Can designers drive technological innovation?

A sheet of graphene folded up and reassembled
Image courtesy of the Royal Society of Chemistry

It can be difficult to come up with applications for materials. Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov of the University of Manchester were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize for physics for their discovery of a new material called ‘graphene’. A sheet of this remarkable material is only one atom thick, yet it’s extremely strong, transparent, as well as electrically- and thermally conductive.

Although we know all these things about the wonderful properties of graphene, so far no one has come up with any applications for the material, and based on prior Nobel Prize-winning breakthroughs it may take some time before anybody does so. This is to do with a whole range of issues, such as the cost of the material and the tools and technology needed to process it, but it’s also because the human perspective is missing. We know that graphene is incredibly strong and has great potential as a conductive material, but how can that be translated into useful products?


A neodymium magnet structure from Neocube

Sometimes designers can help drive this process. Take rare earth magnets – these exceptional materials are used in everything from hard-drives to lasers, but you have most likely encountered these magnets in the form of the vibrator inside your mobile phone. Just half a penny’s worth of neodymium makes you aware that your phone is ringing when you can’t hear the signal, forming a direct connection between this obscure material and the human tactile sense.

I have started a project with the UK Technology Strategy Board's Creative Industries Knowledge Transfer Network to try and get designers to connect with these new materials. If you would like to read about this area or have new materials that need a home or are a designer who wants to connect with new smart materials you can read my regular blogs on the Creative Industries KTN website