AI-powered calculator concept can solve even handwritten math problems

Posted on 21/03/2024 by JC Torres

Like it or not, and some definitely don’t, the things that AI and neural networks can accomplish these days are nothing short of mind-blowing. Never mind the rather dated speech recognition that has now become all too common, AI has now become famous and notorious for being able to analyze just about anything and generate something from those data points, whether they’re images, novels, or even the chicken scratch that is our handwriting. Turning human scribbles into digital text that computers can process has long been one of the Holy Grails of computing, but being able to make sense of those scribbles is a different story. AI has come to a point where it can not only understand but even solve handwritten equations, and that’s a capability that this smart calculator is harnessing to ease the pain of cross-checking math problems, almost like magic.

Designer: Divyansh Tripathi

It’s relatively easy for computers and even phones these days to recognize handwriting and turn it into their digital equivalent, but AI goes the extra mile by understanding those words and, in this case, numbers and symbols. Math solvers, just like AI text generators, are somewhat controversial because of their potential for abuse, but the technology itself is quite impressive and, just like any other tool, could also be put to good use.

That’s the potential that the OBSCURA smart calculator concept is trying to harness, offering an all-in-one problem-solving device for any and all numerical problems. Unlike your typical advanced calculator, this one comes with a camera so that you can take pictures of a handwritten formula and run it through a solver such as Photomath, Microsoft Maths Solver, Socratic, and others. It doesn’t stop at “seeing” formulas and problems, however. It also has a built-in mic so you can verbally ask it about the problem.

Of course, you can also just type out the numbers like with any regular scientific calculator. In terms of the device’s interface, what sets this calculator apart is a touch control that lets you adjust the viewfinder or move the cursor around on the display. In all other aspects, it’s pretty much like any other powerful calculator, just that it has AI running inside.

Of course, that raises the question of the purpose of such a device, especially when smartphones have access to the same hardware and AI services. A smartphone, however, also has plenty of distractions that can drag you away from the work at hand, especially if that work happens to involve disagreeable numbers. Obscura, at least, offers to do some of the rote work, especially with cross-checking solutions, but it’s still up to the user to be responsible with such great power in their hands.

The post AI-powered calculator concept can solve even handwritten math problems first appeared on Yanko Design.

This minimalist calculator concept can also hold your pens when not in use

Posted on 16/03/2022 by JC Torres

Calculators are probably one of the most utilitarian, single-purpose tools on our desks. Few have probably thought about changing their design, seeing these advanced counting machines as something as clinical and unemotional as the numbers they process. Their designs are not that easy to change either because they need to follow standard conventions, like the arrangement of buttons and the location of the display. That also means they are long overdue for some novel design thinking, and this particular concept tries to make the calculator useful, whether you’re using it or not.

Designer: Jaewan Park

There are many single-purpose tools on our desks, but the calculator is probably the one that gathers dust the most. Unless you’re job actually involves crunching numbers, of course. Most of the time, it just sits in the open or inside a drawer, where those dust particles could enter gaps in the buttons that could, in turn, damage the delicate parts inside.

The FLIP calculator changes the design formula in three important ways. The most evident is its minimalist that manages to exude a pinch of personality. Its predominant peach color makes it stand out without being too gaudy. The candy-like shape of the buttons also makes you want to pick them out and put them in your mouth.

The calculator is also designed to be flipped over when not in use without actually breaking its minimalist appeal. The edges around the top of the calculator are actually raised to prevent the entry of dust and small particles when it is laid down on its face. The ridges on the bottom provide an interesting visual pattern that almost hides the nature of the calculator underneath.

These ridges also serve another function, as a potential holding area for pens, pencils, or even other trinkets. Most pens will fit nicely in the grooves, and the raised edges make it easy to pick up pins, clips, and other smaller items.

A simple change in design transforms a calculator into a dual-purpose object. It helps save up on desk space because a single item can do two things without taking up twice the area. It doesn’t even require some fundamental change to how the calculator works or adding of some complex mechanism. It just needed a few tweaks here and there to make an everyday object look more interesting and more useful at the same time.

The post This minimalist calculator concept can also hold your pens when not in use first appeared on Yanko Design.

