The Design Technology Blog

Blog

  • Plastic Bags

    Plastic shopping bags, carrier bags or plastic grocery bags are a type of shopping bag made from various kinds of plastic. In use by consumers worldwide since the 1960s, these bags are sometimes called single-use bags, referring to carrying items from a store to a home.. In recent decades, numerous countries have legislation restricting the sale of plastic bags, in a bid to reduce littering and pollution. Traditional plastic bags are usually made from polyethylene, which consists of long chains of ethylene monomers. Ethylene is derived from natural gas and petroleum. The polyethylene used in most plastic shopping bags is either low-density (resin identification code 4) or, more often, high-density. Color concentrates and other additives are often used to add tint to the plastic. Many ethical concerns arise concerning the plastic bag invention however. Firstly, it is not a biodegradable material meaning it could stay for millions of years in an ecosystem without decomposing. Nature cannot decompose it’s structure. This would become an obstacle in the sense that it could have long-lasting consequences. A way to reduce or eliminate the need for plastic bags is to bring your own cloth bags to the supermarket instead of using their plastic bags. Thus they would be losing money and their plastic bags would not make them any money.

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_bag

  • Speakers

    Speakers:

    Speakers are in our everyday lives. Speakers allow us to share our music with others without having to share earphones. There are many different designs of speakers being made for your pleasure. Different designs and sizes like for example the Roc Speakers. The Roc Speakers are the size of an average person’s fist. Other speakers like the Bose speakers are much larger and louder. Different companies are trying to make speakers with the best base and sound delivery. Most speakers for younger generations are miniature due to portability. One of the most common portable speakers used today is the “iHome iHM89 Rechargeable Portable Mini Speakers”. These speakers come in a pair, and allow the user to play music from the same source, but with double the volume and clarity. The most expensive yet popular types of speakers are wireless. These speakers have endless possibilities. Allowing the user to play and mix music from two different sources. The “Samsung HW-E450 Wireless AirTrack Sound Bar” costs $299.99, but gives the user the freedom to mix and DJ the music. It also contains two different speakers, so it’s double the impact. Overall, speakers are essential in our lives. Allowing us to share music and other media with other people, speakers are seen every day.

    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=s9_dnav_bw_ir01_s?rh=n%3A172563%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A172572&ie=UTF8

    http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/speakers/index.jsp

  • Smart Insole

    People who have received an artificial leg, had a hip replacement, or who are recovering from a broken leg all want to avoid  developing a limp. Not only will it limit their mobility and increase the risk of falls, but it can also lead to problems such as osteoarthritis (osteoarthritis is a joint disease that mostly affects cartilage. Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint. Healthy cartilage allows bones to glide over each other. In osteoarthritis, the top layer of cartilage breaks down and wears away.) That’s why mechanical engineer Prof. Stacy Bamberg is developing the Rapid Rehab system, it’s a “smart” insole paired to a smart phone app, designed to provide users with feedback on how they walk.

    The gel insole combines two force-sensitive resistors that measure pressure when the patient’s foot is on the ground. It also contains an accelerometer for detecting leg movement, and a gyroscope (a device, used to provide stability or maintain a fixed orientation) for determining the angle and position of the foot.

    Data from all of those sensors is wireless and transmitted to a smartphone that uses a custom app to create a real-time profile of the patient’s gait. It will note any problems with their walking pattern, and then advise them via their choice of instant visual, audioStacy Bamberg and sole or sensory feedback.

    Rapid Rehab Sole

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Citation: 

    • ” Smart insole could help improve gait problems.” Design Engineering News, Products, Features and Research for Engineers. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://www.eurekamagazine.co.uk/design-engineering-news/smart-insole/46176/>.
    • “Rapid Rehab.” Rapid Rehab. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://images.gizmag.com/hero/rapidrehab.JPG>.
    • “Stacy with insole.” Stacy with insole. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://www.engineering.com/Portals/0/BlogFiles/DesignerEdge/1112/Insole%20Offer%20More/Stacywithinsole.jpg>.
    • “carollorenz27: Smart insole designed to correct gait problems.” carollorenz27. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://carollorenz27.blogspot.com/2012/11/smart-insole-designed-to-correct-gait.html>.

