Tag Archives: prototype

Mikono modular table light has an innovative design to lets you carry it around

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We all need light in our lives, from the pendant lamps that light up spaces to the desk lamps that let us study or work in dark environments. Of course, we don’t always need kinds of lighting fixtures all the time, and it would probably be a financial and material waste if we bought all sorts of lamps but end up not using them often. For these circumstances, a lamp that can serve different functions in different circumstances would be ideal. Such a multi-functional accessory doesn’t need to be complicated or sophisticated, as shown by this rechargeable and modular table lamp that can split into two when you need to carry your light around with you.

Designer: Moritz Putzier

At first glance, Mikono almost looks like an overgrown flashlight, one that has been propped up on its handle to precariously stand on a flat surface. Unlike a flashlight, however, the light isn’t directed towards a single point only and rather emanates from all sides of the conical part of the lamp. Compared to a stereotypical table lamp, the cone’s orientation is inverted, with its wider end pointing upward instead of its narrow point. It’s definitely an unconventional design, but only because it’s an unconventional lamp as well.

The real lamp is actually just the cone itself, and the base is the Mikono’s wireless charging base. Two pogo pins serve as a conduit between the lamp and the charger, which could raise some concerns about properly positioning the lamp so that those pins align. From the absence of cables, the base presumably carries its own battery and doesn’t have to be plugged into a wall socket to charge the lamp.

The lamp itself is also simple and minimal in its design. The majority of the cone uses a translucent material that diffuses the light that passes through it, but the tip of the cone is made from a different metallic material that houses the electronics. There’s a loop strap at that point as well, and this strap goes into the empty chamber inside the cylindrical charging base. The black circle at the top (or bottom) of the lamp is the on and off switch, which also functions as a four-level dimmer for the light’s intensity.

The idea for the Mikono is that it’s a table lamp most of the time but can easily be a handheld lamp when you need it. You simply separate the two parts and carry the lamp using the strap. Alternatively, you can also hang the lamp off some hook, turning it into a makeshift pendant lamp. This makes Mikono useful not just indoors but especially outdoors, where it can serve as your all-in-one light source for camping and exploring.

One rather interesting detail about the lamp is that it is designed for longevity right from the start. Unlike typical rechargeable lights, Mikono is designed in a way that makes it easy to replace the battery when it becomes defective or dies out. That might not be the same for the five high-power LEDs that light up the lamp, though, which should probably be the next iteration of this modular lamp’s design.

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This eco-friendly heater judiciously uses cooking oil to keep indoors cozy warm

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When reducing carbon footprint and eco-friendly products are on your top priority list, a biofuel powered heater is what fits the bill. This sturdily build heater for modern homes is ultra-mobile and suffices your interior heating requirements for the winter season in the most sustainable way possible.

The creator of the Bio Heater is South Korea based industrial design consultancy Unichest for their client Flint Lab. The latter have found a novel way to make judicious use of all the cooking oil that otherwise is as good as waste after use. Target market for this particular prototype is majorly going to be the rural areas and farms where dirty kerosene and coal-fired heaters still dot the landscape.

Designer: Unichest

The good thing about waste cooking oil, plant oil, coffee oil, animal fat or microalgae oil is their property to be produced at low cost sans any additional processing requirements – thereby saving time and money. Flint Lab leverages this goodness to produce eco-friendly fuel for the Bio Heater. Unique combustion technology under the belly of this heater is used to transfer heat energy that’s further radiated in the room. According to Flint Lab, households in Asian cities employ coal stoves which are a nemesis for the worsening air pollution situation. As per a 2016 research by University of British Columbia, at least 5.5 million people succumb this air pollution in countries like China and India

Bio Heater is based on easy parts composition and manufacturing methods to put forth a neat and minimalistic design that blends perfectly with the traditional home setups. As Flint assures, the combustion engine burns contaminants in exhausted gas to significantly reduce the amount of soot generated. The chunky wheels on the front make the thing ultra-movable just like a wheelbarrow. Rounded top can be used to place things when not in use or even heating eatable during the winter season since we’re talking about energy conservation most of the times.

