Tag Archives: Pandemic

This modular office solution fuses collaboration with privacy to create cubicles ideal for returning back to work!

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As parts of the world slowly open their doors back up to the public, offices are steadily following suit– eager to get back to the ‘old normal.’ As we re-enter office buildings and social hubs of which we haven’t been inside for over a year, many are holding tight onto COVID-19 protocols and mandates to ensure the health and wellness of those inside the building. With this in mind, Mexico City-based NOS Design Studio created Hug, a modular office solution that encourages collaboration, but not without the protective barriers and private working zones born out of necessity during the pandemic.

While the topic of normalcy is moot, this upcoming transition into what some might call a post-COVID world carries with it a fusion of design– the maximum occupancy number might be thrown out the window in some areas, but the plastic barriers might not. NOS Design’s Hug is a modular, collaborative office solution with a cubicle-inspired design that allows for face-to-face interaction and maintains privacy via plastic barriers that surround each module. Each individual module that comprises Hug can be put together to form round cubicles using a relatively simple assembly process. A single Hug cubicle is formed by attaching multi-layered panels to the module’s sofa base by using washers and nuts to connect each piece.

The sofa keeps a power unit in its center that functions as a sort of cornerstone for the rest of the module to assemble. Lumbar support panels and cushioned seats with underlying storage units border the power unit to form the cubicle’s bench. Then, a metallic frame rounds the perimeter of the bench, creating an exterior barrier consisting of privacy screens, as well as wooden and fabric panels. Attached to the bottom of each module, four wheels allow for the cubicles to be moved around office spaces wherever workers see fit. Workers can also configure each individual module into a shape that coincides with their specific collaborative process, allowing for modules to connect and grow with other modules to create new office environments.

Designer: NOS Design

Each Hug module forms a round cubicle, creating private work zones and protective barriers.

Each module can also function as a collaborative working zone.

Four wheels tread the bottom of Hug to allow movement around the office.

Power units function as each module’s cornerstone, forming the rest of the cubicle around them.

Different configurations can transform office spaces into totally new environments.

Each module consists of a sofa bench, wooden and fabric exterior panels, and a metal frame that adds support and stabilizes the panels.

Each component of Hug is put together using a system of nuts and washers.

Lumbar support panels add cushioned support for workers.

Depending on the office, each module can be customized with different exterior panels, such as wooden, fabric, and plastic panels.

Workers can configure Hug according to the collaborative space needed.

A power unit provides a place for workers to charge their phones and carry drinks, while a swinging table provides working space.

Shelving units and cork panels create spaces for workers to store their supplies and get creative with new ideas.

Beneath the benches, plenty of storage space can be found for bulkier items like briefcases and purses.

This smart heat press takes on an ergonomic and intuitive design to help beginners feel more focused!

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Everyone picked up a hobby during the pandemic. While some of us took up gardening and others learned how to create jewelry, a good chunk of us began designing our own clothes. Finding the right equipment, like gardening or metalworking tools, for new hobbies can be a tough ask since we’re only starting out. Noticing the rise in popularity over designing hand-pressed clothes, Suosi Design created Viso Press, a smart heat press for heat pressing patterns onto clothing that makes the beginner process feel a lot more seamless.

Minimal by design, Viso Press ditches the chunky, hefty structure of the heat press table and takes on a slimmer body formed into the shape of a conventional steam iron. Heat-pressing requires a lot of focus and precision, so the designers at Suosi Design embedded Viso Press with smart features that help make heat-pressing feel a lot less intimidating, allowing beginners to focus solely on pressing their patterns onto clothing items. Viso Press features a round screen in its center that works as the device’s main display screen. There, users can adjust the heat and time settings on Viso Press. Altogether, users can operate Viso Press with just one hand since all of the control options can be found on the round display screen, just above the handle. By consolidating all of the controls into one screen, beginners need only look there for the next step.

Large heat-pressing tables can feel intimidating. If I didn’t know better, looking at one for the first time, I might think it was some clunky blacksmithing tool. To make the process of heat pressing feel a little more welcoming and interactive, Viso Press lets users guide their own progress with a tool that feels ergonomic and looks a little more familiar.

