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Studio MOM creates mycelium cycle helmet MyHelmet

Dutch design office Studio MOM has developed a bicycle helmet from biomaterials that, unlike polystyrene helmets, can be produced without fossils fuels and composted after use.

A specially developed form of mycelium – the fleshy root-like structure of a fungus – forms the main shell of MyHelmet, while the outer skin and strap are produced from a hemp textile.

MyHelmet mycelium helmet by Studio MOM — MyHelmet is made from mycelium and hemp

The result is a helmet that, according to Studio MOM, can be manufactured more sustainably and produces less waste after use.

“MyHelmet fits in with principles of the circular economy,” said the studio. “There are minimal CO2 emissions, it does not require any fossil raw materials and the end result is 100 per cent biodegradable.”

Experts recommend replacing a helmet every three to five years, as the strength is likely to be reduced by the wear-and-tear of regular use.

However, most bicycle helmets are made from expanded polystyrene, or EPS, a form of plastic that is difficult to dispose of. It is non-biodegradable and harder to recycle after it has been glued to the other components of a helmet.

The MyHelmet design replaces the EPS with a mycelium that is cultivated on a diet of hemp flakes.

By briefly heating up this mycelium during the growing process, its structural makeup becomes similar to that of EPS; it becomes rigid, lightweight and has low thermal conductivity.

The natural layer structure of the mycelium also creates space for airflow, helping to keep the wearer’s head cool.

The process was developed by junior designer Alessandra Sisti as her graduation project from the Design and Engineering masters programme at Politecnico di Milano.

Sisti was able to further develop the design after joining Studio MOM, testing a wide range of material compositions to find the most effective solution.

Material sample for MyHelmet — Studio MOM has tested a wide range of material compositions

The various elements of the helmet are combined during the process. This allows the mycelium to bond with the hemp textile that forms the strap and outer skin, providing extra support and removing the need for glue.

Studio MOM has carried out a series of initial tests to ensure the product’s safety for use.

An FEM analysis of the product prototype allowed the designers to assess the shape, strength, rigidity and fatigue of the material. A simulation of the NTA standards test – the test which decides if a helmet complies with the requirements in the Dutch technical agreement – was also carried out, with “promising” results.

Production of Material sample for MyHelmet — Components are combined in the growing process, so no glue is needed

The project builds on Studio MOM’s experience with sustainable mobility products.

The Arnhem-based office has designed a series of bicycles, including an electric cargo bike powered by a hydrogen battery, the LAVO Bike.

Studio MOM founder Mars Holwerda is now hoping to find partners to help the studio develop the design from a prototype to a commercial product.

Renders of MyHelmet by Alessandra Sisti — Mycelium forms the bulk, while the outer skin and strap are a hemp textile

“By developing a new process, we have taken a considerable step towards using mycelium bio-manufacturing on an industrial scale,” he said.

“The bicycle industry now has something at its disposal to stop the endless stream of harmful, systematic plastic and EPS waste. But we are not there yet. Who is in?”

Mycelium is increasingly being utilised across the architecture, design and fashion industries.

Other uses include as leather in a Stella McCartney fashion collection, as the walls of a Dutch Design Week pavilion and as the material for a Sebastian Cox lighting collection.

Reference

Sustainable News

A platform gamifies sustainable shopping

By Zarkon Group,24/09/2022

Spotted: Surveys consistently show that many consumers are highly motivated to make more sustainable choices, but they don’t always know the best way to go about it. For example, when grocery shopping, there is often a lack of information around the sustainability of individual products. To help, Austrian startup inoqo has developed an app that can tell users the CO2 impact of their individual grocery purchases and help shoppers to make more informed choices.

The inoqo app uses proprietary technology and publically available data to passively track the user’s grocery basket—without the need to scan individual items—and inform them about relevant factors such as the carbon dioxide impact of their purchase. It can then recommend alternative products with a lower impact. The app also includes features that encourage users to make more sustainable choices through personalised content, gamification, and community challenges.

