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Design
Shfud for thought
By Paul Best
21:59 April 26, 2009 PDT
If you can’t cook, it’s still possible to do it in style with a set of these kitchen utensil designs, called Shfud (pronounced sh-food). According to the designers Shfud is “about creating new motions in the kitchen that will inspire new ways of preparing food and a new generation of chefs”. The Shfud designs consist of a chopping ball, cutting blade and grater. Read More
Surf's up: The Mini Clubman Airstream trailer design concept
00:34 April 24, 2009 PDT
A collaboration between MINI, Airstream trailers and Danish furniture designers Republic of Fritz Hansen has resulted in this hip, beach-ready design study made up of a modified MINI Cooper S Clubman and a customized 6.8m long Airstream trailer. While largely retaining the familiar metallic look of the iconic Airstream trailer on the exterior, the inside of the trailer is kitted-out with wood panel flooring, ergonomic Egg chairs and, in keeping with the sun-loving vibe, neoprene lining and floral prints add to the interior trimming while a bisected surfboard provides the shelf space. But the killer app is an electrically operated fold-out side panel that incorporates an open air day bed where you can kick-back while waiting for the tide to turn. Traditionalist may disagree but, parking issues aside, we think the concept definitely points to a stylish advance on throwing your surfboard and a sleeping bag into the back of a Combi Van. Read More
US$70,000 pedal-powered submarine for two
By Darren Quick
21:36 April 16, 2009 PDT
For most of us, the world deep below the ocean’s surface remains a place we have only had the pleasure to experience vicariously, primarily through watching nature documentaries. It's not as if we can just hop in a submarine and go take a look. Well, perhaps we can, if a Russian company's plan to market a two-seater submarine driven by pedal power to the tourist industry is successful. The new underwater vehicle (UV) from Marine Innovation Technologies (MIT) will not only be cheaper to buy and run than existing submersibles, it will be simpler to operate, requiring no special training or expertise. Read More
Motorola's pocket-sized personal shopping assistant honored
16:01 April 16, 2009 PDT
Motorola's MC17 "shopping assistant" computer has impressed international design judges, picking up three prestigious product design gongs. Gizmag was also impressed by the company's pocket-sized computer, which can scan items, check pricing, locate complimentary items, access personal promotions and create gift and wish lists, when we wrote about it back in 2007. The company won the International Design Excellence award (IDEA), iF Product Design award and Good Design award. Read More
The future 3D TV – we look at some of the best angles
By Kyle Sherer
19:37 April 13, 2009 PDT
A number of companies has invested considerable resources into developing autostereoscopic 3D TVs, confident that they will be the “next big thing”. Gizmag examines some of the best 3D TV design concepts out there, in an attempt to sort what's truly possible from what's pie in the sky. Read More
Cooking's silver lining: the roll-up stove-top
19:05 April 8, 2009 PDT
Cooking might be a chore or a pleasure, depending on your culinary proficiency. But what's out of your hands is how much room you have to prepare your culinary feast. If there's barely elbow room to stir your pots and pans, then this funky looking roll-up stove-top from Italian designer Maurizio Maiorana - called the Cooka – might be just the extra hand you need. The design resembles a yellow table mat and is made from a non-toxic, liquid silicone rubber that can be rolled up and easily stored once you've finished cooking with it. Read More
Abu Dhabi’s five-star hotel to feature GROW wind and solar technology
By Jude Garvey
06:18 April 6, 2009 PDT
The winning design from Leeser Architects for this visually stunning five star hotel in Abu Dhabi maximizes the use of natural resources in a spiraling design that makes use of natural light and coastal air along with an exterior clad with polyethylene GROW panels to harness solar and wind power. Poised on the edge of the Persian Gulf, the (aptly named) Helix Hotel will feature a helical floor space which wraps unevenly around a central void. Guests will be able to look up at, and down on, various public areas, including the rooftop deck with a glass-bottomed swimming pool. Read More
Walking House: moving home takes on a whole new meaning
By Darren Quick
03:18 April 2, 2009 PDT
For anyone who has wanted to get away from it all without leaving the comforts of home Dutch design group N55 has just the thing – a walking house. Consisting of a basic module measuring 3.5m high by 3.5m wide and 3.72m long the walking house can cover a decidedly leisurely 60m an hour on its six insect like legs. Read More
Architect-designed Ramp House is a skaters dream pad
