Industrial Design of the Week: TOPIC SUGGESTIONS

[davi]

Suggest Topics Here.

417170

[Friso]

entertainment/recreation products:

-gaming console of the year 2060

-mechanical pet

-fully automatic waterpipe

-music instrument for an 8-armed species

interior:

-spacefighter cockpit

-underwater tram/subway interior

transportation:

-future airship

-passenger submarine ( this ship dives under unpleasant weather,cloudy nights and icebergs)

-semi-individual traffic system (e.g. microcars launched from a train)

hazardous environment suits:

-firefighter exoskeleton

-fashionable spacesuit (what would you like to wear in the 0-g danceclub?)

[jabberwookie]

modern vaccum

apples new cell phone

portable computer

super computer

watch

designer bottled water

toilet

sink

work desk

sunglasses(sport)

personal GPS/Communication/Computer

self-sharpening knife

cd storage (CDROM/DVD)

Pen

New Dr. Pepper bottle

keyboard!

Sneakers

[ToBeHuman]

New take on Star Trek's starship saucer and nacelle configuration

2058AD: Motorcycle helmet with cyber enhancements

2058AD: Body armor

[Sinix]

Hmm.. just thinking outloud

anything steampunk would be fun
an airship sometime
futuristic motorcycle.. maybe hoverbike?propcycle?
mobile AA gun (walking? hovering?)
land carrier (hah, UN squadron)
sky carrier? space carrier?
some sort of deep sea vehicle.

Construction related or military related purposes are generally fun. Throw in a means to move (rails, legs, wheels, propeller, jets, magic, whatever) and a loose setting.. fantasy, historical, modern, scifi.. and I'm sure there's plenty of good stuff that can be hatched from that.

[Uziel]

Some heavy duty machine for construction.
Demolition bot.
Spiderbot.
Scoutbot.
Medical bot.

[Azrael]

:: interspecies space station
:: pedestrian mover (personal)
:: modern replacement for wheelchair
:: single person spacecraft
:: space walk suit
:: personal submarine
:: glider


Just some random stuff that could be fun.

[Smith Wesen]

Have been moved.

[Azrael]

Smith Wesen :: All of those are great ideas.....for the ENVIRONMENT OF THE WEEK THREAD. You should post them there.

[young paddy1]

flying aircraft carrier
ornithopter
giant mining machine
walking city
motor bike of a postapocalyptic future
hyper train
spacecraft launch device
siege weapon of an alternate past
war mech built by an oppressive regime \
> the world has no metal
war mech made by an oppressed people /
illustrate a machine/device from a Jules Verne/HG Wells novel
a projectile weapon with no explosives
ice rover, no wheels
space truck
E.V.A. suit
Solar Furnace

[Smith Wesen]

Azrael-
Righto. I wasn't really sure as to what "industrial design" exactly incompassed. I shall move these into Enviroment of the week.
Exit stage right.

Also
-Gun/guitar guitar/gun

[Snarfevs]

Flying nuclear power plant!

Agressive sedative autoinjector

Water soluble melee weapon (dispose of the evidence)

Lung bypass breathing system

Man-portable personal farm

[brokk]

This isnt a topic suggestion, but I think there should be a winner gallery like in the other weekly activities. I think it could draw more popularity to the activity.

[staylor]

STM: Superhuman Threat Mitigator, a device (of any sort) designed to let ordinary humans stop those pesky mutants and aliens.

Pulse detonation engine aircraft. A new engine that GE and Pratt & whitney are working on. It involves a series of tubes that open, fill with air and gas, and then close and detonate. Google search for more information.

Jovian observatory. A vehicle designed to explore jupiter's red spot. Will have to contend with lightening, winds, and maybe alien creatures.

Interstellar transport vehicle.

[trev]

How about a re - design of the Gameboy DS? I think Nintendo dropped the ball by releasing this ugly duckling...its a big plastic brick, Im sure we could do better :)

[Simonl]

Near future (50 -25 years from now) intensive care bed with attached monitors, oxygen supply, IV fluid stands and chart.

Future (75 - 100 years from now) Rolex wristwatch with pale green analogue (i.e.big hand, little hand) holo-projection display and two tone metal bezel and band. Piece must incorporate Rolex styling.

Architectural Cintiq. This drawing board incorporates an enormous (3 x 5 feet) flat LCD drawing surface with a moveable ruler/set square. It's a cross between a traditional architectural drawing board and the Wacom Cintiq.

Oakley sunglasses incorporating personal wearable computer, audio and HUD.

[darth massacre]

Is anything new gonna happen in IDW?

Coz I felt the last one sort of ventured into the realm of EOW which was probably why it didn't have more entries.

[casec11]

I agree... give it another try

[casec11]

An Air/Sun powered Ice/Sand/Water skif in post apocoliptic time

2199 Standard Issue Infantry Rifle or Weapon

[CRØW]

I was trying to think of some topics and here's what I came up with. (please ignore any that have already been suggested)

• Unorthodox weaponry (i.e. weapons used in a non standard way, or maybe unusual takes on existing weapons...)

• Fantasy locomotive

• Combat armor for non-humanoid shaped beings

• Warcrawler

• Next next-gen game console and controller.

• Transformer (basically take a current machine and figure out how to transform it into a giant robot. Stipulations are that while you can choose a vehicle that has been made into a transformer, you must figure out a new way to complete the transformation. (i.e. You could do an F-15, but he has to transform differently than Starscream.)

Alternately you could go the Macross route and have one vehicle that transforms into another. Plane to robot, car to submarine, that kind of stuff.

Just a few thoughts, take 'em or leave 'em.

[Irish_Jim]

I think everyone's too gung-ho on the futuristic end of ID. Why not retro-ish themes, as though taken from civilizations not as advanced as ours (or advanced in a different manner):

steam-powered siege engines
war zeppelins
pack animal harnesses
makeshift hunting supplies/weapons
treehouses

[Piptail]

Lava running cars.

[Porro]

So when is the next one?

[abediah]

cybernetic limbs for infantry

transforming vehicles

futuristic defense turret

gigantic bridge- either destroyed/broken in middle

next generation multi-purpose combat rifle

single person rocket system for flight

disguisable weapon, ex. breifcase that turns into rifle etc. etc.

--- by the way, whens the next one?

[sketchling]

Assasination kit built into a gorilla suit.

Target seeking landmine bot in turd disguise

Roof-clinging sentry bomb. Drops and explodes with shrapnel.

Wrist Computer

Data-servers for futuristic mainframe.
Power backup system for that same mainframe.
Human interface for that mainframe.

hmmm... will think of more.

[Snarfevs]

I like abediah's idea and put in a vote for disguised weaponry.

[MEP]

Why does ID concept design have to be about robots and fantastic things? Doesn't the future have toilets too? Or window latches? These are the details that really make larger concepts shine, the little details that tell the viewer that the environment they're looking at really is fully realized and not just roughly sketched. Where are the everyday object designs that truly define life in a different world?

Example idea... rough brief:

How about a fire suppression/alarm system of the future/near present.

Think about it. The system has to have alarms and warning indicators to tell people in a building that there is an emergency. It has to have suppression devices (like sprinklers, extinguishers and whatnot), and there has to be some kind of central control and monitoring system.

Think of this as an opportunity to design a collection of useful templates that can be put to use in environment designs later down the road. Or it's an opportunity to flesh out the finer details of a concept you may already have. Designing a hospital setting for the future? What does the fire alarm (which must be in every room somewhere) look like? How about that military installation or that space dock/hangar?

Surely, they all have a fire alarm in them and a means of dealing with fires and other emergencies. What does it look like? How does it operate?

To me, this is real industrial design and could be really useful when fleshing out concept designs.

[MarkHarchar]

How about Nano tech delivery system for biological use and for industrial use?

Solar wind/flare capturing system?

Automated Wine making aparatus?

Anti-gravity transportation towers?

Salad shooter for sea cucumbers?

[Trashy]

Watching alittle of "Dark City" gave me this one idea.

Tectonic Plate Shifters- Machines that move tectonic plates under the
Surface of planets to change land formations and environments above.

Other ideas-

Future Surveillance System- we’ve seen then this in plenty of movies were some camera's were floating around are drones were looking for people to spot. I wonder how everyone here would interpret that.

Mechanical wildlife- it was impossible to preserve real-life trees so they are now replaced by mechanical one's that represent them and other wildlife that is now long dead.

Futuristic Harley Davison's or Chopper's- Yeah baby!

Transporters- Star Trek anyone? I know it's not an original idea but I'd thought I'd throw it in there for laughs.

Kitchen cooker- Kitchen that cooks, bakes, and makes desert for real lazy people.

[michamachtlos]

biomechanical tattoogun

[BuckWeisel]

torture devices - make a machine/device that delivers as much pain and carnage as possible

[imp_pixel]

This isnt a topic suggestion, but I think there should be a winner gallery like in the other weekly activities. I think it could draw more popularity to the activity.

