Like clockwork, the number of designers, engineers, and makers who launch their projects on crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo never ceases to amaze us. After all—doesn’t everybody love a great success story? For those curious to see if their side project ideas are worthy of a successful funding campaign, the best way to head into battle is to learn everything you can about why certain crowdfunding projects thrive—while many others, sadly do not. With over 98 lessons and 8 hours of content, this Ultimate Crowdfunding Bundle is a surefire way to ensure that you have your ducks in a row when it comes to launching your very own campaign.…

Some love the therapeutic nature of it; others entirely loathe it. Either way, one thing is for sure: vacuuming is vital to keeping your space clean. But from an ergonomics standpoint, many vacuum designs leave plenty to be desired. One subtle—yet common—ache caused by vacuuming is wrist ache, which comes from twisting your hand in weird angles while carrying the weight of a large suction tube. CANE, created by industrial designers Joongho Choi, Hyunsoo Choi, and Junho Shin, aims to fix sore wrists by implementing walking cane-like features into one of the most overlooked parts of a vacuum – the handle. While most vacuum handles exist as some variation of…

It’s time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device(s)! The Weekly App Smack is the best of new or updated design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list sure to make you more efficient. Do you have an app suggestion that has made your life easier or changed up your workflow? Let us know in the comments below or send it into tips@solidsmack.com. Hit it! Pulse – Haptic Metronome Watch (iOS — Free) Pulse is a sleek, minimalist, free pro metronome app with haptics and Bluetooth…

Unlike moving bikes, which give you a sense of freedom, adventure, and occasionally, dread, stationary bikes just…well, stand there. And while stationary bikes are useful for squeezing in some cardio when the weather is particularly nasty outside, their outdoor riding emulation leaves much to be desired. The Wattbike Atom is still a stationary vehicle, but unlike just about every other stationary bike, it at least helps simulate some of the thrills of riding a real bicycle outside. While the sense of balance and fear of falling off are noticeably absent (it is an indoor bike, after all), the bike simulates different outdoor terrains including uphill slopes and downhill curves. https://youtu.be/s0iiEwprJ4Y…

Get that stretch out of your system with this week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist. It’s fashioned up, ready to make you pull your shoulder blades back and knock out another week of meaningful work while you bob your head to the beat. Whether you’re in the shop milling aluminum, sketching the latest product prototypes or modeling up a 3D storm, consider these tracks as a tool for your process. This week we’ll get the groove going with “Fancy Man” from Devendra Banhart before diving into sweet melodies from Bayonne, Quilt, The Snails, Deep Sea Diver, and others before wrapping up with “ENRGY” from Stravy. Rock! Have suggestions? As always, let…

While not the preferred CAD tool of choice for every designer and engineer, there’s no denying that Rhino is here to stay. For those that do use it, the NURBS-based modeling program is well-loved for its ability to quickly create free-flowing organic models or rough 3D sketches before moving into a more robust parametric modeling program like SolidWorks. Released earlier this month, Rhino 6.0 is the latest stable release from Robert McNeel & Associates—with a slew of new features to boot. The most notable update is McNeel’s decision to fully bake in Grasshopper — the popular visual programming language used for generative design and other intricate organic form structures. Previously a…