Design News has a highly creative, intelligent, and innovative audience.
The more I read and respond to comments on the stories posted on our site, the more impressed I am with you, our readers, and your knowledge. Many audience members not only have theoretical knowledge in the areas they've trained in to track down problems, but also the kind of practical, hands-on experience that makes it possible to fix washing machines or re-engineer a lawnmower. We see both in the Sherlock Ohms and Made by Monkeys columns.
But I also see readers make creative, interesting comments on posts that go beyond immediate concerns, along the lines of "what would happen if you combined this feature or technology over here to solve a design problem with that entirely different other product class over there." For instance, in my recent article, 3D Printing & Robots at MD&M West, a thread started during a discussion about Rethink Robotics' Baxter, mentioned in the article as being designed from the ground up to be safer around humans. Readers were discussing various methods of making robots sense that a human was present or nearby, not a part to be picked up, so the robot would not run into the human or harm them in any way.
One reader commented:
I wonder if the flesh-sensing technology used in saws (i.e. table saws) would be able to be integrated into the 'skin' of a robot to help it identify humans. Since the saw companies are resisting using the technology, perhaps the robot industry would be able to incorporate it.
That kind of cross-platform creative thinking reminded me of the best of Silicon Valley-style innovation, which is where we got the now overused, but once illuminating, phrase "thinking outside the box."
As it turned out, other readers chimed in with some experience about that SawStop technology and the result is it may not make sense for robots. But that's important to know. It's especially helpful to know why, so engineers can make up their own minds and decide if the trade-offs are worthwhile, or if perhaps the technology could be applied in other designs.
For example, one reader said the SawStop technology has a sensing mechanism that wouldn't work around humans, an expensive reset process, and a tendency toward false stops. Another said SawStop has licensing fees, presumably expensive ones, and pointed out one reason it may not have caught on in the power tool industry was the need for retooling.
What if this was an idea that would work in this application? Maybe Rethink Robotics has already thought of it, but maybe they haven't. Or maybe one of their competitors would be interested in this idea. But all the potentially great ideas like this tend to get buried on the comment boards.
So I'd like to propose a forum on Design News that focuses on innovative, problem-solving design ideas where individual engineers and companies like robot manufacturers can trade comments and suggestions like these. What do you think? What are your ideas about how this could or should work? Please give us your suggestions in the comments section below about how to pull these ideas together, and what kind of forum it should be.
Saw a slideshow on how plastics are fighting disease. Immediately, I thought of developing living plastics. A plastic with it's own DNA controlled ability to reproduce and eventually obtain conscious awareness. Now how cool is that?
Yes, Ann, I agree and wanted to say that, too. The forum would definitely need some type of moderation to keep things on point. We do tend to go way off topic here in our free-for-all topic forum. (Myself included! But I think it's OK sometimes to do this, as it fosters discussion.)
Yes, I agree with this, too, Dave. I think there is still a lot of good information to share that protects IP as long as people walk the fine line between being both careful and open about ideas. And I think people in the U.S. are always so much more careful because of the whole fear of lawsuits and all of that, whereas there isn't such a litigation culture in other countries so they can be more open as a whole.
Dave, in that case, we can go for a 2 fold scrutiny for presenting a fair idea/technology by protecting the IP rights too. there is no doubt that the reader or listener has to get a fair idea about technology/project without revealing the entire thing.
"So I'd like to propose a forum on Design News that focuses on innovative, problem-solving design ideas where individual engineers and companies like robot manufacturers can trade comments and suggestions like these."
Ann, I think we need similar forums for express our ideas and innovations. Where you are planning for it; I would like to suggest for another tab in our home page.
Well it's really a good forum; everyone involved has the knowledge and experience which make it interesting to be a part of. A good opportunity to share experiences, knowledge and best practices. Design Ideas forum would be great way to share innovative ideas.
One idea is more of a message board or forum type of interface that allows "threads" to be created on specific design topics where users can pose a question, or solicit information. I regularly visit some college basketball websites that use this type of interface. It's great to have good moderators who help keep everything organized and help spur discussions.
Ann, I agree with Dave Palmer whe he says it's a good idea if done right. Right now, many of our articles (as you pointed out) turn into mini-design forums. This might be a chance to create a little repository -- all the design ideas in one place.
@Ann: I think it's a good idea, if done right. Engineers share design ideas and experiences at technical conferences all the time. Obviously it's important to be careful about intellectual property, but on the whole, being open is an advantage.
I've noticed at conferences that U.S. companies are often much more cagey about what they will and won't present, compared to Japanese companies. I've seen some presentations from U.S. companies that were a complete waste of time, since all of the useful data was withheld. In contrast, when Japanese companies decide to share something, they don't hold back any of the details. This seems like a much more reasonable approach.
ttemple, thank you, those are very good points. I think posting experiences from past lives is mostly what I had in mind, similar to what we do now, but in a more focused setting that's easier to find and contribute to.
Inspired by the hooks a parasitic worm uses to penetrate its host's intestines, the Karp Lab has invented a flexible adhesive patch covered with microneedles that adheres well to wet, soft tissues, but doesn't cause damage when removed.
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego are designing a robotic arm that takes inspiration from the loose, flexible, yet very strong structure of the armored plates on a seahorse's tail.
Researchers at the Missouri University of Science & Technology have designed a new nanoscale material that can transmit light faster than the 186,000 miles per second it usually takes to travel through air.
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