Tag Archives: Concept Designs

Foldable game controller concept solves portability in a different way

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Gaming on the go is quite popular these days, whether it’s on a mobile phone, a handheld device, or even a laptop temporarily parked at a cafe. While video games have traditionally been divided into PC and console camps, this latest trend has made many gamers reach for controllers or devices with built-in controllers, regardless of their platform of choice. Wireless game controllers have become quite numerous because of this, ranging from typical designs to telescopic mechanisms that stretch to grip smartphones or even tablets. Of course, these two aren’t the only designs possible for portable gamepads, and this concept tries to approach the problem from a different angle, one that takes a page out of one of the trendiest smartphone designs of late: foldable phones.

Designer: Przemysław Wolnicki

The basic problem with game controllers is their innate bulk. You can’t really shrink them without sacrificing comfort and ergonomics. This makes them less appealing to quickly stow in bags, much less pockets, as you dash out the door in the hopes of being able to play later on. Even those who prefer to game at home might find the permanent presence of a large chunk of plastic to be visually distracting and might look for ways to minimize their footprint when not in use.

Swift is a game controller design concept that adopts a folding mechanism to make the device more compact in transit. Despite the fact that foldables aren’t new, it’s curious that this design hasn’t been adapted for game controllers at all. There are, of course, advantages and disadvantages to such a design, but those can hardly be verified unless tested in the real world.

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This controller concept adopts the more symmetrical button arrangement of a PlayStation controller, which would make the folded form also more balanced when folded. One curious detail about the design is the ribbed surface covering the middle and back of the controller. It’s not clear whether the choice of material is simply aesthetic, but it will definitely have an effect on the texture of the controller, which in turn affects comfort and ergonomics.

While a foldable controller design is definitely interesting and curious, it also raises a few questions as well. While the design does halve the width of the device, it doubles its thickness in turn. There might also be some concerns about the wear and tear this mechanism will incur over time, especially given the wires that have to run through the middle to connect the two halves. Perhaps that is the reason why a foldable design hasn’t been adopted for controllers, but this concept at least tries to encourage pushing the boundaries instead of just adopting the status quo.

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Tea maker lets you smell your tea while steeping and relaxing

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Making and drinking tea is highly relaxing for a lot of people, even more than making coffee (at least, for some people). When you need to relax or destress, people tell you to drink tea rather than another kind of drink like caffeine and alcohol. Another way to destress is to light up your diffuser or scented candles. If you could combine the two plus add some other relaxing techniques, then you can come up with a pretty great nighttime relaxing routine.

Designers: 빈 허 (Heo Been), Jaewoo Jang, 이 지호 (Jiho Lee), 최 예은 (Choi Yea eun)

U Soo is a concept for a tea maker that can help you “relax and chill”. The difference with this compared to other tea makers is that you can also smell the tea as it steeps so you also get an aroma diffuser with the machine. The machine itself looks like a coffee maker or something that belongs in a laboratory. You see the whole process from the boiling of the water to the steeping of the tea to when it pours out to your cup. The transparency actually adds to the therapeutic feels of the machine.

The tea to be used in U Soo are dried leaves that are compressed into balls. They will “unfurl” once in the machine being steeped into the water. There is a cylinder like part in the machine with a tube inside where you put the water in and then it goes to the other side where the tea ball is dropped, unfurled, and steeped. The water then goes back onto the other side through a small tube and then dispensed to the cup that is in the middle.

There are of course controls on the machine to help you through all those processes. On paper, it’s a pretty interesting product. And for someone who is incorporating tea drinking into her routine, this is something that can definitely help me with that.

