Tag Archives: Red Dot Awards 2020

This foldable child safety seat for ages 0-12 is designed to be used in a public taxi or even Uber!

Posted on by




Car seats for children are bulky, space-consuming, and have to be replaced often as they grow. We need child seats that are compact enough to store and be easily accessible in every car because the purpose is to keep your child safe irrespective of the car you have. Taxie is a Red Dot Design Award winner that solves this fundamental issue so you don’t have to choose between spending too much money on seats as your child grows or on a new car to fit a big seat. This foldable child safety seat makes it possible to share cars or take an Uber while still being able to carry your seat.

Apart from being universally car-friendly, Taxie works for children between 15 months to 12 years of age which is more than most current ones in the market, and adheres to the latest ECE-R129 standard of safety. Designers identified the top three reasons that make it difficult for shared car drivers to provide a child safety seat – children of different ages require different types of seat, a child safety seat is too bulky to store in the car boot, setting up a child seat and dismantling them take up time. It is impossible for parents or drivers to carry various sizes of child safety seats to accommodate all their needs.

It can be transformed into three different safety seats that suit infants, toddlers, and children above the age of 4 years. Just unlock the base, flip it over, adjust the headrest and you/the driver is good to go. Created for children with heights 76cm and above, this seat is a scalable product that is the size of hand luggage. Fold and store it in the boot when not in use while still leaving plenty of room for your luggage. Taxie’s flexible form helps drivers provide a better service for families with children and also for parents as one seat will last 12 years and can be used for multiple kids. The clever design maximizes what you get from a product through its versatility – it fits your needs and your car!

Designer: Richard Choi, Emma Chen, Jung Jian Huang, David Kang, and Dennis Yeh

This circuit board desk integrates a cabling solution to give you the ultimate wire-free desk setup!

Posted on by

As I write from my desk, a countless number of wires hang on and tangle between my legs: the trio of cables coming from my WiFi Router, the designated spots for my phone and laptop chargers, along with some other wires whose purposes remain unknown to me. Surely, the mess of wires underneath my desk pales in comparison to the likes of a graphic designer or website coder, but it goes without saying that when it comes to cable organization, it seems we could all use some help.

CableTread, a standing desk with a built-in cable organizer, was conceived with San Francisco-based e.ventures, where Tom Gielselmann recruited Nick Allen to develop a “circuit-board desk.” Together, over the course of a year, they redefined what cable organization looks like, winning the Red Dot Design’s 2020 Innovative Award. The printed circuit board is relatively familiar for any young person who grew up on science-fiction spy movies but also stands as the inspiration behind CableTread. Simply put, the printed circuit board is an electrical connector that mechanically supports electronic components through conductive pathways. A clever reinterpretation of the circuit board’s purpose, it makes sense that the organizational scheme for CableTread’s underbelly mimics the electric roadways of circuit boards since both seem to make some sense out of an intimidating mess. The gut of CableTread, the underside of the standing desk, also carries an embedded Mac Mini, two defined mounts for USB accessories, a power strip with six feet worth of cord extension, cable slack management, and a flush mount heigh control assist button, all in addition to the desk’s physical wireframing.

CableTread desks embed cables inside the desktop itself so that technological hardware can function as expected without that unsightly mess of tangled wires above or below a computer screen. Dedicated channels weave, twist, and turn underneath CableTread’s topside, inside of which wires nestle, ensuring that workspaces stay clean and tidy. The natural elasticity of cables is what provides them with the ability to cling to the weaving of different, predetermined channels. As wires bend, they press up against the hardest, closest surface available, in this case, the walls that surround the varying, twisting channels, ensuring that they remain tightly fastened. CableTread also has some integrated features for the top of its desktop, including an integrated monitor mount and an inset magic keyboard and trackpad. Along the ridge of CableTread, an E1 and Carb2 certified valchromat boarders the desk and provides extra wood fiber paneling for high physical performance, making the desk as durable as it is organized. The minimalist workstation is currently only available for pre-order exclusively in the Bay Area, come early 2021.

