Tag Archives: Machine

The Moving Mechanics Unveils Time Machine SOLARIS: A Kinetic Ode to the Fourth Dimension

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According to Einstein’s theories, understanding one’s position in the universe requires acknowledging not only the three spatial dimensions—length, width, and height—but also the fourth dimension: time. Time, in this context, isn’t merely a linear progression but an intricate dance with the cosmos. It’s an element that influences our perception of reality and, in the words of Albert Einstein, demands consideration in both space and time.

In the pursuit of transcending the mundane ticking of standard clocks, The Moving Mechanics Company introduces a new marvel to its collection of time machines. November 2023 marks the unveiling of the Time Machine SOLARIS, a creation that transcends the boundaries of conventional time-telling and introduces a poetic element to the passage of hours.

Designer: Florian Schlumpf

The brainchild of Florian Schlumpf, The Moving Mechanics Company weaves a whimsical and mechanical language into its kinetic masterpieces. Schlumpf, drawing inspiration from sculpture, mechanical engineering, and his passion for cycling, first captured the world’s attention in 2014 with the release of the TM1 at BaselWorld. Since then, the company’s creations have continued to provoke contemplation on humanity’s intricate relationship with time.

Named after the Latin word for sun, the TM Solaris pays homage to the powerful celestial body that guides our days. This timepiece stands out with its elaborate layers of golden wheels and orbiting components, resembling the structure of a planetary system. Crafted from aluminum and adorned with an anodized black and gold finish, the SOLARIS adds a touch of opulence and visual intricacy to any interior space.

At the core of the TM Solaris’s mesmerizing display are 36 wheels that work together to create a symphony of motion. These wheels, meticulously engineered, bring to life an intricate system of patterned gear teeth and spokes, propelling the timepiece over its midnight foundation. Three distinct metal rings elegantly denote the progression of seconds, minutes, and hours, turning time into a visual and auditory experience.

The TM Solaris stands as a sophisticated timekeeping work of art, measuring 700 x 700 x 110 mm. This timepiece, weighing 9kg, can either stand independently or be wall-mounted, offering versatility in its display. The clockwork operates on a 12V synchronous micromotor, driving the 36 wheels that power the intricate movements. The material composition of black and gold anodized aluminum further enhances the aesthetic appeal of this captivating time machine.

As The Moving Mechanics Company continues to redefine the boundaries of time-telling, the TM Solaris stands as a testament to the marriage of art and engineering, inviting observers to transcend the conventional and contemplate the fourth dimension in all its poetic glory.

The post The Moving Mechanics Unveils Time Machine SOLARIS: A Kinetic Ode to the Fourth Dimension first appeared on Yanko Design.

Top 5 sleek coffee machines for diehard coffee lovers

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I love coffee, I need it to start my day, or else I simply refuse to start my day! It’s the boost of energy, dose of motivation, and rush of serotonin that I need every morning. And, I’m pretty sure that’s the case for most of us. There is a different satisfaction and pleasure in sipping caffeine that you know is the result of your own hard work, something precariously prepared with your own personal touch to it. And if you’re someone who’s chasing that feeling, then a unique, innovative, and interactive coffee machine is all you need, and ninety-five percent of the battle is won (the other five percent is you setting aside your laziness and actually operating the machine)! From a warm and gentle capsule coffee machine to a speaker-like portable coffee machine for coffee on the go – this collection of super cool and easy-to-use coffee machines will start you off on your coffee brewing journey. Cheers!

1. The Woolly Capsule Coffee Machine

The Woolly capsule coffee machine concept radiates a sense of softness and approachability and has a rather adorable appeal to it. It consists of very few straight lines and a muted color palette that heavily avoids black and reds.

Why is it noteworthy?

The coffee machine consists of wooden panels and metallic accents that contrast interestingly against the textured plastic surface of the body, creating a unique composition that is appealing to the eyes.

