For veteran designers looking to get to the next level, iF Design has announced they're launching the iF Design Academy. The idea is to provide a curriculum that mid- and senior-level designers can use to "level up their leadership, business fluency, and future readiness.""Design … | Continue reading

There is something fun about applying rigor and technical acumen to silly tasks. Dr. Engine, a YouTuber who builds LEGO challenges, created seven vehicles with wildly differing styles of locomotion:He then created a variety of obstacles types, to see which vehicle designs could b … | Continue reading

During World War I, American soldier James H. Smith was stationed in France. While there, he observed a French farmer tending a fire with an unexpected implement: An old rifle barrel. The farmer blew through the barrel to stoke the fire, then used the barrel itself as a poker.Aft … | Continue reading

This is a fantastic example of building on the work of others, then 10x'ing the possibilities.Way back in 2013, Japanese automotive engineer Minoru Kurata invented a Smart Trash Can. It used Microsoft's Kinect sensor, a motion-tracking device invented for the Xbox, to detect when … | Continue reading

Here's a nuts-and-bolts ID case study from The Metcalfe Group. The Ohio-based consultancy was called on by a consumer products company after the first ID firm they hired didn't meet muster.Ironing Out the KinksA market-leading plastic manufacturer was looking to expand their offe … | Continue reading

From continent to continent, there are cultural differences in vehicle preferences, and thus in automotive design. Europe favors smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles that can navigate cities with streets laid out in medieval times; American buyers tend to opt for bulky, intersta … | Continue reading

To charge an e-bike, you either need to plug it into a socket, or remove the battery and plug that in. But a Dutch startup called Tiler has come up with a new method: A wireless charging pad that sits on the floor, or is permanently mounted in the ground, and plugs into a socket. … | Continue reading

Harvest mice are Britain's tiniest rodent. They're not considered pests themselves, and in fact are actually seen as pest control; they prey on agricultural pests, saving farmers on pesticides. They also take their place in the food chain, supporting predators like hawks and owls … | Continue reading

Here's an example of a company creatively adapting their product for a new market. NYC-based Garrison Flood Control Systems creates flood barriers that keep water out. By turning them around, they can keep water in. Perhaps the company noticed that in Europe, burning EVs are subm … | Continue reading

A 1958 issue of Mechanix Illustrated featured this Wonderboy X-100, an air-conditioned lawn mower concept. The concept was by manufacturer Simplicity and, unsurprisingly, never reached production. Today, however, something very similar exists. Massachusetts-based Curtis Industrie … | Continue reading

The Dollight lamp is by San-Diego-based industrial design firm Official Use Only. Created under the motto "When personal design meets custom manufacturing," the challenge was to reconcile mass production with individual customization. And the design work was only half of it: OUO … | Continue reading

One area where poor people and rich people's problems overlap is with not having enough living space. For the poor, specifically with studio apartments and trailer homes. For the rich, specifically with mobile homes. Unsurprisingly, it's mobile homes that receive a lot more desig … | Continue reading

I live out in nature, and for the sake of ecological balance I don't want to kill anything, which gets complicated.Two snakes live outside my house. I don't like snakes, but I leave them alone because they're the reason I don't have rodents. Wasps have built a nest at my hose bib … | Continue reading

As designers, we understand that a square is two dimensions. And that if we push it into three dimensions, we get a cube. What's a little harder to grasp is what happens when we push the cube into a fourth dimension, one that we can't perceive. This notion of a fourth dimension w … | Continue reading

Here's a simple invention designed to save landscapers and lawncare businesses money: Those pieces of welded steel tubing were developed by Long-Island-based D'ttach. It's simply a hitch receiver supported by a telescopic bar that can be attached to the front arms of any zero-tur … | Continue reading

Pocket knives are a dime a dozen, and all do the same thing. But Miami-based knife brand Peak Spec has designed an innovative feature that we believe is a first: A clip that retracts flush into the handle when not in use. The thinking is that a protruding clip makes the handle u … | Continue reading

Today Adidas releases their 3D-printed Climacool Laced sneakers. Last year they released a similar shoe that was a slip-on, but this time they've gone with eyelets. The polymer kicks are printed as one piece, except for the laces and the conventional mesh tongue, which are both a … | Continue reading

When you think of hot springs, you probably picture Iceland or Japan. What you may not know is that hot springs resorts also exist in America, from Arkansas to Colorado to Virginia. Now there's a new one, with a killer location: Zion Canyon Hot Springs, located just 20 minutes ou … | Continue reading

In younger years I drove an ambulance. The driving part was straightforward; the tricky part was when you arrived on-site, and had to enter a building to transport the patient, via stretcher, to the ambulance. The worst, as you'd expect, was when the patient lived in a non-elevat … | Continue reading

At its core, a scooter is this:Honda Ruckus The form can be stylistically dressed up to offer a more classic Italian look…Honda Metropolitan …or even to ape a Japanese superbike aesthetic:Honda ADV160 Those three are Hondas, chosen for presentation here because they're the global … | Continue reading

This FRAMA Shelf Library System is storage furniture designed to be visually light and airy. While the wall-mounted system wouldn't make sense for say, renters in NYC—where drilling into walls gives your landlord an excuse to withhold your security deposit—it may make more sense … | Continue reading

This Polaris power outlet, by Japanese brand CIO, has its future-proofing built in. Users can, without needing to rewire, add sockets for USB-A, USB-C, or whatever's coming down the pike next. "The detachable socket structure solves the problem of ports evolving with the times af … | Continue reading

Here's a feline-based subcategory of objects on Etsy: Cat bridges.Fayno Pet Fayno Pet Overcraftinated Overcraftinated Moho Wood Moho Wood Scratchy Things Scratchy Things Scratchy Things Eco Cats Collection Eco Cats Collection Eco Cats Collection Eco Cats Collection Catastrophic C … | Continue reading

"Train cars typically have a lifespan of approximately 30-50 years," explains Repurposed Materials, a company dedicated to salvaging still-useful castoff materials. "After this period, they cease to comply with federal regulations and are subsequently taken out of service, underg … | Continue reading