This minimalist calculator concept makes number-crunching feel less stressful

Posted on 22/02/2022 by JC Torres

People are advised to clear their desks of things that give them stress, but that isn’t always possible, especially with everyday tools like calculators. It is, however, possible to choose tools that try to reduce the level of stress, at least with their designs. That’s why minimalist office products have become quite popular because they immediately convey a sense of calm through their simple and clean designs. That’s part of the idea behind this concept design for one of the most stressful work tools in existence, the calculator.

Designer: Joseph Donohue

Most of the computations that you can do in your head are often simple and small, from change to dates to ages. The times when you do need to pull out a calculator are the times when you might be sweating over larger figures, often those related to money or logistics. Of all the objects you’ll find on a desk or in drawers, the calculator is perhaps the last thing you’d associate with calmness, and their traditional designs don’t exactly help improve that image.

Although some have gotten lighter and more colorful, the basic design of calculators has remained the same throughout the decades. They are purely functional and utilitarian, leaving little room for any other design or expression. That’s the challenge that this concept design tried to face, cleaning up the calculator while still giving it a bit of personality.

The initial ideas for this “Equals Calculator” concept played around with different shapes that expressed boldness and playfulness without going overboard. Personality was conveyed not through quirky designs or outlandish colors but through simple forms and somewhat muted hues. It results in a design that is both familiar yet, at the same time, a bit unlike what we’ve become accustomed to, forcing us to pause for a bit and breathe.

The final design that was chosen for this concept revolved around the idea of “peeking,” where an angled displays peers up to the user, making the digits easily viewable without having to tilt your head down. The form of the calculator resembles a tray with inclined sides, almost as if it’s inviting you to dip your fingers inside.

Instead of typical rounded buttons separated by wide spaces, this minimal calculator utilizes squarish ones that have very narrow gaps between them. There are still some spatial boundaries between buttons, but it creates a surface that looks almost unbroken and whole. The concept doesn’t change any of the functions of the calculator but instead creates a different atmosphere every time you look at and use what is normally considered a rather cold and calculating tool.

The post This minimalist calculator concept makes number-crunching feel less stressful first appeared on Yanko Design.

Quirky tactile calculator is inspired by the suction cups on an Octopus’ tentacles!

Posted on 03/09/2020 by Sarang Sheth

Isn’t it a weird coincidence that the octopus’s suction cups are actually what give its tentacles incredible grip underwater… and when that same detail is carried forward to the design of a button, it increases the button’s tactile ability? A suction cup helps hold onto things in water, but it also provides the perfect concave surface for your fingertip, resulting in a uniquely enjoyable UX.

The Calctopus (no need trying to decode the name there) was created as a Render Weekly challenge on Instagram. Inspired by the cups on the base of the octopus’ tentacles, the Calctopus uses a similar texture on its keyboard layout. Its curved form, matte finish, and pastel hues make it rather comfortable to look at, and those concave keys are an absolute pleasure to press as your fingertips intuitively find their way around the layout, landing on the right key every time… almost echoing the tactile joy of the Olivetti Divisumma 18 calculator from the early 70s!

Designer: Francesco Brunetti

The MINUS calculator explores extreme minimalism without sacrificing functionality

Posted on 22/07/2020 by Sarang Sheth

How much can you take away from something before you’ve taken away too much? The MINUS Calculator is a great example of a no-frills design that’s so incredibly simplistic, it seems like a monolithic slab of plastic, but it’s a sleek, minimal-yet-fully-functional calculator.

Making a product better isn’t always an additive process, it’s sometimes also subtractive. The MINUS calculator doesn’t come with buttons, color-coded keys, or even a screen for that matter. Everything manifests within the slick, monotone block that is the MINUS. The numbers are bas-relief molded into the calculator’s front panel, and a powerful LED screen shines through the panel’s translucent plastic. The only break in the calculator’s surface is in the top left corner, where the “=” button sits. The MINUS calculator also comes with a battery gauge built into its side, and a proprietary magnetic contact-pin charging port at its base that lets you snap the charger to it whenever it’s low on juice.

Designer: Telekes Design

Texas Instruments makes it harder to run programs on its calculators

Posted on 25/05/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

Texas Instruments’ graphing calculators have a reputation as hobbyist devices given their program support, but they just lost some of their appeal. Cemetech has learned (via Linus Tech Tips) that Texas Instruments is pulling support for assembly- and...

