AMIE CHEN

For gamers, digital artists, and coders alike, there is nothing more satisfying than a well-designed UI (user interface). Amie Chen has had much success with her UIs over the years, helping multiple startups and larger companies appeal to their clientele with an easy-to-understand interface. Among her programs are Pretzel, which shows keyboard shortcuts depending on which app is the current focus. She’s also the mind behind Stitches, an HTML template generator with CSS functions. In an interview with Maker Mag, she told them “making products is a byproduct of getting to a good solution, and getting closer to a good solution is what gets me out of bed every day.”

ARIELE ALASKO

On the opposite end of the spectrum of “digital to traditional” lies Ariele Alasko, a woodworker from Brooklyn. What began as a hobby quickly spiraled into a full-time job, with Alasko dedicating her time to crafting both functional and decorative pieces. One of her specialties? Brushes shaped like a “U” with bristles on both sides. But she’s also made cutlery, tables, mobiles, and wall hangings. Her Instagram is updated regularly with pictures of her woodwork as well, some of it for sale. (Occasionally, the updates are of her dog, Mazie.)

MENGLY HERNANDEZ

Most people find repetition to be… well, repetitive. But Mengly Hernandez relishes in it. According to her website, it’s “a meditation through which she explores and mends traumatic memories.” Beyond personal healing, it results in beautiful patterns and designs full of color. Her craft manifests in art installations and sculptures using a mix of fibers and textiles. She’s even dabbled in performance art. While none of her work is for sale, don’t think she’s just letting it sit in a gallery: much of it adorns her home or her body (or that of her children).

SARA VIEIRA

Hailing from Portugal, Sara Vieira is well-known for her unique, front-end apps and advocacy for mental health. In 2018, she released the popular app “Is There Uber In,” which informs travelers whether there’s a ridesharing service available in a certain location. As for mental health, her presentation “Your Brain Does Not Have a Fix Flag” uses pop culture references and easy-to-understand language to tackle a very serious issue. Her retelling of her own struggles with panic disorder and depression are blunt, but the writing and multitude of GIFs make it enjoyable.

JESS EDDY

Continuing our international tour is Jess Eddy, based out of Sydney, Australia. She’s worked on several projects over the years. Among these are “UI Goodies” and “Get a Room.” The former is a catalog of resources for designers and developers build a user interface. The latter allows users to easily book a conference room. In 2018, she told Maker Mag “to me, indie making is about empowerment. It’s not about waiting for someone else to bring a solution or asking for permission. It’s observing your environment and looking for areas to improve upon or innovate it.”

LAUREN HOM

Here’s a fun motto for you: “work hard, snack often.” These are the words that Lauren Hom has dedicated her life to. You’ve probably seen her lettering before- some of her past clients include Starbucks, YouTube, and TIME Magazine. The McCafé products at McDonald’s? That’s her! And true to her motto, her Instagram frequently features her delectable looking “Hom Noms.” Also worth checking out is her “Flour Crowns” series, where she dons delightful headwear… made of bread. Who says female makers can’t be stylish?

LISA HOLBROOK LEWIS

Lisa Holbrook Lewis is a female maker from Oregon who specializes in handmade goods. Her main passion are stump prints. Using stumps or logs found during hikes, she dips them in ink and stamps them to paper. The result is a one-of-a-kind piece of art. But that’s not all she can do with wood. She’s also crafted stools, candle holders, end tables, and planters from scavenged wood. While her Instagram hasn’t been updated for a while, her website “Light & Ink” still has plenty of prints available for sale.

LIMOR FRIED

Known as “Lady Ada,” Limor Fried is more than just an icon among makers. She’s empowering other makers to bring their creations to life. (Much like Inventionland!) Her company, Adafruit, was founded in 2005 and quickly became a staple for the NYC maker scene. In 2016, she was named a White House Champion of Change. Two years later, Forbes Magazine deemed her one of America’s Top 50 Women in Tech. She’s still proud of her honor with Wired Magazine, however, being the first female engineer to grace the cover.

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As the name implies, urban agriculture is the practice of growing and selling food in and around urban areas. An offset of the maker movement, it involves everything from beekeeping to agroforestry. The focus is on food, but anything that promotes green living and a better environment can fall under the “urban agriculture” blanket.