Designers: Nick Allen, Tom Gielselmann x e.ventures

Integrated monitor mount

Embedded Mac Mini

Inset magic keyboard and trackpad

E1 + CARB2 certified valchromat

Two USB accessory mounts

Power strip with six feet worth of cord extension

Cable slack management

Linak desk frame

Flush mount height control

Robotic Prosthetic Knee sweeps the Luminary at the Red Dot Design Award: Design Concept 2020

Posted on by

During one of our Q&A’s, a reader asked our founder, Takashi Yamada, what a design should be according to him. “Innovative”, he said, “It is not about making something bigger, better, stronger, faster, cheaper, etc. than your previous product or service. Innovation is about creating something that makes what you already have obsolete. And that’s why I love concepts so much – they always push the boundaries.” And that same love for concepts echoes through all of Yanko Design.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has surged through the world, changing things as we know it. But one thing that could not be dampened was the sense of enthusiasm with which the design community rose up to this new challenge. Red Dot Awards are not just an award, but a seal of quality that helps the designers distinguish their design and gain a spotlight to help their talent shine. Undeterred by COVID, the Red Dot Award ceremony was held online this year, the celebratory moments captured and shared during a two-day award celebration. Let’s jump into the list of the 2020 Red Dot Awards: Design Concept winners with the Red Dot Luminary Award, presented by the Red Dot Juror – Mr. Tanaka Kazuo!

Click Here to See More Award-winning Projects

Announcement of the prestigious Red Dot: Luminary Award 2020

The Robotic Prosthetic Knee by BionicM Inc. (Japan) is the winner of the Red Dot: Luminary 2020 award for their innovative, motor-powered design that helps above-knee amputees restore their physical functions. As Mr. Kazuo Tanaka explains “The Robotic Prosthetic Knee completely changes the concept of prostheses up to now. It is the fusion of body neural information and robot technology. As a result, the user can obtain a natural walking sensation that is completely different from that of a conventional artificial leg. What’s more, its appearance is fashionable and gives the user confidence.”

Robotic Prosthetic Knee by BionicM Inc.

The top accolade winning design serves as an inspiration to designers and takes a huge step towards building a more inclusive world. How do they do that? By merging robotic technology and the human body! The design is very personal for its CEO, Dr. Sun Xiajun since he is a prosthetic user since age 9. While he got his first prosthetic at the age of 15, Dr. Xiajun understands the importance of merging design and engineering to create a product that excels in everyday life. Especially in the prosthetics field, functionality and aesthetics hold equal weightage in making the design feel socially acceptable, helping the user be comfortable in using this design to improve their day-to-day life. The result is a compact, lightweight, and futuristic design that the user is actually proud to show-off instead of hiding it.

Yanko Design curates the team’s favorite designs that are pushing the boundaries for a better tomorrow and it ranges from urban architecture and automotive to smart home appliances and toys!

Deployable Emergency Shelter by Samuel Barratt and Henry Glogau

This design has an intrinsic connection to its environment and stands on the pillars of biomimicry and symbiosis. The concept explores how snow can be used as a natural insulator and protective layer in extremely cold environments through fractional origami skin combined with lightweight lattice structure – think Eskimos but in 2020 with design skills and their traditional knowledge of snow. “We wanted to design a shelter which looks to embrace and utilize these extreme conditions to its advantage, rather than fight against them. Snow became a building material rather than a burden,” said the designers of the Deployable Emergency Shelter.

UN/LIMITED by Chou Kuan-hua

UN/LIMITED explores the requirements of volume and material through a daily backpack because we don’t have Hermoine’s Undetectable Extension Charm to fit everything in our regular bags. It is expandable to accommodate unexpected items and can also be compressed into a more streamlined form to allow for better mobility. Guided by the design philosophy of ‘design by reduction’, it is sealed by heat welding and made of a mono-material, DuPont Hytrel, or similar recyclable thermoplastic elastomers with different levels of hardness and also making it easier to recycle – the objective is to design a product with recyclable plastic that is sustainable, improves with age and has a genuine bond with the user.

