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Oct
09
2009
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Innovative and Novel Approaches to the Computer mouse |
The computer mouse is a recognizable product which has a defined shape and look, but why does it have to be so uniform? Can the interface be made over and move into a new and exciting design strategy? Here are a few concepts and ideas in re-vamping the way we see the computer mouse.
Demat Computer Mouse: Could this mouse be the ultimate in bare bones design and minimal material usage?
Mus2: Is a great cordless mouse which takes its inspiration from the cursor we are all familiar with, designed by Artlebedev.
Ez Keypad Mouse: flipping open the mouse cover allows use to use the numbers if you needed to write a long list.
Heartbeat Mouse: The mouse has a unique selling point for when the user grasps it, his or her thumb and palm will touch on its sensors which are inside the mouse and it starts to detect the user’s health situation. It also reminds the users how long they have worked.
Logitech MX Air: The MX Air combines laser optics for millimeter point accuracy, touch controls for parts of its interface, and Freespace’s innovative motion sensing technology to track hand gestures.
Flip Top Skype USB Mouse: Combines the computer mouse we all know and recodnise to open up as a skype phone for those internet calls.
Dormino: Entered in the Greener gadgets design competition for core77 this computer mouse tries to harness and help remove the wasted heat energy emitted by laptops to power a mouse, a common periphery used.
Jelly Blow up Mouse: Found on everyone’s favourite product design concept site, Yanko design. Whenever you need a mouse, blow up the Jelly Click, attach the USB cable and you’re good to go.
Zero Mouse Concept: Toxel profiles this much loved concept also seen on Coroflot, designed by German designer Oliver Rosito.
Comments are always welcome!
Article written by Jared Thompson
Follow Jared (@Jthompsondesign) on twitter!
Resources: Yanko Design
Polyurethane foam is used widely in furniture and is made by mixing polyols, diiscyanates, catalysts, auxiliary blowing agents and other additives. This allows the resulting foam to rise freely. Most foam is manufactured as a continuous process but where small batches are needed small blocks of foam are made in open-topped moulds. The foam after setting can be cut into desired shape and size for furniture.
Ross Lovegrove designed the supernatural chair, seen on the left. This chair is made through injection moulding in glass fibre reinforced polyamide with the gas moulding process. The system requires a large investment but allows the design to be excellent value for money. The chair has a very organic and natural look to its design, with the manufacturing techniques of the 21st century polymers.
Gas assist injection moulding is an enhancement from the conventional way in which you would injection mould. It involves high pressured nitrogen gas which is shot into a resin melt stream immediately after the injection of resins. The process is of high speed and low in pressure, and much lower compared to conventional injection moulding.
This chair was designed in 1940 by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen. It was entered into the “Organic Design in Home furnishings Competition.” The chair itself is made from Molded plywood, Foam rubber and fabric.
Robin Day is a designer best know for creating the polypropylene chair, which was first manufactured in 1963. The chair can often still be found today in schools up and down the country. The design was in fact inspired by an enameled bent tubular steel base. We are familiar with this chair in today’s society from it being around in school, businesses and shops. The chair inspired from another designer, Eames’ ‘Plastic Shell.’ The chair made from thermoplastic polypropylene, it is injection moulded, a process which is high in set-up costs of the moulding. 
But they are often off set against large production numbers which lowers the average cost per unit. Polypropylene itself is inexpensive, durable, lightweight and easy to clean. All good properties to have for a piece of furniture which is going to undertake its fair share of use. It is said that a single mould can produce 4000 seat shells per week, with over 14million of these polypropylene chairs estimated to have been made to the present day.
this particular chair is known as the “Antelope” chair. It was manufactured for the festival of Britain in 1951, it can either be found as a single chair or as a bench also. The frame itself is made from bent steel rods with a simple moulded plywood seat for the user to sit down on.
The disguise of the steel rods is the main character of this chair, and has been described as ingenious and bold. The Antelope chair is a development of the rocking chair which he had made in 1948. The chair like all of Charles Race furniture was characteristically light and easy to handle with clean lines and thin splayed legs, the chair is still manufactured today and considered a classic of its time.
Jonathan is a London born designer, who studied at Newcastle Polytechnic. Soon after the completion of his studies in 1985 he became a partner in the London based design consultancy Tangerine. But only three years later he made the massive leap of moving to San Francisco in America to join Apple’s design team. By 1998 Johnathan Ive was then appointed vice-president of industrial design at Apple, where he launches the original iMac, which sells 2 million units in its first year. He has since designed great works such as the G4 cube, G4 Powerbook, iBook and portable iPod. 2003 brought more success with a design museum “designer of the year” prize. With products continually being brought out iMac, Powerbook and iPod mini with the slim iMac coming in 2004. By 2005 Johnathan had risen to Senior Vice President at Apple, reporting directly to the CEO Steve Jobs himself. 
The iMac (1998)
No only did the iMac have a great burst of colour it also is transparent giving the user an insight into inside the computer at the various components, care and attention was put into the internal components which were previous overlooked.
The iPod (2001)
The iPod was completely different and burst onto the market as a small pocket sized electronic device which was able to store your whole CD collection! The challenge was the interface in making the device simple and intuitive. The product itself is sealed off, with no screws and the user has no access to the electronic components stored inside. The twin shot shell is complimented with the polished stainless steel shell, which looks so stylish and expensive. Even the ear buds have shifted the market of headphones to introduce colour, they were white matching the iPod’s design and sat comfortably in the ear.
The inspiration of a lot of Jonathan Ive’s work is often attributed to the work of Dieter Rams, German industrial designer of the Bauhaus movement. Dieter Rams was one of the most influential designers of the 20th century transforming the success of Braun with some simply iconic products. The iPod itself has a lot of the styling traits of his record player “Snow White’s coffin.”
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