Author Archives: Ida Torres

Peculiar mood light is inspired by light pillar phenomenon

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When I see pillars of light from the sky, my mind immediately goes to alien abductions, thanks to sci-fi movies and shows that show people being kidnapped by aliens on their ships. But light pillars are actually beautiful optical phenomenon that some are privileged to see in real life and not scary at all. To see it replicated in every day objects is pretty cool.

Designer: O_1 Design

The Fila Night Mood Light by Auge Light takes its inspiration from light pillars to give an atmospheric and aesthetic lamp. Using a magnetic suction filament, they’re able to somehow connect “the sky and the ground” at least inside the lamp. They also use a magnetic suction ball to represent the “floating heart of a human being”.

Basically you have a linear pillar of light shining inside this structure. You can control the brightness on three levels, with level 1 being 10%, level 2 at 50%, and if you want the full effect, you get 100% in level 3. It uses magnetic absorption LED to give you the lighting magic. You can also shake it to degauss (remove unwanted magnetism) the filament and invert the lamp body magnetic suction so the filament becomes vertical.

The mood lamp does look pretty especially when placed in dark areas as it adds a certain futuristic look to your space. I still feel like a UFO will pluck me from my house though especially as the top suction part looks like the entrance to an alien spaceship.

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Bubblic Public project offers a modular vehicle for passengers, delivery, mobile farms

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When you think of transportation in the near future, you probably dream of flying cars or hoverboards since that’s what we see on sci-fi movies and shows. Even though there are experiments already on that kind of vehicles, we’re probably still a few years away from that. But there are also concepts and experiments on a more grounded, so to speak, kind of public transport that is more practical and realistic but also futuristic.

Designers: Move Lab and ID+IM Design Lab

Bubblic Public is a project that conceptualized a modular and lightweight kind of transportation system. It is meant to be on-demand and can fit the needs of whomever will be hailing the single-module design vehicle. It is basically made up of extendable bamboo stem-inspired chassis and airbags that is flexible enough that it can be used as passenger transport, delivery vehicle, or even a mobile smart farm. It can adjust to the size and needs of the end users during different time periods.

The design inspiration is “like bubbles that appear out of nowhere” since it is meant to show up to users when they order it. It is made of military-grade TPU but is also easily replaceable if some parts are damaged because of its modular design. It has inflated bubble seats when functioning as a passenger transport and the front, back, and side rows can be opened at the top. Package bubbles will be used if it is hailed as a delivery transport.

There will be an app where people can join a rideshare group or ride the nearest available Bubblic Public. That is where you can also hail one for your delivery or smart farm purposes and the vehicle will be transformed according to your need. It is an interesting concept and one that we may actually see in the near future. Maybe eventually there will be even be a flying bubble so it will stay true to its name.

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Foldable heater and camping stove concept attaches to your bike for outdoor adventures

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Those who enjoy spending time outdoors regularly or occasionally need to have a lot of tools with them especially if they will be spending the night camping. There are a lot of different products that they can bring along but if you’re just biking, you need some things that are more portable since you can only carry so much. There are also designers that are more into creating concepts and sometimes actual products to cater to this market.

Designer: Andrea Casagrande

The Leikki is a concept for wood-burning camping stove that is all about portability. The design is inspired by the Risuketin, a traditional Finnish stove found in homes that serve as heaters and as cooking stoves. The designer was also inspired by hexagon shapes since it is “the most efficient way to organize a space symmetrically”. What he came up with is a lightweight stove that is easy to assemble and bring around even if your transportation is only a bike.

The assembly process only takes three basic steps if you’re able to follow instructions easily. Open the gusset face, insert the different grills, and then close the whole thing with a pin. On paper it should be pretty easy and I assume that most hikers and campers are good at following instructions. There’s an upper hole where you can inser twigs and then to insert wood, lift the pan and then put it inside.

The stove can fit different types and sizes of pots and pans and you need to place different support pieces depending on the size. If you don’t have wood to cook, you can take the ash pan, turn it upside down and then place on the top of the grate then use solid fuel or alcohol. It comes with a case which you can strap to your bike and also place other stuff inside that you may need to bring on your trip.

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Espresso machines concept gives you more space in your modern kitchen

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Espresso machines are basic necessities for coffee lovers. But most of the ones that are available in the market now follow the iconic traditional design of Italian coffee machines which are luxurious-looking but pretty bulky. And if a kitchen has limited space, then it most likely takes up the entire counter or coffee lovers cannot actually have such machines in their homes.

Designers: Gerhardt Kellerman, Ana Relvao

This concept for an portafilter machine wants to change this traditional design and instead come up with something that rethinks the form factor. The Youn – Ligre gives you your caffeine shot but also makes space in the kitchen for you to be able to do other things rather than just coffee. This machine is as thin as your average computer monitor or small LED TV set but has the usual espresso machine trimmings.

