A novel approach to product, interface, and process design. From urban mobility, 
to sportscars, to sitting itself: How would our brain and body like to do it, 
and how would they do it best?

We will look at interdisciplinary approaches - how can we collaborate  
with specialists and not lose our own creativity, but bring out  
theirs - practiced at the Smart Cities Group of the MIT Media Lab to  
simple questions about urban mobility: How do we relate to cities,  
how to vehicles, and how we can face the challenges of congestion,  
pollution, and a de-humanized urban environment? Can we make a car  
that is good for the city? Can we make a sports car that feels like  
skiing, skating, or other sports?

This leads us to an essential aspect of modern human life: Sitting,  
moving, and movement in space. We have developed a novel seating- 3D  
motion interface that is not an improvement of existing seats.  
Instead, we asked simple questions: What are the dimensions, the  
textures, and the movements of the human body? What is the emotional  
and medical significance of touch, vibration, and movement of the  
human body?

We will discuss how we developed this interface, its potential uses,  
and how the approaches that have lead to this result can be applied  
to other areas. We will also discuss our methods of leading  
interdisciplinary teams of students to find novel solutions and how  
both, academia, and industry can benefit from a little mess and chaos.


http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_24/b4038419.htm
http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/mits_wellconceived_electric_scooter_8222.asp