Solar Blox
I briefly worked for Solar-Blox / Smart-Blox a number of years ago, fresh out of University as a Industrial Designer.
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My primary role was to redesign and refresh the existing concept for a portable solar powered generator. It was meant to be a stackable and interconnectable unit; able to be deployed and stand on it's own in varying terrains and environments.
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The initial product was costly, **heavy** and bulky. I aimed to reduce all these.
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I designed a product with much less material; I used my experience with low polygon modelling / aesthetics - from my 3D artist days to create a strong, folded aluminium shell that had a touch of 80's retro sci-fi aesthetic to showcase this product's clean and slick ethos.
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I was able to prototype the build with Alucobond (Aluminium Composite Panel Cladding), HDPE plastic (both using a CNC machine) and existing electrical connectors.
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Sadly this project never saw the light of day.
A Keyshot render that my creative director made after I left the company.
Here you can see the product in-situ, open with retractable legs deployed.
To the left is the compact, transportable configuration.
Here is another Keyshot render of the rear of the product, support legs retracted and in storage.
This is the only online image of the old version of the product *before* I came on to the project.
The old front cover / UI for the original product. I was able to take the same component/material and reuse in the new design (first image) to further reduce cost.
Prototype composite build; Bottom half of the body shell, using scrap Alucobond and pop rivets.
Prototype composite build; Lid complete.
Close-to-final build of the composite prototype, Alucobond body & HDPE legs.
Fitting existing fasteners into custom designed HDPE parts, then fitted to Alucobond shell.
Testing low cost fasteners.
Prototype aluminium build; Deployed demonstration.
Prototype aluminium build; Transport mode and Deployed demonstration.