Besides hosting the usual buffet of seminars and workshops for their Swarna 2009 Degree Show, folks at Industrial Design Centre IIT Mumbai had a spectacular exhibition for their graduating class. Although I got to sift through the Industrial Design, Animation Design, Visual Communication and Interaction Design faculties, I naturally gravitated towards the ID section. Follow me to see the some of the innovative gems I discovered at the show.
G1 Car by Karthik Narayan
G1 or Jeevan in Hindi means life; this car is a hydrogen version that regenerates its own fuel. Mutant algae that produces hydrogen in the presence of light (with oxygen as a by-product), powers this car. A canopy on top of the car is where the algae reside, they do their bit when the car is stationary.
Eco-friendly mobility solution for the future by Amey Dhuri
Urban spaces demand for cars that are compact, have minimal turning requirements and parking space. This eco-friendly car is meant for two people and has some amazing features that address these two issues. The car controls are incorporated within the front wheels allowing either the driver or the passenger to drive the car. The car also boasts of a near-zero turning radius. For parking the car almost shrinks up to half its usual size, thus making it easy to park.
Re-designed Shopping Mall Cart by Dipesh Parmar
Till quite recently malls were a western cultural phenomenon in India. Now that we see dime a dozen mushrooming up at every nook and corner of the city, but there has been a dearth of the perfect Supermarket trolley that addresses Indian sensibilities. This trolley here is quite essentially two baskets and a child-carrier. The top and lower basket both detach to become individual trolleys, however the true beauty is when you use the whole setup together. Since the bottom space of a typical trolley is seldom used, the bottom basket in this one utilizes the space effectively. It slides out on the rails so that you can easily place your purchases in it, without any fuss.
Personal Mobility Solution For the Future by Prajwal Ullal
A biker’s bike! Ah the speed-monster gets a chic look and some sensibilities, coz it offers two modes, the highway mode where you can trail-blaze to glory and the city mode where you can’t do much speed. Fancy the way the wheels come together in the parking stance, giving it a minimum horizontal footprint.
It was an enriching experience to interact with the students and professors of IDC. The main strength that shone through all the flaws of the show (nobody is perfect) was the communication of ideas and the phenomenal thought process of the teams. The Animation Design, Visual Communication and Interaction Design faculties put up a swell show as well, and I was impressed by the dedication and creative energy.
If I must crib about one thing, then it has to be the lack of better renders by the ID students, their scale models reflected their efforts, but good supporting renders are a MUST!
