Home | Feed aggregator | Sources |

Core 77

Core77
Launched in 1995, Core77 serves a devoted global audience of design professionals, corporations, students, enthusiasts and fans.
Updated: 9 hours 35 min ago

Incredible Sculptures and Fixtures by Experimental Design Studio Nervous System

Fri, 2024-03-15 09:31

Incredibly, this Yellow Moon Gyroid sculpture…


…is made out of freaking plywood.

And this Corollaria Branch sculpture below was created from sheet metal.

Both were created by Nervous System, an experimental design lab that has been playing with generative design for nearly two decades. "Drawing inspiration from natural phenomena, we write computer programs based on processes and patterns found in nature," the firm writes, "and use those programs to create unique and affordable art, jewelry, and housewares."

The Corollaria series also includes this Corollaria Railing, which is in use in the company's Catskills, New York headquarters:



Nervous System was founded in 2007 by artist/designer/programmer Jessica Rosencrantz and artist/maker/programmer Jesse Louis-Rosenberg. Here's a video explaining what they do—and why they, almost begrudgingly, settled on having to use the title "design studio:"

A Floor Lamp with an Unusual Mechanical Adjustment Method

Thu, 2024-03-14 08:15

"I see myself somewhere between a designer, sculptor and puppeteer," says lighting designer Simon Schmitz. The self-description explains his Y3 lamp

..or more specifically, its adjustment method:

"Three spring-loaded strings [hold] the lamp's pole in place whilst creating a choreographed movement of the springs. Its pole is connected to the three legged base by a balljoint, enabling it to lean over without the limitation of directed joints. The three legged base supports enough width to secure it from tipping over, whilst supporting the stretch of the tension springs."


"Mechanical movement is a signature element of my work," says Schmitz. "I want to express my love for mechanical principles by putting an emphasis on the way things work, move or behave. Designing a working principle, creating mechanical joints or orchestrating balancing acts."

The Y3 lamp is in production by Italian lighting brand Martinelli Luce.

A Car Shaking Snow Off of Itself

Thu, 2024-03-14 08:15

Here's the ET9, an EV made by Chinese brand NIO, shaking snow off of itself:

It's not clear if the gimmick is an actual production feature; in the video notes the company boasts of their SkyRide active suspension, which offers 6 degrees of travel for each wheel, all independently of each other. Additionally the suspension can raise the vehicle 40mm (1.6") or lower it 50mm (2") at the press of a button.

It does make me think of Mercedes and their zero-turning G-Wagen EVs, in that manufacturers can now make cars do previously impossibly things through electronics. As engineers get more imaginative, we can expect to see more tricks like these in the future.

One does wonder: Will these continuing gimmicks deliver practical value, or are they, like videos cranked out by human influencers, meant to be sensationalist clickbait?

Design Researcher Develops Revolutionary Clothes Production and Customizing Method

Thu, 2024-03-14 08:15

Design researcher Sasha McKinlay, of MIT's Self-Assembly Lab, has developed a revolutionary clothes production method. McKinlay's 4D Knit Dress is produced, to a generic size, on an industrial knitting machine, using an active yarn she's developed. The idea is that the wearer has their body scanned, and then a robotic arm outfitted with a heat gun selectively blasts the dress based on their body's parameters. This could be done at the point-of-purchase.

"When we apply heat, the fibers shorten, causing the textile to bunch up in a specific zone, effectively tightening the shape as if we're tailoring the garment," explains Architectural Design student Danny Griffin, who programmed the robot.

This not only ensures the dress fits properly, but provides freedom of style: "Where the active yarns are placed in the design allows for the dress to take on a variety of styles such as pintucks, pleats, an empire waist, or a cinched waist," reports MIT News.

Furthermore, the dress can later be restyled with another heat application. "A dress can begin with one design — pintucks across the chest, for example — and be worn for months before having heat re-applied to alter its look. Subsequent applications of heat can tailor the dress further."


While that provides a benefit to the wearer, there's also a gigantic benefit to the manufacturer and retailers. Rather than having to make and stock a number of different sizes and styles, they could conceivably produce just one or two sizes—say, Small and Large—and the robotic heat gun could fill in the blanks. It could also produce the currently-in-flavor style on-demand.

That, in itself, would contribute tremendously to sustainability. Just ask any retailer that has had to dump sizes and styles that didn't sell last season.

The 4D Knit Dress was produced in collaboration with fashion brand Ministry of Supply.

Here's video of the process:


Rivian Unveils New Models with Pleasing Modernist Designs

Thu, 2024-03-14 08:15

Rivian has announced two new models, the R2 and R3, that feature pleasingly modernist, nearly bland designs. I mean that as a compliment. Unlike their competitors, Rivian's design team has opted to focus on form over sheet metal tricks, simplicity over chaos, and the results speak of design confidence: They're not trying to induce manufactured emotion, tell you how to feel about the vehicle or disguise its proportions. Instead they deliberately assembled a collection of clean, simple shapes that you can easily understand.

It's the R3 I like the most, but let's start with the R2, with its admittedly more derivative design. It's likely to rankle the designers of the Land Rover Defender. (The R2 is a bit smaller than that vehicle, however; as a crossover SUV it's closer to BMW's X3, whereas the Defender is in X5 territory.) Defender similarity aside, Rivian's designers have maintained their signature front end with its technical-yet-friendly look.




The interior is utilitarian and modernist. Intriguingly, the company says both the front and second row of seats fold completely flat; I can't imagine why they'd not show this in photos.