In addition, inoqo allows users to specify their sustainability goals and values, such as avoiding products containing palm oil. The app will then provide feedback whenever a chosen product does not match the values of the user – if it contains palm oil for example. It will also analyse the user’s consumer behaviour to let them know how much it has helped. For example, if the user buys organic products, the app might tell them how much bee habitat they have preserved. Users can also take up challenges, such as reducing meat consumption or buyng only organic products.

At Springwise, we have spotted many innovations aiming to make it easier to make sustainable choices, from a virtual shopping assistant that makes it easier to find secondhand deals to a platform that has developed a sustainability scoring system.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Sustainable News

Ten furniture designs made from sustainable materials

By Zarkon Group,24/09/2022

Dezeen Showroom: a stool made from wood sourced through sustainable forestry and a 3D-printed chair made from recycled fishing nets are among the latest furniture designs on Dezeen Showroom that use sustainable materials.

Designers and brands are continually improving the sustainability of their designs in an attempt to lessen the negative impact on the environment, from the production and manufacturing stages to the longevity and lifecycle of the final product.

Included in this selection are products designed to follow circular economy principles, where parts can be replaced, repaired and recycled to increase the lifespan of the materials.

Also featured are furniture pieces made from recycled materials, including PET plastic bottles, cardboard and coffee waste.

From tables made from washed up sea plants to chairs with castor oil-based bioplastic seats, here’s a selection of the latest furniture designs made from sustainable materials on Dezeen Showroom.

Three wooden Fels stolls by OUT around a wooden table

Fels stool by OUT

Fels is a sculptural stool created by Berlin-based brand OUT, which is made from wood obtained through sustainable forestry.

The materials are forested in Germany and Austria at a rate that maintains the environment’s biodiversity and productivity, then handcrafted into Fels stools in Germany.

Available in a natural wood finish or in a range of bright colours, Fels has a jagged profile designed to give the appearance of carved stone.

Find out more about Fels ›

Kelp Collection chair by Interesting Times Gang

The Kelp Collection chair by Swedish studio Interesting Times Gang is made from recycled fishing nets, which gives it a bright green colour.

The fishing nets are combined with recycled FSC-certified wood fibres to create the furniture’s bio-composite material, which is 3D printed to create the chair’s curving form.

Interesting Times Gang designed the chair to bring awareness to the eradication of kelp forests due to unsustainable fishing practices and rising sea temperatures.

Find out more about Kelp Collection ›

Two black Fluit chairs by Actiu next to a table, plant and lamp

Fluit chair by Archirivolto Design for Actiu

Created by Italian studio Archirivolto Design in collaboration with furniture brand Actiu, Fluit is a lightweight chair designed for both indoor and outdoor settings.

Around 80 per cent of the chair’s material is polypropylene plastic recycled from the agricultural food sector, while the remaining 20 per cent is recycled fibreglass which increases its strength.

Find out more about Fluit ›

Flek Pure by 3form used as a partition wall with chairs behind

Flek Pure by 3form is a completely recycled architectural material

Flek Pure is a recycled material created by architectural material manufacturer 3form to resemble terrazzo.

The material is made from 100 per cent recycled materials sourced from 3form’s in-house factory waste. The terrazzo look comes from pelletised trimmings of the brand’s resin products.

Available in a range of translucent colours, Flek Pure can be used to produce privacy partitions, room dividers, accent pieces and exterior walls.

Find out more about Flek Pure ›

Brown Bowl table by Mater with a plant on top

Bowl table by Ayush Kasliwal for Mater

Danish furniture brand Mater has released Bowl, a table made from the brand’s Mater Circular Material which combines fibrous industrial waste with recycled plastic.

Mater developed the composite material with the aim of progressing their existing furniture collection from being sustainable to circular.

Bowl is available in two versions – one made from coffee shell waste and the other from sawdust. Plastic waste from bathroom fittings brand Grohe is recycled and acts as a binder.

Find out more about Bowl ›

White and purple Chatpod 700 by Impact Acoustics with seating inside

Chatpod 700 by Jeffrey Ibañez for Impact Acoustic

Made from recycled materials, Impact Acoustic created the Chatpod 700 booth to provide a quiet meeting space for up to four people.

The booth’s structure is made from recycled cardboard and pressed sawdust. Recycled PET bottles are used to create the acoustic cladding and the felt-like interior finish.