You’ve probably seen or at least heard of a few examples of urban agriculture. Maybe a local park has a community vegetable garden, or an apartment complex has small plots on the roof. Keeping planters on a balcony or windowsill also qualifies as urban agriculture, particularly if they’re growing herbs or vegetables. They don’t even have to be outside- hydroponics can be grown in a limited space, indoors or out, and still count provided it’s in an urban environment.

While many consider urban agriculture to be a modern fad, it’s well-rooted in history. In ancient Persia, semi-desert towns would use aqueducts to route water down from the mountains to support food growth. They even recycled by using waste as fertilizer. Machu Picchu also reused much of its water during the growing process, and vegetable beds were designed to absorb sunlight. The most famous example of historical urban agriculture might be allotment gardens, which popped up throughout Europe during times of famine, particularly the two World Wars.

The motivations behind urban agriculture vary as much as the methods it can manifest as. Some are motivated by a lack of food security. Growing your own food might be risky and difficult at first, but ultimately costs less than going to the store, which is a boon for lower-income families. On the other hand, they could be a result of a sustainable living program, a community project, or even just a few foodies wanting to try something new. Either way, the result is the same- fresh food for those who may not have it otherwise.

While urban agriculture has many benefits and is steadily growing in popularity worldwide, there are a fair number of trade-offs. Space is (naturally) limited in cities, making any real estate a premium. Using untreated wastewater to nurture the plants, as some do, could lead to the spread of waterborne illnesses. The larger the human population, the more insects there are, which are frequent enemies of plants. There are also municipal policies to deal with, like urban tree canopy initiatives. The shade caused by the tree cover prevents the gardens from getting the sunlight it needs to grow.

Still, as more cities and independent populations embrace urban agriculture, quality of life will improve for many. Not just those involved and enjoying the resulting produce- anybody in range will enjoy boons like decreased noise pollution, reduction of ozone, and even soil decontamination. Those directly contributing and feasting on the fruits of their labor may also be getting more nutrients and higher-quality versions of their retail counterparts. It’s good for the economy and for building a sense of community.

If the idea of joining an urban agriculture team or project overwhelms you, don’t worry. You can start small and work on your own or jump right into the deep end. Much like the maker movement, newcomers are welcomed with open arms. It’s all about making your life- and others- better.

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Sustainable and high-tech, lightweight yet extremely durable, engineered with performance in mind at a cost that won’t break the bank. Nike is constantly refining their production process to manufacture shoes with all of these game-changing solutions in mind.

With the success of their FlyKnit technology, Nike was able to create a new manufacturing method for their shoes using the least amount of material possible, while still maintaining a superior-performing product.

FlyKnit technology utilizes yarn and fabric variations where they are most necessary, creating a light-weight, form-fitting shoe that performs better than ever before. This revolutionary design helped pave way for Flyleather, a new type of material manufactured by Nike made using at least 50% recycled material.

In fact, Flyleather is the lowest carbon-footprint leather ever made. In a push to reduce their waste, Nike gathers their discarded leather scraps and turns them into fibers. Those leather fibers are then combined with synthetic fibers and fabric using a hydro-pressure process which generates forces so strong that it fuses everything into one material.

You may be wondering, how is Flyleather so sustainable? Well, to simply put it, the Flyleather manufacturing process uses 90-percent less water and has an 80-percent lower carbon footprint than traditional leather manufacturing. Not to mention, because the leather is made from recycled materials, it improves the efficiency of the entire process, creating a chain of events that helps generate less waste.

Turning to sustainability, Nike was able to create a manufacturing process that led way to a new means of producing high-quality products with the environment in mind.

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Designing cooking and bakeware innovations is nothing new for Inventionland’s team of Creationeers who work to serve creative ideas daily, seeing an idea through our 9-step process from concept to prototype, to real product in packaging.

Just last year, the Inventionland-designed Mega Bacon Pan made an appearance on QVC’s In the Kitchen with David. While it’s always exciting to see our products reach television sets of viewers everywhere, it’s even more gratifying when a product becomes a QVC best-seller!