What we like

  • Soft and friendly aesthetic, unlike the typical daunting coffee machines we come across
  • Features embedded touch-sensitive buttons on the panel that take interaction to the next level

What we dislike

  • A wooden body and coffee-stained fingers may disrupt the aesthetics of the machine

2. The Breeze Coffee Machine

Designed for the South Korean coffee brand Dongsuh, the Breeze coffee machine is a capsule coffee machine with a twist. It has a refreshing soft color palette with white, charcoal, and pink variants to represent a gentler personality.

Why is it noteworthy?

The coffee machine features a ridged surface wrapped around the base, which contrasts with the smoother texture of the head. The tall water tank at the back complements the subdued hues of the machine, sending across a message of calm.

What we like

  • The design includes a more tactile interface to operate the machine, using clearly marked LED-backlit buttons at the top of the head

What we dislike

  • It’s a capsule-based coffee machine but there is no knowledge shared on how to make the process reduce wastage or make it more sustainable

3. POCO

POCO: Portable capsule coffee machine is a compact and lightweight device that you can slide with ease into your back or backpack along with the required coffee pods. It’s the perfect coffee maker on the go for coffee lovers!

Why is it noteworthy?

It’s rechargeable using a USB-C: You can charge it on the go using your laptop or a portable charger. This makes it an ideal device for people who are always on the move.

What we like

  • Features a built-in thermal insulation function
  • Allows you to enjoy coffee anytime and anywhere

What we dislike

  • Since it’s a concept we don’t know how functional and credible it will be as an actual product

4. The CJ

Espresso machine manufacturer Moak commissioned the Italian industrial designer Odo Fioravanti to design an eye-catching machine that is minimal, modernist, and brutalist

Why is it noteworthy?

Called the CJ (Coffee Jockey), the coffee machine includes various geometric shapes that have been bundled up together to create a design that is simple and beautiful. It has a soft pastel color which imparts the espresso machine with a classy and refined look.

What we like

  • You can actually put two coffee cups in front and get two sizable espresso shots out of one process

What we dislike

  • The design is for Moak and promises a new coffee blend and capsule system that is not shown yet, so we cannot speak on its functionality

5. Muuto

Designed by PDF Haus, Muuto is a minimalist matte coffee maker built from ceramic steel, that can be operated and used with the click of a single button.

Why is it noteworthy?

This minimalist coffee maker has a simple, no-frills design. It is intuitive by design and features a single button to kickstart the entire operation. The button is an easy-click power key placed on Muuto’s main rounded chamber. A tiny LED light can be found just above the main power switch and indicates three different signals to users: on, off, and fill.

What we like

  • A no-frills coffee machine that is perfect for modern kitchens
  • Intuitive and easy-to-use

What we dislike

  • Overall a bulky piece that needs a sizeable real estate on your kitchen coutertop

The post Top 5 sleek coffee machines for diehard coffee lovers first appeared on Yanko Design.

Man Creates Marble Dropper With 1 Millisecond Accuracy

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Creating marble machines that produce music when the balls hit objects, Martin Molin of the band Wintergatan (which I’m pretty sure is just him and his machine) knows precision ball-dropping is of utmost importance. So he developed this ball gate that can release his musical marbles with a standard timing deviation of just 1.46 milliseconds. That’s 1.46 thousandths of a second, or, in layman’s time, pretty damn accurate.

In the video, Martin demonstrates what 1.46 milliseconds sounds like to the naked ear, then delayed 10, 20, and 50ms until you can actually detect a noticeable difference. So yeah, it’s safe to say the machine drops those balls when it’s supposed to. Below is a video of the sort of insane machine Martin needs, such a precision marble-dropping gate to power.

Hey, everybody needs a hobby. And if your hobby happens to make beautiful music, all the better. But if your hobby happens to make a bunch of deafening noise in the garage and start the occasional fire, well, welcome to my life. My wife says I should take up reading or painting instead of trying to build a rocket.

