Spot has been a pretty busy dog, previously appearing with super group BTS a few years and just last week, getting its own costume and dancing its heart out to celebrate International Dance Day. Lest you think that it’s an actual dog though, it’s actually a robotic dog that can do more than just jump and roll over. Now it’s branching out to the art world with a new exhibit featuring the power of AI.
Designer: Agnieszka Pilat
There has been a lot of heated discussions about AI and art but not all of them are always negative. While a lot have been critical, there are those that want to explore how autonomous technology and AI-generated art can aid in the democratization of art. One of those people is Polish artist Agnieszka Pilat. She has partnered with Boston Dynamics, or rather, Spot the robot dogs, for the Heterobota exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Two of the robot dogs, nicknamed Basia and Omuzana, will do a live painting demonstration in the museum on a 156 x 160 inch canvas on May 10. Pilat will be “training” the dogs to doodle and paint from 8PM to 12AM, with a little resting in between just like an actual artist would. Visitors in the museum can actually watch them live and the final work will not be displayed afterwards so your only chance to see the robot dogs in action would be during the live painting session.
Pilat says that the expected outcome is more like that of a “little kids finger-painting” since the technology is young and new, even though she has collaborated with Spot before. But it’s an interesting experiment in how humans can use AI and robots to generate art. Of course, there’s still a lot of discussion that rightly needs to be had but things like this can open up various viewpoints and opinions that can hopefully enhance the conversation.
It’s the year 2024 and if you’re still manually rotating your screwdrivers, you’re doing something wrong. Meet the SES Nano, a ridiculously compact electric screwdriver that’s no larger than a pencil and weighs a paltry 2 ounces or 58 grams. Arrowmax, the folks behind the SES Nano, has practically perfected the art of electric screwdrivers, and the SES NANO builds on the backs of all that research and development. This tiny screwdriver packs 5 torque settings, peaking at 5 kgf.cm that’s powerful enough to work with even the tightest screws. A simple two-button interface lets you easily choose whether you want to rotate the screwdriver clockwise or counter-clockwise, letting you tighten or loosen screws without any elbow grease. Just load one of the SES NANO’s 52 bits, hold the driver in place, press the button, and watch the magic happen. The SES NANO’s tiny design makes it a no-brainer against most conventional electric drivers that are much larger, and is perfect for your workshop or DIY kit whether you’re working with watches or phones, laptops, computers, drones, tiny models, or even your spectacles.
Despite its compact size and measuring just over 5 inches in length and weighing a mere 58 grams, the SES NANO boasts an impressive torque output of up to 5.0 kgf.cm at 250 RPM. This translates to tackling various projects, from repairing delicate electronics like smartphones and glasses with precision control to confidently assembling flat-pack furniture. The lightweight design, crafted from a single piece of high-grade CNC aluminum alloy, ensures durability while making it easy to maneuver and reducing fatigue during use. Simple one-button operation with clear forward and reverse controls ensures user-friendliness for anyone, regardless of DIY experience.
The SES NANO goes beyond just being small and convenient. With its ingenious design that integrates a robust output circuit board, a precision gearbox, and a secure bit-locking mechanism seamlessly into a single unit, it prioritizes both efficiency and precision. This innovative design minimizes the overall volume of the power unit while maximizing its effectiveness. An LED display keeps you informed about critical details like the current battery level (displayed as a percentage), the selected torque mode (out of 5 available modes), and charging status. Strategically placed 4 LED lights on the chuck illuminate the work area, providing a shadowless light source for focused operation, especially in tight or poorly lit environments.
The SES NANO comes with a comprehensive set of 59 S2 steel screwdriver bits, including commonly used Phillips, star, and nut driver heads, all featuring a standard 4mm hex shank for secure fitment within the driver. This wide variety of bits ensures you’re equipped to handle most screw types you might encounter during various DIY tasks. The inclusion of a handy 58mm extension tip further enhances the SES NANO’s versatility, allowing you to reach and tackle screws in tight spaces or deep recesses that may otherwise be inaccessible with a standard screwdriver. The universal Type-C charging port, a common connector found in most modern devices, ensures convenient and hassle-free power top-ups using a power bank, laptop, or any USB-C wall charger. The best part, you can access the SES Nano’s charging port right through the case, allowing you to juice your screwdriver without even taking it out!
