Yanko Design » Travel

Airport Sleep Pods

Chris Burns — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:10:15 +0000

Have you ever slept at the airport? I sure haven’t. The very idea scares the pee out of me. Some people do, though, and those people are crazy. For those of us who want the convenience of sleeping at the airport, without so much of the crazy, there’s these amazing things right here! “Sleep Box” they go by the name of, designed by Arch Group for those who need private time in strange, unfriendly places!

There’s a thousand instances where the ideal personal cubical could come in handy. Here’s one of them: the airport. In between flights, what do you do? Sit in some marginally comfortable seats. Lots of time in between flights, what do you do? Sleep box.

The box itself is 2mx1.4mx2.3m. The main bed is 2×0.6m, equipped with an automatic system which changes the linens (think Fifth Element.) The bed is a soft, flexible strip of polymer and pulp tissue.

Ventilation system, sound alerts, built-in LCD television, wireless internet access, power sockets, extra luggage space under lounges. Payment is made in time, anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours.

The rest I leave up to your imagination!

Designer: Arch Group

Travel Bag-buggy

Radhika Seth — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:44:16 +0000

I’m a veteran when it comes to traveling with kids and I know the nightmarish times I went through every time I ventured out. Cranky, jet lagged babies + luggage management is horrid combo. Try pushing a buggy and pulling your trolley bag at the same time! Dreadful! Good folks at Castiglione Morelli have an ingenious idea with their Samsonite Convertible Trolley Stroller Bag. A specialized compartment holds in a folded fabric, which when pulled out, stretches over the pull-out metallic frame; thus resulting in a child seat. Very Convenient.

Designer: Castiglione Morelli Design

Maps, Charts, More Maps, and a Rolling Stone

Chris Burns — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:15:50 +0000

Info graphics and charts and maps and maps and maps! So many info graphics, I can barely contain myself. This project is a book called “Never Stop A Rolling Stone” and it’s big motivation to get up in dem’ hills and backpack the crap outta them. It’s the result of six months of world travel and a crapload of creativity on the part of Deutschlander and designer Rahel Ritchie. From front cover to back, an adventure at your fingertips.

As I just mentioned, though it’s worth another mention: this project is the culmination of six months of traveling around the world doing research – all for just this project specifically. Backpacking around the world to bring to you a mix of “anthropological based writing, stories, interviews and info graphics covering world issues.”

Here’s a bit of text from the designer, Rahel Ritchie

»Never Stop A Rolling Stone« is an interactive mapping experience. The book is based on an invisible world map; with the transparent cover the reader can track down places marked on the pages with a compass rose. The reader is invited to find the missing photos on a seperate picture-map and fill the placeholders of the book. Experiments with geometrical shapes visualise my thoughts and the quotes of the Swiss Travelwriter Nicolas Bouvier. The removable posters at the back of the book hold the information graphics and give the book a learning curve.

Want. I want it. I want it now.

So what you, the reader, the investor, the people who know the top people at book publishing places need to do – is get going on getting this book published.

Rahel Ritchie is waiting on you to make this lovely project happen!

Designer: Rahel Ritchie

Inflate the Wave Fantastic

Chris Burns — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Hello again, Extreme Sportsmen-and-women. It’s not far off; that lovely season when the whole of North America can jump in the water and splash about wildly. Here’s a toy that boat and super-fast pontoon owners can look forward to. It’s the “LULU1.” Super steerable, fun, bright and colorful for this midwest-lake fashion season. It’s the “first” inflatable tow-able watersports toy that you can do tricks on. Turn a 180, 720, 6120; whatever strikes your fantasy.

*I say “first” tricks-ready-inflatable because I might have happened to do a flip on a regular tube one time a few summers ago, maybe I didn’t. Noone can really confirm, not even me.

As you can see, you can do quite the tricks on the LULU1. Snips and snaps and turns and flips and flaps. Here’s some important trickery points from the designers at “Sportsstuff Inc.:”

VEER Towing System
Rocker Bottom Design
Tiger Tooth Spinning/Steering Fins
Aluminum Quick Connect Tow Point
Multiple Grab Handles with Knuckle Guards
Speed Safety Valve for Fast Inflation and Deflation

The LULU1 is the first in what appears to be an entire line of what Sportsstuff called “Doables : Controllable Towables.” Complete with single- and multi-person towables, plus accessories; this tube wont pop.

Designer: Sportsstuff Inc.

Open House!

Radhika Seth — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:00:40 +0000

Totally inspired by John Lautner’s villa Chemosphere, this modern version of a spaceship house is simply fantastic. The only difference is that John’s version was stationary and this one’s a trailer. The beauty of this house-on-wheels lies in the fact that its compact and yet boats of ample living quarters. You will find a bathroom, living room, bedroom, kitchen and an office in the 252° Living Area: Mobile Mini House.

The entire setup of the trailer is based on the rooms fanning out to a 252° radius. The mobile walls and floor of each unit run on rails and can be slid open easily. Just like you open one of those Japanese fans, open up this trailer from under its protective shell and set up your mobile house. It’s as simple as that!

Oh, I forgot to mention that there is a sliding screen that encapsulates the house, to secure it and keep the elements at bay.