[via hackaday]

Countertop Saltwater Taffy Puller: Candy for Days

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Saltwater taffy: it’s the sort of candy most people can have a few pieces of at the beach, then be perfectly content until their next beach trip. But maybe you’re one of the few who can’t get enough of it. Maybe you love it so much you need to make it at home. Well, for you, there’s the countertop Chef’n Sweet Spot Saltwater Taffy Maker (affiliate link). Just please, if you are going to buy one, make sure your health insurance includes comprehensive dental coverage.

The tabletop taffy maker features two rotating hooks for pulling the taffy after you’ve made the soft candy. Of course, you don’t need a taffy puller to pull taffy, you can do it by hand like I did when I was a kid, but you do risk dropping it on the floor and making a whole batch of dog hair candy like I did.

The hooks are removable for cleaning and storage, and the whole thing folds down to just the width of the gearbox, so it takes up very little space when not in use. Certainly a handy feature for storing the unit after the one time most people will ever use it.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Platypus Coffee Machine ready to cheer you up every morning

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Platypus Streamline Style Coffee Machine Images

This coffee machine concept will probably remind you of Perry the Platypus. Perry who? He’s the fictional platypus from the animated series ‘Phineas and Ferb.’ The younger generation may be quick to identify the character but don’t fret if you don’t recognize him; perhaps after having a cup of coffee, you will remember.

The Platypus Coffee Machine is yet another quirky-designed kitchen appliance that can make you start the day right. Our life cannot be perfect, but coffee can be, and the Platypus will do it right for you. The streamlined style of the coffee maker starts with solid lines that make it stand out from the other coffee machines available in the market.

Designer: Hao-Xuan Lu

Platypus Streamline Style Coffee Machine

Platypus Streamline Style Coffee Machine Design

The inspiration isn’t just the platypus but also dolphins, as evident in the curves. Some will even say it reminds them of penguins because of the same curves and snout, especially when you view it from the back. The choice of sapphire (although it looks teal to me) as color makes it another fun device that can make your kitchen countertop or coffee area cheerful. It is also an elegant addition as made possible by the glossy, mirror-like finish. The Ferrari red accent and the silver details add the perfect contrast.

The Platypus Coffee Machine is easy to maintain with the catch pan to store used grounds. It’s easy to operate, too, as you only need to set up the heat. After use, there are fans that can dry the grounds quickly. There are three air vents on the rear that help keep the machine cool when not in use.

Platypus Streamline Style Coffee Machine Features

The Platypus Coffee Machine’s design development process was realistic as the designer came up with an actual model by printing the body. Then, the surface was painted layer by layer to achieve that glossy finish. And with the power of photography, the product model looked every bit like a professional appliance.

The coffee machine’s main features include the main body and the catch pan. The latter comes with an air vent, plus an upper cap. The body is where the water tank is and where you will see the brewing buttons, steam knob, and a milk frother. The snout portion is where coffee is brewed, always ready to make several cups of coffee for you.

Platypus Streamline Style Coffee Machine Release

Platypus Streamline Style Coffee Machine Details

The Platypus Coffee Machine looks ready to be taken into production. It’s only a concept product by a Taiwanese design student. Hao-Xuan Lu focuses on design research and developing product design. He aims to combine research insight with aesthetic features in his work. He believes exploring the unknown fields of products, services, and interaction is vital for designers to achieve a successful design.

Platypus Streamline Style Coffee Machine Concept

Platypus Streamline Style Coffee Machine Specs

The post Platypus Coffee Machine ready to cheer you up every morning first appeared on Yanko Design.

LEGO Mega Factory Builds a Log Cabin Out of Cucumbers

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Move over, gingerbread houses, because this LEGO Mega Factory built by YouTuber The Brick Wall is capable of constructing an entire log cabin out of cucumbers, which will henceforth be known as a cuke cabin. The massive LEGO factory took 83 days of planning and construction, and consists of 23,000+ pieces, 21 motors, and 7 controllers, and has a footprint of 64″x 44″ x 22″. Obviously, it’s a little more complicated than the minifig I just assembled with two heads for legs.