Designer: Suosi Design

Viso Press takes on the shape of a traditional iron to enhance its usability and ergonomic design.

Ditching the heft of a heat press table for a sleek, minimal design, Viso Press feels a lot less intimidating.

Viso Press consolidates its entire control panel into one round screen that features control options like temperature and time settings.

Minimal by design, Viso Press can be stored anywhere.

Small enough to fit in casual places, Viso Press only has to be plugged in for use.

To activate Viso Press, users only have to dislodge it from its base and begin pressing patterns onto their clothing.

This paper-thin laptop desk comes with 6 configurations to work from your office + bed!

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The new norm of working from home has either inspired you to renovate your makeshift office space or to stay in bed and work from beneath your comforter. With so many people working from home in today’s world, the comfort of sitting at a desk in an office has been swapped for working from bed, but bed desk designs have a long way to go in terms of comfort and stability. To bring the comfort and convenience of desk work to the bed, a team of designers created a laptop desk called iSwift Pi, an expandable, paper-thin laptop desk that can hold up to 44 pounds.

Whether you’re in bed and binging Netflix and simultaneously munching on dinner or spending the workday in bed, using the laptop in bed has probably become the world’s favorite pastime just with this past year’s WFH orders. iSwift Pi was primarily created to help those working from home feel a lot more comfortable when they choose to work from the comfort of their beds. Designed to be compact and portable, iSwift Pi boasts an ultra-thin form when folded or unfolded. When folded, the iSwift Pi is as thin as a small stack of paper, which then unfolds to two different heights, either 7.5 inches or 8.6 inches, depending on your lap situation. Then users can adjust iSwift Pi’s sitting placement to four different angles, so the screen can always meet your eyes.

iSwift Pi carries itself on two triangle legs and comes with built-in magnets for its frame in order to provide enough stability and even distribution of weight to carry up to 44 pounds on its desktop. When unfolded to reach its height of 7.5 inches, iSwift Pi’s legs form two equilateral angles, while its height of 8.6 inches carries itself atop two right triangles. If instead of a laptop, users prefer tablets, then iSwift Pi accommodates tablet use by allowing users to adjust iSwift Pi’s sitting placement to four different angles, bringing the screen to meet the user’s eyes. Measuring only 0.2 of an inch in thickness and 40 oz in weight, iSwift Pi carries the perfect size for users to bring it with them wherever they go.

Designer: Swift

Click Here to Buy Now: $69 $105 (34% off). Hurry, only 35/1900 left! Only 72 hours to go!

iSwift Pi – A  Must-have Laptop Desk For Digital Nomads

Working in bed or on the couch has become more normal than going into the office during the quarantine time. However, if you’ve ever tried to use a laptop while sitting on a couch, bed, or chair, you know how uncomfortable it could be.

Fold Back to the Board in Seconds

Devised to be a lap desk and a laptop stand, iSwift Pi is a game-changer, which makes you feel cozy while having a good posture when you are navigating a new WFH situation.

Work Anywhere you Desire

“iSwift Pi has two triangle legs that can be folded flat or extended to give you a raised surface to work from, making sure you have a nice and comfortable time using your laptop [on] the bed, sofa, or anywhere.”

A Table, Also A Stand

Recliner Table – Make your bed your cozy makeshift office. With two available heights, iSwift Pi can be used in the bed, the sofa, on top of an office desk, or even in the ktichen. The solid legs work great whether you place it on the bed while you work, or on a table to get a suitable angle to work from while standing.

Smart Stand – Optimize your posture with four adjustable angles. With four different angles available for iSwift Pi’s stands, tablets and laptop screens can lean against the stand meet your eyes.

Choose between four different angles and two different desk heights for optimal working conditions.

“The solid legs work great whether you place it on the bed while you work, or on a table to get a suitable angle to work from while standing.”

Easy to Carry And Store

Thanks to its ultra-thin frame, iSwift Pi can easily be stored away after use.

iSwift Pi carries such a thin structure, it can be taken anywhere – the ideal working companion for digital nomads. As iSwift Pi is 0.2-inch in thickness and 40 ounces in weight, you can stow it anywhere you want. Just slide it in your desk organizer or right below your pillow, saying goodbye to those heavy and bulky lap desk and stand.

