Google has sold interactive glasses for $1500 (only) during its annual software conference in San Francisco to first adaptors. If all goes well, a less expensive version of the glasses is expected to go on sale for consumers in early 2014. While wearing these glasses, directions to a destination or a text message from a friend may appear directly before your eyes. Conversing with friends in a video chat, take a photo without taking out a camera, phone or even buy a few things online as you walk around. JUST DON’T DRIVE DOING IT.
Category: INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
Leggo My Eggasus: Kiss the Future
In my ongoing quest for inter-urban zero-emission vehicles (that protect from the elements), I’ve run across this little charmer with retro-futurist aesthetics, the ‘EGGASUS’. Another little jewel to come out of California. This one is being launched in North America this fall.
It reaches a range of up to 50 miles (80.4 kilometers), with a top speed of 25 mph (40.23 km/h). Underneath the shell is a three-wheeled electric vehicle, fitted with an electric hub motor in the front wheel, enclosed cab, tinted windows, a seat, and instrument display panel. Pre-production models come with a price tag of US$5,000 a piece. Really, it would be an ideal replacement for all those rascals…
See on in motion below:
More at EGGASUS
Kiss The Future 101: Dream a Little Dream of Me
Brooklyn’s own Bitbanger Labs is the brainchild of photographer meister Duncan McCloud Frazier and his compatriot jack-of-all-trades genius Steve McGuigan.
They’ve invented a remarkable eye mask that presumably helps trigger lucid dreaming (or rather the ability to control yourself and your surroundings as you dream!). Remee (REM Enhancing Eye Mask) is the specialized eye mask that is equipped with a microcontroller that flashes a series of six customizable LED light patterns when you are at the peak of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. These dim flashes appear as visual anomalies as you sleep, helping you recognize that you are dreaming and subsequently trigger lucidity. Remee’s performance can be customized and adjusted by placing its built-in light sensors in front of your monitor on their official site while you set your configurations. Oh, so MODERN!
It sounds like a portal to limitless creativity.
Kickstarter once again is proving a fertile ground and is crowd-funding this project where the two bright boys have surpassed their initial goal of $35,000 with $573,000 and counting…
Pre-order yours (for 95$+ 15$international orders) at: www.sleepwithremee
Dimple Dash: Turbospeed Lycra Suit from Nike
Utilizing the aerodynamic properties of the humble golf ball, Nike’s engineers are pioneering this innovative tracksuit that reportedly shaves off micro seconds from performances. .023 seconds to be exact. That would be the possible equivalent of a higher placing when one talks of sprinting, so that is something very interesting to consider. Relying on the principle that explains the convex dimpled pattern found on a golf ball. These help balls travel further as they create low pressure turbulence in the boundary layer on the wind-facing side of the ball as it glides through the air, creating less drag behind the ball. Nike is calling them, “surface architectures”. panels are added to the areas that create most resistance such as the arms and legs. The result is also visually sleek and intimidating.
Mr. Magoo, meet Mr. Peel: The Microcars
Peel was a manufacturing company based on the Isle of Man that primarily made fibreglass boats as well as fairings for motorcycles.
They were also responsible for the Peel Manxcar, Peel P50, and Peel Trident microcars, in addition to the Peel Viking Sport and prototype GRP Minis for BMC. The Peel P50 to this day still carries the Guinness Book Of Records as the Worlds Smallest Production Car of all time and is now going to be re-issued with the help of Dragon’s Den amongst other things. At a mere 54 inches long and just 41 inches wide, it has 1 headlight, 1 door, 3 wheels and can whizz along at 40mph. For rainy cities, it is the better choice over a moped and certainly more stylish. BUY ONE NOW AT: PEEL ENGINEERING LTD.
Nendo: The Thin Black Line
Nendo, the wondrous japanese group formed by Canadian born Oki Sato, will show at the London Design Week with a collection based on calligraphy. Pure line art in steel.
One can get a hold of their magic at 1%, the online store that features productions of only 100 of each design.
See more of their terrific work for Hermes, Cartier and Boffi here: NENDO
Apocalypse 101: Blizzard Blanket
REFLEXCELL is a unique material that with its triple ply construction and use of reflective foil material offers TWICE the warmth-to-weight ratio of goose down! The construction is also elastic due to the crimping and thus contours to the body therefore optimizing its warming effect. Too bad it doesn’t feel as cozy as down but when the chips are done and you’re in Survivor mode, this is definitely the way to go. Besides, it comes in fun shades like optimal orange (visibility) and army green (camouflage) alongside spacy silver.
Following exhaustive in-house testing and trials performed by the US Army Institute of Surgical Research, the Blizzard Survival Blanket has been endorsed by the US Army Medical Center Directorate of Combat and Doctrine Development and is the only blanket used to train Army medics in the treatment of hypothermia.
Don’t leave home without it…
More at BLIZZARDSURVIVAL
Rick Owens + Michele Lamy Unplugged
I’ve always admired free spirits as the ultimate expression of life. Perhaps because I feel the conservative constraints imposed on everyone rather acutely. Take for example the incredible fusion of Rick Owens and Michele Lamy, locked in creatively and otherwise. A fascinating look at their dynamics and of course, their incredible works.
I have included some stills as I was not able to insert this video from “Another Mag” but have this link here:
http://www.anothermag.com/video/embed/148?shareurl=http://www.anothermag.com/exclusives/rick-owens
More: Rick Owens
Kiss the Future: The C1 Motorcycle
I haven’t been this excited about an urban vehicle since the BMW C1 covered motorbike 10yrs ago (it was dropped for the North American market and simply vanished)…Now comes the C-1 from LIT MOTORS in San Francisco.
