The ‘PLAYPLAIN’ wireless speaker highlights the iconic minimalism of Braun and MUJI

Reminiscent of the clean design style popularized by stalwarts like Dieter Rams (Braun), Naoto Fukasawa (MUJI), and even with the new kid on the block, Teenage Engineering, the PLAYPLAIN speaker is a slick wireless audio device that adds a touch of Japandi minimalism to your space.

“Echoing Rams’ ten principles of good design, the PLAYPLAIN Concept Speaker is a harmonious blend of form and function, presenting a timeless aesthetic that seamlessly integrates into any living space,” says designer Jacek Janiczak. “Its clean lines, uncluttered surfaces, and subtle curves create an elegant silhouette, transcending trends and fads to achieve enduring visual appeal.”

Designer: Jacek Janiczak

The PLAYPLAIN models itself on the Braun LE1 speaker from 1959 (which also inspired the iMac’s design in many ways) and the T3 pocket radio from 1958, combining the styles and formats to create something that’s truly a modern classic. The all-white slab sports a rather hypnotic grille design on the front, and sits on a fold-out leg that lets you tilt the speaker in any direction.

The entire speaker’s all-white design is punctuated by an orange backlit seven-segment LCD display that shows the song name as well as a progress counter. Right beside it is the PLAYPLAIN’s control panel, a circular control interface that’s a nod to the T3 radio as well as the iPod.

A rotary knob on the top serves as the PLAYPLAIN’s volume control as well as its on-off switch, while beside it is what I can only assume is a 1/4″ audio input, allowing you to turn the speaker into an amp for a musical instrument.

The speaker features an all-aluminum construction with a matte finish, referencing the design movement spearheaded by Apple. Its large-ish design feels comparable to a Mac Pro, and one would assume the two could make quite a pairing, given that Apple doesn’t manufacture its own ‘wireless speakers’ outside the HomePod.

Although conceptual, Jacek’s PLAYPLAIN speaker pays quite the homage to all of minimalist technology’s icons. It revives a minimalistic style that’s becoming somewhat dormant, that too in a wireless speaker format that rejects the tech world’s obsession with pod-shaped smart speakers and their fabric class. Even though it’s called PLAYPLAIN, there’s nothing quite plain about it. The speaker’s clean design almost gives it a touch of luxury, making it akin to a hi-fi speaker rather than something affordable or budget-friendly. Plus, its slim format almost instantly makes it instantly desirable!

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MUJI transforms a 100-year-old Japanese home into its first MUJI Base Airbnb guest house

Iconic Japanese brand MUJI is infamous for its minimal and subtle products in household, stationery, apparel, and also little knick-knacks! I have a soft spot for MUJI myself, and I love treating myself to their products once in a while. And, now MUJI has finally dipped its toes in the world of architecture and interior design! The brand recently unveiled a pretty and peaceful home in Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo. Called, the MUJI Base Kamogawa, the century-old house was given a radical makeover, transforming it into a serene dwelling with MUJI’s signature minimalist touch. It is open for bookings on Airbnb.

Designer: MUJI

The 100-year-old home beautifully merges traditional Japanese architecture with MUJI’s signature minimalism creating a contemporary home that supports a free-flowing lifestyle. The home has adopted a bit of Western influence while maintaining the true essence of Japanese ‘Satoyama’ living, which signifies being one with nature. The interior of the home is designed with simplicity in mind, providing guests with a much-needed break from the hustle and bustle of city life. The interior is lined with neutral tones and features MUJI comforts. This project was also created to preserve and promote the local culture of Kamogawa, and the home provides an opportunity to collaborate and partner up with local businesses. It allows guests to immerse and involve themselves with the local community’s lifestyle and spirit.