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Robot wheelchair concept puts a friendlier face on caregivers of the future

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More than just the population problem, we are also facing a crisis in terms of care for the aging segments of that population. Traditional geriatric care centers are sometimes filled beyond capacity, and caring for elderly people living alone can be expensive and at times even risky. Futurists and visionaries would have us dream of a future where robots, whether humanoid or not, would take the place of household help, and we’re starting to see some of those rolling boxes in homes, often for less critical conveniences like bringing things from one place to another. Human care, however, is a very different matter entirely, so this concept design for a service robot and an advanced wheelchair duo tries to paint a different picture by making the experience look and feel a little bit more human and, therefore, more humane.

Designer: Sungmin Hwang

Geriatric patients living at home need more than just having things brought to them, which is what many home service robots are designed to do. They will also want to move around, on their own or with assistance, and motorized wheelchairs try to make that activity more convenient. These two mobility activities might be related, but they’re provided by two very different kinds of products. But rather than having disparate and disconnected machines, this design concept presents an integrated system that acts like a whole, even if they function separately.

The actual “companion” is a service robot that looks like a tall board with arms and wheels, unlike the common design that’s practically a self-driving cabinet. It has a simplified face, basically just eyes that can express emotions and a dot matrix display that can spell out words, but it’s enough to give it a more personable character. Rather than having shelves to put items on, the robot has harms and hands that can grab and hold objects to hand them over to the patient, making the action feel more personal rather than clinical.

The other half of the duo is a motorized wheelchair that’s designed as much for comfort as it is for mobility. In addition to the cushioned surfaces and curved parts, the chair features plenty of storage space not just for things but also for medicine. The patient can exercise their own agency by driving the wheelchair on their own, but it can also be pushed by the companion robot when it connects to the chair. This recreates the experience of having someone push their wheelchair, hopefully making them feel less lonely and less detached.

The “Companion” robot and wheelchair concept is designed with many of the existing technologies already available today, from self-navigating home robots to intelligent charging docks to precision robot hands for carefully grabbing objects. Of course, such a machine would still need to undergo rigorous testing, not to mention regulatory scrutiny given its medical applications, but it’s definitely an interesting take on what a home service robot can do, especially when it’s designed to take care of elderly people or people with mobility disabilities.

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Donut-shaped Bluetooth speaker concept inspires a more playful way to enjoy music

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Wireless speakers have become all too common now thanks to multiple factors, from the rise of voice-activated smart home assistants to the popularity of streaming services to the demise of the headphone jack from smartphones. These audio devices have also outgrown their initial designs which seemed to be limited to blocks or cylinders, adopting more fluid forms that are almost artful than technical. Of course, there is no need to go to opposite extremes to have a good speaker design, as this concept proves with a simple and clean shape that immediately strikes one as something that isn’t your regular wireless speaker while, at the same time, clearly tries to deliver the basics of an omnidirectional audio source.

Designer: Fran Rossi, Javier Bianchi

Many wireless speakers today try to deliver sound in 360 degrees to cover the entire room, which is especially needed if it’s meant to respond to voice commands coming from anywhere in the area. Thanks to the likes of the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod, cylindrical shapes seem to have become the most common design for wireless speakers. Of course, there are conical or even spherical speakers, but these aren’t the only round objects that can be used to the same effect.

Orbit adopts a lesser-used shape that, along with a sphere or ball, is immediately associated with fun things. A torus can be a donut, a wheel, a piece of candy, or even a floatation device, and the way it can roll on a floor and wiggle and spin before falling down flat is often a game played by children. That playful charm is further emphasized the by concept’s choice of colors and materials, with a bright orange accent against a cool white body, and reflective plastic instead of fabric. It looks almost like a toy, though its functionality is far from being child’s play.

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Thanks to its ring shape, it can also transmit audio 360 degrees, though it also has more freedom on where the sound is sent. When standing, it can bounce the sound off the ceiling, though it can also be placed down on its back for a more conventional horizontal output. The Orbit is almost a perfect torus, so it requires a stand to, well stand up. Its other functions, however, are all built into the device itself, like the large backlit power button in front and the embossed playback controls on top.

