Tag Archives: Medical/Hygiene

These 3D printed needle covers were designed to put children at ease during vaccinations!

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Needles can be scary and I am saying that as an adult, so I can only imagine the fear children must feel. Post the pandemic, there is no choice but to face the fear of needles if you want to stay safe. To make it easier for children to conquer their fears, designer James Dickson created playful needle covers that can help make the entire process of getting vaccinations less daunting.

The children’s needle covers aim to reduce the fear of vaccination by hiding the needle within a form that a child is familiar with. Playful forms such as a plane or butterfly are universal, simple, and engaging for children. The medical professional can simply slide the cover over the needle and proceed with the vaccination. This is not just something that is meant for use during the pandemic but can be a continued use to administer medication through needles whenever required. This could brighten the day for many children who are patients in hospitals and have to stay for a while or even generally for those in the pediatric ward. Needle covers like these make the experience and atmosphere a little less dreary in all clinics and hospitals.

“For the prototyping of the Children’s Needle Covers, I opted for 3D printing with spray paint applied to give the desired color. This is not a final product but a prototype to show the intended form, function, and aesthetics of the Needle Covers,” says Dickson. He started with hand sketches, then moved onto creating small cardboard prototypes, followed by digital 3D modelling. After the CAD was finalized the design was 3D printed and spray painted. Medical professionals can even offer the cover to the child to take back home as a memento and after safely disposing the syringe. I vote for Dickson to create Avengers-themed needle covers next!

Designer: James Dickson

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Face Masks are not going anywhere, so this mask is built with an opening for drinking liquids safely during travel

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Wearing face masks in airports and airplanes can get uncomfortable, especially if your trip is a long one. It can become difficult to breathe, there’s no eating or drinking, and it gets pretty sweaty under there. After traveling forty hours from the United States back to China, designer Ruitao Li developed the Umai Facemask, a silicone face covering with a breathing valve, air filter, and small mouthpiece slot that can be used to eat and drink while wearing the mask.

While we haven’t entered a post-COVID era yet, we are seeing a small light at the end of the tunnel. Rounding the corner, many restaurants and bars are opening back up to the public around the world. However, with new variants causing hot spots and surges all over the world, masks are still as necessary as ever. The Umai Facemask comes as a set, including the silicone face mask as well as a water bottle with a soft, bendable straw that fits into the mask’s mouthpiece slot.

Users can fill their bottles with their preferred beverages and say goodbye to airplane dry mouths. The removable straw can even be swapped from Umai’s water bottle and used to drink from another one. Umai Facemask’s breathing valve and air filter also make wearing a face mask feel a little more comfortable. Powered up with a type-c charge, the air filter ensures that the air you’re breathing in is clean and fresh, while the breathing valve circulates the air inside the mask to avoid the damp humidity that comes with conventional face masks.

Not eating and drinking while wearing a facemask has to be the hardest thing about traveling nowadays‒who doesn’t love airplane food? Designed to make the experience of modern travel feel a little more relaxed, the Umai Facemask doesn’t compromise the face mask’s primary purpose of keeping viruses and bacteria at bay, it enhances it. With adjustable aluminum nose pieces, hypoallergenic silicone covering, and several air filters, the Umai Facemask ensures comfort and safety.

Designer: Ruitao Li

Complete with a mouthpiece for eating and drinking, the Umai Facemask was designed to make modern travel more comfortable.

Constructed from hypoallergenic silicone, the Umai Facemask doesn’t cause acne or oily skin.

Traveling during the COVID-19 era requires a lot of caution, which can get uncomfortable.

Ruitao Li aimed to make a comfortable and safe face mask for the modern age.

Umai comes as a set, including the face mask, water bottle and bendable straw, and a type-c charger for the air filters.

Ruitao Li found that the most comfortable material for their face mask was silicone.

Medical professionals can also enjoy the benefits of eating and drinking while wearing a face mask.

The soft, bendable straw can be used for any water bottle as it is detachable.

Stocked with plenty of air filters and breathing valves, the Umai Facemask provides plenty of clean air to breathe.

Engineer designed and built his own functioning mechanical prosthetic hand and it looks like a steampunk beauty!

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It looks like equal parts Iron Man and the Winter Soldier, and it makes really cool whirring and clicking noises too!

Most people look to 2019 with a certain fondness and nostalgia, but the year proved quite difficult for Ian Davis. Not only did he lose 4 of his fingers in a freak workshop accident, but he was also diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, an aggressive type of cancer. To add figurative salt to his wounds, Davis found out his medical insurance didn’t cover costs for a prosthetic hand because ‘he only lost his fingers and not his entire hand’. Determined not to be shaken by this strange detour life forced him to take, and also empowered by his sheer willpower to keep creating, Davis decided to build a prosthetic of his own.

Relying on his professional knowledge as a mechanical engineer, and taking to 3D printing, Ian embarked on a journey to rebuild his hand and his life. “Being a maker, it was a tough deal,” Ian said as he had to use his hand for everything. Davis even documented the entire process on his YouTube channel through a series of videos that show assemblies, versions, updates, and upgrades. In his latest upgrade, Davis demonstrates the prosthetic’s ability to splay (or spread out) the mechanical fingers… something he says is very rare, if not entirely absent, in commercial prosthetics. The fact that the entire prosthetic limb is engineered from scratch gave Davis the ability to repair and augment his creation, something he wouldn’t be able to do with complex, commercially manufactured prosthetic limbs… especially given America’s strict laws against the “Right To Repair”.

