Tag Archives: Design Intelligence Awards

Eco-friendly seed-pods made from plant and seafood waste could revolutionize bio-packaging

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Born from discarded seafood shells, SEAD merges tradition with innovation, offering eco-friendly pods for heirloom seeds. It’s a journey of reimagined agriculture, where waste transforms into a resource and every seed sown signifies sustainability. SEAD’s design mirrors ecological harmony and agricultural resilience, promising a greener future. Join the movement where innovation blossoms and sustainability flourishes, one seed, one pod at a time.

Designer: Mara Zimmerman

SEAD represents more than just packaging; it embodies a sustainable ethos by repurposing waste material into a valuable resource. Its inception showcases the potential of replacing virgin materials with recycled alternatives, contributing to a circular economy and reducing environmental impact.

At the heart of SEAD lies the preservation of heirloom seeds, varieties passed down through generations, each carrying a rich history and cultural significance. Heirloom seeds, with their diverse traits and adaptability, play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and ensuring food security in the face of evolving environmental challenges.

The use of chitin (pronounced kai-tun) in SEAD packaging not only offers a sustainable alternative to traditional materials but also brings agricultural benefits. Chitin, and its derivatives, act as bio-stimulants, enhancing seed germination, and promoting crop growth. Its natural properties boost plant defenses against pests and diseases while improving water retention in adverse conditions.

Crafted through a meticulous three-step pressing process, SEAD packaging demonstrates the remarkable self-binding ability of chitin, eliminating the need for additional agents. Laser-engraved labeling ensures traceability without the use of inks or dyes, aligning with SEAD’s commitment to sustainability.

Inspired by nature’s design, SEAD packaging mimics the structure of fruits and vegetables, providing a functional and aesthetically pleasing solution. The innovative design features creases that allow for easy tearing, enabling users to plant seeds conveniently while keeping the rest of the packaging intact.

SEAD offers a holistic approach to sustainable agriculture, combining ecological principles with practical innovation. By seamlessly integrating packaging with planting, SEAD promotes zero-waste practices and fosters a deeper connection between consumers and the environment.

Just in four simple steps: Break pods along perforated lines, gently crush for better seed exposure, plant enriched seeds, and store remaining bars conveniently. These actions seamlessly integrate eco-friendly practices into gardening routines, fostering a deeper connection with the environment. Each step contributes to a greener future, promoting sustainability and preserving heirloom seeds. With SEAD, every seed sown signifies a commitment to ecological harmony and agricultural resilience, paving the way for a more sustainable tomorrow.

SEAD’s innovative seed packaging, crafted from discarded seafood shells, faces cultural barriers in regions like India and Mexico, where pure vegetarianism is prevalent. Mixing seafood with vegetables may encounter resistance due to dietary preferences. Convincing individuals adhering to strict vegetarian or vegan diets of SEAD’s ecological benefits requires careful communication. Despite these challenges, SEAD offers a sustainable option for open-minded consumers committed to environmental conservation. It’s crucial to acknowledge cultural sensitivities and cater to diverse preferences.

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This tiny self-watering planter lets you easily grow microgreens with no soil or effort

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Small enough to fit in both your palms, the Patella Crescenda makes growing greens ridiculously easy and quick. The unique shape of the planter allows it to water itself so you don’t need to, and helps you grow seeds without any soil, yielding sprouts in just about a week. The Patella Crescenda is intuitive, fun to use, and is made to be reusable so you can have a constant supply of microgreens for your salads, canapes, and smoothies.

Designer: House of Thol

The Patella Crescenda comes together with just four simple parts – a base tray, two reusable steel seed plates, and a water bulb that fits on top. Fill the bulb with water and place it upturned into the base and an air vacuum inside helps deploy the water slowly, filling up the base tray. Two steel plates sit on top of the base tray, right above the water level. Cuts on these plates let you place clusters of seeds like pulses, legumes, grains, etc. and they begin growing on their own, with the roots descending downwards into the base trey through the cuts.

In just about a week, the microgreens are ready to harvest and can simply be cut with scissors, or pinched off the steel plates. The sprouts grow directly in water without any soil, so you don’t need to clean or rinse them. Garnish them over your food or chuck them in your smoothies. Microgreens are incredibly nutrient-dense compared to their seed/grain/legume counterparts, giving your dishes a fresh burst of color as well a lot of minerals and antioxidants.

The Patella Crescenda simplifies the art of growing microgreens by literally condensing it down into three steps – Add water, add seeds, and harvest. The compact design, coupled with that glass bulb of water gives your interior space a wonderful aesthetic touch, while allowing you to intuitively see how much water your planter has. The steel plates come with six grill-cuts, allowing you to grow a variety of microgreens at the same time in the same dish, and once you’ve reaped your sprouts, cleaning and resprouting a new batch of seeds gives you a fresh harvest in just about a week!

