Snow Flakes at the Windsor department exhibition in Plot gallery, Tokyo

Snow Flakes is a family of seatings inspired by the Windsor chairs (have many alternative names), the one exhibited here is a lounge or reading chair. I is made in African teak and Corian, has a low-wide seat and a single wide armrest with place for a glass of hot chocolate or whisky according to you linkings. Do not expect us to put chair with seats in Corian into production, this is an exhibition only chair, but the Corian is fantastic for this use as it is a perfect contrast to the wood (see pictures), and bring references to the paint used in american Windsors.

Thanks goes to De Stalis Scale (http://www.destalisscale.com/) in Tolmezzo, Italy, for making this possible. Without the expertice of two generations of cabinet makers working day and night we had never made it, and also to Mr. Codutti for his expertice working with Corian (http://www.altacucina.net/)

Snow Flakes is our first furniture sub-tagged “Windsor department”, this is a group of architects and designers with a special interest in Windsor chairs, we discuss the history of the Windsors and how to keep it alive, hold exhibition showing the outcome and hold talkshows with open discussions for those who wish to partisipate, se more (currently only in Japanese at windsordepartment.com).

For the record, here is the products exhibited:

As some of you know we have been spending quite some time at Miyazaki chair factory working on the new IS knock-down lounge chair, it is basically two cushions between two sides, but this simple definition does not reflect the workmanship and technical skills needed to also make it a durable piece of furniture, we actually went all the way back to the basic concept and modified a few things more than once to create a continuous line from concept to construction, the holes you see on the side is for modification and testing of seat and back (size and padding).

The armrest of the chair is something apart, we intended it to be perceived differently than the rest of the structure as it is the only wooden part you will have a close “relation” with, it truly was a joy to sculpture and we have a few in the studio just for hugging.

このプロジェクトは、トヨタ社の車生産の工場などで使用されるロボット製作の代表的な会社、千秋技研株式会社が手がける、彼らの非常に高い技術力を用いての医療分野参入の第一号です。名古屋大などの医師や教授群とチームを組み、開発を続けてきました。

まだ、プロジェクトは終わったわけではありません。しかし、一度ここで、ある程度まとまった結果を名古屋の技術交流が行われる、「メッセ・ナゴヤ」展示会に出展し、公開する運びとなりました。

このロボットは、近年注目を浴びる内視鏡手術ロボット、「ダ･ビンチ」のような手術を実際に行うわけではなく、あくまでも手術医の補助として、内視鏡手術時に医師一人一人に付き添うナースのような役目を果たします。

2011年11月9日(水)－12日(土)　千秋技研株式会社
場所：メッセナゴヤ2011/ポートメッセなごや
第一次モデル、内視鏡手術の補助をする医療ロボットが公開されます。