TOGOther by Pan Yu-Ting and Wu Ya-Cheng

This is an electric transporter that can be attached to all kinds of wheelchairs giving mobility a dimension of modularity that makes it more adaptable to people and places. Depending on the needs of the disabled, it offers three mobility modes: Independent Mode, Assisted Mode, and Personal Transporter mode. The modern aesthetics and universal design details help move away from the stigma of disability. This challenges our long-standing stereotypes and perceptions of assistive devices. Rooted in the idea of an inclusive mobile society for everyone, TOGOther aims to lighten the load of both the disabled and their caregiver, thereby supporting an aging society.

Ultra-Thin Air Conditioner by Ningbo AUX Electric Co., Ltd.

Tired of the bulky split Air Conditioners or the rattle-y window ACs? This is your solution – a slim, telescopic air-conditioner with an accordion-like panel as a cool air outlet. Ultra-Thin Air Conditioner’s panel expands and contracts to change the angle of the airflow that is exiting. The more the panels expand, the bigger the area of airflow. This accordion design replaces the traditional swing-flap blades of air-conditioners that usually guide the airflow. In a standby state, the space of the air duct is compressed, the panel collapses and closes, hiding the air vents to leave behind an ‘ultra-thin’ form. Sleep, simple, and super ‘cool’.

POSEIDON by PSD Pte. Ltd.

This automotive design is a first of its kind product that enables divers to reach deeper depths with great speeds by equipping them with the environmental parameters from an integrated LCD screen. The unique built-in GPS positioning system helps users return to their set locations when the propeller goes into in low-battery mode. For user-friendly ‘smart return’ function the slots are filled with a hollow glass micro-bead type of buoyant material – this ensures that the body is not affected by the high pressure of the deep waters and that it would actually float to the surface and start the GPS positioning function after being let go. In order to create highly efficient products with perfect safety, A123 lithium-ion batteries are used because they offer no risk of explosion, therefore reducing stress for divers. Truly, the Poseidon of the automotive world with its amphibian-like design.

AMBI- by Baek Ju Yeon

A regular mouse is still a major cause for ‘carpal tunnel syndrome’ because a mouse’s angle is generally not ergonomic for the hand, especially if you are left-handed because the mouse market often forgets about you. Sandwiched between the shell of the vertical AMBI- mouse is a collapsible accordion-like structure made with flexible plastic that allows users to adjust the tilt angle of the mouse. When the structure changes, a setup window will intuitively appear on the screen. This can be modified to fit both hands. The upper and lower shell can also be used alone (by detaching the accordion structure) just like a regular mouse. Left-handers finally rejoice!

WM Fresher by Nanjing Chuangwei Household Electronic Appliances Limited

By combining the functions of a front-loading washing machine, a small top-loading washing machine, and a shoe-care machine, WM Fresher offers users a ‘head-to-toe’ clean. Its unique three-layer washing space can wash and care for different clothing materials and dirtiness at the same time, saving time and energy. It is user-friendly, even for the elderly, and it is possible to customize and personalize the washing parameters for the optimum cleaning result. It uses an innovative steam washing function to sterilize and disinfect clothes. The shoe sterilization area is right at the bottom and automatically detects, sterilizes, and deodorizes footwear according to the material and size. Making laundry easier for everyone!

Moving Z by ZINUS Design Department

Moving frequently and constantly having to buy/discard furniture is a huge hassle, especially for Gen Z who are just venturing into the real world. Cities around the world are seeing a gradual decrease in personal living space, and the increasing movement in and out of the city. People need furniture that is suited for small spaces and frequent moves. Moving Z is a new furniture concept that is compact and easy to move. It is designed to reduce the time and effort needed when moving to a new home. For frequent movers, Moving Z can be easily packed, assembled, or used in different configurations – pushed down or upright to fit any space. The modular boxes are made from a variety of materials and can be stacked/arranged freely while the wheeled frame functions as a cart which can be used to move things conveniently.