By making the machine simple enough but still highly functional, they were able to conceptualize something that can fit in with small but modern kitchen spaces. It is also made from aluminum so it can integrate easily with other appliances or the aesthetic of your kitchen. It even has a steamer (that looks like a faucet) integrated into it so you get your complete setup.

For noobs that are intimidated by espresso machines, this has an Easy mode so it’s easy to use. For the experts who like more control over various brewing parameters, there is the Nerd mode. It’s a pretty interesting redesign of the usual espresso machines that we get so hopefully someday it will be commercially viable and available.

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Meditation device concept hides earbuds inside to help shut off external noise

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When I want to shut out the outside world and just focus, I put on a pair of noise-cancelling earphones. Sometimes I also want to meditate and since I live in an area where outside noise is constant, earphones and headphones are pretty helpful. What if you actually have a device that is primarily meant to help you meditate, relax, and get in touch with your inner self, with listening to music just being a secondary function?

Designer: Suosi Design

Medispace is a concept for a meditation device inspired by the singing bowls from the Himalayas. Just like the Tibetan bowls that are meant to help you relieve stress and get into your inner self by tapping and touching it, this device is meant to do that but with an urbanite twist. The device is small enough to fit into your palm so it’s easy to make it “sing” as you try to meditate. And what makes it more modern is that there are noise-canceling earbuds that you can use to fully immerse yourself in your meditation.

The device is able to simulate more than ten kinds of singing bowl sound changes. This makes you feel like you are actually using one of those Tibetan bowls as you touch and tap the metal disc on top of the Medispace. Inside, it functions more like a charging case for your earbuds which are part of your meditative experience. Medispace itself looks like a night cream moisturizer container which makes sense since that can also be part of your self-care routine. The earbuds look like your typical listening device but a bit bigger and with a seemingly textured/pebbled surface.

It’s an interesting concept to combine a meditative device with earbuds. But since we live in a world that offers up a lot of distractions, we need all the help we can get to shut off the outside world every once in a while and focus on things like deep breathing, meditation, and our inner lives.

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Meditation device concept hides earbuds inside to help shut off external noise

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When I want to shut out the outside world and just focus, I put on a pair of noise-cancelling earphones. Sometimes I also want to meditate and since I live in an area where outside noise is constant, earphones and headphones are pretty helpful. What if you actually have a device that is primarily meant to help you meditate, relax, and get in touch with your inner self, with listening to music just being a secondary function?

Designer: Suosi Design

Medispace is a concept for a meditation device inspired by the singing bowls from the Himalayas. Just like the Tibetan bowls that are meant to help you relieve stress and get into your inner self by tapping and touching it, this device is meant to do that but with an urbanite twist. The device is small enough to fit into your palm so it’s easy to make it “sing” as you try to meditate. And what makes it more modern is that there are noise-canceling earbuds that you can use to fully immerse yourself in your meditation.

The device is able to simulate more than ten kinds of singing bowl sound changes. This makes you feel like you are actually using one of those Tibetan bowls as you touch and tap the metal disc on top of the Medispace. Inside, it functions more like a charging case for your earbuds which are part of your meditative experience. Medispace itself looks like a night cream moisturizer container which makes sense since that can also be part of your self-care routine. The earbuds look like your typical listening device but a bit bigger and with a seemingly textured/pebbled surface.

It’s an interesting concept to combine a meditative device with earbuds. But since we live in a world that offers up a lot of distractions, we need all the help we can get to shut off the outside world every once in a while and focus on things like deep breathing, meditation, and our inner lives.

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Aestus Signature Pen gives off luxurious vibe with stainless steel and ceramic dock

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Even though I live mostly in the digital world, I love to journal and write things down so I also collect a lot of pens. They’re mostly the gel pens and the cheaper ones because fountain pens can be pretty expensive. Besides, my handwriting is sometimes undecipherable (even to myself) so I don’t want to waste my money on something that may not be that useful.

Designer: Rahil Hasan

Some of my friends who collect fountain pens have told me though that these kinds of pen are better for my handwriting (and maybe my mental health). Aestus is a limited edition signature pen that caught my attention because of its unique form. I actually thought it was a tiny light saber at first glance, but a lot of fountain pens do look like they come from Star Wars.

This pen is made from high grade stainless steel and has two geometric shapes that turn from a hexagon profile into a circle. What makes this even more sophisticated is that it comes with a ceramic docking unit where you can place the pen when not in use. It has a layer of cork in both the upper part and the base. So the design of the pen and the docking unit gives off a luxury product vibe.

The prototype for the Aestus pen was created in India’s largets prototyping center, T-Works. They presented a prototype as a token to the CEO and Chairman of tech company FoxConn, Mr. Young Liu. They haven’t said yet if this will be available for commercial purchase but it will probably be pretty expensive so it’s an aspirational product for some fountain pen collectors.

