Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

666 is the number of KHM this devilish drone can reach! This mean-looking machine is called the Accula QX44 Shyster and it’s been designed as one of the first “Formula Sky” racing vehicles.

The quadcopter packs 8 motors with 3-axis and 360 degree movement which give it unmatched maneuverability. It can pitch, yaw and roll in place, right in the air! Running entirely on electricity, it’s also as quiet as it is fast. Not only conceived for the air-raceway, the single-passenger VTOL (vertical take-off and lift) vehicle can also be used for leisurely flights, or even as an ultra-quick commuter that can take off and land directly from the driveway.

Designer: Isken Asana

Have you ever wondered why your wristwatch is broken into 12 hour formats? I have. It goes all the way back to the time of the sundial. It didn’t make sense creating a 24 hour sundial, because the sundial was useless at night (no sun, no reading). The day was split into two halves. A half with sun, and a half with darkness and the sundial was designed to be used only during one half. The twelfth hour marked the time of the day when the sun was directly above us. This practice of reading time carried its way into mechanical watches too, and people just decided it was easier to stick to the 12 hour reading rather than shift to the 24 hour, even though the latter made more sense.

Now that we’re capable of reading the time in any format (our phones work with the 24 hour format too), it doesn’t make much sense to stick to the age-old tradition of telling the time that hasn’t changed much since the sun-dial. The Vasco questions tradition with its 24-hour collection of watches. Swiss 24-hour movement on the inside, and sheer style on the outside, the Vasco’s series of watches are made for all occasions. With the same movement on the inside, the watch is available in 4 distinct styles that all explore varied classic aesthetics. The Inflexible and Terrible (french for terrific) explore metal bodies and straps, with a stainless steel casing and a steel Milanese mesh band. The Terrible introduces metal to the dial too with a brushed steel finished watch-face. For the leather aficionado, the Amiral and Solitaire feature bands made from the finest French bull leather. Amiral explores a black design with a white contrasting watch face, while Solitaire works its magic with a sand-blasted metal case and a natural-colored leather strap.

All the watches feature the 24 hour time-keeping format with the hours on the inside and the minutes on the outside. A curved Sapphire glass makes the watches scratch-resistant, while subtly magnifying the time. The watches are also water-resistant to 5 atmospheres (roughly 50 meters). Enthusiasts can even get their hands on a Vasco wall-clock, featuring the same 24-hour time-keeping style!

Ideal for someone who’s looking for something new in their timepiece, the Vasco comes with a slight learning curve that one can easily get the hang of. Suited perfectly for people accustomed to reading army-time, Vasco puts that format to good practice within a range of watches that fit everyone’s style sensibilities!

Designer: Benjamin Chamfeuil

BUY NOW: $195.00 $285.00

BUY NOW: $195.00 $285.00

UPDATE: Less than 72 hours left in their campaign and close to $700K raised!

More than ever before, coding is considered to be the one thing everybody should know. Following one’s own speaking language, it’s imperative that youngsters learn a coding language too, because speaking in software, and speaking to software is extremely critical in today’s digital age.

No matter what language, the building blocks always remain the same and toy-makers have begun realizing that bringing that learning to children in a toy format can lead to major changes for the better in society. What Lego and Meccano did for our generation, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) toys like the Cubetto are doing for today’s young generation.

Currently in its second iteration (with support and funding from Randi Zuckerberg, former Marketing Director at Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg’s sister) Cubetto comes back to teach children about coding in an innovative Montessori-approved format. The game comprises a tiny locomotive robot, a control panel, and a series of maps that the robot can navigate across. The magic lies in the control panel that the child learns to use and communicate with the robot through. The panel introduces children to concepts like command lines, loops, functions, and sequences in a playful format that develops their cognitive and problem-solving skills in a manner that makes coding easy to grasp later in life.

Aside from having secured various awards at the Cannes Lions, Red Dot Design Awards and the Junior Design Awards, Cubetto has also been featured on Kickstarter’s Gold tier, the Cubetto aims at changing toys and molding children for tomorrow. It doesn’t use screens (which is a great thing) and shapes itself as a traditional toy (having a wooden construction and color-coded elements/modules) with a modern agenda. Perfect for toddlers aged 3 and above, the Cubetto makes an ideal tinkering-toy at home and even a beautiful learning experiment in school!

