For safety reasons, hot air balloons are only allowed 400-500 hours of total flight time. After that the balloon, which may begin to leak, is decommissioned; the basket must be attached to a freshly-made balloon.Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash That leaves a helluva lot of fabr … | Continue reading
EV startup Canoo has revealed their American Bulldog, the company's second pickup truck concept. It's more utilitarian than their first pickup concept, perhaps because this one is derived from a military version they've been testing with the U.S. Army.Details from the press relea … | Continue reading
Natto, a traditional Japanese dish, consists of fermented soybeans suspended in a snot-like paste. The smell and texture grosses most Westerners out, but I love the stuff.This Natto Bee bowl was designed specifically for it. The interior of the bowl is ringed with small grooves. … | Continue reading
A startup called Humane is launching their Ai Pin, a wearable button that essentially contains an AI personal assistant, camera, speaker and projector. Eye-rolling aside, to the designers' credit the device confounds expectations; I always assumed digital assistants would evolve … | Continue reading
For their first foray into nesting chairs, Herman Miller turned to German industrial designer Stefan Diez. The result is the Fuld Nesting Chair, designed to save space when not needed: "Designed for practicality, it features flip-up seats and wall-saving legs that prevent the sea … | Continue reading
Smartphones are today's dominant communication device, and they come with default fonts. The iPhone uses San Francisco Pro, while Android phones use Roboto.The typewriter was a dominant communication device of the 20th century, and they too came with default fonts. The standardiz … | Continue reading
As we covered here, the wingback chair was designed for climate control, circa 1600s. It was meant to be sat in front of a fireplace. Fires consume oxygen, and as they use up what's in the room, they draw outside air into the house through whatever cracks exist. This draws an unp … | Continue reading
Reading how people lived hundreds of years ago is fun. It reminds you that being able to drink a cold beer created in another country is a miracle.When you think about how much effort it took to get that beer into your hands, it's funny which component draws the most scrutiny. It … | Continue reading
Suction cups, claws, mechanical hands with opposing thumbs: We've seen multiple solutions for what a robot's arm should terminate in, in order to perform useful manual labor. But this solution, presumably dreamt up over a late-night Chinese takeout session, is a first. This DX-1 … | Continue reading
Aimed at professional installers, these Zip-Tite nylon ties eliminate the final step of the securing process. The installer does not need to use nippers to trim the tails. Instead, simply twisting the tail breaks it off at the nearest serration, leaving a clean—and non-sharp—edge … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:Industrial Design student Jared Teiger's stunning Sapele Serenade chair won a 2023 SIT Furniture Design Award.A Wisconsin dairy operation has been packaging their milk in plastic pouches since 1973. This strange packaging has saved the day for s … | Continue reading
MXXY is a wearable hydration system, aimed specifically at dedicated athletes who carry two bottles: One for water, one for electrolytes. Why would someone do that? "Athletes need a different balance of electrolytes at one level of exertion versus another," the company explains." … | Continue reading
Wind turbines are like skyscrapers: We're just using engineering to make them bigger and bigger, and no one has re-thought the form factor with any concern for economics. Building a 500-foot tower and adding 400-foot blades can generate lots of megawatts, but they're incredibly e … | Continue reading
The Dutch are known for maximizing the usefulness of resources. Historically they used windmills to pump seawater out of lowlands, allowing them to reclaim land. Windmills were also used to power sawmills and of course, to grind grain.Fascinatingly, the Dutch even found a way to … | Continue reading
This is the Skot lamp. It was originally developed by Denmark's LK (Lauritz Knudsen), an electrical products manufacturer, in the early 1900s for use on ships.A century later, Louis Poulsen produces the Skot for landlubber use. The die-cast aluminum frame holds an injection-molde … | Continue reading
I like this Fold table, because it speaks of modelmaking and mock-ups during the design phase. I feel that you'd never arrive at this form for the legs unless you were physically manipulating materials, playing around with armature wire at your desk.It's a rolling, folding and ve … | Continue reading
