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Design

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MOTORCYCLES

Zero releases dual purpose electric motorcyle

By Jeff Salton

01:09 July 30, 2009 PDT

All-round EV - Zero DS

Electric motorcycle manufacturer Zero has followed up the success of its X and S ranges with the Zero DS – a combination dirt/street machine the company says can “handle any surface you can throw at it.” This new option for those looking to ditch their noise-polluting, emission-spewing internal combustion bikes looks very similar to the S model, but has a bigger front wheel (17 inch), chunkier tread on the back tire and a nobby on the front, specially-designed wheels and suspension and a distinctive naked round headlamp without the windshield found on the S. Read More

AROUND THE HOME

Shrinking jug keeps milk fresh for an extra week

By Loz Blain

04:22 July 28, 2009 PDT

The Fresh shrinking milk jug

Milk goes sour in about a week, even if you keep it in the fridge. That's because Lactobacillus, the "good bacteria" that's found in yogurt, is constantly going about the job of oxidizing the lactose sugars in the milk into sour-tasting lactic acid - the same chemical that makes your muscles sore after exercise. But since this souring process requires the presence of oxygen, theoretically it could be slowed down even further if you kept the milk out of contact with oxygen. Rather than going with a high-tech nitrous contraption like the N2Wine globes we wrote about recently, one entrant to this year's James Dyson awards has come up with something devilishly simple: a shrinking milk jug that squeezes all the air out as you empty it. The inventor claims it lets milk last as much as a week longer. Simple and brilliant! Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

Help design a car for the future

By Paul Ridden

23:22 July 27, 2009 PDT

Panoramic windows will give driver and passengers an excellent connection with their envir...

C,mm,n (pronounced common) is an open community design project that is not only counting on its members to help design a car but is also tasking them with producing a whole new mobility solution to cope with the challenging demands of the future. The blueprints for the proposed electric car concept and the mobility concepts are freely available under an open source licence and contributions are welcome from anyone and everyone. Read More

SPORTS

Loopy design or best board ever?

By Jeff Salton

22:22 July 27, 2009 PDT

The Loop-In concept board could be radical news for surfers, skaters and snowboarders who ...

The Loop-In concept board could be an extreme skater’s dream, an answer for out-of-season snowboarders, or perhaps surfers who find themselves a long way from the ocean and want to keep up their skills. The Loop-In’s huge wheels can rotate over almost any surface while the board will rotate 360° within its interior independently. Read More

WEARABLE ELECTRONICS

New limited edition chronograph for Ferrari fans

By Jeff Salton

06:31 July 27, 2009 PDT

If you can't afford to drive one at least you can look the part wearing the new Ferrari li...

Ferrari fans wanting to ‘wear their hearts on their sleeves’ and show their allegiance to the dancing horse brand have a new option with this limited edition timepiece - the Lap-Time Chronograph. The watch features precise Swiss movement; special functions such as a tachometer, split times and digital alarm; some distinctive Ferrari branding - and of course, it's red. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

Circulus concept car - the driveable Dyson Ball vacuum cleaner

By Paul Ridden

20:48 July 26, 2009 PDT

The Circulus concept design by Santosh Chawla

Did you marvel at the impressive cornering and maneuverability of the Dyson Ball when it first raced around the floor in TV ads? If such a ball design can take a vacuum cleaner to places no others would dare to go, what could such a thing could do for a car? Graphic designer Santosh Chawla has incorporated a similar principle into his hydrogen powered Circulus concept car design. Read More

PERSONAL COMPUTING

Dishwasher-safe, waterproof keyboard and mouse

By Jeff Salton

18:33 July 26, 2009 PDT

A range of waterproof keyboards and mice from Seal Shield are fully washable

Seal Shield's range of keyboards and mice are waterproof, dishwasher safe and contain antimicrobial properties to resist the spread of harmful germs and bacteria, which means a cleaner, healthier work and play environment. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

Phoenix: Concept vehicle for a brave new world

By Jeff Salton

19:33 July 22, 2009 PDT

The Phoenix concept car was a stunning entrant in the 2009 Michelin Challenge Design

First appearing in the Michelin Challenge Design earlier this year, the Phoenix concept features an orbital omni-directional four-wheel-drive system which allows for several types of motion - apart from moving forwards and backwards, it can rotate around its own axis and move sideways. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

Smart vehicle puts blind drivers behind the wheel

By Mick Webb

02:16 July 21, 2009 PDT

The Blind Driver Challenge aims to put vision impaired people in the drivers seat

Recent technological developments are presenting increasing opportunities for blind and vision impaired people to interact with the world in ways not previously possible. However, many everyday acts we take for granted such as driving a car remain out of reach. That’s well on the way to changing thanks to a development by a team of students at the Virginia Tech University, who have designed a car that allows blind and visually impaired people to take the wheel and drive unassisted. Read More

ECOGIZMO

Plantagon Urban Greenhouse concept

By Paul Lester

07:05 July 20, 2009 PDT

Plantagon's spherical design optimises conditions throughout the year.

