Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

I’m not sure if the design of the router was inspired by the Y sound in the word Wi-Fi, or if it was just a happy coincidence, but the result is a pretty neat looking router that does a smart job of disguising its antenna inside the router’s body, also resulting in a shape that looks unique and balanced, both visually and literally.

Jiu Shi believes the presence of the antennae make the router look robotic and unfriendly, and with how heavily dependent our smart homes and AI products are on routers and Wi-Fi, it makes sense that the router too has the demeanor of a friendly, helpful, internet device. Scroll down a little further and you’ll see how Jiu Shi redesigned the box+antennae setup to arrive at the Y shape. While this new shape does occupy much more space (especially when shipping), Shi’s design can actually be pulled apart and shipped as a put-it-together kit that takes barely any amount of time. The resulting design conceals the ugly antennae as well as the jacks/ports/connectors within the body of the slick, classy, dual-colored router. A clean, smart wi-fi router for a clean, smart home!

Designer: Jiu Shi

I’m calling dibs and copyrights to that name right now, BTW! Jill Lin’s O-Pen concept bridges the gap between laptop and tablet as well as the real and virtual worlds! No word on specs just yet, but the design explores a compact form no larger than a tablet with a fully integrated keyboard and stylus/pad solution.

From the looks of it, the stylus actually acts like a key that unlocks the device, allowing the user to open and reveal the screen/keyboard only once the stylus has been removed. That alone is an interesting feature, but the designer hints at powerful virtual reality designing capability. We’re dying to know more!

Designer: Jill Lin

With the Miko welder, everyone from mechanics to construction teams can maximize accuracy and speed with a little help from some cool robot tech. The system is specifically designed for small workshops and build sites where space is limited. It can not only assist in technical welds but serve as a training tool for those learning different techniques. With intuitive controls and a compact footprint, it’s an ideal addition to the team that can help workers avoid health risks caused by exposure to harmful fumes, strenuous positions and UV-light.

Designers: Jakob Dawod, Ahsen Gülsen & Jon Sommarström

Pair a powerful camera with a powerful stabilizer and your opportunities are endless. The X-Cam Sight 2S is an insanely reasonable $49 stabilizer that packs a good punch in the specs as well as feature areas. Tiny enough to fit into your pocket, the Sight 2S clamps onto any smartphone you have, working in both landscape as well as portrait. Built with a smart 2-axis gimbal, the Sight 2S has four operational modes and a free iOS and Android app that allow you to access the gimbal’s much more advanced features. Aside from your regular vibration reduction (which the Sight 2S does remarkably well), the Sight 2S comes with Object Tracking capabilities, Timelapse Shooting abilities (in both day and night), 360° Panorama Capturing skills as well as the ability to be operated not just as a hand-held gimbal, but also remotely via another smartphone. The app that comes bundled with the stabilizer allows you to edit and modify your video content, rendering out hi-res files that you can share on your social media, or even use for work!

Designer: X-CAM

The latest from designer Arman Zamani, the Kafka light lives at the intersection of storytelling and design. Inspired by the two feline omens in Kafka on the Shore, a novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami, this elegant (and somewhat strange) lighting series is sure to be a conversation starter in any space. Almost as if ol’ puss was trapped in a pure white cube, it makes for an interesting sculpture during the day and a playful, poetic luminaire that inspires the imagination at night.

Designer: Arman Zamani of UNSEEN Design Studio

I don’t see an immediate need for Tesla to be building helicopters, but I wouldn’t put it past Mr. Musk, a man who has in his career, built a payment gateway, an electric car and battery company (and solar power), a spaceflight and research company, a brain+computer interface company, and a company that plans to create complex underground tunnelways under urban civilization because ‘traffic in LA is a drag’. The last one also venturing into the flamethrower market.

Antonio Paglia sure seems to think the Tesla Helicopter is well on its way. Built in a time where Tesla’s batteries will be able to power large manned airborne vehicles, the Tesla Helicopter carries the company’s DNA, both physically and spiritually. Designed for efficiency and speed, the Helicopter would do well in departments like safety and patrol, allowing the administration to effectively patrol the skies and ground while even in some cases offer assistance in an emergency. Thoughts, Mr. Musk?

Designer: Antonio Paglia

Described by Gearpatrol as the Swiss Army Knife of bartending, the Rabbit Compact Bar Tools kit literally fits your bartending tools of trade into your pocket. Open up the black case and you’ve got six stainless steel tools on the inside. Comprising a strainer, citrus zester, bottle opener, stirring stick, jigger, and bar knife, the Compact Bar Tools are probably all you’ll need aside from a cocktail shaker to make some of your crazy cocktails and amazing aperitifs. The tools come made from durable and food safe stainless steel and can be cleaned by simply handwashing. They also come in a nice black plastic caddy that not only lets you carry them around in your pocket, it doubles up as a measuring cup/jigger too! Ingenious, I say!

Designer: Rabbit Wine

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love the headphone jack. Literally the only con with my current Pixel 2 is the lack of the jack, and there have been instances (enough to piss me off) where I’ve wanted to listen to music and charge my phone at the same time, but alas. You can’t truly have everything, can you?

Pioneer thinks you can (if you’re an iPhone user that is). The Rayz Plus earphone set makes a great case for using wired headphones in this jack-less world. Touted as the only earphones that let you charge while listening, the Rayz come with a lightning jack as well as an outlet, so you plug your Rayz into your iPhone, and then your charger into the Rayz!

The earphones happen to have a lot of other “world’s first” and “world’s only” claims. They claim to have the lowest battery consumption of all Lightning-enabled earphones. Built with active noise-cancellation, the earphones can mute out external sounds, making what you listen to clearer, while also having an auto-pause feature that stops your music when you pull your earpiece out. The microphone smart-mutes when you stop talking, so conversations are less affected by the background noise around you. The Rayz come with your regular volume controls as well as a dedicated button you can assign functions to, letting you switch between apps, mute-unmute calls, or activate search. They’re also the world’s only wired earphones that come with Hey Siri detection, allowing you to activate Apple’s AI service without even so much as taking your phone out from your pocket!

Airpods? Pshh.

Designer: Pioneer

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