Design is a heady mix of inspiration and perspiration. One avenue that some designers seriously contemplate but rarely incorporate is Biomimetics. It’s kinda tough implementing engineering systems and modern technology to ideas inspired by nature and animals. Here is a look at Ten Creative Bionic Designs that look awesome and are almost as perfect as their inspiration. Almost, coz you can’t get better than Mother Nature.
Designers: Various
You are going to have basically a totally amazing time when you get your hands on this paper accessory combo. You’ve got the Magazine Hanger for one: It allows you to display the magazines you’re currently into on the wall like a coat rack, with the string and the ball at the end holding them up for easy access. Then to hold the magazines or your newspaper down to peek at, you’ve got the Newspaper Table: a dimple and a stick to get you on your way to flat reading in the waiting room pleasure!
Designer: Isaac Yu Chen
Min Sung Kim feels there is a deep connection between an orange and an air cooler. He uses the simile of a fresh juicy one against an arid dry orange to describe the refreshing experience of his Airflow Air-Circulator Concept. The highlight of this circular cooler is the 300 degree rotation angle that circulates cool air into the room with greater efficiency. Basically, the warm air is sucked into the tube from the ends and cool air dispensed through the fills on the length of the body.
Designer: Min Seong Kim
The physical patterns produced through the interaction of sound waves in a medium, best describes Cymatics. The Electrolux Re-mix concept seen here mixes food by using the vibrations emitted by sound frequency. It’s like mixing a batter of pancakes to the beats Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony or making sauce to the pulse of AC/DC. Simply hook on the digital music player to the Re-mix device and enjoy the visual treat. I guess you’ll get a clearer picture after you see the awesome video after the jump.
Designer: Kenny Hopper
Deftly christened “Ella”, this acrylic umbrellas stand features a green patch of grass at the bottom. The drizzle of drops from your wet umbrella trickle down to water the grass, thus adding a green-quotient to the design. Constructed from three injection molded plastic parts, each screwing into each other at the base point to give a low center of gravity and to allow ease of cleaning when separated. Neat idea; but my only question: what happens to the grass during a dry spell?
Designer: Simon Enever
The perk of being an editor is that I get to sift through the most humorous, tedious, boring and musical description that accompany concepts from designers. I don’t mind them at all because they form the essence of my articles. It’s only when relevant info is not forthcoming that I get stumped. Occasionally a designer sends in a poem to support his concepts, and I really appreciate that. For instance, this Galaxy Watch is a quite a piece with a constellation of stars indicating the time. Subtle yet romantic, as the poem Kai uses to describe it…
Designer: Kai Yu
These awkward yet visually spectacular seats are the product of the wild mind of Helmut Palla. Helmut is part of an exhibition by the name of “Furniture as Trophy” featuring the phenomenon of animal materials in furniture design. These chairs plus a rather wonderful coffee table with antlers make up Palla’s contribution to the show.
Designer: Helmut Palla
Just trash it! This waste bin is amazing. It’s basically made of nothing. It’s minimalism maximized without being a displeasing amount of simple. Make sense? I mean it looks nice. It’s not just a barrel. It’s got a cover, but it opens up in an extremely clever way. It’s basically exactly what’s up in the garbage bin hood.
Designer: Grace Youngeun Lee
Pushya and Pullya are a robotic set that that break away from the conventional norm of obedience. They are not the slaves we expect robots to be and are delightfully mischievous. Pushya is the radical sort who acts erratically, starring in those awkward moments of life; Pullya does the opposite by behaving like the perfect lad. Both don’t follow any of the commands that you dictate and do their free will. Hard to fathom Robos doin that, but like they say Yin and Yang, the good and bad co-exist in this world.
Designer: Paul Grader
For the last installment coming out of the IDSA conference, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Tucker Viemeister whose long list of credits in the annals of industrial and strategic design is best described by his Wikipedia entry. Presenting a “Manifesto of Industrial Design in the Post-Economic Era”, his talk highlighted the misuse of design as an engine for the economy when it should be pursued for its own end. Read on for Tucker’s perspective.
UPDATE: June 8th is the LAST DAY for Submissions; 7 days left.
ZINK Imaging is asking the design community for new “solutions” and applications (not new form factors for existing products etc.) that enable and enhance printing with the ZINK Technology. Essentially, it’s about the whole design solution, not just the fit and finish. If you think you got it in you to provide a super solution; then enter ZINK Imaging’s Zero Boundaries Design Competition.
Here’s the deal about this fantastic Cargo Pick-up concept: Traffic’s bad, it’s only gonna get worse with time. To tackle inner city deliveries, is this innovative battery powered vehicle that boasts of variable track, wheelbase and load carrying configurations. It features a Compact Mode, Narrow Mode (with banking corner action) and Pick-up Truck Mode.
Designer: Adam Schacter
Explore the best of YD. Our Archives are full of wonderful concepts from all over the world. Go ahead, don't be shy!
Dimmers be damned; nothing quite sets the mood for some romance than candles. Setting them up safely is another big question. Ah, solution-time: Candle.amp Mood Lights, of course. A heat resistant casing, dense material base, bottom heavy design (lowering the centre of gravity thus giving stability), polished stainless steel interior heat reflector and sustainable candles made from 100% soy bean complete this tidy package. Prop them over the place and enjoy a romantic evening….
Designer: Simon Enever
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