  • The Electric Car

    The Electric Car

    Federico Maroli

    An electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one electric motor or more, using electrical energy stored in batteries or another energy storage device. Electric Motors give electric cars instant torque, creating strong and smooth acceleration. Some cars have an electric motor that works when the driver is pushing “hard” on the throttle and a benzene motor that works when the driver is exceeding a certain speed. This allows the car to pollute less while driving around the city and driving at normal speeds on highways. Also Electric Cars are considered to be more expensive due to the fact that they are equipped with ultra-modern systems in their motors, however Hybrid Cars, since they are an innovation and an improvement of the “old” cars, they are accessible to “low income people”. One common positive effect these cars have is the decrease of air pollution and also noise pollution, which some people find incredibly annoying. Also, it will allow future generations to have a supply of fossil fuels of their own, in order to use them for public and private transport when they will need it.

     

    References:

    –http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car

    -http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Reva_charging.jpg

    Reva car charging in London

  • The iPod

    iPod Family

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/IPod_family.png/250px-IPod_family.png>.

     

     

     

    The iPod is a portable media player that was designed and, now, sold/marketed by Apple. The company has designed 4 varieties of the iPod: iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod touch and iPod classic.  IPods can be used to store music, photos, videos, games and much more; nonetheless, how much iPods can store depends on the storage capacity, which is different for each model. The capacity of the iPod can vary from 2GB, which is usually found in models like the iPod shuffle & iPod nano, to 160GB, which is normally the case with the iPod classic. This product is considered convenient and worthwhile, which is why it is so popular and still bought all over. Whenever an athlete wishes for the time to pass while running or a teenager feels bored on his/her way to school, the iPod is always a solution for such cases.

     

    Although the iPod is such a beneficial and beloved product, it does happen to be the cause of numerous negative effects on society. Firstly, despite the fact that people are aware of the results of listening to their iPods while driving, people do so anyway. This frequently leads to many car accidents as people forget to concentrate on the road. The same happens with those going by foot or by bike, as they also neglect the fact that they might get run over because of the music playing in their ears. Moreover, iPods also create antisocialism, as people now prefer to listen to their music rather than to interact with their friends/acquaintances. Logically, isolating oneself from the rest of society could lead to many problems later on. Furthermore, people that listen to music too loud also receive hearing problems early on. The pressure of the high volume on a person’s ear drums causes either periodic hearing loss or, sometimes, permanent hearing loss, depending on how badly the individuals’ ear drums is damaged. Lastly, the fact that illegally downloading music has become an ordinary thing is very problematic for the music industry. When people download the music without paying, the music industry loses a lot of money as a result of the record sales that drop immensely.

  • Car Invention

    The invention of car using combustion engine by Henry Ford was the most significant inventions of the 1920s, dramatically changing the lives of Americans.

    However the very first car invented was made with steam engine in 1866 by Richard Dudgeon.

    Throughout the first few years of the 1920s, cars became a hit with almost everyone, especially young people who desired for freedom and excitement.

    The cars also helped the companies and the industries of America. As people found it hard to drive on the dirt roads that were not in a suitable condition and that it required more fuel to run, America started road construction.

            

    Nation wide, the road construction created more jobs and strengthened the economy further.

      However as cars became overpopulated, they have been influencing our environment negatively.

    “The price of automobiles doesn’t begin to pay for the many indirect costs: waste of land and energy,loss of amenities,and the expenses of traffic enforcement, pollution and the cost of accidents by uninsured drivers…Society should stop paying the subsidies that keep this endless loop turning.”

