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  • Thu, Apr 19 2012

    A Flexible Outlet: Introducing… Plug Power

    By c tran at 12:00 pm

    Take back your outlets from big, bulky plugs! Plug Power is a single outlet adaptor providing users a three-prong outlet that keeps any plug from covering an unused outlet.  Plug this in and you will have made space for large plugs without blocking other outlets on the wall or power strip.  When not in use you can plug it into itself to make it compact and easy to transport. Also when Plug Power is plugged into itself, you can manage your cables with the nifty loop.

    Mark Rumaner was constantly irked when a huge plug took up more than its fair share of space and blocked free outlets. With the aid of 9221 of our awesome community members Plug Power was conceived.  Check it out in the Upcoming page now!

    Features:
    -Offers a single extended outlet
    -Prongs are protected against bending during storage and/or transport
    -Works for three prong outlets
    -Helps to manage additional cords during transport

    Materials:
    -Plastic and electrical cord

    Dimensions:
    38.50mm H x 32mm W (48mm including cable when closed) x 32mm D

    Price, qty and features subject to change during production process

    • 3 Comments
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  • Fri, Apr 6 2012

    Brainstorm Report and Forecast (Time Change)

    By c tran at 12:00 pm

    There’s a Brainstorm coming into town next week, but it’s touching down at a different time!  Next week’s Brainstorm will be held on Wednesday at 4pm EST. Please board up your windows, stay indoors, and participate with us!

    Start Brainstorming with us on these ideas:

    -Work Boots (paint stilts)

    -Key Hider

    Below are the results from last week’s session, featuring the discussion with our designers, invention ambassadors, and community members (click either image for a larger version):

    Product 289 – Short Term Breathing Apparatus

    Product 297 – The Water Vest

    You can view the entire Brainstorm in all its glory here, barring the first couple minutes without audio–it comes in at ~2:27):

    If you’re new to brainstorms, allow us to explain. Every week, QDS blows a few product ideas wide open to kick off the design process. You can take part in that. Here’s how:

    1. Topics are posted above. In your wildest dreams, what would be the perfect way to make that product? What should it do, and what problems should it prevent? It’s a brainstorm, so anything goes.

    2. Visit the QuirkyLive Channel next Wednesday at 4pm EST. Log in on Ustream and throw ideas at us in the live chat.

    3. Can’t join the live brainstorm? Be sure to add your comments here before the start time, and we’ll have them in mind.

    • 3 Comments
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  • Tue, Apr 3 2012

    Travel Light, Travel Bright: Introducing…Refresh

    By c tran at 12:00 pm

    Devoured a whole clove of garlic before a board meeting?  We haven’t, but we’re certain it happens!  Refresh is here to make sure your mouth is minty fresh whenever you need!  Refresh consists of a travel toothbrush and 14 individually wrapped toothpaste strips enough for a week of dental hygiene.   The toothbrush is conveniently housed in the center of the packaging keeping it safe from contamination.  To access the toothpaste, all you need to do is peel the foil covering, bend the strip, and squeeze.  Keep your teeth sparkly white and your breath fresh while on the move.

    Dany Kouri was tired of finding his toothpaste all over his luggage and also wanted to have a convenient all-in-one solution for brushing on the go.  He looked to gum packaging for inspiration and Refresh was born.  We loved the idea!  With the assistance of more than 2911 influencers you will soon be able whip this out and brush at the airport, hotel, or office with Refresh.  Take a gander in the Upcoming section.

    Features:
    -14 individually packaged toothpaste strips
    -Toothbrush and holder built-in to package

    Materials:
    -Toothpaste, Cardboard and Plastic

    Dimensions:
    -108mm(4.25in) L x 56mm(2.2in) W x 24mm(.95in) H

    Price, qty and features subject to change during production process

    • 3 Comments
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  • Wed, Mar 28 2012

    How to: Collaboration Tools!

    By c tran at 2:00 pm

    Hi all! While you’re evaluating your fellow inventors’ ideas you’ve probably thought: “There’s something missing here and I know what it is!”  Now, you can help your peers hone their ideas by using the Collaborative Suggestion tool: a new part of Quirky that lets you submit great suggestions to ideas that drive those ideas forward. Not only can you collaborate to improve ideas on Quirky, but you will potentially be rewarded with influence for your suggestions.

    Here’s how it works as an Influencer:
    -Submit suggestions to ideas by placing the mouse cursor over the main text of a submission and clicking on the pencil icon that appears
    -Change the text to what you think it should be and/or upload images you think are useful
    -Explain your changes so the Ideator knows why you think this change will help improve their idea
    -Mark the change as either “minor” (grammatical fixes, etc.) or “major” (shifts in concepts, new images, etc.)

