Author Archives: Ida Torres

2-in-1 retro device concept brings an AI speaker and record runner together

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The recent retro craze when it comes to devices and even just designs of devices isn’t limited to just the people who actually experienced these things. The younger generation has a fascination with everything “old”, which can sometimes make older people really feel old. We’re seeing all kinds of product designs and concepts that play on this pseudo nostalgia (because it shouldn’t be called nostalgic if you didn’t actually experience it right?) and this trend will probably last for a long time. The best ones are those that are able to bridge nostalgia with modern sensibilities to get something that doesn’t just repeat what was done before.

Designer: Seunghyeon Kim (Focus Studio)

This concept for an AI speaker and record runner plays on the nostalgic feel that people are looking for. This is a 2-in-1 device for those who want to experience the convenience of a regular Bluetooth/AI speaker with the added different old school way of playing a vinyl record. The full device is a minimalist gadget that doesn’t give you a lot of features to maintain the external retro feel that you may be looking for.

The main part is a rectangular box shaped speaker complete with grills, a slider control for the volume, and the simple play/pause, rewind, and fast forward buttons. The power button and the slider control are the only colored spots in a silver monochrome device. There is a round thing on the left that at first looks like a detachable speaker but is in fact a record runner. This is a small record player that you place on top of an LP. It plays the record by pushing and pulling on the grooves, thereby earning the nickname of the vinyl killer (since some records get broken because of this).

The idea of a retro-looking speaker will most likely interest both those who want to get back to the good ole days and those that wanted to experience it in one form or another. The record runner feature may not be appealing though to those who prefer their vinyls to be played the regular way.

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Power bank concept is not only ergonomic but even comes with a mirror

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If you’re staying outside your house or office for a certain period of time, it’s almost always required that you need to bring a power bank. Well, unless you’re one of those people who can live without looking at their smartphone (or your device has a lot of juice). But for the rest of us that need our smartphones almost always, a power bank is attached to our bag as well as our devices. We don’t really think about the design of our power banks but some product designers do.

Designer: Anil Ramesh, Arun Kumar, Joel D’silva (Analogy Design Studio)

The folks over at Analog thought about adding a bit more functionality to the power bank and make it easier for users to carry it around. They focused on “usability, portability, and aesthetics”, the latter of which we don’t really think about as long as it gets the job done. But since we probably hold the power banks alongside our phone, it makes sentse to make it look better and also make it ergonomic.

The power bank has an elongated design rather than the normal brick version that most of them have. It actually looks like a cosmetic case and since that’s the look they’re going for, they added a beauty aspect to it. There’s a mirror inside of the power bank so you get another function for it aside from juicing up your device.

The power banks come in various pastel colors and because of the added mirror function, it might appeal more to women or at least those who need mirror on the go and like the color scheme. The ergonomic function will also be useful for those who may have some grip or muscle issues from holding phones for a long time.

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Old walkman becomes cassette player and storage unit

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“Everything old is new again” is an adage that we will probably never escape. How we listen to music continually evolves but it seems that we still have a certain fondness for the old way like vinyls, CDs, and yes, even cassette tapes. Streaming music on our mobile devices is the most convenient but there’s a certain nostalgia attached to “vintage” that we enjoy. And of course, the music quality is way different to the compressed ones we have now.

Designer Name: Love Hulten

This designer is obviously of the generation that still enjoyed listening to music on cassette tapes since the main component of this device is his old Sony Walkman WM-EX655. And he still has a collection of cassette tapes so we know he’s a serious collector. What he developed is something straight out of a 60s science fiction movie. But instead of using it to conduct experiments, you use it as it was originally intended: to play sweet, sweet music.

What he came up with is a cassette player and storage unit for the colorful cassette tape cases. There’s also built-in dual circular speakers, keyboard switches and buttons with various functions like play, stop, forward, rewind, etc. There’s also an audio waveform meter to go along with the beat of the music and even a tape slot to put in the case of the album you’re currently playing. The cabinet looking device blends design and technology to give you a truly retro piece of equipment that still performs its original function.

It’s of course a device that he made for himself since he has been collecting and keeping cassette tapes. But unlike vinyls and CDs that you can still buy from a lot of places, I don’t know that many stores that still sell cassettes. So the possibility of having a commercial version of this is very slim.

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Aztec architecture inspires unique mug concept

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While I have a lot of mugs at home, most of them are just your normal liquid vessel. They just differ in color and the design printed on the cup itself, but otherwise they’re just your typical mugs. But I’m always open to adding more to my collection if I see a design that is pretty eye-catching. Whether I actually use it or not sometimes depends on my mood though.