What’s really noteworthy about Davis’ creation is that it’s entirely mechanical and doesn’t rely on electronic components, software, and batteries. In a Reddit thread, he mentions that the mechanical hand has many obvious benefits over an electronic one. For starters, it doesn’t need charging (and conversely never runs out of charge either), but it’s also MUCH faster than electronic limbs. It takes an average of 0.2 seconds to open or close the fist, as opposed to electronic prosthetics that can take 10 times longer. Let’s also state the fairly obvious in that it even looks absolutely INSANE, with the steampunk metal digits and the tiny #15 industrial chain running through them… as well as the whirring and clicking sounds they make as they move.

It’s a relentless process of trial, error, and improvement for Ian Davis. He started working on the concept back in July of 2019, and slowly and surely built new features into his hand to make it better, with the latest addition being the splaying function. Moving forward, Ian also plans to implement an Arduino with a display to gain individual control of the fingers and some servo motors to advance the design.

“My end goal is to get picked up by one of the major prosthetic manufacturers and design hands for them in their R&D department, creating real-world solutions for partial hand amputees. Durable products that you can take to work and actually get jobs done with. Allowing people to get back to their lives, doing things that they loved before the time of their life-changing accidents”, Ian says.

Designer: Ian Davis

Ever felt uncomfortable touching a public sanitizer bottle? This hands-free spray is perfect for homes, gyms, and hospitals

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I remember in the wee days of the pandemic (when we all were a little more paranoid than we are right now) feeling rather weird about using my sanitizer bottle. If my hands did, in fact, have germs, wouldn’t they just get on the bottle then? And the next time I end up touching the bottle, I’ve got germs on my hands all over again. That weirdly ominous feeling was compounded even further when I had to use public sanitizer-dispensers outside malls, supermarkets, clinics, and residential buildings. It’s been a year, the pandemic’s still not completely retreated, and sanitizers are still a pretty common thing when you’re stepping out or in… the one thing that’s changed is the fact that you don’t need to touch that sanitizer bottle anymore.

The EZSANI is a clever little spray-head that attaches onto a bottle of sanitizer and turns it into a contact-less one. Armed with a motion-sensor that can detect when there’s a surface in front of it, the EZSANI begins spraying, helping sanitize hands, objects, and foreign surfaces. Designed to work with any sanitizer liquid you’ve got, the spray-head attaches onto a portable bottle that fits in your pocket or mounts on your bag, and a larger bottle that sits on countertops or against walls.

Designer: SL Innovation

Click Here to Buy Now: $31 $63 (51% off).

The two bottle sizes and the multiple carrying/mounting options make the EZSANI perfect for personal, domestic, and commercial use. The smaller 35ml container is perfect for traveling with. You can stash it in your pocket or backpack (just switch the sensor off before you do) and use it as a conventional sanitizer.

If you really want to unlock the hands-free function, the mounting options let you attach it to the outside of your bag (so you can just momentarily place your palms in front of the bag to sanitize them), on your pocket, or even in your car. The motion sensor waits for 2-3 seconds to register your hand (to prevent accidental swipes and sprays), and in the event that the sensor gets blocked by a surface (if you accidentally chuck it in your bag or your pocket), it doesn’t spray more than once.

The EZSANI comes with a larger 600ml bottle too. Sporting a conical design and a broader base, the bottle’s perfect for keeping on counters or even mounting against the wall, for public or personal use. The smart spray-head simply twists on and off to attach to the smaller or larger bottle, and holds enough charge to work for 5 full days with frequent use. The EZSANI’s spray nozzle works with any type of sanitizer formula. An atomizer sprays a fine, uniform mist over your hand or a surface, efficiently sanitizing a large area without wasting any liquid.

The spray works on your hands, but can also be used as a hand-held spray gun to sanitize surfaces at hospitals, gyms, residences, or offices. The smart spray-head comes with a nifty USB-C charging port that lets you juice EZSANI’s internal 500mAh battery, and you can just keep refilling the bottle with whatever sanitizer you have on you, saving money in the long run while keeping the germs and viruses at bay!

Click Here to Buy Now: $31 $63 (51% off). Hurry, for a limited time only!

Medical innovations designed to boost and transform modern day healthcare!

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2020-21 has ingrained in me an age-old adage my mom loves to quote – health is wealth. Focus on our healthcare and the strain on our healthcare system has increased exponentially this year. While the world altogether has jumped up to help improve our healthcare systems, what can truly help is improved preventive methods, devices that help the patients monitor their health from home as well as to stay in touch with their doctors virtually while providing accurate data. The best example of the data’s impact is how an Apple Watch helped saved a man’s life by detecting problems with his heartbeat – and this is just the beginning. The products here show the best of healthcare we can provide to make this world a better place!

Literally, the size of a quarter, Adam Miklosi’s Dab is an unobtrusive Holter ECG/EKG that rests comfortably on your chest, constantly reading your heart’s movements. Designed to be minimal, non-invasive, and simple, the Dab tries to bridge the gap between medical appliances and wearables. Its tiny yet classy design sits on your chest via a gel patch, while the electrodes capture your heart activity. The Dab’s dry-electrodes allow it to be used and reused, while constantly measure one’s heart activity (requiring periodic charging via their wireless charging hub), and keep logs of accurate readings, quietly sitting on your chest while you absolutely forget that they’re even there in the first place!

