Author Archives: Ruchi Thukral

Nokia Luna Net is a conceptual communication system that will let you connect to WiFi on the moon!

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Dear reader, it was my childhood dream to be an astronaut but I wear glasses and that was enough to disqualify me so I instead started to read, write, listen, watch everything space as an attempt to fill the vacuum of a crushed dream -yes, like the vacuum in space. Do what you will with that fun fact about me but, as a kid with a vivid imagination who was obsessed with space travel, the first thing that always came to mind was “how will I call my friends and family back home?” And now with NASA’s Artemis Program in motion to bring humans back on the Moon by 2024, that question has grown up into “what equipment do we need to make faster contact with Earth?” Enter Nokia Luna Net – a smart communication system!

NASA is cooperating with external companies to build the needed equipment for this mission. For this design, Nokia was kept in mind as the partner building the first-ever Moon internet solution which is scheduled to launch in 2022. It consists of one main unit, the lander, and three smaller nodes. The lander and nodes spread out over a specific area that will have the wireless connection and thus build a mesh communication network. The system will be transported via a rocket after which it will reach the moon independently. Luna Net is autonomous and therefore it can set itself up – now only if my Earth WiFi did that too. Thermogenerators will be used for the power supply as they can deal with the extreme temperatures and the long days/nights on the moon. These generators are able to produce electricity from drastic temperature differences (+172 degrees Celcius during the day and -123 degrees Celcius during the night) and store it in rechargeable batteries.

The lander and the nodes are all equipped with VR cameras and LiDAR sensors (Light Detection and Ranging sensors are a remote sensing method used to examine surfaces). This combination allows the system to generate 3D content with detail and depth which gives us a much more realistic understanding of the situation/information. It also has a 360-degree camera and screen set up which lets users on Earth see live images/data from the moon. Rieder explores the design beyond just hardware, the next generation of lunar surface communication should look into how people on Earth can experience and learn about space in a new way even if they don’t get the chance to go up in space…I am sure I am not alone, on this planet or in galaxies far far away.

Designer: Johannes Rieder

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This CPR kit is a self-directed, sustainable, low-cost alternative for medical emergencies!

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More than 540,000 Chinese people die from sudden cardiac death each year. The survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is less than 1% in China, which is relatively lower than the other countries. CPR is the most helpful and effective implementation to save cardiac arrest victims, but the implementation of CPR is extremely low, only 4.5% in large and medium-sized cities in China, vs 46-73% in Sweden. My thesis focused on providing a flexible and efficient self-directed CPR learning solution to encourage more laypeople to learn and improve their life-saving skills.

From research, some main problems cause this low rate are that: The lay public has less motivation to join a CPR course because of fewer opportunity, fewer interests, high cost, fast-paced lifestyle, and less awareness. The less qualified full-time instructors, short supply and overworked skilled physicians are other significant barriers to teach quality life-saving skills. Besides, the CPR training equipment, such as manikins, is too expensive and the amount of it far limited for this vast population with an old training mode. Even when the public participates in CPR training, there is no consolidation training during post-training and people have less motivation to update their CPR skills.

The outcome is called CANNE, it provides a self-directed CPR learning experience for the lay public and it consists of two parts:
A corrugated cardboard Basic Life Support (BLS) learning kit that allows laypeople to practice CPR, such as cardiac arrest identification, chest compression and ventilation by themselves. The BLS self-directed application on the smartphone can significantly enhance the learning experience by simulating cardiac arrest scenarios and emergency medical services (EMS), providing real-time feedback of compression and ventilation, as well as encouraging lay people to join a final examination and granting an online BLS certificate.

CANNE provides an ecosystem to motivate laypeople to learn CPR at a low cost. It saves time and medical resources and has a minimal requirement for the learning environment. CANNE raises the survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, particularly in China, by addressing the local societal and cultural needs.

Designer: Shuai Li





This modern suitcase comes with a detachable compartment for easy access while travelling!

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You know how people browse apartments when they are bored? Well, after being stuck in the apartment for over a year I have actually started passionately looking for innovative suitcase designs instead. While traveling isn’t fully open to everyone yet, I can dream while thinking about how I will overpack in the Maziti suitcase!

Maziti is a modern, minimal and sleek luggage that will put those LV trunks to shame with its aesthetic. The large suitcase has a unique feature, its bold-colored removable compartment for items you would like to access and find easily. Maziti is a useful addition to your traveling essentials and solves the big inconvenience of having to open up a whole tightly packed suitcase to find individual items like a passport, sunglasses, or headphones buried deep in a pile of clothes that we all know will not go back the same way once it is open. It also features a sleek branded strap to keep it together and features a lockable compartment to keep the contents secure.

