Tag Archives: Concept Designs

Hydroponic system lets you sustainably grow plants in your space

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I am not much of a plant person, in a sense that I unintentionally kill all the plants that are left in my care. But I am also one of those who complain that there are no green things in my immediate line of vision and that it’s contributing to my concrete jungle problems. If there was a way for me to have plants and not have my black thumb affect them, I would probably jump on that. Some have recommended hydroponics to me but I still haven’t actually tried it. This concept for a cultivation system seems pretty interesting.

Designer: LFD

The main product of turf is an energy-harvesting hydroponic product where you can cultivate plants without the usual things that you need with regular plants. You can have it indoors which is good news for those who live in buildings that don’t have balconies (like me). It is able to harvest energy through a built-in sensor that is able to detect ambient noise and touch. So you basically “grow” your plant by touching it and talking to it, with the help of the energy harvesting system and the LED lights.

The packaging is also part of the whole sustainable system as it uses biodegradable styrofoam from mushroom mycelium. The packaging for the seeds that you will plant are also recyclable since it’s made from water-soluble paper so you just put it in water for it to dissolve. The packaging also uses soy ink printing techniques to complete the circular system of turf, from the plants to the packaging to the hydroponic product to the space called Turf Azit to house the entire symbiosis.

Now I’m not sure if I’ll still be able to make the plants live using the turf system but at least I don’t need the traditional tools to take care of plants. Having something naturally green in your space can do wonders for your mental health so I should probably get started on learning about hydroponics and maybe if turf eventually gets made, then I can enjoy having a hydroponic green thumb.

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Pen blooms when pressed as you write down your dreams

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While I’m basically a digital person, I turn analog when it comes to my journaling habit. This means I have a lot of tools like notebooks, stickers, washi tapes, and other ephemera to help me journal. But probably my most important “weapons” are my pens. As someone who likes colorful things, I collect different colored (both ink and the pen’s actual color) pens that I can use when I write in my various journals. So whenever I see a new kind of pen, whether it’s the design or the features, I pay attention.

Designer: Seung-Wan Nam

This concept for a pen called Bloomstick is based on the idea that writing down your dreams is an important part in making them come true. So the pen can metaphorically help your dreams to “bloom like flowers” when you write them down on paper using it. The tagline of the product is “click to bloom your dream”. It is basically a pen with a silicone-covered button that when you press it opens to a flower-like shape and turns it into a blooming instrument.

The product renders show different colors available for the pens like green, blue, and pink. The flower part of the pen is white while the “bud” part seems to be of a different color that matches the main, silicone part of the pen. When closed, it looks like just any ordinary pen and you’ll still be able to use it of course but it’s without its blooming design. There doesn’t seem to be any other function that it can do aside from write and look pretty.

As someone who collects pens and who likes flowery, pretty things, this is something I’d probably buy if I see it in a stationery store. Now if it can actually make my handwriting look nicer or make my dreams come true, I’d order it as soon as it hits the market.

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Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop is a stunning preview of the future

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Laptops are getting more powerful each year, but aside from the hardware upgrades, the basic design of these portable computers hasn’t changed significantly in the past decade. Yes, they are getting thinner and lighter while still delivering much-needed performance, but the clamshell design has still reigned supreme despite the conception of detachables and convertibles. That said, we might be on the cusp of a major design shift in this product segment while still holding tightly to that standard design. From dual-display and foldable laptops, new technologies are enabling new laptop designs that tickle the imagination and challenge the status quo. At MWC 2024, Lenovo is pushing the boundaries even further with a laptop that both delights the eyes and boggles the mind thanks to its transparent display.

Designer: Lenovo

Transparent displays are the stuff of science fiction, originally just eye candy designed to amaze viewers and inspire dreams of the future. Over time, it has also become the goal of many display manufacturers, and we’re finally starting to see the technology making its way into signages and even TVs at home. While new products are showing off what’s possible, the Lenovo ThinkPad Transparent Display Laptop proof of concept is really testing the limits of what you can do with such a screen, especially when you need to actually create content rather than just watch videos.

