I really dislike attitudes like the author's. I think it's great and important that people and companies spend considerable amounts of their time and money exploring the limits of design and what's possible, even if the concepts produced have little direct, practical use today. That kind of speculative R&D can lead to great things and who knows, maybe in 20 years it will lead to something amazing that will benefit a great deal of people.
Trying to pooh-pooh the ideas of tomorrow because they don't immediately solve all the problems of today is just terrible, short-sighted thinking.
And on a more pedantic note, obviously someone asked for it, else it wouldn't have been made at all. What the author really means is "I didn't ask for a crab chair".
You are mischaracterising the author who would love one. They said:
these kinds of prototypes are built to inspire and show what is possible, not to be mass produced for actual users
The links within the article point to better examples of people designing without caring about usability.
I spent a lot of time looking for better equipment for my mum. There's so much dangerous or unusable mobility tech out there, that is often unaffordably expensive. You usually need to buy new, because the second-hand market is abysmal, and customisation is often critical.
Rollator designs with good wheels and working brakes were what I struggled most to find. Most designs couldn't handle basic needs. Wheelchairs were a nightmare - I was just fortunate she only needed one very occasionally.
sho · · focus · HN ↗
Trying to pooh-pooh the ideas of tomorrow because they don't immediately solve all the problems of today is just terrible, short-sighted thinking.
And on a more pedantic note, obviously someone asked for it, else it wouldn't have been made at all. What the author really means is "I didn't ask for a crab chair".
robocat · · focus · HN ↗
I spent a lot of time looking for better equipment for my mum. There's so much dangerous or unusable mobility tech out there, that is often unaffordably expensive. You usually need to buy new, because the second-hand market is abysmal, and customisation is often critical.
Rollator designs with good wheels and working brakes were what I struggled most to find. Most designs couldn't handle basic needs. Wheelchairs were a nightmare - I was just fortunate she only needed one very occasionally.