Steel is the primary material used in the construction to keep things lightweight and sturdy. The designers – Cho Sunghwan, Lee Sooyeol, Park Yeongeun, Yang Sihoon, and Lee Hyunju – offer this unique heater in colors including black, silver and orange to keep modern buyers interested.

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Leaked iPhone 14 Pro dummy prototype shows a much larger camera bump, and no more notch

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2022 seems to be the year that the iPhone finally breaks up with the notch.

Whoever Dave2D‘s sources are, they certainly must be pretty important people. The YouTuber managed to get his hands on a pretty realistic-looking iPhone 14 Pro dummy unit – the kind Apple hands out to case/accessory designers beforehand to help them manufacture and launch upgraded accessories as soon as the phone drops. It’s rumored that Apple will be dropping just 4 iPhones this fall (the company is discontinuing the Mini), and while the 14 and 14 Max look relatively unchanged, the higher-end 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max have some significant design upgrades – notably the absence of the camera notch for something much more discreet.

Apple debuted the notch in 2018 – nearly 4 years ago. Since then, almost every company’s moved on to bigger and better things, but the iPhone-maker couldn’t seem to shake off the intrusive design detail. In fact, in a year where even MUCH smaller companies were making phones with tighter bezels and camera cutouts, Apple was faithfully committed to giving their iPhones an ugly, obtrusive forehead like a parent getting their children bad haircuts. It’s funny that Apple even figured out 5G before they figured out notch-less displays.

However, if Dave2D’s secret source is to be believed, Apple’s finally figured out a workaround, with a rather fitting ‘i’ shaped camera cutout on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. This creates the iPhone X moment for the Pro range, with a design that people can now instantly distinguish as a different, more premium model (the same way the notched iPhone X actually distinguished itself from the iPhone 8). For someone who’s used Android all his life, this doesn’t feel too different, but if you’re a serial iOS-head, this new camera cutout will instantly be the first thing your eye immediately travels to… because for the first time, you have hardware that is actually ‘inside’ the screen’s real estate.

It’s not entirely certain why Apple chose this unique cutout (the company should have figured out under-display FaceID by now, right?) but some speculate that this is the best the company could do given the dire circumstances and timelines. Apple ditched their Chinese front-facing camera manufacturer for a South Korean maker at the very last minute due to quality and developmental issues. Rumor has it that this new camera system turned out to be thrice as expensive as the regular notch, but given the fact that the company is running on a tight deadline with their iPhone event just 4-ish months away, it was the best they could do. Maybe the iPhone 15 will look better, right?

Front-facing camera aside, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are rumored to have Apple’s latest A16 Bionic chip. The specs of this chip are the kind of details that nobody will really know up until Tim Cook or Phil Schiller actually gives us the whole story.

Other notable details include a similar but slightly larger camera bump. Apple seems to be pushing the envelope with just making their iPhone cameras bigger so they have larger sensors, and the iPhone 14 Pro seems to be no exception. Another feature that comes as no surprise? Lightning connector on the base. Apple has until 2024-25 to adopt the USB-C format before the folks at the EU get pissed, so chances are this might be the last, if not second-last iPhone with Apple’s proprietary lightning connector. Makes sense, considering the company also sells iPhone accessories like the AirPods and the MagSafe battery pack that use the same cable/port.

Apple is scheduled to announce the iPhone 14 this September or October. While this prototype here seems to paint a pretty reliable picture of what to expect, there are still a few more details that need mentioning, like the colors, price, and the new killer feature that sets this iPhone apart from others. (It was the Cinematic Mode last year)

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This edible tape is here to revise how we wrap our food, minus all the wasted packaging

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As much as I enjoy eating, there are certain kinds of food that may taste great but are just too messy to consume. These include thick burgers, wraps, sandwiches, and especially burritos. I mean, I like eating them, but the fact that the ingredients fall off while I’m eating, most of the time on my dress, causes a lot of stress. There must be a way to keep all of it in and prevent them from bursting at the seams, especially if you’re trying to keep your outfit pristine while eating.