This concept product is the world’s first laptop with a 17.3-inch Micro LED transparent display, or practically the world’s first laptop with a transparent display of any size. And it’s truly a sight to behold, almost no different from those hi-tech transparent screens that have become a staple of almost any sci-fi show or film. It’s mind-blowing how you can clearly application windows and their contents while still getting a glimpse of what’s behind the screen. Even more magical is seeing only certain parts of the screen become “opaque” when it’s displaying an object, leaving the rest of the screen completely transparent.

Lenovo isn’t stopping there, though, and it has unsurprisingly found a way to inject some AI into that feature. It uses AI-Generated Content to display dynamic images or overlay information depending on the physical objects behind the transparent screen. In a sense, the ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop integrates the physical and digital worlds not just visually but also through actual interaction between these two spaces. All thanks to artificial intelligence, of course.

That isn’t the only novelty that Lenovo is bringing to this proof-of-concept laptop. To really drive home that futuristic image, this ThinkBook does away with the conventional physical keyboard and instead uses a capacitive glass surface for typing. This surface also transforms into a drawing pad with an active stylus. This technology isn’t actually new to Lenovo, which launched an innovative yet also short-lived Yoga Book in 2016. In theory, this kind of display-based keyboard opens the door to customization and flexibility, but the ergonomics of such a device is just too poor to be worth the fancy features. Still, it’s hard to deny that this dazzling Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop shows the possible future we will be facing, and the fact that this proof-of-concept design is already in such a usable state suggests we’re not that far from making those fantasy devices a reality.

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Smart pill dispenser concept safeguards your medicine from kids

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Pill boxes and dispensers are becoming more common inside households, especially those with members that require daily medication for their health. The simplest designs are just containers with compartments for different days, but there are also more sophisticated machines that try to automate that routine so that you won’t forget to take your pills. Unfortunately, neither of these solutions takes into account unauthorized or accidental access to those medicines, especially by children for whom those drugs could very well be fatal. This smart pill dispenser concept tries to bring all those concerns together, offering not only a convenient tool but also a safe one for users as well as the people around them.

Designer: Anthony Chupp

The tedious work of taking medication regularly actually starts at the moment you allocate them for each day. Pill boxes and dispensers make it easier to dispense those pills and capsules, but they don’t exactly make it easy to fill them up in the first place. You might drop a pill or two on the floor in the process or, worse, drop them in the wrong compartment, forcing you to lose time trying to double-check and correct that mistake. We’re still a few steps away from a completely automated process that segregates and distributes those pills without human intervention, so any aid toward this part of the process will be significant, even if it still involves manually dropping in pills.

That’s the kind of help that the Cadence concept design offers, using a pharmacy-grade pill sorting plate that makes it easier to put pills where they belong. The specially-designed tray only has an opening for a single day so you don’t accidentally drop medicine inside compartments that have already been filled up. You can also just pour your pills on the tray and then use the built-in spatula to move the exact kind and number toward the opening.

The smart pill dispenser has 30 slots arranged like spokes around a wheel. When it’s time to dispense the day’s dosage, it releases the pills down a dropper shaped to guide the pieces into a cup or glass for collection. And then it turns the wheel so that tomorrow’s pills will be ready for the next round. The button to dispense the pills for the day is located at the top, out of the reach of kids, while locks prevent those same children from accidentally getting into the dispenser itself and scattering its contents.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a smart pill dispenser if it didn’t have any hi-tech features. When connected to a mobile device, Cadence will be able to keep track of your intake, calculating how many doses you have left or how many you’ve missed in that month. The dispenser itself has a small digital clock in the corner to take note of the time, and an LED light strip around the box that gently catches your attention when it comes time to take your medicine. Cadence isn’t exactly a sophisticated smart device, but it’s this balance of digital and analog methods that actually makes the design concept even more effective.