Despite the playful nature of its shape, small variations to the design can result in a totally different character. Covering the entire ring with dark gray fabric and switching the accents to wood or gold gives it a more luxurious appeal that could proudly stand as an art object in your living room. Switching up the colors and materials also generates different imagery, turning what looks like a simple design into a highly flexible and customizable one.

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Memoraphy is an aromatherapy device that can produce perfume to alleviate mood issues

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Among all the senses, smell is probably the one that I don’t really pay attention to (or may be the least popular for ordinary folks). But it is actually the one that is most associated with memory. We associate specific smells with memories of our childhood or with certain episodes in our lives. It is also something that can help you manage your emotions as evidenced by the popularity of aromatherapy. This concept for one such product is pretty interesting especially if your nose is sensitive to smells and moods.

Designer Name: Kanglee Lee, Jiwon Lee, Jeongmin Ham

Memoraphy, a combination of the words memory and therapy, is a concept for a device that can “prescribe” a scent for you depending on your mood and need. It looks like one of those laboratory devices with different pods or a coffee machine but instead of dispensing liquids or caffeine, you get different fragrances that can help you uplift your mood, relax, or whatever your emotional need is that can be helped by smelling something. You can choose to use it as a diffuser or to produce a perfume or a plaster air freshener.

There are six types of main fragrances available: bergamot (for depression, anxiety, and apparently, UTI), rose (to give a positive mood), orange (to relieve stress and enhance taste bud), sandalwood (relieves nervous tension and anxiety), chamomile (helps relax the mind, counter insomnia), claysage (mood stabilisation). You start off the process by inputting into the machine your current mood and drawing or writing to get a “diagnosis” for the right scent. Then you choose the output type and the machine will then create the product for you.

This is a pretty interesting product to have, at least on paper. There may be some feasibility questions if it gets turned into an actual product since there are different outputs for it but that’s a problem for another day. If you’re a believer in aromatherapy, you’d probably want something like this in your home to help lighten your mood, help you fall asleep, and even combat other mental health issues.

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Portable AI device uses camera, projectors, sensors to make you more productive

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For better or for worse, depending on where you stand on the debate, artificial intelligence has changed and will continue changing how we create and communicate. Services like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Gemini, and Copilot are pretty popular with those who are adventurous enough to experiment with AI. We can expect that over the next few years, we’ll see more services, gadgets, and devices that can help us use the technology and integrate it into our workflow and every day lives.

Designers: Mingwan Bae, Sohyun An, Junyoung Min, Youngsuh Yoo

Lay is a concept for a portable AI device that is equipped with a wide-angle camera, a projector, and a sensing module. The 48MP wide-angle camera has a 13mm focal length and is able to recognize objects and space as well as have text recognition and upscale objects it can scan. The 4K UHD projector can project up to 30 inches screen with auto keystone and has under 10cm ultra-short throw distance and high brightness and contrast. The sensing module, which includes LiDAR, ambient light, and proximity sensors, is able to sense its surroundings in real time.

The device basically scans your surroundings and then leverage AI to make suggestions and give assistance on tasks that you can do to as you’re working, drawing, reading, scribbling, building, creating, or just leisurely browsing. It looks like a small spherical robot with a round head that moves around and that you can carry around and place on your desk or space as it helps you make your workflow smoother. It projects onto a surface which will serve as your screen as you do your different tasks. It can recognize and select text, drawings, photos, sketches and then all the content and information are updated in your real-time cloud.

The device still seems to be mostly theoretical and specific tasks you can do or that it can suggest are still a bit vague. But it’s an interesting concept for an AI-powered device that you can carry around with you especially if you’re a digital nomad. And with the speed at which some digital natives and early adapters are using and exploring AI, this can actually be a real device soon.

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Earbuds with nano camera and smart AI are more than just music for your ears

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Earbuds are a kind of accessory you’ll find most common in anybody’s arsenal. They isolate you from the distracting outside world and help you focus while working, exercising, commuting, or anything in between. Extending the usability of earbuds for people with vision problems or in general even the common users who like to turn on their ANC at full blast. Apart from the audio information, the eyes are the best sensors to gauge the environment.