This Mono auditorium seating is by Finnish industrial designer Philip Kronqvist."MONO chair appears as a rectangular case and opens up into a back, seat and armrests in only one movement of the hand. When closed, the chair is only 12 cm deep. The seat is spring-loaded, and return … | Continue reading
This unusual meditation chair is by industrial designer Fenglin Gao. They allow folks with joint or postural issues to assume an approximation of the classical position.The chair can also be opened, for those who have no problem going full-Lotus. Gao also designed a shoes-on vari … | Continue reading
This Plexus concept, by industrial designer Subinay Malhotra, combines generative design and a host of proposed production methods, from metal 3D printing to casting. The end products are meant to be connectors for dowels.Malhotra's laid out his thinking in detail:"Goal: Developi … | Continue reading
The SecretAir, by Belgian industrial designer Wouter Myny, is a concept for a sideboard that transforms into an office desk.As for how the transformation takes place: The initial opening step, which is meant to be done manually, appears it would be awkward. But I can see the appe … | Continue reading
This unusual mechanism was developed by an unknown inventor:It's been integrated into a working clock, the Rantoge, which was successfully crowdfunded from Hong Kong earlier this year; it landed $377,465 on Kickstarter and a further $385,724 on IndieGogo, totaling an impressive $ … | Continue reading
At this year's Lenovo Tech World event, Motorola unveiled their concept for a bendable smartphone."The adaptive display concept can be adjusted from a standard Android phone experience in a flat position…" "…to being wrapped for a wrist-worn experience…" "…or positioned in severa … | Continue reading
In September I posted about those Crichton Coin measuring discs aimed at the EDC crowd:Apparently the concept is popular. EDC gear manufacturer Titaner—the company that brought you the titanium folding fan for breaking windows—designed this Tiroler object, a circular measuring de … | Continue reading
Here's an interesting take on the drop leaf table, by Portugal-based industrial designer Goncalo Campos:"Drop-leaf tables usually have an extra leg that supports the folding top. I love mechanisms, and wanted to develop a simpler one that would not need that crutch.""By rotating … | Continue reading
First established in 1946, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's National School Lunch Program provides funding assistance for "nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day." Below is what the kids are meant to consume:Ironically, dairy-rich Wisc … | Continue reading
This Sapele Serenade chair is by Jared Teiger, an Industrial Design student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The simple brief: "Design and build an ergonomically considered chair that comfortably fits a range of body types." Teiger's chair is knockout-handsome, and I was … | Continue reading
I wound up buying one of those air-evacuating Airscape coffee canisters. It comes with a plunger-style inner lid that squeezes all of the air out, right down to the level of the coffee. Works great and I'm happy with it.This Cozium Press Seal Container works similarly, except the … | Continue reading
As demand for edibles grows in popularity, so too does the need for child-resistant storage containers. This new Squeeze and Turn Tin is from packaging company Dymapak. "Constructed entirely from steel with NO PLASTIC, the Squeeze and Turn functions like a traditional plastic chi … | Continue reading
Here in the 21st century, it's strange to see how many people still smoke cigarettes. For smokers and the businesses that cater to them, Japanese housewares manufacturer Dulton makes this clamping windproof ashtray."Here is an ashtray that can be easily attached to the fence of a … | Continue reading
Amazon is testing out humanoid robots for fulfillment center tasks. Named Digit and produced by Agility Robotics, it's fair to say they don't look anything like the competition:Left to right: Apptronik Apollo, Fourier Intelligence GR-1, Figure, Sanctuary AI Phoenix The Digit 'bot … | Continue reading
In the age of floppy disks, these were a common sight in offices and school computer labs:A fellow named Trevor Flowers, whose bio says only "I make tiny art machines," 3D prints these tiny versions of the same design for Micro SD cards:"Back when floppies were new we kept them s … | Continue reading
Here's an object you'd never guess the function of just by looking at it:Designed for households with hard water, this Limey doodad is used to descale faucet heads. You fill it halfway with descaler or vinegar, hang it from the tap with the head submerged, and let it sit for 10 m … | Continue reading
