This Company Wants To "Breed" The Perfect Chair, Using Eugenics

Posted on by

Imagine using computers to bring countless generations of chairs to life, then forcing them to mate with one another in an orgiastic rut of successive DNA pairings until you finally have the uberstuhl: a perfectly designed chair. It's not exactly a conventional approach, but that's what FormNation is doing with Chairgenics, a program to "breed" the ultimate chair thanks to a little help from eugenics and evolutionary theory.

"Every designer I've ever met wants to design a chair in [his or her] lifetime, but when we were thinking of doing one, we questioned what we could do that hadn't been done before," FormNation's founder Jan Habraken tells Co.Design in an email. Favoring a Darwinist approach to design, Habraken and his team began looking to the world of evolutionary theory for a fresh approach. Habraken was inspired by Plato's famous diatribe about controlled breeding in a chapter of Republic and started wondering if the principles of eugenics could be applied to chairs. The result was Chairgenics, FormNation's five-year chair breeding program.

Starting from a pool of about 10 chair "thoroughbreds," FormNation applied numeric values to each chair according to criteria such as durability, construction, cost and aesthetics, as well as the shape of various chair parts. "If you look at almost any iconic chair--the Pantone Chair, The Zig-Zag Chair, Bertoia's Wire Mesh Chair, and so on--you'll see that at the time of its origin, there was a technological breakthrough that allowed it to come into being," Habraken says. This is why, for the Chairgenics base stock, FormNation chose iconic chairs that contained a certain "X" factor in their DNA. Bred together, their offspring were examined for chromosomal deficiencies--missing ergonomic values, for example, or lopsided durability-cost pairings--and then bred with even more Chairgenics chairs to improve their stock.

Short of pheromone bombing the MoMA, how do you convince two chairs to breed together? The answer, of course, lies in digital modeling. "The closest you can get to "breeding" with a computer is really morphing," says Habraken. The app they used to pursue their Chairgenics was called Symvol, a volume-based tool from Norwegian startup Uformia that can compare two objects and then create a morph based upon them according to their mathematical middle. FormNation modified the software to escape some logical problems that could arise from modeling breeding as the average between two different parts. Recessive genes, for example, are modeled by allowing Chairgenics chairs to inherit traits not only from their parents, but their ancestors as well.

Of course, mutant chairs do come up, but as a whole, FormNation tends to look upon these as happy (and fascinating) design accidents. "There are a sea of freak chairs coming out of the program right now, and my feeling is that we have reached just the tip of the iceberg," Habraken remarks. "We have even started wondering if we could begin an interspecies Chairgenics program, coming up with entirely new pieces of furniture through breeding." For example, a chair and table could be bred together to make the ligers and tigrons of the furniture world: chables and tairs.

Right now, the Chairgenics program does not take into account ergonomics, so even the best Chairgenics chairs tend to be for looking, not for sitting. Nonetheless, the first Chairgenics chairs are now being 3D printed non-commercially by Materialise, and FormNation hopes to follow up this prototyping with a full-scale aluminum reconstruction of one of the Chairgenics' program's uberstuhls, at a date and price to be determined.

While many Chairgenics chairs may be unviable designs at the end of the day, Habraken thinks that his company's experiments breeding chairs together have been worthwhile. "Chairs are one of the world's most designed objects," says Habraken. "To make leaps in design, you have to think outside the box."

FormNation's Chairgenics will be on display in New York City from October 14 to July 6, 2014, as part of the MAD Museums Out Of Hand: Materializing The Postdigital exhibit.

Visit link:

This Company Wants To "Breed" The Perfect Chair, Using Eugenics

A swarm of cyborg insects used for mapping collapsed buildings

Posted on by

When Backyard Brains began pushing its open source, remote-control cockroaches on Kickstarter, the widespread reaction was, Why? The project got a lot of attention, but the public was skeptical about the claim that kids were learningreal science while driving a living creature, and nobody seemed to be able to come up with any other useful application for the technology. Now, researchers from North Carolina State University have one: lets use a swarm of cyborg cockroaches to map dangerous or uncertain areas like collapsed buildings.

Just a few months ago, a team at the same university published research into using Kinect to steer cyborg cockroaches (what they call biobots) through a predefined path. The system tracks bugs on their way through the path, exciting receptors on the insects antennae to trick it into thinking it has reached a wall, which initiates a turn reflex. Its a fairly blunt form of control, but its cheap, reliable, and easy to install. Thats an interesting little experiment, but the whole advantage of an insect minion is its size and ability to get to places its controller cannot reach or ever see. Its impractical to get a Kinect-style camera in place, and if you had the knowledge to plot a path for the bugs, you wouldnt need the bugs in the first place. So, a collaborating team came up with a whole new style of biobot control: blind wall following.

After being released into the space of interest (say, a collapsed portion of a mall) the system directs the biobots in random directions, spreading out the swarm to cover as much area as possible. Once they are disbursed enough for the controllers liking, the system directs the swarm to move in a straight line forward in whatever direction each cockroach happens to be facing. They are only to stop moving forward when they hit a wall or some other impassable object. All roaches then track along the wall for a time, following its contours and giving operators some specific but out-of-context information about the space theyre exploring.