Find out more about Chatpod 700 ›

LoopKitchen by Stykka

LoopKitchen by Danish startup Stykka is a kitchen with a circular design intended to increase its lifecycle.

The kitchen is made from replaceable birch plywood parts with optional Forbo linoleum fronts available in over 20 colours.

Users can replace parts of the kitchen as they get worn, broken or if they would like a new colour. Stykka then reuses or recycles the used parts.

Find out more about LoopKitchen ›

Two Dina chairs by Beit Collective with yellow and blue woven seats and backrests

Dina chair by Adam Nathaniel Furman for Beit Collective

Adam Nathanial Furman has designed the Dina chair for Beit Collective, a colourful interpretation of traditional Lebanese “Khayzaran” chairs.

Instead of the traditional use of cane, Dina’s woven seat and backrest are made from durable castor oil-based bioplastic.

Find out more about Dina ›

Round Oceanides table by Alex Mint in a grassy wetland

Oceanides table collection by Alexia Mintsouli for Alex Mint

Oceanides is a collection of tables made from marble and the sea plant Posidonia Oceanica, designed by Alexia Mintsouli for UK studio Alex Mint.

By upcycling Posidonia Oceanica leaves that are washed up on the shore into tabletops, Alex Mint aimed to create a more eco-friendly furniture piece.

Find out more about Oceanides ›

Black and natural wood Cross Bar chairs by Takt at a high table

Cross Bar chair by Pearson Lloyd for Takt

Design studio Pearson Lloyd created the Cross Bar chair for Takt with replaceable elements that can be repaired or recycled, extending the chair’s lifecycle.

The chair is available in three finishes of oak and can be optionally upholstered in a choice of eco-labelled textiles.

Find out more about Cross Bar ›

Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email [email protected].

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

Dezeen is on WeChat!

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Reference

Sustainable News

Modular light electric vehicles for urban transport

By Zarkon Group,23/09/2022

Spotted: Having experienced life in a bike seat as a bicycle messenger in Vienna, the founder of GLEAM e-bikes put his on-the-road experience into creating a multi-use vehicle that easily handles the complexities of urban cycling. To create something that can easily compete with the carrying capacity of a car, yet with the freedom that biking provides, GLEAM uses a three-wheeled base to carry a multitude of types of cargo.

Leisure users can carry up to two children as well as bags and other goods. Businesses can choose from two sizes of cargo boxes, as well as an insulated option, and all versions are customisable for branding and advertising. The cargo containers lock, and for other transport needs, there is a further three sizes of covered trailer to choose from.

Dynamic Tilting Technology ensures that passengers and cargo stay level when travelling over uneven surfaces, and the base can be resized as needed depending on what is being carried. The motor is quiet and reaches top speeds of more than 25 kilometres per hour. The company provides a range of manuals and video guides for setting up and using the bike and offers a variety of custom design options. Each order takes four to six weeks to fulfill, and customers only need to mount the front wheel when the bike arrives.

The need to make cycling more accessible in order to combat air pollution is leading to innovations such as zip-on tyre treads for cold weather biking and e-rickshaws that reuse old EV batteries.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Sustainable News

Covid-19 test concept by Morrama is recyclable and biodegradable

By Zarkon Group,23/09/2022

Design agency Morrama has devised a concept for a Covid-19 test that is biodegradable and fully recyclable, right down to its packaging – potentially eliminating a common source of plastic waste.

The ECO-FLO test – which is, for the time being, a concept design only – would be the first in the world to be 100 per cent recyclable and biodegradable, according to Morrama.

The design agency devised the solution to cut down on the amount of single-use plastic generated by the pandemic. While both face masks and Covid-19 tests are at least partially recyclable, it is only through specialised facilities and not through residential collection, so must users have been advised to place them in the waste bin.

A rendering of Morrama's biodegradable Covid-19 test concept beside a photo of the NHS Covid-19 lateral flow test — The ECO-FLO test has fewer parts than today’s lateral flow test (left)

“At Morrama, we were inspired to create a test kit that doesn’t contribute to the amount of plastic ending up in our landfills, so ECO-FLO was born,” said the agency’s founder and creative director Jo Barnard.

