Tag Archives: skin

Apple Pencil Number 2 skin is a perfect homage with a big caveat

Posted on by

Despite what its founder once said, Apple has wholeheartedly embraced the stylus, at least for its iPads. In fact, you could even say it innovated an accessory that hasn’t seen much change in years, introducing magnetic charging and invisible touch-sensitive buttons to the design. Its minimalist aesthetic and familiar shape have also made it more open to custom designs and skins that allow owners to express themselves beyond a simple white or black stick. Of course, this also presented an opportunity for accessory makers to establish a new market segment made especially just for this Apple stylus. Skin manufacturer Colorware is just the latest to jump on that bandwagon, but its Apple Number 2 Pencil is quite unique in more ways than one.

Designer: Colorware

The first Apple Pencil was pretty much a smooth and slippery cylinder that forced some people to put on grips or skins just to be able to securely hold the stylus. The second-gen Pencil improved the design with a somewhat hexagonal body that gave it a better grip but also inspired even more skins to embellish the Apple Pencil’s appearance. After all, with that familiar shape and generic name, it’s almost a dead knocker for the iconic Number 2 pencil known by people of all ages throughout the world.

The Colorware Apple Number 2 Pencil is one such makeover for Apple’s current stylus, but it takes the modification to the extreme. It definitely looks like the Number 2 or HB pencil with its glossy yellow body, orange eraser, and silver band that connects these two parts. Colorware, however, takes the homage one step further: even the tip is black, like a typical graphite pencil.

The nib of the Apple Pencil is, of course, white, and almost all skins stop at covering the barrel only. That’s because you can’t really cover the nib and expect its performance to be unaffected. The manufacturer naturally doesn’t divulge what it used to coat the nib, so you’ll have to trust that the Apple Number 2 Pencil will still remain as functional as a regular Apple Pencil.

The catch to this almost faithful recreation of the classic HB pencil is that it costs a whopping $215. Considering the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil retails for $129, that’s not a small cost added on top. A regular skin would only set you back $13 or so, though you’d also have to look for unofficial black nibs if you want to get the complete look. It also doesn’t indicate if that price includes extra nibs, so you might find yourself at a loss when this special black tip needs to be replaced.

The post Apple Pencil Number 2 skin is a perfect homage with a big caveat first appeared on Yanko Design.

Transparent skin patches promise psoriasis patients better human-centered treatment

Posted on by

Given how much of it is exposed for everyone to see, skin conditions can easily become a source of embarrassment or even depression for anyone. This is especially true for diseases that require prolonged treatment where afflicted people have to endure not only physical but also mental and emotional suffering during that period. Those with chronic conditions such as psoriasis might feel forced to cover up those blemishes, which might not be good for treatment. Those treatment options often revolve around the technical aspects of the medicine or the physiological condition of the patient, disregarding psychological effects. This wearable medical patch, in contrast, offers a solution that isn’t just innovative but, more importantly, human-centric as well.

Designer: 3M x Feathm Design Studio

Psoriasis patients often feel more than just the discomfort or pain brought about by their long-lasting condition. They also feel some level of hopelessness and anxiety from living with the disease. Treatments for psoriasis do exist, ranging from ointments to injections, but patients still have to endure the sight of their disfigured skin while that treatment is still ongoing. Worse, they can’t cover up those affected patches of skin, at least not without unfavorable consequences in the long run.

The 3M Psoriasis Prescription Patch design tries to alleviate patients’ suffering by hitting two birds with one stone. For one it’s a medical-grade skin wearable that easily lets people apply the patches in affected places, and although the prototype is shown to have a transparent or translucent surface, it’s not hard to imagine 3M applying its technologies and patents to make the patch seemingly blend with the skin or cover up those areas with more aesthetic designs.

More importantly, the patches can actually administer medicine to the skin, making it trivial to apply the right amount of dosage needed for treatment. In other words, these are patches you will actually have to wear to get better, which will hopefully help increase the patient’s confidence while undergoing treatment. The patches also employ a perforated honeycomb design that makes it easier to tear off sections to match the specific shape of the area that needs to be covered. Perhaps it can even be used to create interesting patterns that call attention to the patch in a more favorable way.