By Jamilah Le
23:46 April 1, 2009 PDT
For skating lovers who heard the phrase ‘don’t you dare skate in the house’ one too many times as a kid, this might just be the dream home you’ve always wanted. The unique dwelling is described as having a ‘curved form interior’ (otherwise known as a ramp), but it's not just 'a house with a ramp in it'. Archivirus Architecture and Design's creation sets out to deliver a completely 'skatable habitat' for the client (which is not actually Tony Hawk -he has his half-pipe built in the backyard) with smooth concrete and curved spaces to enhance the idea of motion. Read More
TentLED helps avert common camping mishap
By Jamilah Le
22:30 April 1, 2009 PDT
Tripping over tent ropes - it's a problem regular campers understand only too well and apparently around 3000 people seek first-aid from this kind of mishap every year in the Netherlands alone. This solution created by VAN BERLO in the Netherlands, is an LED light for guy lines that are attached to the rope so you can see them at night. Read More
LoJoBall: the lounging lovechild of bean bag and pouf
04:36 March 31, 2009 PDT
Not sure about you, but I never found the traditional bean bag the most appealing of items, always having to re-adjust myself to stay comfortable and still have my drink within reaching distance. Gizmag has recently looked at some of the latter day improvements that seek to redefine these polystyrene ball filled sacks into a comfortable alternative to furniture, and the LoJoBall -a sphere like creation that is a cross between a bean bag and a pouf - is another that fits the bill. Read More
Merino Kids Cocooi Sleep Bag: 100% merino wool for a safe, warm night’s sleep
By Jude Garvey
00:08 March 26, 2009 PDT
Just one look at the photo of the babe sleeping snugly in the Cocooi sleep bag makes me want one in adult-size! Merino Kids claim their Cocooi Sleep Bag is the world’s first 100% pure merino wool sleeping bag. This sleep bag is part of a new range from the company designed for the newborn to three month old age group which also includes the Cocooi 100% pure merino wool swaddle. Read More
Vertical farming with seawater
By Darren Quick
04:03 March 24, 2009 PDT
The saying used to go, ‘only in America’, but in recent years it might be truer to say, ‘only in Dubai’, especially when it comes to architectural wonders. Buildings that would be unfeasible just about anywhere else seem to regularly spring from the ground in the oil rich emirate. The next eye-popping construction to grace the skyline could be a seawater vertical farm that uses seawater to cool and humidify greenhouses and to convert sufficient humidity back in to fresh water to irrigate the crops. Read More
Life Saver: beach rescue design concept uses solar energy
By Jamilah Le
21:06 March 23, 2009 PDT
Teseo+Arianna is a concept by Italian designer Davide Anzalone that takes surf lifesaving to another level. The design comes in three major components - a tower (Arianna) with a rotating platform, a small vehicle (Teseo) with a jet engine and a quick-inflating safety vest with a CO2 cartridge. It is all designed with form and function in mind, and has the advantage of being environmentally friendly, with solar panels on the tower. It is based on the knowledge that a lifeguard and lifesaver needs to minimize the time it takes to reach a victim and begin giving life support. Read More
The electrical inlet
By Darren Quick
22:13 March 18, 2009 PDT
It wasn’t surprising to see that power conservation was a prevalent theme for entries in this year’s core77 Greener Gadgets Design Competition – the first two places were taken by variations on household power meters. One of the entries that made it to the semi final stage that we thought warranted some kudos was the Inlet ‘Outlet’ - a concept that would see household electrical outlets accompanied by an electrical ‘inlet’ that would make it easy for householders to feed power back into the power grid. Read More
Robot supermodel takes to the catwalk
By Kyle Sherer
18:10 March 18, 2009 PDT
Japanese researchers on Monday unveiled the HRP-4C robot in a mock fashion show, which showcased the versatile facial expressions and motions of the bot, rather than the outfit of the month. The petit, 158cm tall robot has 42 motion motors in its body, and can imitate a variety of facial expressions. Read More
Don't be a pig with your power usage
By Jude Garvey
00:27 March 18, 2009 PDT
Educating children about power usage can be a difficult task. It’s not easy explaining the concept of electricity to a five year old, let alone the fact that we have to pay for it. This cute little pig might help to solve this problem and monitor television and game usage at the same time. Power Hog is a power-consumption meter design concept in the form of a green and silver piggy-bank. You simply plug the tail into the power outlet and the snout into the electric device, feed in some coins and this little piggy does the rest. When the Power Hog is connected the dollar sign glows green, it fades when there is sufficient credit and alerts you that money is running low by blinking red. Read More