Morrama’s proposal achieves this goal by making the test itself from moulded paper pulp, and its outer packaging from biodegradable NatureFlex film, which would both break down in approximately four to six weeks.

The other plastic elements – the swab, test tubes and their associated packaging – are all eliminated, as the agency rethought every step of the testing process to minimise materials and maximise ease of use.

Rendering of the Eco-Flo pulp paper covid-19 test next to its biodegradable film sachet packaging — The test would be made from paper pulp and the sachet from biodegradable film

Instead of the two mainstream test types on the market, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid antigen (lateral flow), ECO-FLO applies a new method called the Parallel Amplified Saliva rapid POint-of-caRe Test (PASPORT).

It works with only a saliva sample, so there is no need for buffer solution or a nasal swab – an element that can be difficult to use for those with disabilities or impairments, or when testing children.

The user would only need to spit on ECO-FLO’s absorbent pad, close the test package and push the moulded button to transfer the sample from the absorbent pad to the test strip.

Rendering of Eco-flo tests showing every surface printed with instructions — All of the instructions are printed directly on the test

All of the instructions are printed directly on the test so there is no need for additional leaflets, and it is made more readable by replacing the currently used scientific notations – such as “C” for “control” and “T” for test – with simple checkboxes. In Morrama’s conceptualisation, the packaging is the product.

“Thinking about the test as less of a product and more a piece of functional packaging really influenced the direction,” Barnard told Dezeen.

“Packaging by its nature should always be designed for end-of-life, so we started not with a design, but with materials that can be recycled and recaptured.”

While the need for Covid-19 tests may be in decline, Barnard says the ECO-FLO design remains relevant for countries still undertaking mass testing, such as China, which is disposing of over a million kits a day.

It would also assist groups with accessibility requirements, such as the young, old and those with mental health or learning difficulties.

Collage of a person's hands holding the Eco-Flo test marked positive for "result valid" and "covid detected" — Results in simple English make the test easier to read

However, Morrama is also positioning ECO-FLO as a provocation for the world to start thinking about sustainable design for future pandemics now.

“Whilst much of the Western world has moved on from mass testing of Covid-19, there has been regular warnings from experts that pandemics are only set to become more likely,” said Barnard.

“With the failures from our response to Covid still fresh in our mind, we need to act now to ensure we are better prepared in the future.”

Gif showing how to push the button on the Eco-flo concept design to activate the Covid-19 test — The moulded paper design includes a push button to activate the test

For the concept to become a reality, PASPORT would need to be approved for use in at-home test; currently, it is still in trials. Cost should not be a barrier, as Morrama expects the required paper injection moulding or dry moulded fibre processing to be cost-competitive with plastic injection moulding at volume.

In the more immediate future, another British company, SureScreen Diagnostics, has announced it will start making a biodegradable Covid-19 test cartridge from plant-based materials, eliminating one source of plastic from the kits.

Morrama was founded in 2015. The agency’s past projects include the minimal Angle razor, also aimed at reducing plastic waste, and a series of “smarter phone” concepts aimed at improving wellbeing.

Dezeen is on WeChat!

Click here to read the Chinese version of this article on Dezeen’s official WeChat account, where we publish daily architecture and design news and projects in Simplified Chinese.

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Sustainable News

An app helps to capture family stories

By Zarkon Group,22/09/2022

Spotted: Stories have always been a part of human culture, but the way we interact with them has changed dramatically in recent years. With the advent of social media, we now consume stories more passively than ever before, scrolling through photos and videos without really connecting with the people behind them. Startup Remento is working to change that. Its storytelling platform encourages users to share personal stories and connect with loved ones on a deeper level.

The app provides conversation prompts to inspire the sharing of stories from every member of the family. The prompts include questions about a grandparent’s childhood home, to the context of images from wedding photos. The prompts are then selected and customised on the app, after which family conversations can be recorded. An interactive playback allows users to showcase stories from these sessions. These can then be shared and reminisced about at a later time.

The company’s co-founder and CEO Charlie Greene came up with the idea for Remento after recording various interviews with his mother after she was diagnosed with cancer. “The conversations our family recorded after we learned my mother had cancer changed our relationship forever. As she reflected on photos and answered questions about her early years for her grandchildren to one day watch, I learned more about her life than I ever could have imagined,” she explained.