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Coffee machine concept brings boxy, colorful aesthetic

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Product designers get inspiration for coffee machines from a lot of different objects: from lamps, to pop culture properties, to other kitchen appliances, to furniture. Of course we can get inspiration from almost anywhere, even though it’s actually far from the thing we’re trying to design. Hong Kong’s urban cityscape, particularly their apartment buildings has been featured in a lot of movies and TV shows and now, you can see semblances of it in this concept for a coffee machine.

Designer: One Object

The FOOD Coffee Machine series is a concept that was inspired by the aforementioned Hong Kong apartment buildings with their colorful and box-like design. The series shows off square and rectangular shapes with various pastel colors to light it up. It is meant to be customizable when it comes to its color and finishes so that it can fit your kitchen’s aesthetic, whether you’re going for a monochromatic or a more colorful vibe.

Velo is the more compact version of the coffee machine with its capsule system, if what you’re into is instant coffee. The water tank is at the back with colorful and modular-looking square and rectangular shapes making up the rest of the machine. Meanwhile the Manua is the espresso machine version with its box-shaped version of a manual coffee filter. The water tank is in the front beside the brew head and portafilter. The colorways are more monochromatic but still with several color options from the renders.

As someone who dreams of having a pretty nice coffee nook and maybe a coffee shop someday, this concept actually fits into what I’m looking for. The colorways and shapes are actually pretty attractive even if I don’t know about the actual functionalities of these machines. Well, as long as they can make coffee, I’m good.

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Minisforum’s UH125 Pro mini PC packs a powerful punch in a tiny form

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While laptops and tablets are the most convenient and most mobile for those who want to work outside, it’s not always the most powerful. But having those bulky computers at home or at the office may also not be that ideal even if they can sometimes be more powerful. So a mini PC can be the best thing to have if you’re looking for something compact but still powerful enough to let you do what you need to do if you’re a content creator, gamer, or a professional.

Designer: Minisforum

The UH125 Pro from Minisforum seems to be a pretty powerful mini computer that is packaged into a tiny body. It has the Intel Core Ultra 5 processor with intel 4 technology and a 3D high-performance hybrid architecture. Since it has 2x iGPU performance, you will be able to improve the running speed when it comes to tasks like video editing, 3D rendering, and live streaming. It’s also perfect for watching videos and playing games as it has the Xe Super Sampling (XeSS) technology that is able to support high-performance and high-fidelity visual effects.

Even thought it is smaller than most computers, it has high-efficiency large storage for your multimedia entertainment and massive data storage needs. And in case that isn’t enough, there’s a storage expansion method as well. You can also connect up to four 4K screens at the same time since it has two full-speed USB4 ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, and one DP 2.0 port. And in case your concern is overheating since it’s small, it has a compact phase-change heat dissipation design with a large-diameter silent cooling fan and three heat dissipation copper pipes.

The UH125 Pro is small enough that you can place it on your workspace even if you have a small one. It actually looks like the old-school hard drive boxes that we used back when we needed high storage external drives. There’s a barebone version and a more expensive one that has 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD. Both are now available for pre-order on the Minisforum website.

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Next Gen Moc and Mule footwear brings comfort and aesthetics to your soles

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For around half of my life, I’ve been wearing sneakers and boots and avoiding heels and sandals since I’m more comfortable with the former than the latter. Also, I’ve promised myself not to wear that certain brand that’s usually made fun of by shoe enthusiasts. Weird-looking footwear has never been my style although Merrell Hydro Moc is the closest I got to actually thinking of getting one.

Designer: Merrell

The Hydro Moc and Mule seem to be great options if you like hiking and doing all sorts of outdoor stuff but you don’t want to wear clunky boots and hiking shoes. The Next Gen versions of these unique-looking footwear are even more design-led but also sturdy enough with its EVA foam cage that can resist water and also keep your feet protected and resilient. They future-facing design doesn’t sacrifice aesthetics for quality protection and comfort as that’s what their market is most likely looking for.

The Hydro Next Gen Moc 1TRL has max cushion FloatMax midsoles and a better heel shape. You can still wear it hands-free and the EVA foam upper gives you a lightweight flexible fit. The BLOOM performance foam is actually made of algae biomass and it “magically” turns green water into clean water. The Hydro Next Gen Mule 1TRL meeanwhile is the open-back and more laidback version of the Moc. It still has the eVA foam and the BLOOM performance foam but also has the FloatPro Foam midsole to give you lightweight comfort.

Both the Moc and the Mule still has the trademark design that is inspired by the water flowing around and over rocks. I still wouldn’t wear a pair because of aesthetic (and financial) reasons but it does look good if you want to hike and walk around in style.

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