This three-tiered cat tower features wraparound banisters that give your pets a private nook to rest

Ara is a three-tiered cat resting station that’s defined by a double set of wraparound banisters to provide cats with a sense of privacy on a piece of furniture designed especially for them.

Cat owners know their cats like their privacy. Throughout the day, your pets will find their favorite hiding places in your closet, underneath the couch, or behind the television console. Cats even like these hiding places so much that they sometimes prefer them to the furniture designed especially for them.

They soon become disinterested in the cat towers and climbing posts that have them resting out in the open in front of everyone. Ara, a three-tiered cat resting station designed by Juan Esteban Restrepo Tabares, combines a subtle sense of privacy with cushioned resting levels for cats to feel secluded while making use of their own furniture.

Ara is defined by two sets of wraparound banisters that cradle three levels of cushioned resting areas. Walking through the center walkway, cats find the first resting level where they can make full use of its area. Then, accessible through a central cavity, cats can climb up to the second tier where they can perch high above the ground, to look out over their home space. On the station’s second level, cats are covered on all corners with a roof, floor, and walls, evoking a sense of privacy. Finally, cats can climb through another central cavity to reach Ara’s topmost, open-air level where cat owners can pet and show their cats some love while they sleep.

Designer: Juan Esteban Restrepo Tabares

The post This three-tiered cat tower features wraparound banisters that give your pets a private nook to rest first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Kolibree smart toothbrush uses AI to help you clean your mouth

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Frost Free Drinking Water

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When you defrost your freezer, all that precious H2O goes to waste! The ARA system was designed to turn this frost into drinkable water, simultaneously preventing waste and helping to keep your freezer defrosted.

When the sensors detect that less than 20% of water is left in the reservoir, a heater is activated in the upper compartment to melt ice and create water that fills the tank. This way, your freezer stays clean and spacious and you always have fresh water to drink!

Designer: Jimmy David Apolo

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Google Announces Developer Conference on Modular Phones

Project Ara Modular Phones Google announced on Wednesday that it will host a series of three developer conferences, focusing on the alpha release of the Project Ara Module Developers Kit (MDK). Project Ara is an initiative to move the idea of modular smartphones into a reality.

Instead of purchasing a whole, new pre-configured smartphone every time your device (or part of your device) is outdated you would have the option of purchasing just a single component of the device, and mix and matching it as you would like.

The first of the series of conferences will be based on a slower prototype implementation of the Ara on-device network, and will be held on April 15-16 in Mountain View, CA. There is a $100 ($25 for students) attendance fee with developers having a priority at the show, or you can watch a live stream of the conference for free.

Project Ara