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Tiny home concept will have you living in a futuristic capsule house

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There are no signs that our population will stop growing any time soon, and the amount of livable space continues to shrink. We need more space-efficient residences that aren’t just towering skyscrapers, which is part of the appeal of tiny home trends. The majority of the designs for these petite residences seem to be made from wood or repurposed trailers and aluminum vans, mostly because these are the easiest foundations to work with. In the future, however, we don’t have to be restricted to these materials and plain rectangular shapes, like this compact capsule that definitely looks the part of a futuristic residence both from the outside and especially inside.

Designer: Antoniel Felainne

A capsule is admittedly not the most efficient shape if you’re considering either stacking houses on top of each other or joining them from end to end in a grid. But while space considerations are definitely important in an ever-shrinking planet, it is equally or perhaps even more important to consider the human factors. After all, humans will be living inside that space and they need to feel comfortable, safe, and, well, at home.

The ONCO Capsule House concept tries to deliver all those while also paying close attention to aesthetics. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it’s hard to deny that the capsule’s shape is interesting and pleasing thanks to the absence of sharp edges and corners. The white exterior of the capsule gives it a clean appearance, though it will probably be difficult to maintain as time goes by, and this motif extends inside the capsule.

The interior of the capsule looks like a sci-fi movie set, with plenty of strip lights lining the walls and door frames as well as screens and panels everywhere you turn. Of course, other interior designs can also be used, though the capsule seems to lend itself perfectly to minimalist furniture with lighter color schemes. Although a capsule will technically have less space inside than a straightforward box shape, the circular interior actually gives the illusion of having more.

The design concept also includes provisions for having parts of the capsule actually transparent, like having floor-to-ceiling windows built directly into the design. Ideally, these would be tint-controllable windows so you can maintain your privacy when you need to but also enjoy the view when you want to. Constructing such a capsule house won’t be easy or cheap, but in a future where tiny homes are the norm, this could very well become a standard design anyway.

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Smart display concept puts a cute face on smart home technology

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As our homes start to get more connected to devices and the Internet, the number of screens also starts to increase. In addition to the phones, tablets, computers, and TVs that are already a staple of modern life, there are also smart displays that try to offer visual feedback to the things we usually only hear by voice from an AI-powered assistant. While many smart display designs try to blend in with the rest of the room, it’s really hard to hide a large conspicuous screen that needs to always to in view to be useful. This design concept tries to soften the blow of having such impersonal tech products inside your living space by giving a smart display a rather comical face that makes it feel more alive and a little bit friendlier.

Designer: Kai Xia

Smart displays are pretty much the evolution of voice-controlled smart speakers, giving a visual representation of the information you would normally get only through audio. Of course, it could also be used for other purposes, like displaying photos similar to a digital photo frame, playing videos, or even making video calls. The standard design of these devices, however, has more in common with those speakers or, worse, simply look like tablets slapped onto cylinders and boxes.

The Smart Pad concept tries to liven things up by changing the core design of the smart display. Objectively speaking, the 4-inch screen might actually seem too small for its purpose, but that also means you’re forced to show only the essentials rather than flooding the user with information. The smart display is also shaped like an egg, reminiscent of the old, colorful iMacs or even some vintage CRT TVs. This angles the screen at a comfortable level without having to resort to stands and external mechanisms.

The more important feature of the concept, however, is the cartoon-y face that can be displayed on the small screen. It might be a minor and optional detail, but it lends the gadget a bit of personality, making it feel more approachable and even human to some extent. It makes the Smart Pad feel less like an appliance and more like a companion, putting a face to that disembodied voice we always hear when we talk to such devices.

Of course, it’s also capable of the standard things that smart displays can do, at least in theory. That screen can play videos, display photos, and show information, but it might be less expressive because of its small size. That makes the device more suited for desks and bedside tables rather than living rooms, where seeing the screen up close is more natural.

