Rapid prototyping

The speed of the new technologies of industrial production

Rapid prototyping is the automatic construction of physical objects using additive manufacturing technology. The first techniques for rapid prototyping became available in the late 1980s and were used to produce models and prototype parts. Today, they are used for a much wider range of applications and are even used to manufacture production-quality parts in relatively small numbers. Some sculptors use the technology to produce complex shapes for fine arts exhibitions.

Objects produced by rapid prototype process.

Patrick Jouin designed some solid stereolitography furniture a while ago. Stereolitography is a rapid prototyping technique and gaining popularity day by day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3gHHeD6cv8

Tires for all your needs

So similar, so different

A tire is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground. The fundamental materials of modern tires are rubber and fabric along with other compound chemicals. Today, the vast majority of tires are pneumatic, comprising a doughnut-shaped body of cords and wires encased in rubber and generally filled with compressed air to form an inflatable cushion. Pneumatic tires are used on many types of vehicles, such as bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, earthmovers, and aircraft.

What is important in the "Fast/Slow" context is that during years have developed a variety of different tires depending on which vehicles may be assembled, and consequently have different purposes and performance; for example, a tractor tire must be huge and partculary shaped in order to grasp on disconnected grounds, and so is designed for very slow speed:

A tractor tire is not designed to go fast, but to grasp on different grounds.
http://www.rotagri.com/

We can clearly see the differences with a racing tire, which is designed for reduce friction with the ground and so make the car run as fast as possible, with its slick shaped:

A racing tire is designed to go reduce the friction with the ground and as consequence to go fast.
http://www.slotbazar.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=26&products_id=819

Slow Design

What is slow design? Where did the idea come from? What does it consist of?

Theory

Slow design manifests itself in existing objects and spaces, in products and buildings, in real and virtual environments, and in socio-cultural experiences. Analysis of such manifestations suggests eight distinguishable themes although cross-over and hybridisation between these themes is also observed. These eight themes - ‘tradition’, ‘ritual’, ‘experiential’, ‘evolved’, ‘slowness’, ‘eco-efficiency’, ‘open source knowledge’ and ‘technology’ - contribute towards understanding the potential benefits of slow design towards individual, socio-cutural and environmental well-being. This framework provides a platform for further debate while offering a pluralistic, secular canvas for designers to encourage individual and socio-cultural change towards slowing metabolisms for a more sustainable future.

Some examples

Recycled materials, conservation and innovation of traditional knowledge, encourages recycling and auto design, socio-cultural memory, enhancement of the book lady, identity, humor, joy and colors in everyday life. 
http://blog.bientotdemain.com/index.php/tag/piece-unique

London-based design firm Raw Nerve's Slow Design sofa: "Above all it emphasizes slowness in the creation and consumption of products as a corrective to the frenetic pace of 21st-century life."
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/green-ideas/slow-design-nyt-house-home-roundup-13108-041690
 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/green-ideas/slow-design-nyt-house-home-roundup-13108-041690