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The M-Hero 917 is a Military-Inspired SUV with a 1000hp Engine, Steer-By-Wire, and a Companion Drone

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For an extra $14,000, the manufacturer will also sell you a companion drone to go with your mammoth SUV.

Meet the Meishi 917, also fondly dubbed the M-Hero 917 from Dongfeng – China’s first off-road automotive brand. Drawing inspiration from the robustness of military vehicles, the M-Hero 917 boasts a design characterized by sharp lines and a commanding presence. Its black matte finish and robust bumper lend it an unmistakably aggressive demeanor, reminiscent of a machine ready to conquer any terrain it encounters. However, despite its formidable appearance, it’s essential to recognize that beneath its rugged exterior lies a meticulously engineered chassis and a formidable powertrain.

Designer: Dongfeng Motor Corporation

The M-Hero 917 offers a choice between two powertrain options tailored to meet the diverse needs of modern drivers. For those inclined towards embracing sustainable mobility, there’s a fully electric variant equipped with four electric motors and a substantial 140-kilowatt-hour NMC battery. Alternatively, there’s a range-extender hybrid model featuring a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine serving as a generator, coupled with a 66-kWh battery pack and three electric motors, delivering an impressive output of 816 horsepower. Such capabilities translate into a blistering 0-62 miles per hour acceleration in a mere six seconds, reaffirming the SUV’s prowess on and off the beaten path.

However, what truly sets the M-Hero 917 apart are its standard and optional features, which elevate the driving experience to unprecedented heights. Inside the cabin, attention to detail reigns supreme, with interior door handles reminiscent of the iconic Desert Eagle pistol, and aircraft throttle-inspired levers adorning the center console, granting intuitive control over the vehicle’s transmission and driving modes. Complementing these design elements are three strategically positioned screens, comprising a digital instrument cluster, a navigation display, and a passenger infotainment screen, ensuring occupants are seamlessly connected and informed throughout their journey.

Yet, perhaps the pièce de résistance lies in the SUV’s optional drone package, a testament to the convergence of automotive and aerial technologies. Priced at $14,000, this package includes a state-of-the-art drone that can be effortlessly controlled via voice commands from within the vehicle, offering a unique perspective and enhancing the overall driving experience. Furthermore, the inclusion of a switchable rear steering system grants the M-Hero 917 the ability to execute the elusive crab walk maneuver, further showcasing its versatility and agility in navigating challenging terrains.

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Solar-powered streetlights spin and move to chase the sun

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We see plenty of solar-powered products today, ranging from simple lamps to complicated electronics. But despite the sustainability benefits these offer, there’s no escaping the fact that they do need to soak up the rays to actually work. That’s not much of a problem if the devices have large batteries that can be used when the sun is out, but not so much for smaller objects that have to be smarter in how they get some sunlight. The sun, unfortunately, never stays still, and other atmospheric conditions could make an area less exposed from time to time. To help alleviate that problem, this design concept for solar-powered street lamps takes inspiration from Mother Nature in order to seek out the sun where it shines the brightest.

Designer: VANTOT

When people talk about street lights, most will probably imagine lamps on top of posts. These lighting fixtures are designed to be stationary in order to be reliable landmarks as well as to make them more convenient to reach and maintain. That restriction, however, might pose a problem for solar-powered street lamps because they will always be at the mercy of the sun’s location. When clouds cast shadows or buildings rise to block the sun, these lamps might lose their one and only source of power.

The Sunseeker is an experimental solution to that problem that uproots street lights and sets them on a chain rather than on a post. This frees the hanging lights from staying in one spot and lets them move freely along the chain. It might be a strange capability, but it makes sense when you consider that the light sensors on each lamp actually detect where sunlight shines strongest and then move or turn the lamp’s solar panel to face that direction.

It’s definitely an odd feature, but one that can actually be seen in nature. The sunflower, for example, is famous for how it always faces the sun, a trait that is even more important for solar-powered devices. In this manner, the Sunseeker lights can move where the sun is, ensuring that it will always be at peak performance when the day star finally sets.

In addition to implementing a critical function, this sun-seeking behavior puts a playful spin on the lamps, pun intended. Crowds can be amazed and entertained as the circular panels slowly move and spin to match the direction of the sun. But even when they’re staying still, the lamps exude a character that is almost otherworldly, especially with how they look like a fleet of tiny UFOs lining up in the night sky.

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