MIT scientist Yoel Fink has worked on developing smart fabrics for longer than a decade. In 2010, Fink and some of his colleagues produced fibers that could detect audio. A first for smart fabric developments, the fiber could be woven into a fabric, which transformed it into a needle-thin, working microphone. Today, the team of scientists continues work on spinning fibers into the smart fabric but moves past analog capabilities towards a digital future, weaving fibers that carry continuous electrical signals into a piece of wearable smart fabric. Published in a Nature Communications academic journal, Fink’s research suggests that the fibers carrying electrical signals could be woven into the wearable smart fabric for “applications in physiological monitoring, human-computer interfaces, and on-body machine-learning.”





While we can’t control accidents, we can be better prepared for them, and SCALED is a project from RCA aimed at doing exactly that – protecting and healing you to improve the quality of life to keep pace with longevity. This could be the next generation of casts that merge protection, healing, and mobility into one superhero-like wearable! Research shows that human joint injuries are often recurrent and likely to cause long-term immobility. Designer Natalie Kerres then looked at nature for inspiration to come up with a solution and zeroed down on animals that physically protected from threats by skin, shells, or scales. She wanted to design a product that mimicked the natural protection and healing while allowing flexibility – that is how SCALED was born. “The geometry of animal scales has changed through the process of evolution according to environmental parameters which are critical for survival. A scale structure is capable of impact force distribution and, moreover, is flexible in one direction and limiting/interlocking in another,” she explains.





Shuai decided to create a medical design solution for this country that could make CPR, the most helpful and effective implementation to save cardiac arrest victims, a more accessible service. That is how CANNE came to be! It raises the survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by addressing the local, societal and cultural needs. He found out that implementation of CPR is extremely low, only 4.5% in large and medium-sized cities in China while a country like Sweden has a rate of 46-73%. He wanted his project to provide a flexible and efficient self-directed CPR learning solution to encourage more people to learn and improve their life-saving skills. CANNE addresses the problem of people not having the motivation to join a CPR course because of fewer opportunities, fewer interests, high cost, fast-paced lifestyle, and less awareness. CPR training also requires mannequins which are expensive and given the population of China, teaching cost is a big factor to keep in mind. The less qualified full-time instructors, short supply, and overworked skilled physicians were other significant barriers that were uncovered during research.





A conventional syringe, those plastic tubes with the string-thin steel needle, requires the use of five different materials for construction including steel, polyethylene, rubber, resin, glue, and thermal dye. To make the construction process less laborious and costly, Helix is constructed from a single material: FlexiOH UV, a heat-curable type of silicone. To maintain Helix’s collapsible parts’ flexibility and the needle’s rigidity, the designers employed thermal-curing, a temperature-induced hardening process.

The Bend is a medical finger-splint with a revolutionary design. Finger bone fractures can be painful, however dislocations of bones isn’t just about pain, if not treated well, you could lose functionality of that finger for life. The bend makes use of a polymer’s tensile strength, and clever design to provide a medical solution that is not just effective, it’s non-invasive too. Deviating from current medical procedures that require surgery, the Bend just needs a long fingernail. A piece of thread is tied to the fingernail at one end, and the Bend splint at the other. The string is then wound around the splint, so that the finger is pulled into shape again, allowing the bones to align properly. The bend even allows for finger movement, letting the patient heal as well as recover from the injury as quick as possible!

The Medisight aims to solve this comfort issue and improve on existing PPE options for a post-pandemic world. Unlike a standard surgical mask, this product allows for continual airflow behind the face cover, so the user isn’t trapped breathing the same stale air. For added comfort, the Medisight’s frame wraps around the head, staying secure with minimal face contact. The clear shield also lets patients see the user’s face, helping them form a more personal connection. It is also helpful for hearing-impaired individuals, who may rely on reading lips to communicate. Additionally, as a small but important bonus: the Medisight is reusable, unlike standard medical masks, which would help reduce medical waste. The designer says, “The plan is to continue the functional study of materials through various experiments. In addition, in order to realize the concept design of medical devices, we would like to contribute to the development of international medical services by conducting joint research through contact with various medical device companies. Through this, the ultimate goal is to provide more convenient products in the medical environment of medical staff.”

Chicago-based startup Cast21, however, has designed a sleeve that fits over any hand. Cast21’s cast takes shape around your hand once it’s filled with a patented gel that hardens over time. Doctors select a sleeve-size based on whether the patient is a child or a fully-grown adult. The sleeve is slipped on, and filled with a patented mixture of resins that become a malleable gel after a while. The doctor can then adjust the gel to perfectly hug the limb, giving it the support it needs. Patients can even choose between gel-colors, opting for combinations and gradients, breaking the stigma that casts need to look horribly clinical. The resins harden through an exothermic reaction, providing soothing heat to the limb as the cast begins to take shape.





The design studio Valkiria has put a lot of time and research into creating the blueprint, and final product of the Mercur Immobilizer Boot M1 leg braces with consultation from existing users of other such braces and health experts who conveyed the problem and the intended solution they would want. In the end, Valkiria managed to come up with a product that is safe, stays consistent in its shape with use, and intended for long-term usage if the rehabilitation period is extended. The form and function of the Boot M1 facilitate the user with both feet fit as it is bilateral – in both longer and shorter versions depending on the need. Also, there are the anatomical plastic nails that reduce the pressure on the calf, and for easy opening and closing, there is the Velcro fastening system. To address the smelling issue, the design studio chooses a breathable material to annihilate the growth of bacteria and keep the heat down.