Designer: Luminous Design Group

If this concept for a mug for a conceptual chocolate brand gets made, it’s something worth adding to my collection. The Horeca mug is a concept for Xocoyo, a brand that doesn’t actually exist but can possibly in the future. It draws heavily from Aztec architecture since the fictional brand also draws inspiration from that ancient civilization. You would think that steep staircases and ancient design would not have anything to do with a coffee or hot chocolate mug, but they were able to incorporate it.

The matte dark ceramic brings back the feel of the earthenware vessels from the Aztecs. The mug itself has geometric shapes from their architecture including the stairs-like bottom part and an angular-shaped handle. The wooden base complements the “steps” and adds a more organic look to the entire product. The name of the brand is etched into the mug.

This kind of design blends storytelling and functionality into what is usually a utilitarian object. But if you can sip your hot liquid of choice from such a mug or even if you just have it on display, wouldn’t you want to add something uniquely designed to your collection?

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Blackird demonstrator may show the future of flying cars

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If you think that we’re still decades away from having flying cars traversing the atmosphere, you’ve probably not kept up with the latest news in aviation. While we still probably won’t see any by next year, there are a lot of companies working on testing out their respective technologies when it comes to developing electric flying vehicles. An Austrian startup is looking at letting a demonstrator fly by next year.

Designer: CycloTech

CycloTech is developing the Blackbird demonstrator that will be using a new propulsion system that will hopefully revolutionize how we will be looking at the potential of flying cars. The CycloRotor technology is the only system right now that can control the thrust vector in a full circular path (360°). This means it can brake and stop in mid-air, which will eventually be important when our airspace becomes busy.

The six 7th generation CycloRotors that will be part of the demonstrator will be able to do vertical take-off and landing and also have control in all directions. It will even be able to do parallel parking and mid-air braking/deceleration. Passengers will be able travel comfortably as the flight path and aircraft orientation will give them a stable flight even if they may encounter turbulence.

As a nervous flyer, I probably will not be falling in line to try this out when it will become commercially available. There are still a lot of safety issues that they will have to overcome but having six CycloRotors in the flying car may be a step towards safety as it can ensure the vehicle will continue to fly in case there’s an engine failure. They’re already looking at the first quarter of 2025 for the first flight of the electrically powered demonstrator. It looks nothing like what they’re envisioning the eventual flying car to be like though. For now, the demonstrator looks like a drone but eventually we’ll get the Jetsons-like flying cars of our dreams.

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White noise speaker concept helps lull you to sleep

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Are you the kind of person who’s always sleepy when at the office but suddenly feels energized as soon as you leave? Then when it’s time to sleep, you have so much energy and you find it hard to fall asleep? It’s a vicious cycle that affects a lot of modern employees now. It may be that they just don’t like the work but it can also be because of things like insomnia and even Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS). It can affect your work, social life, and overall quality of life.

Designer: Jinkyo Han

One thing that works for some people to help them fall asleep is having some kind of white noise playing in the background. You can use your phone or smart speaker to play white noise playlists but what if there’s a device that just does that? That’s the idea behind the concept for a white noise speaker. It doesn’t have any other purpose that may distract you from sleeping. All it’s supposed to do is play white noise and accompany you as you drift off to dreamland (hopefully).

The speaker looks like one of those digital photo frames that can display random photos from your collection. The rectangular device has a glass frame at the top and then the speaker grill at the bottom where the white noise comes out. The glass seems like a screen where white-noise related videos can play (like falling rain, leaves blowing in the wind) that can accompany the white noise as it lulls you to sleep.

There wasn’t much information about the other features or aspects of the concept design but the product renders seem to be self-explanatory. As someone who also has much trouble sleeping at night (and then consequentially has problems waking up in the morning), this can be a pretty useful device to have.

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Cooking range concept lets you share your kitchen space with other people

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I live alone so I can cook whenever I want (which is almost never) and move around freely in my kitchen. But I’ve also experienced living with several people and manoeuvring around everyone during meal times can be a challenge. There are a lot of people who share their living spaces with other people but most kitchen appliances are meant to be used by one person at a time. When you’re living with other people, that’s not always the realistic scenario.

Designer: Anil Ramesh

This concept developed for Electrolux is designed for such a situation. The Peninsular free-standing cooking range can be accessed from 3 sides so that a couple of people can prepare and cook their food simultaneously. The range can be operated by 1 or more users since it has a rotatable inferface for the oven and the hob. The sliding over door opens to the left but it can also be opened from the front.

The cooking range also has other features to help not just with the cooking but also the preparation and even the eventual service once you’re done cooking. There are borders that can protect you and also to attach accessories to store cutting boards and other kitchen utensils. There are also rotatable drawers that can be accessed from the front and the right side.

