Text from Adam :
There are over 400,000 reported drownings and 8 – 10 times as much near drowning experiences worldwide every year. In the UK there are 500 annual drownings. These figures have remained the same for nearly 20 years which tells us that any current equipment and practice is not having the required impact to reduce these numbers.

I have been a beach lifeguard for a number of years and further primary and secondary research has shown that there are a number of key problems that reduce the survival rate of beach users.
These problems are:

• Slow response time
• Surveillance
• Lifeguard safety
• Human limitation of lifeguards

From this research it was decided to look to the future to see what could potentially be new directions for beach safety equipment, this design is therefore based for the year 2020.

The design process was in close collaboration with the BSA (British Surfing Association) headquarters in Newquay (UK). Starting with brainstorming where no idea was a bad idea, followed by concept generation and a wide variety of modeling and system/ scenario testing, the design took innovation from nature, new and existing technologies and user testing.

Explanation of final design

The ‘Mantra’ lives on the sea bed during peak seasons just off the coast of beaches; it uses small hairs on its surface to collect and store energy from tides and waves (called ‘Super Cillia Skin’). It detects distress and drowning using electro sensors coupled with sonar which even today are highly sensitive, for example heartbeats and movements can easily be monitored. When a casualty is detected it swims up to 15mph using SMAs in the wings. The victim is carefully picked up onto an inbuilt stretcher where they are carried on top the water using hydrofoils and impellers. The ‘Mantra’ is always in constant communication with lifeguards and so is met at a specific beach location by lifeguards and ambulances where an EAP is in place and the stretcher is removed without disturbing the patient, who in the worst case scenario may have neck injuries.

Stretchers are replaced and the ‘Mantra’ can assume its position at sea once more. The whole process is estimated to take under 2 minutes.

The final design as can be seen from images, uses biomimicry from a manta ray for many reasons –

• Large flat surface area for all weather stability
• Excellent turning circle and manouverability
• Excellent strength to weight ratio
• Low energy travel
• Considered as a non aggressive creature/ form

Advantages of ‘Mantra’:

• Removal of contact with bodily fluid
• Safety of lifeguards
• Immediate response time
• Completely automated
• Better for spinal and other injuries
• Aesthetics
• Function
• Sustainable

Designer : Adam Scott

Starting from the package I received, a cool sleek package with the heading “Audio Revolution in a Box”, which really enhances the attention. I have opened the package and yeah I got a bit disappointed since almost all the portable speakers come in a pair. Well I must say this feeling got away as soon as I plugged in the little monster with my iPod. But still, I wish I had 2 X-Mini 2nd Generation speakers to make better comparison with X-Mini Max. [Buy it here]

The compact, innovative, capsule shaped design combining with the superb sound clarity it delivers through its large 40mm driver; this is a perfect audio enhancement that can make any sort of music or video player into an individual or group entertainment point. If features high capacity rechargeable battery that can offer around 11 hours of continuous playback which is three times more than its predecessors.

Since I have only one X-Mini 2nd Generation, I couldn’t check but found online in several reviews of this speaker that it can be connected to another and so on, forming a bass-enhanced, self-powered chain of speaker system. This is obviously a cool feature which is quite rare too. In fact to get the experience, I am already searching if any of my friends bought it. It features a built-in volume control too which I personally prefer to keep in max and adjust the volume as much I want from my media player. The LED light shows that it’s turned on.

When it comes about the cables, it is handy in many ways. The main connecting cable has three ports; the mini-USB end goes to the speaker, the 2.0 one goes to the pc and the 3.5mm jack to the media player, whether it’s an iPod, MP3 player or a laptop. Aside from that, the speaker contains a tiny audio connecting cable that can be neatly tucked into the base. Even though, the minimum use of wire has eliminated the hassle a lot, I just wondered a wireless connection using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or any other means would have made the gadget out of the world.

The size of the speaker is really tiny. I’ve compared with few other portable speakers online, say for an example its cousin X-Mini Max II, and have found it the tiniest among all others of the same range. Moreover, the balance of convenient portability and great sound quality has been done perfectly and accordingly a user would like. The thing I like most of my X-Mini 2nd Generation speaker is its extendable vacuum that imitates the feel of a sub-woofer; you can feel the vibration distinctly when it is playing on your hand, which is able to produce bass and volume over around ten times of its physical size.