Taking the evolution of medical surgeries a step further, MIT engineers have crafted an origami-inspired medical patch that can wrap around your internal organs with the utmost ease. This design makes it pretty useful in application to internal injuries or sensitive parts of the internal organs – airways, intestines, or hard-to-reach spaces. Aesthetically speaking, the design appears just like a foldable piece of paper; this patch contacts the tissues and organs. After that, it morphs into a thick gel that stays firmly on the injured area until it heals. The patch is made up of three layers – the top layer is an elastomer film consisting of zwitterionic polymers that become a water-based skin-like barrier. The middle layer is the bio-adhesive hydrogel having the compound NHS esters to form a strong bond with the tissue surface. The bottom layer is made up of silicone oil to prevent it from sticking to the body surface before reaching the intended target.

Top 15 flat-packed designs that reimagine how to ship & store everything from automotive to architecture!

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As the world grows smaller, physically and metaphorically, we need product designs that save space, are easy to store and portable, especially as our lives have become more flexible with remote work taking over. This is why flat-packed designs intrigue me because they check all of these boxes! But when you think “flat-pack”, the only thing that comes to mind is packaging and that is why I wanted to curate a list that showed that pretty much anything can be flat-packed – scooters, tiny homes, electric vehicles, pet shelters, photobooths, furniture, and more. The following list has 15 designs spanning over multiple verticles that showcase just how versatile this design principle can be. These designs not only rank high on space efficiency but also eliminate the usage of heavier space-consuming designs. They are functional, ergonomic, minimal, modular and just outright brilliant!

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It’s worth noticing how the OO Stool does such a great job of combining sustainability along with technology and a pinch of heritage. Made from a single board of bamboo plywood, the stool is CNC machine-cut in a way that integrates every single aspect of the stool into its design. Everything you need to build the OO Stool sits within that flat-packed jigsaw puzzle of bamboo pieces, minimizing waste by using as much negative space as possible. The legs form the outside, while the dual-layered seat of the stool sits on the inside, with the negative space being filled by tiny rectangular pieces that help lock the stool in place, and even a bamboo hammer to help assemble the stool! The OO Stool uses absolutely no glue, screws, or nails… just really smart designing and Japanese joinery techniques.

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How cool would it be if we could roll up our furniture just like we roll up our clothes to save space right? Well, designer Richard Price kind of make it happen by creating Plus+ – a flat-packed furniture system that maximizes living space and minimizes storage space! Plus+ fits your needs and comes with multiple configurations. The flexible furniture system increases its likelihood to adapt by using a snap-together frame with a joint system across the whole range. The modular design can be easily be assembled and upgraded with new features or additional accessories which enables it to grow with your needs or new spaces.

Products can be functionally beneficial and aesthetically beautiful without having to be complicated. Fold Lamp proves just this. Destined for a life within a domestic dining room, the magnesium lamp is elegantly suspended from the ceiling, introducing a gentle glow to the room. However, elegant aesthetics aside, it’s the consideration to the manufacture of the product that makes this project so intriguing. Constructed out of a single piece of magnesium that has been efficiently metal-stamped, Fold Lamp doesn’t require any additional hardware! So, what benefit does this have? Well visually distinctive form aside, in the unfolded orientation, it can significantly reduce shipping expenses from international manufacturers!

Created using merino felt wool and birch wood, the Wool Lodge is a safe haven of sorts for your pet. You can arrange and form the flat-packed structure by yourself easily. The lodge features merino felt roof, with the rest of the structure being made from wood. Defleur’s lodge basically has two functions. Spacious enough to fit your cat’s litter box, the lodge shelters the box within its structure. Your cat can sneak away, and pee or poop in privacy, away from any prying eyes. On the other hand, you can install a soft cushion or mattress instead of a litter box in the lodge. This creates a personal space for your pet, it could be a cat or a doggo on the smaller side! Whenever your pet wants to simply relax and getaway, they can hop into the shelter, safe from any external noises or extreme temperatures.

spinel

This flatpack design unfolds into a layered lamp! Spinel is a hanging light designed to be easily transformed. The main goal was to create a product that didn’t take up too much space and was also sustainable. “Our responsibility as designers is to produce objects that occupy the smallest possible volume. The purpose is to use the least amount of raw material, producing long-lifespan objects that can be easily recycled,” says Guille Cameron. The origami-like form is minimal, elegant, and certainly unique. Unfolding the lamp adds a dynamic layer to the product and the wooden design itself is a warm addition to any space.

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With the Foldio3, tongue-tantalizing photographs are just literally a portfolio case and 10 seconds away. While most traditional photo set-ups comprise a room full of equipment and hours of setting up, the Foldio3’s innovative design puts all of that into a small flat-packed case that can fit right under your arm. Open it out and assemble it using the magnetic locks and you have yourself a studio-grade lightbox for your product photography. On the top of the box are 3 LED strips too, negating the need for those massive bulky studio lights. The Foldio3 comes with two backdrops too, black and white, depending on the kind of shot you need. You can even use your own green backdrop for those green-screen applications.

The Folpen is tinier and more compact than your usual pen, however, what sets it apart are its components. The pen comprises of an ink refill and a plastic sheath. Surrounded by a ribbed plastic sheath, resembling the covers used to protect our iPads and tablets, the refill is enveloped by the sheath, forming the pen’s body. With the sheath folded around the refill, it snuggles comfortably within and only its much-needed nib peeks out. On folding it, the cover forms a triangular flat-packed structure around the refill, creating a pen with an ergonomic form that is easy to hold and operate, as well as to carry around. The end of the cover has been equipped with a magnet, so you simply wrap the folded pen onto a book, and it attaches itself to the book instantly.