That’s the same hope for the unique TriSagna Pan, set to appear during two popular segments on QVC today!

QVC’s Kitchen Unlimited with Carolyn

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  EST

QVC’s In the Kitchen with David

7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EST

By designing a unique pan with three separate sections and individual lifting trays, Inventionland designers were able to create the unique TriSagna Pan to enable chefs of all skill levels to easily prepare and simultaneously bake three kinds of lasagna in a single pan. From meat to vegetarian, this pan encourages at-home chefs to get creative in the kitchen.

Tune in today to see the TriSagna Pan in action!

Copyright Inventionland, 2017

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Each week, students of all ages walk through the doors of Inventionland to get a peek inside our whimsical invention factory, consisting of running waterfalls and 16 uniquely-themed sets. For many, it’s a truly eye-opening experience. Inspired students often leave with the encouragement that their skills will allow them to one day work in such a creative environment.

While many of our Creationeers have been part of the Inventionland team for over ten years, it’s fun to reflect back on the days when they were just students themselves.

“When I was in high school, I got into engineering. And industrial design, after I learned about what it was, it seemed like it was a real easy fit for me… I was doing a lot of artistic stuff, being able to still use some engineering skills and it just fit perfect,” said Design Manager Curtis who grew up drawing and painting.

Curtis’ skillset would ultimately lead him to Inventionland, which he actually helped to build!

“It’s not like working in your typical office. I think that was kind of the idea…to give us an environment that helps us work better and more efficient and get the job done in the best way we possibly can,” said Curtis.

Get to know the man behind the beard, who just happens to be the captain of one innovative boat, in Curtis’ episode of Inside Inventionland here!

In case you missed an episode, you can catch the rest of the Inside Inventionland series by checking the Inventionland blog or subscribing to the YouTube channel today!

Copyright Inventionland, 2017

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Late last year, founder and CEO Mr. George Davison (“Mr. D”) and a team of Inventionland Creationeers attended an exclusive, invite-only preview party at The Container Store’s brand new Pittsburgh location. Finding many Inventionland-designed and packaged products on their store shelves was exciting, but this New Year brings more great news. #ContainYourself because we have something pretty cool to share!

Thanks to a partnership with Jokari – a company that aims to “Make Life Better” with kitchen gadgets, storage and organization solutions, and more – our talented Creationeers have worked hard to innovate Jokari’s product line.

That dedication to innovation is what has brought many Jokari products to retail store shelves, including The Container Store. It all starts with an idea! As it turns out, sometimes those new product ideas become a “home run.”

Just this week, Mr. D announced that the Inventionland-designed Pull Up Hanger for Jokari, now selling in private-label packaging as the Chrome Tank Top Hanger by The Container Store, has been very well received! An email came in from Jokari’s buyer from The Container Store to note that this product is “…definitely a home run!”

“I think it’s a great example of taking a product in three different directions and seeing the possibilities,” said Creative Director of Design Tim, noting how the original Pull Up Hanger has been redesigned and packaged under Jokari’s Paula Deen Everyday collection, in addition to the new version at The Container Store.

Graphic Designer Tess originally thought of the concept back in 2010 as she stood in front of her closet. “One of the problems I had was storing my tank tops,” said Tess. “I was looking in my closet and trying to think of easy ways to store them. Then, I had that ‘aha!’ moment – what if they hung vertically, but you could lift them up to view them all? It was me at home thinking ‘I wish I had this!’ It’s a personal concept, something I needed and something I believed in. To see that it’s doing so well is pretty gratifying. It kind of justifies our design, research and product testing,” said Tess.

It may have been a while in the making, but sometimes these product development struggles make the best stories. “I love telling the story of how things might sit for ten years before they do anything,” said Tim. “If you believe in your idea and you keep nagging the right people, eventually it’s going to be a great seller as we’ve seen in this example with The Container Store,” said Tim.

Congratulations to Tess and the team for believing in an idea and seeing it through the years! Check out Tess’s Chrome Tank Top Hanger at The Container Store here!

