Kangaroo
/ Product Design
Although the limits of carbon fiber are already being explored in high-performance activities, they are still not accessible or justified in a domestic scale. By approaching the qualities of being light, stiff and resistant, I extended the branch of our research in the field of 'porte-à-faux' (false suspension) and arrived to forms that could be applied to a more comfortable and lighter wheelbarrow. With a minimal usage of carbon for the frame, it is possible to drastically change the form of a traditional object and therefore our perception towards it.
Point of Start
Objects made of carbon fiber gain more space in our lives due to its exceptional mechanic properties: an incredibly elevated rigidity with a very low weight. Used in several high performance sport activities, this material got the status of a high-tech icon to the point of having an almost caricatural usage, purely dictated by marketing reasons. It's visual aspect is commonly reproduced, sometimes even without the use of carbon itself.
In the design domain it is also explored for its technological symbolism, where the main interest is often forgotten: the capability of producing forms and usages of extreme elegance and finesse.
Approach
The main goal of this project was to redefine the typology of carbon, giving it the correct meaning while being used mainly for its physical properties instead of the appearance. By observing the amazing capabilities of suspension of this material, I led my research into architectural shapes that could inspire an object and justify the use of carbon fiber.
After analyzing a whole range of domestic objects I was specially interested in the mechanic of a wheelbarrow. By using carbon, we could drastically reduce the weight and volume of it and change the typology of the object as well as the material.
Photos
Victor Stelmasuk
Veronica Huyghe
Result
The presented wheelbarrow was named Kangaroo, in reference to the way that kangaroos transport their children in their bellies. With a foldable frame made of carbon, the wheelbarrow could be closed and kept in very reduced spaces - behind the door or under the bed. The interior bag is made of a resistant and low-cost woven plastic which can be opened in the back, allowing heavy objects to be easily rolled inside while the wheelbarrow stands on the ground. Kangaroo is capable or transporting up to 32 kg and weights less than 4 kg, making it a handy domestic object.
Realized at the ENSCI-Les Ateliers in Paris, this project had the supervision of Jean-François Dingjian and Eloi Chafaï and the collaboration of the EPFL+ECAL Lab, in Switzerland.