While perhaps not as architecturally ambitious as the Dragonfly concept we looked at last week, this urban farming design from Swedish-American company Plantagon has the same environmentally-friendly ambitions along with a distinctly eye-catching design of its own. Read More

GOOD THINKING

Routers of the future... maybe

By Darren Quick

01:31 July 17, 2009 PDT

Enjoy a night in front of the Jelly Fish router

There are exceptions, but for the most part routers are decidedly unglamorous, which is why they are generally secreted away under a desk or otherwise hidden from view. With the Internet now so much a part of daily life they are almost invisible. So long as their lights keep flashing to provide us with our Internet fix we don’t even notice them. Now the UK’s largest broadband provider, TalkTalk, has asked Goldsmiths, University of London to give the humble router a face-lift with their vision of what the routers of the future might look like – and they’re probably not what you expected. Read More

AROUND THE HOME

You gotta know when to fold ‘em: the furtive Flux chair

By Michael Mulcahy

04:28 July 16, 2009 PDT

The Flux foldable chair folds flat when not in use but, in just ten seconds, transforms in...

For purity of design and construction, the Flux chair is hard to beat. Fashioned out of a single piece of completely recyclable polypropylene, the Flux turns itself into a flat, self-contained “envelope” for ease of transport or storage. But then, in ten seconds, it can be folded out to transform into a beautiful piece of designer furniture. Read More

URBAN TRANSPORT

Caravan overhaul: Rob Millington's retro take on trailer design

By Paul Ridden

22:10 July 15, 2009 PDT

Stunning retro feel to Rob Millington's concept caravan piece

If the mere mention of the word caravan gives you terrifying visions of formica fold-out tables, thermos flasks full of weak tea or being forced to play bridge with a bunch of sensible beige trouser-wearing accountants then fear not, there are those who are trying to leave such stale, cliched images behind and inject some modern thinking into the world of mobile holidaying. One person trying to bring some much needed cool to the world of the caravan is Rob Millington, who sought to create "something that had quality to rival that of a luxury yacht" with this gorgeous concept design. Read More

GAMES

Novel design opens door for ping pong fans

By Darren Quick

04:45 July 15, 2009 PDT

The Ping Pong Door becomes the site of a table tennis battles

If you think doors are wasted simply as a barrier to keep people out and you fancy your hand at the occasional bout of table tennis, albeit on a reduced scale, then a novel design by Tobias Fränzel might be right up your alley. The Ping Pong Door transforms a normal everyday door into a ping-pong table and back again in seconds. Read More

WEARABLE ELECTRONICS

The Eris spherical watch - planetary in name and nature

By Mick Webb

18:04 July 14, 2009 PDT

The spherical Eris watch

While time itself is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity in today’s hustle and bustle world, there is certainly no shortage of innovative timepieces to help us keep track of it. Inspired by the recently discovered dwarf planet Eris, this example does away with the conventional two dimensional approach to timekeeping, instead using a globe design featuring “floating” hands that glide around the “equator” of the watch. Read More

ECOGIZMO

Almeisan Tower design aspires to zero emissions, zero energy requirements and zero waste

By Karen Sprey

05:54 July 8, 2009 PDT

The word Almeisan is the Arabic name for one of the brightest stars in the sky, located in...

Dubai conjures up BIG images; not just the tallest structures, although it currently holds that crown, but also big as in flamboyant, lavish and generally larger than life. Amidst the opulence, extravagance and seemingly limitless budgets – or perhaps because of the latter – Dubai is increasingly embracing its green side. The latest building designed for the city to cross our desk has a foot squarely in both camps - the Almeisan Tower combines a delicate, soaring structure with a 600kW solar tower and passive cooling systems claimed to be almost "triple zero", which means it has zero emissions, zero energy requirements and zero waste. Read More

GOOD THINKING

Shipping container to solar powered restaurant in 90 seconds? Meet the Muvbox portable restaurant

By Mick Webb

05:29 July 7, 2009 PDT

Muvbox - The solar powered restaurant in a shipping container

We have already seen the humble shipping container take on many guises ranging from pop-up hotel rooms to relocatable homes. Here to “cater” for the entrepreneur on the move is the Müvbox portable restaurant. This compact and mobile unit uncovers a fully operational kitchen in around 90 seconds at the touch of a button, and brings an eco-friendly ethos to the table to boot. Read More

GOOD THINKING

'Nike' Hindsight concept glasses increase peripheral vision

By Darren Quick

21:58 July 5, 2009 PDT

City cyclists could benefit from the extended peripheral vision provided by the Nike Hinds...

