Richard’s background could be seen as a bit of an unusual one, having had both a scientific and creative education which has sent him on a somewhat unconventional career pathway, right up to the invention of a revolutionary material...
Richard began his career at Du Pont, and before d3o ran a successful design consultancy developing future products, and he still frequently lectures worldwide on innovation. He is a graduate of the Royal College of Art and Imperial College and has a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Traditionally Science and Art do not sit particularly well together as they usually require an opposing (objective and subjective) rational, but Richard believes that this is exactly where the opportunities lie. The innovation process that Richard pioneered in his consultancy was the foundation for d3o.
Richard explains 'Whilst we worked for some interesting clients such as Du Pont, Herman Miller and Levis Strauss, there was still a feeling that with total freedom to pursue our own pathway we could achieve something truly different. Out of frustration I decided at one point to stop all consultancy activities, sell my house for the finance and pursue wholeheartedly what I believed in.'
After experimenting with shear thickening fluids Richard was convinced that if he could retain the reactivity of the material that already existed, and turn it into a an elastic and flexible material, he would have something truly revolutionary. In 2001, Richard established d3o lab which was focused on making this one innovation a reality.
'We had some very interesting results pretty early on, but making the production process work and financing the business in the early stages were the significant challenges. If I need to really think through a problem (or should I say an opportunity) for me the best place is in the mountains - the air is clear and you can see for miles!'
The future now looks very bright for d3o and the drive that sustained the business in the early years still remains. 'We are a small and dynamic company, and I am proud of what we have achieved as a team, but now is exactly the time to focus on the future - there is a lot of development potential in what we have today'
Richard Palmer
Traditionally Science and Art do not sit particularly well together as they usually require an opposing (objective and subjective) rational, but Richard believes that this is exactly where the opportunities lie. The innovation process that Richard pioneered in his consultancy was the foundation for d3o.
Richard explains 'Whilst we worked for some interesting clients such as Du Pont, Herman Miller and Levis Strauss, there was still a feeling that with total freedom to pursue our own pathway we could achieve something truly different. Out of frustration I decided at one point to stop all consultancy activities, sell my house for the finance and pursue wholeheartedly what I believed in.'
After experimenting with shear thickening fluids Richard was convinced that if he could retain the reactivity of the material that already existed, and turn it into a an elastic and flexible material, he would have something truly revolutionary. In 2001, Richard established d3o lab which was focused on making this one innovation a reality.
'We had some very interesting results pretty early on, but making the production process work and financing the business in the early stages were the significant challenges. If I need to really think through a problem (or should I say an opportunity) for me the best place is in the mountains - the air is clear and you can see for miles!'
The future now looks very bright for d3o and the drive that sustained the business in the early years still remains. 'We are a small and dynamic company, and I am proud of what we have achieved as a team, but now is exactly the time to focus on the future - there is a lot of development potential in what we have today'
Richard Palmer