Designers: Tyler Guarino, Marie Eric, Rachel Nie, and Erin Walsh

A group of students from the John Hopkins University Engineering department faced this problem when consuming burritos. So they came up with a solution to this problem, bringing a prototype of something called Tastee Tape to help you keep all the ingredients in when consuming a burrito or a wrap. Basically, it’s an adhesive that you can wrap around your food to keep things like beans, rice, vegetables, etc., from dripping onto your clothes. I would have loved to help them test out these different prototypes on all kinds of food as they seemed to enjoy this part of the process.

To come up with this solution, they first studied how different kinds of adhesives work and the science behind it. After that, they looked for how they could make something edible since, of course, you don’t want to put something on food that can be harmful. They came up with something made from food-grade fibrous scaffold and then an edible organic adhesive that can melt in your mouth once you consume it. The result is something edible, safe, and strong enough that can be used on things like burritos, gyros, wraps, tacos, sandwiches, and other similar food.

The students are still in the process of applying for a patent for the Tastee Tape, so we won’t get details yet as to the actual components and “ingredients” that go into this edible tape. But we do get instructions on how to use it. After you tear off a strip from the sheet, you need to wet it completely before applying it to the food that you need to lock into the wrap. It seems to come in clear and blue colors, although the latter doesn’t look aesthetic when put on your food.

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Toy piano prototypes inspired by Edo-era reimagines Japanese piano and furniture

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At one point or another, most kids whose parents could afford to let their kids study the piano. Those who loved it or had the talent continued to play into adulthood and some may have even made a career out of it. There are also those, like me, who eventually lost interest or didn’t have the chops to be good at it and who consider tinkling the keys to just be a pleasant memory. If you like pianos as an instrument or as a decoration, this is something that might interest you.

Designer: Yamaha Design Laboratory

The Yamaha Design Laboratory partnered with the Department of Design at Chiba University to come up with piano designs that are styled as furniture based on the Edo era. They tried to imagine what it would have been like if the piano was allowed to evolve independently in Japan without any modern Western influence. What they come up with is prototypes of three variations of the Sumida Toy piano that were displayed in a space designed as an Edo-era piano store.

The first one is called SUKIMA and the design is blended with the wooden partitions in Nagaya houses in downtown Tokyo during the Edo-Sumida era. These free-standing screens were previously used as partitions for small spaces in the houses and is see-through to still give the feeling of transparency with a hint of privacy. The prototype looks a bit like a piano with a harpsichord background but would look at home in an Edo-era house.

The OTO-TSUKUE prototype meanwhile is inspired by the traditional writing desks that were used in local educational institutions called “terakoya”. Instead of opening up to a writing table, you get a piano under the plane and above the distinctive legs of the desk. The design is what we would have seen if there were already pianos during the Edo era and it would follow that there would have been terakoya music schools.

Lastly, the HIKI-TANSU was inspired by the chest drawers that were given as gifts during important occasions like weddings. The piano is in the middle of the three drawers and is designed as a baby shower gift. This symbolizes a happy future for the baby and the family and maybe music playing a big part in that life. The prototype has distinctive etchings or carvings from that era as well.

These Sumida toy piano prototypes will be displayed in the Yamaha Ginza Store in Tokyo by May 2022.

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This weaved tubing bag can change its colors to create patterns and designs

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Don’t waste money buying different bags with different weaves and patterns when you can have a single one that you can change depending on your mood or style.

Woven bags, especially those made from sustainable and natural materials, are a delight to the eyes. Some just can’t get enough of them, so they buy and buy until they realize they have one too many. It’s really a waste of space, of money, and of materials, not to mention these could eventually end up getting thrown out in the end. What if you could have just one “woven” bag that can have all the patterns and designs that you want? That’s sort of the idea behind this prototype bag, which is more like the seed of an idea that could actually be turned into an actual product.

