SAN FRANCISCO, CA, May 31, 2018 – With the concept of mobility constantly evolving as new demands are fueled by disruptive technology, global organizations are tapping co-creation platform Launch Forth to revolutionize the way products are being designed and developed.
Modular Logistics Vehicle Challenge_ First Place_HAT 2.0
As a platform focused on creating solutions for mobility, Launch Forth has identified a number of trends to watch in 2018. From working with insurance agencies to determine what’s next to creating transportation alternatives for all abilities and working with the US military to get products to troops more efficiently, Launch Forth is redefining what the future of mobility looks like.
Modular Logistics Vehicle_Second Place_MLV Hunter
Powered by a robust community of more than 200,000 solvers, Launch Forth allows people everywhere the chance to collaborate with minds from around the world and develop new solutions to challenges faced by enterprise-level companies including Local Motors, General Electric Co., Airbus, Allianz and the US Marine Corps. With a vision to go from ideation to production efficiently and safely, the Launch Forth community has designed 7,615 concepts to date with more than 50 of those turning into actual prototypes for its partners and 12 being brought to market.
Mass Mobility_RUNNER by Jesús Antonio Espinosa
As a leader in innovation, Launch Forth has identified five core 2018 trends driving the mobility evolution including:
Trend #1: Active Lifestyles Are the New Frontier of Discovery
With the evolution of mobility being driven by disruptive technologies like 3D printing, companies are now looking beyond the typical product development process and refocusing strategies that evoke emotion and awe-inspiring products. This trend has snowballed across multiple industries especially as subscription services like FabFitFun, Dollar Shave Club and even Spotify have become increasingly popular. For Allianz, it’s about creating wheelchairs for those with permanent and temporary disabilities that are beautiful and envy-invoking functional pieces of design. By launching the “Dynamic Form Lifestyle Device” challenge with Launch Forth, Allianz received hundreds of concept ideas for everyday devices that are functional and accessible, yet chic and appealing that can also be easily prototyped via 3D printing.
Trend #2: Civilian Co-creation for Military Success
The Department of Defense has long explored the idea of innovation and is now looking to develop new workflows and product development processes. By using co-creation, the U.S. military found that they can get needed supplies to servicemen and women quickly and cost effective. That’s why the US Marines Corps partnered with Launch Forth to launch the “Modular Logistics Vehicle” project to challenge the community to design a new vehicle that allows for modular adjustments to improve the Marine experience and their corresponding operations. Use cases could range from personal movement, mechanical repair, construction and administrative support.
Trend #3: Disrupting Humanitarian Aid and Relief Solutions For Extreme Cases
The US has suffered 16 natural disasters in the last year alone including three devasting hurricanes, wildfires and extreme weather conditions. With these catastrophes comes the need for humanitarian aid and relief solutions that can deliver essential supplies to those effected. Enter the U.S. Marine Corps. One of the Marine’s responsibilities is to respond and support humanity as global emergency first responders. By partnering with Launch Forth, the Marines launched the “Unmanned Cargo Delivery” project and received hundreds of new design ideas for a small unmanned cargo delivery system that could operate on land, air, sea, be submerged underwater and even underground and quickly deliver small packages to diverse terrains.
Trend #4: A More Accessible World
Right now, 15 percent of the world is disabled with that number jumping to 25 percent as people reach the age of 50. By 65, more than half of the population will have at least one impairment. As studies show, people are living longer than ever before and they now seek the same autonomy they had in their youth along with more innovative solutions to keep them active and engaged. That’s why Allianz partnered with Launch Forth to launch the “Mass Mobility” challenge tasking participants to come up with a mobility device that can be customized to match a variety of needs and style choices and be accessible to all abilities. In return, Allianz received hundreds of concept ideas suitable for all lifestyles whether the user was hitting the trails, grocery shopping at Whole Foods or jetsetting to a new destination.
Trend #5: Insurance Companies Are Looking to Understand What’s Next
As the digital era transforms products, services and customer experiences, more and more insurance companies are looking for ways to evolve and keep up with technology. With autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and the growing gig economy, insurers are now looking ahead to develop new processes. For example, Allianz, one of the world´s leading insurers, tapped Launch Forth to challenge its community to think about how today’s technologies will drive change 10-20 years down the road. From new vehicle concepts and medical devices to ways to cut down on pollution, Allianz gathered valuable insight from “The Future Of Mobility” concept design challenge.
Mass Mobility_Dragon by Aarti Kava and Rajshekhar Dass
“Local Motors has proven to be an agile, adaptive and innovative partner in maturing our hybrid logistics vision,” said Lieutenant General Michael G. Dana, deputy commandant, installations and logistics of the US Marine Corps. “Through the Launch Forth initiative, we will develop critically needed logistical capabilities for 21st century expeditionary operations. By leveraging the power of co-creation, we will rapidly develop time-sensitive, demand-driven capabilities for our Marines.”
For more information on Launch Forth and to see the latest challenges, visit https://launchforth.io/.
About Launch Forth
Launch Forth is a SaaS (software as a service) platform for product design powered by a robust community of designers, engineers and solvers. As the latest offering from LM Industries, Inc., Launch Forth harnesses the speed and potential of crowdsourcing and co-creation to bring breakthrough products to market quickly with a shared community of innovators from around the globe who collaborate on ideas, solve problems and create solutions for challenges both large and small. This community powered platform pairs design thinking with open innovation and accelerates the product development process for well-respected global giants like HP Inc., Local Motors, General Electric Co. and Airbus.
Learn more at LaunchForth.io.