       -Jane Jacobs. The Nature of Economics. Random House. 2000

    -Newrotoxins and carcinogens in car exhaust

    -Global Warming

    -Smog and acid rain

    -Ozone Depletion

    -Cars Reshape the Urban Environment

    -Passengers Die in Cars on a Daily Basis

     

     

    References

    • ” Cars: Their Impact on the Environment .” English Montreal School Board – Commission Scolaire English-Montréal. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://www.emsb.qc.ca/laurenhill/science/cars.html>.
    • “The Invention of the Car .” ThinkQuest : Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://library.thinkquest.org/J002604/LG-car.html>.

  • iPad

    Innovation: iPad- changes over the years

    iPad

    Introduced through apple, the iPad has become an extremely successful product. It is like a laptop where almost anywhere you can get instant internet access through 3G connection and sync it to all your personal and business related work. Its size is very convenient, allowing you to carry it anywhere without it being a burden as it is not heavy. This innovation was first introduced in 2010 and has since undergone multiple constructive discontents, now having five variants: original, iPad 2, third generation, fourth generation and the iPad mini. With each new release, there are improvements in many aspects which include size, weight, and the actual features. It is like a tablet which is completely touch screen, only having one button which takes you back to the home screen. The iPad is used entirely through the use of the hands where you can control each move proving to be extremely convenient.

    Environmental Effect:

    Though it is a revolutionary innovation, the Apple company tries to pose as though they are extremely environmentally friendly. However, parts used to make the ipad contain rare earth metals, toxic components and carcinogens. The way that the product is produced and the manner in which they are gotten in fact leads to horrible toxins released in to the environment. One of the greatest concerns pertaining to the production of these apple products is the mining of rare earth minerals. These parts are used not only in apple products, but are also needed for a wide variety of modern electric components such as circuits, GPS receivers, LCD screens as well as computer processors. These rare earth minerals can be found all over the world, however they are usually mined in China. The mining of these minerals leads to great environmental damage as most of them are put in miniscule quantities such as natural ore- this, requiring toxic refining process in order to get the pure product. The refining processes of these then leads to extremely toxic chemicals being thrown in to the environment. Though something that everyone may love, as can be seen the production of the iPad is causing great harm to the environment.

    References:

  • Innovative technology-OLED’s

     

    A technology that could be considered innovative are organic light-emitting diode, or OLED’s. These are organic compounds that will emit a color light if electricity is allowed to flow through them. These OLED’s are used in the digital display of many technologies, like phones, televisions, and handheld gaming consoles. Compared to LCD, they are better in many ways. OLED’s doing consume nearly as much power as a LCD, making the battery efficiently of them longer. The refreshing rate for OLED’s is much faster allowing the OLED’s to respond faster. Even though process of making OLED’s is more expensive than producing LCD’s, OLED’s can be made much cheaper, for instance if OLED screen printing becomes used for mass production. Finally, the brightness and clarity of OLED’s are much higher compared to LCD’s. They don’t need to have glass to be built with it, which would absorb some of the light. OLED’s are also multi-layered, which makes the picture clearer. In addition to being better, they are friendlier on the environment. First off, they do use as much electricity as the other two. This makes them cheaper than the other two to use. As well, less energy is needed to power them, which affects the overall energy output of power plants, lowering their pollution.  Additionally, when compared to LCD, is that LCD lights have mercury. Mercury is toxic to both the environment and to people, which is one of the negative effects of them. OLED’s do not use mercury, which allows them to be safer, as well as cheaper in terms of recycling cost. With LED’s, OLED’s are both built with the same materials. However, OLED’s need fewer materials to build the same color scheme. This allows OLED’s to be made with fewer materials, making less waste that might have to recycle later. Finally, OLED’s can be used longer compared to the other two. This allows as well less waste to be recycled, because there is less that you would have to recycle.

    References

    Freudenrich, Craig. “How OLEDs Work.” HowStuffWorks. N.p., 2012. Web. 09 Dec. 2012

    G, Tobias. Green OLED Light. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., 9 Jan. 2008. Web. 9 Dec. 2012.