Little Hoppa by Sofie

Many children’s toys on the market are bulky, not designed to last, and non-renewable. Little Hoppa is a 3-in-1 children’s play gym, jumper, and activity table. This durable, innovative, and multi-activity toy transforms and adapts with children as they grow (from birth to 4 years old). It is easy to clean and recycle, the simple nut-and-bolt fit makes it super simple to put each stage together; most parts are also reused in each stage. It can be used by newborns for tummy time, for babies with interactive hanging toys, and for slightly older babies who start to pull themselves up, it can be used as a jumper toy. The final stage has been created for the toddler and pre-school years – the tabletop is dual-sided so younger children can use the built-in road, storytelling forms, and interactive toys for imaginative play, while older children will enjoy drawing or reading using the flat side of the table.

Click Here to See More Award-winning Projects

A luxurious full-body massager with hidden speakers fits your interiors while keeping you stress free

Posted on by

The problem with purchasing a personal massage chair isn’t just the hefty price tag: it’s the hefty bulk of the chair itself. Massage chairs, especially high-quality ones, take up a lot of space. The Nouhaus, on the other hand, offers an enticing alternative: a high-quality massage packed into a space-efficient package.

Compared to similar products, the Nouhaus fits within a midrange price point, providing a deeply satisfying massage without breaking the bank. Standard massage chairs use either an S-track chair frame, which only reaches the length of the spine, the Nouhaus uses a hybrid L/S-track, which extends under the buttocks and thighs. The Nouhaus also features airbag massagers around the waist and pelvis, which offer a deeper, more relaxing experience. Also, like many higher-end chairs, it includes manual adjustments so you can fit the rollers to your body height.

The Nouhaus gives an incredible massage, but it also is a beauty in its own right. Even though the chair is quite large, it’s no bigger than your average recliner. Its plush cushions help create the ultimate relaxation experience. The chair even has Bluetooth speakers embedded in the headrest, adding to the immersion. Basically, if you could afford to upgrade your standard reclining armchair with a full-body massager, why wouldn’t you?

This Project is a 2020 Red Dot: Product Design winner.

Designer: Nouhaus

 

         

A personalized submarine that makes easy ocean exploration a reality for millionaires!

Posted on by

When it comes to underwater explorers, U-Boat Worx are the pros as they’ve been working in developing submersibles since 2005. After the success of the C-Researcher Series and Super Yacht Sub series, the Dutch company is going even stronger with the two-person NEMO Submersible which has claimed to be the lightest manned submarine on the planet. The design that’s capable of being towed behind a trailer or transported on a yacht is so intriguing that it has won the acclaimed Red Dot Concept Design Award 2020.

NEMO is lightweight too (for its category) at just 2,500 kg keeping in mind that it has to counter the pressure underwater to a maximum depth of 100 meters. Hydrodynamic form with 155 cm height of the submersible, along with the power to weight ratio, gives it an operational advantage – also making it highly practical for commercial applications. Having an operational time of up to eight hours makes it the perfect vessel for exploration or deep-sea missions to learn more about the underwater ecology. On the inside, it’s as comfortable as you would expect a deep dive vessel to be. The transparent hatch of NEMO gives access to the fully air-conditioned interiors that are embellished in modern-looking aesthetics. It comes with all the latest technology needed underwater including SONAR, manipulator arm, aircon, and wireless underwater communications.

The driving is done by the trained NEMO pilots who get a 12-day training before taking the submersible for a solo spin. And it comes with auto-heading and auto-depth features too. They can hand over the supervised control of the vessel to the fellow passenger who can drive it with the MANTA controller. If required the submersible can also be remotely actuated from a yacht or the shoreline with the Marlin controller. All this luxury and judicious use of technology comes at a steep price tag of USD 1.06 million, and once the market demand is met, NEMO will explore the depths of unknown waters with nature lovers aboard.

