Author Archives: Sarang Sheth

Mercedes-Benz Vision Iconic: Solar Paint That Generates 7,450 Miles of Range Annually

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In most concept cars the paint is just a color. On the Mercedes-Benz Vision Iconic, the paint is a powertrain component. Beneath that mirror black surface lies solar paint, a wafer thin photovoltaic skin that turns every curve and contour into an active energy source, capable of adding thousands of miles of range each year under ideal conditions. The result is a car that charges itself while it poses, while it cruises, even while it sleeps in a garage flooded with sunlight, generating a mind-boggling 7,450 miles of range annually based on ideal conditions.

That technology wraps a body shaped like a vintage dreamscape. Mercedes pulled proportions from its 1930s icons, with a near vertical grille, extended hood, and fastback silhouette that hides the electric skateboard underneath. The grille glows with animated pixels, the hood star lights up, and the entire form is finished in reflective black that emphasizes sculptural surfaces over character lines. Inside, the cabin becomes a velvet lined theater with brass accents, floating glass displays, and neuromorphic computing that makes autonomous driving 90 percent more efficient. Solar energy meets Art Deco in a manifesto for sustainable luxury. Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener created the concept as his creative conclusion before leaving the company, ensuring his “Sensual Purity” philosophy persists beyond his tenure. The strategy acknowledges that luxury customers buy emotional experiences rather than mere transportation. Technology serves that experience instead of overwhelming it.

Designer: Mercedes-Benz

This car is essentially Wagener’s mic drop, a final, definitive statement on his “Sensual Purity” design philosophy before his departure in January 2026. For years, he’s talked about this bipolarity of emotion and intelligence, and the Vision Iconic is its physical manifestation. The emotion comes from the sheer presence of the thing, its sculptural surfaces and historical nods. The intelligence is the bleeding-edge tech humming beneath the surface. It’s a perfect symbiosis. This concept cements his legacy, proving that his focus on physical clay modeling to perfect proportions and surface language can produce something that feels both classic and futuristic. It’s a powerful farewell that will shape the company’s aesthetic for years to come.

You can’t miss the grille, which is clearly the centerpiece of the new corporate face. It’s a direct homage to the upright, proud grilles of 1960s icons like the W108 S-Class and the W100 600 Pullman, but reinterpreted for the digital age. The structure is built from light, with a pixel-graphic lattice that can animate, giving the car a dynamic presence even when stationary. This isn’t just a styling gimmick; it’s a strategic move to ground the brand’s electric future in its rich heritage, preventing its EVs from looking like generic appliances. The illuminated three-pointed star on the hood reinforces this connection. The rest of the body is a study in minimalism, with clean, flowing lines that emphasize the car’s monolithic, sculptural quality.

Inside, the team pursued what they call a “hyper-analog” experience, which is a brilliant response to the industry’s obsession with sterile, screen-dominated interiors. The cabin is a lounge, not a cockpit, an idea enabled by its Level 4 autonomous capabilities. A continuous bench seat is wrapped in deep blue velvet, and details are rendered in polished brass. The centerpiece is the “Zeppelin,” a floating glass structure on the dash that houses a mix of analog-inspired instruments and digital displays, creating a layered, artistic effect. It feels opulent and tactile, a reminder that luxury is about materials and craftsmanship, not just pixel density.

For Wagner and Mercedes-Benz, the Vision Iconic is a manifesto. Mercedes is declaring that its electric future will not be one of compromise. The car’s entire technological ecosystem is built to support its aesthetic ambitions. The neuromorphic computing, which reduces the power needs of autonomous driving tasks by a staggering 90 percent, is what allows for such sophisticated self-driving without a crippling range penalty. The steer-by-wire system frees up the interior packaging, enabling the lounge-like atmosphere and allowing designers to maintain those classic long-hood proportions. Every piece of tech has a purpose that serves the overall vision of creating a desirable, beautiful object that also happens to be a highly advanced electric vehicle.

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These LEGO Brick Crocs Cost $150 and Look Exactly as Weird as You’d Expect

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The LEGO Brick Clogs are not subtle. They are not refined. They are giant red rectangles that you strap to your feet, complete with four oversized studs jutting from the top like a toddler’s building block scaled up for adult wear. This is footwear that makes no apologies for its absurdity. Your feet disappear entirely into chunky brick shapes that add inches of height and pounds of visual weight, transforming your lower legs into what looks like a sight gag from a cartoon.

Both LEGO and Crocs seem thrilled by how ridiculous this looks. The design commits fully to the brick concept, maintaining the rectangular shape from every angle and ensuring that yes, you will absolutely look like you raided a giant’s toy chest. The studs aren’t decorative accents. They’re prominent, impossible to miss, and stamped with the LEGO logo so everyone knows exactly what you’ve done to your feet. Crocs even admits these aren’t meant for all-day wear, which feels like the understatement of the year when you’re essentially walking on building blocks.

