Archive for March, 2010|Monthly archive page

Taurus Concept – Segway on Steroids

Posted March 29, 2010
Filed under: industrial design, muse |
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In a nut shell, the Taurus pictured above (designed by Erik Lanuza) is Segway-on-Steroids. Utilizing the same principle of gyroscopic balance (lean-forward-to-move, etc.), it is a lot sexier, and the design probably takes away a lot of the dorky-stigma that still plaques the original Segway.
And it got me pondering.
The Segway was very intentionally designed (based on the book Code Name Ginger which catalogs the design/development process) to look:
1) Unlike a transportation
The whole ‘revolutionary’ idea behind Segway was to look unlike a vehicle. If it looked like a vehicle, there’d be problems getting cities to permit it running on sidewalks. People would need licenses to drive/operate them. It’d be a lot less spontaneous to get on a Segway and roll down that sidewalk.
2) Not fast; perhaps to look almost meek, even
If it looked like it’s anything fast, sleek or sporty, everybody would claim it’d endanger (pedestrian) lives. Licenses and helmets become mandatory. The idea is to just portray a very neutral design that doesn’t look like it has untamed power underneath the hood.
3) Occupy minimum footprint
One of the rules-of-thumb in developing the Segway was that it shouldn’t exceed the footprint of a person’s shoulder – thus its current shape, which means that basically anywhere someone can go, the Segway should be able to fit. Office corridors, stairs, alleys, etc.
So, given:
- Designs like the Taurus above is a lot sexier. I’d love to get on it and zoom around, and be seen on it.
- Designs like the Taurus above, is a lot like a vehicle. It uses Segway-style technology, but it’s way too vehicular to adhere to Segway’s original “Personal Transporter” vision. It’s more like a motorbike.
- Designs like the original Segway, makes people label others using it as dorks, geeks, nerds.
How’d designers approach this tricky problem? Is the original Segway vision of an upright personal transporter that navigates sidewalks and office corridors a lost cause – no matter what you do, there’s no removing of that gloating-geek stigma?
Or is there some way to extract elements of the coolness in design from concepts like Taurus and apply it (in a deft way that defy looking dangerous to city council officials)?

Open Forum/Talk: Designing Designers

Posted March 23, 2010
Filed under: design, singapore |
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[Edit/Note: This event is postponed to Apr 23 instead.]

Calling Singapore-based design students and young designers: you might want to mark your calendar for Philips Senior Design Manager Brian Ling - perhaps more familiar to most of you as the man behind Design Sojourn – will be hosting a talk/forum/discussion on April 9th at Feng Zhu School of Design. Get some tips, ask some questions, get to know people … there’s always something to learn and improve on!

RSVP by April 3rd to rsvp@fzdschool.com or +65 63349258.

Olympic Logo through the Ages

Posted March 17, 2010
Filed under: design, video |
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Just found this video from a month back where designer Steven Heller gives a commentary on the series/evolution of Olympic pictogram designs through the years:

Gotta agree with him on almost all of it personally!

OK GO Rube Goldberg

Posted March 3, 2010
Filed under: video, Wow! |
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There are Rube Goldberg setups, and then there’s this:

I’m not sure if it’s already in some sort of record book for the sheer scale of it – just look at the size of the warehouse, and the variety of contraptions of all sizes…madness! No wonder it’s speeding its way around the web like wild fire…

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