In MAKER GALAXY

Maker Galaxy E13: Randy Schwemmin of D-Rev

2 Mins Read

We’re always talking about the future of design, the future of technology, the future of MAKING. In a world where smart skin patches can administer specific medications on a set schedule, a world where personal farms can be built into kitchens, how do we find the next big thing? MakerGalaxy is a show that explores the crossroads of Design, Technology, and the Future of Making.

This week we talked with Mr. Randy Schwemmin of the non-profit product design firm D-Rev. D-Rev aims to create medical equipment for populations that make less than $4 a day and Randy’s extensive background in manufacturing helps make this seemingly impossible task, possible. We’ll talk with Randy about everything from how he went from working in the aerospace industry creating million dollar products to products made for millions making less than $4 a day. We’ll also talk about how D-Rev approaches their design process as a non-profit, to where we can find the best ice cream sundae on earth and more.

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In CULTURE

Honda's Clever April Fools' Day Prank Pokes Fun at 'Makers' With a DIY Car Building Kit

2 Mins Read

We’ve seen our fair share of April Fools’ Day product design spoofs over the past few years that have actually been somewhat believable…if it wasn’t for the fact that the press release came out on April 1st. Yesterday was no exception and between products like the Sphero SelfieBot and the falconry-inspired ‘Twitter Helmet‘, those in the tech community were in for quite the laugh. Perhaps one of the more elaborate spoofs though came from Honda in which they poked fun at the Brooklyn/Portland Maker scene with a well-executed Portlandia-like video featuring beta-testers of their new ‘Fit Kit’ DIY car building kit.

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In FAB

The Wool Runners: Custom 3D Printed Wool Running Shoes That Are (Actually) Comfortable

2 Mins Read

Gone are the days where wool is strictly associated with lumberjack socks or heavy camping sweaters…today the wonder-material is being seen in more modern garments ranging from workout apparel from the likes of Icebreaker and SmartWool to…3D printed shoes? Yes…and comfortable ones at that. The Wool Runners are a new ‘sock-less’ running shoe that takes advantage of all the natural properties of wool you’ve come to love…and along with being environmentally-conscious, are completely customizable to your foot via a 3D scanning app.

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In CAD

Fish3d: A New Touch-sensitive, Interactive Modeling Environment

3 Mins Read

If you’ve been fishing, you know the layer of slime that covers the fish, protecting it from your nasty hand bacteria. It’s also a defense mechanism that helps protect the fish from predators and, as it turns out, is much more than what it seems. Particularly in the case of the Hagfish. Researches at MIT’s Media Ecology Lab have discovered a new way to interact with our Hagfish friends via the slime they produce while at the same time developing parametric surface geometry, a development that could very well push product design into your surrounding and away from the desktop.

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In RADIO

SolidSmack Radio | Bustin' Out (On the Funk)

1 Min Read

This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new face-smack of great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. This week we’re bringing out the funk to help welcome this spring weather (wherever you are). We’ll start with a James Brown classic and work our way through some Sly and the Family Stone, Rick James, Check Brown, and others before wrapping up with ‘Funkier Than a Mosquita’s Tweeter’ from Ike and Tina Turner.

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