Group items tagged

Natural Curves: Organic ‘Wood Wave’ Floating Home Design if (isPaidRef_jswsa() || isSearchRef_jswsa() || isRef_jswsa('weburbanist.com|webecoist.com|gajitz.com')) {write_jswsa('googbanner');} else if (isRef_jswsa('dornob.com|stumbleupon.com')) {} else if (document.referrer == "") {} else if (isOld_jswsa(jswsaDate,10)) {write_jswsa('googbanner');} else {} Outside and in, from the curved wood cladding to the  swooping wooden ceilings, this undulating houseboat design by Robert Oshatz evokes the dynamic movement of the river water on which it floats. The series of intersecting and overlapping organic forms creates a sense of constant movement that is clearly inspired by surrounding waves but likewise reflects the never-still nature of the structure itself. More than just a clever aesthetic trick, however, this repeated form also serves a series of architectural functions, from defining interior volumes to letting in exterior natural light at both ends and along the roof line. The repetitive use of wood both inside and out also enhances the nautical theme of the home, giving residents the abstract sense that they are within a curved sea-faring wooden vessel as much as they are floating inside of a house. Wide-open views of the water are balanced by beautiful but privacy-protecting wood-shingled surfaces on the dock side of the structure.

Last week I had the privilege of meeting Adam Greenfield, author of Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing. It's one of my favorite books about the Internet of Things and is still ahead of the curve, even though it was written in 2005 and published in 2006. Greenfield was in my city Wellington for the week, so I sat down with him at a local cafe to get his views on the current state of Internet of Things and where it's headed.

Clickers, or student response systems, are a technology used to promote active learning

Clickers provide a mechanism for students to participate anonymously. Clickers integrate a "game approach" that may engage students more than traditional class discussion.

modern students are primarily active learners, and lecture courses may be increasingly out of touch with how students engage their world.

Industrial design modelling, used to make prototypes of home appliances or mock-ups of car parts, could soon make the leap from the world of plaster, plastic and sticky tape into the digital domain thanks to an augmented reality design system developed in Europe. function google_ad_request_done(google_ads) { if (google_ads.length < 1 ) return; document.write("< google_ads.length; ++i) { document.write(" google_ad_client = "pub-8430344808469242"; google_alternate_ad_url = "http://www.azom.com/images/spacer.gif"; google_ad_channel = "8293186506"; google_ad_output = "js"; google_max_num_ads = 6; google_ad_type = "text_image"; google_color_line = "330000"; google_feedback = 'on'; The system, developed by a team of researchers from six EU countries, merges touch-sensitive haptic technology with 3D digital modelling and computer-aided design (CAD) to allow professional designers to feel and shape their creations physically and virtually. Implemented commercially, the system promises to save companies time and money, raise designers' productivity and improve the quality of new products.

"Haptics is far from a mature technology, and this project was one of the first to build a haptic system for industrial designers," Bordegoni notes. The multimodal and multisensory SATIN system consists of two FCS-HapticMASTER devices, in essence robotic arms more commonly used for remote welding or dental surgery, which position and rotate a robotic spline, an electronic version of the flexible strip of material, typically wood or metal, long used by designers to draw curves. Fitted with actuators and sensors, the spline automatically twists and bends to the shape of a digital representation of the product uploaded by the designer into the system.