Innovative ‘caseless’ computer housing concept from BMW
By Darren Quick
21:43 March 15, 2009 PDT
Although obviously best known for its cars and motorbikes, BMW also creates yachts, aircraft and trains, and has now turned its design expertise to a computer gaming tower with the ‘Level 10’ concept for Thermaltake, a manufacturer of computer housings and components for individually configurable high-end computers. Read More
Silent Drum wins applause
By Darren Quick
22:27 March 10, 2009 PDT
New technology means new ways to create and express music and new types of interfaces that broaden the definition of a "musical instrument" way beyond traditional parameters. Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology seeks to recognize the creators of new musical instruments with the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition. The first winners of the competition include a robotic guitar, SLABS touch pad and a Silent Drum that generates sound by manipulating the elastic spandex head of a drum shell. Read More
Wire Bike uses carbon fiber and Kevlar cables
By Paul Evans
07:05 March 9, 2009 PDT
Super light structural materials such as carbon fiber and Kevlar have incredible natural strength in tension but are much weaker in compression. A good example of this is how the carbon fiber suspension on a formula one car can resist several tons of downforce but explodes when crashed into a barrier. The concept of tension has been a familiar sight in large engineered structures such as suspension bridges and now the same concept has been applied to a bike frame. Read More
The coffee cup for a zero g situation
By Karen Sprey
21:24 March 3, 2009 PST
Astronauts may have the very cool job of floating around in space, but when it comes to grabbing a caffeine fix, they are faced with the decidedly uncool prospect of drinking out of aluminum bags with straws. Donald Pettit was on Space Shuttle mission STS-126 when he decided enough was enough and came up with the idea of an "On-Orbit Coffee Cup" designed to hold liquid in zero gravity situations. Read More
The anti-mirror... and more
By Darren Quick
22:24 March 2, 2009 PST
You could be forgiven for thinking Andrew Hicks is obsessed with his own reflection, but it’s the mirror itself which attracts the interest of this mathematician from Drexel University, Philadelphia. Hicks has used computer algorithms to generate a mirror that produces a mirror image that isn’t a mirror image, making it possible to read reflected text normally. Read More
Shenzhen's solar-and-wind-powered skyscraper
By Karen Sprey
17:24 March 1, 2009 PST
Traditional architecture has been swept away and replaced by skyscrapers in China’s bid to modernize its cities and house its huge population and thriving business interests. Shenzhen in southern China’s Guangdong province has grown from a fishing village in the 1970s to a vibrant economic and financial centre - one of China’s most successful special economic zones. Now its skyline will be graced with a 49-storey solar-and-wind-powered tower designed by Austrian architecture firm Coop Himmelblau. The second skin of the building will be lined with photovoltaic cells and feature mechanisms to provide natural ventilation, reduce wind pressure, shade the interior from sun and display multimedia banners. Read More
Magenn floating wind generators take advantage of high altitude winds
By Loz Blain
16:15 February 26, 2009 PST
Wind power is notoriously flighty, particularly at ground level. Most turbine-on-a-post wind powered generators operate at around 20-40% of their rated generation capacity, simply because wind is intermittent and changes direction. But a generator situated 500-1000 feet above ground level would enjoy much more consistent strong wind - which is why the Magenn MARS system makes so much sense. It's a helium-filled rotating airship that spins in the wind on the end of a variable-length tether that also acts as a power transmitter, and it's expected to operate at more like 50% of its rated capacity. Each MARS system will be cheap and portable, which will make them extremely useful in rural, camping and emergency situations. A prototype has successfully been flown in North Carolina. A great idea that makes economic sense. Read More
Splitstream Dynamic Triathlon Handlebars make switching a breeze
By Mick Webb
14:50 February 17, 2009 PST
Up until now, triathletes have had no option other than to switch between two different handlebar set-ups when cycling, but this prototype design provides a new approach. Splitstream Dynamic Triathlon Handlebars combine two configurations in one, utilizing a hinge mechanism in the center which enables the cyclist to seamlessly navigate between two riding positions. Read More
Freedom Glen
- November 25, 2009 @ 02:47 UTC