Made from PU material, iSwift Pi is extremely durable, water-resistant, and can be easily wiped clean by towels.

There are four angles that you can adjust to find the perfect position while working. It means reducing the risk of repetitive stress injury such as neck and back strain, which happens when you do something mundane like typing on a keyboard over and over again.

Perfectly Fits Your Devices At Any Size

iSwift Pi can be adjusted to two different heights, depending on the user’s needs and body height.

With such stable support coming from the triangular legs, iSwift Pi can carry a load of up to 44 lbs.

Magnets are interwoven into iSwift Pi’s frame to add supplemental support for laptops and tablets.

Working from home in uncomfortable office settings often leads to physical and emotional stress, causing back and neck problems, sore muscles, and eye-straining. Following intensive research and involved prototype configuration, iSwift Pi was designed to help alleviate that stress.

Click Here to Buy Now: $69 $105 (34% off). Hurry, only 35/1900 left! Only 72 hours to go!

This retractable office solution provides privacy and isolation for remote work and WFH days!

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Working from home has tested our staying power regarding prying eyes and peering over our shoulders. Whether it’s a matter of peeling away from your kids for an office call or muting yourself to keep the background noises from promoting you to Zoom speaker, a little private time is always needed. While many designs have come from the pandemic to help us with working from home, not too many first looked to privacy for inspiration. From Dizz Concept, designers have created the Office Shell, a compact workstation with retractable sliding panels that morph the booth into a private cubicle.

An interior furnishing brand, Dizz Concept creates innovative solutions for small spaces with a focus on sustainability. Dizz Concept set out to design a convertible working booth that provides privacy to reduce distractions and enhance working conditions for an energized workflow. The current office solutions to come out of the pandemic and work-from-home movement tackle noise levels through acoustic barriers and run too big to fit into small living spaces. The creators at Dizz Concept designed Office Shell as a workstation solution that can entirely enclose to manage noise levels and get some privacy while only taking up a total of 4 m2 of office space. In addition to the Office Shell providing privacy for quiet and remote working, the retractable panels work to keep the spread of airborne viruses at bay.

Many office space solutions to come out of the past year were born from the struggles that come from the pandemic having us work from home. Office Shell’s innovation hinges on its versatility and the privacy it provides by creating a physical barrier between workers and airborne viral infections. Entirely made from natural and recyclable materials, Office Shell was created following biophilic design principles to maintain Dizz Concept’s commitment to sustainable design.

Designer: Dizz Concept

When fully enclosed, Office Shell creates an isolated work zone for private matters.

Inside Office Shell, workers can enjoy ample room for a simple work setup including a desk, chair, and storage cabinets.

Constructed from recyclable and natural materials, Office Shell remains committed to sustainable design.

The reed panels unfurl from Office Shell’s doors to provide a fully enclosed working space.

Even when Office Shell is closed, window openings allow plenty of airflow for workers.

 

Self-sanitized autonomous pods combine public transit with safe socializing

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COVID-19 has changed the perception of life in the last year or so, and it’s still showing no signs of retreating as new variants push their claws towards human life. Scientific researches have proved that such pandemics will be a common affair in the coming time, and to get around them, we’ll have to alter our living methodology. Pretty obviously, the way we commute is also going to take a ‘detour’ – especially in public transport systems. Pivot of Safety by Yongho Jeon is a look into the future where maintaining social distancing in public transit will be of prime importance.

The autonomous share ride system is imagined as a 1, 2, or 4 person unit with an airy home-like space being the focus. Keeping things very minimal on the inside, the idea here is to create a relaxing environment while making sure of safety when we talk of social distancing. The pod-like vehicle segregates the sitting area for each passenger with glass separators and individual infotainment systems to keep in touch with friends & family. Air purifiers and UV sanitization (on exposed surfaces such as tables) ensure the minimal spread of contagious viruses or other pathogens for the safety of the rider. There are plants potted in between the four-person pod unit’s diving section to bring the calming effect indoors.