Designers: LEGO X Crocs

These launch February 16th at $149.99 on Crocs’ site and $199.99 on LEGO’s store, a price discrepancy nobody seems able to explain. They’re available in women’s sizes 7 through 12 and men’s sizes 5 through 13, which means a decent range of people can participate in this social experiment. Each pair includes a LEGO minifigure wearing matching tiny brick clogs because apparently the joke needed extending beyond your actual feet. The shoes use Crocs’ standard Croslite foam material, so they’ll presumably be comfortable despite looking like orthopedic nightmares. The heel strap pivots just like regular Crocs, with one side branded LEGO and the other Crocs, because why choose when you can advertise both brands simultaneously.

From a design perspective, these things are fascinating disasters. The 2×4 brick silhouette creates a platform that extends well beyond normal shoe boundaries, adding considerable visual bulk to an area of the body that most footwear tries to streamline. The four studs on top serve zero functional purpose but dominate the entire aesthetic, sitting roughly where your toes would be if your feet were actually brick-shaped. Inside, you get standard Crocs Croslite foam, the same cushioned EVA material that made the brand famous for comfort. The heel strap pivots like any other Croc, with Crocs branding on one side and LEGO on the other, a small detail that somehow makes the whole package feel even more committed to the bit.

Rapper Tommy Cash debuted them at Paris Fashion Week on January 21st, which tracks perfectly. These needed a runway moment, needed to exist in a context where people expect the unexpected. The fashion world has spent decades normalizing increasingly bizarre footwear, from Balenciaga’s platform Crocs to various luxury brands’ takes on chunky dad shoes. The LEGO Brick Clogs fit right into that lineage while simultaneously mocking it. They’re high fashion and low culture colliding at maximum velocity, wrapped in a bright red package that costs as much as a decent pair of running shoes.

The multi-year partnership promises more releases beyond this initial brick clog, with additional drops planned for spring 2026. Both companies hint at customizable Jibbitz charms made from actual LEGO brick plastic, which could genuinely be interesting if they figure out the attachment mechanism. The collaboration might seem random until you consider that both brands built empires on letting people express themselves through unconventional means. LEGO gives you infinite creative possibilities with plastic bricks. Crocs gave the world permission to prioritize comfort over convention and then added holes for decorative charms. Put them together and you get footwear that dares you to take it seriously while simultaneously proving it doesn’t care if you do.

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This Insane Vertical MMO Mouse Packs 10 Thumb Buttons And A 45-Degree Grip For Your Wrist

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Vertical mice promise ergonomic relief. MMO mice deliver tactical control. Pick one, because the market says you can’t have both. Except SOLAKAKA apparently didn’t get that memo. The E9 Pro arrives as the first vertical MMO mouse, featuring a 45 degree ergonomic grip alongside a 10 button thumb panel that would make World of Warcraft players weep with joy. It feels like the peripheral equivalent of discovering your favorite coffee shop also serves excellent ramen.

The design centers on a tactical thumb zone where all 10 side buttons follow the natural arc of your thumb movement. No stretching, no hunting, just muscle memory doing its thing. The vertical orientation keeps your wrist in a handshake position rather than the pronated twist that causes repetitive strain. A grille style cutout pattern ventilates the palm rest while dropping weight to 97 grams, and the PAW3395 sensor handles up to 36,000 DPI for people who like their precision surgical. Offered in understated black gray and louder white orange colorways, the E9 Pro targets anyone who refuses to choose between comfort and capability.

Designer: SOLAKAKA

Click Here to Buy Now: $69 $89 ($20 off) Hurry! Only 41 left of 850.

You just have to admire the silhouette for a second. Most ergonomic mice look like orthopedic devices that got lost on the way to the pharmacy. The E9 Pro, however, still reads as a performance machine. Its shell is all sharp planes and deliberate curves, giving it a confident, architectural presence on a desk. That grille cutout on the palm rest is a brilliant piece of multi-tasking design; it slashes weight, creates a distinct visual identity, and provides some welcome ventilation for those marathon gaming sessions. It’s a design that feels both aggressive and intelligent, which is a tough needle to thread.

That 45 degree tilt is the perfect middle ground, offering a natural handshake grip that takes the strain off your forearm without feeling as alien as some of the more extreme 90 degree vertical mice. You can feel the logic behind it instantly. SOLAKAKA says they landed on this angle after 300 hours of testing across gaming, coding, and design, and it shows. The sculpted palm and thumb supports provide a secure anchor for your hand, letting you relax your grip instead of constantly pinching the mouse. It feels less like you’re holding a device and more like the device is an extension of your hand’s natural posture.

But let’s be real, we’re all here for that thumb cluster. Ten buttons on a vertical mouse sounds like a recipe for chaos, but the execution is incredibly clever. Instead of a boring grid, the buttons are laid out in a gentle arc that follows the natural sweeping motion of your thumb. It’s a racetrack for your digit, with each button acting as a distinct landmark. This is a massive leap forward for muscle memory, turning what could be a fumbling mess into an intuitive control panel. For anyone juggling macros, creative tool palettes, or complex skill rotations, this layout is a game changer.