This minimal and elegant piece by Annabella Hevesi called the O TRL lets many of us living in tiny spaces enjoy the luxury of having a movable cart. This tray table is a versatile piece of furniture – use it to store your stationery, kitchen knick-knacks, or as a makeshift desk in work from home emergency scene – the pure and minimal aesthetics of this design make it a perfect match everywhere. The trolley has a slim and sleek silhouette and is constructed using a black MDF board, powder-coated steel, and rubber. Do not be fooled by its humble looks; this tray can bear its fair share of weight and move around smoothly, given its large weight-bearing wheels. Sleek, versatile, and fun, this tray table defines the blueprint of what functional furniture design must be like, a 2020 version of Bauhaus, if you will.

Jupe is a portable off-grid shelter that flatpacks so you can pick any spot on the planet and pitch your tent. The futuristic silhouette is inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: Space Odyssey which explains the aluminum pole frame and glowing Firesist fabric exterior which also make it suitable to withstand different climate conditions. Designed by a team of multidisciplinary experts from across the housing, architecture, and engineering industries, including former SpaceX, Tesla, and AirBnB, Jupe is the best in the game. It can be assembled in hours and gives you a 111-square foot space featuring tall ceilings, finished Baltic birch wood floors, a queen bed, and a storage area – think something right in the middle of a tiny home and glamping pod. Mobility is at the core of the design and hence chassis foundation has been created in a way that involves no decking or foundation to be built which makes the shelter adaptable to any terrain, level or not, and leaves the land minimally disturbed.

Höga is a vehicle that adapts IKEA’s winning philosophy of production, packaging, and practical use to give the users a comfortable ride that’s highly functional. This is intertwined with Renault’s advanced mobility platform to create an urban commuter with sustainability in mind. The vehicle’s body is recycled into other products after its lifecycle keeps the waste to a minimum. Design inspiration for the practical commuter comes from the classic Bauhaus principle of clean and purposeful design. The car ships right out of reusable crates to cut on transportation costs, and once it reaches the destination, the containers are reused to ship back broken furniture. Just like IKEA, Höga can be assembled by one person in few hours thanks to its simple LEGO-like attachable frame elements in a perfectly symmetrical design. There are 374 total parts and 114 individual parts, but don’t worry the instructions are easier than those of IKEA!

Switch is designed to make commuting in the city easier and solve the troubles one faces like the frequency of public transport, crowded parking, and poor infrastructure. Currently, you have electric rideshare scooters that are popular in urban settings like Bird, Lime, and Yugo but they come with an added responsibility of parking and crowding the sidewalks. It’s different from its competitors because it is truly portable. The flat-pack mechanism allows you to just fold it up and carry it along even if you’re walking or using a public transport service, you won’t have to worry about loading it and unloading it. It has a sleek build that blends in with your lifestyle and is as easy as carrying a backpack. The scooter comes with a fingerprint-enabled unlock button which is located below the handlebar. One of the coolest features is how the accelerator and brake pedals have been incorporated into the handlebar – it simplifies the user experience and interface!

The Lu chair folds without effort and can be carried around easily. A lot of designs we see are foldable but even after folding not easy to carry around or takes too much time to fold. Made up of plastic, this makes the mechanism work perfectly. As Lu explains, “Many times we find ourselves having to put away objects, perhaps to make room, perhaps to clean the house and sometimes even to take them with us, but above all for furniture of a certain level it is always very difficult. This is where “Lu chair” was born, a dining chair suitable for different types of target, from the most elegant and sophisticated with an eye to detail but also to a younger, fashion-conscious audience. The design is innovative and elegant at the same time and the name “Lu” derives precisely from “luggage” because of its ease of being resealable and transportable wherever you want.”

World’s first paper disposable razor unveiled in Japan! This gives a completely new meaning to the word ‘papercut’! Paper Razor is a sustainable alternative to disposable plastic razors. It is crafted from water-resistant paper like the ones used in milk cartons and it can also withstand temperatures up to 104°F (40°C) in case you like to shave with warm water. The razor weighs 4 gms and only 5 mm thick thanks to its all-paper body with a metal blade-head on top. Designed to be flat-packed, the single-use razor comes completely unfolded and can easily be put together in seconds by folding in the sides and the top to create a rigid, ergonomic razor with a grippy handle. Its origami-inspired design gives it as much strength and maneuverability as a plastic razor while minimizing the use of plastic by as much as 98%. The result? A razor that can be easily flat-packed and shipped, used and then disposed of…safely, of course.

singlemoldchair

Chair 1:1 was born after a rigorous 5 year long design process that gave us a mountable/demountable chair whose every piece was molded in one go. This optimized the mold size, speeded up production, and reduced waste drastically when compared to a traditional chair. “It is sold just as it comes out of the mold, bypassing several steps; it will be the buyer who will complete the process: this is what we call hyper-seriality,” says the designer duo. “When looking at the Chair 1:1, it is inevitable to have a blast from the past, remembering the boxed toy kits. There are no screws nor bolts: assembly is effortless + quick. Mounting an object makes a bond with it and makes you feel its full value; it builds an affection that stops you from getting rid of it.” The fastening elements of the individual parts are made to be easily producible and extremely resistant. It has been designed to be easily stored, shipped, and transported – 26 boxed up chairs take up only 1 square meter which is the key to increasing online sales as well as shipping sustainably!





This cardboard chair is 100% recyclable, biodegradable, and easy to assemble! The MC 205 Cardboard Chair can be flat-packed and requires no tools to put together – something better than puzzles for game night? There were 13 prototypes before the MC 205 was finalized and now the company has released MC 207 which has been tweaked to be more comfortable. The team has also built upon the chair by adding more furniture like couches, tables, and counters made with the same principle. Imagine this but in the shape of the Iron Throne!

