Clever Concept Adds Number Pads to Laptops

On a lot of laptops, the numeric keypad is usually the first thing to be sacrificed in order to save space. For those of us who just can’t get used to using the numbers above the alpha keys, this concept is a stroke of genius. It’s called Number Pad Film for Touchpad – despite the cumbersome name, it’s a really clever object + program that makes it simple for even laptop users to enter long lines of numeric data.

The Number Pad Film is a small piece of plastic film that fits on over a laptop’s touch pad. Accompanying software maps out locations of the virtual “keys” on the touchpad. Switch to the number input with the use of hotkeys and math away to your heart’s content. Another activation of the hotkeys sends the touchpad back to its original function.

The virtual keypad lacks the tactile feedback of a physical numeric keypad, but people who do plenty of touch typing on numeric keypads might not mind. They’ll probably just be grateful to have the freedom to compute stuff without hunting and pecking on the top row of the keyboard

Posted By Tom Clark

Snap on power and space

In these early days of electric vehicles, one of the major points holding people back from making the switch is the lack of available charging stations. What if you’re miles away from home with a low battery and no place to charge in sight? The Dock + Go concept from Rinspeed is a pretty clever attachment for the back end of your electric vehicle that would extend its range as well as adding some extra cargo space. The single-axle packs are simply attached to the back of an electric car to hold whatever you might need for work or play, along with a source of extra fuel. That could be extra batteries, a range extender or even a combustion engine.Because the modular pack is easy to mount and dismount, different packs could be used for different jobs or different functions. Pizza delivery services could load up special heater-equipped packs for their drivers so the driver has only to attach the right EV pack and go. Specialized tool kits could also be packed into each little attachment so mechanics or maintenance workers would always have the right tools for the job. Rinspeed used a Smart ForTwo to demonstrate the EV pack, but the product could be made for any type of EV. No word yet on when they’ll be available to the public, but Rinspeed is introducing the concept at the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show.

Posted By Tom Clark

Crazy Metal Melts In Your Hand

There is an incredible metal that shatters like glass, melts in a human hand, attacks other metals but is non-toxic to humans, and acts like an alien life form when exposed to sulfuric acid and dichromate solution. It sounds too amazing to be true, but gallium is an absolutely real chemical element that’s found in some of the gadgets we use every day

But perhaps more interestingly, there are a ton of insane experiments scientists like to do with gallium. Thanks to its odd properties and behavior, gallium can do some pretty strange things in the lab. The above video shows what happens when gallium “attacks” aluminum.

The “gallium beating heart” experiment is a popular one that shows how gallium can act like a living thing when submerged in sulfuric acid and a dichromate solution. By altering the surface tension of the gallium, the scientists are able to make the metal look like an organic beating heart.

The melting gallium spoon is a fun demonstration that makes good use of gallium’s 85 degree (F) melting point. A gallium spoon stirs hot water and immediately melts into a puddle on the bottom of the mug. The video above warns against using it for pranks, but we have to admit it would be really, really hard to resist.

Posted by Tom Clark

Color Galaxy Cheil Industries Inc.

INDUSTRIES, Color Galaxy is the world’s first mobile color solution.
After photographing a specific subject using a mobile camera, Color Galaxy searches comparable colors that are developed into the plastic material of Cheil industries and provides the 3D model.The user can obtain any colors he or she wants wherever anytime from 30,000 registered color libraries in Color galaxy, which is very helpful for more graceful, refined product color design.

Design Provided by SAMSUNG CHEIL

Posted by Tom Clark

Constant Garden Desktop

As far as concepts go this device, known as the Constant Garden, is certainly one of the more fascinating we’ve come across of late in serving not only as an appointments manager capable of reminding you of important meetings but also a ambient background audio device that plays ‘nice garden sounds’ (such as birdsong, we assume) designed to act as a calming influence to lower anxiety in the office as well as remind you that there’s more to life than just work.

Posted by Adam Ott

Photosynthetic Bike

An Industrial designer from Taiwan Tang Ming-deng comes up with futuristic and amazing design concept of electronic bike. Dubbed as Co2, this electric bike is made for attracting the white collar worker in urban cities. Offer an ideal and more safety commutation while driving in city environment. The electric energy that is used for generating this bike is produced by photosynthesis process. This process run on opened leaf windows of this e-bike. Some modern features that is included in this bike such as utility steering wheel for monitoring the mounted power and for controlling bike speed. the rear shock absorber and the suspension fork system will produce motor energy where the electricity is resulted when the treadle assisting the rider.

Posted by Adam Ott

cloud sofa

This is an elegant concept created by designer D.K. Wei. The Cloud sofa is supposed to give one the illusion of floating on their own personal cloud. A magnet in the base is supposed to generate enough magnetic force to hold the sofa aloft. The cloud is constructed from a plexiglass mold.

Posted by Adam Ott

THE FROZEN FOUNTAIN

IF YOUR EVER TRAVELING TO/THROUGH EUROPE AND, LIKE MOST, HAVE A LONG LAY-OVER IN AMSTERDAM- THE FROZEN FOUNTAIN IS A MUST SEE. A MUST DO, LOCATED JUST A SHORT WALK FORM THE MAIN TRAIN STATION.

Owner, Dick Dankers has been in operation for over 15 years and has quite the collection of modern furniture and accessories.

The Frozen Fountain

Prinsegracht 645

1016 HV Amsterdam

CONTRIBUTED BY MELISSA LEMIEUX

PLUMEN

The Plumen 001 is the world’s first designer energy saving light bulb.

The Plumen 001 is a Hulger product and was designed by Hulger & Samuel Wilkinson.

