People are slowly getting used to relying on smart home technology, talking to digital assistants, traveling, furnishing homes, and trying on clothes using augmented reality. At the same time, people continue to be surrounded by real, tangible objects. With the help of technology, these things also strive to become smarter, but also more interesting, bright, contact, friendly. What comes out of this – six inspiring examples from contemporary designers will tell.
Unity of function and image
“Designers need to fantasize and work on what is impossible now. And new technologies are certainly and most often the engine of new ideas, ”says Yaroslav Rassadin, a Russian industrial designer, winner of two prestigious European Red Dot Awards. When his team designed the premium collection of Bobber thermos flasks, it was inspired by the idea of a “space” thermos that looked like it was found on Mars. “We really wanted to achieve this feeling, to create an accurate and complete image with the highest technological effectiveness in such an everyday item,” says the designer. As a result, Bobber thermoses are able to keep the drinks poured in them warm for up to two days. This is achieved by equipping the thermos with a narrow neck with a special transition-step inside and a long narrow stopper with a thermo-insulating filler. And for the production of flasks that are inside the thermos, seamless technology is used.
Or take the ETCH Clock, a model designed by Swiss architect Johnny Vaccaro and 42Foundry SA. This is another realized fantasy about the continuity and transience of time. Every 30 seconds, the time appears on the watch, displayed in 3D-format on the membrane of the dial, and then disappears. The time will come again when the watch’s sensors pick up sounds or noises from the outside world. The ripple of time can, of course, be configured via the mobile app.
Familiar things in a new format
The new “orange lampshade over the table” format is the Derby sound-absorbing LED lamp (Linea Light Group). The shape of the lampshade is inspired by the brimmed ladies’ hat worn by spectators of noisy derby races. Derby light comes from a narrow rectangular diffuser located in the center. And the inner part of the lampshade is made of sound-absorbing material – it blocks extraneous noise in the room, but improves the acoustics under the lampshade, so that the voices of those who are seated under it at the table or in armchairs are heard better. The built-in Unified Glare Rating system allows you to control the luminaire using a dedicated application.
Another example of the implementation of familiar functionality in a new form is the “magic ring” Aeklys by Starck. It replaces payment cards, transport passes, business cards and contactless identification devices. In a word, it opens all the doors in the literal and figurative sense. The manufacturer guarantees a durable antiviral and antibacterial coating of the Liquid Guard ring. The developers of the new gadget are young entrepreneurs Jeremy Neiro and Fabienne Rayola from Icaretechnilogies. They proposed their idea to be realized by the master of European design Philippe Starck. “The creation of such high-tech projects meets the consumer’s request for a better quality of life,” Neiru and Raiola say. “Whether it is about creating a new facility, space or service, design is a way to integrate new technologies to create new solutions to pressing problems.”
Balance of Being – the concept of a line of intelligent products for every day, a kind of healthy lifestyle for the home – clearly shows how new technologies are becoming a natural part of everyday life rituals. Developers – London-based designer Benjamin Hubert, founder of the Layer studio, and Panasonic. The line includes several gadgets. They know how to cook the right food (or prepare the right food), massage the head, stimulate hair growth, and care for the skin. For example, a device called Shot uses a smart camera to visually analyze the user’s skin, and then gives the optimal recipe for smoothies from vegetables and fruits to replenish the body with the vitamins and minerals it needs. Shot is ready to cook it right there – if the right ingredients are available. Despite the ultra-modern capabilities of gadgets, they are all made of natural materials – ceramics, wood, textiles. That once again emphasizes their naturalness and homeliness.
And here’s an example of a different kind: sculptures, furniture, acoustic panels and even houses – all made of fabric. This is the range of applications for Bouncing Patterns 3D tubular jacquard. It can be flexible and rigid, foldable and self-supporting, capable of absorbing shocks or sounds, and protecting from light or cold. For all its futurism, the pleated texture of the canvas is graceful, elastic and tactile. It was modeled and woven by Belgian-born textile designer Juliette Bertonneau. She uses a digital loom and innovative textile fibers to produce Bouncing Patterns. “As a textile designer, I strive to rethink the use of existing technologies to challenge them, to go beyond them. In my opinion, innovation lies not only in new technologies, but also in rethinking production processes and materials used, ”she said.
.