2 Good Designs List

This is my good designs list (for this semester atleast). I'll keep appending to this list every other day so stay tuned. Links have been provided for further reading in order to keep it simple. So here goes.

1. GE90-115B : This mammoth of an airplane engine is the largest in the world.
Good Design features :
a. Unique Complex Swept Fan blade : Made of a composite (carbon fiber and epoxy resin), with leading edges made of titanium to better distribute stresses. Light, durable, less noisy, low rotional speed and exceptional air intake power. Swept back angle leads to better aerodynamic efficiency.
b. Fan Stator Case : Largest part of the engine is fully transportable by air, land or sea.
c. High Efficiency High Pressure Compressor : 9 stage 3D HPC vanes and blades enable a
a thrust of 115,000 pounds. Flow rate and compression ratio (42) has been increased by 20%.
d. Fan Mid-Shaft : Made of a special alloy called GE1014, exclusively developed for this
application enables shaft of older GE90 series design to remain the same, but gives more torque. The alloy has superior fatigue and tensile strength.
e. Hydrocarbon emission levels are 60% lower than those that will be allowed by 2008 standards.

2. Leap Frog Twist and Shout Toys : Toys for children should avoid small parts. It should be intuitive, take into account the child's learning patterns and habits, avoid factors that can bug the parents (like high noise level). It should also be geared towards specific age groups. After
randomly checking the web for children's toys, I came across UK based company Leap Frog. Here's one of their toys - A Hand held Spelling Toy for grades K-5.

Good Design Features :

1. 5 game modes from easy to hard.
2. Twist dial for letter, then slam the end for answer!
3. Teaches core spelling words and fundamental spelling rules
4. Automatically adjusts to player's skill level.
5.Music, animation and sound to keep the child playing.
6. Attractive color, and buttons.
7. Best of all, when the kid has mastered all words in the memory, an additional 1000 words can be added with a Turbo Twist Spelling Cartridge. And its only 20 dollars!

3. Lian Li Computer Case (2oth Memorial Anniversary PC-777A): There have been various mixed feelings from customers, but it looks amazingly cool. Have a look at it. For years, we've been seeing the same old box type desktop cases. Boring as hell. Here's something unusual from Lian Li. I would give it a 80 for aesthetics. It is also quite spacious. This is perhaps a candidate for a bad designs list as well. Since it has a degree of the 'WOW' factor, lets put it here. The space and the snail-like outer body has been irresistable for some buyers.

4. Innovation Factory's IF11000 IceDozer Plus : A bull dozer for ice! Quite the same for the company also. This might be the prayer answered for winter drivers.
Good Design Features :
1) Features Flexiblade, teeth for breaking into the ice and a front plow.
2) Multi-function innovation brush that features plush and durable bristles to plow the snow. It can be detached, and with its own set of teeth, hard to reach areas can be accessed like car mirrors etc.
3) Attractive, ergonomic handles.
4) Specially designed notch on brush can wipe ice right off windshield wipers.
5. I like the color. Yellow stands out in the snow!
In 2004, this company disappeared. Source : Don Normal.

5. Xerox's Reusable Paper : Its not science fiction. Xerox has experimented on a paper design that can erase itself after a certain time period so it can be used again!!! Embarking on a future concept of "dynamic documents", Xerox produced a chemical that absorbed certain wavelengths of light but then gradually disappeared. While XRCC scientists work on the chemistry of the technology, their counterparts at PARC - the birth place of the laser printer - are working on a device that could write the image onto the special paper.
Good Design Features :
1) Images on the special paper fades gradually in 16-24 hours.
2) Reusable, hence lesser wastage and scraps.