I agree, it would be cool if all community activities had their own galleries and "reward" system, stars, etc. (although I think the reward is basically seeing the other cool ideas, every little bit helps).

[Lingmerth]

The perfect pen

...or you know some other everyday-common item. Maybe it would be fun to try a "down-to-earth" topic.

[Eskay]

Sustainable architecture: Waste-neutral transportation, housing, dry-cleaners, resturant kitchen, etc.

Deforestation: Circular clearing machines, linear clearing machines.

Surveying: Deep space probe/High power telescope array to detect Earth like planets, Composite scanning satellites to find pockets of oil/minerals in the Earth's crust.

Powerplants: Innovative designs for harnessing solar, hydro, geothermal, cosmic, wind, and ocean power (or a new form of power if you're REALLY creative). :wink:

[ah.heng]

sticky this thread?

looking through the EOW suggestions thread, i saw someone mention an upside down world and had this idea - a device that lets you walk/live rightside-up in an upsidedown world.

[KuJo]

A futuristic stove

An anti-nuclear missle system for the US (that works)

The next generation of personal watercraft

Next gen. toothbrush

New design for bicycle

Prostetic limbs in the year 2050

Autonomous surgical system for military zones

Next generation swat armor for post-earthquake california crime suppression

[abediah]

-earth defense station
-next generation battle tank
-public transportation that stretches globe
-the next entertainment industry(first it was shows, then books, then movies, now the internet, then ____)
-the new surgically attached cybernetic upgrades

just trying to throw some stuff out there to get this section thought about again.

[Simon.Rain]

Asteroid harvester

Medical scan (sort of like a MRI machine)

Supersonic cannon (like that oooooold dune game)

vault or safe

earth mover (like the crane with bucket )

I really like what has been said before about technology going in other directions like an old zepplin
or heavely influenced culture technology ( like mayan, polynasian, aztech...)

[Lewis]

industrial blacksmith of the orcs

[Panagos]

I'd like to see an occasional non-scifi, non-modern IDW.

Like...

Mechanized repeating crossbow

!! Functional armor and weapon construction for a medieval culture with no access to metal

Siege Weapon (could be fantasy or scifi)

Bronze Age tech flying machine

[Moai]

Chair for intelligent species with backwards knees.

[jfwalls]

Environmentally Destructive Mode of Transportation.

I'm talkin' ridiculously destructive. Something that belches out obscene amounts of pollution, or lays waste to acres of land as it travels. It could be highly futuristic, or low-tech steampunk kinda stuff.

[Red Rabbit]

Ultimate Spy Aircraft

Design an aircraft (manned or unmanned) that uses 1: stealth, 2: long endurance flights of 2 days or more, and 3: that after identifying a target, can engage and destroy it in minutes if not seconds.


The Ultimate Road Trip Vehicle

That about sums that one up. A vehicle that you and your friends could use going to the beach or across the country and would be ergonomically and technologically decked out to provide the ultimate amount of comfort and entertainment while traversing from point A to point B. Could be a mod of a modern or older car, or an entirely new design.

[dragon4lunch]

I just went through some of these entries, all the way form the start and here are some I like the best:

-spacefighter cockpit
-Target seeking landmine bot in turd disguise (hehehe, I'm kidding)
-Environmentally Destructive Mode of Transportation

[Adarias]

suggestions :

design a military ornithopter for use in mountainous kingdom. It should be able to deliver real firepower while maintaining balance and altitude.

design a tank for the british empire c 1815 that can be used both on board ships and on land, intended for use in the Americas, Europe, and the Orient, which sport a variety of different terrains and enemies.

the amazing motorcoach, transportation of the future

2164, the newly elected king Louis XX of the Avignon colonies wishes to bring back the flavor of his Bourbon ancestors, feeling that it will inspire a sense of nationalism on the new planet. Design the king a royal outfit like those worn by the Carpetian kings, with all the modern conveniences of post-terran technologies.

Neo-Chavalier - design a modern-day warrior for a people who never developed firearms.

and i really liked
!! Functional armor and weapon construction for a medieval culture with no access to metal

[Streifi]

A laboratory or factory, that designs and manufactures or breeds organic technology and/or organic spacecrafts.

An organic household item, that serves as food-source and creates and prepares food for it's owner from itself. (So it could grow it's own meat or vegetable on it's inside for example, could deposit it on a plate, heats it and secretes a delicious sauce or dressing)

The Sky-Needle. A very tall and thin tower constructed of superstable material that reaches high into the atmosphere (or maybe into space), and where the elite of scientists reside and research. It may could work as the base for a space elevator as well.

A doomsday device. The last and ultimate (and perhaps rather sinister?) weapon of humanity, that will stop them from fighting in wars forever. (Perhaps it is able to accidently destroy the earth to state the point that noone could ever win in a society, that only develops stronger weapons than their imaginary enemies, perhaps only wipes out the humanity and enables another species to evolve into the dominant species of earth in hope, that this species would make anything better, than the humans. Or at least it could simply destroy the more agressive humans, or it alters the human genome and anatomy on an microscopic level to disable almost any agressive tendencies and recreate the mankind as a peaceful and non-territorial species, that is unable to feel anger, hate and that could wish any revenge and results in a total rethinking by mankind and create a new, multicultural and global human society in the now heralded golden age of humanity.)

A modern design for a Perpetuum Mobile.

A rather unusual, beautiful and artistic satellite-design in the artistic decade (or even age) of the 36.th century, where almost every piece of technology and industry will be designed by artists and visionaries. Here is, what I thought of: (The view could be from above, looking down onto the satellite that orbits earth. Despite it's intended functions it could be a piece of human creativity, craftsmanship or mechanical elegance, that greets and welcomes visitors to earth at first look, when they are reaching our planet.)

The smart house of the (not so distant?) future.

Sanitary arrangements like showers, bath tubs, wash bowls and toilets or complete bathrooms for aliens with non humanoid anatomy. (I really would like to see a rather unusual waste disposal unit or toilet for aliens.)

The last suggestion about aliens with non humanoid anatomy could work with other concepts like beds, public or private transportation, multimediatechnology or kitchens as well.

[dragon4lunch]

Streifi those are some nice suggestions. I liked reading your thoughts on the human race. You are a thinker. That is good.

[evamonkeyn2]

A device capable or harnassing the full power of a star.

A device sent from our future back in time limited with a mass of no more than 10000kg and capable of altering the future in favour of the conutry which sends it. Must not be self capable (must be piloted or require human interaction of some kind.) If you have seen the movie biggles where a modern helicopter appears in ww2 you will have a fair idea of what im thinking, a visual displacment, clash of design looks etc. The design must be user friendly for the time into which it is being placed to allow for intuitive operation by people of the time.

A device for a child designed in 2050. Though the child is to see it as a toy/friend, the unit is tasked with the care and monitoring of the child while the parents are absent due to work etc. For the purpose of usability the design must be capable of working in a normal urban environment and interacting with objects designed for human use.

[guesswho]

hi ppl
iam student in faculty of industrial desing and i really need help with sketchs about proudcts like cars mobiles and stuff like that..... it will be great if u help me : P

[vivekthegamer]

Mechanicals ;
Chip Home;
Circuits;

[silliKONe]

barbaric, low-tech tank. it's brutal, it's medeival-esque, it gets the job done without the aid of sophisticated electronics. WWI meets Conan the barbarian. Describe its role in the conflict that you invent.

[SephyCloneNo15]

The Melee weapon of the not-so-distant future! Allows a skilled warrior to get down and dirty and up close and personal in this modern age of assault rifles and fragmentation grenades. Easily negates the defensive advantages of Kevlar and other Bulletproof garments. Also, it should elicit a "We're fucked" moment from a foe who sees it. Perhaps it comes with some other gear to make it useful, like a Jetpack or shield.

Was looking at The Art of Halo today, and a comment caught my eye in regards to the Chief's armor "We wanted to make it look like a modern tank". Maybe a suit of Armor that'll give a man the stopping power of a tank.

[cotletan]

Machine that can launch into space without thrusters
Airplane suit
One wheel vehicle
Hoverbike

[evamonkeyn2]

How about this?


Tactical design project. Spanning 10 weeks.

A major undertaking, the purpose of which is to provide the participants, at the end of 12 weeks, with a fully realised race at war. The true benefit of this, is to be able to present in job applications an ability to invent a variety of designs with a shared visual iconography with the intended use being the games industry or mod scene.

Two absolute necessities are required for each design.

First - three orthographic views. These are annoying to some, but would be vital for modellers to work from. It would be part of your job IRL, so get used to it.

Second a colour render as is standard in idotw.



Needless to say, this gives an entrant a great breadth of scope overall for what kind of conflict is being undertaken. Is it civil or inter galactic war?? Humans or aliens? Are your race aliens and what design challenged does that bring. Has davinci been forced to create a new army so that rome might conquer the world. Is an alternate earth fighting an alternate second world war with totally different, but technologically correct designs? Is the whole war fought under water by sub aquatic species??

