Designer : James Chu

This concept device can be held in ways that is comfortable by the user and enables the utilization of the index finger and thumb. Most amazingly, this device can produce electrical energy by any kind of movement, even slight vibration persuades electricity, which is used to charge this device. More energetic interactions, such as, swinging the device repetitively between and around the index finger and thumb, gives a greater charge. The user can learn, develop and combine varieties of techniques for not only powering the device, but also increase the hand dexterity and coordination.

The track control section includes an electromagnetic inducer that generates an electric charge for the device from any kind of vibration or motion. The volume control segment includes all the major electronic modules of the device, including phono input, headphone output, memory storage unit and logic board. The volume control contains basic controls only and no screen, allows less energy requirement. The soft exterior casing of both main parts and beads provide easy grip and tactility, and is consists of thermoplastic polyurethane, which is an energy efficient material to manufacture and consequently, can be effectively recycled. The inner casing is made of stainless steel and provides protection to the electrical equipments and offers a tactile weight to the device. Aside from giving the device a unique form, the cable connects the two sections and transfer energy to all other components from the power supply.

Revealing the cable detach screws can be done by pulling out the soft outer casing. Unscrewing these will separate the entire device into different components that will let the user customize, repair and replace the components. Adjusting volume and track selection can be controlled by turning the end beads within the consequent end sections. The power and play or pause is controlled by clicking the beads into the sections.

Designer : Thomas Mascall

Although both the MMVs are light and small, they can attain a maximum altitude of around 10,000 foot above sea level. The overall size and strong structure around the riders ensures passenger safety and can be spotted easily by other vehicles in traffic. The front shock absorber, a side door protection and ballistic shaft recovery system are few safety features of these three-wheelers. Both models include air conditioning and heating, rear view video monitor, automatic vehicle leaning, dual lighting system for ground and air, and stereo MP3 input CD player.

Unlike the conventional aircraft engines, the engines of these MMVs have emission controls, therefore, motorcycle engines and transmissions are being used after modification to provide power reverse to the propellers for both the models. From the test result of the current pre-production engines, it’s been predicted that they would pass the ultra-low emission vehicle standards of California without exhaust treatment.

Designer : Samson Motorworks via Gizmag

The patented folding system is really easy to operate which requires no additional tools and takes only few seconds to folding and unfolding the bike. The aluminum frame includes 40 mm suspension travel at both front and rear wheel and this can be adjusted for individual riding soothe. This Foldingbike offers relaxed cycling with the Shimano 8-speed gear and disk brakes ensure supreme level of safety. This extraordinary bike includes a side stand, a variable luggage rack and protective metal cover, and is available in two different colors, silver and white.

Designer : Mercedes Benz

Designer : Kohler

Primavera Helmet, designed by Sebastian Hess, is a key product of the latest high quality helmet array for the recent scooter generation. This open face, easy and casual helmet provides 180° visor that meets classic elegance. The clearly defined design has reduced to the essential components only and the style combines the legendary past with latest appearance. Innovation and vision, tradition and future, engineering and design are the main factors of this sustainable product. The main goal of designing this product is to provide excellent safety to the new generation scooter riders with a brilliant outlook that will attract the attention of all range of bikers.

[Press Release]

The Primavera helmet revives a legendary past and represents the birth of the new brand NZI by Hess Design. In its design and performance the helmet plays with citations and references to the exceptional Vespa 50 Special, the style icon of the 70`s. The minimalistic aesthetics of the Primavera refers directly to the mystic Vespa-models of the 70`s. These style icons were the base for the new developed helmet with its innovative features and its easy and safe use. New standards in terms of urbanity and innovation are set by creating a complete Primavera edition containing helmet, gloves and scarves.

Quality is no longer enough. Today a product or a brand is perceived as new only if its functionality and its materials are innovative. Tradition and future, innovation and vision, engineering and design unify and peak in an “honest” and sustainable product without loosing the base of creating innovative, technical and protective apparel. The ambition of the cooperation between NZI and Hess Design is to develop and create new charming products. Essential elements therefor are the intensive investigation of user scenarios and the vision of creating sustainable and innovative products. NZI and Hess Design develop products for seekers of beauty, for people with consciousness looking for high quality products.

