Tristan Christianson

WeeBots. Concept, Industrial Design, Project Development, 1998-2001. First ideated from a roundtable discussion to develop a remote control toy, the WeeBots were S.I. Design's first 150k unit sales success. The series went through three iterations from a second revised design and later mini-style offshoot into 2001.

Sharper Image Robotics Robot. Industrial Design, 2000-2001. Featured in Playboy, December 2001 Gadget Gift Guide. The Robot was one of the biggest undertakings and learning curves for the development team - not to mention one of the most expensive. The goal was to develop an R/C and semi-autonomous robot that would be a high-end gadget centerpiece.

eVac Robotic Vacuum. Industrial Design, Project Development, 2003-2005. Early 2003 was a development opportunity for the design team to build on the experience of the robotics projects to design and build its own autonomous vacuum. The eVac project was an involved undertaking, working to design, engineer and produce a combination R/C and programmable system. Taking design cues from the more well know vacuum companies, the concept was to create the look of a cool-to-control R/C vehicle matched to the performance and capacity of the best hand vacuum products on the market and outperform the newly arriving competition.

R/C AutoVid. Industrial Design, Concept Development, 2003-2004. Planned to be the third S.I. Design Robotics project, the AutoVid's design was built around the idea of remote viewing tied to a receiver attached to a TV or video monitor. The idea of R/C POV vehicles was relatively new for the retail consumer market and the idea was to develop a higher-end indoor/outdoor durable vehicle that could be configured for different needs. The versatility of the design allowed it to work indoors or out, as a mobile R/C rover in two positions, as well as in a static mode that could be set up or even suspended in certain situations. A simple pivot steer/drive mechanism for the R/C for tank-like control was planned.

Turbo Groomer. Industrial Design, Project Development, 2007 - 2008. Since retailing the concept of a higher quality and serious grooming tool over ten years prior, the company's Turbo Groomer was consistently a huge seller especially during the holiday season. During 2008 it was determined to develop a new series with new styling and improved features. Selling alongside the very popular Panasonic exclusive shaver, the new design concept looked to evolve the look and feel of the personal groomer and bring it up to speed with products in the category. Slimmer shaped, the design kept a good feel and size in the hand, while newly engineered head designs looked to use MIM and ceramics for the highest quality effectiveness, and the addition of a water-proof induction charging base would complete the new project. Both full size home and compact travel designs were planned for new 2008-2009 introductions to continue great sales in the category