AWARDS

The Plumen 001 was awarded the Brit Insurance Design of the Year in 2011, one of the world’s highest profile international design awards. It was also awarded the prestigious Black Pencil at the D&AD awards in the same year.

It has also been recognised by renowned design collections around the world including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Finnish Design Museum and the Cooper Hewitt collection, based in New York.

POSTED BY MELISSA LEMIEUX

KIMBALL OFFICE FURNITURE

CAN WE GET SOME OF THESE FOR THE ID DEPT?

Invite collaboration and conversation to any space with Fit seating. From community spaces to lobbies, from lounges to study spaces, Fit fits all types of atmospheres and needs.

Interesting and comfortable seating for multiple atmospheres:

• Mesh FlexZones offer support where the user needs it
• Nesting design allows for easy storage when not in use
• Removable headrest can be positioned anywhere on the frame for personalized comfort
• Bold and basic colors to complete any setting

CONTRIBUTED BY MELISSA LEMIEUX

Alphabet Topography" is A-Z in 3D

Lately Synoptic Office has been exploring the physical space of letter forms, not as they appear on paper, but as they might look if they were mountains, for example. That's essentially what they've done with their latest project, "Alphabet Topography," a landscape of laser-cut letter forms whose height is determined by how frequently it's used in our lexicon. When viewed altogether this new typeface "maps the rhythmic ebb and flow of the English language." You can see that E is used a ton whereas P, not so much.

Prior to this they created "Swell," another experiment with the physicality of language. It's based on the same idea of height in accordance to frequency, but in this case it's represented by black tape on a wall that maps out "a complete digital open typeface with letterforms reminiscent of the screen." It sounds abstract when you try to describe it, but Caspar Lam and YuJune Park, the founders of Synoptic Office, have the ability to visualize high-concept ideas in an open and expressive way.

Posted by Rachel Briggs

Seeing the World Through Eyeboming

Nope, it's not a new version of the EyeWriter: "Eyebombing" is a far more low-tech—and perhaps expressly meme-friendly—form of urban intervention.Kim Nielsen and Peter Dam coined the term late last year: "Eyebombing is the act of setting googly eyes on inanimate things in the public space. Ultimately the goal is to humanize the streets, and bring sunshine to people passing by." Their intentions are contrary to those of traditional tags, which Nielsen and Dam see as "egocentric behavior... using vandalism to [get respect]"; eyebombing is "only about the message itself."

It's not a fight for the public space, it's to be seen as a lovely addition to that space. An addition that hopefully brings a smile, and brightens someones day. The eyebomber use humor and wit to reach its audience, not vandalism or provocation.

Posted by Rachel Briggs

CAD versus Hand Sketching

A continuing issue in industrial design education is when to allow students to move from sketch work to 3D CAD modelling during studio practice—or whether to let them use CAD at all! I've heard of first year undergraduate modules where students are 'banned' from the use of CAD in an attempt to encourage sketchbook work and more explorative conceptual design practice. In my view this approach is somewhat draconian and does little to deal with the underlying reasons that attract less experienced designers to the comparative certainty of 3D CAD.

Instead of setting constraints or limitations to dictate where and under what circumstances design tools must be used, design education needs to provide opportunities for young designers to reflect upon the nature of their own design activity and how this informs their use of design tools. Design students should consider the bigger picture that constitutes the various requirements of a design process in order to think about how tool use locates within and is informed by a requirement to design. This awareness will then provide opportunities for students to make more informed decisions when working with design tools; to be more critical in their use of CAD tools and more confident in their own sketching abilities.

My own research has explored the increasing variety of tools the industrial designer has at their disposal to support the development and communication of design intentions. Findings indicate that sketching continues to underpin design activity. Professional experience also influences the use of sketching in support of design activity. Less experienced design students tend to lack confidence in their sketch ability and they find the dynamic, unconstrained medium at odds with an approach to design activity that errs towards fixation and attachment to concept.

posted by Rachel Briggs

Learning Curves

While there are plenty of books on figure drawing and fine art in bookstores, precious few appear on the art of design sketching. Learning Curves is Klara Sjolen's follow up to her 2005 book Design Sketching. Students at the Umea Institute of Design generated the content of the earlier book, while the more recent book showcases the output of working designers.

While Curves could be characterized as a sequel of sorts to the first book, drawing is a deep enough field that either book could be used as a starting point. Learning Curves is thicker and includes a broader range of modern techniques (e.g. using 3D CAD models as sketching templates, marker and Photoshop). Both books include demos on ellipses, shadows, perspective and materials. The 2005 book has more detailed tutorials on form and the more recent has one of the finest descriptions of different pens or materials we've seen yet. It is also testament that the earlierSketching showcased extremely capable work from the students at Umea, since even a professional would be hard-pressed to determine whether a given sketch from either of the books was generated by a student or a pro.

Posted by Rachel Briggs

1% Products

Neither art, nor mass-manufactured product, 1% Products only produces 100 of each of their products. They're concept appeals to people who want to "own" the 1%.

Posted by Ray Suzuki

Designer spotlight: Oki Sato

Oki Sato is a Tokyo-based industrial designer who has done multiple projects including exhibit designs to small household electronics.

Posted by: Ray Suzuki

Understand the basics of graphic design

This tutorial on tutsplus helps you understand the basics of layouts, typography, and color.

-Ray Suzuki

Wall mounted Espresso machine

German product design student, Arvid Häusser's espresso maker uses the natural qualities of porcelain. -Ray Suzuki

Adobe Unveils Photoshop Touch for iPad

Adobe unveiled a touch version of their popular program Photoshop--for the iPad.

-Ray Suzuki