All that is up to the artist. But once a theme has been settled on, it must be carried through to the rest of the designs.

topics in order



Infantry unit.
The cast iron slug on which the rest of your war machine will ultimately be built. This challenge requires the design of your infantry gear, including helmet etc. It also gives those planning an alien race a chance to flesh out the size , and major design difference in anatomy that might affect future ideas. A rough weapon can be included, but is not the point of the exercise. You would also at this point define some of the basic logos that would be carried through your designs like a national flag or army symbol. The infantry standard may also be an armoured mech suit. In this case all other designs must accomidate this as standard.



Weapons
This covers not every concievable weapon, but rather establishes the basic weapons technology available to you in later designs. Will your weapons be lazers, will they need large heat syncs to cool them then? etc etc. This will provide the visual cues that make your weapons all look like they were made by the same people. And which can be expanded into the weapons mounter on larger vehicles. It provides the beginnings of the restraints which will dictate the iconography of your designs. 3 weapons are required. anti infantry anti mechanical and heavy anti mechanical. e.g when dealing with infantry, ballistics may be sufficent, but when dealing with armour, lasers might be the standard. Light mechanical would use the technology of your anti infantry, say bullets and scale it up. for example, a gatling gun is good , or fighter mounted machine gun in an infantry carriable package.



ground based Troop transport/apc/anti infantry
Utilising the basic ideas of your weapons tech, and your knowledge of your standard troop size, design a vehicle to transport a 4-6 man team. The vehicle must be capable of defending itself. You are limited to only 1 mounted anti infantry gun position. This could be anything from an apc to a jeep like vehicle.


Ground based anti armour design.
This would fit the role of tank, mech or something that would fight from the seabed as opposed to moving through water etc. It would be required by design to be operated by no more than 3 people. You would be limited to one main gun position and two one anti infantry gun positions. The unit should be a balance of firepower, armour and speed.


Anti-aircraft unit
A mobile or entrenched unit designed to disable or destroy large numbers of incoming aircraft.crew of 4. It must be capable of firing for prolonged periods, thus, an emphasis on ammo storage must be placed over defensive abilities or speed if mobile.It could even be a mobile vehicle magnetically sealing to the exterior of a large space vehicle providing anti space figher support.


Vehicle transport
A large airborne vehilce which must be capable of transporting the following.
one of your anti armour units or one of your anti air units
and
two of your troop transport units
and deploying them to the battlefield. Due to weight restrictions, only 2 light weapons platforms are included in the design itself. Due to its design needs, the vehicle will require a lot of engine power. As a result, armour and offensive ability is compromised. This is where your previous work pays off. This is about designing a vehicle around your other 2. Figuring out the design challenges associated with that. If you have skipped previous works, a default box size for the vehicles which need transport will be provided.



Fighter intercepter
A one man fighter designed for support roles, protection of vehicle transports etc. Depending on your conflict, this could be more akin to a chopper. Undersea this might take the form of a fighter submersible. Speed and weapons are a priority over defence. You are limited to 4 light anti mech , or i heavy anti mech weapon platform.



heavy Fighter /bomber.
A 2 -4 man heavy figher or dedicated bomber designed to attack large targets on the scale of air craft carriers.



Mobile command/attack staging vehicle

this would be a 4 week design.

This covers the basic concept of an aircraft carrier. A massive vehicle designed to carry and deploy the rest of your designs. This could be flying, space based, under water. anything, so long as it sustains and resupplies the compliment of units you assign to it. It must be capable of maintaining the following

24 fighter interceptors.
8 heavy fighters/ bombers.
32 troop transport/apc/anti infantry.
16 anti armour vehicles.
16 vehicle transports.
16 anti air units.

basic crew of 2000 plus 2000 infantry.


This is the big payoff in a way, similar to the vehicle transport, in that you are designing around your other works. Bringing everything together.If you have skipped previous designs, box sizes for units will be made available. Remember to design realistically, assigning space for fuel and ammo storage for the ship itself, and all the vehicles it supports, crew quarters. etc etc etc.

We are looking at something big here, akin to a battlestar or aircraft carrier in scale terms. probably bigger.

The additional time given would demand additional results, in the form of an additional mandatory cutaway diagram. this could be an enterprise like simple side cutaway or an ambitious starwars like uber illustration.

[D-Holme]

evamonkeyn2 - interesting idea, I would be interested in something like.

It might be difficult to keep people onboard for that long, things might come up that prevent people completing some topics but it would be really good to see a fully completed series.

[evamonkeyn2]

thanks! the idea would be that it wouldnt matter if you were in for one or two and not the rest. if you didnt do the two vehicles required for the vehicle transport for example, and wandered in and wanted to do that, you would simply have to design one to fit vehicles of dimensions set in the topics.

So for people carrying on from previous, they use their own dimensions, and those just having a randow go use dimensions consistent with real military vehicles. It caters to both the causal and the hardcore. hopefully.

I also agree though, that for those who stick it out, a completed series, well illustrated would be a portfolio gem.

personally id be torn between an alternate ww2 , with mecha like designs and just going as proverbs would say 'ape shit' with something utterly sci fi. realistis but futursitic, down the lines of starship troopers. whose starships i loved.

[D-Holme]

Yes, that would help it to work – definitely would be worth being in for the long haul.

There would be so many temptations for which direction to follow, need a week just to think on which way to go – ah’ the possibilities.

[ThabisoMhlaba]

Steam Punk Underwater Castle.
Alien Subway Train.

Thats all I can think of.

[Cephalopod78]

How about ...

Robotic butcher

Stone Vegetation

Gasoline powered turtle neck sweater

Electric Dog polisher

Fur sink

[Nismo]

I posted an idea on the EOW thread... this is linked to that:

Nanobots:

Tiny machines (invisible to the naked eye) which are released into the atmosphere to perform a wide variety of tasks. Somethimes the bots can link up to perform larger tasks.

Examples of nanobots:

Spybots - military spec bots designed for espionage, need to be hard to detect
Anti-spy bots - used to detect and destroy spybots (at any one moment there is a war raging between millions of nanobots, often without any human noticing)

Military/combat bots - how could nano bots become weapons?

Medical bots - pass through the human body cleansing, fixing, scanning...

NarcBots - travel up the nasal canal into the brain to administer narcotics to the customer (generally frowned upon by authorities)

SexBots - Attach themselves to customers erogenous zones in their billions, and then oscillate at certain frequencies.

Repair bots - repair fellow nanobot.


Remember - these things are SMALL... think of how the tecnology will look on such a small scale.... what materials will be used? how will the bots communicate? how will they be controlled? Fully autonomous or via a remote operator?

I think there is a lot of scope here...

[Nismo]

A device for knocking out tanks.


MUST be ballistic weapon
CANNOT be rocket-propelled
CANNOT be guided
CANNOT be thrown
NO lasers!

-think recoilles rifles, high calibre rifles.

These need to be carried, and fired by a team of no more than two soldiers.

Recoil is a bitch with high calibres so you need to think of a way to minimise it (think muzzle breaks).

This gun needs to be able to take out a main battle tank.

Also you must design the ammunition. What types of round will you be firing? HEAT? Sabots?

[Nismo]

Flechettes are small darts (fin-stabilised).

Their advantage over traditional bullets is they can potentially penetrate much further, due to their small diameter.

Design a gun used for firing these rounds. What will the bullets look like?

[Nismo]

Weapon used to incapacitate a target without causing fatal injuries.

Eg: Glue guns (Ghost in the shell SAC Series 1 ep 2)
Beanbag/low velocity shotguns
sonic weapons
blinding weapons
syringe gun (tranq gun)
net launchers

[Nismo]

Full scale battleship or carrier zeppelin: big guns, point defenses, capable of launching marines, fighters, bombers...

For inspiration check out the anime Last Exile...

[KLEVR]

exoskeleton / spacesuit for manned exploration of planets with higher gravity

[Relhob]

I'm with Klevr and nismo, Exoskeleton or some type of spacesuit and a nice battleship would really make it.

[Jonas Heirwegh]

I would pick something like a device or transportation thing.

spacesuit is again character stuff, we have enough of that here on ca.
I would say something with propellers, doesnt matter what. Can be an airplane, one man vehicle, huge ship to transport heavy things, just anything.

Inspiration..
http://thegnomonworkshop.com/img/gallery/gallery_pops/robertson/robertson_e.jpg

http://thegnomonworkshop.com/img/gallery/gallery_pops/robertson/robertson_g.jpg

[ATAnderson]

Why not do something similar to EOW and take descriptive passages from books. find a cool scene and pick some elements that could be designed. This gives a brief that has some restrictions but also some freedom (more like a real job).

I don't know how well recieved this idea will be but if people resond well, they could start posting the passages they would like to work from.

Just trying to have an idea that's more than a 2 word brief. I have no problem with the 2 word briefs but doesn't hurt to push the boundaries.

