Design

Things are beginning to heat up in the race for the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE, as the kick-off date for the actual on-the-road events approaches. The fun will begin April 26th in Michigan, continue through August, and culminate in a September awards presentation in Washington, DC. A number of the contenders were on hand at the Detroit Auto Show this week, where the official announcement was made. Read More

An unrestored example (top left) of the very first vehicle to which the name ‘motorcycle’ (motorrad in German) was ever applied is to come up for auction in April. The 1895 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller motorcycle sounds like a modern motorcycle in its specification – twin-cylinder, four-valve, water-cooled, 1488cc engine – but it is indeed as unconventional as it is rare. Check out the diagram and you’ll see the rear wheel doubled as a pseudo flywheel and indeed, the piston connecting rods and the pushrods that actuate the valve gear are also attached to the rear wheel, there’s no clutch, no brakes and there’s a lot of work to be done on a machine that’ll cost you GBP40,000 to 60,000 before you start. At the end of it all though, you’ll have a bonafide centrepeice for any transport museum. Read More

Recent developments in the war on repetitive strain injury have seen swiveling mice and applicable gel pads in an effort to make the everyday user experience a more comfortable one. Appearing at CES this year was another take on the ubiquitous peripheral, the Aigo Glide mouse. Designed to offer ease of use and minimal strain, the lightweight mouse features indentation for fingertips and side scrolling wheels, while the USB cord and connection even tuck away around and under the mouse for easy storage. Read More

UK company Orbitsound chose CES 2010 to showcase several of its speaker units that make use of its airSOUND technology, the T12 soundbar and T3 personal mobile speaker. The T12 dock features six front speakers, two side speakers and a subwoofer that create a permanent “sweet spot” no matter where the listener is in the room, while the T3 can be hung around the listener’s neck, also creating quality spatial stereo sound. Read More

3-D printing technology is maturing to the point where rapid prototyping machines are becoming affordable to small business owners - and even for high-end home use. Dimension's uPrint 3D printer has just been released at a retail price of US$14,900, giving anyone with CAD skills the ability to prototype and even manufacture pretty much any small shape they want in hard ABSplus plastic - including pre-assembled objects with moving parts. What would you create if you could have any plastic shape you wanted? Read More

Designer Ahmet Bektes is proposing using centuries-old technology to provide the power for a familiar modern device. Rather than drawing energy from a computer or batteries, a user will need to remove a key from below the Sustail mouse and wind it up before being able to use it. It is hoped that the Bluetooth-connected input device would also encourage users to take regular breaks and have a more responsible attitude towards power consumption. Read More

The Sense concept designed by CD&I Associates is a wireless device that will, it's claimed, offer a "more emotional connection between users and experiences" through touch and smell. It aims to give users haptic, thermal and olfactory sensations while playing games, watching movies and shopping online via a tactile hand sheath and flavor-ink printed output. Read More

We’ve seen some weird and wacky PC designs in our time, but few are as surreal as the Minitopz range from US firm Artopz Technology. The fusion of art and computing is entirely a subjective one, so we won’t cast too many opinions on the actual design, but what is intriguing here is that the Minitopz range has chosen the humble desk lamp as the subject of its hybrid. Read More

Short on space but still need somewhere to sit down and eat? Here’s an innovative solution – the Picture Table is a unique dining table that flips back against the wall and becomes a stylish showcase for your favorite photograph, poster or piece of art. Read More