A sustainable underground fridge + more product designs to help you lead that zero waste lifestyle!

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Our unhealthy practices and way of living are truly harmful to the environment and have been slowly leading to its deterioration. And the world has been changing (for the worse) because of this. Hence, it is extremely important to live sustainably and consciously and to take care of the environment. Integrating sustainability into our day-to-day lives has become crucial! And we can do this in various ways. Designers and creators are coming up with sustainable alternatives for almost everything! Every product that is necessary and utilized by us in our everyday routine has an eco-friendly alternative to it. Replacing our usual mass-produced designs with these greener options will make a huge difference to the environment and Mother Earth! From a sustainable underground fridge that keeps food chilled naturally, to the world’s first sustainable workstation, we’ve curated a whole collection of sustainable product designs to help you go green!

Cellars have been used across the ages to store food or even act like bunker houses in case of natural disasters. Groundfridge takes that design one step further by adding fresh food refrigeration to the game. The trick used by Groundfridge is by utilizing the natural insulating capacity of the ground and the cooler night air temperatures. The balance of this design allows you to store your vegetables, fruits, cheese, and even wine throughout the year. Ventilating this project uses a fan with a timer that replenishes the cool air during the night. Too hot for comfort? An additional cooler can be used to power it during the hottest summer days. “The Groundfridge is dug in and covered with the excavated soil from its new location. This covering layer of soil is about 1 meter thick and has good insulating properties for the core temperature within the Groundfridge to barely vary. Furthermore, your Groundfridge is fitted with a ventilator.” I can see this system become a sustainable alternative in family housing societies trying to adopt a more eco-friendly style of living.

The Everloop Toothbrush from NOS tackles this problem head-on by using a recycled plastic handle and disposable bamboo bristles. Taking on a unique cradle-to-cradle approach, the brush comes with a plastic handle that is, in fact, made from recycled toothbrushes. At the very end is a clamping mechanism that allows you to attach 100% natural bamboo bristles to the toothbrush’s head. The idea is to retain the plastic handle and periodically replace the bamboo bristles every few months. The bamboo bristles have absolutely no plastic in them, allowing them to easily be disposed of, or composted in a way that doesn’t harm the environment.

Oquari is a biodegradable razor with comes with interchangeable heads that aim to provide a sustainable alternative that can help reduce the burden on the environment. The razor is made with PBS Bionelle as well as stainless steel blades as part of a regenerative approach and it degrades in aquatic environments. Its design is specifically geared at reducing manufacturing processes and facilitate the separation of its elements at the end of its life so that it becomes an accessible, attractive, and economical product without being recognized as “disposable” which the team refers to as  ‘monstrous hybrid’ – a term coined by

Inspired to create a standing fan that’s not white, plastic, and likely to end up on the sidewalk come September, design group Ttato built Aura. Minimal by conscious design, Aura’s build was stripped down to its bare components: cage, propeller, base, and motor. Built to be a home appliance that can be used throughout the year, Aura was specifically built for optimal functionality. Constructed with materials that were selected for their sustainability, durability, and beauty, Aura exudes a sophisticated air and follows that through with detailed functionality. Aura’s rotor blades, for instance, were formed from the overlaying and bending of birch and ash veneers, lengthening the rotor blades’ lifespan while celebrating the craft of woodworkers.

Pith & Stem describes its sustainable DropTop workstation as fully integrated and plug-and-play ready, meaning that it comes kitted out with a pair of 24-inch full-HD monitors and USB/USB-C cables for charging and connecting to Windows and Mac laptops. Beneath these monitors are two storage areas for said laptops or other odds and ends. The workstation itself is made from thick birch plywood that can be finished in either black or white satin, with the front folding down to form a desk measuring 120 x 60 cm (47 x 24 in) that is held in place by custom hinges, which appear to be rather strong.

Made from wheat husk for its base and PHA for the lid, Reuse serves as a fully compostable food container that not only amplifies our experience consuming takeout food but creates a conversation around our high-consumption habits and the negative effect they have on our environment. Wheat husk and PHA, a bacteria-based composite that works like a natural plastic derived from organic materials, can both be composted as food waste, without additional industrial-level composting facilities.

Nuclée is a lamp created from discarded banana flesh and it is….truly bananas! The minimal lamp puts the sustainable material front and center with a bamboo circle around it to highlight it. Banana fibers from the plantations are usually considered as waste after the traditional extraction process and cast aside. However, the designers were intrigued by this. material and found it fascinating when working with a lighting design concept. After empirical research, they succeeded in stabilizing the plant tissue using a particular refining technique and after applying different pressure as well as heat parameters. This new material is highlighted by shapes of bent bamboo, inspired by the internal structure of the banana tree stem and that is how the form of Nuclée mood lights came to be.

Switch is an award-winning toothbrush design with sustainability at its core. It allows you to replace only the brush head and keep the long-lasting metal handle. Manually replace the head by simply twisting the top of the toothbrush to remove and replace the head with a range of options. Switch is produced from recycled materials and the first of its kind available for mass production so it can make an impact quickly when distributed in the market. The design was one of the Red Dot Design Awards 2021 winners as well as a part of the iF Design Awards 2021. The bristles change color indicating that the head needs to be changed and ensuring effective cleaning.