“Nowadays, lifestyles and workstyles have changed drastically. Though can choose to live and work anywhere you want, having a place where you want to go back again and again always gives you peace of mind. If you had those places everywhere in Japan, you would fill your heart with happiness. MUJI BASE can be the one for you,” said MUJI. And truly, the home attempts to serve as a tranquil and calming retreat for MUJI lovers who truly want to immerse themselves in the essence of the brand.

The MUJI Base Kamogawa can accommodate up to five people and is completely adorned with MUJI products. The home is available to book for $152 a night, and guests can select between pre-packaged MUJI meals or decently-priced home delivery of produce from the local farmers!

The post MUJI transforms a 100-year-old Japanese home into its first MUJI Base Airbnb guest house first appeared on Yanko Design.

MUJI Honda MS 01 electric bike is a no-nonsense urban commuter for minimalists

While one would consider retail company MUJI, and automotive giant Honda to be polar opposites – apparently, they still have a common ground. The two brands have joined forces to create an ergonomic and highly practical daily commuting electric bike that many will fancy for their daily riding needs.

Meet the Muji Honda MS01 electric bike inspired by the MUJI H-Type bicycle. The black and white theme on this one is a testament to the MUJI’s mellowed-down styling – in fact, the company’s artistic director Kenya Hara did most of the design bit of the bike himself. All the equipment and power of the MS01 come from the house of Honda. It is a very balanced collaboration, resulting in this minimalist two-wheeler ideal for city rides and beyond. MUJI has experience in developing automotive products, as in 2019 they launched the self-driving GACHA shuttle bus in collaboration with the Finnish tech company Sensible 4.

Designer: MUJI and Honda

You won’t get any flashy high-tech features on this electric bike – though, just enough to get you from one point to the other in the least possible time, and of course safely. The U-shaped bicycle has compact-sized pedals, classic handlebars, and the most basic headlights as well as tail lights that you could ask for. The two-wheeler powered by a 400W motor rides on 17-inch wheels, propelling it to a top speed of 25 km/h. On board is a 48V/20Ah ternary lithium battery and EBS power that gives it a range of 65 km on average.

For the rider’s comfort, the electric bike has an ergonomic three-point sitting position, with a motorcycle-level high-quality saddle. Then there are features including LCD instrument panel, keyless unlocking and aluminum alloy handlebars. As of now, the MUJI H-Type bicycle is only available in black and white colorways (the dual-tone version is not available yet), and will only be made in 5,000 units for a price tag of ¥4,980 CNY (approximately $744 USD) in the Chinese market. Release in other parts of the world is not yet announced, but we’ll be keeping an eye on any new developments.

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Muji’s latest set of multifunctional storage solutions are designed to declutter your tiny living space!

Currently on display at Milan Design Week, ‘Compact Life’ is a line of home storage products from Muji designed in collaboration with industrial design students inspired by today’s movement to downsize and declutter living spaces at home.

For those of us who’ve been living tiny before it was popular, we know the right home accessories for storage make all the difference between a cluttered and clutter-free home. Today, majorly in response to the raging climate crisis, people are incorporating aspects of tiny living into their home spaces to dampen their overall climate footprint. Providing the means to do so, Japanese household goods supplier Muji released a collection of storage accessories called ‘Compact Life’ that makes tiny living seem a lot more attainable for all of us.

Documenting and taking note of their own living spaces, the students worked closely with Muji designers and the Swiss designer Michel Charlot to finalize an array of twelve home products that optimize storage space to make tiny living a lot more comfortable. Each product stays true to Muji’s minimalist personality and humanistic approach to design, keeping geometric shapes and multifunctional builds.

Amidst the catalog of accessories is a basket storage system that doubles as a wood-and-crate step ladder, ideal for the kitchen space or bathroom to store toiletries and reach taller heights. Then, there’s a series of photo frames that can store paper goods like notes and business cards in an integrated slot that traces the perimeter of each frame. Using their own homes and colleagues’ homes as their main source of inspiration, the design students even made niche items like an insect house made from wire and hollow bamboo that could be hung outside an apartment window for hummingbirds and honeybees to drop by and visit.

