Even the technologically-phobic know how to use an analog dial timer, so adding that functionality to a powerbar to limit how long each gadget or appliance that’s plugged in gets power is a stroke of genius. Sadly the Wind Up Socket, designed by Dongwon Joo and Jieun Choi, only exists in the land of concept renderings at this point, but it seems too clever of an idea not to be pursued further. I mean you’d have to be careful what gets plugged in where, you don’t want a large transformer getting jammed against another as they each slowly rotate, and you don’t want power cords getting too twisted, but those seem like minor issues a good product designer could overcome.
I don’t know if it’s my gung-ho personality, always driving forward at top speed, but I’m pretty sure I’m involved in far more than my fair share of corner collisions with random strangers. So while the idea of seeing this Corner’s Communication device installed on every blind corner in the country some day is a little far-fetched, I still like it. It’s nothing more than a motion sensitive alarm that lights up and emits a warning sound when someone is about to round a corner, giving the person on the other side a heads-up so they can avoid an embarrassing collision.
The idea did win a Red Dot Design Concept Award, so there might be some interest in seeing it become a real product, but like I said, you probably shouldn’t count on seeing them on every corner one day.
Your average toaster is a pretty basic kitchen gadget. Put in your toast, select the right setting and push down. As long as you’re making only two (or four depending on the toaster) slices, it does a rather efficient job. Now what if you’re making breakfast for a large group of people? Wouldn’t it be nice to setup a stack of bread and let it do its thing without worrying about it? That’s the idea behind this concept.
The creator obviously had a printer in mind when designing this particular toaster. You can set several pieces of bread at the top, and it will toast them one by one until they are all brown and crispy. Obviously there would need to be a few extra features added before this thing could be marketed to the public. For instance, it looks like there is no way to adjust for different sizes of breads and other toasted goods. Still it’s a cool concept, one that I wouldn’t mind seeing turned into a real product.
Lets say you’re in the kitchen, and you’ve decided to heat something up in the microwave. You’ve got two, maybe three minutes to kill, what do you do with the time? Chances are you’ll just stand there staring at your food as it spins round and round. Well wouldn’t it be cool if you could watch a quick YouTube clip to pass the time? Soon you may be able to do that very thing, right from your microwave.
The Castoven is a working prototype microawave which features a built-in 10.4-inch LCD screen in the door, along with a pair of speakers. When put something I to cook, it finds a random YouTube clip (of a similar length of time) and plays it while your food is cooked. It does however, currently require you to have it hooked up to a computer to work. It’s possible that they may be able build one directly into the unit in the future. No word on whether they plan on releasing this to the public for sale, or if it will simply be another concept gadget to tease us. (Video after the jump.)
We’re sad this is just a concept. This product should be made right now. And anyone that wants to send the smokers in their life a little message should buy them and give them as presents. Or the really cynical smoker can buy them himself. Either way, we’re totally seeing a market for these.
The design is from R.J. Reynolds Ukraine. Yeah, we wondered about that name too and whether it was some kind of pun. But unless it’s all an elaborate joke, it seems to be the work of one Richard Joshua Reynolds. We’re getting imaginative here and smelling the trademark infringement lawyers in the air already if this ever takes off…
Cuts come in all shapes and sizes, which is why bandages also come in variety packs. Unfortunately it seems that no matter which size you need, that’s the one missing from the medicine cabinet. Wouldn’t it be great if you could determine the length of the bandage, much the same way you do with a piece of tape? Well someone has had that very idea, and thinks it could be very feasible.
The Long and Short Plaster (I had no idea that some people called an adhesive bandage a “plaster”, we just always said Band-Aid) looks very much like a tape dispenser, and works on a similar principal. Obviously, since you’re adding gauze to the strip, there is a little more to it, but not much. What you’re left with is a bandage that is the perfect size for your cut. I could see a good demand for this, if it gets out of the concept stage.
Toast is one of the more simple foods to make in the kitchen. It’s arguably only more difficult than boiling water. Of course there’s no good way to know exactly when the bread has gotten to that perfect brown color. Sure, you can fiddle with that little slider or or knob, but it never really does any good. Of course this wouldn’t be such an issue if you could actually see the toast as it’s cooking.
One designer decided that they would solve the problem by using glass sides to heat the toast. This would allow you to watch it as it cooks. Unfortunately the glass won’t actually get hot enough to toast the bread (and I’m really not sure how you’d get it out of there without burning yourself). It looks like this one will permanently be in the ‘concept’ stage.
The modern mouse hasn’t exactly seen a ton of technological improvements in the last couple of decades. Sure, we’ve added buttons, made them a little more ergonomic and substituted that ball for an optical sensor. However, when you strip it all away, it’s still the same basic concept.
With all of the advancements in multitouch technologies, Microsoft is convinced that the next big breakthrough in mousing is along that path. Like any company with an idea of the future, they have been hard at work trying to develop the next big thing. In a rare move for the software giant, Microsoft has decided to show off some of their prototypes which are currently in development. I’d go into detail about each, however the above video seems to do them justice. If you’re itching for more info, you can find it on Microsoft’s website.
Bear in mind that these are nothing more than prototypes. They are simply using these to explore the possibilities that these technologies can lead to. Don’t expect to see anything from Microsoft using these ideas anytime soon. When you do finally see this stuff on store shelves, it won’t look anything like what they’re showing off now.
If you like to have a drink directly after leaving the office, then you might find this interesting concept to your liking. During the day, the After Office Tie looks just like any other. However, once your jacket is off, a small bit of metal at the tip is exposed. So what’s that little metal bit for? Opening bottles of course.
I guess I don’t drink enough (or actually work in a big fancy-pants office) to really find this to be all that useful. I suppose if enough people want it, it could easily be turned into a real marketable product. For now it will be shown at the London Institute of Contemporary Arts from September 30th to October 4th.
Related Tags: Concept, Eco-friendly
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