    Here’s how it works as an Ideator:
    -Suggestions you have received are indicated at the top of your idea’s page
    -Click on an individual suggestion to see the before-and-after versions
    -Either “accept” or “reject” the suggestion based on whether you think it helps improve your idea
    -”Merge” the suggestion with your idea by making any final edits

    Here’s the breakdown of influence:
    -Major edits that are accepted are eligible for influence for ideas that are chosen.
    -6% product influence is allotted to Collaborative Suggestions
    -No influence is taken from the Ideator’s share so you can accept suggestions without giving up any of your own influence
    -If more than one major edit is accepted, the 6% influence will be divided equally amongst collaborators
    -If no major suggestions are accepted then that 6% influence becomes a part of the community voting influence

    • 3 Comments
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  • Tue, Mar 27 2012

    New Mantis, New Community Design Phase

    By c tran at 5:00 pm

    We’ve been pleased with the progress of the New Mantis project so far. Since this is a follow up to a product that has already hit the market, we shared our direction (post-Refine Phase) with some of our retail partners. While they liked some of what they saw, there was some feedback that made us take our foot off the gas and look into concepting again.

    In light of that feedback, we’re opening up a Community Design Phase 2. Everyone (Community, Quirky, and retailers) agrees that the Mantis line should interact with your laptop or computer, and that the new Mantis should be smaller, but this time we want to also focus on the portable light aspect. When we say portable we don’t necessarily mean just another flashlight; we want you to think about possibilities for a whole new category of portable lights.

    In light of that feedback, when you’re concepting for the new round, think about the following:

    -Laptop / Computer Interaction
    -Portability
    -Size (is it pocket-sized, palm-sized, etc.)

    -How it is carried?
    -How and where it is stored?
    -What other situations and scenarios of use will make this a compelling product?

    In terms of influence, we’ve awarded influence in the Community Design Phase to any of the submissions that helped feed into our Refine Phase submissions. In the Refine Phase we chose any submission that fed into the direction we chose that garnered us valuable feedback from retailers.

    • 1 Comment
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  • Tue, Mar 27 2012

    Brainstorm Aftermath and Recap

    By c tran at 4:00 pm

    Here are the results of last Wednesday’s brainstorm with our designers, invention ambassadors, and community members (click images to enlarge):

    Product 284: Hot Glue Gun

    Product 259: Reinvent the Fan


    Check out these brainstorms presented in their entirety:

    That’s the recap. We’ll be tackling two more awesome products on Wednesday. This week’s topics are:

    -Road Safety Light

    -Car Cleaning Tool

    If you’re new to brainstorms, allow us to explain. Every week, QDS blows a few product ideas wide open to kick off the design process. You can take part in that. Here’s how:

    1. Topics are posted above. In your wildest dreams, what would be the perfect way to make that product? What should it do, and what problems should it prevent? It’s a brainstorm, so anything goes.

    2. Visit the QuirkyLive Channel at 6pm ET on Wed. Log in on Ustream and throw ideas at us in the live chat.

    3. Can’t join the live brainstorm? Be sure to add your comments here before Wed at 6pm, and we’ll have them in mind.

    See ya’ll there!

    • 1 Comment
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  • Mon, Mar 19 2012

    Brainstorm Aftermath and Preview

    By c tran at 4:00 pm

    Top of the Monday to ya!  Here are the results of last Tuesday’s special brainstorm with inventor Mark Goldman’s presence and Wednesday’s brainstorm (click images to enlarge):

    Product 253: Bike Bracket

    Product 282 – Hanging Plates

    Product 283 - Plug Pull


    Check out these brainstorms presented in their entirety:

    Video streaming by Ustream

    That’s the recap.  We’ll be tackling two more products on Wednesday.  This week’s topics are:

    -Hot Glue Gun

    -The Fan

    If you’re new to brainstorms, allow us to explain. Every week, QDS blows a few product ideas wide open to kick off the design process. You can take part in that. Here’s how:

    1. Topics are posted above. In your wildest dreams, what would be the perfect way to make that product? What should it do, and what problems should it prevent? It’s a brainstorm, so anything goes.

    2. Visit the Quirky Brainstorm Channel at 6pm ET on Wed. Log in on Ustream and throw ideas at us in the live chat.

    3. Can’t join the live brainstorm? Be sure to add your comments here before Wed at 6pm, and we’ll have them in mind.

    See ya’ll there!

