This SmartDrive is by Permobil, a company that makes mobility solutions for those with disabilities. It's a wheelchair add-on that provides a power assist, making it easier for users to open doors, deal with inclines, or simply travel further while reducing fatigue.Users control … | Continue reading
Here's a clever design for a spray bottle, by Japanese brand Yamazaki Home.What's so special about it? The bottle's flat front features a magnetic strip, allowing you to keep it handy, assuming you've got metal surfaces nearby. The 500mL (16.9 oz) bottle runs $8.40. | Continue reading
This G-Series 18L Water Tank, by 4x4 accessories brand Vaast, was designed by Australian ID consultancy Tricycle Developments. The idea is that you mount it to your roof, providing a gravity feed. The orange circle is the tap outlet, which you open by rotating. The black cap up t … | Continue reading
It is fascinating to see what tradespeople fabricate for themselves to make their jobs easier. And for every Studley Tool Chest, there are probably thousands of unseen objects like in languishing in attics and basements.Tested's Adam Savage collects 19th- and 20th-century linesma … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:OMHU's Teddy is a minimal reconfigurable sofa design that quickly met market success. There are now browser plug-ins dedicated to selling furniture design knockoffs.Industrial design case study: The TernX, by ID firm Tricycle Developments, i … | Continue reading
As workspaces evolve, both new and old objects are now entering them, to fill needs that workers didn't use to have. There are offices that now have locker rooms, for instance. And the situation where workers no longer have dedicated desks and instead move about a space throughou … | Continue reading
This Lup Cable, conceived of by ex-Apple mechanical engineer John Hanna, is a self-coiling charging cable. To turn it into a finished product, Hanna and his company, Reaction Labs, tapped industrial design and engineering consultancy Design 1st.Product Design RequirementsAiming t … | Continue reading
From a young age, artist Kohei Omori was diagnosed with OCD and struggled in school. He has described his obsession with detail as a disadvantage that makes everyday life difficult; and while he was able to gain an equivalency diploma after dropping out of high school, he was not … | Continue reading
Believe it or not, the seven segment display was actually invented in 1903. Early applications in signal panels used incandescent bulbs. It wasn't until the 1960s and '70s that seven segment displays really took off, with the advent of LEDs; it made possible Hewlett-Packard calcu … | Continue reading
Most cargo bike designs are clearly evolutions of the standard bicycle design. However, a German mobility startup called Dynamic Drives started from scratch with their Intelectra, a cargo e-bike.The first big difference is how you sit on it. While the standard cargo bike rider po … | Continue reading
You might see the image below and think "Gosh, wouldn't it be pretty to have a little bamboo in my garden."That can be a mistake. Bamboo comes in two varieties, "clumping" and "running." The latter variant shoots out runners, or rhizomes, horizontally—for decades. They can spread … | Continue reading
Enya Honami describes her time studying architecture as "hell." Long hours, terrifying professors, impossible workloads, high stress. In the self-illustration below, she is the one sleeping beneath the desk during an all-nighter in the studio. After gaining her degree and getting … | Continue reading
In recent years people have slowed down on expecting flying cars, as it seems that segment of the mobility industry is moving towards VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) vehicles that don't have wheels.Chinese automaker GAC, however, has a novel concept that is sort of a flying … | Continue reading
You wouldn't think of woodworkers as being involved in purse making. But at Warsaw-based handbag manufacturer Kosaty Studio, they use these things: Once the fabric patterns are cut, the pieces are laid over the equivalent of a last in shoemaking, then adhered into place. And to … | Continue reading
Now that widescreen gaming monitors have grown to ridiculous proportions……monitor arms need to catch up. This Magnus Heavy Duty Monitor Arm, by computer gaming accessories company Secretlab, fits the bill. Made of aluminum, it will support up to 57" monitors, up to a whopping 35 … | Continue reading
Something we learned in design school—I believe it was taken straight from the pages of "The Design of Everyday Things"—is that product designs, right before they go obsolete, start to mimic the objects that are replacing them. (We saw this confirmed in the '90s, as cordless land … | Continue reading