Each SES NANO ships with its all-encompassing case that contains the driver itself along with 52 well-arranged driver bits to choose from, ranging from common to specialty bits. The case also contains an extender tool that lets you extend the reach of your SES NANO to access hard-to-reach spots or sunken screws, a magnetizer that helps you re-magnetize bits, and finally a USB-C charging cable for your device. The SES NANO starts at a discounted $59, and ships globally starting June 2024.
Aside from actual dancing people, one of the things that we love to see on the Internet is dancing animals. From penguins to monkeys to cats and dogs, we love seeing these cute animals bust a move. Of course some of these are computer-generated but if they’re cute enough, we’d still watch it. So when a furry blue dog started dancing on our screens, we probably stopped scrolling and watched, even though it was obviously not a real dog but a robotic dog.
Designer: Boston Dynamics
We thought that this was a new robot dog from Boston Dynamics but it was actually their trusty ole Spot but with a fluffy, blue skin. Sparkles was unleashed on the internet to celebrate International Dance day last April 29. We got a dancing duet from both Spot and Sparkles but the latter was just the former but in a costume just to make things a little more fun. This custom costume was designed so Spot the original robot dog can “explore the intersections of robotcs, art, and entertainment.”
The reason why these robot dogs danced so well is because of the Choreographer software and API that they launched a few years ago. It was created specifically for the media and entertainment customers who needed a tool that could let them train the robot dog with high-level instructions. It also allows Spot to adapt to its physical limitations and its environment when executing the moves while still prioritizing its balance.
We don’t know if Boston Dynamics plans to create even more costumes for Spot for future special occasions. Can you imagine a Halloween or Christmas themed robot dog outfit or even various pop culture cosplay setups? Of course the main point would still be to showcase Spot and the Choreographer software so it should be something cute but not too elaborate so as to hinder the robot dog’s movements.
Observation and visual understanding play an incredibly key role in the life of every creative and technical professional… so instead of living in the Stone Ages and analyzing things with just your eyes, consider adding a 3D scanner to your toolset. Gone are the days when 3D scanners were clunky, complicated, and expensive – the Revopoint MIRACO is compact, highly intuitive, and offers pro-grade scanning. No larger than a handheld gaming console or a DSLR camera, the Revopoint MIRACO works as a standalone scanner, letting you take crisp 3D scans in vivid color without needing any extra software or even an external computer. A 2K AMOLED screen lets you see what you record, and an ergonomic design allows you to hold the scanner in your hands, moving it around to scan objects, scenes, or even humans.
The folks at Revopoint have practically perfected the art of 3D scanning with their extensive range of products like the POP, RANGE, and MINI series of scanners, but the MIRACO is distinctly different. Most scanners are designed to be compact but still need to connect to an external device like a phone, tablet, or desktop/laptop to let you preview the scan while in progress. The MIRACO’s Red Dot: Best of the Best Award-winning design removes that barrier, giving you an all-in-one device that packs bleeding-edge scanning technology, along with a flip-out display that lets you control the scanner as well as preview what you’re scanning like a viewfinder. No cables, no PC, no external device, the MIRACO is a solo beast that scans in crisp detail with up to 0.05mm accuracy and 48-megapixel color.
Quite like most professional cameras, the display folds out too, allowing you to angle-adjust it so you can see what you’re capturing even at odd positions and angles… but more impressively, it flips out 180° to face forwards, so you could use it to scan yourself too.
The camera-shaped design isn’t an accident, it’s completely intentional. Designed specifically for handheld use by both first-timers as well as scanning experts, the format feels incredibly intuitive, allowing you to correctly use the device right out of the box. Hold it as you would a camera, and either click individual photos from multiple angles in ‘single shot mode’, or take a continuous video of your subject in ‘continuous mode’. The Single Shot Mode is perfect for precisely scanning small to medium-sized objects with stunning accuracy, while the Continuous Mode gives you 15fps scanning speeds and allows you to grab larger objects with Far-mode while going farther away for wider captures, and stepping near to grab details with Near-mode. The MIRACO boasts a maximum scan volume of 4000mm x 4000mm x 4000mm, allowing you to practically even scan objects as large as most cars.