In the video, the LEGO factory cuts 18 cucumbers to size, mills the vegetables, cuts notches for stacking, cuts cucumbers for doors and windows and roofing planks, then assembles the entire home, complete with drilling holes and securing draft pins (wooden skewers) to keep the logs in place. It then builds a fence and playground around the home. It probably goes without saying, but that cabin is even nicer than my current apartment.

And I thought assembling any LEGO set without dozens of extra pieces was an accomplishment, meanwhile, this guy went and build a whole automated cucumber cabin factory! Now he just needs to build a LEGO factory that can build LEGO cucumber cabin building factories, and this project will finally meet its logical conclusion.

This handheld composting machine works just like a coffee-grinder, turning waste into nutrient-rich pulp!

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No, this doesn’t mean your coffee-bean grinder can help you make compost!

The ReGreen is a nifty little handheld device that’s designed to speed up the composting process by entire weeks. Working almost like a handheld version of your waste-disposal machine, the ReGreen lets you manually crush and pulverize your waste into smaller bits that are much easier to biodegrade.

The grinder-shaped device is made entirely out of aluminum, allowing it to easily cut through waste while resisting rot/corrosion, and being easy to clean. Waste goes into the ReGreen through the opening on the top, and a rotating arm lets you gently and effectively pulverize the waste into manageable pieces, while water drips out of the base, drying out your compost. A sachet of enzymes are then introduced into the ReGreen before shutting the lid. The enzymes accelerate the composting process by giving the microorganisms the food they need to break down the organic waste into nutrient-rich dry-compost in a matter of weeks – as opposed to the months it usually takes for waste to turn into compost. Once a composting cycle is complete, the ReGreen can easily be rinsed under running water and cleaned with soap!

The ReGreen Tiny Compost Machine is a winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2020.

Designer: Shihcheng Chen

An Automated LEGO Gift-Wrapping Machine: Move Over, Gift Bags

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Because wrapping gifts is hard work but building incredibly complicated LEGO machines is a piece of cake, YouTubers TheBrickWall constructed this ‘LEGO Wrapping Factory,’ an automated gift wrapping station built entirely out of LEGO. The machine is capable of scanning a package to determine its dimensions, then cut, wrap and tape the gift in a manner that can only be described as way better than I could ever do.

It’s hard for me to even fathom the amount of ingenuity that goes into a LEGO build like this. I mean I can barely follow the instructions that come with a regular LEGO set, and this doesn’t even come with instructions – you have to figure the whole thing out on your own. For reference, the last time I built a piece of IKEA furniture I had a handful of bolts and an extra leg left over at the end.

Sure, you could build a complicated LEGO machine to do all your gift wrapping for you, or you could wrap presents the same way I’ve been doing for years: kindly asking your mom to do it for you. And if she’s unavailable there’s always plan B: keeping the gift for yourself.

[via Laughing Squid]

Twisting Steel with LEGO Motors

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LEGO bricks are some of the most awesome things on earth. They’re incredibly versatile for building all kinds of structures, and you can make some pretty impressive machines with them when you combine them with Technic and Mindstorms parts. I’ve always assumed that LEGO motors and gears aren’t particularly strong, but it turns out with the proper engineering, you can use them to bend and twist steel.

Brick Experiment Channel loves to create LEGO machines that show off their strength. He recently built a rig that uses a pair of LEGO Power Functions XL motors along with a number of gears to reduce their speed and increase their torque output. The result is a machine that that outputs 15 Newton meters (~11 lb-ft.) of torque, and is capable of taking a stainless steel axle and twisting it like a drill bit (or a Twizzler).

The builder’s ultimate goal was to see if he could actually break the steel rod before the LEGO parts would fail. By twisting the metal back and forth numerous times, he was ultimately able to introduce enough metal fatigue to to make the axle crack. It’s pretty amazing that this is possible, and looks like a fun science experiment for LEGO fans to try and replicate at home.