The bright pop of color of the detachable compartment gives the suitcase its own distinct and playful personality. Maziti’s design is equal parts cool and functional making it the perfect luggage to tag along on your next adventure!

Designer: Zang Yongwei and Lichen Gyong

This air purifying bus stop reduces pollution, kills viruses & can be integrated with urban architecture!

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This design is basically a giant air purifier that meets a bus stop and BOOM, we have a chance at cleaner, greener cities. CAPS 2.0 is a smart bus shelter that filters polluted air, rids it of airborne allergens while killing viruses, bacteria, and fungi within seconds. Designed by Charis NG in collaboration with Sino Inno Lab and Arup, this city air purification system can be swiftly integrated into our new normal. It has been proven to reduce pollution exposure by half, remove 99.95% of PM0.1 airborne allergens, and kill viruses, bacteria, and fungi within seconds!

The first prototype was made in 2015 and then the second-generation system (patented) is now on a mission to protect the city folk with advanced spatial filtration and sanitization technologies. The improvement in air quality will have a direct impact on the health if the city’s residents while also encouraging more people to use public transport because of increased cleanliness around the entire experience. CAPS 2.0 is essentially a purifier that takes the form of a bus shelter so that it can draw in large quantities of surrounding polluted air to work with. It creates an air curtain from the underside of the canopy which shields the people while simultaneously generating air currents within that space to purify the air. The polluted air is internally purified thanks to its dual protection technology, Plascide air sanitizer, and multi-HEPA filters that all work together to removing harmful suspended particles and eliminates coronaviruses.

CAPS 2.0 is a smart city solution that aesthetically fits with urban architecture. It incorporates all the technological innovations in a modern and sleek design like multiple air purification and sanitization systems, real-time display panels, solar panels, and more while also serving as a bus shelter. CAPS 2.0 is a testament to how connecting like-minded partners, designers and developers can accelerate innovative solutions for real-life challenges!

Designer: Charis NG

This robot is an autonomous product designed for enhancing digital interactions like a modern R2-D2!

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Imagine if R2-D2 got a 2021 makeover? Well, BEBOP Design did something like that…they took the concept and gave it a sleek makeover to give us all Information Robot! This is an autonomous robot designed specifically for the Korean startup Zetabank that aims to make human lives safer and healthier with the help of robots.

Zetabank has a range of robots and this is their second collaboration with BEBOP. The company’s mission is to imrpove our lives using artificial intelligence. Their Disinfectant Robot, Hospitality Robot, and Untact Robot are all designed keeping in mind how they can maximize utility and bring practicality to make our day-to-day more efficient. Continuing that legacy is Information Robot which is created as a service platform for digital interactions building upon the Hospitality Robot’s intelligence. These digital interactions are enhanced by the robot’s autonomous movement in various commercial and residential spaces.

Information Robot not only takes the best from its hospitality counterpart but also includes the best from the Disinfectant Robots. It features tech that enables it to purify the air and it becomes more efficient due to its ability to move around smoothly in large environments so it hits two targets with one arrow! Information Robot maintains a coherent design language while accommodating its unique functional purpose. It presents a friendly and approachable personality while its large display is the focal point that invites people to interact with it. R2-D2 would certainly be envious of the minimal aesthetic and the tech upgrade!

Designer: Soohun Jung, Byungwook Kang, Rich Park, Kikang Kim of BEBOP Design

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This minimal wooden desk elevates your furniture functionality with a minimal all-black aesthetic!

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Working from home has turned us all into desk connoisseurs if you will. We have a newfound appreciation for furniture design and this all-black wooden piece is the one we’ve been swooning over. The Ark desk was designed for a client who wanted to increase the functionalities of his traditional table/desk – a need we have all realized during this pandemic. Ark is minimal in its design yet maximizes its surface area.

The interesting thing about Ark’s design is that it can switch identities between the writing desk and the dressing table. The mirror is an optional feature for the desk, you can move its position based on what you are using it for. One of its sides is a downwards flanging cabinet included to increase storage. It provides a space for keeping cosmetics during dressing, books, or work-related files which ensures that the desktop space is clutter-free. The cabinet also keeps the items stored hidden from the front view which makes the overall visual of Ark a very clean and pleasing one!

The design of the Ark desk is based on the customer’s need for optional additional functions of the table. The starting point of the design is that the table can switch identities between the writing desk and the dressing table. The mirror is an optional item for the table, you can move its position according to your requirements during use. The side down flanging cabinet is designed on the basis of storage, which provides a space for temporary storage of cosmetics during dressing, and further saves the occupation of desktop space. The desk interprets the beautiful combination of function and form with a simple and neat modern shape.

