Advanced Concepts and Research
ram is constantly pushing the envelope — for our clients and ourselves.
Amber Waves
ram worked with Syracuse University Professor Don Carr and the Syracuse Center of Excellence for Environmental and Energy Systems on this progressive, award-winning project. Inspired by heliotropism in nature, Amber Waves is an energy harvesting concept that looks to capture low-level atmospheric energy at the ground level. As a modular system, the individual shafts contain a crystal elastomer nanocomposite that slowly tracks the arc of the sun without dependency on mechanical systems. The direct reference to natural forms points the blurring of design and biology as we move from centralized to decentralized energy systems in the post-industrial era.
The Power of Color
ram helped Bose develop a comprehensive color strategy to attract new customers and re-engage existing ones while maintaining its position as a leader in the premium audio space. As Bose expanded its product line into more wearable and portable products, color became an important factor in attracting a younger more mobile audience to the brand. ram created a system for introducing colors that allows Bose to maintain its own distinctive brand identity while taking into consideration the latest trends in fashion and design from around the world.
3D Printed Dining Chair
ram created this dining chair with 3D printing in mind from the very beginning and used a Gigabot to do it. ram has always been an advocate for innovative processes like additive manufacturing and sees it as way to make and distribute certain products in a more sustainable way. The design can be printed in just two pieces with no support material and is made with environmentally friendly, translucent Ruby Red PLA which highlights the internal structure. ram not only designed the chair but created a custom build pattern to showcase the “grain like” texture that the printer naturally creates.
Deconstruction, Reuse, and Environmental Restoration
ram partnered with Honeywell to salvage material from a former John Deere factory being re-purposed into the LEED Certified Platinum WCNY Studios. The material was then reused as part of the rehabilitation of Onondaga Lake, NY. Working with Reuse Action, the effort prevented the release of 2,570 pounds of greenhouse gases, which is the equivalent to taking 65,000 cars off the road for one day. It also prevented about 200 mature trees from being harvested, which is a tree farm’s annual output of over 50 acres of land. The deconstruction, reclamation, shipping, and processing created well over 1200 man hours of employment in New York State.
Photogrammetry AR/VR
ram has been experimenting in the AR/VR space for a number of years and used photogrammetry to create one of the best examples of immersive 3D scanning ever done. The image above is a screen shot from a super high resolution, fully walkable, room-scale VR immersive environment. We created this environment from thousands of photographs and users can walk around and interact within the virtual space. The space is truly transportive. Imagine a future where you could live in your favorite place virtually, no matter where you might physically be located.
Wendell Castle Studios
ram was originally hired by Wendell Castle to help the furniture icon think through the automation of his process so his work could reach more people and his studio could live on into the future indefinitely. ram used 3D scanning, rapid prototyping, and advanced manufacturing methods to help Wendell create his Unicorn Series, which is an outdoor living room permanently installed in front of Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, New York. This represents the culmination of our long-time collaboration. The pieces are cast from Cor-Ten Steel.
Smart Furniture
In an effort to promote the reuse of materials, the power of storytelling, and social change; ram used geospatial technology, the internet of things (IoT), and relational databases to create a line of furniture with its history digitally embedded into it. The information can be accessed by using your smartphone and a QR code to unlock the history of each piece: where the origin of the material, the craftsman that made it, and the people who ultimately enjoy it, have equal weight in the story.
Dabba
ram created Dabba to help promote healthy eating habits and was an honorable mention in World Kitchen’s Redesigning Dining Competition. The concept piece was based on the traditional tiffon lunch boxes popular in Mumbai India, where Dabbawallas deliver stacks of fresh made food on a daily basis to workers throughout the city. Each stacking section of Dabba is dedicated to a different food group and the size of each corresponds to the appropriate serving for a healthy diet.