Social media continues to change, and so is the way we interact with it – with growing concerns about its impact on our mental health and relationships. Springwise has spotted several related innovations including social media tools that help the public assess viral posts, and an app teaching people to trust the news again.

Written By: Katrina Lane

Reference

Sustainable News

Louise Hederström designs furniture from building waste materials

By Zarkon Group,22/09/2022

Swedish designer Louise Hederström has worked with furniture brand Swedese to use leftover wood and plywood from a Cobe-designed building to create furniture for its public spaces.

Hederström‘s project Rephrased Matter, which was on show as part of the annual design festival Southern Sweden Design Days, saw the designer work together with Swedese to create a collection of furniture for the atrium, restaurant and meeting rooms in developer Skanska‘s Hyllie Terrass building.

Two stools and a table made from waste materials — Above: Louise Hederström’s designs were on show at Southern Sweden Design Days. Top image: a prototype of her stool for Skanska. Photo is courtesy of Hederström

The furniture will be made from materials such as plywood and wooden beams that were used during the construction of the building, which was designed by Danish studio Cobe, and would otherwise have been burned.

Hederström, who approached Skanska together with Linus Davidsson, sales representative at Swedese, said they will instead use the waste material from the building site for both “big and small projects.”

Materials used for furniture designs by Louise Hederström — Waste materials and leftover materials were used to construct the furniture. Photo is courtesy of Louise Hederström

The first item is set of stools and a table that will be used in the building’s atrium. They were made from wooden latches and plywood used on the site to cover elevator shafts and as temporary staircase banisters.

“We don’t really know yet, but that’s also the part of the process – we see something, we save it and we and the latches was really something that was easy to see that this is possible to work with,” Hederström told Dezeen.

Stool on show at Southern Sweden Design Days — Hederström worked together with furniture company Swedese

The time-consuming process of designing furniture from scrap materials requires a lot more preparation than working with virgin wood does.

“You have to have time to collect the material, you have to store it and dry it,” Hederström explained. “It’s a longer process, and we’re learning by doing.”

For the stools Hederström combined waste wood with leftover materials from Swedese, as the padding and fabric material needed was not available from the building site itself.

Instead, the stools have a filling made from leftover sheepskin from Swedese’s production, covered by leather seats that are made from leather with minor imperfections that meant the company was unable to use them for other furniture.

A steel ring used in Swedese’s furniture production and made from 80 per cent recycled metal holds the stool’s wooden legs together.

Table made from leftover wood — A table made from wood matches the stools

The current collection also includes a table made from the same wood and plywood pieces, and Hederström also plans to use the wooden latches to create a long sofa that will sit in the central atrium.

For her, having to use already-cut wood and other materials in existing conditions was a welcome challenge, rather than a disadvantage.

“I like the challenge that you have a material to have to work with,” she said.

“So with the stool, I wanted to change the dimensions of course, but I wanted you to still feel the connection to the material and understand its construction, how it holds together.”

Hederström will also use wood from elm trees that have had to be felled because of Dutch Elm disease, while leftover materials from Swedish furniture and design companies will be used to create accessories for the interior of the building.

Materials used for accessories in Hyllie Terrass — Other leftover materials will be used to create accessories

Hederström hopes that the initiative, which Skanska said it hopes to also expand to other buildings, will become more commonly used when constructing new buildings.

“I hoped that it would open their eyes, but also, I think that when they count and see ‘we have 1,000 metres of wood that we just throw away’ they can also say ‘let’s save it for next building’,” Hederström said.

“They can rethink their way of planning. And I think it was an eye-opener, that they realise that this is something that we could use. Especially when the world is a bit upside down, we have to take better care of material resources.”

Hyllie Terrass, the building that the furniture will be used in, was designed by Cobe for Skanska and is part of a pilot program for NollC02 buildings, which Skanska says will have net-zero emissions over their entire life cycle. It will be ready for occupation in spring 2023.

Hederström has previously made a concrete bench and traffic barrier using waste, while Swedese recently worked with graduate Mika Lindblad on a furniture collection designed without upholstery.

