Product Update – Lift now with 87% more Awesome
Our installation at Sandy Grove Middle School was the first public appearance of our new-and-improved Lift structures. We made progress…
- 50% more energy production
- time to assemble is now under one day
- four structures fit on one truck
- more beautiful (IMHO)
How we did it: We listened.
We went to our customers’ sites for several installations, photographed every moment, and discussed with our installer partners what could be better.
We listened to this guy, Andy Stough.
He’s engineered rockets, bulldozers, and innovative wind generators. He made a two-way joint for Lift’s solar arrays that moves* like butter, and locks against 140 MPH winds, in an wonderfully simple way. He used a 3D printer to try out the details, and a rare laser shaping machine for production.
We borrowed lessons from my work on other architectural products. Balancing beauty, ease of assembly, flexibility, and function is tough, but it’s what makes a great product. Spotlight products act like Legos, designed with standard parts which go together in different ways.
And we listened to our design advisor, David Hill. He’s good.
Some highlights of changes:
- refinements to the shape to convey stability while reducing visual weight
- new convenient places to hoist large components
- 20 fewer bolts
- new, clever ways to adjust the solar arrays (like butter)
- Lumos 250 watt solar modules. Elegantly simple, efficient, and beautiful from every angle – even the back.
Don’t worry, it still comes in 200 colors.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on these changes and other ideas you might have for Lift. Please comment.
*No, the arrays don’t track the sun, but they can be oriented in any direction very easily.