An advanced depth camera captures 3D details with accuracy, relying on a 9-axis IMU for position tracking and a 48MP RGB camera for color details when you want to capture color information too. An 8-core processor crunches all the data, saving scans to the MIRACO’s 256GB hard drive. Revopoint offers a choice between a regular and a Pro version of the scanner – one with 16GB of RAM capable of capturing between 4000 to 5000 frames, and the upgraded Pro version with 32GB RAM capturing anywhere between 8000-10000 frames depending on whether you’re scanning in color or just 3D.
Scans get saved on the device, although WiFi connectivity lets you easily wirelessly transfer files to other devices – or rely on the USB-C to physically transfer files or even connect an external display to your MIRACO. A built-in 5000mAh battery powers the MIRACO for up to 2 hours of continuous scanning (capturing depth and color with that accuracy definitely requires a lot of energy), while the MIRACO’s 35-minute fast charge to 80% ensures it’ll never be out of action for long.
To create a realistic leaf by MIRACO. Image credit: Bau-3d.ch
The handheld scanner is quite literally every creative and technical professional’s secret weapon. While most industrial designers, engineers, interior designers, and automotive designers rely on inefficient gauges, calipers, and measuring tapes (and while filmmakers and VFX artists rely on massive expensive scanning rigs), what the Revopoint MIRACO does feels like nothing short of magic. The compact device turns anything in front of it into a 3D model with surgical-level accuracy, making it perfect for modeling, designing, reverse engineering, prototyping, and performing various 3D-adjacent activities. Whether you go for the Revopoint MIRACO or the MIRACO Pro, your kit comes with everything you need to complete successful scans, including the device, Near-mode calibration boards, a power cable and adapter, a scanner bag, cleaning cloth, tripod, a sample bust, markers, a wrist strap, and even a portable turntable.
A lot of people like me leave the house early in the morning and return late at night just to rest and sleep. I rarely have time and energy to actually clean the house thoroughly. But of course you need to make time to get rid of dust or else your health and your peace of mind will be affected. Robot vacuums are the best friends of those who need a bit of clean up without exerting much energy and we’re seeing a lot of options and concepts for this kind of cleaning tool.
Designer: Raye
Hestia is a concept for one such tool, named after the Greek goddess of the hearth and the home because it protects your home from germs and dust. It is basically a robot vacuum cleaner but it uses AI technology to make the cleaning process easier and more convenient. The AI, together with the ultrasonic sensors located on both sides, helps the cleaner set a path to clean your home and also avoid obstacles (probably as long as you don’t leave random things lying around your floor). It has two rear wheels that can give it a good “kick” while the front wheels lets it go forward and sideways.
The vacuum itself looks like a small, flat robot with a small head on top. It has an external display that shows off the “emotion” of the robot with its camera and lidor sensor while the Demeter CPU enables the smart space cleaning feature. The default face is its normal, tranquil mode while the cleaning mode shows off an angry face because of the dirt and dust she needs to clean. When the battery is low, it shows off a weak face. The monitor also displays the battery level and the cleaning process.
The Hestia robot vacuum cleaner uses anodized aluminum and polycarbonate material so you get a more “sophisticated” but clean and minimalist look. The charging station which looks like the robot’s mother ship is able to empty the dustbin so you can just gather all the dirt and dust inside it for disposal later on. It seems like something that will greatly benefit people like me who are too busy (or sometimes lazy) to do regular cleaning.
You know you’re doing something right when Samsung ends up launching a product to compete with yours, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that Apple plans on joining the category too. The smart ring market is seeing an undeniable rise for a bunch of reasons. Smart rings are classy, discreet, and don’t have too many components or requirements. You have ten fingers, so you can easily wear a smart ring along with your engagement ring or accessories (try wearing two watches and see people stare) and you can easily wear the ring while asleep too. Smartwatches walked so smart rings could run, and the latest runner to enter the marathon is the Kuura Ring – a sleek wearable that’s titanium on the outside, and sensors galore on the inside that tracks everything from your sleep to your stress levels and exercises. Like a fitness tracker but sleeker and frankly a little more convenient, the Kuura is yet another nail in the smartwatch coffin, affirming the fact that rings are, in fact, the future of the health wearable industry.
