design

Quirky.com: Make Your Inventions Reality

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Autistics are often highly creative, but many of us need help bringing ideas to the market. Quirky is a collaborative website that allows users to suggest new inventions, comment on submissions, and vote on which should be made by Quirky, to be sold on the site itself. The idea’s originator will receive royalties on each item sold. Of course, by letting Quirky do all this, the inventor will have to cut some slack on intellectual property rights (given that Quirky is carrying most of the legal and financial risk). Interested inventors may wish to check out the site’s IP FAQ page for more details on that aspect. Even if you’re not an inventor, Quirky is a fine way to dip your toe in the designer’s craft, by suggesting improvements to other people’s inventions. That way, you’ll get hands-on experience in product design, even if (like me) you can’t draw to save your life!

How do I participate in Quirky?

Once you’ve signed up for a Quirky account, there are tons of ways to get involved:

1. Have an idea that you’re dying to see developed? Fill out the problem and solution text boxes on the welcome page and click “Continue idea submission,” or simply click

2. Help us select the next great product by voting, collaborating, and commenting on product ideas. You can also contribute to the design and branding of products in development, or help us determine their price. Click on the Participate or Upcoming tabs at the top of the Quirky homepage to get started.

3. Snag some Quirky products of your very own by clicking on the Shop tab. You can also promote Quirky products among friends and family to earn a share of the profits through social sales. Click on your name in the top right of the page, then select “Social Sales” for more information on our referral program and your unique social sales link.

4. Meet fellow community members through submissions and the Quirky Forums. You can find like minded people, follow your favorite community members, participate in discussions, and start your own topics. Don’t forget to check out our blog, Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest Quirky news. The list goes on and on.

[From the Quirky FAQ]

The One-Wheel Future?

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No, it’s not a motorized unicycle. The RYNO has a self-balancing mechanism, so you don’t have to be an acrobat to ride it. Great thing about this vehicle, it’s small enough to take up the elevator to your apartment, or on public transport (if they allow it). If you think the RYNO’s compact, how about the Solowheel (bottom vid)? Also self-balancing, but you can tote the Solowheel like a briefcase (it has a carrying handle). Small footprint, space-wise, fuel-wise and carbon-wise.

Concrete Canvas: The Future of Home Design?

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Take my word for it, this giant mud-grey bubble is more interesting than it looks. It’s made of Concrete Canvas, a flexible textile that takes on the attributes of concrete when soaked with water. The material allows permanent structures to be put up in hours instead of days, by just two men (with the right equipment). The video shows how it’s done, in four easy steps. Funny thing is, they can make concrete cloth, but they can’t make a truly iron-free shirt.

Via concretecanvaspg

Wallet TrackR

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Absent-mindedness or ‘brain fog’ comes with many autistic conditions. I’m constantly losing my umbrella, and occasionally forget to bring my wallet with me. The Wallet TrackR is a card-sized electronic tag that works with your iphone, and alerts you when you’re separated from the tag, which can be attached to just about anything (or placed in your wallet). It’s currently on pre-order at Indiegogo.

I Just Like It: Naturally Self-Watering Planter

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Forgot to water the plants again? This self-watering planter is made from naturally porous unglazed earthenware. The water goes in the central chamber, and seeps gently out through the walls (the clever thing is the plants’ own capillary action determines the rate of water seepage, so there’s less risk of over-watering). Available from Joey Roth. Read more about the history of this kind of irrigation pot (called an ‘Olla’) here, it’s been used for hundreds of years and is now making a comeback.

Montre Sticky Note Watches

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Absent-mindedness or ‘brain fog’ goes with many autistic disorders, and everyone has their favourite way of dealing with it. If you’re the sort who likes simple, hands-on solutions, this product may be for you. It’s basically a sticky note that wraps around your wrist. One way to use it – draw a clock-face and mark your appointments around the face, then write the details on the strap. Available from PA Design in France. Via Better Living Through Design.

Montre Sticky Note Watch

Google SketchUp and Autism

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Many autistic individuals are visual learners, who think and express themselves better in pictures than words (with the notable exception of people with NLD, for whom the opposite is usually true). Google has developed Project Spectrum as a way to give people with autism the opportunity to express their creativity and develop useful (potentially marketable) skills using Google SketchUp 3D modeling software. Drawing can be difficult for some autistics, who may find SketchUp a viable alternative to realise their potential as artists and designers. Learn more at http://sketchup.google.com/spectrum/

Mobile Autism Clinic Designed by Students

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The A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University now has a mobile autism clinic, designed inside-out by students from the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. The vehicle will support diagnosis and intervention efforts in under-served communities in the Philadelphia (USA) region. Read more about it here at the Drexel University site.

With the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute’s particular focus on public health, we wanted to be able to bring the best ideas from research to diverse communities – rolling out these vehicles will help promote engagement with diverse communities. [Dr. Craig Newschaffer, director of the Institute and a professor in Drexel’sSchool of Public Health]