Each one of the twelve designs is on display at Milan Fashion Week and the home accessories that comprise the Compact Life collection span from a modest corner shelf designed for the shower to a mirror medicine cabinet that also functions as a whiteboard. Product designs like a valet stand for hanging clothing items and a pole storage system with compartments tailor-made for umbrellas would help organize home spaces like the entryway for a clutter-free welcome.

Then, there are products designed for office spaces, like a paper wall pocket that functions as a filing system for narrow office items such as notebooks and stationery and a folding chair that transforms into a small side table for impromptu lunch meetings. A steel-wire basket trolley tucks under the bed and stores clothing items to take some of the load off the closet. Finally, a bedside table with a concealed compartment for charging smartphones takes focus away from technology and brings us closer to a restful night’s sleep.

Designer: Muji

Entryway products like the multipurpose coat rack help declutter the home’s foyer.

An under-the-bed steel-wire basket trolley takes some of the load out of the closet.

The Stepladder Basket is a stepladder that also functions as a storage basket for smaller household items.

The Valet Stand is another entryway product that could help declutter crowded spaces.

Clip Hanging Frames allow for ways to hang your photos and also store paper goods.

A mirrored medicine cabinet also functions as a whiteboard for notetaking.

The post Muji’s latest set of multifunctional storage solutions are designed to declutter your tiny living space! first appeared on Yanko Design.

MUJI-worthy product designs that are a must-have for any Japanese design lover!

MUJI is a success story that started as a local Japanese phenomenon and thanks to a unique vision on production, market, identity, etc… grew to become a universal brand and an icon in the design world. MUJI’s simplicity easily creates a color pallet that can be followed through in your home, with the Japanese attention to detail transforming a simple product design to a piece of art almost. It is this quintessential essence of products, minimalized to their core functionality with aesthetics that amplify their purpose, no wonder MUJI has a dedicated global fan-following that can’t get enough. This collection shows individual pieces by such designers/fans of MUJI who have created designs that are definitely worthy of being a part of the MUJI family!

Named the Muji 2.0, Sy Hyin Wong, draws inspiration from the strictly minimal and functional brand Muji to tell time using another Japanese classic – the paper fan! According to The National Institute of Health, “about 42% of Americans ages 12-54 are nearsighted”. This clock actually helps people with nearsightedness be able to tell time from afar because it is more comprehensible than the slim hands of a watch or small digits. Light strips are added in the folds of the fan so you can tell time at night too without your glasses. Removing the numbers instantly removes the urgency/anxiety that can come with clocks – and especially in quarantine when you look at it often, you want it to calm you down and if it looks beautiful then that’s a win-win. The clock’s design may seem confusing at first glance, but it is quite easy to identify the shapes and correlate them to the time. The clock’s fan moves in a clockwise direction, with the starting point of the fan representing the hour of the time and the other end pointing at the minute hand. In an almost meditative manner, the fan completely unfolds over an hour’s duration, regroups, and starts the process all over again, kind of like our everyday life.

Rich Park and Soohun Jung of BEBOP Design used metal extrusion, an incredibly precise and easily controlled manufacturing process to create this Aluminum Light. The minimal design language was designed to be scalable for MUJI, where it can be applied to a new line of products, and possibly even develop a system where different products can share the same components to maximize production efficiency. Aluminum Light takes advantage of silicone’s great tensile strength through an integrated strap. The silicone strap can be stretched to be wrapped and hang itself for an overhead light. When using the product as a flashlight, simply wear it as a wrist strap to prevent drops. The hygienic and tactile nature of the material makes it a great grip for a flashlight. And its translucent finishing diffuses the light evenly to be used as a lamp. A hidden screw mount is used to attach and detach the silicone light diffuser on either the front or back of the aluminum “head”, where the flashlight becomes a lamp and vice versa. Simple, multifunctional, modular – the Aluminum Light is designed to be a part of the Muji Family!

