The MAKO Design + Invent team works tirelessly every day to realize the hardware product ideas our clients approach us with. We are honoured to have so many inventive people trust us to bring their inventions to life. We are also fortunate to have a team of seasoned designers, project managers, and engineers who have honed their skills to a remarkable degree and are capable of doing just that.
It means the world to each of us when we are able to provide our clients with exactly or something greater than what they envisioned for their invention idea, and even more when we have the privilege of watching their product make waves in the market.
Winning awards for the designs we produce is really just the cherry on top!
MAKO Wins Gold in 2024 MUSE Design Awards
We are thrilled to announce that we have earned the title of Gold Winner for our design of the Tameshigiri Trainer in the International Awards Associate’s 2024 MUSE Design Awards!
MAKO Design + Invent’s Industrial Designer, Nick Allen, took the lead on this project and spearheaded the product design process collaboratively with our Electrical Designer, Navdeep Singh. They have both contributed impactfully to our product development firm for several years and are indispensable members of the team.
This is not the first time a MAKO-designed product has received recognition from the MUSE Design Awards for its innovation, creativity, and functionality. In 2021, the CNCT Cooler we designed for Graeme Whitehead to fit perfectly into and seamlessly blend in with his Tesla Model 3 earned Silver.
In 2020, both the Companion Bike – invented by our client Quan Pham – and the ROVER Packhopper, which we designed for Eric Coffman and required complex engineering, earned Gold Winner titles.
About the Tameshigiri Trainer
Asante Lawla came to MAKO in 2022 eager to develop a refined prototype of the Tameshigiri Trainer after raising over $50,000 in funding through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. His invention idea was inspired by his own experiences with practicing the ancient art of Tameshigiri.
Tameshigiri directly translates to “test cut” and refers to the Japanese-borne art of testing the quality of a sword. Over time it has developed into its own martial art and now refers to the testing of a swordsman’s precision cutting skills.
Asante’s ‘Eureka’ moment resulted from his frustration with modern training methods for developing his sword-cutting skills. Traditionally, practitioners of Tameshigiri would soak tatami mats in water overnight, roll them up in the morning, and use them as targets, which is a time-consuming and tedious process. Additionally, each target only allows for a few cuts to be made before needing to be replaced.
Other enthusiasts use clay models or water bottles as targets. However, both of these methods require extensive cleanup. Committed to finding a better training solution, Asante ideated the Tameshigiri Trainer, which affords unlimited and exceptionally precise feedback.
The Tameshigiri Trainer uses high-power lasers and a reactive target made of photo-luminescent vinyl that visualizes sword strokes to provide immediate feedback on edge placement. The body of the device features interchangeable clamps and an adjustable spring, so it seamlessly fits on swords of various shapes and sizes, allowing swordsmen with an array of weapons to use the device.
About the MUSE Design Awards
The International Awards Associate hosts a myriad of award competitions each year to recognize extraordinary design talent. Dedicated to highlighting the very best and most innovative creations in all realms of design, the MUSE Design Awards encourage submissions from the architectural, fashion, furniture, interior, landscape, lighting, packaging, product, and transportation design fields.
For 2024, the MUSE theme was Shaping Legacies! Every artistic design created since the beginning of time has led us to the innovations and developments we see and frequently use today. It is important to acknowledge the ancient technologies, modes, and landmarks that our ancestors inventively constructed and how they continue to inspire design development far past their dates of creation.
This year’s theme achieves exactly that in encouraging applicants to “celebrate the present and honor the ongoing stories being written for tomorrow.” The Tameshigiri Trainer is a wonderful example of this, as its creation is now a part of Tameshigiri’s story as an age-old art.
Check out the full list of winners for all of the categories global designers can submit their work to!
About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!
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