ATA

[mackerman]

CNN reported a contest from the US Military to design a powered suit / load reducer to lighten the weight that infantrymen carry:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/07/16/w...ize/index.html

i can think of a bunch of different interpretations for this one

edit - the cnn link is down but the general concept was as follows:
the increasing amount of technical gear carried by each individual soldier demands the development of a system that can either: A)provide large amounts of electrical energy while remaning lightweight (to replace the 50 pounds of batteries currently carried by troopers) or B)synthetically enhance the load bearing abilities of the wearer... some sort of exoskeletal musculature that enhances the user's abilities.

[Norsehound]

How about designing a Super Robot?

Something akin to the 1970s giant robot anime craze. Must have fantastical attacks, but no restrictions on how comical one can go with such attacks (So long as it's family friendly)

[darthnader]

self replicating robot- makes copies of itself or makes ones of another design.

swarm drones- smaller then your hand, but travel in swarms. used to attack and patrol and can be dropped in packs onto enemy bases from a bomber. must have mele weapons

goobot- a robot whos main structure is a type of jelly, and the only solid thing on it is a small chip for a brain.

portal door- nuff said.

[Hideyoshi]

I'd really like to see some down-to-earth topics, simple ones but screaming industrial design all over. You could still add additional briefs in the description to make it more interesting. But I feel, these kinda topics would attract people.

-Medic Droid (e.g. as seen in STAR WARS)
-Street Sweeping Machine
-Hover Tank
-A Submersible of some sort
-A Transformer!

[grenogs]

boogey extracter

leg shortening machine

san fransisco mono rail

intergalactic flea tranceporter

[D-Holme]

I've been through the pervious comments but after awhile they do seem to blur together so I apologize if I'm repeating anything that has gone up before.

Hyperspace probe: an automated device to go beyond the reaches of manned travel – how is it equipped to deal with what it might encounter (including possible alien contact).
Mass-public-transporter: A vehicle that carries hundreds (or thousands) of people around a city and can easily deposit each at their required (individual) destination.
Alien-creature capture – either a vehicle or device to capture live alien specimens on distant worlds for study.
(+edit)
Gold-Ship - Circa 1550 the Spanish Empire need a new design of vessel to transport the large quantities of gold and merchandise they are extracting out of the new world whilst protecting the valuable cargo from English and French Privateers.

Current EOW inspired - 'an Ark' (or even 'the' Ark)


-----------

Potential for conventional items but with an alternate twist, eg:
Aztec car/tank/aircraft – what might have been if the Americas had remained undiscovered.
English Rebulic (post Cromwell but without the restoration of royalty, therefore very-puritan religious) – something of now but with the strong puritan bent.
Or the alternative, a strongly-religious design ethic where state religion influences every aspect of design coupled with the grandeur of old-Byzantium or Rome.

Other eras/aesthetic – 50’s America, 20’s retro, Norse/Scandinavian, Celtic, Victorian (much done), Punk, Wild-west (less of a defined aesthetic), Classic Rome/Greece.

-------------

Random shorts:
WW1knight templar armour/equipment (maybe too CHOW)
Deep-space pirate vessel
Battlefield decoy holographic system
Hydrofoil Yacht
Extreme sport device for the next century (beyond zorbing/wake boards/power kites)
Mobile city (without becoming an EOW)
The Great Harvester - (edit: could give a lot of room for interpetation).
Titanic II

[sanman]

How about a Colony Ship? Must be capable of transporting a sizable population of inhabitants to colonize new worlds. Or some artificial space habitation.

There's no room left on Earth, or its no longer livable, etc, etc.

[sanman]

A giant boring machine is being built to tunnel all the way to the planet's core, in order to harness its energy.

[sanman]

A giant asteroid is on a collision-course with the world, but a means has been found to stop it.

[sanman]

If the Nazis had finished this super-weapon, they would have won the war...

[robmorfin]

"Solepow"

Machine to absorve and store Solar Energy (not the inefficient solar panels that we on earth use), I'm talking about super power.

[Legato]

im writing these down as i think of them

super hauler cargo ship (something to allow the transportation of vast amounts of freight over water)

'interceptor' class coast-guard craft in 50 years

ahhh! my class is moving! i have to relocate!

[mikedee]

helicopter concept

helicopter is a kind of a sky car, isn`t it? So why not to make concept-heli or show-heli as we do with cars for every car show?

[yoitisi]

I've seen a couple of suggestion in here that I like to do in the future, so if any of you have more suggestions please feel free to add them.

Also, round 50 is coming up, should we do something special for it? I tried a suggestion in the discussion forum but didn't get much response there. I was thinking of doing something for an IDW avatar maybe? On page 1 or 2 of this thread someone also suggested to do a sort of series, where the goal was to create a series of vehicles and stuff that had the same overall style and background etc. I'd like to try that one time (maybe start at round 50?), as it makes for great portfolio stuff I think.

However, I would like to know what you think about it. Other suggestions are welcome as well of course :)

[Legato]

I've seen a couple of suggestion in here that I like to do in the future, so if any of you have more suggestions please feel free to add them.

Also, round 50 is coming up, should we do something special for it? I tried a suggestion in the discussion forum but didn't get much response there. I was thinking of doing something for an IDW avatar maybe? On page 1 or 2 of this thread someone also suggested to do a sort of series, where the goal was to create a series of vehicles and stuff that had the same overall style and background etc. I'd like to try that one time (maybe start at round 50?), as it makes for great portfolio stuff I think.

However, I would like to know what you think about it. Other suggestions are welcome as well of course :)

i certainly wouldn't mind an avatar edition, but unlike cow the tricky part would be doing a topic that could be representative of industrial art as a whole. maybe have a generic topic such as "over industrial" or "industrial overkill" and just crop out a part of the winner's image... other than that, keep on pooping out topics and i'll try my best to carve out time to do them

[Mark Bot]

I've seen a couple of suggestion in here that I like to do in the future, so if any of you have more suggestions please feel free to add them.

Also, round 50 is coming up, should we do something special for it? I tried a suggestion in the discussion forum but didn't get much response there. I was thinking of doing something for an IDW avatar maybe? On page 1 or 2 of this thread someone also suggested to do a sort of series, where the goal was to create a series of vehicles and stuff that had the same overall style and background etc. I'd like to try that one time (maybe start at round 50?), as it makes for great portfolio stuff I think.

However, I would like to know what you think about it. Other suggestions are welcome as well of course :)

you have some good suggestions here. Though i agree with legato that ID related stuff might not make too great of an icon as a whole considering the mechanical/industrial scale of things that are fun to draw. HOWEVER i guess it could be possible to do a mini icon related topic that's not really all that serious and is instead purely focused on creating a kick ass icon that boldly states INDUSTRIAL. DESIGN.

as for #50, it could be cool to do a series of objects that relate to eachother. Say an 'interplanetary resource gathering system' or work off of a theme: 'Everything Cyberpunk', or 'Steam powered Renaissance' perhaps even be a little more literal and do a series of topics to create a 'line of sanitation systems and machines for the year 2207.' ... it's really up in the air.

[LORD M]

The epic story about martians invading earth with their tripods is one of the most important sci-fi books ever given out. To honour Orson Welles I thought that I should suggest that we make one of his tripods - by our own deign, not the Stephen Spielberg ones which have somehow gotten credits as how the tripods really should look like.
There have been several versions of the tripods, for example Jeff Waynes and Pendragons.

This is something I would love to see, because this is a great community with many creative minds. I would love to see what you guys could come up with - if this was to be accepted. :)

[Legato]

just something that came to mind, but we do lots of undead stuff, probably because i think its easy for us to make stuff that fits molds we have seen, but it might be really interesting to design something heavenly... maybe even bio mechanical, like an angel troop transport or something of that nature :/

anyway, the idea is out, thats as far as i am going :P

[form2function]

I think it might be nice to come down to some more realistic and semi-mundane stuff, after the rounds we've had lately. We've had several transportation themes, including two in a row now. Perhaps not that many weapons beside the rifle, but those while fun don't exactly push us to think as much as they could.

So I'm suggesting more on the angle of personal objects, with twists to make them interesting. A good way to pick those is to take something mundane and severely exaggerate one of its aspects. Off the top of my head as I'm writing this, some examples could be:

-Interstellar cellphones for space travelers
-Subsonic speakers for canine training or the hearing impaired
-Self-adjusting watches for time-travelers
-Nano-tech skeleton keys for future locksmiths
-Objects with immutable and everlasting properties for family heirlooms

And so forth. The goal of these isn't to push our rendering skills as much as our thinking process. Which is 90% of what makes a great concept designer. Anyone can learn to draw well, given time and practice. Talent can speed that up, but let's not kid ourselves. What separates concept designers is their concepts, not their execution.

So... Think it over, discuss it, and if it doesn't happen in IDW, considering doing it yourselves on your own time. Try to pick the topics arbitrarily, without having a design in your head first.

All for now, back to designing my tank. ;)

[Mr. Natural]

I think we should come up with a world and then do series of products, devices and vehicles from that world. Figure out the baselines for the world's tech, then go nuts.

