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Rebel Transportation by Christian Susana

TheFuture — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:12:40 +0000

The Rebel is a design study by Snowcat, which is an all-terrain transportation means designed with power and efficiency to provide great functionality. The vehicle has been envisioned with rolling chain instead of conventional wheels, providing the grip that may require to run over the uneven surfaces of rocky mountains or snowy drive track. The driver’s cab is all-side glass-made and has the ability to rotate 180 degree in order to get comprehensive control over the pathway. A red light has been envisioned on the driver’s cab to demonstrate the importance of this vehicle when it is in a rescue mission.

Designer : Christian Susana

Opehn Lamp Design by Flavio García

TheFuture — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:06:45 +0000

The superb design of OPEHN Lamp concept leaves the wires outside, giving the lamp an impression to be naked. The designer has used energy saving LED bulbs to make it even more efficient and the bulbs have been placed in a shameless manner too. However, the bulbs are decorated with petals which give the lamp an organic appearance with the wires to be some growing vines of a tree. The petals have been placed in different angles so that it can lighten in all directions equally. The round base is designed to be well balanced and keep the lamp stand still in even and uneven surfaces.

Designer : Flavio García

Loop Vignette : Eco-Friendly and Lightweight 2-Seater Electric Car for Next Generation

TheFuture — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:51:52 +0000

Loop Vignette is an eco-friendly and lightweight 2-seater concept electric car designed for the next generation riders aiming to customize the mobility ideas with more closely associated lifestyle products, technological gadgetry and the Internet. The outcome is therefore a brand new, sophisticated, fun, desirable and most significantly affordable experience which the target customer can relate to.

The design comprises both economic and technical efficiency. The chassis is covered in an unpainted swappable plastic skin, which eliminates the painting stage. The placement of the rear wheels within the rear quarter panel offer improved aerodynamics. The rear and front façade of the car contains thin-film OLEDs under the colored polycarbonate surfaces, through which users can personalize parameters like day-running lights or graphically expressing themselves by adding custom decals. This feature will also eliminate the need of placing individual lights for turn indicators or brakes.

The dashboard has been kept minimal for individual movable components; rather it contains a huge touch screen where most of the interactions between the car and the rider will take place. While driving, users can keep their other works going on through the internet connectivity and share their driving experience through social networking websites.

Designer : Irwan Azhari

Zero House : Small Prefabricated House Operates Independently Off-The Grid

TheFuture — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:31:10 +0000

Zero House is a fully climate-controlled and innovative home concept that features separately zoned living and sleeping areas with highly efficient air-conditioning and heating system. All storage compartments and furnishings are built-in to exploit the use of space. The elevated covered deck offers perfect rooftop area for excellent outdoor living. The roof, floor and walls are insulated with closed-cell structured foam, and attain a thermal resistant ranking of R-58. Triple-insulated large windows are fabricated from heat-mirror glass that allows the sunlight to enter the room and prevents heat, to keep a cool and comfortable room environment.

The surfaces of sinks, bath and countertops are made of solid-surfacing material, aiming to provide stunning beauty and durability. Wall panels and cabinetry are made of pre-finished wood, which never requires additional painting. The wall and ceiling panels contain fully-dimmable LED lightings with longevity of around 100,000 hours.

Designer : Scott Specht

Tri.on Remote Controlled Robot To Help Fire Brigades

TheFuture — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:21:31 +0000

Tri.on is a remote controlled robot concept specially designed to be used by the fire brigades or disaster control unit. The main inspiration of this concept came from the drive of generating something that can substitute a human being under tremendously dangerous conditions. Tri.on robot features four wheel shaped rolling tires, each with 3 inner wheels to make the tires roll, allowing the robot to run over any sorts of uneven surfaces such as stairs. It has two hands that can move in any direction and two holders in the end of the hands that provides strong grip when picking up an object.

The tasks of “Tri.On”:
- evaluation of potential dangers by means of various sensors
- taking samples of dangerous substances for further analysis
- precautions to avoid the spreading of dangerous substances, for example sealing leaks or depressurization of containers.

In order to accomplish these tasks, Tri.On is equipped with state of the art sensors. In addition, the robot has stowage for up to three tools in it`s torso.

Designer : Patrick Ehlers and Tobias Weiland

No More Ladder Slips with Feet First Ladder Safety System

TheFuture — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:35:32 +0000

The feet first ladder safety system addressed two main issues; ladder slips and angle control, which was inspired by the frequent accidents happening due to slipping the ladder base. The device attaches with the ladder footing, allowing increased friction and greater control at the ladder base. The grip has been specially designed to replicate the adhesive attributes of gecko feet for increased friction, even in damp surfaces. The grip is made of gecko synthetic adhesive polymer, which comprises millions of tiny contact hairs named setae, able to adhere with anecdotal surface textures. The adjustable feet height will allow the users to place it on uneven surfaces with maximum efficiency.

Click the image for bigger view

Designer : Anthony Mapstone

Sony Ericsson Jalou Cell Phone by Dolce and Gabbana

TheFuture — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:12:37 +0000

The Jalou phone is the outcome of the latest partnership between designers Dolce and Gabbana and Sony Ericsson which features latest technology along with fashion statement to make others green with desire as well. The unique design of this phone was inspired by the multiple surfaces of a cushion-cut gemstone. The features that must be talked about this phone are its efficient 3.2 megapixel camera that can tag photos with their geographic position, a 2-inch high resolution display, stereo Bluetooth and a built-in-mirror, all these are packed into its compact clamshell which is as small as a lipstick box. Normal versions of this phone are already available in deep amethyst, onyx black and aquamarine shades, and the special D&G edition will be available in Sparkling Rose with 24-karat gold plating along with a special wireless headset.