Overall, the X-Mini 2nd Generation speaker seems very much stylish with me and everyone I’ve shown it has praised its design and performance. I really loved the speaker and considering the tiny shape and reasonable price, I will surely consider buying one more to get louder sound experience. [Buy it here]

From : X-Mini

Designer : Francis Gomes

Text from Eli :
The Gluco(M) is a medical concept that provides diabetics with three functions: instant and non-invasive glucose readings, history of previous readings with averages, and an insulin chamber with a loaded syringe cartridge for injections.

Diabetics must monitor their own blood glucose levels times a day, to determine how far above or below normal their glucose is and to determine how much insulin(s) they may need. This is usually done by placing a drop of blood from a skin prick onto a glucose strip and then inserting the strip into a glucose meter, a small machine that provides a digital readout of the blood glucose level.

The Gluco(M) uses a technology known as “reverse iontophoresis.” By using an electric current running throughout the sensors, it collects glucose samples from fluids in the body. The device is then able to read the sample and give a reading. With this technology, diabetics can keep a much closer watch on their glucose levels and avoid the problems that may occurs from having levels too high or low. The Gluco(M) enables users with the convenience of checking blood-sugar levels more frequently throughout the day, thus yielding for better control of glucose in the blood stream.

Designer : Eli Hariton

Designer : Sherly Gunawan

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]

There are Zigbee device distributed over the parking station. It can detect and calculate the location of the driver. IR sensors are also installed at each parking space, thus the driver will know which space is available, and to transmit the information to the Bee parking card via Zigbee network protocol. Then the card will display information, as well as indicate the direction of available space or exit.

The flexible display on the parking card will show an arrow, with function of indicating the location of available parking space. With the parking card, there is more useful information to be shown such as parking space number, entry time and parking fee. These aims to help the users to manage and avoided to forget where is his/her vehicle.

After you paid the parking fee, the arrow will become direction to the exit.

Designer : Jacky Wu

Designer : Gowoon Jeong

James Salvidge own words :
In the UK today the introduction of new technology has meant that people have a far greater choice of how they access the post office services. Consequently, people are visiting post offices less, making the current service unsustainable. As a result the Post Office has already closed 500 post offices and has proposed the closure of 2500 more.

In the rural areas of the UK, the Post Office still plays an important economic and social role. So it is important that the services are not lost completely as this could make life for the elderly and poor increasingly difficult and also reduce the opportunities for social contact and communities to interact.

The project brief was to look at the role of the Post Office in a rural area and then to design a new service to be created in its place, one which was more sustainable and enabled the continuation of the postal services.

My concept was for a compact, automated post office unit which could be easily moved between villages, with each one being capable of supplying the services to around seven villages; saving materials and energy as fewer have to be produced

Following a timetable would allow the locations to be pre-arranged, the benefits of doing this are that larger villages, which have a greater need for the services, can be allocated more time and smaller villages less time. It also allows the people using the services to know when it will be situated in their village. As well as parcel and postal services, via a wireless internet connection it can provide users access to all the online post office services, including their insurance and bank services; allowing them to withdrawal their cash, pensions and benefits.

By constructing the mobile section out of relatively lightweight materials and by incorporating a trolley into the structure of the design, it will easily moved by the employees of the royal mail. To ensure it remains in location, via the screen, authorised employees will be able to activate the internal locking mechanism, which will securely lock it onto the post box; at the same time it will automatically lower itself to the ground, preventing it from being moved.

It would be a financially viable solution to problem facing the Post Office because it removes the need for a permanent structure and does not need an employee to supervise it. It can be entirely maintained by the Royal Mail, using their vans to transport it before their daily collection of post and parcels.

Designer : James Salvidge

Alexey words about his design:
A conceptual project for a wristwatch, Endlesstime has been designed in the form of the Möbius band to symbolise the infinite (or endless) quality of time.

Endlesstime is a continuous band without knobs and buttons. It does not require the tuning of time or the changing of batteries. A receiving device in the clock face receives a satellite signal and automatically tunes the watch to match the time in the current time zone. The battery is automatically charged using the kinetic energy made by movement.

Designer : Alexey Bykov