The Cell Buds are an evolution of the good old earbuds into a wearable that assists the blind in navigating crowded spaces or even being aware of what’s around them with sound cues coming from the buds equipped with nano camera units that keep track of any information that may be vital. This eliminates the need for transparency mode to be aware of the space, or even situations where you want strong ANC while being totally aware of what’s happening around in a crowded urban area, essentially making them your eyes and mind for daily life assistance.

Designer: Minwoo Kim

https://vimeo.com/user217694550

These earbuds are loaded with an ultra-compact vision cam and AI to bring all the smart features of your smartphone to this cool gadget plugged into the ears. As a part of the Samsung Design Membership course, Minwoo conceptualized this design to dramatically improve the user’s experience. The on-device AI brings personalized interaction with information available in the cloud and the compact vision cameras keep sensing the surrounding environment around you for any signs of danger or information that might be important to you. For example, an approaching motorist from the left when you are busy crossing the street.

With smart AI, the wearables can be useful for frequent travelers or people with vision impairments. The hands-free personal assistance provided by Cell Buds keeps you from checking your phone, thereby curbing your digital life for good. Design and comfort are prime when it comes to the concept, as Kim has managed to fit a rotating camera unit inside the housing that houses the driver units, microphones, and the battery. According to him, the camera drive unit slightly protrudes from the ear to increase the camera’s field of view.

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VR controller concept for artists and designers offer a more intuitive design

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The Apple Vision Pro’s take on spatial computing would have us imagine a seamless integration of the physical and digital worlds. That dream of the future is shared by virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies, and they almost deliver that promise when it comes to the visual aspect. The illusion, however, breaks when you start interacting with and manipulating those virtual entities, an experience that quickly becomes less natural compared to how we do it with physical objects. The problem lies in the tools we use for this, which are often a game controller or two sticks that function in the same way. This concept for a virtual reality controller tries to reshape that standard design into something that, while still technically the same, offers a more familiar form for artists and designers.

Designer: Jiwoong Yan

When you think about it, it’s almost amazing how digital creatives are able to make do with the input tools available to use in the present. At the very least, a stylus approximates the experience of drawing with a pen on paper, though some people are even able to create mind-blowing art using a keyboard and a mouse. On the one hand, it’s pretty convenient that we don’t have to deal with a dozen different pens, brushes, and other tools when creating digital art, but, at the same time, the disconnect between the tool and the desired outcome is often jarring.

This is especially true in a world that tries to have some fidelity with reality like VR. It’s even worse because it makes us believe we’re seeing virtual objects we can touch, but we can never really touch them and have to be satisfied with pointing and clicking with both hands. Medium is a concept design that offers a compelling compromise for artists and designers. It still has that same two-piece approach that puts a controller in each hand, but ones that are designed to actually mimic the tools that artists would be familiar with.

The right hand, for example, can be held either like a paintbrush or a can of spray paint, and the handle can be rotated to accommodate different ways people hold these tools. The left-hand controller, on the other hand (no pun intended), is like a painter’s palette, though it will probably show more than just colors in the virtual representation that you’ll see through VR glasses. Using these two pieces might feel intuitive for some artists familiar with painting, with the “palette” providing tools and options for the “brush” that you draw with.

Such a design is theoretically already possible with today’s technologies, but it requires a manufacturer to take the risk of actually producing a device that might appeal only to a small segment of VR users. But with these companies trying to push mixed reality and spatial computing harder, it might only be a matter of time before more specialized variants of controllers become available, at least as a stopgap measure until we can directly manipulate those virtual worlds with nothing but our hands.