This calculator is the love child of the iPod Classic and a vintage rotary telephone!

Posted on 16/10/2019 by Srishti Mitra

With technological designs getting more and more advanced by the minute, nobody would expect industrial designers to actively seek inspiration in the past, but they are and they’re succeeding at it! One such designer Marco Schembri created the Xiaomi Mi08, which may seem like an ordinary calculator but with a twist; here the past meets the present to create the future. Instead of your usual calculator with a number keypad, Schembri took inspiration from the vintage rotary telephones and adopted a wheel sensor, which enables the user to select the numbers without manually typing them in. When you first see the device it may remind you of the iPod Classic, but the functionality retained is that of the rotary telephone. The experience becomes entirely touch-based, without the user having to consistently lift their fingers and click on buttons.

Through the Xiaomi Mi08, the designer wanted to highlight the coherent union of both the current digital technology and the technology of yesteryears, which can combine to transform even a common device such as a calculator. The Xiaomi calculator has a crisp and futuristic appeal, patented by a dot-matrix display against a speckled white background. Bordering nearly on minimalism, the Xiaomi Mi08 is unlike any other calculator I have ever seen. With the effort calculations already require, I wouldn’t mind giving my fingers a break from constantly click-clacking of the number keys!

Designer: Marco Schembri

The Honeycomb Calculator buzzes with inspiration

Posted on 01/07/2019 by Radhika Seth

On one hand of the spectrum, you have designs like the new Apple Mac Pro that sparked the debate of triggering trypophobia and on the other hand you have designs like the Honeycomb Calculator, that looks uber chic and elegant, and trigger nothing but the clever utilization of biomimicry. Paris based designer Alexandre Touguet crafted the Honeycomb Calculator as a desktop instrument that was easy to use and tie in the intelligence of bees.

Think about it, you would need a calculator to do the math, if you had to construct a honeycomb, but the intelligent bee inherently knows how to do it! Alexandre also hopes to drive in the point that bees are the pillar of our ecosystem and need to be preserved.

I like the way Alexandre has utilized the face of the calculator to showcase honeycomb keys design. They fit perfectly into place and while the numerals are designed as flat keys, the rest of the keys are with an indent, so that you can know the difference intuitively. The display light is strong enough for you to see, even if you are working with it in low-light.

Designer: Alexandre Touguet

Everything on the PULS calculator is a button… even the screen

Posted on 01/05/2019 by Sarang Sheth

Determined to not waste any real estate, Carlos Llaneza designed what I believe is the most compact, sleek, and functional calculator. Designed for basic math calculations, the PULS features a numpad, the four action keys, a decimal key, equals key, pi key, and phi key. Wondering where the clear-all button is? Just tap the screen!

The PULS’s screen is designed to work as a key too. Long-pressing it switches it on and off, and tapping it resets the calculator. It’s a simple operation that just seems much more natural once you get a hang of it. It also means every bit of the calculator has a control function, and other than scaling down the size of the keys and display, there’s probably no better way of making the PULS more compact. Besides, with how sleek and tiny it already is… do you even need to?

Designer: Carlos Llaneza

This DIY D&D Dice Calculator Rolls Your D20 for You

Posted on 19/03/2019 by Conner Flynn

Dungeons and Dragons can be intimidating for new players for many reasons. There are a lot of stats to keep track of, character traits to consider and you better get used to rolling a lot of dice. Well, this custom calculator takes care of your dice rolls for you at least.

It was created by Caleb Everett and will certainly make your game easier and geekier. The software he put together will not only roll the dice, but it also adds up all the faces, saving you some trouble. Caleb wants to add more advanced software features in the future like increasing the likelihood of rolling numbers that haven’t been seen in a while. Although, that kind of defeats the purpose of random dice rolls if you ask me.

Under the hood, it packs an Adafruit Feather M0 Express controller board, a 128 x 32 OLED display, and a 2200 mAh lithium ion battery so it can go anywhere.

Hopefully, it works great in real game situations. You could always use a smartphone dice rolling app, but if you ask me this is much cooler. Now if it could help you to create your character as well, it would be perfect.

[via Hack A Day]

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