And the performance hardware inside is absolutely top-tier. The PixArt PAW3395 is the same flagship sensor you find in elite esports mice, capable of a wild 36,000 DPI, 650 IPS tracking, and 50g of acceleration. This isn’t an ergonomic mouse with gaming parts bolted on; it’s a legitimate performance mouse built on an ergonomic chassis. The polling rate ramps up to 8,000 Hz in wired mode for near-zero latency, and the tri-mode connectivity gives you the freedom to switch between a lag-free 2.4 GHz dongle, Bluetooth, and a direct USB C connection. A beefy 1000 mAh battery keeps the whole operation running for ages.

This brings us to the weight. Vertical mice with this many features often have some heft, easily tipping the scales at 120 grams or more. The E9 Pro comes in at a nimble 97 grams, and that makes a world of difference. The lighter weight, combined with the ergonomic grip, means less inertia and less torque on your wrist when you’re making fast, sweeping movements or quick flick shots. It’s a detail that shows a deep understanding of how ergonomics and performance are intertwined. That grille isn’t just for looks; it’s a core part of a thoughtful weight-reduction strategy that pays off every time you move the mouse.

The whole package comes in two distinct flavors. The black and gray model is pure stealth, ready to blend into a professional workstation or a minimalist gaming setup. Then you have the white and orange version, which looks like it drove right off a sci-fi movie set, with vibrant orange accents highlighting the buttons and grille. It’s a fantastic bit of personality. Through its Kickstarter campaign, the E9 Pro is available for around $69 for early backers, which is an incredibly competitive price for a mouse that’s not just entering a category but creating a new one. This is one of those designs that feels so right, you wonder why nobody did it sooner.

Click Here to Buy Now: $69 $89 ($20 off) Hurry! Only 41 left of 850.

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The Most Addictive EDC Tool of 2026: A $45 Magnetic Fidget Knife You Can’t Put Down

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Most utility knives work perfectly fine. They cut boxes, strip packages, slice tape, then disappear into drawers or pockets until the next mundane task arrives. They’re functional, reliable, forgettable. The problem isn’t that they fail at their job. The problem is they offer nothing beyond the cut itself, no texture or personality, no reason to reach for them when they’re not strictly necessary. They exist in a utilitarian void where efficiency trumps experience.

DeckShiv by ActMax takes a different approach entirely. This magnetic fidget slider utility knife was designed to stay in your hand long after the cutting is done. The sliding mechanism deploys and retracts a standard utility blade, but the real story lives in the magnetically guided movement itself. Every slide forward feels intentional, controlled, deliberate. Every return journey happens smoothly, pulled back by magnetic force into a soft, satisfying click. It’s a utility knife that doubles as a fidget device, built for people who appreciate tactile feedback in their everyday tools.

Designer: ActMax

Click Here to Buy Now: $45 $55 (18% off) Hurry! Only 32 of 120 left.

The slider doesn’t just glide loosely; magnets guide the path with a controlled drag that lets you precisely meter out blade exposure. When you let go, that same system pulls the blade back home without any of the jarring snaps common in cheaper auto-retractors. The whole package is just 67mm long by 29mm wide, a palm-sized 12mm thick, so it feels more like a Zippo than a piece of hardware. The body is covered in CNC-machined diagonal lines that give your thumb a natural track to follow, a smart touch that makes the action feel even more intuitive.

Of course, that whole tactile experience changes depending on what you’re holding. The titanium alloy version has a satisfying heft that adds a certain gravitas to the sliding motion; its momentum feels deliberate and smooth. Dropping down to the aluminum alloy model shaves off significant weight for a much lighter carry, making the action feel a bit quicker and snappier. Then there’s the PEI option, a high-performance polyetherimide that feels warm to the touch and has a unique, semi-transparent amber look. The choice isn’t just cosmetic, it fundamentally alters the knife’s presence and the feedback you get from the mechanism.

For all the fidget-friendly engineering, it still needs to cut things. ActMax wisely stuck with standard SK5 utility blades, the trapezoidal workhorses you can find anywhere. The blade itself is seated magnetically, which is a clever bit of design that completely eliminates the annoying rattle you get with a lot of replaceable-blade knives. It feels solid, locked in place until you decide to remove it. Because the blade only extends as far as you push, there’s little chance of accidental full deployment, a crucial safety feature for a tool designed to be handled constantly.

And you’ll be swapping blades often if you’re actually using it on cardboard. The process here is dead simple, taking about two seconds with no tools. The same magnetic system that holds the blade secure also makes it easy to pop out and replace. This is one of those small quality-of-life details that becomes a huge deal with long-term use. There’s nothing worse than having to hunt down a tool just to maintain your tool, and ActMax completely sidestepped that headache.

