmoud Mujahed, 64, has had severe knee injuries, and can only walk with the help of crutches. His disability forced him to give up work. Unable to afford taxis, he built his own electric car. It took him two weeks to build the car, which works on a 12 volt battery, and the help of a computer system. It can reach speeds of up to 80 miles an hour, and has 20 horsepower. Mujahed says, "Because I don’t work, I don’t have money to pay for transport. I thought I would make a car with three wheels.” The first car he built was too slow, but a friend, Abdul Sultan, suggested he make the car in this style, and it worked. “This is different to any other car and I don't think anybody has done anything like that before. Firstly we can say it's environmentally friendly because it operates on batteries". 

Necessity is the mother of invention. Faced with difficulties, people are known to do the seemingly impossible, or very difficult, to overcome their problems. The human creative power knows no limits, as Mahmoud Mujahed proves. It probably goes back to the early days of humankind, when people created the first tools to help them in their work. From making the first spade, to building a car, it is this unique ability of humans that separates us from the animal kingdom. Although some animals have highly evolved problem solving and tool-making capabilities, in humans this ability has developed to a very great degree. 

Mahmoud Mujahed hopes the Palestinian government, or an organization, will help take this invention to many others like him, as it can benefit millions of people worldwide.  

By Armeen Kapadia

www.civiltwilightcollective.com

On a full moon night, there is enough moonlight to make your way around quite easily. In cities we don’t notice this light because the streetlights overpower the light of the moon. The Civil Twilight Design Collective has designed a streetlight that responds to the strength of the surrounding moonlight, and adjusts to the different phases of the moon.

On no moon nights, the light is at it’s strongest, and on full moon nights, it is extremely dim or as good as off, resulting in major power savings of 90 to 95%. Retrofitting existing streetlights with dimmable LED bulbs and a highly sensitive photo-sensor cell that could detect and respond to moonlight can create these streetlights. Most people in cities never see the stars, or appreciate the cycle of moonlight. Only out in the country does one really notice the light of the moon, which is actually enough for us to see by. 

Moonlight, is in fact more uniform in nature. Biologically, the human eye is capable of seeing in a broad range in intensities, and functions well in moonlight, with both the rods and cones in the eye being active. Civil Twilight member Anton Willis says the idea evolved out of his master’s thesis for the architecture school at the University of California, Berkeley. Willis enlisted his friends and collaborators Kate Lydon and Christina Seely to help build the idea. All three have always had an interest in sustainability and energy issues. You can read more about the project here. 

This project has a ‘magical’ appeal, a mix of poetry and inspiration with science. This project could impact light pollution and energy savings on a global scale. As of now, the founding trio sees it being used more by college campuses, and other small independent entities. It might take some time for the concept to be embraced by city municipalities. And there are some places, such as hospitals or airports, where it may not be the ideal lighting system. But if even some areas of cities implement it, it can have widespread impact, and create more beautiful, and natural urban living spaces. 

By Armeen Kapadia

H2Zero is a viable and efficient waterless urinal produced by Caroma. It operates utilizing a new cartridge technology that incorporates Bio Seal, which is a one-way air tight valve to seal the cartridge from the drainage system and against back-pressure situations. 

The Bio Fresh deodorizing block, also housed within the cartridge, is activated during use, releasing a pleasant fragrance into the bathroom. The Bio Seal lasts up to 10,000 uses. 

H2Zero is an outcome of number of years of research and trials. The waterless cartridge can be removed and replaced. The urinal is world's most advanced water-saving design. This video above demonstrates how it works. 

With its design, H2Zero addresses key challengs that have been associated with waterless urinals, including performance, operation, odor management, durability and waste build-up. 

If you are interested in reading a three page technical manual go ahead and click here. 

By Sanjay Basavaraju

Linda from malariamustgo.com

Malaria is one of the major killers worldwide, with around 40% of the world’s population affected, and every 30 seconds a child dies of malaria. With a few simple measures, the disease can be prevented. Two students of the Royal College of Art’s Industrial Engineering programme, Katie Taylor and Andrew Stordy, have with come up two affordable products that help prevent malaria.

The two products are one that attracts and one that repels mosquitoes, Linda and the Koroboi Lamp respectively. Linda uses the most simple of everyday things, your smelly socks, that you have been wearing all day, and charcoal to attract and capture mosquitoes. At the base of the lamp charcoal is burnt to create carbon dioxide that then rises up to the top part where the sock is inserted. The combination of these two odors, carbon dioxide and the bacteria that live on human feet attract mosquitoes. The netting is impregnated with an insecticide, which kills the mosquitoes as soon as they land. There were many challenges while designing this product, which you can read about here. Linda can be used outside the house to attract the mosquitoes away from people. If lit before going to sleep, it can give a good night’s rest till the early hours of the morning.

The Koroboi Lamp was developed in Burundi with a local tinsmith. They can be filled with eucalyptus oil, or any other mosquito-repelling oil that acts as a mosquito repellent as it is vaporized. The Malaria Must Go project is a result of grass root level research, which included a trip to Tanzania, and user-centered design, with a focus on people’s attitudes and opinions. Malaria is linked to the cycle of poverty, so it was important that the product be locally made, and give employment to local people. Linda is being manufactured in a factory close to the users, and local artisans make the Koroboi Lamp.

The work has earned Stordy both an IDEA Gold award and a 2008 Dyson fellowship, among others. A strong sense of social responsibility, if inculcated at the student level, can have wide repercussions. Understanding of the local scenario is of prime importance, as good design exists in a context, and not in isolation. As Stordy says on his site, “The solutions we developed were generated by completely immersing ourselves in the problem at hand.”

Linda and the Koroboi Lamp, have a bright future, as they are designs that fulfill a very human need.

By Armeen Kapadia