Bryan Wong and Chengtao Yi’s Zirconia Sharpener is the epitome of minimal design. This 2017 A Design Silver Award Winner is a sharpener and nothing else but the beauty of it lies in the use of materials, in this case, zirconia. We always sharpen our pencils – be it for note-taking or sketching. A pencil sharpener made with this level of beauty and durability is functional hence leads to desirability. The design is honest, thoughtful, simple, and analog with the blade and body are made from zirconia and fused into a single unibody block. By utilizing zirconia’s material property, the blade doesn’t need to be changed and offers a smooth sharpening experience. Almost poetic, this is a sharpener worth keeping with you forever.

After getting the sharpener right, let’s get the humble pencil the homage it deserves. Chengtao Yi realized that unlike most of the pens, pencils do not have a clip, which makes for very annoying user experience. He believes the pencil and notebook are made to be together. So he designed a notebook that has room for a pencil. Pencil Note is a notebook with a simple plastic (PC) cover that can house a standard pencil of almost any kind. The bulge on the cover provides the room and tightly secures the pencils. It also makes sure the pencil can be easily taken out. The translucent cover creates a frosted and vague silhouette of the pencil inside, almost looking like a health bar in video games, indicating how much of the pencil has been used.

Masamaro Fujiki started his design process with the question – why do we need a 2-in-1 air purifier with a humidifier? The multifunctionality of this design causes a very bulky form. Masamaro’s solution is to create an appliance that can do the functionality of both while operating separately from each other as well. The Air Purifier + Humidifier enables you to convert your room into the perfect environment by separating purifier function and humidifier functions. Winter nights keep your humidifier close while the purifier works the room from a corner, balancing the aesthetics of the room!

The ‘MUJI shower radio’ project was a case study project of working for one of the most unique and intriguing companies in the design world. Looking at MUJI as a Japanese brand that became universal, the students were to design the ‘German collection’ of MUJI. In the same way that MUJI offers general universal items mixed with more ‘Japanese items’, the aim was to adapt local (German) heritage and items into becoming universal Muji items. A shower and kitchen radio, inspired by the MUJI’s wooden brush was designed by Gerhardt Kellermann. The radio consists of a waterproof body with a built-in speaker and features intuitive tuning and volume control. In Europe, a lot of people turn on the radio for their morning shower or when cooking in the evening. This simple product is easy to use and fulfills the requirement without any additional frills.

Absolutely pure in its design language, the Maison TV by Seongkyeong Son & PDF Haus looks like something Muji would build. The simple white block form with the four detachable legs gives the TV a certain elegance which makes the television look like an object fit for a home, rather than a showroom. The thickness of the TV stems from its inclusive design, which has empty spaces in the back for storing streaming boxes, and even for cable management so that you’re left with a TV that doesn’t have any odd boxes or wires corrupting its beauty. The Maison TV comes with beautiful flush controls on the side, along with a remote that echoes the same style that makes the Maison TV’s design language tick every single box in Rams’ ten commandments of good design!

Nope, that’s not a new sculpture that you have put on your side table, it’s the Folded Cleaning Tool by Jinyoung Noh, Sua Jo & Boram Han. One of the reasons why I like brands like Muji is because they design everyday products that you don’t mind displaying in your living space – in plain view of every guest! This broom and dustpan set is something on these lines. Crafted from two sheets of aluminum, the design has clean lines and smooth curves, giving it the ‘extra appeal’ and worthy of being highlighted, when not in use.

