Hey there,
looking at my wall the other day I decided I need some shelving. Coming from a eco-conscious carpentry background I am very disappointed by the average quality and lifetime of modern furniture, instead I thought about something modular and stackable a design that can be modified for different purposes and seizes, is sturdy enough to climb up on it and can be reused over and over again.
Expanding this idea and combining it with Cardano I dreamed up a platform that connects customers, designers, manufacturers and installers.
Imagine this:
I need a new piece of furniture (or anything really), I take measurements and hop on the platform to look for designs using the measurements to filter them.
The platform supports various different CAD modelling filetypes which means I can look at them in a 3D animated world (virtual reality). Once I decided on a design I place an order to receive quotes of local manufacturers. I decide which one I like and pay for it, the product gets manufactured and send to me. Now I can install it myself or book an installation service with it.
For a designer the platform provides not only place to showcase their designs and a marketplace but also the opportunity to create an NFT to prove authenticity and ownership. Whenever a design gets sold a copy of the NFT gets attached to it which will act as the legal requirement for the manufacturer to produce the product and will end up in the customers wallet which then has prove of who manufactured it and when and links the product to the original design file.
Another design opportunity is graphical design if all designs are publicly available new looks can be developed by designing f.e. stickers or carving patterns to diversify the look of common practical designs.
Recycling:
Because all products are connected to the original CAD designs it is easy to relist and resell unwanted items on the platform and if a resale does not work recycling could become more efficent than today by showing manufacturers new templates that can be cut out of old parts.
Another way would be upcycling by buying a new matching graphical design for the product instead of replacing the whole product.
Crowdfunding:
Talented designers or designers who want to add modules to modular designs can create a draft and ask for funding before finalizing it.
Publicly owned designs:
Designs that are especially valuable to the public (f.e: the global village construction set (look it up if you don’t know it, pretty cool) could be governed and funded by a similar system like project catalyst to support the fight against planned obsolescence and improve equality of living standards.
The bigger picture:
Over time a platform like this with an active engaged community will generate beautiful designs that can last a lifetime. Review systems, and crowd development would be very beneficial for all production sectors. There are many products in a household that have not changed in their functionality in the past 50years so why should we replace them every five?
Electronics, housing, tools…there are many sectors that can benefit and some designs have been even better in the past than today.
Love to hear your feedback
Have a beautiful week
Hannes