I also like the idea I saw back in this thread of doing some topics from a book. Any Richard K. Morgan fans up in here?

[yoitisi]

Form2function: I'm with you :) the only problem is that for such a topic to be more or less succesfull is to come up with something that still catches everyones imagination. Over at EOW, Chaosrocks is doing something likewise with the topics to get them out of the usual Dark Tower etc stuff, which I really appreciate. The only problem is that a lot of people seem to think it isn't fun or interesting to do so. I don't want that to happen here, so before I try such a topic as you suggest I have to think it through for a bit (and I didn't have that 'bit' the last couple of weeks :() I'll keep it in mind for next week I think.

Mr. Natural: Yep, that was the idea for a series of sorts. Again, I didn't really have time the last couple of weeks to think it through, so it'll have to wait for a future round.

[Dekus]

form2function "-Interstellar cellphones for space travelers" Thats a cool idea.. i would like to see cellphones like that..

I also had a few ideas...

- Design some ordinary, everyday use, item so that the design would be a mix with some transportation design.. for example, a hairdryer with design inspired from a sportscar..

- Design an asteroid metal harvester. A spaceship, driven by one human, made to collect minerals from asteroids. Even in extreme conditions..

- A space-corvette from the year 2500. A superfast Chevrolet Corvette coupe in space.. :D

- Design a luxury yacht for Bill Gates. :D

- Design a Gas station in space for all kinds of spaceships.. small and bigger ones.. The station would also have a mini hotel, shop and a little restaurant for space travelers to relax.. :)

[Norsehound]

How about a plausible spaceship design within the next 50-100 years? (i.e. rotating sections, mass-driver or laser-based weapons, etc).

The kind of thing Nasa would design if pressed to create a warship in space within the next 20-50 years.

[Vulgar`]

NASA's Secret

[Trashy]

Okay, just going to shoot some ideas out there. Sorry if these were mentioned before.

Restaurant Cleaner-Some kind of operating system/droids that clean for the cooks and chefs.

Demolition Bot- Inspired a lot from the demolition machine in I-ROBOT.

Spy Drone- Kind of along the lines of the cipher machines the military are working on and using -http://psychicspy.com/cypher1.jpg

Futuristic Junk Yard Compacter

Highway Builder-inspired a lot by the terrible construction job on our highway here.

[MasonL]

With only one week to do the topics why not build a specific driver into the design brief. This way a research component becomes required and final solutions are less dependent on some optimistic future technology.

"Fun" topics:

Redesign batman's tool belt/kit

Instruments for the band _________(choose a group with a strong brand identity: kiss, tool, NIN, The Beetles, etc.)

Powertools in the style of _________(architectural era; mannerist, gothic, bauhaus)

Dukes of Hazard vehicle redesign(pick a different time period or setting)

Siberian(or any extreme climate) UPS delivery truck

More "serious" topics:

As the hummer replaced the jeep, what will replace the hummer(considering current military requirements, and environmental issues)

Wristwatch made in _________(design reflecting a region or country with an identifiable tradition of craft and/or aesthetic)

[Lege1]

Iam with Michamachtlos on this one! Bio Mech Tattoo Gun!!!

[Maieth]

MASON As the hummer replaced the jeep, what will replace the hummer(considering current military requirements, and environmental issues)

Interesting you should mention this. British military is currently in the very beginning stages of designing a new vehicle which will replace the Land Rover as a backbone military vehicle. They want something stronger and a bit bigger that can withstand modern warfare wile still carrying fully geared squad dies efectively (ie surprise attacks, roadside bombs, ambush, urban conflict etc)

**or at least so i imagine, i couldn't possibly say whether any of this were true as it is entirely my own conjecture and i nor any of my relatives have been privy to any MOD demonstrations regarding said project, opening up the form for ideas to British industries. ever. honest. i know nothing. don't lock me up. please**

[Maieth]

Right, my twopenny worth...

Did Hideyoshi's Medic droid get done yet? think this is a vey interesting idea with plenty of colutions that could easily catch people's imaginations.

Yoitisi: coming back to the idea of doing sets of concepts, how about grouping things by month. So four weeks/briefs around a central theme? I know coming up with these themes won't be easy, but thought it might make a good way to work it without people getting bored.

As for my own ideas...

1)
Sports/Military/family/cargo (etc) submersible Thinking of an alternate or future reality where parts of civilisation have moved underwater. What would the vehicles look like once we moved away from typical exploaration submersibles and military submarines?
Submissions could all be focused around a single theme, or people could pick their own ideas.
What would the propulsion be? power source? how would you get in and out? etc

k, so i dont have any more just yet, but i might be back...

[yoitisi]

Maieth: I sort of incorporated Hideyoshi's idea for a medic droid into the topic of IDW 50: Maintenance Droid. If I feel like doing a droid again, I think I'll have to find something that will set it apart from that particular challenge in which case a simple Medic Droid is too similar. Thanks for adding your thoughts though :)

Actually, I've been playing with the idea of doing a round of IDW about a sort of plant for a while now. I'm not sure if this would strictly fit in this activity though, but I've seen people try it in COW where it is not allowed and EOW is more about creating a whole environment instead of 'designing' a plant as such. I think it'd fit in here, as plants can be sort of designed, but I'm not sure if you people agree on that :D

[XXITheWorld]

Here are a few wiki articles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Neumann_universal_constructor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_assembler
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_goo

A universal constructor / Von Neuman machine could be a good topic, some very interesting designs could come out of this

[Digital_Blacksmith]

Superhero gadgetry!

[darthnader]

monster powered ship- can be powered by squids, sea monsters, or something more exotic

pyromaniac bot- close quarters robot that utilizes fire for attacks

chemical warfare combat suit- sealed, balistic, armor for protection against acid, poison gas, radioactive fallout, and biological agents.

[Digital_Blacksmith]

Ok, I already PMed you with this idea Yoi, but since you told me to post it here, why not.

Take a normal challenge, like a Missile Launcher with Missile, but instead of just letting everyone go on there way with whatever idea, do something like the last challenge. But this time, give about 50 small reference pictures, from syringes to an old winner of a challenge, and let the people choose from 3-5 of those pictures to come up with something. This is kind of like when you get a job, and they say they want something like such and such with some random shit thrown in there. If you need help gathering pictures, ill be able to help find some random pieces of junk. Got about 5 billion reference pictures of junk laying about on my PC.

[fughi from yuggoth]

Yoitisi,the Starfighter and the Carrier stuff are really cool to me,but if u continue strictly into that direction,like every week the same three pics or stuff, there will be stagnation(at least for me) one day.please make some breaks some time.

but on the other hand, it would be nice, to do like a whole fleet for IDW 100...maybe with that reference pics Digital Blacksmith had talked about.
like do.... a carrier,a battlecruiser, a destroyer,a fregate,a gunboat,a specialist ship and a sum smaller snubfighters like a bomber,fighter and interceptor,maybe shuttle,blablubb.
maybe a decision would be necessary,which kind of ships are needed.

[Legato]

Yoitisi,the Starfighter and the Carrier stuff are really cool to me,but if u continue strictly into that direction,like every week the same three pics or stuff, there will be stagnation(at least for me) one day.please make some breaks some time.

but on the other hand, it would be nice, to do like a whole fleet for IDW 100...maybe with that reference pics Digital Blacksmith had talked about.
like do.... a carrier,a battlecruiser, a destroyer,a fregate,a gunboat,a specialist ship and a sum smaller snubfighters like a bomber,fighter and interceptor,maybe shuttle,blablubb.
maybe a decision would be necessary,which kind of ships are needed.

i personally think 4-5 solid weeks of drawing similar things is just the stretch many people need

[Digital_Blacksmith]

A bomber/scout would be fun to do. Or maybe we could do solar weaponry, like satellite laser blasters, death stars, such and such.

[darthnader]

MOTHERFUCKING COMBAT EXOSUIT
completely enclosed and independent.

[IcyM]

Um, I'm not sure on the criteria for suggestions, such as being always original or using someone else's IP. But how about redesigns of more known pieces of industrial design? For example, we all know Transformers, but Alex Jaeger re-imagined them for the movie, along with a few Star Trek ships. The Battlestar Galactica was redesigned from the old 1970s show to a new design on Sci-Fi channel.

Now, I'm not saying that major pieces is approached (like the Millennium Falcon), but something like re-imagining Cyclone mecha bikes from Robotech anime series? Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver? A Klingon shuttle craft?

I guess in a time where a lot of old shows and IPs are being re-introduced, its not so crazy to update them for the current generation?

Just a thought! :geekg:

[Digital_Blacksmith]

Oh screw that, go big. Do the Millennium Falcon or as someone said earlier, the General Lee (or an old TV show car redo in general)

[IcyM]

Haha.. yeah, you're right. If we go there, we should go all the way. Total commitment!

I guess I was thinking in the terms of IPs thats probably getting a movie or new TV series. You know? Seems like it isn't too crazy to consider taking an old vehicle or prop to remake as if we were working on the new series/movie. Like Toby's Maguire possibly working on the Robotech movie. They'll probably never just go with the original designs for mecha, costumes, and such, but they will use it as inspiration.