Cyclists aren’t always very visible to motorists, which is one of the reasons they need to be super vigilant when dealing with city traffic. As the saying goes, you need "eyes in the back of your head". To that end designer Billy May has come up with a concept design for cycling glasses that extend a rider’s peripheral vision by up to 25 percent on each side. Read More

GOOD THINKING

Void player puts a whole new spin on playing your old LPs

By Paul Ridden

16:18 July 2, 2009 PDT

Magnets and the will of God are the only thing keeping that precious vinyl afloat

Korean designer Rhea Jeong says she's been astounded by the amount of interest in her conceptual Void LP record player. One look at the design and you can see why it's made so much noise without even uttering a sound. Close your eyes and imagine a little red globe spinning around on top of a vinyl record emitting sound from speakers inside it. The record itself is suspended in mid-air above a simple black base unit - no strings attached, no wires holding it up and definitely no safety net. The imagery is quite simply jaw-dropping. But can such a thing really work? Read More

ECOGIZMO

ZPO tower Dubai - stunning and sustainable

By Jeff Salton

19:37 June 29, 2009 PDT

Za'abeel Park Observation (ZPO) Tower

From the land of opulence – Dubai - comes another amazing feat of architecture and engineering to add to the emirate’s extravagant skyline. The spiraling tubular design for the Za'abeel Park Observation (ZPO) Tower incorporates roof gardens, extensive solar paneling and geothermal cooling and ventilation in an organically inspired structure topped by three observation deck "petals". Read More

GOOD THINKING

Word clock tells the time in plain English

By Michael Mulcahy

01:27 June 29, 2009 PDT

The Word Clock spells out the time in full sentences

If numbers just aren't your thing or you simply want a clock that stands out from the pack, this could be the timepiece for you. The Word Clock consists of two adjacent rolls, one with five minute time increments written out and the other with the words one to twelve, that turn against each other within an acrylic tube to produce whole sentences like “a quarter to six”. Read More

BABY GIZMO

Bloom's Alma: a contemporary crib for baby

By Jude Garvey

20:41 June 24, 2009 PDT

Bloom's Alma  crib sleeps baby from birth to two years and folds away for easy storage

When parents-to-be begin looking for a crib for their new baby, it can be a little confusing. Do they start with a cradle like the Hushamok or are they best to put baby straight into a full-size crib? Is it important that the crib fits in with their existing décor and can it be moved from room to room? A new crib from Bloom might help end that elusive and often frustrating search. Alma Urban is a contemporary, wooden folding crib that will sleep baby from newborn to two years, can be moved in minutes and because of its minimalist design, should suit even the most fastidious home-decorator. Read More

ECOGIZMO

Future festival goers in for solar tenting treat

By Paul Ridden

18:21 June 24, 2009 PDT

Using SMS text messages the Concept Tent glows to notify inhabitants of its location

The future of music festival tenting has arrived. Well, not actually arrived as such. Let me start again. The concept of music festival tenting for the future has arrived. Following on from the foot pump powered mobile phone charger announced earlier this month, telecommunications giant Orange is using its regular slot at the UK's most talked about music festival to announce its vision of ultra-comfortable camping for lovers of all things live and musical... and solar power is just the beginning. Read More

AROUND THE HOME

illumi-knob helps you find doors in the dark

By Michael Mulcahy

00:56 June 24, 2009 PDT

The illumi-knob not only senses motion to provide a light at night, its ergonomic design a...

If you’ve ever stumbled around a room at night trying to find the door, the illumi-knob will strike you as simply brilliant. Designed to fit over most door handles, the device uses a passive infra-red sensor to detect any movement within 10 feet and then turn on two gentle LED light rings. It’s not bright enough to wake anyone, but more than enough to get you safely to - and through - the door. Read More

URBAN TRANSPORT

SOHH: Solar human hybrid transport for the whole family (and the dog)

By Paul Ridden

02:36 June 19, 2009 PDT

Room for all the family, including the dog

If the words "human hybrid" conjure terrifying images of Christian Bale battling it out against Skynet and a league of Terminators then the Solar Human Hybrid Project (SOHH for short) might come as a bit of light relief. It's a one of a kind, great-looking 4-wheeler where the power comes courtesy of the harmonization of solar energy and a good old-fashioned lower body workout. There's an iPod dock, a GPS navigation system, a cargo area and even a platform especially for the dog. It's definitely a worthy contender for the crown of coolest green transportation around. Oh, and it's also a school project. Read More

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