The desk interprets the beautiful combination of function and form with a simple and neat modern shape.

Designer: Pengcheng Wang

This biodegradable razor let’s lead a ‘cleaner’ & more sustainable lifestyle!

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Disposable razors are made of plastic and contribute heavily to waste and pollution. In fact, as per the report Award Catalogue 2020 of BEYOND PLASTIC, about 5,000 billion disposable razors are used per year globally – can you imagine that many razors in front of you for a second? That is an island-worth of waste and we are constantly looking for designs that remake sustainable versions of daily objects so that we are a step closer to solving this problem. Oquari is a biodegradable razor with comes with interchangeable heads that aim to provide a sustainable alternative that can help reduce the burden on the environment.

The razor is made with PBS Bionelle as well as stainless steel blades as part of a regenerative approach and it degrades in aquatic environments. Its design is specifically geared at reducing manufacturing processes and facilitate the separation of its elements at the end of its life so that it becomes an accessible, attractive, and economical product without being recognized as “disposable” which the team refers to as  ‘monstrous hybrid’ – a term coined by Michael Braungart and William McDonough for a product, component, or material that combines both technical and organic nutrients in a way that cannot be easily separated, thereby rendering it unable to be recycled or reused be either system. Most monstrous hybrids can only be thrown out and contribute to the waste stream and cannot be reused and therefore it is important to not view Oquari as a ‘disposable’ razor but rather as a sustainable alternative to the disposable razors.

“This is why we wanted to focus on a product that most people use while creating a dramatic environmental impact on our planet. Disposable razors, this kind of product has specifically a combination of plastics and elastomers. Which is rarely restore or recycled because of how difficult and expensive is. As part of our brief, we establish sustainable objectives that follow 7 of the 11 Rs of the R-Ladder: refuse the combination of monstrous hybrids, redesign better detachable pieces, rethink the concept of a disposable razor, reduce the use of plastic, reuse the razor for a long time, remanufacture materials for its use in other industries and recycle the package when disposed,” says the team,

Oquari creates a positive social-environmental impact because of the reusable handle that spreads awareness about the plastic waste problem. It encourages you to apply waste recollection strategies while generating more active learning and participation. Fairtrade is also ensured for users from socioeconomic sectors C and D because Oquari is made to be affordable. In addition, the constant consumption of blades ensures fixed income to the company. “Because our handle is reusable, raw material production and manufacturing costs are reduced. Likewise, waste decreases and benefits other industries by recycling discarded blades,” the trio elaborates. A sustainable lifestyle shouldn’t e a status symbol but rather an accessible choice so we can create a larger impact much faster.

Designer: Karla Valencia, Guillermo Miranda, and Erik Rodríguez

This DIY kit lets you build your own giant dome with bamboo!

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In a world where everyone is moving toward’s sustainability, architects are also building their structures with materials that are sensitive and kind to nature with materials like bamboo! Bamboo is a durable, cost-effective, and accessible building material that is being used to create majestic structures that respect their surrounding environment. You don’t have to be an architect to want to build a bamboo structure of your own thank to the ‘Zome building kit’ by Giant Grass! The studio has made a DIY kit that is basically a larger-than-life LEGO project which can live in your backyard or be scaled up to create a community space.

The ‘zome’ is a flexible space that can be used by children to hang out in the backyard, like a gazebo for you to entertain guests in, a greenhouse for seedlings, a creative space in the office, a quiet space for yoga at home, or a glamping tent – it can be anything you want it to be. This DIY kit is perfect for those who want to live sustainability and enjoy working on projects which result in a productive reward. The kit comes with all accessories needed – 350 precision-made bamboo strips, nuts, bolts, and an installation guide to make the 3m x 3m ‘zome’. Giant Grass wanted to scale its design and building process to make it more accessible and affordable. The geometric shape of the structure is different than a traditional dome, but the lightweight structure follows similar design principles in regards to symmetry, proportions, and triangulations. ‘Zome’ creates a far more useable space compared to a dome – a 3m diameter dome spans 1.5m in the center while a 3m diameter zome around 2.8m.

It is easy to assemble and doesn’t require any special tools or construction experience. You can make your ‘zome’ in 2-3 hours and dismantled it in just 3o minutes. The bamboo strips are covered with UV-resistant coating and will grey over time like timber unless they are covered with oil which can retain the yellow aesthetic. The ‘zome’ weights less than 35kg and can be transported by two people easily. ‘Zome’ kits give you more power to create a space that you are proud of while being mindful of its environmental impact!