I'm not saying we should go and redesign something thats already been done, like Transformers, Iron Man's armor, or a star destroyer. The films are in recent memory. But one that haven't been yet, like Robotech or GI Joe (ie a Cobra HISS tank or trouble bubble? Yes, I'm ancient)

Considering you mentioned someone thought of the General Lee, I guess the idea had been already brought up.

[yoitisi]

IcyM, Digital Blacksmith: Sounds cool to me :) Might try this for a future round. Have to brush up on some movie history first though.

[darthnader]

MOTHERFUCKING COMBAT EXOSUIT
completely enclosed and independent.

4srs. just a simple concept.

[silliKONe]

how bout a redesign of HAL or the discovery from 2001

[D-Holme]

Some ideas (I try to keep a track on what's been suggested before but apologies if I repeat anything):

Arctic/Snowscape transport truck - required to haul large loads over snow and ice in poor weather. Problems with cold, breaking through the ice and bad weather.


Dropship - a craft to carry large loads from orbit to planet surface (and typically back again), not necessarily a military craft it could be a cargo hauler or civilian craft.


Colony transport - could be anything from pilgrim settlers to an off world mining colony - though my original idea would be to limit to only land transport (rather than a space ship or plane as they're more done - boats might work well still tough). Would need to support there particular requirement of the colony type chosen.


Atomic Tank - post WW2 powers that be considered a requirement for large super heavy tanks to fight on desolate nuclear battlefields. The requirement to design a super heavy tank capable of withstanding close nuclear strikes and protecting it's crew from the hazardous environment. Optionally harnessing the power of the atom these tanks could be driven by nuclear generators and even armed with short range nuclear weapons.


The Great Waste Hauler - in a society overcome by waste from its own excess great vehicles are needed to dispose of this rubbish. Could work for many periods/technologies, the main requirement is to take waste as far away as possible an leave it there.


Space stations
-Defence space station
-Orbital shipyard
-Orbital colony


Asteroid Mining Craft – a utility vehicle for mining asteroids, my original idea was for a small one man craft but might work equally well for a large factory ship.


War Idol – as civilisations go to war they take with them to the battlefields great idols of their nation/religion. These mobile icons inspire they're troops to greater deeds of valour and inspire fear into their enemies.


Submersible fighter – a submarine dogfighting craft, small one/two man craft. (Saw there was a similar suggestion above).


Landbased ICBM (nuclear missile) carrier – a vehicle capable of launching a intercontinental nuclear missile but also able to move around to avoid enemy detection. Was thinking of it being landbased (originally soviet missiles trains and lorries) as the marine and air version already are designed out.


Fantastic Navy Super-Warship - Choose from the usual fantasy setting races and design a new flagship for the Admiral of the fleet, something powerful and capable of dominating any other ship of the line.


The mysterious machine - dug out of the ice in a desolate location the discoverers of this device are at a loss. The function of this machine is as much of a mystery as its origin, is it a relic of a lost civilisation, a government experiment or an a piece of alien technology. Challenge with this would be to draw something lacking a clear function but still looking interesting and to really bring across the mystery of its function and origin.

----------------------------------------
Hope that's inspiration for someone atleast.

[darthnader]

legged artillery- large field guns and howitzers that get to the battlefield by way of immense load bearing legs. might have its own protective turrets and such

beast powered ship- ship that is pulled by an animal, series of animals, or built on an animal. the animal can do more than just propel the ship

meat powered machine- robot that has vat grown muscles attached to joints in place of motors or hydraulics. or it uses completely organic limbs attached to a metal frame.

riot control- machine or robot that uses nonlethal force to deal with dangerous crowds with the aid of tear gas, batons, rubber bullets, tazers, tranquilizers, etc.

kamikaze- robot or vehicle that is loaded with explosives and suicide bombs insurgents.

air fortress- large flying fort, with its own fighters, guns, missiles, troops, artillery, and other supplies. can be in the air for years without touching down.


please comment on my suggestions, i think that they are legit.


(not a topic suggestion, but when you post the topic winners, can you provide a link to all of the entries like they do in COW? i am tired of searching for the old forums)

[hippl5]

I hope nobody suggested this before me.

The artist's nightmare - A machine that reads the users mind, and whatever image the user is thinking of, gets projected onto a screen and saved. Why is it the artist's nightmare? Because artists won't be needed because the machine takes no talent to use. The machine can be as big or as small as you want, maybe take up an entire building and require massive power, and have the user stand in a liquid filled glass chamber.

Basically, design a machine that will steal your job.

[Jim_Hatama]

I hope nobody suggested this before me.

The artist's nightmare

Basically, design a machine that will steal your job.


Hehe I think most complex part isnt to draw what u have in mind(thats just techniqe), but more to have clear picture in mind. ))


Anyway how abt starlift of some sort. Some thing that lift starships (or maybe not starships) from Earth to space?

[chuck18mp]

simple killing tree-a-like machine
or
soda pop distributor

[arttorney]

Yoitisi- you can even get a patent on a new plant design, at least in the United States.

Here are some suggestions:

Plant prosthesis

Re-entry warbot

The laziest person in the world's exercise machine.

[Lex.W]

Well, These may sound boring, but I could see there use in modern day society.

-Soil revitalised, turns previously non-arable or used farmland into new revitalised soil, allowing an increase in crop production.

-A mobile desalinizer, can turn salt water into fresh water on the move, could be used for extended naval voyages, or in drought areas.

-A Biomass converter, can convert any biological matter into a form of productive material such as a metal or form of energy.

[Arthur 'Two Sheds']

Hey All.. It seems IDW has been a bit starved for attention lately. Maybe we should go for some more mainstream ideas to get a few more people participating? Anyway, here are some ideas that i think might yield interesting results:

- Medieval Torture Machine

- Skeletal Substitute Rig (e.g. Wolverine and his metal skeleton).

- Alternate Mangonel (Catapult) Design.

- Rejected Weapon Designs.

- Air Mine (We've got land and sea, why not air?)

- Have we ever just had a simple Pistol/Assault Rifle/SMG round? AS basic as it is I'm sure it would interest alot of people.

Just a few suggestions... I haven't read much of this thread so don't crucify me if i've mentioned something that's already been suggested :P

[miniphase]

personal, portable glider

low impact, urban, single person vehicle

portable house

[Funkyskull]

terranaut-vehicle

[Pulse]

new device that extinguishes flames (not a current one...derrr)/ device that changes a surrounding areas temperature

night vision goggles

new device that measures distance

restraining device for an animal/person

[Ordinary]

monstrometer

[darthnader]

machines after mankind- robots that exist after the extinction of man

parasitic machine- machine that enters the bloodstream and takes root in the body.

the tin man revamped- the tin man if he where functional.

beast powered vehicle-i mentioned this before, but i think that it is still a good concept. a vehicle that is powered by animals such as elephants, giant squids, flocks of birds, ect.

hidden robot- robots that are hidden or hard to see until needed, like in case of a robbery or something.

portal machine- a machine that makes portals

journey to the center of the earth- various machines that would be needed to dig the thousands of miles to the earths core

clockwork man- giant spring, gear, and ratchet powered robots used for labor.

flying aircraft carrier- a ship in the sky used as an air base for fighters and bombers.

land/sea/air vehicle- a vehicle that can traverse all mediums of transportation.

meat machine- machine that uses artificial or lab grown muscles to move

post mortem machines- human corpses that are given mechanical augmentation to power them.

[silliKONe]

some good ideas here. i like the meat machine and journey to the center of the earth machine

[f1guremeout]

how about a series of topics, something to help my Third Earth sketchbook. Maybe reflect into the other weekly design challenges. :) Consider this:

1000 years into the future, far beyond technology and what we know as the vision of the future to a world as a endless landscape of buildings. The society is harmonious of art, science, and religion. In their technology, a fluid biomechanica hybrid of both cybornetic sentinence and a living, breathing organism.

However, after a apocolyptic asteroid event drives out 95% of the world's population to escape to the stars, leaving behind others to fend for themselves in the aftermath.

Time passes, almost 3000 years since the disaster.

The ones who left for the stars, The Journeymen (now, some hyper-advanced hybrid of fluid machine and bioorganism. More or less human a result of living in space and alien breeding with various advance humaniod alien cultures) return to Earth, after hundreds of years of searching for their vestigial home. Upon landing, they find the distant descendants of the survivors, a culture of technologically inclined primatives in a vast, lush jungle planet (Earth undergone a climate hyper-restoration from the greenhouse gases. The planet's landmasses are 80% covered in thick woodlands, wild jungles, or dark forests of immense trees of at least 100 feet. The animals have balloned in size, almost 100 fold their present sizes. Imagine a spotted salamander a 100 feet long!)

The primatives discover one Journeyman sent on a mission of discovery and peace. The Journeyman (for the story's purpose, I'll name Anuk.) is taken into the cultures of various clans around whats left of the world: North America's wastelands; the myst-shrouded ruins of Asia; etc...

