Do you enjoy laying in a hammock? Do you frequently visit a
lake? If you answered both questions with a “yes,” I have great news for you. The
Hammocraft can meet all of your hammock and relaxation needs.
The Hammocraft is made of an aluminum
pole frame to maintain the structure and support. These poles also contain straps to attach up to
five hammocks. This frame can be attached to kayaks, SUPs, or an inflatable
raft. This device can also be left on land if you do not have access to trees to hang up a hammock. Its
versatility and ease of transport and assembly make this the perfect accessory
for all trips to the lake, to the river, or to leave permanently in your backyard.
On their Kickstarter website, Bland Hoke and Bryan Carpenter
describe the ideas behind their invention and the evolution of the Hammocraft. These
two grew up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where they developed their love for the
outdoors and for hammocks. They began their journey towards the creation of the
Hammocraft by first conquering camping in hammocks, an unconventional method of
camping to most people. Next, they launched “extreme hammocking,” which
included hanging hammocks in risky sites like the side of a cliff or on top of
a waterfall. 
In addition to their experience camping outdoors with
hammocks, Hoke and Carpenter repurposed junk piles inside of metal shops. This
background laid the foundation for their ultimate creation. Using their skills
in the metal shop, they started with welding a hammock frame to a car in order
to fulfill their “fascination with relaxation and transportation.” Along those
same lines, they developed hammock bikes used to get around the playa at
Burning Man, a festival “dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and
self-reliance.” At this festival, they had their second introduction to the use
of metal in their inventions. They created the sculpture Flutter Tunnel, a path
lit at night by solar powered flashlights. 
The next evolutionary stage in their creative process was transitioning the hammock to water. They are always looking for ultimate relaxation, and they had not attempted to relax in hammocks on water. Their first model was able to float and sustain the weight of people in hammocks, "but it was heavy, too unstable, and difficult to transport."
While attempting to fix the stability problems of the first Hammocraft, the second prototype fitted onto a white water raft was too heavy for transportation.
Through renovation, research, and development, the Hammock was born. With this design, they have solved the problems of weight, strength, transport, and ease of assembly with this frame.
The creation of the Hammocraft by Hoke and Carpenter was intrinsically motivated by their desire to master their environment, as described by Collins and Amabile. The Hammocraft creation seems to be motivated by their enjoyment and satisfaction that they derive from engaging in creating and testing out the various prototypes of the Hammocraft. Hoke and Carpenter were not motivated by others’ evaluations, but in the context of self-evaluation. Their ultimate product exhibits extreme creativity due to their intrinsic motivation, expertise in their field, and divergent thinking. As described by Van Steenburgh, divergent thinking increases insightful thought that was required in their creation of a floatation device using hammocks. Through the collaboration of Hoke and Carpenter, they were able to push each other to new ideas for their products.
Although there are many ways to lounge on the water or in a
hammock, Hoke and Carpenter recognized previously unrecognized problem that had
not been solved. The Hammocraft provides the perfect combination of convenience
and compatibility for any occasion, whether you have a floating device or not.
Not only can you float on kayaks, SUPs, or inflatable boats, you can also
attach wheels and use the hammocks as sails to ride on your Hammocraft!
Sources:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blandhoke/flutter-tunnel-spreading-light-through-art
http://burningman.org/event/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2140041392/hammocrafttm-a-5-person-hammock-frame-for-land-or
https://www.hammocraft.com
This is such an interesting idea. I like how they transformed their desire into a product that is now widely used. It's interesting that they used their intrinsic motivation to create a profitable product. Do you think there was some sort of extrinsic motivation as the product continued along it's path to make money? Perhaps the creatives refocused their intention once they realized it could be lucrative and used that to quicken their productivity.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see the intrinsic motivation here! How common/popular has there invention become since it seems like it appeals to a very specific niche? It will be interesting to see where this company/product is in a few years. I personally find the invention kind of odd and bulky, but honestly do think the bike hammock hybrid is pretty neat. Kickstarter is a great platform for creative solutions to take place. You should definitely take a look at the show Shark Tank sometime as well if you like seeing innovative products!
ReplyDeleteAs more and more people take up hammocks this invention will surely be seen more and more. Even here at Loyola I am starting to see more people post up in the quad on a nice day. I think my favorite part about this creation is its versatility. I loved seeing all the ways it could be used, whether in water, on a bike, or just as a regular hammock. It's amazing to see how something like this can result from a hobby and a simple leisure activity such as laying in a hammock.
ReplyDelete