What would a Muji power tool look like? It would look like it meant business but still retain an aura of serenity. The Muji power drill concept by Changho Lee takes two contrasting things and wonderfully combines them. The drill’s aesthetic couldn’t embody Muji’s style any more than it already is. The white color scheme and the simple cuboid meets cylinder design brilliantly represents what the Japanese design house stands for. Absolute, unquestioned simplicity!

rotating

wireless charging

I forgive you for mistaking the Wall-Ti Tap Power Strip by Eunsang Lee as a famous CD player by Muji – let’s slide this by as inspiration – the purpose of the power strip is completely different than a music player. Typically, we see long devices with multiple sockets and switches, but the Wall-Ti Tap has an amusing donut form. You are expected to fit the plugs in the inner wall of the circle, while you can wirelessly charge your phone on top of the device. “Unlike the typical cuboid power strips, this power strip has a doughnut-shaped design. The round-shaped power strip can be put vertically, so it reduces the problems of dust getting into the sockets,” explained Eunsang Lee.

Muji’s clear-cut minimal design has garnered hard-core fans around the globe, you can check out more inspirational designs by IKEA here!

This Muji-inspired paper fan clock tells time without any numbers!

Ever since the invention of the sundial, time-telling has remained unchanged over time. Using two hands or a digital format, the time is usually told by using numbers. Designer Sy Hyin Wong feels that looking at the ticking numbers first thing in the morning creates anxiety, that is amplified if the user is near-sighted and has trouble identifying numbers. So she decided to use shapes instead of numbers to tell the time!

Named the Muji 2.0, Sy Hyin Wong, draws inspiration from the strictly minimal and functional brand Muji to tell time using another Japanese classic – the paper fan! According to The National Institute of Health, “about 42% of Americans ages 12-54 are nearsighted”. This clock actually helps people with nearsightedness be able to tell time from afar because it is more comprehensible than the slim hands of a watch or small digits. Light strips are added in the folds of the fan so you can tell time at night too without your glasses. Removing the numbers instantly removes the urgency/anxiety that can come with clocks – and especially in quarantine when you look at it often, you want it to calm you down and if it looks beautiful then that’s a win-win. The clock’s design may seem confusing at first glance, but it is quite easy to identify the shapes and correlate them to the time. The clock’s fan moves in a clockwise direction, with the starting point of the fan representing the hour of the time and the other end pointing at the minute hand. In an almost meditative manner, the fan completely unfolds over an hour’s duration, regroups, and starts the process all over again, kind of like our everyday life.

The appearance model is made out of polyurethane foam, but the final clock would be made out of plastic and recycled paper – another reason why we love this clock even more! Keeping in touch with its primary target audience – the nearsighted users, this clock comes with a storage compartment for glasses, as someone who wears them ’round the clock’ that is so essential! The end result is a wall-clock with a surprise pull-down storage space. Glasses are the first thing you need when you wake up in the morning and see the time – minimal and functional, which is what makes Muji such an iconic brand.

Designer: Sy Hyin Wong

Design Exploration

Refined Sketches

Refined Mockup’s

Muji Clock 2.0

Oppo’s mid-range Realme X is inspired by garlic and onions

We don't often highlight mid-range smartphones these days, but when we do, there's a good reason. Following yesterday's flagship OnePlus 7 Pro, today we have yet another Chinese phone, the Realme X, with a pop-up selfie camera. But it was actually th...

MUJI X Sensible 4’s Self-Driving Bus premiered in Finland. We got a chance to sit in it!

It’s only natural that the world’s first fully autonomous self-driving bus would come out of Finland. Finland, believe it or not, is often considered to be the ‘Silicon Country’ that gave the world Nokia and pretty much set the very blueprint for mobile communications. Nokia was founded in Finland, and for over two grand decades before Apple launched the iPhone, Nokia was the standard to beat. In fact, there’s a high likelihood that your first phone was a Nokia (I know mine was). Post-2010 when Nokia saw a slowdown, after which it was acquired and dissolved by Microsoft, these engineers and designers moved onto bigger and better things. The dissolution of Nokia saw the rise of companies like Rovio (Angry Birds), SuperCell (Clash of Clans), and even Sensible 4, the company that designed the software behind Gacha, the world’s first self-driving bus that was built to operate under any weather conditions.