Designer : Dolce and Gabbana

Do You Know That T02 is A Slide Cell Phone ?

TheFuture — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:58:15 +0000

Usually, the slide-phones are designed in a way that they look closed when you see them first and when they open up, users can see a step as well as the sliding surface on the backside of the upper portion. TO2 is a marvelously designed sliding phone that looks like a slide-phone when it is closed and when it is open, the step or the sliding surfaces can’t be seen on its backside, giving an impression that it’s meant to be open. TO2 is designed in a black piano finish that gives it a classy look. Moreover, the giant display and the unique keypad give it a modern touch.

Designer : Matthias Pugin

Le Petit Prince Intelligent Robot for Expanding Population in Mars

TheFuture — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:43:42 +0000

Le Petit Prince or Little Prince is a robotic greenhouse concept that is specially designed to help the future exploration and expanding population in the Mars. This intelligent robot can carry and take well care of a plant inside its glass container, which is functionally mounted on its four-legged pod. The robot is designed to learn the optimal process of searching for nutrients in order to keep the plant in a good condition. Moreover, it can send reports of its movements and developments to its fellow greenhouse robots through wireless communication, making it possible to learn from each other. Le Petit Prince is one of top 8 Electrolux Design Lab finalists, you can vote for Le Petit Prince here.

Martin interview with Electrolux :

What was the inspiration for your concept?
In my opinion, everything I have ever seen, read and heard is my inspiration. Every experience stays somewhere inside you, and if you are lucky, it will come out at the right moment. If I look back, this particular concept was definitely inspired by the book The Naked Sun from Isaac Asimov, the R2-D2 robot from Star Wars, an egg, insects, and whatever else I see every day.

How does your concept fit into this year’s competition theme “Designs for the next 90 years”?
Ninety years is very long time. Nearly four generations will pass through, every one of them with its own dreams, desires and possibilities. One long lasting dream is to reach the stars, but before that, we will have to reach Mars to see whether or not we can live without Earth. This is the time where my concept is relevant. At that time, we won’t think of machines as dumb boxes with buttons, but more as partners that obey our commands, but still have their own minds. They will be more autonomous and think and make decisions on their own. It may sound frightening, but it isn’t scarier than the first arrival of trains to the cities.

What are the main consumer benefits of your concept?
One thing you notice on Mars is the silence and serenity. That’s quite good for one week’s vacation in the countryside, but for modern people it’s very depressing to live in such a place for several months or years. Therefore, the main benefit of Le Petit Prince is that it’s not just a machine, but more like a pet or silent friend that you can speak to when you aren’t in the mood to talk to people. On top of that, it is a good gardener that grows any plant you want or need to bare life or just for its beauty.

Describe the consumer research behind your concept.
Well, I must admit it’s difficult to do any real research behind the concept since it’s designed for Mars. However, some of my friends said it’s cute (I always thought some of them have to be from Mars) and I consider their feedback sufficient.

What kind of materials would you use to build your concept?
Metallurgy, glass production and synthetic plastics have been used for a long time and will probably continue to be used in the next hundred years, so I didn’t feel an urge to use new yet unknown materials. Nanotechnology made giant leaps in the last few years and it will improve properties of material surfaces in the future, so they will be even harder and more resistant than anything we know today. More effective (even transparent) are solar panels, etc., but this evolution will not affect the fundamentals of my concept.

Designer : Martin Miklica

Futuristic Landstorm Concept Vehicle for The Year 2058

TheFuture — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:21:42 +0000

Landstorm concept is a vehicle that is designed for future, when airborne vehicles will not be much effective to reach a particular area because of frequent natural disasters which is the result of future global warming. This vehicle has been designed as an all terrain vehicle that is equipped with a collection of hidden gadgets or compartments and the ability to interchange the pods located on its back. There is a variety of Pods that can be enclosed with the vehicle before it is sent to a particular location. These pods have been designed considering scouting missions, food and water transportation to a disaster affected area, medical pods that can treat 2 patients simultaneously, excavation pods that can work as a robust crane to remove large pieces of wreckage, and fire rescue pod where the tank can hold 750 gallons of water and can drain water from lakes with outboard pumps.

The 4 hydraulic legs of Landstorm can move independently and are providing great functionality by navigating over tremendously difficult terrain and raising itself up to reach the target. The use of these hydraulic drive-train attached with several powerful electric motors and powered by hydrogen fuel cell, have made the vehicle lightweight by removing the mechanical parts to impel the wheels. Moreover, it can be airdropped when the destination is far from the closest depot and then continue to reach the target on land.

The wheels of Landstorm are uniquely designed that feature small pods, allowing more grip on surfaces like loose dirt, mud or snow by increasing to compress surface area or just by using the edges to grip onto the surface. These are not just wheels, they feature a grapple gun or hook winch that lets the vehicle drag heavy debris or towing a standard vehicle. Once the Landstorm reaches the destination, the team will start rescuing and treating the survivors for emergency injuries.

The driver and navigator of Landstorm will have no problem finding out how far the destination is and how to get there by using the state of the art HUD technology along with a built in MultiSight camera (Infra Red, Night Vision and Cold Vision) powered with an advanced Computer AI. The heads up display features the most interactive information system which is controlled by the user’s neural patterns, which means, the information is controlled by the users thoughts. The rest of the cabin remains free for storage compartments for various equipments. There is a small backup unit that will start working if the main power source fails for any reason.

Designer : Peter Spriggs