The body itself is clearly built for the long haul, especially the titanium version, which is famously resistant to corrosion and abuse. This feeds directly into a more sustainable ownership model; instead of tossing an entire knife when the edge dulls, you’re only swapping out a small, recyclable sliver of steel. The real genius, though, is its travel-readiness. Pop the blade out, and the DeckShiv body becomes a completely harmless metal slider. The TSA won’t look twice at it, meaning you can carry the handle in your pocket and just buy a new blade for a couple of bucks when you land. That’s a level of everyday practicality most fixed-blade EDCs simply can’t offer.

The final decision really comes down to aesthetics and carry style. You can get the titanium and aluminum versions in either a raw metal or a stealthy black finish, while the PEI comes in its natural amber hue. There’s a small slot for a 1.5mm by 6mm tritium vial if you want a constant low-light glow, plus a removable pocket clip and a keychain loop. The Kickstarter pricing is aggressive, starting at $45 for aluminum and topping out at $75 for titanium, with free worldwide shipping starting June 2026.

Click Here to Buy Now: $45 $55 (18% off) Hurry! Only 32 of 120 left.

The post The Most Addictive EDC Tool of 2026: A $45 Magnetic Fidget Knife You Can’t Put Down first appeared on Yanko Design.

Meze’s $799 Strada Headphones Use Magnetic Ear Pads and Hand-Carved Wood (And They’re Gorgeous)

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Romanian audio craftsmen Meze Audio have built their reputation on a simple philosophy: headphones should be as beautiful to look at as they are to listen to. The 99 Classics proved this formula with their vintage-inspired warmth, while the Liric pushed boundaries with planar magnetic technology. Now, the Strada arrives as something different: a closed-back dynamic that feels less like a nostalgic throwback and more like a confident step forward.

At $799, the Strada occupies that fascinating middle ground where serious audio performance meets daily practicality. The hand-crafted Macassar ebony earcups remain unmistakably Meze, but the deep metallic green magnesium frame signals a design evolution. This is Meze refining their aesthetic without abandoning their roots, creating a closed-back headphone that promises isolation and intimacy without sacrificing their signature approach to build quality and musicality.

Designer: Meze Audio

Those 50mm dynamic drivers pull from the 109 Pro’s DNA but get retuned specifically for closed-back acoustics. Frequency response spans 5Hz to 30kHz, which sounds impressive until you remember that what matters is how flat or colored that response curve actually is. Sensitivity hits 111 dB SPL/mW at 1kHz with 40Ω impedance, meaning your phone will drive these adequately but they’ll really open up with proper amplification. Meze claims a tonal balance that leans slightly warm with controlled bass emphasis, neutral mids, and extended treble that avoids the typical closed-back veil. Translation: they want you listening to music, not hunting for detail.

That carbon fiber-reinforced cellulose dome keeps the diaphragm light while maintaining stiffness for clarity in the upper registers. The semicrystalline polymer torus surrounding the dome gets coated with beryllium via physical vapor deposition, which increases rigidity without adding mass. Precision-cut grooves at 45.5-degree angles across the torus help control resonance, while a copper-zinc alloy stabilizer ring dampens unwanted vibrations. These aren’t revolutionary techniques but they’re expensive ones, the kind of iterative refinement that separates competent drivers from excellent ones. You’re paying for obsessive attention to mechanical behavior at frequencies most people can’t even hear.

The magnetic ear pad system solves a problem most manufacturers ignore. Ear pads wear out. They compress, they accumulate oils and sweat, they eventually need replacement. Traditional attachment methods range from annoying clips to outright glued-on disasters that require heat guns and prayers. Meze’s magnetic mounting creates a perfect acoustic seal while making pad swaps completely tool-free. This ties directly into their sustainability pitch, which feels genuine rather than performative given their history of fully serviceable designs. Every component here can be replaced individually. The headband padding, the frame sliders, the cables, even those gorgeous ebony cups. You’re buying something meant to be repaired rather than discarded.

Each pair carries unique grain patterns, the tiger-stripe figuring that makes this particular hardwood so prized in furniture and musical instruments. Beyond aesthetics, the density and internal structure provide acoustic benefits. Wood naturally dampens certain resonances while allowing others to breathe, creating a different sonic character than plastic or metal enclosures. Whether you can actually hear this difference remains a subject of fierce debate in audiophile circles, but the material choice signals intent. Meze wants these to feel like heirloom objects, something you hand down rather than upgrade away from.

The metallic green finish represents the most visible departure from Meze’s typical palette. Their previous models leaned heavily into warm metallics: the gold and walnut of the 99 Classics, the bronze accents across their lineup, the copper hardware that became a signature detail. This cooler, more contemporary green suggests a brand aging gracefully, shedding some retro affectation without losing craft. The multi-layer paint process adds depth to the magnesium frame, giving it a subtle metallic sheen that catches light differently depending on angle. It’s restrained in a way that premium consumer electronics rarely manage, avoiding both the sterile minimalism of pro audio gear and the gamer-aesthetic excess that plagues too many “premium” headphones.