THE COLLABORATION

Gacha was created in collaboration with MUJI, which provided the design language for the bus. Courtesy a partnership facilitated by Helsinki Business Hub (which promotes collaboration between international agencies and Finnish talent) MUJI, headed by Naoto Fukasawa, got in touch with Sensible 4, the brains behind the self-driving software. Since as early as the 90s, Sensible 4 has been working on self-driving tech. In fact, they even tested a functioning self-driving Jeep in 1993, but the computers inside it were so big, there was no place for humans to sit! The collaboration came about as Sensible 4 began plotting ways to make public transport more autonomous and frictionless. The idea for a 10-person bus that could navigate anywhere in any weather was born and MUJI immediately jumped on board to help bring the vision to life!

THE DESIGN

The name Gacha comes from a Japanese toy figurine often found in shops and malls across Japan. These Gachas would be inside a massive toy-dispensing gumball machine and once you put the money in and pressed a button, the toy would come tumbling out, encased in an almost spherical container. This container, which housed a human toy inside it, became MUJI’s inspiration for the Gacha, and the name stuck around too.

The Gacha’s dual-colored design is inspired by the toy container’s two-piece construction too. It features a soft, filleted design that immediately appears friendly and inviting, unlike the rigid design of buses, or the aerodynamic design of trains. The soft form helps break barriers by not creating a strictly defined wall or a ceiling. The curved, almost womb-like form immediately allows it to be perceived as friendly on the outside as well as the inside… a feature that’s very important, says Naoto Fukasawa, considering how daunting the prospect of a self-driving vehicle could be. The size of the vehicle is perfect too, allowing 10 people to be seated and an additional 4 more people to stand inside. The seating design is conducive to friendly conversation. Unlike most buses that have seats facing in one direction or individually designed seats arranged linearly, the Gacha has a running bench from left to right. It takes inspiration from the seating of saunas, a Finnish heritage and tradition, encouraging people to sit in groups.

Its size is crucial too, according to Sensible 4’s CEO Harri Santamala. The Gacha’s small size (coupled with its top speed of 40mph) is perfect for small shuttle activities. The bus is safe by virtue of its speed, and if and when demand for the Gacha increases, municipalities can simply deploy more vehicles on the road, rather than making larger vehicles that are more accommodating.

Lastly, the Gacha’s design is bilaterally symmetrical as a stroke of complete genius. With a design that doesn’t have a front or back, Naoto says that the Gacha can easily work in left-hand and right-hand driving countries. The headlamps and taillamps are integrated into a running LED strip around the waist of the car, and a simple flip within the software can allow the headlamps and taillamps to switch direction, allowing the bus to run easily on any side of the road without needing expensive hardware/build changes. The complete absence of a drivers cockpit or steering wheel means the insides are completely bilaterally symmetrical too, from the benches down to the in-bus displays.

THE TECHNOLOGY

Sensible 4 has been working on autonomous driving tech for virtually 30 years. With the Gacha, the company finally sees self-driving vehicles actually making their way to roads around them. How is Gacha different from other self-driving vehicles around the world? It’s the first self-driving vehicle designed to work in practically any weather condition.

Finland, aside from fostering an incredibly talented tech community (and also being one of the only two countries in the world to already have legislation in place for self-driving automobiles) also provides the perfect testing ground for self-driving cars, given its weather diversity. Far away from the sunny plains of San Francisco, Finland proves to be a complete obstacle course for the Gacha. It sees snow, rain, sun, hail, fog, and the roads are often challenging to navigate through, given that they could be snowed in, frozen and icy, or just plain uneven in suburban parts of the country. Sensible 4 has worked long and hard to develop a vehicle that can not only sense roads and obstacles, but even perform its tasks in inclement weather. The Gacha, equipped with a wide variety of sensors, cameras, and mapping systems, can travel through dense fog, heavy snow, and even torrential rain without breaking a sweat. It can navigate through roads using an onboard GPS and a map, sense traffic and signs/signals to travel in accordance with the law, stopping at red lights, zebra crossings, or even when there’s an obstacle in its path. In the snow, the Gacha knows exactly where speed breakers are, using a combination of radar, lidar, and sonar, and its intelligent AI can even map out alternate routes if roads are closed, unsafe, or even crowded.