Move Smarter: your walks, runs, cycles and gym sessions and measure your heart rate, and recovery rates to plan your personal fitness goals.
The Kuura Ring looks like any minimalist metal ring, blending right in without necessarily looking tech-forward. A titanium outer shell comes in 3 colors – black, silver, and gold, while the inner surface of the ring is made from hypoallergenic epoxy, which hermetically seals all the electronics inside the ring giving it complete water resistance. The insides are lined with various sensors that can track body metrics from body temperature to heart rate and even blood oxygen, giving the Kuura Ring a wide variety of stats to help interpret different stages of your health. A 17.5mAh battery powers the entire wearable, giving it a solid week’s worth of usage so you don’t need to charge your ring every day like you would most fitness trackers.
Live Smarter: Get a clear picture of your health from over 20 biometric signals, including temperature to stress levels to help you live your best life each day.
The sensors within the Kuura capture your health in a holistic manner, working around the clock to give you stats across a variety of categories. A G-sensor captures movement, a heart-rate light reads your heart rate, HRV, and stress levels, a blood oxygen light does exactly what it says it does, and an infrared light detects when the ring’s worn, switching the wearable off when you take it off. Combined, these sensors are all the Kuura needs to analyze your well-being.
The ring does everything a fitness wearable does and maybe some more. It monitors your health, ensuring your heart rate isn’t too high or too low, captures your steps to see how much you’re moving in the day, uses a variety of stats to check your stress levels, tracks your workouts (ranging from a variety of workout styles), and at the end of the day, tracks your sleep cycle. The lack of a screen on the ring means all the data is sent to Kuura’s own smartphone app (it also means better battery performance) where you can access every single metric laid out in a well-designed UI. The app is your health dashboard, letting you see your progress as well as learn all your rooms for improvement, and even set fitness goals that you can aim for.
Sleep Smarter: Wake up to analysis about your deep sleep, light sleep & REM sleep to optimize your sleep schedules and rise feeling refreshed and ready for the day.
Different sections in the app provide their own detailed metrics. The sleep tracking page gives you a detailed analysis of your sleep across 4 stages – REM, restful sleep, light sleep, and wakefulness. The fitness tracker captures movement (distance and steps), duration of your workout, and even the kilocalories burned. The water-resistance allows you to even go swimming with your Kuura on. Finally, the overall health tracker looks at your heart rate, variability, body temperature, and stress levels to give you a score that helps you understand where you stand in your journey to a healthy life.
Available in 3 different colors, the Kuura Ring comes in 8 sizes that fit men and women of all ages and body types. Earlybird backers can grab the Kuura Ring for just $99, which also includes the ring’s contact-based charging cable, and the free Kuura smartphone app available on iOS and Android.
Even tinier than the PS5 Slim that launched in October last year, this fan-made gaming rig is small enough to slide into a backpack, has a glowing PS logo on the front, docks and charges two DualShock controllers on either side, and has a thermal performance that almost matches up to the regular PS5. Designed by YouTuber NFC, this ‘PlayStation Mini’ relies on a reimagined architecture and an external disc drive that helps cut space by nearly 70%, giving you a final console that’s merely 30% the size of its original self. No Ozempic was involved…
Designer: Not From Concentrate
When rumors of the PS5 Slim began making rounds on the internet, YouTuber NFC (short for Not From Concentrate) hoped that Sony would radically shrink the console and make the disc drive external instead of detachable. Instead, we got a marginally smaller console that had a disc drive that could only be used by snapping it onto the side of the vertical console. Not that anything’s wrong with the PS5 Slim, we think it’s an iteratively improved console, but NFC definitely found himself wanting more. The journey he embarked on is one that not all of us can take – it involved deep designing, engineering, and using CNC machines and 3D printers to build everything from new outer housings to inner thermal architectures, and even adding a logo and backlight to make it something so professional it looked like it came out of Sony’s own headquarters.
