Whipsaw Wins 3 IDEA awards for Home Robots and Uber Beacon

Whipsaw wins 3 IDEA awards and 7 Finalist recognitions

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September 21, 2021

Whipsaw has been honored with three International Design Excellence Awards this year. Bizzy and Martian home robots and the Uber Beacon both earned Silver medals, and the Koniku Konikore bioelectric sensor earned Bronze.

The concepts for Bizzy and Martian were bred out of the Stanford Research Institute. The original study inquired how to introduce robot assistants into home environments. This complex design challenge required Whipsaw to take affordability, spatial limitations, interaction, and AI into consideration. Bizzy and Martian bring the future of robotics into today’s homes.

The Uber Beacon is a hardware device that lets you easily find your rider through satellite and sensor technologies, and also through colors that sync with the rider’s app. The color-matching interactive device and interface reminds riders to wear their seat belt, close car doors gently, and exit curbside, so drivers can focus on the road, from pickup to drop off. Beacon creates a seamless rideshare experience for both drivers and riders.

The Konikore bioelectric sensor is the answer to what The Times calls “one of the trickiest problems faced by the technology world: replicating our sense of smell.” Live brain neurons fused to a silicon chip enable Konkore to “smell” compounds in the air, such as pathogens, cancer cells, explosives, and more.

Being the first of its kind, our design of the exterior had to be nothing less than revolutionary, while at the same time functional and manufacturable. We enveloped a mysterious aesthetic, nostril air inlets, and iridescent coloration into a radial design.

Seven additional Whipsaw designs were recognized as Finalists by the IDEA jury: Atoms Shoes Packaging, Empatica EmbracePlus, KODA Robot Dog, Miroculus Miro Canvas, Omnicell Syringe Dispenser, TCL Zoom Wand Remote, and the Ventir Modular Backpack.

“Thank you IDSA for the IDEA Awards. Our three wins this year focus on the future. Futuristic home service robots for Bizzy and Martian; Konikore, a radical new kind of sensor that uses living neurons to smell organic compounds; and the Uber Beacon which makes riding and driving safer and more connected. It’s an honor to have IDEA recognize design that imagines a better tomorrow,” said Dan Harden, President/CEO and Principal Designer of Whipsaw.

The IDEAs began as an initiative of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), serving as the gold standard of design awards for the last 40 years while raising Design’s visibility. Design excellence is judged based on overall innovation, benefit to the user, benefit to the client, benefit to society, and appropriate aesthetics.

This year’s IDEA jury was composed of designers, thought-leaders, and visionaries who reviewed nearly 2,000 submissions from around the world across 19 categories. Winners were selected for their indelible contributions to society, the individual, and the field of design.

Our Awarded Designs

Bizzy and Martian Robots

Bizzy and Martian Robots, Silver

Two robot concepts straight out of the Stanford Research Institute lab. Defined as the new frontier of design by Yanko Design.

View Bizzy and Martian Projects

Uber Beacon

Uber Beacon, Silver

Light the way. Elevating the Uber brand in the physical world.

View Project

Koniku Konikore

Koniku Konikore Bronze

Seamless harmony of synthetic biology and silicon.

View Project

Atoms Shoes Packaging

Atoms Shoes Packaging, Finalist

Say hello to your dream shoes, wrapped up in our unconventional packaging that elevates the user experience and reduces packaging waste.

View Project

Empatica EmbracePlus, Finalist

The world’s most advanced smartwatch for continuous health monitoring.

View Project

KODA Robot Dog

KODA Robot Dog, Finalist

The first decentralized AI robotic dog with the option to store data.

View Project

Miroculus Miro Canvas

Miroculus Miro Canvas, Finalist

By putting intuitive tools in the hands of people everywhere, Miro can advance science and improve lives faster, together.

View Project

Omnicell Syringe Dispenser

Omnicell Syringe Dispenser, Finalist

Safely and securely dispense medication with this autonomous pharmacy.

View Project

TCL Zoom Wand Remote

TCL Zoom Wand Remote, Finalist

Command your TV with fun, natural motions to Zoom in your favorite content.

View Project

Venter Modular Backpack

Ventir Modular Backpack, Finalist

Designed to adapt to your lifestyle.

View Project

See the full IDEA 2021 Winner’s Gallery here.

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