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Design
Dishwasher-safe, waterproof keyboard and mouse
By Jeff Salton
18:33 July 26, 2009 PDT
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
Phoenix: Concept vehicle for a brave new world
By Jeff Salton
19:33 July 22, 2009 PDT
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
Smart vehicle puts blind drivers behind the wheel
By Mick Webb
02:16 July 21, 2009 PDT
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
Plantagon Urban Greenhouse concept
By Paul Lester
07:05 July 20, 2009 PDT
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
Routers of the future... maybe
By Darren Quick
01:31 July 17, 2009 PDT
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
You gotta know when to fold ‘em: the furtive Flux chair
04:28 July 16, 2009 PDT
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
Caravan overhaul: Rob Millington's retro take on trailer design
By Paul Ridden
22:10 July 15, 2009 PDT
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
Novel design opens door for ping pong fans
By Darren Quick
04:45 July 15, 2009 PDT
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
The Eris spherical watch - planetary in name and nature
By Mick Webb
18:04 July 14, 2009 PDT
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
Almeisan Tower design aspires to zero emissions, zero energy requirements and zero waste
By Karen Sprey
05:54 July 8, 2009 PDT
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
Shipping container to solar powered restaurant in 90 seconds? Meet the Muvbox portable restaurant
By Mick Webb
05:29 July 7, 2009 PDT
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
'Nike' Hindsight concept glasses increase peripheral vision
By Darren Quick
21:58 July 5, 2009 PDT
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
Void player puts a whole new spin on playing your old LPs
By Paul Ridden
16:18 July 2, 2009 PDT
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
ZPO tower Dubai - stunning and sustainable
By Jeff Salton
19:37 June 29, 2009 PDT
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
Word clock tells the time in plain English
01:27 June 29, 2009 PDT
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
Bloom's Alma: a contemporary crib for baby
By Jude Garvey
20:41 June 24, 2009 PDT
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
Future festival goers in for solar tenting treat
By Paul Ridden
18:21 June 24, 2009 PDT
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
illumi-knob helps you find doors in the dark
00:56 June 24, 2009 PDT
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
SOHH: Solar human hybrid transport for the whole family (and the dog)
By Paul Ridden
02:36 June 19, 2009 PDT
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
StudioDesk: a neat solution for desktop clutter
By Jude Garvey
02:04 June 19, 2009 PDT
Not a week goes by without a slicker, faster or more versatile laptop hitting the market, but until wireless power takes off, we're still stuck with the problem of cords and peripherals cluttering up our workspace. The simple but effective StudioDesk from Bluelounge may be the answer. It hides adaptors, hubs, cords and other odds and ends beneath the desk top, leaving you with a clean look and plenty of room to spread yourself out. Read More
Opera lovers Unite: the internet just got more close and personal
By Paul Ridden
17:57 June 17, 2009 PDT
Continuing to lead the field in browser innovation, Norwegian internet company Opera has just announced a brand new development that promises to genuinely open up the internet to absolutely everyone. Opera Unite uses a compact web server inside Opera's latest desktop browser that lets you share your content – photos, music, thoughts and the like. Designed to give users more privacy and flexibility by sharing and serving content directly – without the need for third-party servers – Unite also can run chat rooms and host entire websites. The collaborative web experience has well and truly arrived. Read More
Rural Space designed to give eco-tourism a temporary lift
By Karen Sprey
17:08 June 16, 2009 PDT
With so many heritage-listed sites and national parks in Britain, there are tight restrictions on what can be permanently built and where. Designer Philip Crewe, however, has come up with the idea of Rural Space, a temporary living space powered by wind and solar energy, which helps people get closer to nature, in considerably more comfort than the standard tent or hostel. Read More
Tamago play furniture: 100% recyclable for 100% fun
By Jude Garvey
17:06 June 16, 2009 PDT
Merci Design has developed a line of children’s play furniture made from 100% recycled paper pulp, the same material used to produce egg cartons. Tamago, meaning ‘egg’ in Japanese, consists of seven different pieces, designed to be utilized by the child in whatever way they choose. Read More
Painless mobility: Goldtouch Go! Travel keyboard
By Paul Ridden
06:37 June 15, 2009 PDT
Laptops are an absolute necessity for the many road warriors who regularly key on the go, but as any portable computer enthusiast will attest, the integrated keyboard often gives rise to comfort and productivity concerns. Can a solution be found in the Goldtouch Go! Travel keyboard? Read More
The Cube models all-purpose vehicle to a T
By Paul Best
21:26 June 14, 2009 PDT
Industrial designer Carlos Mendez adopts a simple philosophy to his work – to make the world a better place. It was with this in mind that the honors graduate from California’s Art Center College of Design came up with his own 21st-century remodeling of the Ford Model T – the Mendez Cube. Read More
Barry J
- November 10, 2009 @ 00:59 UTC
