How to bridge research to development?

How to transfer insight from research to actual R&D?
While rearranging our bookshelf I ran into a research I have carried with me apparently ten years. It sure has been an interesting topic, but my friends theoretical approach for semi interesting topic just haven't crossed the reading threshold.

The other day I had a good chat with my old boss about an action to bring academical research closer to companies by recruiting a agent inside the company delivering the latest news into companies.
I don't want to say that this Tekes program will fail, but there has been several attempts to enhance the technology transfer from research to development. -In a way we concluded that so far the best method has been individuals that are that much interested on a certain topic that they become specialists and champion on an issue. This is also one topic where 10% of innovation dedicated working hours could be used.

Reppo by Joonas Saaranen

I must join the choire of several blogs around the world and boost a bit more about Reppo.
Joonas Saaranen from University of Lapland has gained a massive attention (check Google) by his ghettoblaster backpack Reppo. -Great work mate! :)

Existentialism

People who tend to think about existential issues usually choose religion, filosophy or something similar. Design isn't actually that far from being a existential discipline.
When going deeper into the user experience, the psychological reasons why people buy products and services and further, the values by which we determine what we want to express to other, the nature of the thinking process starts to be kind of existential.
-If considering teology but not quite sure - try design ;)

IT security

Opening our University webmail I popped into this nice contradiction in the picture. There's been a campaign for the IT security and password policy. This picture astually shows what is the difference between talking and doing.
People are willing to adopt protective means, if they can do it conveniently. -The meaning on convenient for starters is Not:
1) You just Have to uninstall your firewall not knowing where to get a new one. (picture)
2) Every year you have to go to helpdesk to loan a CD to get your virus scanner running.
3) An old post about passwords

Mie -clothes from Lapland

This weekend the theme was all about our user experience team visiting the north. We went all the way up to Karigasniemi. Somehow we ended up talking about could you live up here as an designer.. -And the visit to Tivoli in Rovaniemi added a flavour to this conversation:
Mie is a clothes-line based on the very same idea. I have to say that I appreciate the values they work by. And the print 'Kemijärvi Night Train"-is one of my favorites.
Read their story from their site.

Habitare 2007 - opening tomorrow

The official opening of Habitare 2007 is tomorrow. Lots of work done and a great department accomplished. Thanks for all the participants.

Come and see yourself how it looks inside the grey and stoned fasade. Lapin Yliopisto at Ahead! -area in Hall 5.

Pylon -surround speaker at Habitare furniture fairs

Habitare 2007 will be held at Helsinki at 20.-23. of september.
Our department from university of Lapland is also participating. Earlier today I heard that one of the early prototypes is featured on university web pages ;)

Unfortunately the article is available only in Finnish, but have a look at other designs too.
Codesigner for the textiles, Eija-Riitta Vähämaa and I hope that you come and visit Ahead-design area in Helsinki Fair Centre hall 5 to see how the design Really came out like.. Other interesting object might be Grandma's Revenge, by Mikael Heikkilä

The idea for the design of Pylon speaker relies on combining everyday living with new technology.
Pylon is a high quality speaker with unexpected shape and changeable textile cover on all sides. Speaker is wired from the bottom, and wires can be led to any of the four directions, which makes it highly suitable for surround speaker. With changeable covers speaker can be tuned into any interior, either to be bold or almost invisible. Textile covering all sides, speaker can be placed even in the middle of the floor. The four piece textile serie called Elo, is designed by Eija-Riitta Vähämaa.

Radio Säteily

The new week started with a workshop with Japanese quests.
Our goal is to make a lamp with costs closing zero..
I like the way Japanese work on their projects, they have a limited materials and amounts. Today we didn't have limitations. Sometimes the way that everything is allowed makes things really messy. Let's see how we survive out of this..

The weater was great today. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to take pictures of people ice fishing or skiing on the river. 8)

Anyway there's a party at railway station this evening. -Exotic experiences which only Rovaniemi can offer ;) Today it's about Radio Säteily, which starts in two weeks. Station is run every year for some weeks by the students of department of arts.

Been busy

I participated a workshop called Green Imperative in UIAH about sustainable developement by means of converging technologies.
The week was busy, but enjoyable. It was really interesting to see how groups worked on the subject. And also to see, in vhich topics we all ended up thinking the same way. -In bad and in good.
We set the aim as far as possible, because it seems that everytime we fail to go far enough.

Our point of view was from the side of wireless technologies (including breakthroughs on nano, bio and information sciences). We ended up to a basic idea that available information for decision making on every level of the society might create holistic understanding about the causes of our decisions. This increased knowledge and understanding together with economical (and ekological) pressures would start to change consumption, production and also the way we are living.