The photography is by Daniel Engvall unless otherwise stated.

Southern Sweden Design Days took place from 19 to 22 May 2022 in Malmö, Sweden. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Reference

Sustainable News

A bio-based electric toothbrush is compostable and recyclable

By Zarkon Group,21/09/2022

Spotted: The second largest contributor to plastic pollution after plastic bags, plastic toothbrushes are almost all non-recyclable because of the number of tiny parts they contain. Bamboo brushes have become a common replacement, yet for those who love electric toothbrushes, what can they use instead? UK company SURI has the answer. The name stands for Sustainable Rituals, and the brand’s first product is the Sustainable Sonic Toothbrush.

A mix of recyclable and compostable components, plus a modular design, gives SURI’s electric toothbrush an extensive life. Replacement brush heads come in packs of three, and the company provides a compostable return mailer with each order for users to send back used brush heads in for recycling.

Most current toothbrushes use nylon bristles, a material that contributes to the inability of waste management facilities to recycle them. SURI, on the other hand, uses castor oil for the bristles and corn starch for the brush head. The handle is easy-to-recycle aluminum. Available accessories include a UVC light self-cleaning and charging travel case, a magnetic mirror mount, and a paper washbag. Most components are recyclable or compostable, and the company provides instructions on its website for deconstructing products if a user is unable to ship them back for recycling.

Toothpaste tubes are also part of the personal hygiene pollution problem, and Springwise has spotted innovations seeking to change this through refillable toothpaste dispensers as well as toothpaste tablets.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Sustainable News

Circularity is “closer than we think” says Hyundai design boss

By Zarkon Group,21/09/2022

Mass-market cars built to circular design principles could only be a generation of automobiles away, says Hyundai vice president Simon Loasby.

Loasby, vice president at Hyundai Motor Company and head of its styling group at the carmaker’s design centre in South Korea, said his team is pushing “really strongly” towards eliminating the waste and pollution caused by producing its vehicles.

Hyundai Ioniq 6 — Hyundai has revealed the design for its new Ioniq 6 electric car

He was speaking to Dezeen as Hyundai unveiled its new Ioniq 6 electric car to journalists at a launch event in London.

“In every aspect we’re pushing it [circularity] really strongly, though I wouldn’t say we’re the most successful yet,” said Loasby.

“We just need to get the visibility, the understanding”

“Circularity is where we have to be, that’s the vision where we have to get to,” he added. “I’d say design is often the most advanced in thinking in the organisation to some extent, and so that for us is like the Holy Grail.”

Asked how far off a mass-market Hyundai car built to circular economy principles is, he replied: “Honestly, I believe it’s closer than we think. We’re so quick when we get our mindset right, when we get everybody in the same direction.”

“It could be a generation [of cars] away rather than three or four generations away,” he continued. “We just need to get the visibility, the understanding of it.”

He said he is trying to convince Hyundai’s seat suppliers to reuse old metal seat frames rather than make new ones.

Hyundai is also working on reusing plastic pieces of car parts that are currently removed and discarded during the assembly process, Loasby added.

“We try to sow the seed at every bit in the organisation,” he explained. “We need to get the whole company on that wavelength – the product managers, the engineers, the purchasing guys, the suppliers.”

New Ioniq 6 car — The car is the second in Hyundai’s series of Ioniq electric vehicles

“In everything we do we can find those examples to get everybody thinking,” Loasby continued. “Once we get that critical mass in the organisation – and we’re getting there – then all of a sudden it’s boom, and then it’s one car away.”

Embodied carbon associated with material production currently accounts for around a fifth of a car’s lifecycle emissions.

“It’ll cost us a little bit more”

At the COP26 global climate conference in November, German auto manufacturer BMW unveiled a concept car designed to be easily disassembled at the end of its life in line with circular principles, using detachable connections in the place of permanent adhesives.

Electric carmaker Polestar is aiming to produce a climate-neutral car by 2030.

Hyundai with LED headlights — Like its predecessor, the Ioniq 6 has pixelated LED headlights

Cars incorporating circularity will initially come with an extra cost to consumers, Loasby admitted, but he believes people will be prepared to pay more for models that are better for the planet.