CANNE addresses the problem of people not having the motivation to join a CPR course because of fewer opportunities, fewer interests, high cost, fast-paced lifestyle, and less awareness. CPR training also requires mannequins which are expensive and given the population of China, teaching cost is a big factor to keep in mind. The less qualified full-time instructors, short supply, and overworked skilled physicians were other significant barriers that were uncovered during research. CANNE addresses these problems with its cost-effective, sustainable, and easily accessible design. It provides a self-directed CPR learning experience for every citizen and can be broken down into two parts – a corrugated cardboard Basic Life Support (BLS) learning kit and a BLS self-directed smartphone app.

Eunsang Lee has designed 5A1, a modular, infinity room divider that can be endlessly reconfigured to extend the product’s life cycle. Feeling a sense of responsibility as a designer to create more sustainable products, Eunsang Lee turned to room dividers to reinterpret the classic piece of furniture. Today, new products are typically made from materials with short life cycles, leading to more consumption and waste. Constructed from responsibly sourced and sustainable materials like wood and steel, 5A1 is a minimal room divider, formed by hanging steel cables where steel and wooden modules can be attached and configured to hang clothes, mirrors, or even plants. Inspired by the act of communication between people, the 5A1 room divider comes with modules that can be attached, forming infinite configurations and a multifunctional piece of home decor.

This washing machine tilts open so no need to bend and makes doing laundry super easy!

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Did you know that automatic washing machines can’t be placed vertically like dryers even though that setup is trending in new apartment layouts? Placing them vertically makes it difficult to use in areas with limited floor space. So to solve this functional interior design problem, Hyun Yeol Shin designed Tilt, a washing machine that can be installed freely (horizontally and vertically) and the best part is how the laundry tank tilts towards you so no more crazy bending or squatting!

Tilt’s innovative design makes it easier to put in and remove laundry out, especially for those who may already suffer from aches, pains, or minor mobility issues that make laundry more difficult than it should be. Drum washing machines are inconvenient and with Tilt, you can have washing performance of automatic washing machines, shorter washing time than drums, cleaner washing machines due to contamination, and it can be arranged vertically! Tilt can be set up in the same environment as the dryer due to narrow laundry rooms are no more a problem and neither is moving around to do laundry.

It definitely makes it easier for pregnant women and for younger kids to get involved in helping out without having to use tongs to take the laundry out. The tilting mechanism of the door makes it easy for anyone to do laundry. It maximizes space utilization and the replaceable panel design allows you to choose based on your space. I am a personal fan because there have been multiple incidents where I have squatted down to take the laundry out to put it in the dryer above and hit my head on the dryer’s door in the process – thanks to design’s like Tilt, I’ll save space, won’t have to bend and my head will remain bump-free!

Designer: Hyun Yeol Shin

Product designs to help you return to office + boost work productivity in the new normal!

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Offices are slowly opening up, and people are returning to their everyday work routines. Though the world may be returning to normalcy, it’s still important to take the necessary precautions and always be careful! And you may need a few products to help you with that. So, we’ve put together a collection of product designs to help you prepare for your return to the office while taking into consideration that there is a whole new normal now. From sanitizing devices to air-sealed work pods, and even quirky office stationeries, this range of office gear will help you rehabilitate into your work environment as effortlessly and safely as possible!

Just like working from home brought to light issues we didn’t have, working in the office during or after a pandemic will have its own set of new issues and that is what designers are aiming to solve with concepts with Qworkntine. The non-essential companies have to open up at some point to keep the economy (and our income) running. Qworkntine is an air-tight pod system that wants to make working in offices safe while we figure out long-term solutions. It protects the employees and can make it easy to monitor how many employees are in per square meter of the space – it also makes contact tracing convenient in larger offices. Its hexagonal shape lets companies arrange it in any format to suit their physical office – it is like assembling a beehive to keep all the bees healthy and happy! It can be customized to fit right-angled corners and can be elongated as per the needs.

We’ve featured external SSDs on this website before, but the Cléxi is something completely new. Perhaps one of the first SSDs to take encryption and security incredibly seriously, Cléxi uses a 2-factor authentication system to grant you access to the drive’s data. Once enabled, the security measures require two steps to let you access your files. First, you need to tap your phone on the Cléxi, which then sends a prompt to your phone to scan your face. Once the Cléxi knows it’s you accessing your files, it automatically unlocks for you, protecting your data from being accessed or copied by anyone… and that’s just the first step in Cléxi’s multi-pronged approach to protect your files.

Meet the Hygiene Hand, a Captain Hook-inspired piece of EDC that lets you interact with the world without, well, physically interacting with it. Machined from a brass billet, which is known to possess anti-microbial properties, the Hygiene Hand acts as a keychain that you can use to push, pull, and generally maneuver objects without actually touching them. Designed by a retired New York paramedic, the Hygiene Hand is what you get when Everyday Carry meets Personal Protective Equipment.

Ukrainian product designer Julia Kononenko created the ‘Eco Pot’, an intriguing little product that organizes your desk and adds a pop of green to it! The multipurpose desk accessory is basically a flower pot with an integrated pen holder. Divided into two sections, the smaller square-shaped section has been reserved to store your pens and pencils. Whereas the elevated larger section functions as a planter. Add a succulent or two and watch your desk bloom! Crafted from elmwood, Eco Pot is also lined with glass vessels, to ensure that neither the water nor soil damage the wood structure. The glass cover also helps to keep your desk dust-free even if the plants haven’t been planted.

You may remember Wool & Oak from their past Kickstarter campaigns, including the wildly successful 6-in-1 Duffle that introduced modularity to travel cases. Their latest campaign, The ALL DAY BAG, brings that very same level of problem-solving and pragmatism to a product that’s clearly plagued with problems. By redesigning the core UX of the woman’s handbag, The ALL DAY BAG gives women the ability to do more and carry more, with the freedom of being able to wear their handbag the way they see fit. The ALL DAY BAG is essentially a well-designed backpack in the avatar of a woman’s handbag. It functions as a tote, backpack, and office purse!