He takes sketches in his digital log to take back interpretative accounts from the planet before he is to return to the stars.

So, yes, think a bit future anachronism: hover sailcraft, propelled by a thrust vector but steered by a animal hide sail (IDW idea?). Tribal clansmen herding immense reptiles and mammals to power huge convoys in the dense of the jungles (CDW / CHOW)...

Well i hope this starts some ideas...:D

[f1guremeout]

Voyager Lightship:

A futuristic interplanetary exploratory vessel used to discover, explore, and research surface of alien planets, similar to an airship, however implements anti-gravity technology. *extreme scale

[Tyrus]

Low-tech moving statue
Futuristic mummification tools
Apocalypse Machine
The Learning Chair
Life Suit
Bio-Bomb
Upside down Skyscaper

[Pixie Trick]

Sorry if I go over someone else's idea. Here's some that are a bit more on the everyday useful things.

Dragon/dino harness and saddle
Homework bot- does your homework :) a style for both genders maybe?
Peasant's comb and/or mirror (mideval)
Walking powered energy pack- animal or human/alien
Remote controller - allows you to control other people by remote control
Street cleaner
Pen and/or scissors for a clawed species
Animal shoes- like for horses that need no forging
Homicidal hamster cage- okay, the homicidal is optional
Tutu
Throne of bones

[dark eagle]

hard one.

Mobile transport for the future.
Should be small, compact and not get in your way.
fast but very easy to control.
not as big as a car. if you want for extra toughness fits inside a backpack. or med size bag.

[evamonkeyn2]

Deep space communications array.

Submarine aircraft carrier.

Organic anti tank weapons platform.

living grenades.

Combat grade vehicle repair drone.

Archimedes grand solar weapon (period correct design).

[FightingSeraph]

A collapsable sword with a crystalline blade, but there's a catch: It cannot be a lightsaber. It can also be a spear or an axe, if you don't like the sword. As for the aesthetics, it can be science-fiction, renaissance, modern, or what not. I don't know if anyone will like this, but this is just my opinion.

[Adam Synapse]

The Ebony Horse. First introduced in the Thousand and One Arabian Nights story of the same name, the titular horse was a machine constructed by an ancient kingdom long before the Persian Empire. Capable of both supersonic and interstellar flight it was said to "fly the distance of a year in only a day". The story itself doesn't go into too much detail of how the horse is capable of flight so anything can go. The design of the horse is also open although it must contain either Persian or Sumerian design.

[Miran]

How about assassination shoe? :)

[JellevdVegt]

some idea;s

-the device that will cause the end of the world

-future public transportation

-public transportation from earth to a (human)spacestation

-the deathtickler (futuristic device?)

-an alien musicinstrument

-an alien dildo

[MarkDN]

Squirrel deterrent system (Garden Protection)

Needed urgently, with great vengeance and FURIOUS anger.

[Mr_S_14]

Large Long Distance Space Transport (Earth to some distant livable ready planet)
Requirements ?: Engine / power source ?

This Vehicle Carries anywhere from 100,000 to One Million plus poeple through space over a prolonged period of time launching from Sol (our solar system) to a distant world. What Sustains this Vehicle, is it a living city in space or are most the passenger sleeping until arrival 1000 years from launch ?
What makes this ship worth traveling on to a new world for ? Is it a cheap ship , high class , or do all classes live/travel on it ? Like people came from the East & West to America or to Australia , what is the reason for this Vehicle, Is it a Prisoner/criminal Transport, or something more like the Titanic ? that just happened to sink. Why does it go where it goes and what does it carry, What is the power source/s ?

note: I have been reading a lot of science fiction and Fantasy recently.
^_^

[MarkDN]

The Beast
Re-design the president's car.

Because, let's face it, The Beast needs a face-lift.

[yoitisi]

Some of might have noticed, but the Industrial Design of the Week activity is nearing it's 100th round. Following the tradition of Cow, Eow and Chow which have already had their 100th round celebration, I was thinking IDW needs something similar.

As with round 50, where the topic was to come up with an avatar and banner for this activity, I think round 100 should have a similar goal. IDW needs a new face :)

I haven't had time to think all that much about a possible topic for the round yet though, which is why I post this here. If you have any ideas for the 100th round, post it! There's still a few weeks to go but I'd like as many opinions as possible.

...I'll look into having prizes for the winners too, but I won't promise anything yet :D

[Tetrodotoxin]

Hermes' shoes - Hermes, the greek god, had shoes he could fly around with. Could be interpreted in different styles: futuristic rocketboots, steampunk or the old mythological ones...

Poseidons trident - same as above

not really something for #100, but maybe for the mean time...

[f1guremeout]

Steampunk Hot rod set in the 1820s, built by an eccentric billionaire speed demon...

[LORD M]

Instrument of hell, the opposite of the heavenly harp.


Star Wars pod racer. Sorry, got Star Wars on my mind by the sith lord topic.

[joyproject]

Since the BBC has rumored redesigning the tardis (http://io9.com/5163218/a-new-doctor-deserves-a-new-tardis), why not have people draw their own.

[Norsehound]

Uniforms.

Come up with a hierarchy, create summer and winter versions. Headgear is optional, but there must be a way to distinguish clearly who is what, and where they are in the terms of chain of command.

Decorations and other merits must be included, for a minimum of three. Equipment is optional.

It doesn't have to be military, it could also apply to civilian organizations. Doesn't have to be human either.

[Mr_S_14]

Brain Storming Ideas for the IDW 100 Yoitisi mentioned:
A "non-Violent", Yet highly competitive Civilization has colonized a High Gravity World and Requires Transportation and Sport(racing) Vehicles for Ground/Land and Water. Design Two ? Vehicles for such purposes either Two Vehicles for one Environment with distinct cultural design differences or Two Vehicles; One for Each Terrain Water and Land. Edit: It wouldn't necesarrily have to be high gravity, just something that makes the planet distinct from earth.

Or another not entirely seperate Idea: Design Vehicles that Incorporate (Water+Land) , (Land+Air) or (Water+Air) Vehicles are designed for use in each/either environment.

Also, It may be cool to combine two distinct elements/ideas into one.
Such as Cell phone/spaceship. Or a Giant cellphone that happens to be a spaceship or Car or Boat. Basically find two objects/ideas and make them into one, Like The blackberry, A phone/Email/Internet. At one point everything was once seperate now it's all becoming one item Everything in one.

Something that Combines two unique recognizable elements or objects in a unique and new thing.
Anyways, these previous ideas are more sciencefiction, Could also go the entirely opposite way by choosing a Mythological Character and/or Story and Designing a semipractical object of the characters'.

Other Ideas include: Invent a new entirely human/terrain powered vehicle/sport
Like the Skateboard , Rollerblades, Rollerskates, Bicycle, Surfboard, Snowboard, Hangliding, Parachuting, Windsurfing.
Only New and different.

[richards_lewis94]

1.hibernation tank
2.cryostasis caupsule
3.cloning machine
4.deep sea explorer capsule
4.interstella shuttle
5.compact wrist storage

[Mr_S_14]

Umm, how about a Car, it doesn't have to have exactly four wheels just three or more to keep it from being a motorcycle ? Topic would be any Time period; future, present, or past. Or Culture alien, imaginary, magic, sci-fi. Also, any Purpose; Street driving, racing,or roadless terrain.
Not only that but cars also contain all the elements of design, Not only do people think about How it looks when selecting a vehicle to buy, but also what/how they'll use it, and how it works. Such as "visceral (appearance), behavioral (how the item performs) and reflective (what the product evokes in the user in terms of self-image or individual satisfaction."(Title: Emotional Design).
Also, during Illustration cars generally require the use of all the basic art foundations, perspective, color, form, reflection, lighting. etc.
Anyways, Although cars aren't really my "thing", I do think it would be an excellent subject for IDW,especially if it hasn't been done yet.

It seems pretty basic at first, but the Illustration of an original car concept could really bring in some unexpected and unique designs.
~Mr_S_14

[Ink-Ronin]

Aight, here's one i been thinkin about...

Single-person anti-matter mode of transportation

[ArmoredGorilla]

the Industrial Design of the Week activity is nearing it's 100th round. If you have any ideas for the 100th round, post it!

I'll suggest the obvious, that the 100th topic should be very archetypical; Something to encourage a lot of participation and to make for an iconic IDW mascot (e.g. Medusa of Chow).

Couple quick ideas: perpetual motion machine, giant fighting robot (mecha), steampunk airship, hover speeder, face-melting gun, etc. Or maybe a more specific, less cliche version of those

Or something mythological: Excalibur, Mjolnir, wings of Icarus, etc.

