Today’s news is coming straight from one of our very own creationeers, Lucky! A couple weeks ago, we featured Lucky’s top five apps for inventors. Now, he’s back, with his perspective on innovative product design!
From Lucky’s mind… to you!
Imagine having a product that you use [as] an infant, a child, a teen and an adult… something that is both utilitarian and stylish. You’re probably thinking of the blanket you had as a child; but, one designer, David Singelyn, has endeavored to create a piece of furniture to follow you throughout your life. Dubbed “Gro Furniture,” the crib/bed/desk hybrid is designed to get the most use out of one piece of furniture. Taking a basic frame of bamboo plywood, the owner is able to use several modules that allow the crib to become a bed for a small child, a day bed, and eventually, a desk, creating a piece of furniture that can last a lifetime.
Gro Furniture is not the first well-designed product that serves multiple purposes, of course. In 2008, Moreno Ferrari designed a line of clothing for C.P. Company that went from fashion to functional gear. The Transformable Armchair, for example, was a raincoat that the wearer could take off and inflate into an armchair. [It was] certainly not the most practical design, but [was] visually appealing and could be useful in marine or camping situations.
And, speaking of marine life, if you’re the boating type, the Amphicar was the only mass produced amphibious automobile available to the American public.
It was powered by a Triumph Harold engine and was capable of speeds of 70 mph on dry land and 7 mph in the water. It could drive from land, directly into the water, with no need to retract its wheels. Unfortunately, the company went under when EPA and DOT regulations went into effect in 1968, but Amphicar enthusiasts still restore and drive these cars today!
As promised, you will be hearing a lot more from Lucky in the future. Every couple of weeks, he’ll be giving us his perspective on what’s hot in the invention industry!
Stay tuned for more!
[Source: Yahoo News, Fab.com, Found_NYC, The International Amphicar Owner’s Club. Amphicar Trio Photo Credit: Fran Gealer]