Designer: UBoat Worx

 

This Award-Winning Magnetic Modular Lamp System Can Turn Into Three Different Lighting Designs!

Posted on by

The right lighting can make or break any interior space. When considering interior design or even comfort, light fixtures can bring a lot to the table. During the day, floor lamps might feel most appropriate and luminescent, but then come evening time, a desk lamp might offer that more intimate mood lighting that’s better situated atop a desk or wall mount. Depending on your personal preference, SAN, a new modular lamp design, adjusts accordingly.

SAN, 2020’s Asia Design Award-winner, comes in eight parts. Linked with magnets, these parts come together in order to build three different types of lamps: floor, desk, or wall. When all the parts are put together, the fixture comes together as a tall, floor lamp that can either bend or remain upright. By using one less magnetized rod, the pieces can comprise a slim and foldable desk lamp. Using the minimum amount of rods, the fixture can lastly turn into a small lamp that can mount onto any flat surface. SAN operates with an industry-standard USB Type ‘C’ cable, which transmits lots of power for optimal lighting. SAN is definitely user-friendly and easily adjustable as it requires no tools to set up. The construction details are helpfully outlined on the package’s box, in which all eight parts are properly placed and understood. Fitting into the base of the light fixture is a light socket with a magnetic head, which begins the link of magnetized rods.

SAN’s simple design is attractive for industrial or contemporary interior design and easily changeable so that any living space can be turned into one that’s right for you. So, whether a tall, standup light for outfit changes in front of your mirror or a desk lamp for reading come night time is needed, SAN modulates according to your changing needs.

This project is a 2020 Red Dot: Design Concept winner.

Designer: Kinsey Yu and Jonas Ceppa

The magnetic levitating spheres of this abstract clock makes time-telling a futuristic experience!

Posted on by

Time is constantly moving forward and also never seems to move quickly enough. The time of day is the first thing we learn when we wake up in the morning and from that moment on, it guides us everywhere. The hour and second hands are the pillars that give our world structure to help make sense of it. It’s no wonder clocks are circular as, in many ways, time makes the world go ‘round. But what would happen if the way we read time changed entirely? What would it look like?

The designers, led by Alfredo Mendez with Bitshake Studio, behind O’clock took it upon themselves to find out. In 2020, O’clock recently received Red Dot’s Design Award for its meditative storytelling techniques and innovative re-interpretation of time through design. The timepiece connects to your WiFi router, recognizing your specific timezone, in order to provide accurate information regarding the time of day. Then, a built-in IMU, a tool that collects data regarding a device’s movement, measures its location around the timepiece’s circle and adjusts the clock’s indicators accordingly with each second. The indicators used are three separate, metallic spheres that move with the changing hours, minutes, and seconds of each day. The second-sphere rotates along the bottom perimeter of the timepiece, the minute-sphere travels the front-facing perimeter, and the hour-sphere slides along the inside of the clock. These indicators work thanks to 132 linear PCB motors that are embedded inside the clock’s metallic body, which support and connect a magnetic field that works around the clock, 24/7, 365! This provides an electromagnetic field that keeps the spheres rotating as long as time keeps moving.

Time is absolute, which is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as, “true, right, or the same in all situations and not depending on anything else.” Time is absolute because humans have made it so, but O’clock redefines the way we read it. Since time is a human-centered concept, it travels in an absolute forward motion, which in turn keeps each of us moving forward, but O’clock is distinct in its own construct of time, making the way O’clock presents time as an entirely centerless concept.

This Project is a 2020 Red Dot: Design Concept winner.

Designer: Alfredo Mendez x Bitshake Studio

A stackable cooking container that goes from stovetop to the dinner table with ease

Posted on by

My first cooking set was a hodgepodge of pots and pans that were shared between four roommates. They were piled haphazardly in one of our bottom cabinets, as there was no clean way to stack them neatly. We kept them out of sight and out of mind, but this also means we were reluctant to cook on a daily basis.