Thanks for the group and all other new friends, hope to see you soon again :)
And some irrelevant pics from UIAH to fill the space ;)

Levitaatio 2007

*edit*
Sculpting accomplished. Despite our ambitious plan, we accomplished it quite reasonably. It gave a light impression, got load's of positive feedback and was fun to make. Thanks for everybody :)

This year there was a serious attempt to rise the competition to the level where it should be. But really important thing is now that all the comments should be saved for the next years organisers. And for helping in that you can insert your comments on this post.
What was talked:
-Presentation of plans at he same time as the teams are being presented.
-In the price giving ceremony, a slideshow showing the piece which jury is giving comments about.
-This year the commenting of the jury was Really good and covering.
-The quality of the cubes is not consistent. To improve the quality of sculptures, the snow has to be cleaner.
-The hosting was better than in years, there was a vision of how it should look for the audience. Thanks Tommi :)
-It's a pity that after the official activities the bar tends to get empty, maybe a better drink-sponsorship with the bar could help.
- ...
Lets continue in the comments, shall we ;)


13/01/07
After two weeks there will be the annual Levitaatio snow sculpting competition in Levi. Levitaatio is arranged by TOMU ry. (union for Industrial Design students in Rovaniemi)

Our team (me, Joonas, Noora, Mikko and Ulla) will be participating with the piece called 'Penquins in paradise?' The idea comes from the worry over global warming.

Elisa 3G coverage

19/03/07 Some more editing, also shortened the original story:
Saunalahti and Elisa answered to the complaints. Elisa mailed on 7th and Saunalahti on 12th. The remedy isn't a fast in any way, but they say that it will change in 12 months..
-I probably graduated by then ;)


12/01/07
I was trying to get a knowledge if Elisa should have coverage on a 3G network in University area. This because Sonera has a perfect coverage, and I wouldn't want to change away my current connection.

.... Based on a map for 3G coverage on Rovaniemi. There should be coverage at university area and even further.

But I have to disagree with the map. There's no such coverage around university. -I made an complaint to Elisa, lets see how they will reply.

Network cables vs. power cables

Our university is proud of it's wireless network, costless laptops for every New student and of course the new arts faculty. -There's just something what the architect has forgot.. POWER OUTLETS. Actually there's only 4 pieces of them in our biggest auditorium :D And in many class rooms there's none..
We were laughing that now when we got rid of network cables, you start to see charging laptops around the corridors. -Here's some related pics:

Passwords

Our university changed it's password policy. Generally I think that requiring a totally new password every 6 months or even more frequently with numbers and special marks, lowers the level of network security.

-I really think that next 12 months, most of the accounts could be hacked using insignia of user and the birthday of girl- or boyfriend, or the other way around..

I'm sure that somebody still wants to make a good password. And now, when you cannot circulate even parts of those good memorable ones, there has to be places where all those good, new password are written down. -Typically, if you reach somebody's workdesk, you should loook under the keyboard.
But also an interesting point is that how are the old inusable passwords being stored? Those have to be uncrypted, mustn't they? And who has the access for analysing these? -The ways of constructing a typical password.

It's nice to be out from the engineering closet. To be able to see how bullet proof system can be demolished by frustrated users. And the reason for the frustration is a system itself, designed For the system, not for the users.

Tieteenfilosofia

Tämän aamuinen tieteenfilosofian luento oli malliesimerkki, miten läsnäolopakot ovat ihan turhia kun luennoitsija osaa hommansa.

Täysi sali opiskelijoita odotti melkein 40 minuuttia matkalle jäänyttä luennoitsijaa. -Ei siksi että tunnilla koskaan kerättäisiin paikallaoloja, vaan siksi että luennot ovat korvaamattoman hyviä!
-Pajulogia rokkaa! ;)

Yliopistolliset läsnäolopakot

Lapin Yliopistossa törmää ilmiöön, jonka en koskaan ajatellut liittyvät vastuullisten ihmisten opiskeluun: Ainakin TTKn ja kielikeskuksen kursseilla on 80% läsnäolopakko. -Ei siis riitä että osoitat osaavasi asian työnäytteellä tai tentillä.

Vaatimus olisi täysin ymmärrettävä jos koulutusohjelmamme olisivat ennalta määriteltyjä. Jokaiselle vuosikurssille olisi oma lukujärjestyksensä, kurssit olisivat ajallaan, mitään ei jouduttaisi peruuttamaan, mikään ei olisi päällekäin ja väliaikojen tehokkaaseen käyttöön olisi toimivat työtilat.

Valtionhallinnon asettama tavoite on, että yliopistoista valmistuttaisiin viimeistään viiden vuoden kuluessa. Opintoviikoista johdettuna tämä tarkoittaa n.9 tunnin päivittäistä opiskelua.

Vaikka kyseisen 9 tuntia päivässä käyttäisi miten motivoituneesti järjestellen hyväkseen joka ainoana päivänä, tulee väistämättä päällekkäisyyksiä. Kun yhtälöön lisätään työtunnit opiskelun rahoittamiseksi ja oman toimintakyvyn ylläpitämiseksi, on selvää että kaikilla tunneilla ei ehdi olemaan läsnä.

Mutta mussutus paikallaoloista saattaisi silti edelleen olla perusteltavissa - jos paikalla olijoille todella opetettaisiin jotakin.

Design research articles

ID research @University of Lapland
Mode
Futurefinders
Luxury
SuMac

Department of Industrial design
Lecture materials
(Optima-environment)

Global ID research articles (remote login)
Design Studies
Design Issues

European Journal of Marketing