In c.1947 the transistor(as we know it today) was invented and developed. It's the electrical component that has made possible all of today's modern electrical devices, from the digital clock to the laptop I'm using the write this post, and has meant the world of electronics and digital products has evolved and grown into the colossus it is today. Almost every aspect of our technologically saturated lives has been touched by the electrically charged fingers of electronic engineers, product designers and software programmers.
This evolution is probably best illustrated in Moore's Law, which states that the number of transistors on a chip will grow exponentially about every two years. Moore predicted this in 1965, and has seen the validity of this law repeatedly proven ever since. With the flourishion of Moore's Law, it led to smaller and smaller complex products being produced. However, according to a recent Guardian article on the 29th July, this could soon be coming to an end. Not because of a plateau in technological advancements, but because of growing economical pressures. But if the last 40 years have been the age of "nano" and "miniaturization", then I think the next 50 years could well be the era of BioTechnology.
What is Biotechnology? A really simplified explanation might be to say that its using and engineering living biological organisms, in conjunction with modern techniques and technology to create a fusion of both.
Biotech isn't really all that new, and has been used extensively in the medical world, developing new cures, synthetic organs and mentally controlled false limbs, as well as in the area of biological research, helping to map the human genome. But now, as with early electronics, biotech has grown, and is starting to present some of it's true potential to a wider audience.
In the last few years, there have been some really exciting and innovative developments made in the area. We now have a biological computer/processor capable of performing simple operations significantly quicker than standard computers. The biological computer can perform calculations simultaneously, and whats more, will actually get faster over time. We can now code with DNA similarly to how computer programmers might write in Java or C++. A sort of "bacteria photoshop" has been made, where individual cells colour themselves, all instantaneously, producing a sort of bacterial photo of an image. And as its all done simultaneously, is super quick compared to complex computer algorithms used currently. In a slightly less mind-boggling example, researchers have made a yoghurt who's flavour can be engineered on consumption. This is better than it sounds. I don't simply mean a yoghurt which you can add a bit of food flavouring or extract to, oh no! This yoghurt, when sprinkled with some strawberry genetic particles, actually becomes a strawberry yoghurt, not just a strawberry flavoured yoghurt.
OK you say, pretty cool, but not really something to change the world of product design? Maybe not at first sight. Last year, three members of Unbox presented a couple of talks at a Sustainability forum, my subject being Biomimicry. One of the most interesting aspects of biomimicry is looking at how nature structures and builds its "products and materials" such as coral, natural plastics, fibre optics etc. What if we could combine the two disciplines, and engineer the growth of, for example coral, then we could grow our own procelain products! And what about using our biological processors to grow consumer electronic components? I love the idea of iPods, cameras, phones being grown in petri dishes and test tubes! OK, maybe a bit far fetched, but maybe not the completely wrong direction.
But there are other benefits of biotech. A group of students have developed a product to test for water pollution and harmful pathogens in third world countries. It's a bacteria engineered to turn bright green if it detects harmful substances in the water. But better than this, once added to the water stream, it evolves and can actually help eradicate the waste and of course constantly measures the toxicity of the water.
Aside from the brilliant potential for this new field, the exciting part of this is its growing availability. A type of prototyping kit for biotechnology has been developed, which could make it as accessible as the arduino has for amateur or electrical hobbiests and hackers! This has the potential, in years to come, to radically change the face of what a "product designer" is. It could also have a larger social implication, with a ripple effect as biotechnically designed products enter the home. How will people's relationships and reactions to products change if they are, in a sense, "alive"? And if there is a rise in amateur biotechnicians, developing products for real use, what will happen when things don't go according to plan? I'm sure certain papers and media will oppose this new technology, raising questions of safety and possible epidemics and outbreaks of new bacteria!
So can you expect to see Product Designers in white lab coats, test tube in one hand, sketchbook in the other? Will you now need an A-level in biology as well as Design Technology to get on the course? Will prototyping be on E.Coli and blue foam? I doubt it. But in the next fifty years, I feel that this will be an area of real innovation and growth that product designers will be at the forefront. Watch this space.
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