  • The Plastic Water Bottle

    The plastic water bottle is an innovation known to all. The plastic  water bottle provides a way to carry around water anywhere you want to. The plastic water bottle also provides an easier way to acquire water overall. For example, you can buy a water bottle from any small kiosk or store in the area. It’s also easier to store water when it’s in bottles as well. Such as storing a large amount of water in your house, so that whenever you are thirsty, etc, then you can just immediately have a drink, instead of having to have a filter, or any other way in which you have to clean water.

    “Plastic Water Bottle.” The Thing Green Line Shop. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <thethingreenlineshop.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/plastic-bottled-water.jpg>.
    Environmental and ethical issues include the danger to Earth as a whole, due to the harmful effects of the plastic that stores the water in the plastic water bottles. The plastic that is used in the water bottles is dumped into oceans, landfills, and pollutes the environment as a whole. Not only is the plastic dumped into oceans and landfills, but it’s also dumped into other random countries, such as India. India has tons of mountains of plastic bottles that still are being dumped upon to this day. Not only is bottled water messing up the environment, but bottled water is also messing up the economy, and the whole world as a whole. Over the past 10 years, the price of bottled water has tripled in cost. Even though bottled water is thousands of times more expensive than tap water, more and more Americans still drink bottled water over tap water. The result is that since more and more money is being spent on bottled water, more and more bottled water will be produced, which results in more plastic waste that is being dumped into oceans, and countries such as India. Water is more expensive than gasoline at this point, and it’s pointless to be buying water bottles, when you could drink tap water for almost free. In a way, water bottles are more harmful than gasoline, as the impact of both are technically the same, as they both pollute the environment as a whole. Humans in general should stop buying and drinking out of plastic water bottles, and instead switch to tap water. Tap water is clean, and is easier to access compared to bottled water. If humans could accomplish that, then the Earth would be a much cleaner and safer place than it is today.

  • Innovative Work- Earphone Alarm

    Earphone Alarm

    The Earphone Alarm, also known as a Anshinkun-2 is a new Japanese gadget that works as a small timer, worn just like an earphone. It’s very light, so it does not cause discomfort, and small so it’s not unattractive, nor does it get in the way. Its’ portable, and runs on batteries so it does not need to be plugged in or charged. This gadget is very useful for multiple things, such as if you’re on a train for example and fall asleep, the timer will go off to wake you up so you don’t miss your stop. Another bonus about the Anshinkun-2 is because it’s in your ear, it won’t disrupt other people, and only you can hear it. Other situations it would be useful in would be if you need to work for a certain amount of time, just set it to go off when you need to stop. It’s handy when cooking because you can time your food and walk around the house or go out and not miss the alarm on the cooker, for example. Another big selling point about it is its waterproof, so you can use in when showering or skiing. It’s manufactured by the Japanese company Honda Tsushin Kogyo, and sells on the market for 11 dollars.

    Though it is a great product, there are also environmental factors to take into consideration. An example of this would be the manufacturing that takes place, the use of the product and the disposal of the packaging and batteries that it needs to function, which are bad for the environment while being made, and if they are not recycled properly. Also, the actual making of the gadget is not environmentally friendly, because like many, if not all factories, the smoke and chemicals released while the product is being made are bad for the atmosphere. When the earphone alarm is actually made, it then has to be shipped to other various countries which will be selling the product. The shipping not only costs money, but the shipment also has to be disposed of once the product is in its designated area, or should be recycled properly which is no guarantee. Then once it has actually reached the destination in which it will be sold, its packaging has to be taken care of properly, or it’ll just be thrown away and regarded as waste. We also should take into consideration what will happen with the actual product or earphone alarm when the buyer has finished with it. It could be recycled for parts, but will most likely just be thrown away.

     

     

    Citations-

    – “i-store guide: 10/23/09.” i-store guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://i-storeguide.blogspot.com/2009_10_23_archive

    – “Coolest New Inventions from Japan: Earphone Alarm – BusinessWeek.” BusinessWeek Slide Shows and Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/09