Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

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Picture this. Count the number of products you own that use batteries. Multiply it by 7.3 billion. That’s roughly the number of battery-powered products we as a species use, and eventually discard. Only 1% of discarded batteries actually get recycled, so look at your electric toothbrush and ask yourself. Is a polluted earth an appropriate price to pay for clean teeth? There’s only one answer here really, and it’s a no! The Be. toothbrush aims at providing the experience of an electric toothbrush, but without the electric bit. Devoid of motors, and batteries, and circuit boards, the Be. is a pretty ingeniously made brush that uses common sense, rather than a lithium-ion battery.

Taking cues from an unlikely yet brilliant place, the Be. uses a wind-up mechanism we’ve seen being used for long in toys and timers. It simply converts one form of energy into another, allowing you to merely rotate a dial on its base that then winds up a mechanism within the toothbrush body, causing the head to vibrate as would any electric toothbrush.

The Be.’s creation was sparked by a need to solve the earth’s pollution crisis. Designed as a completely analog piece of highly effective dental equipment, the Be. rivals the best electric toothbrushes. Just two twists on its base are enough to power you through an entire brushing cycle, with the same (if not better) effectiveness of an electric toothbrush. The Be.’s body and bristles are a 100% recyclable and biodegradable too, so your teeth AND your planet stay clean!

The Be.’s battery-free approach isn’t just eco-friendly, it’s you-friendly too! It prevents the need to charge your toothbrush, or to replace batteries periodically. It also means the Be. can be easily carried on flights with zero hassle A snap-on case makes carrying the Be. around an absolute dream. Plus, with each Be. you get a one year’s supply of interchangeable and completely recyclable bristle-heads… That’s just dental! I mean mental!

Designer: Patrick Triato

Click here to Buy Now: $49.00 $129.00

Battery & Electric-Free – Brushing with Be. means no cables, no batteries, and no problems. Transform your daily brushing routine into a simple 3-step process: put toothpaste on the bristles, give the dial two full twists, hit the power button and let Be. work its magic.

Sustainable – Practice zero waste at home with Be.’s 100% biodegradable brush heads and recyclable build. The first toothbrush that gives you all the benefits of clean teeth, at no expense to the earth.

Smart Technology – Be.’s smart sensor operates at the ADA recommended precise tartar-fighting pressure of 120g, training you to brush thoroughly but consciously. With 80,000 charcoal infused brushstrokes at the perfect pressure, you’re off brushing for a diamond clean smile.

Travel-Friendly – Whether you’re traveling for business, backpacking outdoors or just bringing your toothbrush to work, Be. keeps up with your on-the-go lifestyle. The snap-on case creates an easy to carry cylinder and fits 1 extra brush refill for extended travel.

Simplify Your Routine – Be. keeps your daily brushing routine easy, similar to your manual brush.

If electric toothbrushes are so good, why do the majority of people still use manual toothbrushes? Well, manual is easy, and as a species we like easy things. If you haven’t made the switch to electric yet, don’t! We have good news. With no batteries, PCB boards, soldering, or wires, Be. is still a manual toothbrush for all intents and purposes. Two twists of the dial and no charging needed has you brushing like you would with your manual toothbrush, but with 10x the cleaning power.

Improve your Dental Health – A deeper clean that changes your tartar fighting game.

Most dentists will suggest using an electric toothbrush to get that diamond clean smile. Why? It’s proven they do a better job at getting debris out of your teeth, avoiding plaque, cavities and tooth decay. With over 80,000 brushstrokes, Be. has more power than your average electric toothbrush, cleaning deeper and whitening faster so you never have to worry about compromising your oral hygiene for sustainability. As the ultimate hybrid, you get the best of both worlds by brushing with Be.

Click here to Buy Now: $49.00 $129.00

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to record something meaningful with your smartphone, only to realize that you should have just done the sensible thing and bought a mic. I can’t say that I’ve had the fortune of researching the world of mics too frequently, but the Mikme is easily the most fun mic out there at the minute. Mikme is the world’s first Wireless Microphone & Audio Recorder. Recording studio-quality sound at the touch of a button. What’s even better is the Mikme accompanying app – capture a video with your smartphone and audio will be automatically synced with your video. Albeit the Mikme does have a cool design, ergonomically this product is questionable. Holding it in hand appears to be awkward but placed on a table it is seemingly gorgeous. It does look very durable and something of a great need for anyone getting started with audio and visual recording. Calling all musicians, vloggers, journalists and all those who demand exceptional audio on the go, Mikme will make your life a lot easier.

Designer: Mikme

The “+hem” packaging concept is so smart and simple it’ll have you wondering why you didn’t think of it first! It seamlessly merges the two most common containers used for consuming milk: the bowl and cup. It’s perfect for packing a breakfast to-go whether you’re going to work or school.

