IN TOWN BROWN
TruckTrike , a company that makes a human powered cargo transport vehicle was approached by global logistics leader UPS to provide a bicycle based delivery vehicle. Truck Trike already makes an electric assist trike capable of moving 600 lbs and now they needed a proposal to excite UPS to get the contract.Truck Trike came to FUSE with this problem. With a very short deadline FUSE developed an industrial design for a lightweight minimal canopy that would meet a large cargo box complete with interior illuminating transparent roof. We rendered the model in UPS brown with the requisite graphics to help UPS imagine this greener future.
We are happy to report the proposal was successful and UPS is currently trialing modified Truck Trikes in Portland , Oregon.
DIY Plumbing in the house of the future.
GE Plastics built a conceptual house utilizing the thermoplastics and their latest thinking in terms of sustainability. GE was way ahead of the game back in the 90’s. They knew thermoplastics could be recycled and reused. Their plan was to have manufacturers use engineering grade thermoplastic in applications that required virgin materials like food and medical and then cascade down into automotive , then finally into building and construction where they could live for a longer period of time before obsolescence
One virgin application FUSE principal Tory worked on straight out of school was this blow molded plumbing panel dubbed the Aquaduct. The idea was this panel replaced all the measuring and cutting of copper. Quick fit connectors would be used so plumbing this sort of common sink installation job could be a snap!
Batter Up!
DeMarini, the maker of high performance baseball and softball bats and a division of Wilson Sporting goods came to FUSE to get help to design two high performance gear bags. We did a bat roller bag and a bat pack (backpack). After a ton of design work including modeling all components to be stowed we delivered multiple concepts. We developed the cut and sewn tech packs and any CAD needed for molded components. FUSE went even further and helped develop both bags and went to the factories to help push them through. The bags that came out were both named Black Ops and came in a Black on Black colorway.
The last two images were generated for a little mascot we dubbed the BATGER. This little guy was designed to capture the tough, small dog with a big bite spirit of the company’s founder, Ray DeMarini. We had heard Ray lost an eye to cancer, but it had little effect , he just became even more driven.
This was a proactive project providing a solution to the problem of bike parking since most bike have lost kickstands. The problem is you lean your bike against paint damaging poles and then your bike suffers more than cosmetic damage. We got this into Wired magazine and sold into REI. The rubber manufacturer who was pressing BIKEBARK bought the product a few months after we premiered at Interbike.
Mind Reader, I Mean, Writer.
Cranium came to FUSE to get help wit this new game that eventually would be called Conga. Initially the project was very loosely defined and Cranuium let us explore several themes . Ultimately it came back to the tried and true Cranium visual DNA. Ultimately, we did the exterior control for this main timer device,
PHYSICS IS PHUN!
After Conga, Cranium came back to FUSE with a playable foam core model of their physics inspired game that would eventually be named Bumparena. FUSE was tasked with the complete industrial design which included the ball release mechanism, scoring strategy and platform assembly given the box requirements.
The client sent us this great image (below) from a couple of enthusiastic Bumparena users!
Hybrids are the future.
Furilla had some moderate success in that it was optioned by toy maker and purveyor Kid Robot. FUSE principal, Tory Orzeck, has this ongoing chicken love and had this idea for a line of toys based on the offspring of 4 legged mammals getting together with chickens. Of course, single eyed creatures are also close to heart. This would result in these bipedal animals he dubbed BIPETS. He pitched the idea to KidRobot but got a big “Meh”.
HAND FRIEND
Gerber came back to FUSE to help design a multitool that was designed for a slightly different demographic. A demographic that would appreciate a more hand friendly tool. This group would include maybe an older user and women. This meant easier tool deployment and a reduction of point load on the hand.
Mayan Temple Or Cute Floor Cleaning Friend?
Florbot was created as a market development tool for GE Plastics (now Sabic) to stimulate material sales in the floor cleaning appliance market. FUSE principle, Toren Orzeck, then in the GE Plastics Advanced Design and Development Group worked with world renowned robotics scientist Allan Branch of Branch and Associates to develop this prototype. The product leveraged bleeding edge technology at the time and GE’s portfolio of engineering thermoplastics.
To use, the owner would take Florbot out of the box, charge him up and and set him against a wall. Like an old graphics fill program, Florbot would circumscribe the perimeter, then sweep the interior area and go back to its charging station when done.
Design-wise we knew the product would always be visible so the design was a combination or architectural and companion robot, think R2D2. We especially like that the dust bin’s handle doubles as a mouth. Additionally Florbot’s cap was made from translucent amber ULTEM. At the time, GE was pushing the idea that copper traces could be imaged directly onto heat resistant ULTEM so surface mount components could be attached directly.
OTC came to FUSE to essentially repackage a PC into an Automotive diagnotic tool. This main unit has a series of accessories that plug into the unit, testing a variety of automotive engine attributes. One of the major design improvement FUSE made to this category of product was to build in the toughness required into the housing. Typically this was a plastic box with external elastomer boot that was an ugly addition. Instead we built a super robust internal chassis and over molded a shock resistant thermoplastic external armor. In addition, the design featured symmetrical controls suitable for both right and left handed users.
FUSE also did an alternative cosmetic design branded as a MATCO unit.
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