New and Notable Product Design

Anyone's Can Can

Stage Systems Axess2 Chair. "Nothing less than amazing," said the report from the British Furniture Industry Research Association about this chair that exceeded scale limits on its test rig. The seat accommodated a load "an equivalent to 54 stones (756 lbs)."The key to such robustness is the flexible support for the backrest and seat made with DuPont Delrin^® acetal resin. Anthony Hill, managing director for Stage's parent firm and the chair's designer, says the resin was chosen for its "fatigue strength and good memory—allowing it to flex back to its original position. Other materials, whilst offering similar strength, could eventually fatigue and break, or possibly bend out of shape. Rather than any one property, it's the balance of elongation at yield and stiffness, combined with the design of the chair which allow it to return to its original shape after the application of a heavy load." Managing Director: Anthony Hill, (www.stagesystems.co.uk) Enter 576

Quicker Clicker

Philips Electronics iPronto (Tsi6400). No more wasting time watching your significant other channel surf for the TV programs you want to see. With one touch of a button, this universal remote control automatically changes the channel on your TV. At its heart is the iPronto editor — PC software that helps you build fully customizable user interfaces or choose from one of thousands available online. With it, you can customize your always-on, wireless control panel—giving the iPronto a personal look and feel with your own screens and remote control buttons—to find the weather, news, and sports you want from anywhere in the house. Never fight over the clicker again. Product Manager: Rein Hintzen (www.pronto.philips.com) Enter 577

Kayak In A Pack

FirstLight Folding Kayak. There will be a lot more happy campers with this collapsible kayak that fits in a backpack. Depending on the model, it weighs 15-22 lbs and assembles in 15 minutes. Enabling the design is the hull made from a single sheet of Stevens Urethane ST-1880 TPU, eliminating seams under the waterline. "Performance was key, and for our hull that means dimensional strength, elasticity, puncture and abrasion resistance, and UV resistance," notes FirstLight CEO Martin Ross. TPU's elasticity (elongation up to 200%) minimizes rips—if the kayak hits an object, the hull will stretch and return to its original shape. And since the material has no plasticizers, it will not become brittle with age or at low temperatures—critical for years of folding and unfolding. CEO Martin Ross (www.firstlightkayaks.com) Enter 578

Swinging To Perfection

Butch Harmon's Laser Golf Trainer. FORE... Swoosh... right into the sand trap again! Does this sound all too familiar? The Laser Trainer will help you take your golf game to a whole new level. By using two lasers, along with a Graphical Target Mat, a player sees exactly where his/her swing begins and ultimately ends in regards to the final target. Barry Boatner, president of Tour Swing Inc. says, "Initiating your downswing is key to successfully hitting the target." The lasers, one on the club head (Path Laser) and the other fitting the butt end of any standard shaft grip (Plane Laser), emit finely focused beams of red light providing visual indication on the entire range of a player's swing as it tracks across the mat. Boatner adds, "See what you're doing based on science, and you will believe it." Lead Engineer: Barry Boatner (www.lasertrainer.com) Enter 579

Stirred But Not Shaken

JMTek USBDrive Weatherproof™. Now you can schlep your data without fear of rain, sleet, snow, or dropping it in the swimming pool (or worse). This high capacity (512 Mbyte and 1 Gbyte) USB 2.0 flash memory device is water tight down to at least 3-ft deep. And because of sturdy materials, such as polycarbonate shells, even lower depths just require drying out. According to Managing Director Ahmad Aqqad, "Injection molding techniques allow less leakage into the housing." Water tightness, he says, comes from "a gasket on both halves of the housing, which are ultrasonically welded together." During the design process, engineers found where any water would leak and redesigned those potential ingress points. Managing Director: Ahmad Aqqad (www.jmtek.com) Enter 580

Cart For The Medical Course

Modo Flo Cart System. Cutting clutter in a hospital room and lending a more "humanized" look are what these medical carts are about. Small footprint, no cable clutter (they're within the center post) were design objectives for a smaller, less "threatening" appearance, along with ease of maneuvering. For the latter, engineer Tom Sjordal, notes "Feel, sound, and touch were important. Balancing relative up and down force of the gas spring was critical to conveying a sense of quality and reliability. We tested gas springs and ranked each based on user responses. We shared this data with Suspa our supplier in developing an improved spring. Our solution combines tight tolerances and improved seals. By using a keyed piston, we reduced parts count and improved reliability." Lead Engineer: Tom Sjordal, (www.modocarts.com) Enter 581