This TernX invention solves a highly specific problem for parents. Specifically, parents traveling with small children. Like wheelchairs, strollers have to be checked in as luggage; this leads to stress at the luggage conveyor, as there's a chance the stroller may arrive damaged … | Continue reading
Here's an unusual path to launching a new furniture product. Frederik Frøsig and Jonas Larsen, two friends and vintage furniture enthusiasts from Denmark, quit their jobs in 2018 to start an Instagram-based vintage furniture reseller. The venture met with success, and in 2022 Frø … | Continue reading
I guess none of us should be surprised this happened."Everyone deserves to be surrounded by beautiful things," writes website Dupe. The company cites the experience of spotting a furniture piece you'd love to own, then finding it's firmly out of your price range."Before, there wa … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:The Sidekick and the Pegasus, two connectable portable worksurfaces from Worx. Rinseroo's smart design applications for thermoplastic rubber.True's Dual Cutter: A folding knife, plus scissors with a full-size handle.GoSun's EV Solar Charger … | Continue reading
HS Design is an ID consultancy that specializes in user-centered medical design. They were approached by Smart Start, a company that makes ignition interlock devices, to design an unusual new wearable called Orbis. It's essentially an alternative to ankle monitoring devices."ORBI … | Continue reading
For some, having a fanless computer is important. They're silent, which is important to those recording or presenting audio. They also don't need to draw in air, which is critical if you're in a dusty environment. (Even in a moderately dusty environment, if you blow an air compre … | Continue reading
The 2024 WANTED Schools Workshop took place in conjunction with this year's ICFF where it was sponsored and conducted with Honda R&D Co., Ltd. Honda Design, in partnership with Pratt Institute and media partner Core 77. In this 4-day workshop student teams were challenged to use … | Continue reading
Apparently a number of Olympic athletes have abandoned Paris' Olympic Village in favor of hotels. For sustainability's sake, rooms at the Olympic Village are not air conditioned. With Parisian temperature in the 90s, some federations brought their own A/C units, and others opted … | Continue reading
Robin Luginbühl, an Industrial Design student at ECAL, started his diploma project with inspiration from the following quote:"One day, laws are going to change, and brands will be responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products from beginning to end." - Chris Wawrousek, Ne … | Continue reading
Here's a rare look at a design research project by BMW. Called the M Visionary Materials Seat, the aim was to design a lightweight and attractive car seat designed for sustainability and circularity. To that end they've incorporated natural materials like "natural fibers, fiber c … | Continue reading
Subversive product firm MSCHF is at it again. Here's their new Flipped Flop, a high-heeled EVA flip flop that adds 4.5" of height:"The Flipped Flop is inspired by classic kick-around pool slides, conjoined, lengthened, and curled up into a 4.5" loft high heel. The ankle cuff fast … | Continue reading
I'm loving the form of Eton's FRX3+. It's their American Red Cross Multi-Powered Weather Alert Radio, and the designers have packed a lot of functionality into a compact, striking-looking package.The top of the handle features a glow-in-the-dark bezel so you can find it during a … | Continue reading
"Our goal is to deploy autonomous humanoid workers to support us on a global scale," writes robotics and AI startup Figure, who recently revealed their Figure 02 'bot. "As we reach the upper limits of our production capability, humanoids will join the workforce with the ability t … | Continue reading
This is a good example of starting with a material, then finding practical applications for it. Manufacturer Rinseroo makes this Slip-On Tub Hose, to make washing pets easier in a tub: As well as a 6-foot version that attaches to shower heads:They also make these LeakLocks, whic … | Continue reading
This roofrack-mounted EV Solar Charger is by clean energy company GoSun. You unfurl it once parked, taking advantage of your car's footprint to soak up the maximum amount of sunlight (and keeping your vehicle a bit cooler).The company says the 1,200-watt charger can add 10-20 mil … | Continue reading
The Shaper Trace lets you quickly turn hand-drawn lines into vectors. It's a physical frame that you place around your sketch; you then use your phone to photograph the frame and your sketch, and the SVG file is captured in Shaper's app, where you can smooth and tweak it. You can … | Continue reading