Copyright Inventionland, 2017

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It’s a chain reaction! Once some of our Inventionland Creationeers got a look at the crazy contraptions students came up with for the Chain Reaction Contraption Contest (CRCC) earlier this year, there was no doubt they’d be excited to see what the next contest would bring.

The contest, sponsored by Westinghouse Electric Company and presented in cooperation with the Carnegie Science Center and the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania, is a creative competition geared towards students in grades 9-12 that challenges them to create a machine that will accomplish a task using a unique series of steps.

The 2016-2017 theme of “UNLOCK and LOCK IT UP” fostered many unique submissions from talented student groups and individuals, all of which Inventionland Creationeers got to view and judge at the Carnegie Science Center event earlier this December.

For our Creationeers, it was a fun opportunity to attend as a group to offer a professional maker and inventors’ take on all of the students’ contraptions.

“I was very excited about leading this team of people on this fun adventure,” said Creationeer Michael, better known as “Spicey,” who has participated in the event before. “It was nice having several of us from the Inventionland team there this year.”

Spicey was joined by fellow Creationeers Shannon, Megan, Chris and Jon whose first time participating was an experience that impressed.

For Creationeer Chris, the Chain Reaction Contraption Contest fell right in line with his fascination with Rube Goldberg’s contraptions. Reuben Garret Lucius “Rube” Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor. “He’s kind of the guy these contraptions are based off of,” said Chris. “He made overly complicated machines to do something really simple.”

These “overly complicated machines” were created with so much detail that Creationeers couldn’t help but take notice.

“There was a wide range of contraptions. Overall, the creativity was impressive. Some of them had a real attention to detail. That was probably the most impressive thing that some of them accomplished was their attention to detail,” said Chris.

One student from Leechburg Area High School won the “What Will You Create?” award, sponsored by Inventionland, which was presented by Spicey.

“The detail of the different things she did brought it together,” said Spicey. With her jungle-themed contraption, Spicey said, “She did a great job laying out the story with such creativity. She did an excellent job of creating a story about the way a tiger was going to be captured. The whole contest is about ‘unlock and lock,’ so the ball – in this case, a tiger – traveled down the path, activating each cage that would come down to trap the tiger again. So, once the ball gets to the bottom of the contraption, it traps it! It was very well done and uniquely made,” commented Spicey.

“Everybody’s contraption was really different even though they were trying to accomplish the same thing,” said Creationeer Shannon.

“I was very impressed,” said Creationeer Megan. “I liked to see what they came up with. Whether they worked or not, it was cool to see the effort the students put into it.”

Creationeer Jon was equally impressed. “It was really cool to see the enthusiasm of the students. I was impressed with the creative ways that they came up with to make their contraptions work…It was cool to see their teams work together,” said Jon.

Participation in the contest aligns with Inventionland’s educational offerings. “We’re well on our way to promoting our education offerings to schools and I think this fits right within what we’re doing with all the schools. The students are learning new things and being creative!” said Spicey.

“They’re definitely going to be the inventors of the future!” said Chris.

Congratulations to all of the 2016-2017 Chain Reaction Contraption Contest winners and participants!

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

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Despite the fact that the United Kingdom plans to add plug-in chargers every 20 miles along highways, they are planning on testing out a better way to make driving an electric vehicle even easier!

Highways England recently announced that they will begin an 18-month trial to test charging lanes.

The goal of this trial is to hopefully boost the range of electric cars by introducing roads that can simultaneously charge a vehicle while driving.

During this trial, vehicles will be equipped with wireless technology while special equipment will be installed underneath the roads to replicate motorway conditions.

Electromagnetic fields will then be generated, thanks to electric cables that will be buried under the surface. These fields will then be picked up by a coil inside of the vehicle’s device that is then converted into electricity.

If this trial goes well, the new electrically-charged highways would be an added benefit to the existing network of plug-in chargers.

Highways England electrically-charged highway (image: gizmag.com).

Though the benefits of more charging options may seem fairly obvious, if this trial conducted by Highways England works out, it could also potentially save drivers time and improve the distance that electric vehicles can travel.

The duo of charging stations, as well as the charging highway, can help foster a comprehensive ecosystem for electric vehicles.