Sportiness, dynamic and elegance in all their plainness are the key features of the Primavera. Clearly defined lines that are reduced to the essence underline the character and style consciousness. Their forms and their flow give hints to some new key features. The front of the Primavera with its playful swinging lines and the decorative air-inlets refer to hairstyles and hat fashion of the 60`s. The rear section with its metallic air-outlets rather speaks an automotive language and makes sure the helmet in its appearance is well-balanced. The 180° rotatable visor marks the heart of the helmet. Different shaped and toned visors can be attached to the patented helmet fixation tool-free via magnetic system in just a second.

The fusion of traditional, classical elegance with young, fresh and easy streetwear effects an exciting and charming impression. Deep satisfaction and intimate gratification will be experienced by every Primavera user. Desire of spring, desire of style awakes in all seekers of beauty. Primavera represents the initial of a new lifestyle that can be lived. Primavera, the helmet for the high tech community of tomorrow.

Designer : Sebastian Hess
Photography: Jörg Baumann

[Press Release]
Mercedes-Benz F-CELL Roadster – trainees build a car of the future

* Young people unite high tech and tradition

* Alternative drive systems as a training topic

In a hitherto unique project bridging various fields of profession, the trainees of Daimler AG at the Sindelfingen Mercedes-Benz plant have built a Roadster with fuel cell drive. For about a year, more than 150 trainees and dual education system students worked on the overall concept, development, assembly, and completion of the F-CELL Roadster. This project involved junior employees from the fields of automotive mechatronics, model-building, electronics, coating technology, manufacturing mechanics, product design, and interior appointments. The prime objective of the project was to integrate the topic of alternative drive systems into training with hands-on experience.

“This project impressively demonstrates that the topic of sustainable mobility has become an integral part of our vocational training,” said Human Resources Board member and Labor Relations Manager Günther Fleig. “I am delighted to see how much initiative and creativity the young people have put into this project.”

Tradition meets the future

The F-CELL Roadster uniquely combines state-of-the-art technologies with the history of vehicle construction. As an allusion to the Benz Patent Motor Car from 1886, the vehicle is fitted with large spoked wheels. Moreover, the F-CELL Roadster incorporates stylistic elements from diverse eras of automotive history, such as the carbon-fiber bucket seats with hand-stitched leather covers and the distinctively styled fiberglass front section, based on the component from the Formula One racing bolides.

The F-CELL Roadster is controlled with drive-by-wire technology, and a joystick takes the place of a conventional steering wheel. The vehicle is powered by the emission-free fuel cell system located at the rear. With a power rating of 1.2 kW the F-CELL Roadster reaches a top speed of 25 km/h and has an operating range of up to 350 km.

Designer : Mercedes Benz via [Jalopnik]

Yusuf Muhammad, was the winner of Living Room category and joint overall winner. His Yu Type design sits on the computer keyboard and allows ‘hunt and peck’ two fingered typists the opportunity to increase their speed and confidence. He is now thinking about developing the idea and hopes to include features like spell checking and predictive text to increase its appeal. Judges praised the way he addressed a social issue of an aging population within the urban context.

In response of this question “What next for your design?”, Yusuf says:

“I’m definitely going to set aside a fair chunk of the prize to develop it. There’s a lot of people who would benefit – 79% of people who use a keyboard hunt and peck, disproportionately older people and first time users, and even dyslexic users. I’m dyslexic and I would definitely benefit from a device like this.”

Dominic Hargreaves, was winner of the Garage category and a joint overall winner. His concept for a bike lock which sits at first storey level on the front of a building is designed to hoist bikes out of the reach of potential thieves. Along with Yusuf Muhammad, judges felt that Dominic’s design would benefit the most from money to develop the idea further.

In response of this question “How are you going to develop your design?”, Dominic says:

“The initial prototype was just for personal use. I would really like produce a public one, which would lead to a much better design. At a train station it would encourage commuting and free up the roads and the tube.”

Graeme Davies took the first prize in the Kitchen category. His Quicksnap icetray design solves the problem of dropping two ice cubes on the floor for every one you manage to get in the glass by creating an undercut to release individual ice cubes. Judge Lance Scott called it “An innovative solution to a very simple but annoying problem”. Graeme, who has a patent on the design, is looking to have it on sale by the summer.

In response of this question “Did you feel confident in your design?”, Graeme says:

“I think what’s really been good about it is that the design is really simple. People appreciate and get it straight away. That’s probably what made it stand out. The next stage will be tooling and hopefully we will get it in production by the summer.”