Fully enclosed with gyro stabilizer wheels and sunroof, it is quite the machine. Different versions of the C-1 will be available for different markets. The model aimed at First World countries will have an 8-10 kilowatt-hour battery pack. The vehicle will incorporate electric hub motors in both wheels, at least one of those motors being a high-performance Remy HVH unit. The top speed should be at least 120 mph (193 km/h), with driving range for the higher-end model expected to sit at around 150 to 220 miles (241 to 354 km) per charge.
The price is, however, very high still. They are now working on a hand-built steel uni-bodied working prototype, which should reportedly be complete within about three months. Plans call for an initial run of production vehicles to be available at a price of about US$24,000 by late 2013, with that price going down to $16,000 once full production gets under way in 2014. The BMW scooter was only 4-5000$. It should ideally be 7-8000 IMO.
Robin Chase, co-founder and former CEO of Zipcar, the world’s largest car-sharing service – she has since become “a huge proponent” of the vehicle. The MIT Media Lab also provided assistance in its design.
Should you be interested, LIT is accepting deposits…
LIT MOTORS
See it in motion here:
The Apple of My Eye
It is only fitting I pay my own respects to Steve Jobs by showing his unveiling of the very first personal Macintosh computer, especially as I am using one of its descendants as I write. It’s quite the moment.
Straight Line Designs: Whimsical Modern
I just had to include this little club chair that I would SERIOUSLY love to get a hold of from Judson Beaumont, Designer and owner of Straight Line Designs. Trad meets mod, perfectly.
More at: www.straightlinedesigns.com
The V&A Museum: 3-D Printing
The quiet revolution of 3-D printing is being presented alongside art at the Victoria & Albert museum in London. Funded by the Materialize factory in Belgium, it will show pieces devised through various printing methods like “laser-sintering” and “stereolithography”.
Read more: The Independent
Dieter Rams : Cold War Modern
Here is an interview on some of the origins, inspirations and approaches to 20th Century classics by one of my favorite designers, Dieter Rams. A true visionary…
Dieter Rams “Cold War Modern” from Tom Haines on Vimeo.
Jannis Hulsen: Design
Fresh, innovative approaches to age old questions are what become benchmarks. German designer, Jannis Hulsen does just this in marvelous ways. Here is his explanation for the bio-tech stool: Xylinum is a research project that poses the question: what could future materials and production processes be like? The title Xylinum is the name of the bacterium which produces an artificial cellulose material. This bacterium counsumes sugar and builds a cellulose fibre structure around any given form. Since the process takes place in a nutrition liquid, the wet material can be dryed later on, resulting in a durable and 100 % biodegradable material. The properties of this material can be adjusted by changing the genetic code of the organisms. In collaboration with the company Jenpolymers, a technique was developed to create a »skin« around a wooden stool frame, forming the coating and seating surface.
More at: Jannis Hulsen
Thierry Mugler’s Redesign of the Spire Boat
While other cities deal with ever disgruntled rioters, Monaco lives on in a sun-bathed bubble of excess on the med. Here Thierry Mugler, that 70’s and 80’s design stalwart, will unveil the new, improved boat design, “SPIRE” at the 2011 Monaco Boat Show that does a cool 100MPH…
Arguably, it does look like the Batboat, but with it’s light and glistening chassis, this may not be the case.
Sosia Multifunction furniture for tiny spaces.
It’s called Sosia (meaning Doppelganger) and it’s the latest creation from Italian designer Emanuele Magini. This multifunctional sofa bed allows you to change appearances, style, size and functionality in as little space as possible. Comprised of soft and flexible external fabric, a big central hinge and an industrial zipper, Sosia can change shape depending on your mood or hospitality needs. With a few adjustments you can create an L-shaped conversation nook, a face-to-face sitting area, a cozy single bed, or raise the side panels to create a secret cubby or dressing room…
by http://www.campeggisrl.it/home.html
Philips Ambient LED Wallpaper
The remarkable Philips LED-illumination wallpaper is neither cheap or green but as an aesthetic feature to restaurants or civic spaces, it certainly adds dynamic atmosphere. This new development would have interactive panels that respond to music, movement or any such visual appropriate to the environment. There is also the possibility of acting as an acoustic buffer. Personally, I think it would be great in the bedroom or bathroom as the dimensions are perfect…
For a visual of this check out the link:
http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1
Immerse 3-D Cocoon from NAU enterprises
Immersive Cocoon “2011” from adNAU on Vimeo.
Design and advertising firm NAU proposes a different solution with its latest concept dubbed the Immersive Cocoon that looks to provide the sense of immersion without the 3D.
Electrolux Design Contest
Country: New Zealand
Designer: Sam Evans
School: Massey University
Electrolux declares its 2010 Design Lab winners. This year has been focused squarely on MOBILITY. That is the buzzword for just about everything these days for the modern day nomad…
Above, the heat grenade (No. 5) that resembles an aluminum egg and unfolds elegantly to a heat induction hob in black glass run on paper thin batteries. Nice.
Here’s more…
BodyGuard Stun Gun: The must have accessory for 2012
Like a scene directly out of “Dark Knight” comes the BodyGuard glove. It has a stun gun in the hand, video recorder and features like GPS, radio communications, live video transmitter/receiver, biometric readers, automated license plate readers, chemical sensors.
Where do I buy one?…
ÆSTHETIQ 