The competitive landscape at $799 gets brutal. Focal’s closed-backs bring French tuning philosophies and beryllium tweeters. Sennheiser offers German engineering precision and decades of refinement. Dan Clark Audio delivers cutting-edge planar technology with acoustic metamaterials. Meze’s pitch sidesteps the technology arms race entirely. They’re selling craftsmanship, serviceability, and a specific vision of what premium headphones should feel like to own and use daily. Whether that resonates depends entirely on what you value. If replaceable drivers and hand-painted frames matter less than the latest acoustic innovations, look elsewhere. But if you want something that feels built rather than manufactured, something designed to age beautifully rather than obsolete quickly, the Strada makes its case clearly.

The post Meze’s $799 Strada Headphones Use Magnetic Ear Pads and Hand-Carved Wood (And They’re Gorgeous) first appeared on Yanko Design.

Belkin’s New Switch 2 Docking Case Has a 10,000mAh Battery That Lets You Charge While Shut

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The best gaming accessories solve problems you didn’t know you had. Before you use them, the old way seems fine. After you use them, going back feels like torture. Belkin’s new Charging Case Pro for Nintendo Switch 2 falls squarely into this category.

The original Charging Case launched last June with a solid concept: protect your Switch 2 and keep it powered during long trips. But Belkin’s designers clearly listened to user feedback and spotted the pain points. The Pro version addresses nearly every frustration from the first generation. You can charge the battery without unzipping the case. You get a proper integrated stand instead of relying on the console’s kickstand. There’s even a battery level display so you’re never guessing how much juice remains. These aren’t revolutionary features individually, but together they transform a good accessory into an essential one.

Designer: Belkin

Having to unzip your case, fish out the battery pack, plug it in separately, then put everything back together just to charge overnight is the kind of stupid friction that kills products. The external USB-C port fixes this entirely. Leave your Switch 2 inside, plug one cable into the front, done. The little OLED display shows precise battery percentage, which actually matters when you’re deciding whether to top up before a three-hour flight or risk it.

The 10,000mAh battery doubles as an adjustable stand with a built-in USB-C connector. The Switch 2 slots onto it like the official dock and starts charging immediately at whatever viewing angle works. The original version forced users to balance the console on its mediocre kickstand while a cable dangled between device and battery. One approach solves the problem. The other creates new ones.

Belkin claims 1.5 full charges from the 10,000mAh capacity, translating to 12 to 15 extra hours depending on what’s running. Graphically intensive games like Zelda sequels will drain faster than pixel art indie platformers, but either way that’s enough power to cross the Atlantic twice before needing an outlet. For a case this compact, the capacity-to-size ratio makes sense. A bigger battery would mean carrying a brick.

Twelve individual game cartridge slots sit under a flip-down cover, each one molded to prevent rattling. A mesh pocket handles cables and microfiber cloths. Belkin included a hidden compartment sized exactly for an AirTag or Tile tracker. Considering a fully loaded case with console represents about $500 of hardware, location tracking becomes a practical feature rather than a gimmick. People lose things. Expensive things get stolen. Planning for that shows sensible product design.

Three colorways: sage green, black, sandy beige. The green matches Nintendo’s brand aesthetic. Black hides wear better over time. The beige photographs well but might show dirt faster than the darker options.

Charging $99.99 means a $30 jump from the original’s $69.99 price. That’s a 43% increase, which sounds aggressive until you itemize the changes. External charging port. Battery display. Integrated stand with direct connection. Better storage. Refined build quality throughout. Spread $30 across those improvements and the math works. Belkin could have pushed $120 easily and still moved units. They left money on the table, frankly.

This reads like version 2.0 engineering instead of the lazy incremental updates most companies ship. Belkin rebuilt the internal layout, redesigned the battery for dual purpose use, and solved actual user complaints instead of adding RGB lighting or whatever. Most “Pro” accessories just mean “black version, higher price.” This one actually earns the name.

Own the original and it works fine? Skip this. Shopping for your first Switch 2 charging solution or fed up with your current setup? Start here. It’s up on Belkin’s site now, probably hitting Amazon within a week because that’s how 2026 works.

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This 6‑in‑1 wireless HDMI hub with 100W PD will practically replace every dongle in your bag

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Your laptop gets thinner every year and your tablet ditches another port with each refresh. Meanwhile, the actual work you do requires more connectivity than ever. Photographers need fast SD card access during client reviews. Presenters need a clicker and a thumb drive while streaming to the big screen. Educators move between rooms with different projectors and zero time to fumble with settings. The gap between sleek hardware and messy reality keeps widening.

