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Tag Archives: Concept

Soap Grater Makes Better Use Of Bar Soap

By Chris Scott Barr on 01/11/11 • 2 Comments

By Chris Scott Barr

There are many of us who are rather fond of bar soap. One of the biggest problems with this form of soap is that there is always a tiny piece of it when you’re almost finished. That piece is also almost impossible to use. Can you imagine if bar soap were just as easy to use as liquid soap? Not to mention that this would also be more eco-friendly than liquid soap as well as it would use every bit of it.  Natalie Staempfil has designed a hand-pumped soap grater that has the soap sitting upright and will gradually sink down as you use it.

How awesome that you not only get to use all you’re bar soap to the last shred, but you’re actually saving money because of it? This thing needs to be on the market right now! Whoever is out there reading this, and has the power to do something about it, make sure this thing happens.

[ Nathalie Stampfli ] VIA [ Dvice ]

Buoyancy Bazooka Saves Lives From 150 Meters Away

By Chris Scott Barr on 10/06/10 • 7 Comments

By Chris Scott Barr

Rescuing someone that is at risk of drowning is serious business. It’s not at all as glamorous as Baywatch would have us think, especially if the person has fallen overboard from a large vessel. So what happens when someone does fall into the water? Usually someone throws out some sort of floatation device. Unfortunately if the person is too far away, they’ll never reach the lifesaver. This is where the Buoyancy Bazooka comes into play.

This conceptual device recently won the James Dyson Award for design. What does it do, exactly? It launches a life ring up to 150 meters away. The ring comes in the form of a very large bullet, and expands to a semi-circle upon hitting the water. Just be sure not to actually hit the person you’re trying to save. They can’t latch onto it if they’ve been knocked out cold.

[ JamesDysonAward ] VIA [ Dvice ]

Ferrowatch Concept Preys On My Love Of Ferrofluids

By Andrew Liszewski on 09/07/10 • 1 Comment

Ferrowatch Concept (Images courtesy Karim Zaoual)
By Andrew Liszewski

Tokyoflash is not only responsible for some of the craziest watch designs we’ve ever written about, but they also encourage fans to submit their own unique designs that could eventually see the light of day if they’re popular enough. Now unfortunately we probably won’t be seeing this particular design anytime soon, but if you’ve been awed by ferrofluid videos you’ll definitely appreciate this concept. The watch’s face contains a small pool of the magnetic fluid and when held horizontally a magnetic backing creates animated gears and moving hands that indicate the time. And when the watch is tilted, instead of the fluid all spilling to one side, the last ‘image’ is frozen in place, once again thanks to the magnetic backing.

While the mocked up product shots don’t do a great job at getting the idea across, there’s an accompanying video that actually uses ferrofluid to demonstrate how the concept would work.

[ Tokyoflash - Magnetic Liquid Design Tells The Time ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

Diet Scale Suggests What You Should Eat Instead Of Telling You What You Weigh

By Andrew Liszewski on 06/28/10 • 2 Comments

Diet Scale (Image courtesy Ji Lee)
By Andrew Liszewski

The Diet Scale was designed by Ji Lee a few years ago while he was a student, and the idea is pretty simple. Instead of showing you your weight, it makes a suggestion on what you should eat depending on what the results are. Now I assume the scale has to be calibrated to what you consider to be your ideal weight for it to make a useful suggestion that will help you reach that target, though I can’t imagine seeing ‘one piece of lettuce’ every morning would be that encouraging for someone trying to shed a few pounds.

Ji Lee now works as a Creative Director at Google Creative Lab, but since interest in the Diet Scale has been building again in the past few months, he’s started looking for a manufacturer who’s willing to turn it into a sellable product.

[ Diet Scale ] VIA [ PSFK ]

Online Coat Rack Reminds You That You’ll Need A Jacket

By Chris Scott Barr on 06/07/10 • Leave a comment!

By Chris Scott Barr

How many times have you rushed out the door, only to figure out that it’s not quite as warm/cold as you’d expected it to be? I’m guilty of doing that all too often. It’s even worse when your car is in a garage, as you don’t realize that you should have grabbed a jacket until you’ve already arrived at your destination. Sometimes I remember to check the weather on my iPhone (or actually step outside for a moment) before leaving, but that’s just one more thing to do when I’m in a hurry. Instead, wouldn’t it be nice for your coat rack to tell you just how warm it is outside?

