Justin Giannone is in marketing communications for an electronics distributor. This is his fourth invention idea that will be taken through the Quirky process. Justin says that every time he preps food, his hands get dirty and he has to do a juggling act with paper towels, spices, salt and pepper, utensils, pans, etc. He hates the workflow of gloves and potholders, and finds the majority of the process unnecessary. After much deliberation, Justin thought that it would be a great idea if a product was made that was an easily cleaned, reusable silicone grip that the user could apply to a lot of different things. He even thinks this could be used not only as a grip but a clip, a prop, and a holder among others. Ju Read More...
The creative process is often informed by the things we have seen and experienced over the course of our lifetime. Sometimes, similar designs and concepts can be produced, independently, by two people. When an inventor submits an idea to Quirky, we assume that they are submitting an innovation derived from an original thought, and do not automatically assume that just because there is a similar product or concept out there, that the idea is plagiarized.
After a review of certain submissions, we found a pattern of ideations that seemed to be heavily inspired by concept art from a single website. Recap appears to be one of these heavily inspired ideations. While we knew that a concept similar to Recap existed when it was picked, we Read More...
This week marks the anniversaries of the opening days for both the 1939 – 1940 and the 1964 – 1965 World’s Fairs. Both events were cultural achievements in the realms of science, technology, and global citizenship, introducing tens of millions of visitors to cutting edge technological advancements and instilling hope in many for a better future. There is a lot of literature about these fairs and their legacy on the web and in published media, so we won’t be duplicating those efforts. Rather, we’d like to honor them in a popular contemporary fashion: with a Best, Worst, and Ugly list.
1939 – 1940 World’s Fair
When you think of a World’s Fair, Read More...
Say goodbye to unlit nooks and crannies with Ions: miniature, magnetic LEDs that illuminate any dark work space with ease. Ions feature a magnetic base that can be attached to a metal tool or surface, providing a powerful light source where larger lamps may fear to tread. Pivoting hinges and a possible dimming feature maximize the versatility of these little troopers, making them an ideal addition to any project, be it in the kitchen, garage, or home office. How many applications can you think of?
Inventor Douglas Diesel wanted to find a better way to bring light to dark work spaces, so he set out to invent a light that could truly be brought anywhere. With the help of 10935 influencers, that dream turne Read More...
Get out your umbrellas, folks. There’s a storm heading this way. That’s right – we’re brainstorming two new products TONIGHT (6pm EST):
- App-Enabled Dice
- Pedal-Powered Charging Station
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 the start time, and we’ll have them in mind.
With Mercado having recently launched in the Quirky store and about to hit retail shelves nationwide, we thought we’d check in with inventor, Peter Wachtel, to discuss his experience having his idea go from sketch to store.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a Toy designer, inventor, teacher and writer with my company KID Toyology www.coroflot.com/kidtoyology and a Fun Dad.
When did you join Quirky?
November of 2010.
When and how did you think up the idea for this product?
Dayra Pino (Summer Tomato) had submitted a Farmer’s Market Brief to Quirky, and though I don’t go to many Farmer’ Markets, my wife Sue does, and she had some good ideas… I wanted to design so Read More...
With Mocubo having recently launched in the Quirky store and about to hit retail shelves nationwide, we thought we’d check in with inventor, Justin Giannone, to discuss his experience having his idea go from sketch to store.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a true New York Pizza Bagel – Half Italian and Half Jewish. I grew up an avid tennis player and lover of all sports. I went to NYU and studied Psychology, Neural Science and Pre-med, and other random things. Since then I’ve served BBQ food, worked on Cisco networks, and worked in a number of roles for my family business, an electronic components distributor and LCD solutions provider. I’m getting married in Oc Read More...
Our partnership with GE continues in Houston. If you’re in the area, swing by the GE Garages at Rice University. This is your chance to roll up your sleeves and learn how to prototype (with 3D printers, injection molders, laser cutters and welding) and participate in workshops and training sessions.
Where: Rice University, 2100 Rice Blvd. at Wilton St – West Lot 3
When: Through 5/3 (2p – 8p daily)
More info: ge.com/garages
Below are the results from this week’s Brainstorm session, featuring the collaborative work of our designers, invention ambassadors, and community members (click either image for a larger version):
Product 314: Friendship Bracelets
Product 280: Folding Chair
The full feed for the brainstorm can be viewed here:
Video streaming by Ustream
That’s the recap! We’ll be posting a preview for next week’s brainstorm on Monday, but until then we’d love to hear your feedback on this week’s brainstorm and broadcast, so share and share alike in the comments. Change, as they say, is good.
David Veshapidze, a Business Owner from Alexandria, KY was making his famous flapjacks for his daughter, Sophia, and was trying to keep all of his pancakes a consistent size. Unfortunately, it was hard for him to measure exactly how batter he was pouring into the pan so he would have to settle for using smaller measuring cup to measure out the batter for each pancake. He thought there had to be an easier way to measure portions of liquids and batters as a person was pouring them. David came up with an idea that does just that. His measuring cup with radial measuring lines makes sure you dispense exactly as much liquid as you intend. Quirky looks forward to finding another new way to simplify portion control.
Tommy Read More...
Why have a whole day dedicated to a slow-cooling ball of molten rock orbiting a star? Earth is a pretty cool place, when you think about it. It gives us food, water, and energy. Its gravity keeps us from floating into the sun. Earth Day reminds us to pay proper homage to our celestial habitat. Here’s five manufacturers that respect Planet Earth all year round by keeping their business practices lean and green.
Panasonic
This year, this electronics giant pledged to completely revamp their business and become the #1 green innovation company in the industry. They’ve set a goal to cut C02 emissions by 40 million tons by 2018, and their production of solar cells and fuel cell cogeneration units is Read More...
We’re reinventing storage and we’re doing it in the US! This is a huge and really exciting undertaking for Quirky and the community, so we’ve built a dedicated page for all things Crates. Here, you’ll be able to:
- Rank your favorite accessories for influence (a new type of project).
- Participate in the different Crates projects (currently Naming, Accessories Concept and Pricing Game are live).
- Follow the story as we share frequent video updates on bringing crates to life.
Congratulations to Inventor Jenny Drinkard, from Atlanta, GA. Last year, she submitted a brilliant idea. This marks the first product that we’ve pulled from the archives. See how Crates was born.
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