4URPC built the Gen 3 to close that gap entirely. The system pairs a plug-and-play wireless HDMI link with a genuinely useful hub, all in a single piece of kit. Plug the USB-C transmitter into your device and the HDMI receiver into any display. You get wireless 1080p 60Hz video in 0.02 seconds, plus immediate access to SD/TF cards, three high-speed USB ports, and 100W power delivery. No apps, no network dependency, no compromise. Just the screen and the tools you actually need, working together the way they should.

Designer: 4URPC

Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $198 (50% off). Hurry, only 132/500 left! Raised $50,000.

You can see the direct line from user feedback to this design. Their Gen 2 was a solid wireless 4K transmitter, but it was a single-purpose tool. People clearly pointed out that the moment they went wireless, their other ports were still occupied by hubs for storage, peripherals, and power. 4URPC took that to heart, building the new SP06 model around a complete workflow. They collapsed the entire dongle ecosystem into the transmitter itself, which is a far more practical solution for anyone working outside of a fixed desk setup.

The integrated hub is built with professional-grade specs. We are looking at two 10Gbps USB-A ports and a 10Gbps USB-C data port, which provides plenty of speed for fast external SSDs or multi-channel audio interfaces. The SD and TF card slots run at a respectable 5Gbps, fast enough for offloading photos and video without a huge bottleneck. Critically, the 100W USB-C power delivery input means you can run all of this connectivity and still keep a MacBook Pro or a powerful Windows laptop fully charged through a single connection.

All that local I/O becomes even more useful in a collaborative setting. A single HDMI receiver can pair with up to eight different transmitter hubs, completely changing the dynamic in a meeting room. Instead of passing a cable around or fighting with clunky software casting, each person can switch to become the active presenter with a button press. The 0.02-second switching time they claim makes the handoff nearly instant. This hardware-based approach sidesteps the need for everyone to be on the same Wi-Fi network or have specific apps installed, which is a constant headache in corporate or guest environments.

Packing a dual-band Wi-Fi module, a high-speed USB controller, and a PD circuit into one chassis generates serious heat, so the move to an aluminum alloy casing is a practical necessity. The metal body functions as a heat-sink, which should lead to more stable performance during long sessions where you are pushing 1080p video and transferring data simultaneously.

Super early backers can snag the complete system for $99, which includes the wireless transmitter/hub unit, the HDMI receiver, and the necessary cables. That is a 50% discount off the planned $198 retail price, limited to the first 500 backers. After that, early bird pricing sits at $109, and there are multi-pack options if you want to outfit an entire team or multiple rooms. The 4URPC G3 ships globally, starting April 2026.

Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $198 (50% off). Hurry, only 132/500 left! Raised $50,000.

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This Kevlar Medical Brace Folds Flat Like Origami and Might Finally Kill the Plaster Cast

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What do Swiss timepieces and sailing rigging systems have in common with orthopedic braces? More than you might think. The engineers at Osteoid drew inspiration from these precision mechanical systems to create Bracesys, a revolutionary approach to fracture immobilization that challenges everything we thought we knew about medical casts.

Traditional plaster casts have remained largely unchanged for over a century. Off-the-shelf braces offer convenience but rarely fit properly. Custom 3D-printed alternatives require expensive scanners, lengthy production times, and specialized expertise. Bracesys sidesteps all these limitations with an adjustable framework of segmented units, articulating connectors, and tension dials. The entire system weighs just 150 grams and folds flat into an envelope, yet provides rigid support comparable to traditional casts. More remarkably, clinicians can customize it to each patient’s anatomy in real time, adjusting the fit as swelling decreases and healing progresses.

Designer: Osteoid Design Team

Kevlar cables run through the framework and get tightened via integrated dials, borrowing directly from sailing rigging where distributed tension points create precise control. Yacht rigging achieves massive structural loads through this exact principle. Osteoid just applied it to wrist immobilization. The framework comes from SLS and MJF 3D printing with medical-grade Nylon 12, reinforced at stress points with CNC-machined aluminum and stainless steel. This hybrid manufacturing approach delivers geometric complexity for anatomical conformity while keeping structural integrity where loads concentrate. Pure injection molding couldn’t achieve these organic shapes. Pure 3D printing couldn’t handle the forces.

Over 600 anonymized CT scans went into the sizing methodology, processed through AI-driven segmentation and implicit skinning algorithms that map soft tissue deformation around bone structures. Principal Component Analysis crunched all that data into four standardized sizes covering the 5th to 95th percentile of hand and wrist anatomy. You’re getting semi-custom fit from off-the-shelf components, which anyone in medical device design will tell you is brutally difficult to pull off. Manufacturing needs standardization for scale. Patients need personalization for outcomes. Most companies pick one and live with the compromise.