It’s a wireless charger, but it’s better than a wireless charger. Cell by Ampere works as a dock as well as a UV sterilization chamber for your belongings. It’s a weirdly relevant combination of features but believe me, Cell does a great job of being multifunctional but still being sensible. Every feature and use-case is well thought out, making it just the most conveniently handy accessory to have on you. Here, let me explain. Cell by Ampere comes with a collapsible design that houses 2 wireless charging coils on the top, and UV-C LEDs on the base. Place your phone on top, and it fast-charges without wires, however, collapse the silicon rim around the sides and the base becomes a UV chamber, allowing you to sterilize your phone, watch, earphones, keys, or any EDC in mere minutes.

The Memo Roll is shaped like a teardrop, and to understand its functionality, I guess it’s best to compare it to a tape dispenser. It’s basically a tape dispenser…for Post-It or memo notes! You simply tug out a note as needed, scrawl down whatever you need to remember, and stick it onto your desk or bulletin board. No more scrounging around for your memo notepad, while you struggle to jot down crucial details. You can place your Memo Roll conveniently onto your work desk, providing you with easy access to the notes. You surely won’t miss its cute quirky form.

Relying on a process that turns regular tap water into Electrolysed (EO) water, the IOON spray gives you an instant, effective, non-toxic sanitizer that you can spray on everything from your hands to door-handles, and from elevator buttons to cutlery (and even food!) When electrolyzed or ionized, water breaks down into a solution of hypochlorous acid and sodium hydroxide, which acts as a remarkable detergent and disinfectant, instantly killing bacteria, cleansing off harmful chemicals from food, purifying the air, as well as busting odors. The technology, which has existed for over 4 decades, creates an all-purpose cleaning solution that replaces the need for carpet-cleaners, floor-cleaners, room-fresheners, car-fresheners, fruit and vegetable purifiers, and general disinfectants. Needless to say, the electrolyzed water is food-safe, child-safe, and eliminates the need to clean your house with chemicals that aren’t healthy… and the IOON, a small, portable spraying device, can electrolyze and spray the water directly from within its hand-held, wireless form factor.

The N30 is a literal trip down memory lane, taking inspiration from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) controller. Designed as a juxtaposition between classic and modern, this mouse, created by Daniel Jansson for 8BitDo transforms a hallmark of console gaming into a neat, functional mouse that’s a sheer tactile joyride! The mouse originated as a concept created by Janssen in 2009, only becoming a reality this year after 8BitDo really saw promise in it. The wireless mouse comes with clear-cut lines that you’d imagine wouldn’t be comfortable, but actually do feel familiar. It features classic NES controller-style red left and right-click buttons, resting on a black platform which is, in fact, a touch-sensitive scroller. To complete this whacky/adorable mouse’s design, Janssen incorporated a D-Pad on the side, that can be controlled via your thumb.

Busy workdays sometimes mean compromise for our meals. Instead of sitting down to fully enjoy a meal and our full lunch hour, we’re three-quarters of the way through a sandwich the size of our face five minutes after closing time. As relaxing and recalibrating as sitting down to eat a proper meal can be, work always seems to come first. SOC is a lunch box created by designers at Midea who hope to bring back the ceremony of enjoying a meal, even during the busier workdays. SOC Lunch Box is a three-tier lunch container packaged inside a magnetic carrying case that doubles as a tablecloth. The three levels of SOC provide space for the user’s different food items to be separated and neatly arranged, with enough room inside for utensils and a metal cover that keeps the food steamed throughout the day. With three enclosed compartments, each meal taken from SOC will taste as fresh as when it was made

This CPR kit is a self-directed, sustainable, low-cost alternative for medical emergencies!

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More than 540,000 Chinese people die from sudden cardiac death each year. The survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is less than 1% in China, which is relatively lower than the other countries. CPR is the most helpful and effective implementation to save cardiac arrest victims, but the implementation of CPR is extremely low, only 4.5% in large and medium-sized cities in China, vs 46-73% in Sweden. My thesis focused on providing a flexible and efficient self-directed CPR learning solution to encourage more laypeople to learn and improve their life-saving skills.

From research, some main problems cause this low rate are that: The lay public has less motivation to join a CPR course because of fewer opportunity, fewer interests, high cost, fast-paced lifestyle, and less awareness. The less qualified full-time instructors, short supply and overworked skilled physicians are other significant barriers to teach quality life-saving skills. Besides, the CPR training equipment, such as manikins, is too expensive and the amount of it far limited for this vast population with an old training mode. Even when the public participates in CPR training, there is no consolidation training during post-training and people have less motivation to update their CPR skills.

The outcome is called CANNE, it provides a self-directed CPR learning experience for the lay public and it consists of two parts:
A corrugated cardboard Basic Life Support (BLS) learning kit that allows laypeople to practice CPR, such as cardiac arrest identification, chest compression and ventilation by themselves. The BLS self-directed application on the smartphone can significantly enhance the learning experience by simulating cardiac arrest scenarios and emergency medical services (EMS), providing real-time feedback of compression and ventilation, as well as encouraging lay people to join a final examination and granting an online BLS certificate.

CANNE provides an ecosystem to motivate laypeople to learn CPR at a low cost. It saves time and medical resources and has a minimal requirement for the learning environment. CANNE raises the survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, particularly in China, by addressing the local societal and cultural needs.

Designer: Shuai Li