Designer: – 1Pt

This “color-changing tubing bag” is actually more like a container for an actual bag, or at least some flexible material to actually hold objects inside. The “bag” is made from 1/4′ OD, 1/8′ ID silicone tubing that was woven, heated, and then cooled to retain that shape. While it can be worn like a tote bag, the gaps in between don’t make it an effective bag on its own, not unless you’re always carrying large objects.

The magic of the bag is that you can have colored patterns thanks to colored water pumped inside the tubing. You can just fill the entire bag with a single color, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, you can alternate colored water and air to create gaps in order to create different patterns, like dots and dashes. One can even use different colors to create more complicated designs.

The prototype uses a microcontroller to alternate pumping liquid and pumping air, and it seems that everything has to be done manually. Computers, however, are wonderful things, especially when paired with brilliant and creative minds. It is entirely possible, for example, to develop software that will automate all of these so that a bag owner can simply give it a pattern they want to be “painted” on the bag and come back an hour later to a finished product.

It’s definitely a lot of work compared to just buying a new bag, but the benefits could outweigh the prep time. You won’t be limited to a single design, for example, and only by the colors of water you have available. Except for the silicone tubing, which could probably be substituted for something more sustainable, the bag has a lower impact on the environment in the long run. Durability is still debatable, however, but the idea is definitely interesting enough to deserve more research.

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Google Project Starline Conferencing Tool Renders You in 3D in Real-Time

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The past year has put video conferencing tools in the limelight, and in my opinion, they are sorely lacking. But technology marches onward. Just check out this mind-blowing prototype that Google claims is already in use in a few of its offices. It’s called Project Starline, a holographic communication booth that creates 3D models of both parties that are shown in real-time and in 3D.

Google says that one of the best things about Project Starline is that it just works. Judging from their demo video, I agree. You just sit down and start talking. The person – or people! – on the other end see your realistic avatar, and you see theirs. It also uses spatial audio, so it feels like you’re both in the same space, separated only by a window. It even seems to keep up with constant motion, such as the baby in the demo.

As of this writing, Google did not provide specifics on the technology or its release. The company did say that they believe that this is the future of remote communication and that they are planning to have enterprise trials later this year. I wonder how long before the technology can fit into a webcam.

Renault unveils an electric vehicle prototype inspired by the R5’s retro design!

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Renault’s new year ‘renaulution’ is to do their bit to help the environment and that is why they are launching seven fully electric vehicles. This is a part of their strategy which is really called Renaulution (I am great at puns, but this one goes to the Renault copywriter) to launch 14 core vehicles to embrace the changes we are all seeing in the automotive industry.

The French automaker wants to democratize electric cars in Europe with their Renault 5 prototype – an all-electric car inspired by their retro model the R5! The Renault 5 prototype is a compact city ride that takes the best from one of Renault’s most successful cars and gives it a 100% electric twist to fit the future. The R5 was sold as the LeCar and was a popular hatcback in 1972. The design balances the retro aesthetics with the modern elements so they don’t overpower each other. The bold yellow highlights give it a playful essence. You can see some strong features from the original vehicle incorporated in the Renault 5 prototype which is evident in the chosen finishes and materials right from its boxy wheel arches and flat sides to its tilted C-pillar. “The design of the Renault 5 prototype is based on the R5, a cult model of our heritage. This prototype simply embodies modernity, a vehicle relevant to its time: urban, electric, attractive,” says Gilles Vidal, Renault Design Director.

The bonnet air intake is hidden under the charging hatch and the rear lights include aero flaps. I also like how the fog lamps in the bumper double up as daytime running lights. For a little bit of French charm, Renault’s front end and textile roof have been inspired by the country’s well-known furniture style. On the side grid, the wheels, and the rear logo you will find a subtle nod to its classic predecessor. The modern treatment of lines and flush surfaces with futuristic detailing even on the front face makes the car instantly recognizable and visually refreshing. Let’s hope it breaks the R5’s record of being on sale for a decade!

Designer: Renault