The Cooking Totem set covers the essential cooking needs of any young adult, while also presenting itself in a beautiful package. It contains five pieces: a wok, soup pot, skillet, saucepan, and crepe pan, which all stack neatly together like nesting dolls. The set also comes with two modular lids and detachable handles — a game-changer that allows for easy, compact storage.

Of course, as you saw in the picture above, this eye-catching set was meant to be displayed, not just on your kitchen counter, but in the dining room. Just remove the handles from the Cooking Totem pots, and you get a set of simple, sleek serving bowls. This product’s duality as a kitchen and dining room set truly separates it from other products in the space … and it clearly deserved to win this year’s RedDot Award.

Designer: Design2Gather

This dog-friendly muzzle design tightens only when your dog feels threatened

Posted on by

There are several reasons why a dog might be wearing a muzzle. They might be recovering from a painful injury or get anxious in crowded areas. Yes, these feelings of vulnerability and anxiety may prompt a dog to nip or bite as a defensive reflex, but that doesn’t make the dog dangerous. Unfortunately, a muzzled dog attracts negative attention, even if the animal is actually a sweetheart.

The Joyda muzzle presents a more subtle, comfortable alternative to existing products. Instead of following a common muzzle design, which essentially looks like a cage over the dog’s mouth, the Joyda uses a light strip of fabric around the snout. For the most part, the Joyda muzzle hangs loosely, not restricting the dog’s mouth at all. The strap will only tighten when it senses a potential attack. How can the Joyda tell? Well, the muzzle comes with a sensor that clips onto the dog’s collar. If the monitor notices a change in heart rate or other signs that might indicate aggression, it will send a signal to the muzzle and tighten around the dog’s snout until the perceived threat passes.

The Joyda is such a simple, smart solution to a common problem. I think the most impressive aspect of the design is its ability to destigmatize the use of muzzles. I would love to see this product be available for dog shelters because it would be incredibly helpful for socializing nervous animals in a safe, comfortable way.

Designers: Choi Jong Hun, Kim Dong Gyu, Kim Jong Myoung, Kim Kyeong Jun, and Lee Chan Jae

Vivo’s detachable pop-up camera concept is the evolution smartphone photography needs!

Posted on by

Vivo is not new to innovation in mobile camera technology. After having surprised the industry with the pop-up selfie camera, and a phone with dual elevating front cameras; the Chinese OEM has gone a step further to introduce a concept phone with a pop-up selfie camera module that can be removed from the body of the smartphone. This conceptual, interactive, and intuitive camera opens up a whole new range of multi-angle photography previously unseen with smartphone cameras.

IFEA Camera Mobilephone, as Vivo calls its concept smartphone, comes with a detachable front camera module called the IFEA. A user can detach the rectangular camera from the phone once it has completely popped out of its housing. IFEA can then be used wirelessly in any setting while being controlled with the smartphone from a distance. Vivo says the camera can also be voice-controlled to click and record. Furthermore, it can be attached to objects – as demonstrated in the video – to even a dog collar for your pooch’s first-person Instagram-worthy shots. From how it appears, the IFEA concept has a built-in battery and probably connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth. This we believe since the phone receives instant notification in case the user walks beyond a stipulated distance from the detached camera module. And the possibilities? Those are limited only by your imagination! While we agree smartphone photography is reaching all new heights, this detachable design lets you literally redefine your relationship with your phone and your camera. Place it on a table for a selfie, attach it to a holder and use it as an action camera, or make it a point of view camera from your pet’s collar – as we said, the only limitation is your imagination!

IFEA Camera Mobilephone is the brainchild of designer Dai Nairen. For its endless possibilities and out-of-the-box design, this concept for Vivo has won the Red Dot Design Award 2020. This is definitely an interesting idea any mobile photography aficionado would want to lay their hands-on, but will it see the light of the day is just anybody’s guess at this moment. Vivo is however hopeful of evolving the potential use of the IFEA in commercial phones, changing the way we capture the world around us!

Designer: Dai Nairen/Vivo