Design 1st client Joylux rang in the new year with a bang, receiving $5 Million in Series A funding and launching their flagship vSculpt device in the US this January. The Series A funding round follows a $500,000 seed investment in 2016, providing capital support for the global launch of vScuplt -- an intimate female wellness device. What is vSculpt? vSculpt is a connected medical device that helps women strengthen their pelvic floor muscle using sonic vibrations. Founded by entrepreneur Colette Courtion in 2015, vScuplt aims to replace the traditional […]
One of the main themes at CES 2018 is the maturation of technologies using voice as the primary user interface. Key players like Amazon and Google are leveraging their cloud infrastructure and AI software to position themselves as fundamental cogs in the upcoming voice-activated world. In this blog post, Peter Cottreau, VP of Electronics at Design 1st, discusses the underlying architecture of Voice User Interface (VUI) and what it means for VUI prototyping and hardware developers.
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the global stage where new hardware products are introduced and technology trends are defined. This year was no different — we came away from CES with a clear picture of where the future direction of technology is headed, and how consumers, hardware products and development teams will be impacted. In this blog post, Ian Kayser, VP of Operations at Design 1st, discusses three of technology trends he encountered at CES — and how the relationship with end consumers is about to change.
Companies in need of hardware product design—particularly hardware startups looking to launch new products—have a lot riding on how they choose to bring their products to market. To ensure manufacturable design concepts, it’s crucial that companies get specialized expertise in both electronics and materials from their design, prototype and manufacturing partners. Why is it so important? Poorly designed and engineered products can sink not only product launches but also careers … and companies. In this blog post, Kevin Bailey, President of Ottawa-based Design 1st, discusses three of the biggest hardware […]
Floods are becoming more common around the world. What was once a 100-year phenomenon is now a seasonal trend that homeowners must deal with. And the main solution deployed to fight these rising water is sandbags – 1000’s upon 1000’s of sandbags made from burlap or polypropylene. But is this the most effective method? As product designers, we began thinking about the challenges of floods and exploring other product solutions already on the market. See what we found below: Water gate is a clever PVC device that uses the pressure of […]
