Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

Lift breathes new life into lighting, taking it from a plain, inanimate object to a stylish, skeletal, interactive sculpture! This pendant lighting solution uses a series of thermal sensors to know when people are near and it reacts to each individual’s interaction differently. Its 24 geometric LED illuminated petals attached to a single spine flutter gently as someone walks beneath it or will move more dramatically in response to faster movements.

An embedded microcontroller directs each petal’s movement and utilizes nitinol – AKA “muscle wire” – a shape memory alloy that shrinks in length when heated. The resulting motion, unlike that of typical motors, is completely silent, fluid and organic. Lift’s spine is comprised of two parallel strips of brushed aluminum, giving Lift its physical structure while providing power and motion data to the individual petals.

Designer: James Patten

The Evasion Evolution Tent adds a low-footprint high-adventure element to your outdoor trip! Designed like a flat-packed hard mattress that you mount on your SUV or car, the tent opens up through the middle to reveal a cozy space for up to two people on the inside. Its elevated location makes it great for places that are too unsafe, or too uncomfortable for a ground-mounted tent, and the netting walls not only provide a panoramic view of the outside, but they also keep the critters and mosquitoes out. It even comes with solar powered ventilation, and a telescopic ladder to help you climb up and down.

The design of the Evasion Evolution tent in many ways resembles the award winning Shelter Pack by Hakan Gürsu (Designnobis) from a year back. It honestly is a good sign that conceptual works of design are being taken seriously by product development teams, helping create designs that not just perform well, but surprise and delight users too!

The James Baroud Evasion Evolution tent currently retails at a not-for-everyone price of $3600, but for seasoned travelers who spend most of their days on the road, professionally or through a hobby, it provides a great way to kick back while on the road or in the woods/desert/grasslands/mountains. After all, it’s so much more comfy than sleeping in your car, isn’t it?

Designer: James Baroud

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Cyberthreats… hackers… viruses… worms… the number of ways your privacy can be invaded goes on and on! In fact, you’re way more likely to fall victim to digital information theft than IRL. But, not if you have Cujo! Like a loyal watchdog in your home, Cujo is a expressive, smart, external firewall device that protects you and your family from cyber invasion.

It monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and decides whether to allow or block it based the security rules you define. Once Cujo detects a threat and blocks it, you’ll know it’s fighting back when you see its expression change from watchful to tough! Additionally, you’ll receive an alert from the Cujo app on your smartphone where you can monitor your wired and wireless connections. It’s not only an interactive way to stay safe, but a fun and friendly tool for giving little ones an early lesson in the importance of cyber security.

Designer: Einaras Gravrock

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Even when I was a kid (which was a long time ago), I remember thinking how air-filled tires really are less than desirable and that there must be a more sensible, solid solution. My dad, an engineer, said the technology was available even back then but that tire companies would never let it happen because they’d stop making money off the millions of replacements each year! Conspiracy or not, the serious future of autonomous cars and ridesharing might mean it’s time to take the idea seriously. Michelin is currently exploring this opportunity with this incredible 3D printed airless tire system they’re calling the “Visionary Concept.”

According to Michelin, the system is composed of three distinct parts:

First, a wheel with no air, designed to last as long as the vehicle. Its ultra-durability comes from its honeycomb structure, which is inspired by natural models (Michelin calls it generative design: a form that mimics natural growth processes). It is made of recycled materials and it is also fully recyclable at the end of its life.

Next, tread that can be replenished by a 3D printer. The material draws on cold cure technology and delivers the same performances as a conventional tread. One notable difference, however… it’s completely biodegradable! Let’s say your tire’s tread is worn or maybe your road conditions have changed (rain, snow, heat, etc.)… you can actually print the tread you need in a matter of minutes at a number of strategically placed printing stations! What’s more, 3D printing is an additive technology, which means that it adds just the quantity of material that is necessary, where it is necessary, with no waste or loss.

Lastly, MICHELIN Visionary Concept is connected… meaning it communicates with your vehicle and your vehicle communicates with it. Without getting out of your car or even leaving your home, you can be informed of the wear on your tread and program a tread reprint.

Designer: Michelin

One whisk to rule them all! The Express Whisk by Mastrad has by far the most amount of design put into it. For starters, it comes with an auto-whisking action that can be activated by pumping the handle. A simple upward and downward motion makes the whisk rotate with speed (insert fidget spinner reference, regret it immediately)… The whisk even comes with a rubber pad at the bottom to prevent it from slipping, or scratching your precious utensils.

What’s rather interesting is the whisk’s shape-altering mechanism. A knob on the top of the whisk’s wire structure allows you to tighten or loosen a moving metal member that slides up and down the whisk’s shaft, changing the whisk shape from a narrow whisk, to a balloon whisk, to even a flat whisk. This works marvelously in the Express Whisk’s favor, allowing it to slenderly fit into glasses, or bowls, or even whisk/mash ingredients on flat surfaces… Talk about a jack of all trades!

Designer: Mastrad

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Before we look at the Dreem headband, I’ll just say that this is something I’m rather invested in because I myself struggle to fall asleep. Studies show, and I’ve been practicing it myself, that your brain operates at certain low wavelengths during the sleep cycle, and it can be tricked into falling asleep with audio at those wavelengths. However, since audio can’t be heard by us at those wavelengths, we use tricks like Brain Entrainment audio to hack the brain into operating at a particular frequency. (Do have a look at Binaural Beats and Isochronic Tones, they’re an absolute treasure trove of crazy techniques that are said to work but the results are debatable).

The Dreem employs a similar technique, but rather than relying on audio, it just relays the vibrations via speakers, directly into your skull, right above the prefrontal cortex of your brain. Envisioned by startup Rythm (who debuted an early prototype last year), the company called on Fuseproject to help design the final product. The challenge was to not just design the product in a manner that allowed the sensors, EEG, and speakers to sit at strategic locations, but to also make a headband that someone could wear while sleeping for an average of 8 hours without complaining about discomfort. After various prototypes (including one that looked like alien tentacles wrapped around your head), the team zeroed down on what we’re looking at today. After rigorous testing (even involving Yves Behar wearing the headband for 7 nights in a row), the electronics were strategically placed right above the forehead, a zone that almost always stays exposed and therefore never has to come in contact with things like pillows, or headboards. The design was wrapped in soft foam and a plush fabric making it feel rather comfortable, and was designed with elastic bands that not only provide a great grip, but also allow to let one Dreem headband fit all head sizes. Once worn, the Dreem analyzes brain patterns using the EEG and works towards providing you with faster and a better deep sleep.

The Dreem is all set to debut at the end of this year, and will retail for a rather hefty price of $499… but I guess you can’t really put a price tag on a good night’s sleep, can you?

Designer: Fuseproject (Yves Behar) for Rythm