On the surface, it doesn’t seem like a medical patch is something ground-breaking, but it’s an innovation that puts a paradigm shift in dermatological treatment. Rather than just the application of medicine, it focuses on the effects the processes have on the mental and emotional well-being of the patients. And with a disease that everyone will be able to see, it’s even more important to take a human-centered design approach that will not only heal people’s skins but also their spirits.

The post Transparent skin patches promise psoriasis patients better human-centered treatment first appeared on Yanko Design.

Scientists Create Self-Healing Skin For Robots Using Human Cells

Posted on by

Researchers at The University of Tokyo have covered a robotic finger with skin created from actual human skin cells. It’s also capable of repairing itself when a collagen sheet is applied. And repair itself, it’s going to need to because I’m taking that Terminator finger down!

Professor Shoji Takeuchi believes realistic skin is the key to robots becoming human-like enough for society to accept them. I don’t know about you, but I feel like ultra-realistic humanoid robots are the opposite direction we should be headed. I think robots should all look like Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons. The key is non-threatening, not lifelike. That’s just creepy.

Takeuchi says that the current silicone skin used for robots just isn’t lifelike enough for humans to foster a kinship with our robotic brethren and plans on adding sweat glands, hair follicles, and fingernails to the robots in the future. And on the day that happens, I’ll be waving goodbye as my rocket blasts off far into space, away from all the hairy, sweaty robots on earth.

[via CNet]

This smartphone accessory scans your skin for underlying problems, the hassle-free way

Posted on by

Always worried about your skin’s health? Then this camera-like attachment is exactly what you want.

Skin is the first line of defense that the complex body mechanism has developed to keep all the billions and trillions of external elements from reaching the internal organs. As civilizations progressed forward this largest and most important organ of the body became the most sought after in terms of care. Take the skincare industry for example which is one of the biggest out there and so much money is poured into it for mere looks. In fact, the skincare segment amounted to $18,702 million in 2021, and it is following a growth pattern of 5.01 percent annually.

After all who doesn’t want some me-time, especially with their skincare. Seeing the importance of skincare in daily routine, Borderless Design Consultancy (BDCI) has an interesting take on smartphone accessories that go beyond contemporary use. We’ve seen high-end smartphone camera attachments, medical-related accessories, and other weird gadgets, but this one is actually interesting. Dubbed At Skin, it scans the skin for any signs of skin diseases or cancer DNA for early detection of serious problems. On the skincare front, the gadget scans the skin for tissues and overall healthy signs.

You can attach this cool gadget to your smartphone, placing it just over the primary sensor and the accessory’s hardware does the rest. The device works like a dermascope to detect any skin lesions or melanoma cells at a very early stage so that you can take the precautionary measures ASAP. Since At Skin can be attached to any smartphone’s camera module, hassle-free skincare is actually possible the right way with BDCI’s attachment. The product is still in the prototyping stage and we hope to see it hit the market soon in the future.

Designer: BDCI

Infinity Ward tries to make its ‘Call of Duty’ Border War skin less offensive

Posted on by
On Tuesday, Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward changed the name of Modern Warfare and Warzone’s Border War skin. The cowboy cop skin is now called “Home on the Range.” The change seems to be an attempt to crack down on racism in Call of Duty, but y...

Researchers create an artificial skin that makes your phone ticklish

Posted on by
We're so reliant on our smartphones that it's probably fair to say they've become an extension of ourselves, so the fact that scientists have now developed an artificial "skin" for our devices -- that has the ability to make them ticklish -- is not a...

Sticker sensor monitors your body using wireless power

Posted on by
Wearable body sensors have a common problem: they need power and antennas, and all that equipment leads to bulky devices that influence your behavior. Stanford researchers, however, have developed a system that could be almost imperceptible. Their Bo...