Materials designers and the translational approach: a case from a product design company

Design professionals are inherently translators due to the multi-faceted nature of the design process that often encompasses considerations of technologies, manufacturing, materials, etc. In investigating the emerging practice of 'materials designers', it has been found that they must develop strong 'translational design skills' to address a material-driven design process when collaborations with diverse stakeholders exist. Especially to create new materials and products or to obtain exclusive material features and experiences. Through a real-life case study on developing a circularity-oriented material from waste, this paper articulates translational design practice in materials design, highlighting its relevance in the design process. The study was unfolded through observations and participation in a product design company and by interviewing the design manager within the project. Based on the results, translational design skills in materials design practice are emphasized, and translational design recommendations are proposed for accelerating the successful materials design process in complex collaborations

Emerging materials fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in Materials Design

Materials Design is a recognized emerging and growing area in design practice and research that converges different fields and approaches to addressing a holistic perspective of materials in and for design. Therefore, it incorporates knowledge from various disciplines, like engineering and science. Direct interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, scientists, artists and designers can benefit projects whose purpose is to bring innovation regarding materials and design. We assume this interdisciplinarity is a crucial practice for developing the emerging field of Materials Design with a sustainable and circular perspective. This article conveys the findings of an empirical collection of case studies on emerging materials and product design. The results demonstrate the sustainability and circularity orientations they present and different disciplinary cooperation to generate innovative outcomes. The authors examined ten European enterprises that present products driven by emerging materials from alternative sources to support the statement. The paper identifies and reflects on the importance and value of collaboration. It aims to disseminate knowledge about the field of Materials Design and intends to highlight that interdisciplinary collaboration in this area can be favourable for achieving a sustainable paradigm and more responsible production and consumption patterns

Emerging materials for transition: A taxonomy proposal from a design perspective

In response to environmental challenges, design promotes emerging materials connected with the circular economy and environmental sustainability. However, there is confusion about their definition and contribution to sustainable design and production, showing a gap in their classification. This article proposes a taxonomy as a helpful tool to consolidate and unify terminology, definitions and general understanding of these emerging materials. An analysis of 31 real-world case studies helped outline the taxonomic proposal to formalise knowledge, fostering clarity in classifying and identifying them. The taxonomy aims to organise emerging materials, generate reflections, and encourage their responsible development, diffusion, and adoption

Variation in postoperative outcomes of patients with intracranial tumors: insights from a prospective international cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: This study assessed the international variation in surgical neuro-oncology practice and 30-day outcomes of patients who had surgery for an intracranial tumor during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We prospectively included adults aged ≥18 years who underwent surgery for a malignant or benign intracranial tumor across 55 international hospitals from 26 countries. Each participating hospital recorded cases for 3 consecutive months from the start of the pandemic. We categorized patients’ location by World Bank income groups (high [HIC], upper-middle [UMIC], and low- and lower-middle [LLMIC]). Main outcomes were a change from routine management, SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 30-day mortality. We used a Bayesian multilevel logistic regression stratified by hospitals and adjusted for key confounders to estimate the association between income groups and mortality. Results: Among 1016 patients, the number of patients in each income group was 765 (75.3%) in HIC, 142 (14.0%) in UMIC, and 109 (10.7%) in LLMIC. The management of 200 (19.8%) patients changed from usual care, most commonly delayed surgery. Within 30 days after surgery, 14 (1.4%) patients had a COVID-19 diagnosis and 39 (3.8%) patients died. In the multivariable model, LLMIC was associated with increased mortality (odds ratio 2.83, 95% credible interval 1.37–5.74) compared to HIC. Conclusions: The first wave of the pandemic had a significant impact on surgical decision-making. While the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection within 30 days after surgery was low, there was a disparity in mortality between countries and this warrants further examination to identify any modifiable factors

Crafting Materials During COVID-19: The Locked-Down Material Lab

Lately, designers have become deeply interested in the materials generation process. With an approach of transforming unconventional elements into possible materials, they discover many possibilities with new characteristics ready to explore. This article discusses a study proposing concepts of materials generation, focusing on self-production in a pandemic context of domestic isolation and resource limitations. It follows the Do-It-Yourself Materials approach to create homemade samples (organic waste-based) and the experience-based method called Material Driven Design (to search for new insights in the material samples) as a framework. The research presents some tools to measure and understand possible new materials. It evaluates the materials experience generated in users when using unconventional sources for their creation and shares some information to get a more straightforward path when choosing to work with an experimental approach to developing alternative materials.Materials and Manufacturin