The Fieldstone table merges digital fabrication with traditional stone masonry, showcasing the artistry of 3D sand printing. Designed by Erco Lai with Zongru Wu and manufactured by Sandhelden using binder jetting technology, this piece pushes design boundaries, blending natural a … | Continue reading
This strange-looking contraption… …folds out into a 2-foot-square table. It's tool brand Worx's Sidekick. You can see how it comes together in the photo below. The legs are unfolded, then the unfolded worksurface is placed over them. The red toggles at the corner lock them in pla … | Continue reading
At the Olympics, Great Britain's Tom Pidcock and France's Pauline Ferrand-Prévot each won Gold in the men's and women's Cross Country Mountain Bike event. In addition to having the medal in common, both riders had an unusual feature on their bikes: Plastic spokes. Specifically, M … | Continue reading
like the design of this simple Dual Cutter, by tool manufacturer True. Rather than being a 16-function multitool with 15 half-assed functions, this one does just two things well: It provides a cutting blade, and a pair of scissors with a full-size handle that flips out.The scisso … | Continue reading
I don't know much about surfing, but saw one of those Olympic surfing clips making the rounds, and was surprised to see some of the surfers wearing helmets. It makes sense, given the massive force of nature surfers are up against, and we now have a better understanding of concuss … | Continue reading
This beautiful Iota door handle is by the prolific British Industrial designer Sebastian Bergne."Iota is based on an extremely simple notion of subtraction from a supersized bar. If the bent tube handle has become a ubiquitous symbol of modernity, this design subverts, distorts a … | Continue reading
Fox Factory, the manufacturer of high-performance automotive components, wanted to create an in-vehicle interface that would allow users to dial in suspension settings on-the-fly. To realize the product, they turned to industrial design consultancy Formation Design.As the firm wr … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:A look inside NBC's insane Olympics war rooms.The Owlet: A new form factor for the e-bike.Smart design: The Allpacka One is a collapsible cargo box for bikes. Stanley vs. Sigg's classic metal storage tin offerings.The FlipDie: Dice with a co … | Continue reading
Oscillating tools are my least favorite power tool, but they're indispensable for certain tasks, like rehabbing windows and sills. I dislike how quickly the blades wear out, and how expensive those blades are."Everyone in the construction trades seems to know that if you want hig … | Continue reading
Chinese robotics company Unitree is the firm that dresses their humanoid robots in clothes. Their dog-shaped robots, on the other hand, let it all hang out. They recently upgraded their Go2 model with wheels:Perhaps the most dog-like thing it can do:There are more impressive tric … | Continue reading
When structures are destroyed by war or natural disasters, there is an urgent need to rehouse displaced residents. Most disaster relief housing initiatives focus on deploying tent-like structures. But an Australian charity called Mobile Crisis Construction has figured out a way t … | Continue reading
Librarians at the Fairfield Area Library in Virginia spotted a problem. "The staff noticed that parents with toddlers or infants in strollers had no easy way to use the library's adult reading room computer workstations. Further, their young children might disrupt the work of oth … | Continue reading
Paul Cohen is a veteran industrial designer who hails from Australia. He's been an iF Design Award jury member for the past decade, and runs his own design studio in Hong Kong. He's reached that point in his career where he can design and fabricate things for himself, like these … | Continue reading
"When one thinks about high-end desktop PCs, what comes to mind are glass panels, right-angle aluminium frame cases and tons of RGBs," writes PC accessory manufacturer Cooler Master. To break that mold, they worked with a case modder called JMDF to create this Sneaker X gaming PC … | Continue reading
If you happened across the Olympic Air Pistol event for the first time, you might've been puzzled by the competitors' eyewear: So those are mechanical irises. Shooting competitors fine-tune them to bring their gunsights into sharp focus. Here's an example of one by manufacturer … | Continue reading
You'd think you'd seen it all, when it came to the design of water bottles. But this futuristic-looking Modular Bottle actually has some new, perhaps useful tricks:The borosilicate glass insert is the red flag for me; while I understand the appeal of not drinking out of plastic, … | Continue reading