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Ring light lamp concept has an interesting way of spreading its light

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The young live-streaming industry has introduced a standard lighting technique to the masses, giving birth to the now popular “ring light” that’s even making its way to smartphone cameras. The literal ring of light is meant to provide more natural-looking illumination while minimizing the casting of shadows due to both its shape and its position in relation to the camera. It’s a visually interesting piece of lighting equipment, but its design is extremely focused and limited to that use case. This lamp, however, tries to take that same idea but gives it an even more interesting interpretation, generating light that doesn’t shine in just one direction but goes almost everywhere except where the lamp is facing.

Designer: João Teixeira

Although circular lamps have been around for decades, ring lights are still a bit of a novelty to those outside the professional photography world. After all, circular lamps are often mounted on ceilings and walls, but this “halo on a stick” can be placed almost anywhere it’s needed to have a well-lit shoot or stream. It also uses LEDs versus the traditional fluorescent, though it technically can be any light source as long as it can take a circular form.

“Spot” is a concept for a lamp that is inspired by the shape of these ring lights but almost does in the opposite direction. Despite a ring light’s circular shape, it still shines its light mostly forward, with some illumination scattered around it only as a side effect. In contrast, Spot’s light comes from the structure’s side, and there is actually no light from its front or even its back.

The design shares the same basic combination of a ring on a stand, but the key difference is that an LED strip runs outside along the edges of the shape. This strip is supported by an internal structure that is sandwiched between two opaque covers, making sure the light is really projected only from the sides of the lamp. Another key design element is that Spot makes it easy to take the product apart in order to replace the LED strip, making maintenance and repair trivial.

Because of the way it illuminates from the sides rather than in a single direction, Spot functions more as a decorative lighting fixture or a night lamp at best. The contrast of the dark body and the lighting shining around it creates an almost eerie appearance, one that will easily grab attention and serve as a conversation starter, despite its seemingly simple design.

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Wobbling rocking chair adds a playful twist to an everyday piece of furniture

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We expect chairs to be stable, otherwise, we will never have the confidence or even the courage to take a seat on them. There are seats that are designed to move, though, from the wheels on office chairs to the rocking motion of a rocking chair, swing, or hammock. But what if the instability is actually an intentional part of the design, generating not fear but a sense of thrill and even playfulness? That’s the kind of experience that this odd-looking chair concept tries to offer, with a design that makes it look like a cross between a spacecraft seat and a child’s toy top. It turns out, it even moves like one as well!

Designer: Ellie Kim

A wobbling chair is probably the last thing you’d want to rest your body on, but if you’re actually looking for a more engaging and dynamic experience, this almost spherical seat is probably something you’d want to try out. After all, no one sits on a swing to relax but to actually be pumped up, enjoy, and maybe even trigger one’s creativity and imagination. At the same time, however, it has to be not only comfortable but also reassuring, as you don’t want your wobbling experience to be your last.

Designing a chair that rocks in all directions isn’t easy, even after you get the idea to use a concave base. You have to make sure you don’t completely tip over to any side, which is what a lip or ridge around the base is for. You’ll also have to come up with a design for the rest of the chair that not only provides support but also properly conveys the design’s more dynamic nature.

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Thus, a circular chair is born with fins extruding from the middle like spokes on a wheel. The chair looks more like a turbine than a piece of furniture, but the design of each part is by no means based on whimsy. The top fins better cradle the seat and integrate it with the circular bottom half, while the bottom fins actually support the forces that the ridge will encounter with its rocking motion. Plus, it looks a lot more interesting, and its radial design immediately conveys the idea that it can move in almost any direction. As a bonus, the structure of the base and the ridge make it look like the chair is floating, adding to its sci-fi identity.

The end result is a chair that wobbles with pride and confidence, allowing the person on top to experience childlike play in every movement. It’s not going to replace any office or home chair, and it’s hardly an ergonomic design. But no one’s going to blame you for having a bit of fun rocking and spinning around on a chair that’s clearly designed to help you enjoy the lighter moments in life.

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