Remember that these are totally unknown environments where GPS and other tools are useless. Only by repeating the disburse-and-wall-follow pattern several times and using a complex algorithm to assemble the individual wall segments do we get anything like a sensible map. Its not the quickest system in the world, nor the most accurate, but it could turn a two-hour hunt through wreckage into a quick trip along a known path. A few cockroaches might die in the process, but insect are a lot more expendable than first responders. Trapped individuals might be able to press a button on the biobot to signal their presence, or the roaches themselves could be outfitted with appropriate sensors.

Unfortunately, even unsettlingly giant cockroaches cant carry very much weight, so the array of sensors available is limited. Still, the researchers want to outfit some units with detectors for chemicals and radiation. Cockroaches are famous for their presumed ability to survive a nuclear apocalypse, so why not a nuclear accident? While physicists try leveraging cosmic rays to peek inside of Fukushima, a swarm of cockroaches might end up being just as good. The biobots would have to come back out of the facility before they could report their findings, but thats not a huge imposition.

Right now, the team is testing the mapping software with robots, but biobot experts at the same school are already working on plugging cyborg cockroaches into the workflow. The video above is from their prior research.

Now read: Harvard creates cyborg flesh thats half man, half machine

View post:

A swarm of cyborg insects used for mapping collapsed buildings

Silver Retreats Expanding Corporate Retreats and Vacationing Options to Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda

Posted on by

Silver Retreats Expanding Corporate Retreats and Vacationing Options to Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda

Silver Retreats, where world-class service and luxury meet, is partnering with Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa for an unbelievable customer experience.

The Cambridge Beaches team commitment is to create a world class luxury resort experience by anticipating the needs of our guests thereby providing the ultimate, in guest satisfaction. Aspirations are recognized and satisfied, always leaving our guests feeling welcomed, cared for, comfortable and pampered, said Clarence Hofheins, General Manager of Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa. Our new partnership with Silver Retreats is an extension of that philosophy by providing our corporate group clients with a dedicated service ensuring an incredible experience, with several customizable options and a level of luxury that our discerning guests have come to expect when traveling to Bermuda and staying at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa. We see this partnership as a perfect fit.

Cambridge Beaches Resort and Spa is recognized for its 4 star rooms, lavish facilities and pristine beaches, Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa provides consumers with exceptional service and is a popular location for Silver Retreats customers.

We are excited about partnering with Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa. They have our same commitment to the customer, which is our signature priority at Silver Retreats. Their location is exquisite and provides an outstanding corporate culture. This partnership will ensure that the customer's experience extends far beyond the ordinary retreat. Together we will make the experience extraordinary," said Jyl London, Chief Operating Officer of Silver Retreats.

About Silver Retreats Silver Retreats offers perfect corporate retreat for executive teams full of luxury, fine dining, extreme adventure and exclusive privileges in the world-class destination. Simply contact Silver Retreats with the number of people attending, the purpose of the retreat, and the dates. We will take it from there, leaving assurance that groups will receive nothing other than the utmost quality and an overall incredible experience. Although Silver was created with corporate team building retreats in mind, Silver also provides extensive personalized packages that cater to all sizes and types of groups. Packages include transportation, lodging and dining accommodations, custom activities. Regardless of the occasion, Silver will plan and organize every integral part of your trip, ensuring your retreat will be an incredible experience that will not leave you disappointed.

About Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa, is authentically Bermuda and steeped in history. It is a picturesque sanctuary from the stresses of everyday life, where adults can again be treated as individuals and where they can regain contact with themselves, their partners, their friends and families, the things that bring meaning to life. The resort welcomes guests 16 years and older year round and whether you seek activity or tranquility, we offer world-class amenities that include the Ocean Spa, a range of gourmet dining venues and experiences, four private beaches, ocean-view Pool Suites with private plunge pools, a bay-front Infinity Pool, nature preserve, full service marina, golf and tennis. Quite simply, Cambridge Beaches is the antidote to stress.

Press Contact: Jyl@ 801-663-3794 at Silver Retreats Alexis @ 441-234-0331 x360 at Cambridge Beaches Resort and Spa

Continue reading here:

Silver Retreats Expanding Corporate Retreats and Vacationing Options to Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda

Rosario Dawson on Why Leo and Nude Beaches Inspire Her Eco-Activism! | POPSUGAR Interview – Video

Posted on by


Rosario Dawson on Why Leo and Nude Beaches Inspire Her Eco-Activism! | POPSUGAR Interview
If you #39;re looking for some eco-inspiration, look no further than Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, your local thrift store, and last but certainly not ...

By: POPSUGAR Entertainment

Read the original post:

Rosario Dawson on Why Leo and Nude Beaches Inspire Her Eco-Activism! | POPSUGAR Interview - Video

Russell Anderson CEO Searl Aerospace Inc. at Global BEM 2 in Boulder Colorado 2013 – Video

Posted on by


Russell Anderson CEO Searl Aerospace Inc. at Global BEM 2 in Boulder Colorado 2013
Russell Anderson presents excellent lecture on Electrogravitic propulsion, Ether Technology, and Searl Technology October 11, 2013 at the 2nd Global BEM in B...

By: Russell Anderson

Read this article:

Russell Anderson CEO Searl Aerospace Inc. at Global BEM 2 in Boulder Colorado 2013 - Video