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A Headphone Stand To Bring In a Tale From Nature To Your Desk

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In the realm of design, every product tells a story, weaving together elements of inspiration and functionality. The KIWI Headphone Stand is no exception, offering a unique blend of creativity and purpose that transcends the ordinary. As we delve into the backstory of this captivating creation, we find ourselves drawn into a narrative where nature, aspirations, and practicality converge.

Designers: Jeongjun Kim and Jinhyoung Choi

At the heart of the KIWI Headphone Stand’s conception lies the tale of a Kiwi bird with a desire for change. This peculiar bird, known for its short legs, yearned for the elegance and grace that came with longer limbs. Every day, it dreamt of standing tall alongside other magnificent birds, its imagination soaring with the possibilities of elongated legs.

One fateful day, the Kiwi bird awoke to a startling realization—its wish had come true. To its astonishment, the once stubby legs were now elongated, granting the bird a newfound stature. However, as reality often proves, ideals and wishes can have unintended consequences.

The Kiwi bird, now burdened with the challenges of its elongated legs, found itself in difficulty. The very feature it had longed for had become a hindrance. In a quest to revert to its original form, the Kiwi bird pondered creative solutions, leading to a unique association with everyday objects.

Taking inspiration from the Kiwi’s plight, the designer of the KIWI Headphone Stand ingeniously incorporated elements from various birds, including the Kiwi and the duck. The elongation of certain parts of these birds served as the foundation for a headphone stand that seamlessly merged functionality with aesthetic appeal.

To maintain a harmonious blend with nature, the designer opted for wood as the primary material for the KIWI Headphone Stand. This choice not only adds warmth and elegance to the product but also pays homage to the organic inspiration derived from the Kiwi bird and other avian counterparts.

In a stroke of brilliance, the designer introduced two similar design iterations, allowing the KIWI Headphone Stand to cradle not just one but possibly two headphones at a time or maybe use that as a hook for something else. This thoughtful addition enhances the product’s appeal, making it a practical and visually striking accessory for any workspace.

The KIWI Headphone Stand is more than just a functional accessory for your desk; it’s a testament to the symbiotic relationship between design and nature. By intertwining the story of the Kiwi bird with the practical needs of headphone storage, this product is a conversation piece that resonates with those who appreciate the artistry behind everyday objects.

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Smart device reminds you to take your meds when you have to

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When I was diagnosed with a certain condition a couple of years ago, it also comes with the tedious (and expensive) “habit” of drinking all kinds of medication. While in my head I know I have to drink these meds at certain times of the day, there are still a lot of times that I actually forget. Sure, we can always add reminders on our phones but sometimes we just snooze those reminders. Or that may just be me. But in reality, people still need all kinds of reminders to take their meds.

Designer: Rume Studio

Ownum Pod is a concept for a device that may be the first one with a smart reminder for medication. This isn’t just an app that can give you notifications when it’s time to take your meds. It’s actually a smart device where you can put your medicine bottle in it and then configure the app to give you reminders when to take it. There is a precision scale inside the device so it knows whether or not you took the correct dosage of your pills or tablets.

The pod itself looks like a smartphone or device charger with a space in the middle to put the medicine bottle. It probably has a standard bottle where you can just store your respective medicine in. And if you’re like me that takes several different meds, you can interconnect multiple pods with just one power cable / charging connection. It has a rubber base and is also modular so you can place double or multiple pods together.

The UI and function seems pretty simple based on the product renders, although there wasn’t much explanation or visuals of the connected app. I don’t know if something like this can help discipline someone like me into taking their meds regularly. But having an option like this may be helpful.

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Mixed reality headset bucks design trends for a complete audiovisual experience

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Thanks to the Apple Vision Pro, mixed reality is back in the news along with the hardware that will enable people to experience them. We have yet to hit the Holy Grail of headset design that will allow people to wear these devices on their heads for long periods, but brands like Apple and Meta definitely have that goal in their sights. MR headsets are getting lighter and slimmer, but that will always come at the cost of sacrificing some functionality that has to be offloaded to some other product you will have to buy and use separately. This concept design, however, goes in the other direction and tries to actually include everything you need for a more believable mixed reality experience, including the oft-neglected audio for your ears.