Source : Toyota iQ

[Press Release]
The MAZDA KAAN is an electric race car designed to compete in the E1 races, the pinnacle of international motorsports in terms of technology and popularity. In 2025, California freeways have been resurfaced with a sub-level electro-conductive polymer that powers the electric cars of the modern world. MAZDA’s patented electronic tire system uses this technology to power the KAAN to reach 250 mph with no harmful emissions!

The vehicles are piloted by individual drivers but teams are made up of thirty cars, all on the track together. Using strategies similar to those in cycling peletons, the tighter the group sticks together, the more aerodynamic and powerful it becomes.

Inspiration for the KAAN comes from electric fields and textures seen in nature, particularly those in a lightning bolt. The car is uniquely designed around its powerful electric wheels while the cockpit acts as a capsule to safely house the driver, allowing for tighter peloton formations and a team victory.

(Click the image for bigger view)

Designer : Jacques Flynn, Carlos Salaff, Minyong Lee, Greg Lee, Tim Brown, and Jordan Meadows

From the website:
Introducing a new dimension to sport flying.

A new, light sport aircraft manufacturer, ICON Aircraft, started with the vision that planes should be designed with the consumer in mind first. Founded out of Stanford Graduate School of Business by Kirk Hawkins, an accomplished engineer and former U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot, ICON Aircraft conducted years of thorough research to develop an industrial design that has evolved to become ICON’s first model, the ICON A5.

A long-time powersports enthusiast, Hawkins’ dream for the potential of sport flying became possible when he first heard of the FAA’s rule changes for light sport aircraft in 2004. As he witnessed what the Yamaha Waverunner did for personal watercraft in 1980’s, Hawkins believed a consumer-oriented sport plane could do the same for recreational flying.

Early on, Hawkins began assembling investors and world-class design and engineering talent to bring the vision to reality. ICON Aircraft eventually set up its headquarters and development facility in Southern California, a region known for having the world’s largest concentration of aerospace resources as well as the world’s leading automobile design and development resources.

Advising along the way have been top academic professionals, business leaders in aviation and powersports, and directors of award-winning product design firms like IDEO and BMW DesignWorks USA.

Leading the charge to bring the design into production is an engineering and fabrication team that previously worked on such notable projects as the Virgin Global Flyer and X-Prize winning SpaceShipOne, among many other significant aircraft and aerospace projects at Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites in nearby Mojave, Calif.

Specs and features:
ICON A5 — Amphibian Special-Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA)
*BASE PRICE (A5 Amphibian): $139,000 USD

SPECIFICATIONS

- Seats: 2
- Maximum Weight: 1430 lbs
- Useful Load: 430 lbs (minimum)
- Baggage: 60 lbs (maximum)
- Fuel (Auto Gas or Av Gas): 20 gal
- Maximum Speed (Vh): 105 kts (120 mph)
- Range: 300 nm
- Takeoff & Landing Distance: 750 ft
- Engine (Rotax 912 ULS): 100 hp

Performance specifications are estimates only.
Final performance specifications will be verified during flight-testing.

DIMENSIONS

- Interior Cockpit Width: 46 in
- Wing Span: 34 ft
- Aircraft Length: 22 ft
- Trailered Width: 8.5 ft
- Trailered Length: 28 ft

DESIGN FEATURES

- Folding wings (manual or automatic)
- Retractable Landing Gear (on ICON A5 Amphibian)
- Seawings, platforms for easy access and docking
- Custom aircraft towing trailer (optional)
- Headlights and flood lights

PERFORMANCE FEATURES

- High-performance composite airframe
- Amphibious design (flies off land or water)
- Custom, patent-pending, high-performance airfoil
- Rear mounted, 100-hp Rotax 912 ULS Engine
- Runs on auto gasoline or aviation gasoline

COCKPIT FEATURES

- Intuitive, sportscar-like cockpit
- Comfortable, side-by-side seating
- GPS moving map
- iPod in-flight music port
- High-visibility canopy
- Flight with removable side windows
- Multiple storage compartments
- Glass cockpit for night VFR (optional)

SAFETY FEATURES

- Predictable, docile flying characteristics
- Complete Airplane Parachute, CAP (optional)
- Patent-pending PropellerGuardâ„¢
- Wing Angle of Attack Indicator (AoA)
Seaplane only version, the ICON S5, is an available model, and will not include the Retractable Landing Gear. Options and price will vary on the ICON S5.

Designer : ICON