There’s no external display unit, a projector will pop up by pressing and holding the button and focus the computer screen on the wall which can be adjusted with navigation buttons. If there is no wall around, the paper sheet holder, divides into three pieces like an umbrella just after popping up, will help to focus the desktop on a paper sheet.

The software interface of E-Ball is highly stylized with icons that can be remembered easily, and is user friendly. This compact PC will be ideal for use when working in office, making video presentations, watching large screen movies, listening music and chatting on the net.

Designer : Apostol Tnokovski

Designer : Mac Funamizu

Text from Chris :
Over the last few years it has become more apparent just how susceptible our country is to the ever changing climate. Throughout each of the eastern states of Australia we have seen continual diminishing rainfalls which have in turn brought on increasing water restrictions with the thinning water storage levels. The consequences of these climate changes are only just beginning to be felt by the general public. One of these areas is grass roots level sporting communities. This research/design based project explores the challenges these sporting communities face and how certain strategies may be used to combat these climate changes. The aim of this project was to further develop water conservation strategies within the sporting environment and design a device and system that would be used in the collection and storage of rain water.

The Watree concept is for urban sporting grounds, and based around the idea that almost all of these reserves have buffer zones around them. A buffer zone is more common around ovals due to their shape, but can be found around tennis clubs and soccer pitches as well.

A buffer zone is essentially an area of land around these sporting reserves, unused. Often they are just grassed areas or areas dotted with a few unsightly shrubs, sometimes used as car parks. These buffer zones do not provide any particular use to these sporting organizations and when rain falls, its seeps straight into the ground. I propose using these buffer areas as location points for open air rain water collection.

The Watree concept is to have a number of these points around an oval, with the collection unit to be in the centre of these buffer zone areas. The idea is for these devices to open up when it rains and create a large surface area that would then collect and funnel the rain either into storage directly beneath it, or along a pipeline to a central tank storage for the ground. The water would pass through a filter accessible from outside of the Watree structure on its way to storage. This water, previously wasted, would be stored and used during summer periods to keep the sports surface in a playable condition. Combined with a playing surface converted to warm season grasses, a large storage tank would be a suitable amount of storage for weekly watering of the field over summer. In the case of a tennis club for example, smaller tanks and water collection would be required dependent on the number of grassed and clay courts.

The watering system to be utilized is KISSS (http://www.kisss.com.au/). KISSS has been developed, and is manufactured by, an Australian company called Irrigation & Water Technologies Pty Ltd (IWT) at Rouse Hill, NSW. There are parts of the project still to be refined as well as the development of a community water donation system. Currently I’m assessing the project and the possibility of Government grants from the Smart Water Fund (http://www.smartwaterfund.com.au) for further development.

Designer : Chris Buerckner

via IGreenSpot and TrendHunter

STRUCTURELAB S1 was developed cooperatively by architects and membrane-engineers, aimed at the creation of an unique and extraordinary design object. The STRUCTURELAB S1 sunshade system is the amazing synthesis of elegance and functionality – the elegance of a lightweight solar sail and the sustainable functionality of a mobile umbrella system.

Designer : StructureLab

Feeling tired ? Users can lift up and seek help from the sun to lighten their efforts. The umbrella has indeed a solar panel connected to batteries that supply an electric motor hidden in the top of the tower. Whether pedal or hybrid mode (pedalling – electric), the bracket is connected to a shaft leading to two propellers at the bow of the boat. The two bars connected to the rudder are located in facing back of the bench. Incidentally, they also serve as armrests.