Biomimicry. When Nature Inspires Design

Vince and Allison report on important examples of biology in design, from birds in flight to a new car whose shape was inspired by a box fish.

Since the 1970 factories have become ever more automated. In this episode Allison and Vince look at current trends in factory automation and show how networked facilities are changing the landscape of manufacturing.

Complex supply chains can lead to unwanted or prohibited materials in your product. In this episode, Vince and Allison review how product design teams can meet regulatory and company goals for complex global products.

2025 CAFE standards are forcing auto designers to upgrade existing technology. The internal combustion engine can become a lot more efficient, but it will take a lot of intensely collaborative design work. In this episode, Allison and Vince cover some of these opportunities.

People don’t always sit up straight, especially when using portable electronics. New designs show smart engineering.

Designers at Steelcase surveyed thousands of users on how they sit when using new devices like smartphones and tablets at the office. They found that common office chairs don’t support the way people sit, which led them to a revolutionary new office chair design.

The Dakar off-road motorcycle race has daily sections of up to 550 miles. The design team at KTM has produced winning bikes for the last 12 Dakars. In this episode, Vince and Allison share the unique challenges and winning formulas from KTM’s motorcycle design team.

Embedding electronics demands new processes and technology for product design.

Vince and Allison speak with designers at toy company, k'nex, and learn a few things about designing products that will be assembled in the field.

How do designers meet regulatory requirements and consumer preferences for sustainable design? Vince and Allison delve into design practices that comply with standards like RoHS and Reach.