If you were to peek inside a vending machine while it was being restocked, you might spot something unexpected inside: a ¼" headphone jack. You might also see the stockist plugging a corresponding connector into it.It's not actually a headphone jack, though that's what it looks l … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:The Suzuki Go! mobility scooter concept brings some much-needed design aesthetics to the category.These minimalist toasters are by German manufacturer Ritter.This improved design for a clamp lamp is by French industrial designer Inga Sempé.This … | Continue reading
"I wanted to engage within the rigid and energy consuming industrial process that is recycling," writes furniture designer Emile Meunier, of his MLT project. "MLT is the fruit of a collaboration with a recycling plant based in Bromont, Quebec.""After being melted, plastics are pa … | Continue reading
Sansei Technologies manufactures amusement park rides for Disney and Universal, as well as independent Japanese resorts. At the Tokyo Mobility Show, the company displayed their newly-developed SR-02, a prototype for a four-legged people mover:The electric-powered vehicle measures … | Continue reading
Ritter is the German company that makes that disappearing food slicer. They also make this minimalist line of toasters:"[Our toasters] are incomparably narrow at just under 9 cm wide and impress with their timelessly elegant design. High-quality materials, perfect workmanship and … | Continue reading
Japan's hilarious Jimi Halloween (jimi means "mundane") event is where participants dress up in "costumes" that illustrate boring everyday situations. There's a list of these on Twitter, and below are some of our faves from this year:Person who was headed out but forgot something … | Continue reading
We knew it was a matter of time before AI-powered talking robots would start doing human jobs. But I thought the jobs would be manual labor, and that the robots would be humanoid. Instead Boston Dynamics just unveiled this robot tour guide, equipped with at least two surprising v … | Continue reading
While clamp lamps can come in handy……they're ugly and aren't very versatile. French industrial designer Inga Sempé designed a more elegant version. Her Island lamp, a/k/a the w153 Île, has a clamp integrated into a flat base, so it can sit on a table like an ordinary lamp.Or it c … | Continue reading
This Container DS series of storage cabinets, by German furniture brand Magazin, is inspired by shipping containers."Synonymous with storage and transport: the container with its archetypal surface made of folded steel. We offer this cabinet furniture in the miniaturized form of … | Continue reading
This Suzuki Go! concept, unveiled at the currently-running Japan Mobility Show, is a mobility scooter aimed at seniors. Shaped like a letter "G" in profile, the wraparound shape is meant to convey a sense of security to the passenger. The control is a lone joystick, which you ca … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:The Hovertrax hoverboard inventor has designed a car with just two wheels.These are the self-driving taxis coming to Japan.This Tenon Table, by industrial designer Daniel Schofield, utilizes a massive wedged tenon as its single joint.The hinged … | Continue reading
Here are some prototype shots of a folding walker, by ID firm Ecco Design: Sadly there's no information on the project page, just animations and images. I sure wish these ID firms were a little wordier. | Continue reading
The simple fact is, the human body is not designed for prolonged sitting. Optimists believe the problem can be solved with furniture, so we periodically see some strange chair designs being brought to market, each purporting to offer a novel benefit.The latest is this Movably Pro … | Continue reading
This month the Economist ran an interesting article called "So long iPhone. Generative AI needs a new device," wondering "Is this the twilight of the screen age?" Their argument is that screens are fine for accessing the internet, yet a different form factor will be required for … | Continue reading
This pleasingly-earthy-looking Kyoto Long sconce light is by Atelier de Troupe, an L.A.-based lighting and furniture brand. I absolutely love the minimal lines, the proportions, the finish and the Modernism-meets-Japan style.The unit is cast in aluminum, in two halves. "The casti … | Continue reading
The adjustable wrench was invented roughly 200 years ago, and must have seemed amazing at the time. But here in the age of precision tools, they seem clunky and inelegant, as you have to loosen and re-tighten the screw with each turn. Do this hastily, and you risk rounding the nu … | Continue reading