I have never done the trailer thing, but I know it must be fun to use one during those camping trips. If I were to get one, this would probably be it.

Designers: Stephanie Bellanger, Amaury Watine, François Gustin & David Dethoor

This Bike Is Missing Some Tubes

Billy May — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:00:43 +0000

Most bikes make use of two back to back triangles in what’s called a diamond frame to give structure and support to all the myriad elements of a bicycle. This Wire Bike from designer Ionut Predescu instead relies on tensegrity to leverage the tensile strength of Kevlar wire against the compression strength of but two carbon fiber tubes. The end result is a theoretically lighter bicycle where the rider and his seat seems to float against the rest of the bike through the tension of the cables.

Designer: Ionut Predescu

For the Scoot People with Too Much Luggage

Chris Burns — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:22:11 +0000

Though the classic cross-city bike messanger method / character / lifestyle will never be trumped by a motorized vehicle, one can dream of a nicer* way to carry one’s briefcase to work. *Nicer, in this case, meaning, gosh, I have to go to work every day, but it’s only a short distance. I’d sure like a more eco-friendly ride, but I have too much to carry!

It’s time to stash!

Scooter people. You see them. I see them. We all see them. They can’t carry a very huge amount of peanuts. Only what can fit in their backpack or in their under-seat compartment.

What designer Elliot Ortiz has whipped up here is the solution for your luggage woes, the aptly titled, “Cargo” scooter. With its large capacity for storage and a “Drive by Wire” tank-style steering system, it can carry up to “one whole crapload of junk.”*

*I made up that unit of measurement.

Note from Elliot: the small gas motor is “tucked away on the rear swing arm in case you were wondering ”.

Designer: Elliot Ortiz

Hello World, I’m Drowning in the Ocean

Billy May — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:10:57 +0000

Another nifty project from Lysandre Follet, his Hello World camera takes wide angle shots of your worldly adventures and wifi’s them to friends (like the lovely blonde seen after the jump). Also tagging the photos with GPS coordinates, the camera keeps a sort of geopositional image log of you trip, allowing others to connect in and watch your progress. A great Idea that I’m sure is on the way by at least one manufacturer, that said I don’t think my image log would be very interesting: hotel room, hotel bar, hotel toilet, repeat.

Designer: Lysandre Follet

M.E.R.M. Flea Market on Wheels

Chris Burns — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:16:51 +0000

So you fancy yourself a merchant, yes? How hardcore be you? Delve with me into the wicked world of the flea market, the ice cream truck, and the munch wagon. All three of these certainly have bearing when this vehicle is rode: MERM (Modular Electronic Retail Minivan.) Explore the trade and sale underground. And realize the future as it is brought back above.

What designer Eric Zhang has made here is another vehicle amongst the likes of Marty’s Munch Wagon, Mr Softee’s Ice Cream Truck, and Old Man Smith’s Pickupfull of Vinyl Records and Tools. It’s a modern traveling saleswagon! Keep your pants on though, because since there’s so much (strange) precedent, this “MERM” will have to make a brand new case for wanting to take my record collection across the country.

Fun Fact: I sell hell of records in the summer at the flea market in Fairhaven, Minnesota. I’ve seen many a vehicle come through attempting the impossible with large loads of junk and treasure. Based on that dirty experience, check it out:

Space inside the MERM: small. Only allows room for predetermined amount of product, and the fact that the electronically unfolding containers are small limits the type and size of product I can carry. But, there are several replaceable and interchangeable components, the designer notes. Also make sure this can also be used as an empty van, just incase someone has to drop and run.

Shape: I hope there’s a shade inside or outside the giant window in the front so that whoever is traveling around with this vehicle can sleep inside the vehicle if need be. Needless to say, also, this vehicle is kind of silly looking, so watch out for biker gangs.

Excellence within the MERM: the entire vehicle is powered by electricity and solar power. All right! Let’s keep this green thing going, and let’s get minimal grass stains on our pants along the way.

Designer: Eric Zhang

Trod the Untrodden Path! GeoCane and Upward!

Chris Burns — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:23:48 +0000

Presenting the best way to get lost in a walking stick. The GeoCane by Felix Hardmood Beck takes the idea of a divining rod and finds you some great adventure in the great hiking pilgrimage. Stamping the ground creates a path that noone else has followed, creating a unique experience for you, the final and last one true highlander.

Designer Felix Hardmood Beck puts it like this: “The goal of this project was to translate the central aspects and values of the pilgrimage into a digital object – a new interpretation of the traditional walking-cane: The GeoCane. This new cane shows various references to the historic and modern pilgrimage, as well as historic and modern forms of navigation. By using the GeoCane, the user receives a new understanding of the historic identity of pilgrimage.

“Geographical coordinates for a specific goal are loaded onto the GeoCane through a docking-station. Throughout the Neo-Pilgrimage an integrated microchip traces the chosen path, so that you are never guided on an already known road. By a slight vibration at grasping hight, the cane leads the way for the user. The place of destination remains unknown for the user and is not of such great importance as the path in itself.”

Heigh Ho!

Designer: Felix Hardmood Beck