“People are already prepared to pay a bit more for electric cars, but they’ll come down in price. It’ll be the same with circularity, it’ll cost us a little bit more,” he said.

“It’ll become the norm, it will get over a tipping point and everyone will do it so no longer will there be an extra cost,” he continued. “The early adopters will buy into it earlier, whichever generation that is, and they’ll do it because it makes that statement.”

The Ioniq 6 is the second in Hyundai’s Ioniq brand of electric vehicles, following the hatchback Ioniq 5.

Interior of Ioniq 6 — Parts of the Ioniq 6’s interior are made from recycled materials, including the seat fabric and the carpet

Hyundai has said that sustainability is a key part of the Ioniq brand, and the latest model uses some recycled or less energy-intensive materials.

For example, the seas are covered in recycled PET fabric and the carpet is made from recycled fishing nets, while the leather is dyed using a process that reduces the need for chemicals by using flaxseed oil.

“A very nice cocoon that hugs you”

The polyurethane paint on the inside of the doors was derived from vegetable oils, with the black paint around the base of the car’s exterior pigmented using recycled tire rubber.

Aesthetically, the Ioniq 6 is based on Hyundai’s Prophecy concept car with a streamlined shape and an extra-long wheel-base influenced by 1930s sports cars like the Phantom Corsair.

Mood lighting in Ioniq 6 — Mood lighting inside the car changes as it accelerates

Like the Prophecy concept and the Ioniq 5, it uses distinctive pixel LED headlights and rear lights.

The Ioniq 6’s interior, which Hyundai calls a “mindful cocoon”, has mood lighting that changes according to driving speed with translucent materials used to enhance the effect.

“You’re going to feel like you’re surrounded by a very nice cocoon that hugs you,” said head of Hyundai’s Global Design Centre SangYup Lee of the experience of sitting in the car during a talk at the launch event.

In a recent interview with Dezeen, Lee shared his belief that cars will increasingly become “more of a living space rather than a driving space”.

Reference

Sustainable News

The world’s first virtual reality company for social good

By Zarkon Group,20/09/2022

Spotted: When most people think of virtual reality (VR), they think of entertainment. But Dutch startup Enliven has a different idea. The company is using VR to create a more understanding and empathetic society. Started by Iranian refugee Alex Tavassoli, who arrived in the Netherlands as a young child, the company is developing VR tech that allows users to see and feel the world from the point of view of those experiencing bullying, discrimination, inequality, and sexual harassment.

Enliven has developed software to run on VR headsets, such as the Oculus Quest. Enliven only sells the software, but does work closely with hardware manufacturers and distributors. The target audience for its platform is companies conducting employee training sessions, but the company has also developed software on the themes of domestic violence and mild mental disability together with the Dutch Ministry of Justice and the Dutch Probabation Service.

According to Enliven, the approach of putting oneself into the virtual shoes of those experiencing crisis has been demonstrated to increase awareness of the emotional and mental impact of destructive behaviour. It claims the experience also improves the chances that users will recognise and adapt their own behaviour.

In addition to providing software, Enliven provides companies with training in how to use it and can also develop bespoke VR to address specific situations. Tavassoli is clear, however, that his biggest motivation is to increase compassion, saying that, “every time someone experiences our content, they are exponentially more likely to act against domestic violence, bullying, or discrimination.”

At Springwise, we have seen VR used in a number of innovative ways, including to test cognitive skills and in the treatment of phobias. This is the first application we have seen that aims to increase empathy and compassion. However, Enliven is keen to point out that the platform is no panacea, saying, “The VR simulation must always be part of a training or course. After the virtual reality experience made its impact, it is up to you as trainer or teacher to turn this into effective (behavioural) change.”

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

News

Studio MOM creates mycelium cycle helmet MyHelmet

A platform gamifies sustainable shopping

Ten furniture designs made from sustainable materials

Modular light electric vehicles for urban transport

Covid-19 test concept by Morrama is recyclable and biodegradable

An app helps to capture family stories

Louise Hederström designs furniture from building waste materials

A bio-based electric toothbrush is compostable and recyclable

Circularity is “closer than we think” says Hyundai design boss

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