Highways England has planned the first trial for later this year. As mentioned before, a section of fake highway will be created in order to test the new technology and after the 18 months have elapsed, the group will decide on next steps and if they want to scale up the research or not.

Will it be full charge ahead with Highways England’s latest innovation? I guess we’ll see in 18 months!

Copyright Inventionland, 2015

Sources:

https://mashable.com/2015/08/17/electric-car-charging-uk/

https://www.fastcoexist.com/3049836/the-uk-is-testing-electric-highways-that-would-charge-your-ev-as-you-drive

Media:

https://images.gizmag.com/hero/uk-electric-highway-trial@2x.jpg

https://images.gizmag.com/inline/uk-electric-highway-trial-1@2x.jpg

The post Highways England is Full Charge Ahead with Latest Idea appeared first on Inventionland.

It was once thought that caviar was only for the rich. However, thanks to the Imperial Spherificator, caviar-like food will hopefully be made for the masses.

Now, it’s not just any type of caviar; in fact, it’s custom caviar. For instance, the Imperial Spherificator has created mint and black currant pearls for a desert and tabasco pearls for oysters, to name a few.

Now, not every food can be transformed into this delicacy. After all, it might be hard to turn a pork chop into spheres.

But, that’s beside the point. In fact, fruits, vegetables and spices are all fair game.

The process that the Spherificator uses isn’t new. It’s actually well known in the molecular gastronomy world.

Generally, a small syringe is used in order to create the small caviar-like spheres. However, the Imperial Spherificator simplifies the process with an adjustable, powdered mechanism that produces the perfect, uniform sphere each and every time.

Let’s take a better look at the Imperial Spherificator process. It begins with either a ready-made liquid or a blend of your choice that is then poured into the device along with the alginate.

From there, a person can dispense the liquid from the Spherificator into a bowl of cold water and calcium chloride. When these two meet, a chemical reaction follows and creates a thin membrane that traps the liquid in a soft squishy sphere.

The roe-like product is then removed with a strainer, rinsed and used as desired.

Check out this quick video to get a better look at the Imperial Spherificator process!

Copyright Inventionland, 2015

Sources:

https://gizmodo.com/you-know-you-want-a-machine-that-turns-any-food-into-di-1720636610?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_twitter&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

https://www.gizmag.com/imperial-spherificator-caviar-pearls/38666/

Media:

https://images.gizmag.com/gallery_lrg/imperial-spherificator.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7w6Hvv1a0M

The post Imperial Spherificator is on a Roll! appeared first on Inventionland.

DADSS is a new technology that was invented to help determine whether or not a driver is intoxicated and it works in a way that eliminates the need for a breathalyzer.

This technology is the result of a research partnership between the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS), which represents 17 automobile manufacturers, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), to assess and develop alcohol-detection technology to prevent impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel.

The purpose of DADSS is to explore the feasibility and the potential benefits and challenges that are often associated with a more wide-spread use of in-vehicle technology to prevent drunk driving.

The new technology that is currently being developed is breath and touch sensors that can determine a person’s blood alcohol level and, in turn, disable a vehicle if the level is above the legal limit of .08.

A study from the NHTSA that was published in March 2014 revealed that 25% of drunk driving arrests were from repeat offenders.

Though that’s an outstanding statistic, there is good news and that is that drunk driving rates are falling in the United States and have gone down 30% since 2014.

Essentially, the DADSS program is centered on researching advanced driver assist technology that will be made available in future new vehicles.

To that note, currently 21 states – including Alabama, Illinois and New York – require the use of ignition interlock, which is a breathalyzer that controls the ignition of a car.

The ignition interlock isn’t fool-proof; however, the DADSS technology is much more effective than the former.

Take a look at this video:

DADSS is showing a lot of promise thanks to its advanced technology. It’s the hope that one day DADSS will be included as an optional safety feature for purchase in new cars.

Copyright Inventionland, 2015

Sources:

https://mashable.com/2015/07/27/schumer-drunk-driving/

https://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety/DADSS

Media:

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2826/11064883376_82cb9baf63_o_d.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yykyT4YRw4A

The post DADSS Aims to Hit the Brakes on Drunk Driving appeared first on Inventionland.