iPod Shuffle Bracelet concept |
Here’s a followup to the iPod Touch Nano concept that’s wearable and even fashionable. Once again, it’s from designer Isamu Sanada. It’s an iPod Shuffle Bracelet with integrated Bluetooth connectivity, dock connector, and a rugged casing.
It even sports a built-in rechargeable battery for 16-hours of continuous playback. Hey, why not? As long as we are playing make believe. This is actually something that the ladies would love, in fashionable pastels. Who knows, one day Apple may get behind it. But we aren’t holding our breath.




This is what an iPod Touch Nano might look like should Apple release one. It’s designed by Isamu Sanada and the iPod Touch Nano features a 2.8-inch touchscreen display, 3.5mm headphone jack, dual dock connectors, and would come in a variety of colorful cases. Probably the coolest thing about the design is the removable game controller for when the accelerometer and touchscreen aren’t enough. Maybe it’s just me, but this is probably the one feature that the iPod Touch could use in the real world. Pretty sweet design.
Helios was clearly inspired by the Jurassic era, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Helios is a concept design for an off-road electric solar-powered vehicle. When you take a break from your off-roading and stop the vehicle, the car will spread its “wings” which are made of photovolatic panels, in order to capture the sun’s rays and charge up the battery.
The LED Bath Light seems to do it all and then some. This device functions as a flashlight, a candle, a rave machine (For when you have company in the tub and are sucking on pacifiers?), and it’s smart enough to pull thermometer duty as well so you won’t burn yourself accidentally in the bath.
Light bulbs are…well bulbous. They take up way too much room, are a pain to store due to their shape, etc. Those newer corkscrew deals are no better. It’s an old design for an old world. That’s why Joonhuyn Kim’s concept makes sense. Flat bulbs take up less space and make them easier to stack, store and transport. My only concern is that the odd shape would somehow make the light all weird on the wall. Great idea even if it is a bit late to the lighting arena.
Tomorrow is the big election and we will soon find out whether Obama or McCain will become president. And while we are waiting to vote, Core77 just held a contest that featured redesigned voting booths for the future. Some were serious, while others are more playful. The winner was “Voting Tree” shown above, by vinishree. Voting tree makes voting a more organic, less rushed, grounded experience. After you vote, you stick a leaf on the tree, which adds a feeling of community participation. Interesting concept. Hit the link to see the rest. There are some very interesting ideas.
Most people either find wind chimes charming or annoying. You either love them or you hate them. Well, I’m not sure if this update to the classic noisemaker makes things better or worse. Korean designer Lufdesign has a new spin on chimes. The concept is called Tinkling, not to be confused with your favorite bathroom pastime. No, this tinkling is different. The chimes aren’t set off by the wind, but when you receive a digital message via email, voicemail or SMS. It’s blowing tail will change color and a message is displayed across the embedded screen.
JVC’s Sound Garden concept blends tree-hugging with design. It’s a full hi-fi speaker system with bass-reflex ports and little pot areas for your plants. (Which don’t have that much room.) And it’s all made of some wonder material called “eco-plastic”. If you want, you can connect a whole bunch together for massive sound and massive plant life. Just a concept right now, but rest assured they are working on more music/plant tech as I type this.
This concept security bracelet for kids comes from a project led by Rodrigo Torres. The idea is that if you combine a security bracelet with LEGO, kids will be more apt to wear it and be tracked for safety reasons. It’s got several features that will get your kid to keep it with him/her.
Check out this collapsible Soft-Refrigerator concept by Electrolux. It proves once again that an accordion design works great. Through the use of a heat-insulating membranes and modular shelving, this fridge can actually be collapsed and optimized for size. Because sometimes you don’t have a lot of food or you need more room in the kitchen.
The Biopod automated tripod is a concept at the moment, so we don’t have to worry about Robo-Tripods following us around and selling pics to tabloids just yet. But one day soon that is exactly what will happen.
The Post-it note is pretty handy. It’s something that everyone has used at one point or another. Just imagine how many trees it takes to keep us in Post-it notes every year. Whatever the number is, the E-note concept from Sequoia Studio can keep those trees firmly in the ground. It uses tactile and flexible electronic paper technology, and can be stuck and unstuck easily thanks to a “Gecko” glue.
Designer David Veldkamp created this futuristic concept PC he calls the LawnPC. The device would create all the power it needs from solar cells embedded in the grass that sits on top of the PC. The grass isn’t real grass, it’s actually made from natural cotton fabric that carries inkjet printed solar cells. The use of cotton makes the blades biodegradable, just like real grass. The idea is that hundreds of these blades can generate all the power the system needs at about 60 Watts per hour. The blades transfer energy to the battery plug-in at the bottom of each blade. The Lawn PC is also completely wireless.
I’m from Texas and we take grillin’ pretty seriously around here. In fact, I once saw a man beat down for overcooking a T-Bone and let me tell you Grandpa is fast with the meat thermometer now. It seems at least some folks in Florida take grilling pretty seriously as well.
As our devices get smaller and smaller, the idea of a capsule-sized gadget looks more and more likely. This capsule may be one of your next iPods one day soon. Though I’m not sure anyone will be able to use the buttons. Luckily, there’s only one button on it called ‘Home’ where users can touch it and browse the same way they do on the iPhone.