The resulting PS5 Mini is probably a one-off unit that NFC built for the YouTube video (you can watch the entire thing above), but it’s a sheer work of art and engineering. Anyone can rip circuitry off from the existing PS5 and cram it into a new plastic body… but only a few of them can do such a great job that the resulting PS5 Mini has a performance that rivals its bigger sibling. In fact, the tinier console is nearly 3.3 liters in volume, making it significantly smaller than the 10.5-liter PS5. It’s so small it fits into most backpacks and is no larger than a thick book.
The PS5 Mini comes with a construction featuring metal, plastic, and even carbon fiber parts. It has a completely new heat sink, a new chassis, outer body with massive grills on the side for air flow, a new fan, and even backlit plastic components that glow blue when the machine’s on. It also features not one but two DualShock controller docks that also charge your controllers when put in place, doing something that even the OG PlayStation couldn’t.
The new build features up to 20 redesigned components that were either made in NFC’s studio workshop on his CNC machine or 3D printer, or ordered from a fabrication website. The size of the new PS5 Mini was determined by the motherboard, which was a compact rectangular little component that served as the starting point for the console’s design. NFC uses a Black-Ridge CPU Cooler heat sink, and even a new fan and fan controller because the original PS5’s fan is a massive component that played a major role in what made the original console so big. NFC explains that Sony prioritized console ‘quietness’ with the old design, owing to the large fan size (larger fans move more air at slower speeds, creating less noise). The power supply was replaced with a smaller 250W GaN one, the front was capped off with carbon fiber that contrasted the white outer body beautifully, and NFC used the original PS5’s status LEDs to light up a new PS logo that now adorned the front.
The stand charges the controllers even when it’s switched off.
An external disc drive made sense, allowing the PS5 to be web-based when needed, and disc-based when plugged in.
Surprisingly, even the thermals match up to the original, with idle temperatures being a mere 1°C hotter, and gaming temperatures hitting a marginal but impressive 4°C hotter than the original. The way NFC did this is by literally wiring temperature probes into the different parts of the console to get a holistic reading of the console’s temperature at all times. The new fan works in theory, but NFC does point out that making everything smaller means having a marginally noisier fan. Luckily, this could easily be taken care of by placing the console near some speakers, that would wash out the fan’s sound.
Navigation and understanding of the environment is an everyday challenge for the visually impaired. This limitation hinders their independence and of course, cripples their mobility. Walking aids and certain technology-assisted solutions do provide necessary navigation details with obstacle detection, but a personal assistant that talks to them like their own is still missing.
With the advent of generative AI, a designer duo has taken the leverage to create an AI-powered wearable device called InSight that intends to grant visual independence to the blind or anyone else who can leverage the benefit. The product was conceived for the Samsung Re:Create Challenge, which is a global competition that requires participants to perceive and conceptualize products that would repurpose ‘Samsung devices or their materials’ and promote sustainability.
The basic idea of InSight is to seamlessly integrate with the user’s lifestyle while making available to them an accessible and connective, audio navigation experience in real-time. Designed to integrate all the features of existing Samsung consumer electronics, and to be constructed from recycled Samsung devices and materials, InSight helps reduce electronic waste, while performing the underlying function of a personal navigation assistant for the visually impaired.
With an onboard battery and an intuitive touch control, the pint-sized InSight can run navigation commands on the go. With its interesting clip-on design, one can wear it on their clothes and receive real-time audio descriptions of the visual environment in real-time, so navigation is better and more inclusive. To add more substance to the assistant’s capabilities, the user can talk back to the device, which then with its built-in AI can help with the possible information. A likely use case for students and travelers.
By helping perceive the surroundings in real-time and relaying comprehensive information to the user with audio descriptions, InSight can have a drastic impact in many lives that are dependent on others for mobility as of now. To make the device really helpful – beyond the AI integration – designers have worked its aesthetics around Samsung’s design language. The InSight connects seamlessly with smartphone and headphones of the user and provides onboard touch controls for personalized settings. And when it begins to run out of power plug it into a USB-C cable and juice it for another outing of independence!
The most beautiful game, football, is a team sport. But in realism – at the world stage – the game is not limited to the field and teams. Passionate fans and their diehard enthusiasm for clubs and players take the game far and beyond, into the people’s home and their hearts. Despite the love and admiration for football, one wrong on-field decision can leave players behaving irrationally and discerning fans indulging in brawls, intense enough to set stadiums on fire.