A look at the way Gacha captures and processes its surroundings

The Gacha, ultimately, was designed to be a shuttle bus. Think about an Uber Pool for more than 4 people. It can operate within the city as well as to suburbs, picking up people who summon it and planning out its routes based on demand, using Sensible 4’s advanced algorithms. Rather than having a fixed route like a public bus, the Gacha can make diversions to pick up people who need to go to certain destinations, and with its 100km range and 6-hour battery life, can complete multiple runs before retiring to a nearby charging station for a quick recharge.

THE TEST RIDE

As a part of an exclusive team that got to view the unveiling of the Gacha, Yanko Design was given a rare opportunity to be one of the first to sit inside and ride the Gacha. The bus was unveiled on the 8th of March to the public of Helsinki, with a flag off from the deputy mayor of the city. It had snowed the day before, and as a result, the roads were slushy and slippery, and I remember everyone complaining about how miserable the weather was, while the Gacha team had quite the opposite reaction! They were more than happy to demonstrate the self-driving bus in undesirable weather and driving conditions. Unveiled at Helsinki’s newly built central library, the Oodi, the Gacha was made to drive within a cordoned off area for the public, including the press.

Stepping into the Gacha, I instantly remembered registering two reactions. My mind knew exactly what a big deal this was, to be sitting inside a vehicle that was operating on its own, with absolutely no instructions or controls from a present human… but at the same time, it felt like an incredibly familiar experience. You see, we’re used to something quite similar with a subway or a train. You don’t necessarily see the driver of the train you sit in. You just enter the compartment and stand there aimlessly knowing that the vehicle will complete its journey with you inside it, and your only job is to get off at your stop. That’s what the Gacha felt like too, and it’s an incredible win for the industry because it immediately helps remove any fear the public may have with self-driving cars. Practically the size of a large cable car, the Gacha moved around on its own as I, along with a group of journalists, sat inside, trying to register exactly what a big deal this was. There was immediately a sense of faith in the bus, and I doubt a car would have the exact same feeling because people are used to driving their own cars, but with a bus, you’re usually always a passenger.

The Gacha knew exactly where to stop, when to and for how long to open its sliding doors, and when to embark. It completed a circular journey around an empty plot outside the Oodi library, and plotted the exact same path without the presence of lanes, lines, or even a roadway. It stopped when a pedestrian happened to come close to it, and began immediately once the coast was clear. The LED strip around the Gacha did a remarkable job of letting people know exactly when it was going to stop, when it was waiting for boarding, and when it was going to depart. In every which way, the Gacha did exactly what it promised to do, with the intuition of a human driver, knowing exactly where and when to proceed.

THE FUTURE

The Gacha may be able to get from point A to B on its own, but it still has a lot of obstacles to cross. For starters, Sensible 4 is sending the bus (its only prototype as of now) to the northern laplands of Finland to operate under snowy conditions. The team will gather all the necessary data to make the Gacha work better and with lesser friction, no matter the weather. There’s also a major conversation around the presence of self-driving automobiles with regards to the dangers of the technology. The immediate fear is the loss of jobs, but in any advancing society, old jobs die to give birth to new ones. The deputy mayor of Helsinki believes that the Gacha will create new jobs with it. The second most important fear is the protocol in an undesirable situation like an accident or a calamity. While the Gacha is heavily optimized and speed-limited to avoid any accidents, it still remains to be determined what the bus will do in the event of one. Unlike humans who may flee a scene, the Gacha will have to be much more accountable and responsible, while also being responsible for the people within it. Given the Gacha’s 2021 debut date, we may finally get a clearer picture of the safety protocols of self-driving vehicles.

