News

These are mostly notes for a discussion section I’m leading at ITP Camp, but I thought gathering them with links here would be useful.

James Dyson Award
–What they’re looking for:
* demonstrates a significant and practical purpose, offering real benefits to the end user
* is ideally a working prototype
* is designed with sustainability in mind
* is commercially viable
–Awards
–Eligibility

How to come up with the next best thing…

1) Start – Now
Ignore the lizard

2) Find the Product Opportunity Gap (POG)
Become USER driven, not TECHNOLOGY driven
-story of the alarm clock

Where OXO is positioned – with help from Smart Design

Find the pain, brainstorm a solution.

Brainstorming techniques:
Individual vs. Group
Alphabet
Generate as many ideas as possible

Narrow down your idea… weighted matrix

3) Get your $hit together
Learn what you need to know, or assemble a team of people who already know it. It helps to be T-shaped and recruit T-shaped people.

That’s where ITP Camp comes in!

Follow Your Pez Dispenser
Practice Your Pitch

*A lot of these notes are from Creating Breakthrough Products. Here’s a link to the book website and where you can buy the book

I’m considering enrolling in a Mechanical Engineering PhD program at NYU-Poly in the Applied Dynamics and Optimization Lab under Dr. Joo Kim in the fall. I would basically get to study biomechanics and robotics for a few years and work with fun tools like his new Vicon motion capture and analysis system. That way in a few years I can start my own lab somewhere, teach a few classes, continue consulting work, etc. So I would be a doctor, but not the kind that helps people.

Ben and I just launched our Kickstarter project yesterday to raise money for installing SADbot in Eyebeam’s window gallery. We already have four backers in less than 24 hours! Come join the fun at Kickstarter and then come by Eyebeam starting June 8th to see SADbot in action (if it’s sunny).

I also just signed up to teach a session at ITP Camp for grown ups this summer at NYU. It’s a mash-up of an artist residency and a summer camp for adults that spans the whole month of June and there are tons of interesting sessions shaping up. I signed up to teach a 1.5 hour session on Making Things Move on Monday June 7th.

I’ve been hard at work on Making Things Move at Eyebeam lately, and will also be working on an installation for the window gallery over the next month or so. Ben, part of the tech team here, had an idea to install a interactive solar powered drawing machine in the window gallery that passers by can communicate with through sensors on the inside of the glass. We’ve decided to call it the Seasonally Affected Drawing robot – SADbot for short. Since the power for the motors will come from the sun, it will only be active and moving when the sun is shining. It should be up in early June, in time for the Re:Group exhibit at Eyebeam. If you’ve never been, it would be a great time to visit! Open studio hours are 2-4pm on Tuesdays, and the bookstore is open 12-6pm Tues – Sat. We’ll be working through the details of the installation over the next month, so if you stop by you might catch a glimpse of us on the roof installing solar panels and/or mirrors.

I got an email today that started:
______________
greetings Dustyn,

where to begin? I’ve been a fan for some time but honestly think I’ve only ever seen-in-person a solar charging station. I have yet to encounter your work at Eyebeam, but I hope your residency is going well.
______________

I can’t think of a better way to catch someone’s attention! The email was from Nick Normal, who formally offered me an invitation to participate in the upcoming World Maker Faire he is co-organizing that will be held at the New York Hall of Science in Queens this September 25th and 26th. I was going to propose something anyway after attending the original Maker Faire in San Francisco for the first time this year, but it was certainly nice to get formally invited. If nothing else, it means that I’m internet famous enough to be on his radar somehow. Which is excellent, because we’ve never met.

Actually, the offer from American Express was mailed to Dustyn Robot, my official company name:

You see, Dustyn Robot is registered as a sole proprietorship. In NY state (not sure about others), you can’t register a sole proprietorship with a name that ends in an S that makes it plural – believe me, I tried. So when I register as an LLC one of these days, it will be Dustyn Robots, but for now, I’m just one robot.

Although it would be nice to have a shiny gold business card, I track all my income and expenses on my existing cards through mint.com and it’s working out great for now. Actually, I just finished my 2009 taxes and it took the whole weekend, so I’m looking forward to using mint.com to categorize expenses as I go this year. Cheers to free online tools!

I took the mechanical engineering PE back in October, and I just found out yesterday that I passed! I can’t even explain what a relief it is. I’m a certified nerd. Now I can’t wait to get my seal! Now I have to start checking out the continuing education units…

I spent the afternoon at the School of Visual Arts sitting in on final project presentations for the Introduction to Physical Computing class. It’s the very first year of the Interaction Design MFA program, and my friend and former student Rob Faludi teaches the course and invited me and some others to give some fresh feedback to the students. I was definitely impressed by the caliber of projects they presented, and I want a pair of touchstones as soon as possible.

Freelancer’s Union sent out an email today with a link to an article From corporate slave to dream job. I can’t believe membership in Freelancer’s Union increased 40% from Oct 2008 to April 2009! And that I was one of them! I was laid off from Honeybee Robotics during downsizing in March 2009, and it really has turned out to be a blessing in disguise, like this article mentions. I never would have left a comfy salary to pursue writing a book or working for startups like I have been doing since I left. I’m enjoying myself more every day and what started as just picking up part time jobs has turned into a career as a consulting engineer, teacher, and author. I’m enjoying the flexibility, and the discipline that comes with working hourly vs. working on salary is a refreshing cause and effect scenario that keeps me on my toes.

The photo I use on my home page of me is from IgniteNYC’s flickr set and is made available through a creative commons license:

Until I figure out a better way to attribute that photo, this will have to do. Thanks Ignite!