Winner, winner Chickn Dinr App
September 12, 2017 3:02 PM Subscribe
Spot On: A period and birth control-tracking app powered by Planned Parenthood. Transpose: A modular airplane design from Airbus. Pro Hijab: Nike's breathable, lightweight performance hijab for Muslim women athletes. The Willow Pump: An all-in-one smart breast pump that works inside a bra, collects milk in an internal bag, and tracks volume through an app, without any dangling cords or bottles. Dyson Supersonic: Dyson's hairdryer engineered for balance in the hand and to protect hair from heat damage. These are just a few of winners of Fast Company’s sixth annual Innovation By Design Awards. [Note: article annoyingly doesn't link to products.]
Past winners: 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012
Past winners: 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012
I appreciate that someone thought to exploit the Dark Web to sell Soylent.
posted by roger ackroyd at 4:16 PM on September 12, 2017
posted by roger ackroyd at 4:16 PM on September 12, 2017
Links:
Spot On, with download link
Transpose and related Wired article.
The Willow Pump is in beta and sells for $479.99 to beta testers.
Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is $400; Amazon reviews are overwhelmingly positive, even though they include notes like "everything written on the box is in Kanji, so if your Japanese is rusty, you are going to have to figure it all out yourself. Also, the unit is NOT happy running on US 120V power."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 4:19 PM on September 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
Spot On, with download link
Transpose and related Wired article.
The Willow Pump is in beta and sells for $479.99 to beta testers.
Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is $400; Amazon reviews are overwhelmingly positive, even though they include notes like "everything written on the box is in Kanji, so if your Japanese is rusty, you are going to have to figure it all out yourself. Also, the unit is NOT happy running on US 120V power."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 4:19 PM on September 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
Missed one: Nike's Pro Hijab will be available starting early next year.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 4:21 PM on September 12, 2017
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 4:21 PM on September 12, 2017
An object should not be considered for a design award until after it exists in the real world (looking at you Airbus).
posted by aramaic at 4:29 PM on September 12, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by aramaic at 4:29 PM on September 12, 2017 [8 favorites]
So I'm just guessing based on every other similar old-product-with-nice-design-and-an-app but the Willow Pump sends all your information to the company servers, won't work at all without an internet connection and will turn into an expensive paperweight if the company goes out of business and their servers go dark?
I hope not, but what are the odds that something that got funded during the Juicero funding round doesn't work like every one of its startup siblings?
posted by Infracanophile at 4:47 PM on September 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
I hope not, but what are the odds that something that got funded during the Juicero funding round doesn't work like every one of its startup siblings?
posted by Infracanophile at 4:47 PM on September 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
The idea of combining Juicero's patented squeezing technology with human breasts is... unpleasant.
posted by tobascodagama at 5:04 PM on September 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by tobascodagama at 5:04 PM on September 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
Worst. Mammogram. Ever.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:12 PM on September 12, 2017
posted by Room 641-A at 5:12 PM on September 12, 2017
Back when boy was wee, I tried hard to get a couple of companies interested in helping me to engineer a better pump, but the minute I mentioned boobs, people...rather, men, got squeamish and didn't want to brainstorm.
I haven't had a chance to look at this rig, or how it ends up being an ioat product, but breast pumps are barbaric, and better solutions must be found.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 6:12 PM on September 12, 2017 [10 favorites]
I haven't had a chance to look at this rig, or how it ends up being an ioat product, but breast pumps are barbaric, and better solutions must be found.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 6:12 PM on September 12, 2017 [10 favorites]
The idea of combining Juicero's patented squeezing technology with human breasts is... unpleasant.
Of course, Juicero failed because its patented juice squeezer was easily replaced by manual labor.
posted by notyou at 7:02 PM on September 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
Of course, Juicero failed because its patented juice squeezer was easily replaced by manual labor.
posted by notyou at 7:02 PM on September 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
I haven't had a chance to look at this rig, or how it ends up being an ioat product, but breast pumps are barbaric, and better solutions must be found
Have you seen the haakaa pump? Hands free, one piece (i.e. easy to wash...stick the whole thing in the dishwasher if you want, but it's so easy to wash that why would you), no tubes/cords, which means you can wear it around the house while you make dinner or whatever. Not electric, not battery, no motion, no sucking. As far as I can tell, it works by magic. You stick it on your boob and milk starts coming out. Why? Honestly, I don't know. It just does.
Oh, and it costs around $20.
I have no financial interest in haakaa or it's knock-offs, I'm just kind of awestruck that this thing is just magic.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:06 PM on September 12, 2017 [5 favorites]
Have you seen the haakaa pump? Hands free, one piece (i.e. easy to wash...stick the whole thing in the dishwasher if you want, but it's so easy to wash that why would you), no tubes/cords, which means you can wear it around the house while you make dinner or whatever. Not electric, not battery, no motion, no sucking. As far as I can tell, it works by magic. You stick it on your boob and milk starts coming out. Why? Honestly, I don't know. It just does.
Oh, and it costs around $20.
I have no financial interest in haakaa or it's knock-offs, I'm just kind of awestruck that this thing is just magic.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:06 PM on September 12, 2017 [5 favorites]
If you want to see a foul-mouthed Canadian engineer take apart they Dyson, here you go.
posted by sol at 9:37 PM on September 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by sol at 9:37 PM on September 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
one of the movie theaters i go to has those dyson airblade hand dryers
you know, the ones that cost too much and are marketed as if made by jesus christ
you have to move your hands in and out this tiny space while avoiding to touch the icky rubbery sides
and the air it puts out smells like despair and regret
/grandpa simpson
posted by Foci for Analysis at 9:39 PM on September 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
you know, the ones that cost too much and are marketed as if made by jesus christ
you have to move your hands in and out this tiny space while avoiding to touch the icky rubbery sides
and the air it puts out smells like despair and regret
/grandpa simpson
posted by Foci for Analysis at 9:39 PM on September 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
All my love for Planned Parenthood, but Spot On looks like a worse version of Clue.
posted by Emily's Fist at 11:14 PM on September 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Emily's Fist at 11:14 PM on September 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
The haakaa is cool but generally reviews say it will not replace an electric pump - it can for some women, but for most women it is useful for occasional hand pumping and more specifically to catch leakage and letdown milk while the baby nurses on the other breast.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 12:46 AM on September 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by the agents of KAOS at 12:46 AM on September 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
I really like the Transpose concept which handily repurposes a cargo plane with its reconfigurable deck to do flexible interiors. You could have a 12-hour sleeper service full of bunkbeds on one flight, military standard seating for government work on the next, or just family-friendly restaurant-style seating with chairs around a table and cribs for babies. It doesn't even need to be just one type, just mix and match depending on who books a flight.
It will never actually happen, as airlines pretty much need to be densely packed buses in the sky to survive in the modern air travel economy, but I can't help loving the idea of a student group arranging their final year celebration by chartering a flight to Ibiza that has its own bar and café.
posted by Eleven at 3:00 AM on September 13, 2017 [2 favorites]
It will never actually happen, as airlines pretty much need to be densely packed buses in the sky to survive in the modern air travel economy, but I can't help loving the idea of a student group arranging their final year celebration by chartering a flight to Ibiza that has its own bar and café.
posted by Eleven at 3:00 AM on September 13, 2017 [2 favorites]
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posted by tobascodagama at 3:08 PM on September 12, 2017 [6 favorites]