While the Gacha goes on its year-long test run in the city of Espoo, Sensible 4 is tasked with finding a hardware/manufacturing partner for the vehicle. With the design and technology in place, the company hopes to have governments of cities and municipalities invite it to become a part of the public transit system. The Gacha also has a lot of opportunities outside public transport. With the ability to work as a logistics vehicle, or even moving retail outlet like a grocery, or perhaps a MUJI shop (!) on wheels, the Gacha can don many hats, serving not just local governments and municipalities, but even corporations. Ultimately, the fact that the Gacha has the ability to travel in any sort of weather without the need of a driver, really allows the vehicle to seamlessly integrate into a variety of countries, cultures, societies, campuses, and even businesses. Designed to simply be a vehicle that will reliably get from point A to point B without any glitch, problem, or fuss, the Gacha has a universal outlook and appeal that seems lightyears ahead of its time!

Designers: MUJI x Sensible 4 (Collaboration facilitated by the Helsinki Business Hub)

Yes. Muji is designing self-driving buses now!

muji_gacha_bus_1

The self-driving landscape seems perfect for a company like Muji, known for its minimalistic appeal and function-first agenda. Muji’s products look minimalist and beautiful without looking bland, and perform wonderfully for years… and the Gacha, a shuttle bus co-designed with Finnish autonomous driving company Sensible 4, follows that direction too, not just being innately Muji-esque, but also echoing the aesthetic direction that most self-driving cars are taking, of putting information at the forefront and dialing down the outer aesthetic of the car to make it appear more akin to a self-driving cabin/lounge.

The self-driving shuttle bus comes with a two-color exterior and a soft cuboidal form, sporting displays on the top of the windscreen as well as around the waist of the bus, displaying instructions to pedestrians on the outside. With no driver on the inside, the entire bus’s floor plan is made for 10 seated commuters and 6 standing passengers, as the bus travels from point A to B. The Gacha comes with a maximum speed of 40km/h, and even a range of a 100 kilometers on a single charge. It’s powered by a 4 wheel drive electric powertrain and a battery that can be wirelessly fast-charged.

Building the self-driving tech for the Gacha is Finland-based Sensible 4. The company is currently developing autonomous driving technology for extreme climates, including navigation and obstacle detection that can function seamlessly in heavy rain, fog, and snow–all of which are common to Finland’s climate and weather. The company is even headed to the Arctic Laplands to put the Gacha through rigorous testing. “We are developing these vehicles so that they can become part of daily transportation service chain,” says Harri Santamala, CEO of Sensible 4. “Autonomous vehicles can’t become mainstream until their technology has been insured to work in all climates.”

The Gacha is all set to be unveiled to the public in March 2019 at an event in Helsinki if the tests

Designers: MUJI & Sensible 4

muji_gacha_bus_2

muji_gacha_bus_3

A Designer’s Dream Hotel

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From gel pens and dotted notebooks to transparent toothbrushes and perfectly tailored shirts, MUJI has been an integral part of my life and many others around the world. Founded in Japan in 1980, MUJI’s origin was a thorough rationalization of the manufacturing process with an eye to creating simple, low-cost, good quality products.

Opening their first hotel, MUJI has done what I’ve only ever dreamt of and filled an entire building with their gorgeously designed and manufactured products, and are allowing people to use them and live amongst them. Opening up early next year, the MUJI hotel will consist of 79 guest rooms and feature recycled woods, cloudy plastics (Polycarbonate) and many other materials that follow the brand’s signature aesthetic of their furniture and accessories from their line. MUJI has ensured that every fine detail, even down to the texture of the towels and the grains of the recycled wood has been considered heavily and settled on to ensure one’s trip is as mindful and restorative as possible.

Designer: MUJI

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