The magic is in the shape and clever construction that features a peel-back seal. If you want to use it like a bottle, simply twist the cap. If you’re ready for breakfast, just give the tabbed cover a pull and add your muesli, cereal or favorite breakfast combo. Because it’s a single use product, you can just toss it when you’re finished!

Designer: Efkan Çetin

There’s no reason why a regular city bike should be used on mountain trails. It just isn’t built to handle those conditions. So why do we assume a city bike bell would work on a mountain bike? It doesn’t, say founders of Timber bell, Chris and Liz Lacy. Mountain Bike bells are used (sparingly) to let fellow riders and hikers know that you’re passing by. The City bike bells are shrill, disturbing, and need to be rung periodically, while trying to control your bike on rough terrain. Most bikers ditch the bike bell for a cowbell that hangs from their person, or the bike. The cowbell has a pleasing noise, but it can’t be triggered. It keeps ringing throughout your ride, which needless to say is highly annoying.

The Timber (cleverly named after how lumberers yell Timber when a tree is about to fall. The phrase is now a common call used for alerting people), is a slick/modern looking bike bell that was designed to complement the mountain bike and its biker’s needs, using the cowbell as its inspiration. It doesn’t come with a trigger to ring the bell, but rather comes with an on/off switch that controls the internal clapper. Switch the Timber on, and as the bike moves along the rough terrain, the bell ding-a-lings pleasantly, using the terrain as a trigger. Once you pass by hikers or pedestrians, switch the Timber off and it won’t ring. As Chris and Liz put it, the Timber provides “Trail awareness when you need it – Silence when you don’t”. It’s much more pleasing and convenient than a city bike bell, and definitely classier than having to yell at hikers to get out of the way because you’re coming through. The cowbell sound rings pleasantly among the wilderness and was built for nature, rather than the city bike bell whose shrill sound was designed to overcome regular traffic noise.

Designers: Chris Lacy & Liz Lacy

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Ever heard of that plastic island floating in the ocean? Well, that’s a good example of where your old worn out shoes end up. You see, plenty of products, especially shoes, wear out quicker than their material makeup which can go on to last for thousands of years. Designed with this in mind, AlgiKicks are revolutionary sustainable sneakers that can be reabsorbed back into the environment almost as fast as it was made.

The shoes are made from a rapidly renewable kelp-based material developed by AlgiKnit, a biomaterials research group based in New York City. This material is produced from rapidly renewing biopolymers, derived primarily from kelp, one of the fastest growing organisms on the planet. It can be manufactured with minimal waste and rapidly degrades after the product has finished its lifetime. This provides a sustainable alternative to conventional sneakers which can take up to 1000 years to decompose. So, instead of contributing to that ever-growing plastic island in the sea, you’ll be wearing a product that started its life in the very ocean you’re saving.

Designers: Aaron Nesser & Algiknit

The world is going Star Wars crazy this year, and they have every reason to be. With the franchise getting better and better (and with the new movie coming out in just a week), it’s no surprise that we keep getting an excitingly diverse range of Star Wars inspired goodies – this one in the form of Animal Stormtrooper Helmets by William Kang. Gorgeously fabricated, the helmets are given a rigorous process from sketches to CAD to quick renders, to sketches to CAD to quick renders and again until the design is ready to be physically constructed. Each helmet can take a couple of months to make but so delicately and intricately detailed it’s hard to believe these helmets are not renders. The materials and finishing choices here make these helmets a work of art, something worthy of a museum piece.

Designer: William Kang

They say the camera that’s with you is the most valuable one, but trust me, there have been moments where the 3 seconds it takes to whip out a phone, unlock it, and power the camera has resulted in me missing the moment… which raises the question. Is this a problem the smartphone can ever overcome? No amount of processing power or fast-unlocking can ever compensate for the fact that the phone always sits in your pocket, and in order to trigger the camera, it needs to be taken out and aimed.

The Theia Pro is a wearable that retrofits to your existing pair of spectacles (especially a boon for people with prescription eyewear). Sitting on the front of the Theia is a 3 megapixel Full HD camera that records in 1080p. Designed to instantly capture what you see the way you see it, the Theia Pro makes your eyeball the viewfinder. If the picture’s composition looks good to you, then the Theia Pro captures just that. It also makes creating POV videos much easier than strapping a camera to your face or temple. The camera comes with storage of its own (expandable to 32gb), and can even trigger wirelessly, meaning you don’t need to be tapping your spectacles every time you want a shot. Your phone’s camera may be the most popularly used camera, but the Theia Pro is the most accessible. Plus, with the fact that it sits on your temple, filming what your eyes see… it doesn’t capture images. It captures memories!

Designer: Seventh Sense

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