Or you could tickle the inner nerd: design your own Transformer (perhaps too character oriented for IDW), redesign an Xwing/Tiefighter, Dune harvester/carryall/ornithopter, War Machine's armor for the upcoming Iron Man 2, etc

[fughi from yuggoth]

sum ideas,non-definit names:

- Instellar Cruise Missile \ Ballistic (?) Missile \ WMD
- Space Artillery \ Heavy Fire Support \ Global Bombing Device
- Hyperspace Submarine \ Subspace Bombing \ Dimension Diving Torpedo \ Time Space Jumping Bombing Device Weapon System \ Assasination Vessel
- Hunter \ Stealth Searcher \ Omniwatching Guard

[RoboBobo]

A planet searching dark matter probe

[f1guremeout]

Anachronistic Far-flung indigenous peoples, utilizing a harmony of primitive implements and resources to create high tech machines, from animal hide sailboards that hover on air (personal transport) to expeditionary quest men's gear...

[Deon]

It would be great to do sets, props and vehicles for an imaginary sci-fi television show.

[Bagg]

I would love to see some crazy designs for planet destroyers, death rays etc.
You know crazy scientists and evil overlord type stuff :)

[Mr_S_14]

An Idea: Tools of "A Runner."
This would Include; 1. A Pair of Shoes
2. A Watch or other accessory/item for keeping time.
3. A Bag.
4. Plus one additional item, accessory, jewelry, sunglasses or other item/peice of clothing,
+ optional communication device.
If you've played Mirrors Edge. You may know what I meen by "A Runner." You may also be inspired by searching Free Running / Parkour on Youtube. The intention would not be to design the Runner, but the items the Runner uses, and showing who that character is through their items.

[Young'un]

The lugs and snare throwoff for a snare drum:
http://www.odery.com.br/upload/fotos/snhybrid.jpg

Some Snare throwoffs:

http://www.odery.com.br/upload/fotos/automatico.jpg
http://www.egodrumsupply.com/ego08/buypages/strainer.gif

And Some lugs:

https://www.egodrumsupply.com/ego08/buypages/egonissebuy.gif
http://www.ayottedrums.com/Open/Features_Tune_Big.jpghttp://www.pearldrum.com/art/drumsets/masterworks/hrdw_swivel_lugs.jpg
http://www.pearldrum.com/art/drumsets/masterworks/hrdw_bridge_lugs.jpghttp://www.pearldrum.com/art/drumsets/masterworks/hrdw_finishes.jpg

also : http://www.odery.com.br/produtos/lugs/0

[legendarybarr]

Items found in warehouse 13

From wikipedia: The Government Warehouse is a plot device used in movies, television series, and novels, a scenario used in role-playing games, and a belief of some conspiracy theorists. The concept is that there is a secret government warehouse where various items are stored of whose existence the government wants the general populace to remain ignorant.

Link to new show coming to sci/fi

http://www.scifi.com/warehouse13/

[Adget]

yea, my nephews like transformers a lot..so I kind of hocked on the idea of products transforming...I'm sure versions exist that can be considered that, but I'm talking complete transformation into something else...it would be cool!!

[Majenkus]

I would like to see a future rally race, like the Dakar or the one day Austrian Erzbergrodeo. I also like the idea of linked activities, like was mentioned about the mission to mars. The different categories of racers could be broken down into different weeks and support vehicles, repair, transport tools could have their own week. Also it would be fun to do crossovers with other weeklies, obviously Chow for the "pilots" or "drivers," Eow for the courses, and Cow for the dangerous fauna along the way.

Also, in NBA they sometimes have "throwback" games where players wear uniforms from past eras, it would be fun to do a "throwback" Idw in which we design something for an ancient application (like siege) using only the available materials of the era.

[Anarchitecht]

Parade Dress Spacesuit
Most military organization have these archaic uniforms, 17th century military apparell in gaudy colours and heavily hung with medals and orders. How could this be envisioned, in a world with an astronautic navy corps?
How could the parade uniforms of the Martian 214th Colonials look?

[CKLamb]

Monster-Hunter Gear-all the tools and accoutrement necessary to kill a variety of monsters

[Rabies]

"They" are developing plugs that enable transport of electricity without wires trough air. I havent got a company name, just saw a short notice in a paper for engineers that my dad buys. Just imagine what could be developed with that technology...

[Lushmoss]

A Monorail Racer in 50 years time. As the cities grow bigger and denser, the use of cars in urban areas has become next to impossible, especially since even the most dilapitated of buildings have reached heights that rival the skyscrapers of today. A dangerous sport has emerged from the public transport system, whose passengers speed along the spiderweb of tracks that layer and entangle the city. With daring and reckless disregard for their lives, the racer's machines shift through narrow alleyways, main tracks, and scrape against the ground level which rarely sees the daylight these years. And all for the rush of adrenalin and glory.

[Pixie Trick]

Watering can for carnivorous plants (blooooood :P)
The most amazing play place ever.
Telescopic Cauldron.
Lightning creator.
Water Canon.
Fondue fountain.
Incomprehensible 3D map.
Telephone for an underwater alien species with no hands.
Card shuffler.
A red button (red telephone etc).
Exsanguinator.
Whale carrier. (for marine museums etc. when their animals are sick - plane train automoblie...either or)

[SephyCloneNo15]

So, I recently finished Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (and that's the first time I've spelled Fahrenheit correctly on my first try!), and have, thus far, been unsatisfied with every artistic representation I've seen of the Mechanical Hound:

The mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the fire house. The dim light of one in the morning, the moonlight from the open sky framed through the great window, touched here and there on the brass and copper and the steel of the faintly trembling beast. Light flickered on bits of ruby glass and on sensitive capillary hairs in the nylon-brushed nostrils of the creature that quivered gently, its eight legs spidered under it on rubber padded paws.

... It was like a great bee come home from some field, where the honey is full of poison wildness, of insanity and nightmare, its body crammed with that overrich nectar, and now it was sleeping the evil out of itself.

Nights when things got dull, which was every night, the men slid down the brass poles, and set the ticking combinations of the olfactory system of the hound and let loose rats in the fire house areaway. Three seconds later the game was done, the rat caught half across the areaway, gripped in gentle paws while a four-inch hollow steel needle plunged down from the proboscis of the hound to inject massive jolts of morphine or procaine.

So, eight-legged robot programmed to hunt, based on a very sophisticated "nose", and subdue its prey with massive jolts of drugs from a 4-inch hypodermic needle.

[Cookiedough]

Sarcophagus/ casket - any period in time. Death has some fascinating symbolism.

[PheKt]

Terraforming Module(s)

Ancient Mechanical Booby Trap [something indiana jones-esque, but where you can actually see the inner workings]

Steampunk Polaroid Camera

[mackerman]

Anybody ever read Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson? A courier character named Y.T. uses a "Plank" as a mode of transportation. This is a hoverboard of sorts. I'd love to see a bunch of different takes on the hoverboard (I'm sure Marty McFly would as well).

[Hellstorm888]

Biological Air Bike, Slithering Troop Transport, Walking bus, Black Ops Weapon, Future Plate armor, and Rolling Cargo Transport?

[templar007]

How about an exosuit (military exosuit with weapons, industrial exosuit with all kind of mining and drilling equipment, scientific exosuit with computers and tools, ...)

Or how about a high-level prison facility on the most uninhabitable locations. And you can see the many different sections of it (on an asteroid, on an island, a vulcanic environment, underwater, ...) Just to make sure than chances of survival after escape are minimal.

[Cocidius]

How about an exosuit (military exosuit with weapons, industrial exosuit with all kind of mining and drilling equipment, scientific exosuit with computers and tools, ...

This.

You could go pretty much any direction with this as well, from a steampunk-esque hissing, steam powered harness to some 2100-era high-tech, tacticool'd up military suit.

Global bombing sounds awesome as well. :)

[templar007]

Zombies are walking the earth, killing and infecting many, and governments are shattered. People have to survive on their own. People are starting nomadic living styles and fight-off any zombies they encounter. They call themselves the Resistance.

And the Resistance uses huge trucks. These trucks are massive rigs converted into mobile houses, farms, weaponsplatforms, and many more.

Some of them are equipped with cranes, others with storage silos and cages for livestock, and some have been outfitted with lookout towers, gunturrets and entire sections cut off and transformed into bunkers.

My idea is, make a convoy of these trucks with at least one truck for the following functions

- Food truck: has cages for livestock, some silos, and maybe some greenhouses on them
- Housing truck: this one is clear ;)
- weapon truck: put some guns, a lookout tower, searchlights, etc
- Communications truck: radar dishes, antennas, computers, etc
- And finally the construction truck: has machines on it to repair other trucks as well as other equipment to built things which are needed for the convoy.

[gnilrE]

a anti-gun. :) it repairs stuff :P

[templar007]

Everyone has seen alien vs predator. And I think I can speak for everyone that the predator had very awesome weaponry. I suggest we give him a new arsenal of weaponry.

But this time, it will be more advanced then before. Give him small attack and defence drones, a backpack with devices, mines, guns, knives and many more.

Make sure he has the upperhand in the fight against the aliens :muscle:

[oliviaz28]

Noah's Arc

(complete with exact biblical measurements)