    • 4 Comments
    • Permalink
  • Thu, Mar 15 2012

    Keep Your Wine in Line: Introducing…Vine

    By c tran at 12:00 pm

    Put a cork to your bottles rolling around in the fridge with the simple, but elegant, Vine.  If you’re out of space to store your bottle vertically it can now be placed stylishly on its side by simply sliding Vine over the neck of your favorite bottle.  When Vine is not in use they are easily stackable and stored.  Let the good times roll–not your bottles!

    Inventor Marc Rumaner has limited space in his fridge and often had to place his wine bottles horizontally in his fridge.  When he opened the fridge again he would find that his bottle had rolled to the other side.  Loving wine, we found this to be a problem too so with the help of Quirky designers and 2537 influencers Vine is here to save the day.  Stop what you’re doing and visit the Upcoming section right now!

    Features:
    -Easily slides and secures onto bottle necks
    -Fits standard 750ml bottles and larger

    Materials:
    -Silicone

    Dimensions:
    -76mm x 13mm x 76mm

    Price, qty and features subject to change during production process

    • 4 Comments
    • Permalink
  • Fri, Mar 9 2012

    Celebrating Women’s History Month: Mary Anderson

    By c tran at 3:00 pm

    March is Women’s History Month. To celebrate, every Friday we’re going to take a look at at female inventor whose work has had a lasting impact on our lives.

    Mary Anderson

    Imagine driving in your car as a rainstorm batters your windshield with sheets of rain. Instinctively, you switch on your windshield wipers. But what if you didn’t have them? In the early 1900s, the only way to clear a windshield was to stop a vehicle and wipe it down by hand. It was an inconvenient and sometimes dangerous problem. That’s exactly why Mary Anderson decided to fix it forever.

    In 1903, Anderson visited New York City and noticed that trolley drivers didn’t have a way to clear their windows when visibility was impaired by the weather. They would stop from time to time to scrape off the moisture manually. Anderson figured that there was probably a better and more efficient way to do this and began to develop an idea for a device that could be operated from inside of the vehicle. She developed a device that could be operated from inside the car by the driver.

    Drawing on Anderson’s patent

    Anderson applied for a patent in 1904 for a hand-operated device with a rubber blade and was approved in 1905. Unfortunately for Anderson, her invention arrived just a little before the world was ready for it. Henry Ford’s Model T—which changed transportation forever–didn’t arrive until 1908. She actually tried selling the rights in 1905 only to have the application rejected and having a company say, “we do not consider it to be of such commercial value.” People also thought this device would distract drivers and she was ridiculed for it. Unfortunately for Anderson, her patent expired by the time cars became more accessible and mechanical windshield wipers became standard on automobiles.

    The next time you’re driving and the rain is pelting your windshield, give a quick little nod to Mary Anderson, the woman whose visit to New York resulted in a big idea that changed the way we drive in inclement weather.

    Sources:
    Anderson’s patent for window cleaning device
    BHAM Wiki
    Lemolson-MIT: Inventor of the Week
    Famous Women Inventors


    • 3 Comments
    • Permalink
  • Tue, Feb 28 2012

    Brainstorm update!

    By c tran at 5:00 pm

    After reviewing the feedback on last week’s brainstorm, we asked all of you to post your suggestions for ways in which we could improve the excitement, interaction, and reward level of the process. We received some awesome ideas, and are ready to kick them into action.  Here is an update on the improvements we will be implementing this week:

    Every Wednesday we will have a Community Brainstorm at 6pm!

    The brainstorm will be live-streamed as usual on the Quirky Brainstorm Channel.

    If you cannot tune into the live stream you can still follow along, tweet your comments, and twitpic some inspiration by following the quirky brainstorm hashtag (#Qstorm) on twitter.

    We will have 2 of our esteemed invention ambassadors representing the community at the table. They will kick us off with your comments and suggestions from the original submission, as well as tag team the live-stream chat and twitter feed throughout the session.

    What is the best way to prepare for a brainstorm?
    Review the original submission and leave your comments in the suggestion box. Whether you are able to attend the brainstorm or not, your suggestions will be part of our discussion.
    Don’t over prepare. Brainstorms work best when we bounce off of each others ideas. It’s just as important to follow the conversation, as it is to provide input. We will do our best to constantly improve sound quality and tweet updates.

    We will kick off each brainstorm in the following way:
    Review the original submission
    Review the eval reaction
    Review the comments
    Review the suggestions
    React to any pre-storm tweets
    And start the brainstorm!

    This week we will be brainstorming:
    Beth Lowgren’s Custom Fit Ice Pack
    And Evonne Wilks’s Mini Mantis

    Keep in mind, the brainstorm session is an ongoing experiment. We will constantly be tweaking the process in order to elevate the level of execution.  So keep your suggestions coming, and tune in tomorrow at 6!

    • 10 Comments
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