Once a passenger or group of passengers have completed their journey, the pod self-disinfects using UV light. Over the wheels, there is space for storage of luggage or any big items passengers want to haul. The concept makes even more sense in an uncertain future where being safe is the only option to stay clear of harm’s way and helping curb the spread of deadly pathogens. Yongho’s concept is practical and has a very clean design blueprint that is feasible in real-world settings.

Designer: Yongho Jeon

Chromebook demand more than doubled in 2020 due to the pandemic

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It’s no secret that Chromebook demand surged in 2020 as people were forced to work and learn from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s now clear just how much demand there really was. According to 9to5Google, Canalys estimated that Chromebook...

These animal shaped IoT home appliances bring some light to our Corona-blues!

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In relation to technology, the concept of “untact marketing” refers to smart products and services that require no human contact. Untact marketing schemes and technological services have risen in numbers since the start of the 2020 pandemic because no longer is AI intelligence and smart technology considered an exciting exception, but it has become the norm. As a means of following this paradigm shift, S2VICTOR designed a collection of untact IoT home appliances, called Animal Land, to resemble different animals, bringing in some lighthearted fun into this seemingly endless pandemic.

In order to convey an ecosystem’s natural and simple life cycles, the Animal Land collection consists of a giraffe-shaped router, a whale-shaped diffuser, and a home speaker shaped to resemble a turtle. All three of the home appliances are connected with one another through smart home technology and can be separately managed with an accompanying app. S2VICTOR chose the shape of a giraffe to form their router as the giraffe’s long neck resembles a long antenna. Equipped with motion sensors and voice recognition capabilities, the giraffe-shaped router caters to the needs of everyone in each given home. The whale-shaped diffuser is first and foremost an aromatic refresher but incorporates special smart technology in order to enhance its untact nature. In addition to its main purpose of diffusing different aromas, Animal Land’s whale-shaped diffuser also measures humidity, air quality, and the atmosphere in any given home, transmitting useful information for each resident inside without requiring them to open a weather app. Finally, Animal Land includes a home speaker device shaped like a turtle, which comes equipped with smart technology in order to provide fast response time and voice recognition features. The home speaker’s playful disguise might indicate a slower speed, but an engraving underneath the home speaker’s shell reads, “I’m not slow,” revealing the speaker’s high-speed response time and connectivity.

In order for many modern products and services to be able to compete with today’s market, the inclusion of untact technology is a prerequisite. Overall, it seems that Animal Land’s true inspiration is found in the collection’s playful facade. Animal Land from S2VICTOR recognizes the urgency behind the untact movement and meets it with both a playful design and sense of humor to make light of these grim global circumstances.

Designer: S2VICTOR

 

This hand washing machine also disinfects your phone which can be 10x dirtier than the toilet!

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We all know that our phone screens have more germs than a toilet seat – in fact, they are 10 times dirtier! So when you wash your hands after using the restroom and touch your phone, you’re thinking it’s all clean but in reality, you just got 10x more germs on your hands now. With the pandemic, we are now washing our hands more often but also touching our phones more often. As we all go back outside to our normal routine with extra caution about what we are touching, it is equally important to remember that our phones are just as bad as the public toilet seat. UVClean is a simple and innovative design that can help reduce the germs we come in contact with!

While you wash your hands, the appliance will also disinfect your phone so all that scrubbing and precautions you are taking do not go to waste. Appliances like UVClean can help people feel safe in public places again as we adjust to life during and after this pandemic. Designers had to make sure that the product can be seamlessly integrated into the contactless environment while taking the new hygiene standards seriously. Simply put your smartphone in the capsule while you wash your hands and UVClean will disinfect it. After washing your hands you can dry them on the sides of the appliance before taking your phone out. The appliance also uses a HEPA filter inside.

“The UVClean is about personal hygiene in public spaces. This is a faucet improved with disinfection of daily use objects, using technologies already available on the market. According to a study, people touch their phones 2,617 times every day, and our phones are 10 times dirtier than a public restroom. Our phone is practically our third hand that we never wash. After UVClean – you can use the phone again and be sure it is clean,” says Grits. I truly hope to see UVClean in public places just like we see sanitizer dispensers now. UVClean was one of the winners of the 2020 Jump The Gap – Roca International Design content. This is your reminder to disinfect your phone and wash your hands!

Designer: Lidia Grits