Designer: Primo Toys

BUY NOW: $275.00 $369.00

What the community has to say…

Swarms Swamp – An airboat ride through a misty marshland. A world filled with exotic plants and animals. Take in the sights, and make some friends along the way.

Polar Expedition – A heart-thumping Arctic race. Slick through icy plains, past polar bears and weather stations. Travel by starlight under the Northern Lights.

Space Odyssey – A trip to the fringes of our solar system. Visit the International Space Station, Mars, and Jupiter. Wave at our pale blue dot from the depths of our galaxy.

Big City – A fast-paced ride through a bustling metropolis. Negotiate high traffic between dizzying skyscrapers, and take in the parks, markets and landmarks. Beep beep!

BUY NOW: $275.00 $369.00

If you’re like me and tend to bite off more than you can chew, mere calendar alerts just won’t do. You need an additional way to remind yourself of important dates and significant items on your schedule. Piece of Time is a timepiece concept that aims to do just that!

The wearable device, which can be worn as a pendant necklace, bracelet, or basic clip, will sync with your calendar wirelessly. Its discrete lights give you a visual countdown to the next important event. A simple glance down or look in the mirror will remind you and help you stay aware of upcoming tasks and other occasions.

Designer: Ben Koros

Whether it’s executing a complex food recipe or putting together literally anything from IKEA, wouldn’t it be nice if you had a helping hand from someone who had a little experience?! That’s the idea behind this clever wearable! Sensei, literally translate from Japanese as “one born before another”, is designed to connect users with experts who can help them with a variety of tasks.

Users must only give Sensei a single push to be put in touch with an expert who can assist them with whatever they’re doing. As silly as it looks, the forehead mounted design gives experts on the other end a first-person view of what the user is doing, making it easy to guide them. Imagine the possibilities! A mechanic to help you with a quick car fix… a gardener to help you choose the right plants for your climate… a trainer to teach your dog new tricks. With a number of experts available at the push of a button, it encourages a DIY attitude and transfer of knowledge!

Designer: DJ Sanghera

Below you’ll find the most popular designs we’ve tracked over the last 30 days – an overview of designs you shouldn’t have missed in June 2017.

This footwear design comes as separate modules that can not just be interchanged for style, but even worn separately for functionality. Rugged when you want it, bare-basic when you need it, and comfortable when you demand it.

The entire concept of the Revolights sounds fascinating. A headlamp, and a tail-lamp, within the wheel of your bicycle itself! How it works is even more fascinating.

The wallets above aren’t just your run-of-the-mill moneybags. They have good design and innovation written all over them. Check out these inventive cash-stashers!

The Nokia Vision 2018 concept phone brings Nokia’s Lumia aesthetic to modern times, with bezel-less screens, chrome accents, a dual back-facing camera, and Android-powered brain (85% of the world’s favorite mobile OS).

Designed for the explicit purpose of giving you precise control over your sleep, the Neuroon Open is an open-source headband that can be used for effective sleeping, smart waking, deep meditation, polyphasic sleep, and lucid dreaming!

When we imagine synthesizers, we often picture big, bulky equipment like the massive Moog. The Piino explores a more compact form that allows musicians to capture inspiration on the go!

Made for the rebel, maverick biker, the Pangolin backpack is great for wearing while riding. Not only does store all your gadgets and essentials, it can even hold your bike-helmet, given its unique hemispherical shape.

OMNI smartwatch is focused on individuality, ease of use and expandability. The modular design takes inspiration from analog watches so you no longer have to commit to only one design.

This little stainless soap shaped bar can wash off any stench or odor from your hands that you may have accumulated in the kitchen, or anywhere else.

This minimalist lighting and air purifying pod is capable of being carrying and placed almost anywhere but is specifically designed for use in the kitchen.

No! This isn’t one of those “If VW made a…” concepts! The VW Fridge (an actual fridge!) comes as a collaboration between European appliance giant Gorenje and none other than Volkswagen whom we know too well.

Michelin is currently exploring this opportunity with this incredible 3D printed airless tire system they’re calling the “Visionary Concept.”

If you want to keep your fingers busy and yourself entertained, ditch that fidget spinner for a TinyArcade that actually puts a miniature playable arcade game in the palm of your hand!