DESIGN and INNOVATION, the 2022 selection

Published on: 1 year agoAuthor: Teo Sandigliano

The selection of the most interesting projects we talked about in 2022 continues – last week we published New sustainable materials. Today the theme is design and innovation.

LITTLE SIGNALS, for better interactions with technology – The relationship with technology is different for each of us and, for many, often problematic, but in the coming years we could see real changes. A recent example is the Little Signals project, by Google’s Seed Studio in collaboration with the London-based Map Project Office, which experiments with new ways of interacting with technology. (cover image)

THE SOLAR BLANKET by Mireille Steinhage – The project aims to support people to keep warm by alleviating some of the strains of soaring energy prices. The UK Parliament reported that in 2020 that 14.5 million people lived in relative poverty after housing costs in the country. The proposed product, the Solar Blanket, is a heated blanket powered by the sun: it uses solar energy to generate electricity. The “solar blanket” saves energy by directing the heat towards the user, and avoiding waste of energy to heat an entire space.

TAP, courtesy of Google and Map Project Office, ph. Taran Wilkhu

TOKBO, for new smart infrastructures – TOKBO is an Intelligent Talking Bolt Network, a system that brings the IoT to the fastening elements sector. It develops devices for the constant and remote monitoring of both temporary infrastructures, such as scaffolding, and static ones, such as buildings, bridges and road protection systems. The goal of the project is to offer new and more effective safety standards and simplify critical maintenance operations.

The new BYBORRE TEXTILES ™ collection – The Textiles™ collection was created to help creators find the right fabric for their product, the first release consists of 17 different textiles available in over 50 colourways on request within 10 days. Suitable for clothing, interiors, architecture, the collection quality is primarily driven by choosing material blends that support longevity, made with BYBORRE’s signature circular knitting techniques and extensive stock of yarns.