A typical Colles fracture brace measures 190 x 90 x 115 mm assembled but breaks down completely flat into an A4 envelope. Clinicians wrap it around the limb loose, let the segmented units find their natural anatomical alignment, then use screwdriver-sized tools to adjust connector lengths and tighten the tension dials incrementally. Spring-loaded quick-release pins handle adjustments as swelling changes during recovery. The whole initial fitting takes minutes. I keep coming back to that speed because custom 3D-printed orthotics need weeks of turnaround, and drugstore braces fit approximately nobody correctly. This lands right in the middle with none of the usual tradeoffs.

Every plaster cast is single-use. Every prefab brace eventually becomes landfill. Traditional orthopedic devices generate waste at a scale that should embarrass the industry but somehow doesn’t. Bracesys uses recyclable materials throughout, sterilizes for reuse in clinical settings, and lets you replace individual components rather than trashing the whole assembly. I’m usually cynical about sustainability claims in medical devices because they often conflict with clinical needs or regulatory requirements. This actually works because better economics and better outcomes align with lower waste. Nobody has to sacrifice anything.

We shouldn’t still be using plaster casts in 2026. The technology to do better has existed for decades. The problem has always been the gap between custom fabrication costs and mass production constraints. Most attempts at solving this try to make manufacturing cheaper or faster. Bracesys flips that entirely by making adjustability the core feature and shipping that capability to the point of care. You’re not customizing during manufacturing. You’re customizing during application. That philosophical shift matters more than any individual mechanical innovation. If orthopedic practices actually start using this widely, we might finally kill off a medical technology that’s been coasting on pure inertia since the 1800s. It’s time we ‘brace’ for change…

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The Bugatti Veyron Turns 20 and Gets a 1,578 HP Makeover Nobody Saw Coming

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In 2005, Bugatti unleashed a machine so audacious that even today it commands respect. The Veyron arrived with 1,000 horsepower, four turbochargers, and a top speed that left competitors speechless. Two decades later, one collector decided that anniversary celebrations and museum pieces weren’t enough tribute for such a revolutionary achievement.

The result is the F.K.P. Hommage, a one-off hypercar that channels the Veyron’s iconic silhouette while hiding Chiron Super Sport mechanicals beneath its red and black bodywork. Named for Ferdinand Karl Piëch, the Volkswagen Group patriarch who championed the original project, this creation incorporates design elements from an abandoned Veyron facelift that never reached production. It’s automotive archaeology meeting cutting-edge engineering, wrapped in a package that costs north of €10 million.

Designer: Bugatti

This is the second car from Bugatti’s Programme Solitaire, their bespoke division that handles exactly two ultra-custom builds per year. The first was the Brouillard, which took the Mistral roadster platform and wrapped it in equestrian-inspired design language. The F.K.P. Hommage takes a different approach entirely. It asks a simple question: what if Bugatti had kept refining the Veyron on the Chiron’s platform instead of replacing it? Chief designer Frank Heyl actually had sketches for a Veyron facelift back in 2008, concepts that never materialized because Piëch wanted something more radical. Those sketches became the foundation for this car. The headlights, those hollowed-out “light tunnel” taillights, even the adjusted proportions all stem from that unrealized project.

The exterior proportions mirror the original Veyron almost exactly, though it sits about an inch and a half wider. Every single body panel was designed specifically for this car. Nothing got copy-pasted from the parts bin. The horseshoe grille stands more upright now, three-dimensional and aggressive in ways the original never attempted. Those L-shaped LED headlights give the front end what Heyl calls a “concentrated stare,” which sounds like marketing speak until you actually look at the thing head-on. The side intakes got tightened up, the twin roof intakes lean forward more dramatically, and the rear diffuser flares outward at sharper angles. The taillights grew slightly larger on the outboard sections, creating better visual balance. Even the fuel filler got repositioned for better aerodynamic flow.

The red and black scheme matches the first production Veyron from 2005, but Bugatti couldn’t just spray it red and call it done. The base is actually silver, with red pigment incorporated into the clearcoat to create depth and luminosity that straight red paint never achieves. It’s the kind of obsessive detail that adds weeks to the build process and thousands to the cost, which matters zero percent when your budget already exceeds €10 million.

Then you open the door and realize the exterior was just foreplay. The cabin blends Chiron architecture with Veyron soul, keeping the newer car’s instrument cluster while introducing a completely redesigned steering wheel and a wider center console. That console gets machined from a single block of aluminum, which sounds impressive until you remember they’re putting a $200,000 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon inside it. The 43mm watch sits in a rotating mount that serves double duty. It hides the timepiece when the car’s off, protecting it from opportunistic smash-and-grab artists, and it spins the watch several times per hour to keep the automatic movement wound. No mechanical connection to the car, just a motorized gondola doing its thing on a timer.

The seats wear custom couture fabrics woven by a Parisian textile house, because apparently Italian leather alone doesn’t sufficiently communicate exclusivity. Piëch’s signature gets stitched into each headrest, with his initials and birthday embossed into the leather by your right knee. These details matter in the rarefied world of eight-figure automotive commissions, where differentiation comes down to whose signature adorns your headrest.