Over the years goal-line technology has made a significant difference in the decision-making often faltered by the human eye. Yet, all the other significant on-field decisions are left for humans to make, which even the most qualified and experienced referees can get wrong from time to time. While replacing human intervention from decision-making is visually impossible in the near future; there is a designer who thinks an aerial observer can pull off the task at the amateur level to start with.
The idea behind “Referee,” a portable drone football referee is as simple as its design: Take to the air, hover above and track the players and the ball, and sound a whistle when a foul occurs. Designed with a Samsung-backed Design Membership program, the two-part system – a drone with rotors and HD camera – moves fluidly around the ball so that there are no blind spots and decisions are spot on. There is no mention of whether the modern Referee will also issue red card for a cardinal foul, or a human ref would still be needed.
The functioning of the Referee is simple to pull off, and the design – modeled after a training cone – makes it even more interesting. It comes packed in a dedicated trolley bag one can tag along to the field and set it to run the game without having to find a human referee to help you with a night game with friends. Since most hobby footballers have time to play in the night hours, after a day’s work, Seungmin has envisioned a Referee with LED lighting that shines along with the whistle when a foul is detected.
To keep the control simple and the design more intriguing, the Referee is controllable via an app. Through the app, you can customize the device’s color to the team that you are playing and also replay the foul scene to make sure close decisions can be fairly dealt with. Potentially a gimmick at the moment, the Referee through its evolution can maybe reach the Premier League stage someday.
If the 20th century had the lava lamp, the 21st century has the GLORB. It’s dynamic, portable, customizable, smart, heck, it’s even waterproof.
A geodesic sphere, where each individual facet is a dedicated LED panel. The GLORB isn’t your average smart home lighting solution. Forget the moon lamps of 2020, the sunset lights of 2021, and those atrocious astronaut-shaped projector lamps that still pass off as ambient lights. The GLORB might just be the most beautifully dynamic ambient smart light ever made.
On the inside, the GLORB’s like any other smart bulb. It changes colors, connects to the internet, is audio-responsive, and has the ability to animate light patterns… But zoom out and you’ll see what makes the GLORB so alluring. Made up of 80 different triangular panels that light up in various colors, the GLORB looks like a disco ball, but instead of working on reflecting light, the GLORB itself comes to life by lighting up in uniquely different ways.
The app works by combining a palette and an animation. Save the combination as a favorite. Favorites can be placed into playlists that you can name for any specific occasion or mood.
The multiple panels allow the GLORB to come to life by breathing light and color. Roughly the size of a football, the faceted light can either be hung from the ceiling or used as a tabletop ambient light. It comes with its own stand, runs on 5V of power (which means you can operate it via a power bank too), and can be controlled by an app, through your smart home network, or even with music. The GLORB boasts compatibility with Alexa, Philips Hue, Homey, and Home Assistant, with future support for Google Home, Apple Home Kit, and even Matter.
You can stream your music directly to the GLORB.
The GLORB makes for a perfect ambient light during movie night, a house party, a backdrop for your vlog or podcast, or even to pair along with your RGB gaming gear. The 80 individual LED panels pulsate light, changing colors or breathing an individual hue to make it look like the lamp is living. Through the app, you can select from a variety of animations and adjust the brightness or pulsating speed. The app also lets you pair multiple GLORBs together so they shine in synchronicity, and an audio-responsive mode allows the GLORB to even respond to music, quite literally mimicking the dynamic appeal of a disco ball.
Each GLORB comes made from a mix of plant-based polymers as well as recyclable plastic. The GLORB comes paired with a dedicated faceted stand that also doubles up as a ceiling mount, letting you either keep the orb on a tabletop surface or hanging as an ambient pendant light. The light works without the stand too, running directly on a power supply or a power bank, and it’s water-resistant too, which means you could take it outdoors to upgrade your camping experience, place it in your garden for an ambient evening, or strategically arrange them around your swimming pool for the most incredible night-time pool party ever. The GLORB is both WiFi and Bluetooth compatible, and will get better with time through free OTA updates.
