Gabriel says :
The Renault Picnic seeks to augment rather than detract from the health of it’s surrounding environment. It is a Zero-emissions vehicle that provides a social function to the parked car within in the urban landscape. When parked, the Picnic transforms into urban furniture, becoming a social space for people to re-acquaint themselves with the surrounding environment. LED-impregnated, glass-coated polycarbonate windows project customized images when the vehicle is parked, transforming the vehicle into a form of public art.

Further considering the environment, the exterior panels are composed of hemp-based composites, and the vehicle is powered by Lithium Ion batteries and two rear-mounted in-wheel hub motors.

In order to reduce cost, complexity and weight, the simple interior is constructed of modular components, with four identical, soy-foam seats and an i-pod doc replacing most of the functions, including sound system and GPS on the dashboard.

Designer : Gabriel Wartofsky

From Eduardo:
Autonomous Living Units is a somewhat satirical project that stands at the intersection of the current housing crisis, the tendency of people in developed countries to live on their own and the trend of turning architecture into a consumer product. The project poses a scenario in which living units (homes) have evolved into the most minimal yet visually alluring objects that can still provide for the basic needs of the 21st century human being.

Because of the morphing of architecture into furniture, the Living Units could be inserted in derelict areas and ruined housing projects. This project was exhibited among others at the d3 Gallery in New York for the “Future Cities: Past, Present” exhibition in April 2009.

Designer : Eduardo McIntosh via [Dezeen]

Designer : Svenja Hotop

[Press Release]

MIT unveils EyeStop: an iPhone‐like interactive bus stop for the City of Florence

May 14, 2009. MIT architects and engineers have unveiled EyeStop, an interactive bus stop designed for the city of Florence. On Saturday 16 May the project will be presented officially at the Genio Fiorentino by the President of the Province of Florence Matteo Renzi (dubbed ‘The Italian Obama’ by TIME Magazine).

EyeStop, developed by MIT’s SENSEable City Lab, is an exploration into the next generation of smart urban furniture; it aims to enrich the city with state of the art sensing technologies, interactive services, community information and entertainment. The project is partially covered with touch sensitive e‐INK and screens, so that it can deliver information to people seamlessly. Users can plan a bus trip on an interactive map, exchange community‐relevant information on a digital message board, surf the web, monitor their real time exposure to pollutants and use their mobile devices as an interface with the bus shelter. “Interacting with EyeStop could change the access to urban information in a similar way to how the iPhone has changed our mobile life” commented Carlo Ratti, Head of the SENSEable City Lab at MIT.

At the touch of a finger users can indicate their desired destination; the system will then display the shortest bus route from where they are and the position of all relevant buses real‐time. The EyeStop will glow at different levels of intensity to signal the distance of an approaching bus. Riders and passers‐by can also post ads and community announcements to an electronic bulletin board placed on the bus stop, enhancing its functionality as a public space ‐ a place to gather and exchange community relevant information.

In addition to displaying information, the bus stop also acts as an active environmental sensing node, powering itself through sunlight and collecting real time information about air quality and the urban environment. “EyeStop is an experiment into urban computing: it may be considered an “info‐tape” that snakes through the city, rising up like a pole or cropping out of the sidewalk like a shelter. It senses information about the environment and distributes it in a form accessible to all citizens” – commented project leader Giovanni de Niederhousern.

A generative parametric model produces a unique design for each bus stop, providing both optimal sheltering for users and maximum sunlight exposure for direct photovoltaic powering. Unlike the typical mass‐produced bus stop, EyeStop is designed to fit the physical characteristics of its surroundings, with each unit being slightly different from the others. Furthermore, simple materials like shiny steel, extra clear glass and gray local stone (pietra serena), together with its minimalist design, serve to optimize how it blends into the historic urban fabric of Florence.

“Since the Renaissance, there has been an interplay between the physical form of the city (urb) and its citizenship (civitas),” added Carlo Ratti. “Today’s technologies are adding new possibilities to that age‐long relationship, thanks to the addition of digital information to physical space. It is as if a new materiality were emerging in architecture, with the seamless blending of bits and atoms…”

EyeStop was developed at the SENSEable City Laboratory by Giovanni de Niederhousern, Shaocong Zhou, Assaf Biderman and Carlo Ratti, in collaboration with the Province of Florence and the local public transportation authority ATAF.

Designer : Giovanni de Niederhousern, Shaocong Zhou, Assaf Biderman and Carlo Ratti via Core77

Designer : Fritz Hansen via Jalopnik

Designer : Dima Loginoff via HomeDosh

From Kim :
The pet accessories market is expanding, but the number of abandoned dogs is ever- increasing. A way to counter this problem may be to encourage stronger bonds between pets and owners. Sharing something may be a way to strengthen relationships – sharing understanding as well as objects. Wherever you are, your dog always wants to be with you. For example, when a dog owner sits on a chair, the dog will often sit under the chair. When their pet comes near, an owner will typically pat it – a heartwarming experience for both individuals.

Happily Ever is based on these kinds of behaviors. There are various ways to use Happily Ever. The owner can sit anywhere on the chair. The dog can rest inside the chair, or sit on top of it. There are two seats – the lower one is for the dog or owner, and the upper one is just for the owner (making use of a height ranking system). There is soft cushioning on the higher seat for comfort. A hole at the back of the chair allows it to be picked up easily, and also assists with taking the seat apart for cleaning. The pet might reach through the hole with their paw to play with the owner.

Designer : Kim Hyun Joo via HomeDosh

One thing all we pet owners face is the shedding that they do, but can’t blame them because this comes natural to them. Even our cat keeps shedding a lot, and honestly used to have a hard time maneuvering the same. But this new device seems like an answer to all my prayers. Not only does it clean the regular vacuum stuff, but cat hair too.

The best part is that the physical presence of the user is not even necessary. Just set the time when you want the house to be clean and this device does the rest. So if you are out for work or sleeping after a long hard working day, once done see for yourself how a spic and span house is waiting for you. With a compact size it is easy to store and keep and is quite noiseless even while operating which is completely opposite of what all vacuum cleaners are synonymous with.

There are many innovative features that have been incorporated in this new Roomba, like the sensors present in it helps it to identify that if it approaches a solid object the speed automatically drops, thus it’s quite gentle on furniture and other important parts of the house. Apart from this it also timely warns if the dirt bag is full or the brushes need cleaning. Another technology that is featured is that of lighthouse, wherein the Roomba automatically cleans the rooms without moving to the next one. With loads of innovation and user friendly options I may sound as a brand ambassador for the Roomba, but would admit that you too would turn into one if you use it too.

[Buy It Here]

Designer : MBM