Under that engine cover sits the Chiron Super Sport’s 1,578-horsepower W16, complete with upgraded cooling, enhanced intercoolers, and a reinforced gearbox. The wheels measure 20 inches up front and 21 inches out back, significantly larger than the Veyron’s original 18/20 setup but necessary to accommodate modern Michelin rubber and the massive brake calipers hiding behind those spokes. The owner reportedly already possesses a matching Veyron, which means they’ll soon park both side by side and spend entirely too much time explaining the differences to confused onlookers.

The F.K.P. Hommage debuts at Rétromobile Paris before embarking on the typical hypercar show circuit, hitting Monaco, Pebble Beach, and whatever other gatherings attract people wealthy enough to consider €10 million reasonable for a car. Delivery happens in 2027, giving Bugatti’s craftspeople enough time to obsess over every stitch and surface. By then, the W16 engine will be completely retired from production, making this one of the final expressions of Piëch’s original vision before Bugatti transitions to the V16 hybrid powertrain in the Tourbillon.

The post The Bugatti Veyron Turns 20 and Gets a 1,578 HP Makeover Nobody Saw Coming first appeared on Yanko Design.

Apple’s Secret AI Pin Looks Like an AirTag and it Might Just Kill The Smartwatch

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Apple’s wearable future might not be strapped to your wrist at all. According to new reports, the company is developing an AI-powered pin about the size of an AirTag, complete with dual cameras, microphones, and a speaker. The device would clip onto clothing or bags, marking a deliberate shift away from the smartwatch form factor that has dominated wearable tech for the past decade.

If the rumors prove accurate, this circular aluminum-and-glass device could launch as early as 2027, running Apple’s upcoming Siri chatbot and leveraging Google’s Gemini AI models. The company appears to be betting that consumers want ambient AI assistance without constantly pulling out their phones or glancing at their watches. Whether this gamble pays off remains to be seen, especially given the struggles of similar devices like Humane’s now-defunct AI Pin.

Designer: Apple

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The hardware specs sound modest on paper but reveal something about Apple’s thinking. Two cameras sit on the front: one standard lens, one wide-angle. Three microphones line the edge for spatial audio pickup. A speaker handles output. Physical button for tactile control. Magnetic inductive charging on the back, identical to the Apple Watch system. The whole thing supposedly stays thinner than you’d expect from something packing this much capability. What strikes me most is the screenless design, which tells you Apple learned something from watching Humane crash and burn trying to replace phones with projectors and awkward gesture controls.

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Because here’s the thing about AI wearables so far: they’ve all suffered from identity crisis. The Humane AI Pin wanted to be your phone replacement but couldn’t handle basic tasks without overheating or dying within hours. Motorola showed off something similar at CES 2026, and demonstrated a level of agentic control that was still in its beta stages but was impressive nevertheless. Apple seems to be taking notes from both the failure of the former as well as the potential success of the latter. A screenless pin that relies entirely on voice, environmental awareness, and audio feedback has clear limitations, which paradoxically might be its greatest strength.

Motorola’s AI Pendant at CES 2026

The timing lines up with Apple’s Siri overhaul coming in iOS 27. They’re rebuilding the assistant from scratch as a proper conversational AI, and they’ve partnered with Google to tap into Gemini models for the heavy lifting. Smart move, actually. Apple’s in-house AI efforts have been mediocre at best, and licensing Google’s tech lets them skip years of expensive catch-up work. This pin becomes the physical embodiment of that strategy: a purpose-built device for ambient AI that doesn’t pretend to be anything else. You clip it on, it listens and watches, you talk to it, it responds. Simple interaction model.

But I keep circling back to the same question: who actually wants this? Your iPhone already has cameras, microphones, and Siri access. Your Apple Watch gives you wrist-based notifications and quick voice commands. AirPods put computational audio directly in your ears. Apple’s ecosystem already covers every conceivable wearable surface area. Adding a clip-on camera pin feels like solving a problem nobody has, or worse, creating a new product category just because the technology allows it. The 38.5-gram weight of competing devices like Rokid’s AI glasses shows manufacturers obsess over comfort, but comfort alone doesn’t justify purchase.

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The 2027 timeline is far enough out that Apple can quietly kill this project without anyone noticing, exactly like they did with the Apple Car. They’ve got a pattern of floating ambitious ideas internally, letting engineers explore possibilities, then axing things that don’t meet their standards or market conditions. Sometimes that discipline saves them from embarrassing product launches. Sometimes it means we never get to see genuinely interesting experiments. This AI pin could go either way, and frankly, Apple probably hasn’t decided yet either. They’re watching how the market responds to early AI wearables, gauging whether spatial computing takes off with Vision Pro, and waiting to see if their Siri rebuild with Google’s Gemini actually works before committing manufacturing resources.

The post Apple’s Secret AI Pin Looks Like an AirTag and it Might Just Kill The Smartwatch first appeared on Yanko Design.