LING JU: 四月 2013

2013年4月30日星期二

Week 4 report- test and fix

I did a simple demonstration to prove the idea is functional.

Equipment and process：

baking paper folded up to a box and a hole punched at the bottom.

a straw get through the hole and fit exactly.

Pour the water into the box and let the water level over the top of the straw.

The aim is to see that the water would stop flowing through the straw when the water level reach the straw top. Which prove that I can use the idea to control the liquid volume of each dose.

Week 6 report-concept

It is a vase with lid and have a layer that secure the bunch of flowers.

I was originally choosing Bamboo as the main material as it is

Anti-bacterial
High strength
Low impact to the environment
Relatively cheap compare to other material

While the tutor suggested that vases normally require an elegant look. The

vases need to show its value.

Metal, ceramic will be more often use for the bottle.

I have to do some research about the secure layer, which made out of

silicon. Is it relatively sustainable?

Week 2 Report

I was suggested to develop the idea of the liquid medicine bottle from last week.

It helps you to get the right proportion of liquid each time without using measuring cups or tools. This development makes the process more hygiene, convenient, accurate for those people with poor eye sight, especially the elderly.

This week, I'm more focus on its size, shape, material, function and manufacture stream.

Here are some liquid containers that I collected. The diameter of the cross section is mostly around 50mm. I think this data is more ergonomically concern about the average grip.

250 ml is more often use for the liquid medicine bottle. by calculation, the bottle's height should no less than 130mm. So this was the primary concept it came out.

From the bottle I've been observed. The base side are usually have a downward concavity. It makes the bottle less contact with other surface and reduces the probability of cross contamination. They also caused by the molding process.

I did some sketches about different angles of the liquid flow. I was quite challenged by the air pressure and liquid weight. I didn't notice that, at some point, the liquid won't have enough pressure to get through the tunnel and fill the upper space when you flip it over.

It might require some pressure to squeeze the air in bottle to maintain the accuracy. I chose PET as the main material last time. I found this material is tensitive and might require more pressure to squeeze. While LDPE is easier for the elderly. And they also work well with liquid as eye drop bottle.

The bottle is not refillable as we normally can't fully remove the old chemical products that involved.

I think the aluminum tube can also be concerned. The brand Jurlique using this form for their hand cream for less waste. I would like to use it to maintain the air pressure. While the bottom part still needs to be solid and transparent to check the level of the liquid. It's better than the cylinder as you don't need to squeeze it all the time. However it might cost more to produce. Using the darker color will protect the liquid from the sun light. I've also considered the Tetrapak with a screwed lid. It might cost less. It's optional printing on the plastic and using less color will be a better option for the environment

Video Reflection C

Reflection C

Big ideas that changed The World- consumerism

When we consume, take a second to think how the product is made and how much it is really cost. Consumerism is coming and we have to fight against it.

Understand the true cost. Every single purchasing is link to the big image- melting lacier. This is a cause of global warming. ‘True Cost’ is not only about the environmental issue but also the waste of the human resources. What this world does is always adjusted by the demand and supply. Those main coordinators are keeping persuading society one main idea ‘The more we consume. The better our life will be. ’ There’s a system called material economy. (Extraction, production, distribution, consumption, disposal). ‘True Cost’ can be defined as ‘externalized costs’ in my understanding. e.g, lost of natural resource space from extraction; lost of the clean air which cause the increasing asthma, cancer rates from production and distribution. After the consumption, we may up to the stage of disposal. Those trashes may deliver to the developing country and might burn before they bury them. Dioxin exposed from the burning to the air. ‘Coordinator’ gain profit from the consumption and paid millions of dollar to solve environmental issue. Consumption will never stop and this cycle will keep turning and never reach the end point.

Consumerism is pretty much the worst thing to happen to the human race but its not exactly difficult to get yourself out of the trap. All you really have to do is work out the difference between ‘need’ and ‘want’.

‘Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions’ God is also helping people get through the problem.

Designers are also a group of people that causes consumerism. You create the product and persuade people to consume even there’s no desire exist. Then you build up the desire and make them conscious about if they don’t have it. You have to admit that this is all about career. You are messed up with the competition and livability in this vast society. You don’t pay much attention on the environmental responsibility. There’s no extra budget for research. And finally, your next generation gets paid from what you've done. Just make the product sustainable and profitable.

This video is linked to Big Ideas That Changed The World - Consumerism

Video Reflection B

An Inconvienent Truth

This video is briefly about the global warming and its causation. Human being has been suffered from its nature disaster. And there’s nothing could stop this from happening. We have to pay for what we’ve done to the earth. Hurricane, Flood, draught keep comes back to us as a punishment. ‘We as a people have to decide what we acting when we are warned by the leading scientist.’ The atmosphere layer is thickened by the growing co2 which cause the global warming. And I am amazed by the dramatic melting glacier. The video is too old (2006), we’ve been watched a lot of similar video. They all aimed to point out that we are living in dangerous and we got to reduce the pollution.

The growing co2 is the main factor of the global warming. Everyone in this world should be responsible for the environment. Each country has developed their own solution to control the polluted air. As I know, Australia has established its own strategy to fight with global change. Raising the Carbon Dioxide Tax is really not a good solution to raise people’s attention on how much they contributed in this country’s CO2. In fact, it drops down the national happiness. The wealth would not even care or change their attitudes unless their business is related to the industry. The people who count everything that they live on might get stressed by the living society. It’s really not a efficient way to reduce CO2 by persuading people to change their behaviour.

As an industrial designer, we are learnt to solve the problem from consumer. We create a product and design the way how it produce. We are making living for gaining more profit. Can a profitable business ever be ethical? Relatively, yes there’s still some strategy we need to follow before we start the concept idea. E.g Okala strategy wheel. We design for innovation, Reduced Material Impact, Manufacturing Innovation, Reduced Distribution Impacts, Reduced Behaviour and Use Impacts, System Longevity, Transitional systems, optimized End- of- life. It’s interesting to know that we normally keep a phone device for only 18 month. The old one gets disposed or stays with the rest of electronic devices. It is suggested that the company who made this product got to take the responsibility of its end- of-life. Design the uniform shape for the innovative chip. Choose the sustainable material for the product. Follow the Green Moore’s law.

Longer lasting, less toxic, more recyclable.

This reflection is linked to the video An Inconvienent Truth