There isn’t a lot of information on this concept, but the Online Coat Rack was created to tell you what you need to wear outside. It features 5 hooks, which you would place different jackets (and even an umbrella) on. The device would be hooked up to the internet so that it can grab the latest weather report. A simple orange bar moves from side to side, staying over the article of clothing you’re most likely going to need. I wouldn’t mind seeing this concept turned into a reality, especially since it does seem to be something that could be made rather easily.

[ Yanko ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

Out Of The Box Instruction Manual Concept Puts The Smartphone Front And Center

By Andrew Liszewski on 06/01/10 • 4 Comments

Out Of The Box Instruction Manual Concept (Image courtesy Clara Gaggero)
By Andrew Liszewski

As devices like smartphones become more and more capable, the learning curve for all of those features becomes increasingly difficult for those who aren’t quite as obsessed with gadgets and technology as some of us. So this Out of the Box concept, created by Clara Gaggero in collaboration with Adrian Westaway and Jaakko Tuomivara, sees the phone packaged in what is essentially a comprehensive, easy-to-follow instruction manual.

The phone sits in a cutout in the center of the book, and each page provides instructions on how to use different functions, including arrows pointing to exactly what buttons on the phone to press. Now granted it’s not as eco-friendly as a digital version of the manual, or a comprehensive tutorial built into the phone itself, but given pretty much everyone has mastered the concept of books, it’s certainly user-friendly.

[ Clara Gaggero - Out of the Box ] VIA [ Apartment Therapy Unplggd ]

Spatial Interaction Faucet Works Without Touching

By Chris Scott Barr on 05/28/10 • 4 Comments

By Chris Scott Barr

When you go to wash your hands, the first thing you generally do is turn on the faucet. Since your hands are already dirty, then you’re just going to get the faucet dirty as well. Now not only do you have to wash your hands, but the sink as well. Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn on the water without touching anything?

Designer Jasper Dekker has been thinking along these lines and crafted a faucet that is controlled with a wave of the hand. The Spatial Interaction allows you to not only turn it on and off, but shift the temperature without even touching it.  Convenient, and clean. Now all we have to do is wait for this concept to become a reality.

[ JasperDekker ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

Moonwatch Concept Saves You The Effort Of Looking At The Sky

By Chris Scott Barr on 04/13/10 • 3 Comments

Moonwatch-by-The-Emotion-Lab-thumb-550x450-37012

By Chris Scott Barr

Many cultures throughout history have noted the significance of the lunar phases and their apparent roles in our lives. With so many different groups believing that our moon does more than shine down and effect the tides, it’s hard not to wonder if they’re right. The people over at The Emotion Lab are firm believers that the different lunar phases can effect our emotional state. In an attempt to help people realize these corrolations, they came up with a  concept for this Moonwatch.

There isn’t a lot of information on the watch, but essentially it can show you the current phase of the moon at a glance. It does also appear that it has a secondary feature that tells the time as well. (Who would have thought that telling time would be a secondary feature on a watch?) The ironic thing is that the Moonwatch concept appears to be solar powered. No word on whether they plan to take this design to production.

[ The Emotion Lab ] VIA [ Dvice ]

Hide Your Cables In The Legs Of This Concept Table

By Chris Scott Barr on 04/06/10 • 5 Comments

dzn_-aTable-by-Beatus-Kopp-12

By Chris Scott Barr

I love technology, but I hate all of the wires that seem to be necessary. Sure, I’ve got wireless keyboards and wireless networking, but there are still plenty of others that get in the way. While we wait for the age of true wireless living, the creative types out there are working on ways to hide the cables. When you’re working on a plain table, it’s tough to discretely run wires. However, one designer thinks that the table itself should hide them for you.

The idea behind this table is quite obvious. Instead of running the cables over the edge of the table, they would go down the hollowed legs. This of course means you’d have four holes in the top of your table, which might put off some people. I think if they included some sort of hole covers, this would be perfect. For now it remains only a concept, unfortunately.

[ Dezeen ] VIA [ Dvice ]

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