Designer: Dohyuk Joo

It’s harder to fool the eyes, which is why most of the focus in developing these mixed reality headsets is on the optics. But we don’t experience the real world with just our eyes, and a more immersive virtual world will also need to do more than just feed us visual data. Just like in the real world, audio is either taken for granted or at least takes second place only, but this headset design tries to balance the scales, even if it means going back to the days of bulky headsets.

WavVision, whose name tries to embody the combination of sound and sight, attempts to be an all-in-one mixed reality solution for our eyes and our ears. In a nutshell, the headset includes over-ear headphones to deliver audio, particularly spatial audio, that would complete the immersion of existing in a virtual space. This wouldn’t be the first headset to attempt that combination, but it is definitely one of the few that make it painfully obvious. The Meta Quest 3, for example, does have built-in speakers but uses an open-ear design that simply directs the audio waves toward your ear.

In addition to having over-ear cups built into the design, the very form and construction of WavVision go against the dominant trend in this niche market. The frame is made from thick steel plates bent to loosely follow the shape of the head. It’s a material that suggests quite a bit of weight and sharpness, which is the opposite of what headsets today are aiming for. It gives the design a distinct industrial aesthetic, which is intentional but also questionable.

One of the reasons why headsets don’t include dedicated headphones is because the audio experience could probably be delivered by more dedicated hardware that’s specially designed for performance as well as comfort. Building that part into the headset only weighs the product down, both literally as well as in terms of costs. Conversely, an integrated design ensures a unified appearance and, at least theoretically, a more complete experience. Admittedly, few of the mixed reality brands today seem to be paying that much attention to the audio aspect, but if Apple will be playing this game for long, it will undoubtedly dip its toes in that area sooner or later.

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Discreet hearing aid concept empowers people with hearing disabilities

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Many people try to deny experiencing physical disabilities for fear of making them look weak. This is especially true when it comes to hearing problems that people feel they can simply ignore or wave off easily. Those who do admit to having some hearing disabilities, however, are hesitant to get hearing aids that are expensive, fragile, uncomfortable, and too conspicuous, as if announcing their handicap to everyone around them. That doesn’t have to be the case, especially with today’s advancements in technology, and fortunately, some people are indeed stepping up to design a less obnoxious and more reliable hearing aid, such as this concept that tries to check all the boxes that would encourage more people to wear them and enjoy the world as it was meant to be heard.

Designers: Jitendra Kakade, Nikhil Srikrishnan, Riddhiman Dutta Choudhury

Despite how electronic components can now be so minuscule, most hearing aids still come in a large, two-piece design that, more often than not, clamps to the back of your ear. Such hearing aids are not only uncomfortable to wear, they also tend to put a very visible stigma on wearers, making them feel self-conscious and even ashamed to wear one. This leads to many owners abandoning these devices altogether, willing to sacrifice their happiness for the sake of their image.

Rezonance is a concept design that tries to think of a better solution that isn’t just more discreet but also more affordable and accessible in the long run. Instead of the typical clamping design, Rezonance employs bone conduction technology to be almost invisible. It’s a technology that is already used today on some wireless headphones, so it’s already a proven solution. By using bone conduction, there doesn’t need to be any visible part going into the person’s ear and Rezonance can stay hidden from view behind the wearer’s ear.

Instead of using clamping force to stay in place, the concept suggests an adhesive pad that’s similar to sports tape, ensuring that the material is not only waterproof but also reusable. Additionally, the components used to make the actual hearing aid are claimed to be quite cheap and easily available, which means that the final product itself doesn’t have to cost people an arm in exchange for their ear.

The design doesn’t specify whether Rezonance works only as a single piece or if you will need two for the full audio experience. Even then, it would still be a lot less cumbersome compared to the traditional hearing aid design. Of course, such a design will need to be verified first, especially by professionals, because a design that’s elegant yet ineffective will just end up disappointing and turning away people all the same.

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