September 29, 2008 – 6:50 pm
Toyota has been researching personal mobility transport vehicles since 2003. It’s latest concept is the Toyota i-REAL that can be thought of as a Segway, except that its got three wheels and you’re sitting down. The Toyota i-REAL is powered by an electric motor (lithium-ion battery) that can achieve speeds of up to 36 mph with a range of 20 miles. The i-REAL is controlled via two joysticks. At slow speeds, the i-REAL retracts its rear wheel effectively heightening is center of gravity. At high speeds, the rear wheel extends, which lowers the chair’s stance and center of gravity — improving stability. Braking is controlled via ‘trigger buttons’ on the joystick. Toyota has also included an on-board intelligence system to learn user habits and preferences. Video after the jump.
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September 26, 2008 – 1:02 am
Andy Tioh, an Industrial Design student at Humber College, believes that current bikes are so “intrusive and impractical” that they are forcing commuters to revert back to using their gas guzzling cars. His solution? The Bike Pack. The Bike Pack is a very modern looking foldable bike concept that has a trick up its sleeve: its folds into a backpack (sort of). The concept allows users to easily commute freely and allows them to unfold the bike from their backs only when appropriate. Economical and convenient indeed.
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September 23, 2008 – 9:35 pm
Designed by Rodrigo Mercado, the Nokia Scroll OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) is a concept laptop that basically almost makes it paper thin. Just imagine unrolling the screen and placing it on your lap and surfing the Internet on its touch-sensitive surface. Of course, I’m just guessing what it’s interface would be like since there is no mouse or keyboard incorporated into the concept. However, the display utilizes an OLED type display, the screen should be nice and bright with clear and crisp image quality. Furthermore, if the Nokia Scroll OLED laptop ever comes into fruition, it would also have excellent battery life. Plus, it would be super lightweight!
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September 19, 2008 – 11:22 am
The Protect 486 concept is designed to protect your motorcycle from not only the elements (Mother Nature), but from burglars and thieves as well. Designed by Marc Graells Ballve, the Protect 486 is a motorcycle “armor” that was inspired by the natural defense of an armadillo. As you can tell by the images, it looks kinda like the skin of an armadillo when fully deployed, but to be honest, it more looks like a rollie pollie.
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September 19, 2008 – 10:21 am
Designed by a design student at Savannah College of Art and Design, Adam Brodowski’s “Sook” entry for Electrolux Design Lab ‘08 entry made it all the way to the finals. The Sook is essentially a very sleek and modern kitchen assistant that serves three main functions: cutting board with “electronic tongue”, displays recipes and nutrition information, and a RFID food tracker. It does all of this in the size of your ordinary restaurant menu. Additionally, the Sook is entirely washable so cleaning is a breeze.
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September 7, 2008 – 9:26 pm
Remember the Bonsai Gear Clock? Well, here’s another Bonsai-themed gadget that will surely decorate your space. Designed by French designer, Vivien Muller, the Bonsai Charging Tree has 54 tiny solar panels that collect sunlight and convert it into energy storing it in its internal battery. The tree comes with various power adapters to charge your miscellaneous gadgets.
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August 29, 2008 – 7:53 pm
The Rolling Bridge is an award winning design by Thomas Heatherwick that uses hydrolics to retract and extend similar to the way a Rollie Pollie curls and uncurls. Completely retracted it takes the shape of an octagon. It’s an interesting design, but I sure hope they speed up the uncurling process. It retracts and extends at such a snail’s pace, it should have been called The Slow Rolling Bridge.
Video demonstration of the bridge unfolding after the jump.
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August 13, 2008 – 6:28 pm
Some people just can’t take the cold like other people can. Someone may want the air conditioner off while someone else wants it on. Now everyone can get along with the Free Wind Air Conditioner designed by Hyun Jin Yoon and Eun Hak Lee. Still a concept, the Free Wind is an air conditioner that is mounted on the ceiling with direct air flows that can be customized to user preferences.
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