Author Archives: Ida Torres

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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Concrete made from food waste can be edible

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When I hear the word “edible concrete”, the visual that comes to my mind is straight out of a horror or dystopian story: people gnawing at walls because they have nothing more to eat. But of course that’s just my overactive imagination. It’s of course a recent development in construction innovation from scientists at University of Tokyo to make concrete from food waste.

Designer: University of Tokyo

The scientists have been looking to create concrete made from organic materials like coffee grounds, banana peels, Chinese cabbage, and orange skins. These materials are dried and compressed and then mixed with water and seasonings. Afterwards, they’re compressed in a high-temperature mold to create concrete material.

In this early stage of their experiment, they discovered that the material is actually able to avoid bending better than actual concrete and is three times stronger. It can also resist rot, fungi, and insects which is of course important for concrete aside from the bending strength. It is also edible, although that is probably not the most delicious or nutritious thing to consume.

With concrete being the highest-consumed product (aside from water) but also accounting for billions of tons of carbon dioxide release and food loss and waste accounting for a third of all food for human consumption, it would be a big help if this eventually becomes a fully-developed product. Even if it won’t be used for building construction, maybe there are other applications for concrete made from food-waste material.

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Stainless steel trays represents “coexistence” kind of design

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There are some every day items that I use that I don’t really think about the design principle behind them. Sometimes I don’t even think about the design itself as long as it does what it’s supposed to do. But maybe that’s why I’m not a product designer. Ever since I’ve been writing about them though, it has become more interesting to find out why such items are created the way they are, like these minimalist and simple-looking trays.

Designer Name: Irene Yeung (Derangedsign Co. Limited)

Coexistence is a concept for a stainless steel tray set that takes its inspiration from the ancient philosophical theory “The Sky and Earth Coexist”. It basically says that things are relative to each other like the sky and earth, light and dark, etc. Basically, it’s made up of two tabletop trays that are circular but with landscape or waving surfaces to make it also look like art sculpture.

Each tray can be used individually if you need two trays for serving food or for putting stuff on your table. They can also be set upside-down on top of each other in different variations and depending which surface you want to use as a tray. The designer says it can also become one large tray although the product renders don’t show how it can be combined into that variation.

The stainless steel trays have a crisp, mirror finish so if that’s the aesthetic of your dining table or your living space, it should fit right in. The mold they used was specifically designed to make 2 trays so it’s really meant to show the connected duality that the design principle is based on.

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Stackable, plastic stool is colorful short-term multi-functional seat

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Because of my bad back, I am not that much a fan of stools. But there are times that it’s the most practical (and only available) kind of seating especially if you live in Asia. On our side of the world, it’s often used for short-term use at places like street food stalls, markets, and corner pubs. There’s always room for well-designed stools that may also serve other purposes aside from sitting on it.

Designer Name: Sheng-Wen, Wang

StOol is a concept for stools that are meant for short-term use. The seat has a fan-shaped design with a stem-like backrest. It is meant for areas with minimal space and They are easily stackable so it’s easy to put them away and get them out for places that also have small storage spaces. They are made from polypropylene plastic so you can use them indoor and outdoor as well.

With the way it’s designed, you can also use the stool for other purposes. Those standing can use it as backrest or armrest. The surface of the stool can also be used to place items if you need a sort of side table. It can also be used as support for hanging objects. There can also be many colors available so it can add a splash of color to your space.

It may not seem the most comfortable place to sit on, especially for people like me who may need a sturdier backrest. But for short-term use and for small spaces, it may be an ideal kind of furniture to have.

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Crayons from Japan’s recycled trees highlights the country’s forests

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When you think of wood, the color that immediately comes to mind is brown since that’s what most of us have seen in the trees near our abodes or even when we travel. But it’s not the only color that we can extract from it, specifically from various species of forest trees. With 2//3 of Japan covered with trees and a lot of these forests remaining unharvested and unmaintained, it’s interesting to see what sustainable products can be made out of these trees.

Designer Name: Playfool

Forest Crayons is a project that uses the pigments extracted from various recycled forest trees and mixes them with other sustainable ingredients to turn them into crayons. Each one has a different shade that is based on the species of the recycled tree as well as how it was cultivated and grown. For example, you get a light green color for magnolia and a deep turquoise of fungus stained wood.

The pigments extracted are mixed with wood, rice wax, and rice oil to produce the different crayons. There are ten crayons available in the Forest Crayons set: Bayberry, Bogwood, Cedar, Chinaberry, Cybress, Hazenoki, Katsura, Kaizuka, Magnolia, and Zelkova. Some names should be familiar to most people but there are species that are native to Japan and some that have Japanese names.

Forest Crayons are actually supported by the Japanese Forest Agency and aside from producing these from recycled trees, they also want to “breathe new life into Japanese wood” so that people will have a new appreciation for the country’s forests. I would prefer the triangular shape of the crayons shown in the product shots but it makes sense of course to have them in the traditional crayon shape for functional reasons.

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RoboGrocery is the first step towards robots packing our grocery

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When I first encountered a self-checkout system in IKEA a few years ago, I sort of panicked because I didn’t know what to do. But after experiencing it and eventually figuring things out, I thought this was such a convenient way to do your shopping, especially if you want to keep social interactions at a minimum. Now if only there was a also a self-packing system since the packing up groceries stuff is the most difficult.

Designer: MIT CSAIL

Eventually, this can of course come true and one step towards a system like this is the RoboGrocery. This was developed by MIT’s CSAIL department and uses a soft robotic gripper together with computer vision to help you bag groceries and other small items. It’s still in its early stages of course but seeing how it’s working at this time seems pretty promising.

They tested it out by placing 10 objects on a grocery conveyer belt, ranging from soft items like grapes, crackers, muffins, bread to the more solid ones like cans, meal boxes, and ice cream containers. The vision detects the size of the item to determine the order of placing it in a box. The grasper, with the pressure sensors in its fingers, then determines whether the item is delicate and should not be placed at the bottom of the bag.

 

While we’re still a few steps away from actually having a robot to bag your groceries, it’s an interesting first step towards that. Eventually, after it becomes available for commercial use, they might also be able to develop this for industrial spaces like recycling plants and factories.

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Squiggly typographic art spells out a secret word from a certain angle

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It’s always fun to see public art things that people can actually touch and interact with. Where I live that is a rarity for a lot of reasons so I envy places that have an abundance of public art exhibits. If you’re in London, particularly the Chelsea area this summer, you can check out this interesting part of the art trail where something seems like one thing but is actually another thing.

Designer Name: Yoni Alter

Love Continuum is a large piece of typographic art that inspires its viewers (kids and kids at heart) to actually climb on it and play on it (safely of course). It is located on the Duke of York Square in Kings Road as part of the Kensington + Chelsea Art Week celebration which runs until August. At first it just looks like a huge red spring or swirly thing that may be a random piece of art in the city.

But if you actually look at it from a certain angle, it spells the word “love” in cursive. When viewed in other angles, it’s hard to see the word as it’s just a red worm that you can climb on, sit on (maybe not so comfortably), or just look at. But when you finally see the word it spells out, it’s a “eureka” moment that you’ll enjoy. You can also invite other people to discover this not so secret secret.

The “red squiggly worm” is 7.5 meters in length and is the latest in Alter’s continuing work of colorful concepts that invite people to play with it and enjoy his art. And with the “secret” word that is part of the sculpture, it adds another dimension.

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