Designer: Giant Grass

A design studio planted 1200 trees that will grow into a forest at the end of Venice Architecture Biennale

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Danish design studio EFFEKT has planted seeds for 1200 trees at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021 which will grow into a mini forest during the six-month exhibition where architects from across the world come to showcase their work. The coolest part is that these live in a grow table that will be remote-controlled from Denmark. This forest surrounds seven of EFFEKT’s projects and forms a fictional landscape of living trees. “Our installation in Venice showcases a series of ideas, concepts, strategies, and designs for living and building, for producing, consuming, and revitalizing the ecosystems we are part of and depend upon,” said EFFEKT on their unique way to leave their footprints behind while reducing their carbon footprint!

The installation is called ‘Ego to Eco’ and it is shaped as a physical representation of a natural ecosystem backed by research and sprinkled with design projects made by EFFEKT over the last few years. The team says projects like these can offer potential solutions to the challenge how we design ecosystems. It investigates new ideas for living and building, for producing, consuming, and revitalizing the ecosystems we are part of and depend upon – a community that stands on the pillars of architecture and natural balance.

The architectural prototypes were selected to spark curiosity in the visitors and promote discussion regarding new, resource-efficient ways of living and building. The seven projects seek to explore how we can design future communities rooted in the principles of nature. By asking the right questions and collaborating across sectors on projects such as these, EFFEKT strives to bridge the gap between cities and natural ecosystems for the mutual benefit of both human and non-human life.

The presented projects include the forest tower, responding to the question: “can architecture help people reconnect with nature? And the nature village, responding to the question: ‘can real estate development enable ecological restoration? Everyone on this planet is all part of the same ecosystem — and by thinking and acting accordingly we believe we can find the answer to urgent questions,” says EFFEKT.

The recirculating irrigation technology pumps water and nutrients to the roots of the plants through an ebb-and-flow grow table, with excess water drained and collected in a tank below. Pressure, humidity, and temperature sensors are connected to a controller box, that enables real-time monitoring and operation of the system, offering optimal growing conditions for the plants. The one-year-old trees of Pinus Sylvestris, Picea Abies, Pinus Sitchensisa, and Larix Eurolepis will grow over the course of six months and will be planted at the end of the exhibition as a part of the firm’s ‘nature village’.

Designer: EFFEKT

These modular tiny homes have been grouped together to make a sustainable ski resort!

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I have an obsession with tiny houses because they let you be a proud homeowner without having to spend the rest of your life paying mortgages while optimizing every inch of space to work for your needs. Sustainably designed architecture projects like this one from Ark Shelter top my list – they are modern, flexible, modular, and help you do your bit for the environment without compromising on your lifestyle. This cluster of prefab cabins is located in a Slovakian forest for Hotel Björnson but can also be stand-alone homes. The minimalist shelters have a Scandinavian aesthetic and give you an eco-friendly getaway with minimal environmental impact. Ark Shelter has also won a Cezaar award in the category Architectural Fenomena – a recognition for the most exceptional architectural achievements of the year.

The modern retreat is made of 11 cabins and four wellness units that include saunas and relaxation rooms. The shelters are built in one piece, which gives the incredible mobility to reach your dream location. Every cabin rests on stilts to minimize site impact and has been carefully placed in between the trees to give you maximum privacy and maximum views! These units have two independent modules that can function as separate apartments or can be connected to create one shared space that can host up to eight people. There is a sliding wall partition that helps split or combine the cabin into two units and each comes with a living room, bedroom, children’s room, entry hall, and a bathroom.

Ark Shelter’s team used blackened spruce to clad the exteriors to blend the structure with the landscape. The cabins also have green roofs to visually tie the structures with the forest. The interiors were lined with large format spruce panels and oak parquet floors for a minimalist and spacious feel that was aligned with the Scandinavian aesthetic. The large insulated glazing blurs the boundaries between the interior and outdoor landscape. They are also fitted with an intelligent control system for heating and lighting so you can actually spend the whole day in bed or at the coffee table just staring out those huge windows. The skylight is one of my favorite details!

“We consider the concept of placing the modules between the trees ecological, not only for the tree preservation but also for the minimum contact of the modules with the ground due to raising them on stilts instead of laying on the classic concrete plate foundations. This allows the landscape to continuously flow under the building and breathe, while the green roof of the module doubles the biotope that lays beneath it,” explained the architects.

Ark Shelter aims to provide a shelter that helps you reconnect with nature while protecting both you and nature. These durable homes are oriented with our biological rhythms and have been designed to be adaptable to different stages of our lives. Each Ark Shelter cabin is built to expand, contract, move and keep up with the changing times, technology, and most importantly your needs – all without putting any burden on the planet. Now have I convinced you to be a tiny homeowner too?

Designers: Martin Mikovčák and Michiel De Backer of Ark Shelter