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Benjamin Unterluggauer and John Hayden are both Industrial Design students pursuing their Master's at Germany's Muthesius University of Fine Arts and Design. Unterluggaeuer invented this object below, and refined it in collaboration with Hayden:
That's the Mokit, a 3D-printed connector that allows one to join dowels together. The two outside connectors go into the central hex nut, which is tightened with a small custom wrench.
The duo picture the connectors being used for pop-up or mobile vending applications:
They sell the connectors here.
I also wonder if they'd consider licensing the design to nonprofits in, say, developing nations that have access to a lot of bamboo. I imagine a 3D printer and plenty of spools could accomplish a lot in those situations!
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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Great Industrial Design Student Work: The 3D-Printed Mokit Connector
It's a cool idea in theory. But 15 Euros for an angled connector? So even that simple coat rack costs 90 Euros just for the connectors? That shelve in the last image would cost hundreds of euros just for the connectors. There is no need for them to be 3d printed, since they are always the same shape. Someone have them injection molded and I am willing to pay 15 Euros for 10 of them.
And using them for "developing nations that have access to a lot of bamboo" is the stupidest thing I have read in a while. I think they do alright using natural materials for that. Even zip ties work fine. And all bamboo has different thicknesses at different heights, so how would they help?
Yet another designer prioritizing novel appearance over cost, practicality, and efficiency. Agree with Armin these should be injection molded for 0.25 each, retail for1for a 75% margin. Ditch the custom wrench. And work with square stock which is less expensive and less wasteful of material. Is business, economics, or sales training any part of design school? Doesn't seem so since so many designs seem more like art projects than practical products.
I lash my bamboo with spare Dynel rope rigging castaways from the nearest sail loft's dumpster.