There is also an upper storage shelf so you can put your spices and other ingredients. It even has an LED lamp for when you need some extra light. There’s also an option to have a modular hood. It’s a pretty nifty thing to have in your kitchen, especially if you’re sharing it with family members or roomates.

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Cast metal speaker is made from marine-grade aluminum for aesthetics and acoustics

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When it comes to choosing speakers to adorn your home and play your favorite music in your space, the look or design is not always the priority. The first thing you’re probably looking at is the sound quality (or maybe the cost if you’re working on a tight budget) and how it looks is just an afterthought. There are brands though that have teamed up with designers to make their speakers stand out in the sometimes overly crowded audio market.

Designer: Tom Fereday for Pitt & Giblin

Tasmanian audio brand have teamed up wtih Australian designer Tom Fereday to bring something called the Cast speaker. It has an industrial but aesthetic design, if the look you’re going for is simple but steely. The speaker is mostly made from marine-grade aluminum that not only adds to the acoustic properties of the device but also makes it more durable. This kind of aluminum can combat oxidation and degradation so it can last for a long time without looking so old.

Each speaker is made from four aluminum elements whose casting brings about a soft texture with a certain sheen. This is because the external surfaces are honed and hot waxed. The speaker itself has a complex curve on a circular pattern with a small opening at the center, the only interruption in its cohesive design. The casting is both the cubic framework and the acoustic design for the speaker.

When it comes to quality, the Cast speaker has a Hypex FusionAmp module that is able to power a 10″ subwoofer, four 4″midrange drivers, and a high frequency unit. The Digital Signal Processing is able to re-align the 3-way geometry that powers the unit. It’s a pretty high-end piece of audio equipment so the price is pretty steep. But if the look and the quality is what you’re looking for, you wouldn’t mind spending that much,

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Modular Pedestrian walking aid can adjust to users’ needs (and height)

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There are a lot of walking aids in the market for those who need short-term or medium-term assistance due to some walking-related disability. But of course there’s always room for improvement. Great product designers think about what they can do better for existing products to make it more usable and to improve the quality of life of the users. The Pedestrian is one such product that tries to make using the walking stick more modular and more practical.

Designers: Jonas Krämer and Ayla Warncke

Pedestrian is a 3-in-1 Assistance System for those who need assistance and is actually in between short-term solutions like crutches and long-term assistance systems like wheelchairs. Its goal is to minimize the consequential damages that can sometimes result in using the usual walking aids. They also want to be able to adjust to the needs of the user and when not needed anymore, pass it on to someone who needs it more and adjust to that person’s needs as well.

The walking aid has three modes for the different needs. Mode 1 or strong support is for those that may need an aid as they work through their arthritis. Mode 2 is medium support and serves as forearm crutch. Mode 3 is light support for those who may just need a walking stick. Shifting through these three modes is actually pretty easy and the elements are interchangeable and modular.

The foot or base is made from flexible rubber material and has a textured surface to prevent slipping. It can stand by itself in any mode but can also be compressed. It is also hands-free so you can do other actions and you can make it more secure by using the wrist strap. There is also a mechanism so you can adjust the height so it can be used by users with different heights. This seems to be a pretty useful aid to those that would need assistance walking.

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Insta360 X4 releases variant in collaboration with BMW Motorrad

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Action cameras are pretty much in demand now in the age of content creation as they are more practical compared to using digital cameras or even smartphones. We see the more adventurous type of creators or even just “ordinary citizens” as they do things like surfing, mountain climbing, skydiving, or even something more mundane like walking. One of the more popular brands out there is Insta360 and now they have released a limited edition version in collaboration with BMW Motorrad.

Designer: Insta360

The Insta360 X4 BMW Motorrad Limited Edition is similar to the original version. The main difference is that you have the BMW Motorrad branding on the back, in case you want to flex that as you’re shooting. They don’t really specify if they want it to be used as you’re cruising on your expensive motorcycle, but those who will get this variant will probably use it for that purpose. The two brands previously collaborated on creating motorcycle action shots content.

But otherwise, it’s basically just the Insta360 X4 which is not bad in itself as it boasts of impressive features like it’s 72MP 360-degree lens system that can capture 8L 30fps videos and 5.7k 60fps videos. You can even do some slow-motion videos as it supports 4K 100fps, 5.7K 120fps, and 3K 240fps recording. Other things you can do with it is shoot 4K 30fps ultra-wide-angle videos with a 170-degree field of view and 11K time-lapse videos.

This action camera has other advanced features like a 360-degree active HDR, Flow State stabilization, 360-degree horizon lock, wind noise reduction, and an invisible selfie stick. So if you didn’t have this camera yet but would like to have one to go on adventures with you, and if you’re a BMW Motorrad fan, then this would be a good sign to get one. Well, that is, if you’re in China since they don’t have information yet if it will be available in other markets.

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