Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

You can basically think of the Beforme as an iPod with a built-in stethoscope that would allow an expectant mother to hear and monitor both her and her child’s heartbeat. Not only does this increase the bond between mother and child-to-be, but it also allows her to listen and detect any irregularities before they become a serious problem. In fact, not only would the Beforme allow a mother to listen to the heartbeats and see them graphed on the LCD display, but special software would also provide a more accurate and medical-based analysis of the rhythms, alerting the mother to possible issues.

And while the Beforme only exists as concept renders at this point, the designer has been working with Robert Majkut Design to refine the concept to the point where they’re actually ready to create a working prototype. So one day you might actually see this device on store shelves.

[ Beforme - Robert Majkut Design ] VIA [ Yatzer ]

By Luke Anderson

Have you ever gone out to buy a bookshelf, only to find that once you’ve filled it with all of your books, it still looks a bit empty? Sure, you can put some knick-knacks here and there to fill the void, but that doesn’t always do the trick. So what if you could buy a bookshelf that expanded and contracted to fit just the amount of books in your collection?

This concept design dubbed the REK Bookcase from designer Reinier de Jong is designed with expansion in mind. There are a total of five pieces which slide away from each other to create shelves for your books. As your collection grows, you can simply pull out the next piece to accommodate it. Unfortunately this appears only to be a concept item for now.

[ ReinierDeJong ] VIA [ GearFuse ]

By Andrew Liszewski

As someone who relies on vertical blinds to keep his home in a constant cave-like atmosphere, I can see the benefit of this Solar Vertical Lamp concept designed by Yoon-Hui Kim and Eun-Kyung Kim. The vertical blinds are embedded with a matrix of white LEDs which can be illuminated to produce glowing lamp-like shapes. Obviously the effect looks pretty cool, but the LEDs are also powered by a battery which is recharged by the sun during the day since the outward facing sides of the blinds also serve as solar cells. In theory the blinds should be able to provide plenty of ambient light during the night, without adding any costs to your electric bill.

[ Yanko Design - Solar Vertical Lamp ] VIA [ Inhabitat ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m sure there are plenty of gearheads who would jump at the chance to buy their kid this Wing Man child seat that features a body made from carbon fiber which everyone knows is extremely lightweight and strong. Unfortunately though the childseat is just a prototype created by Rory Craig, a student at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. And while you might think the seat is just another piece of eye candy, the Wing Man is actually quite functional. It can be reconfigured for all 3 stages a child goes through when it comes to needing a car seat, which means you don’t have to keep upgrading to a new model each time. And the race-inspired harness is adjustable thanks to a set of holes on the back, so it will properly fit and secure your child as they grow.

All in all the Wing Man prototype cost Rory about $4,000 to create, and he’s trying to pitch the idea to Sparco Motor Sports who are already known for their line of seats, safety harnesses and other racing-related gear.

[ Carbon Fiber Gear - Carbon Fiber Children’s Car Seat Prototype By Rory Craig ] VIA
[ Jalopnik ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m still an advocate of a nice and heavy down feather pillow when it comes to pillow-fight supremacy, but this concept pillow from designer Chenhui Su shows that intimidation can be just as powerful a tool as brute force and inertia. The plush spikes might not actually inflict much damage should fighting actually break out, but just as WOPR so poignantly taught us in the movie War Games, sometimes the only winning move is not to play. And as far as I’m concerned that message applies just as much to pillow-fights as it does to global thermonuclear warfare.

Sadly the Pillow Fight is just a concept and isn’t available for sale, but if you’ve got a friend who’s handy with a needle as well as an extra pillow lying around, it shouldn’t be that hard to just make your own.

[ Chenhui Su's Pillow Fight ] VIA [ productdose ]

By Luke Anderson

I grew up in a fairly small town, so when I rode my bike around, I never bothered to lock it up to anything. Of course if you live in a large city, it’s not uncommon for your bike to speed off with another rider if you aren’t careful. Even a decent bike lock doesn’t always deter thieves, since a nice pair of bolt cutters can generally take care of it. Well here’s a lock that will make a would-be thief seriously regret messing with your bike.

The SmartLock works much like any other, just wrap it around your bike and something immovable. However, the real fun begins when someone decides to cut it off. See, the entire cable is filled with compressed air and liquid, which will explode outward when it is cut open. The person is then covered with dye, and an invisible forensic property marking liquid. Sound familiar? It’s the same principal behind those tags you find on clothing in many stores. It’s only a concept for now, but seems like a brilliant idea.

[ Mike Lambourn ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While I like this clever cutlery design by Seongyong Lee that adds a bulbous ‘float’ to your forks, knives and spoons so that they won’t sink to the bottom when doing dishes, the more I look at it, the more it seems like a solution looking for a problem. I mean I honestly can’t say that sunken cutlery has ever been a real problem for me. I think one time I might have nicked a finger on a sharp knife while blindly fishing around in the sink, but that’s pretty much it. In fact the only time I think this might actually be handy is if you were doing dishes in a swimming pool, or any container/body of water that was deeper than your arms could reach.

And while the Floater cutlery is just a concept at this stage, Seongyong has made a working prototype you can see in action in the video I’ve included after the jump.

[ Seongyong Lee - Floater ] VIA [ designklub ]

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By Andrew Liszewski

My fridge is usually pretty bare, which is why I like this collapsible Soft-Refrigerator concept by Electrolux. The use of a heat-insulating membrane and modular vented shelving means the fridge can be collapsed and ’size-optimized’ based on how much food you need to refrigerate. And besides making more room in a cramped kitchen, by collapsing the fridge you also reduce the volume of space that needs to be cooled, which in theory should reduce its energy usage. The Soft-Refrigerator even seems a clever alternative to a cooler when traveling, though I imagine the energy saving benefits are negated if you have to bring a portable generator with you to keep it running.

[ designboom - imagine the home in 2020 ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Where’s my X-Acto knife? Created by Ignacio Pilotto, the Rubitone is nothing more than your run-of-the-mill Rubik’s Cube that’s had the standard colored stickers replaced by swatches from the Pantone color matching system. Unfortunately since the Rubitone has no official affiliation with either Pantone or Ideal Toys there are no plans for it to go into production, but I’m sure you could easily give your own Rubik’s Cube the Pantone treatment with an afternoon of careful cutting and pasting.

[ Rubitone (Rubik + Pantone) ] VIA [ Boing Boing Gadgets ]