The R3 is smaller, meant to be an entry-level vehicle. Its roofline instantly recalls the pleasing lines of Giorgetto Giugiaro's classic design for the Volkswagen Rabbit, though with a Rivian face.


Roofline aside the vehicle is not Rabbit-sized, of course; it's still an SUV, just an entry-level one.

The interior appears to offer more storage than the R2's; the R3 even has dual gloveboxes.



The R2 is meant to launch in 2026, with a price "expected to start around $45,000." Rivian is taking $100 deposits for the R2 now. As for the R3, they're scheduled to be released "after R2," and that's as specific as the company gets. No price for the R3 has been announced.

Core77 Weekly Roundup (3-4-24 to 3-8-24)

Thu, 2024-03-14 08:15

Here's what we looked at this week:

This fun Grain Weevil robot is like an RC Car with augers for wheels. It frees farmers from having to do dangerous work inside grain silos.

SiloStay: Ex-grain-silo living quarters in New Zealand, designed by architecture firm F3 Design.

The Haloasis is a bluetooth speaker with a cylindrical spinning LED display.

Fashion designer Emma Bruschi uses a special straw splitting tool to create her stunning accessories.

Festool's ExoActive exoskeleton runs on 18V cordless batteries and lightens loads for workers.

The Peace Outdoor Lounge Chair: A "brutal & sophisticated," Finnish-British take on the Adirondack chair.

Some stunning lighting designs by Austrian designer Laurids Gallée.

A simple, elegant design for knockdown trestles, by design/build firm Perron et Freres.

Braun has released a new wristwatch, inspired by their classic AW10 and AW50, in collaboration with Hodinkee.

The Heroclip is a carabiner with a swing-out hook and a pivot.

Rimowa's Pilot Case is an attractive, if oddly-shaped, piece of luggage. Maybe you get it on board, maybe you don't.

Is this what it looks like, inside a gargoyle? In Switzerland, at least?

With the Aerohead II, industrial designer Ash Lewin—who works for Giro Sport Design—got to realize his dream for the fastest bike helmet ever.

The Thuraya Skyphone can switch from GSM to satellite, thanks to its chunky pull-out antenna.

The Dutch Drone Gods & Red Bull have created a revolutionary, ultra-fast filming drone. It will change how Formula 1 is viewed.

Specific designer unknown, sadly. These sleek, adjustable, wall-mounted Vision SW bedside reading lamps are by DCWéditions.

Samsung shows off multiple strange, morphing screen product concepts.

This attractive, form-follows-function Photographer's Tool is by Spinn Design.

An anti-gravity treadmill(!), by industrial design firm Mighty Studios.


An Anti-Gravity Treadmill, by Industrial Design Firm Mighty Studios

Thu, 2024-03-14 08:15

Astronauts who spend long stretches in zero-G lose both weight and bone density. Seeking to counter this, a NASA engineer developed a Differential Air Pressure (DAP) technology; this was a pressurized air chamber that simulated gravitational load, and the idea was that astronauts could exercise within it.

As with a lot of NASA tech, an earthly application emerged. A company called AlterG saw that DAP would be useful for rehabilitative therapy down here. Thus they literally reverse-engineered the system to create an anti-gravity treadmill.

When AlterG sought to expand their product line, they contacted industrial design and engineering firm Mighty Studios.

"AlterG's treadmills use a patented process called Differential Air Pressure (DAP)," explains Mighty Studios. "Using a pressurized air chamber to uniformly reduce gravitational load and body weight, AlterG enables patients and athletes to move unrestricted and pain-free – restoring and building muscle strength, range of motion, balance, function, and fitness. "Historically, their treadmills were sold to high-end clinics and professional sports training facilities. But new markets were opening up, and AlterG needed an accessible, low-cost, lightweight unit that would cater to the growing number of smaller therapy clinics nationwide."

"Mighty Studios completely re-imagined the entire system, ultimately called the Fit Series, by redesigning all the major subsystems to reduce cost, decrease complexity and improve patient access. Additionally, Mighty Studios introduced new overseas suppliers who were able to meet the manufacturing costs. The improvements led to a streamlined assembly process and a 50% reduction in the Bill of Materials (BOM)."

"The early prototype systems performed so well in user testing, that AlterG made this design the platform upon which all future systems would be built. Soon after this successful system redesign, AlterG asked Mighty Studios to develop the mid-range offering, called the Via Series. Additionally, the work resulted in numerous patents, which adds to AlterG's reputation as an innovative manufacturer committed to its customers."

Here's how it works:

A Compact, Attractive Form-Follows-Function Photographer's Tool

Thu, 2024-03-14 08:15

This easy-on-the-eyes Photographer's Tool is by Spinn Design, a German camera accessories company.

The winged shape is to provide maximum torque with "minimum finger force."

The drivers are a 5/32" / 4mm Allen key and a 0.4" / 10mm flathead, which the company says covers the most common camera accessory mounting screws.


The body is glass-fiber-reinforced nylon and features a subtle texture for grip.

These run $13 at B&H Photo.


A Carabiner with a Swing-out Hook and a Pivot

Wed, 2024-03-13 08:06

The carabiner seems like a piece of hardware that will endlessly be experimented with. This Heroclip, by outdoor equipment manufacturer Gear Aid, is a carabiner with a little extra: A swing-out hook, mounted to a pivot point. A rubber foot on the business end of the hook allows it to grip horizontal surfaces.


It comes in four sizes, with the smallest able to support 40 lbs, the largest, 100 lbs. Prices range from $18 to $28.


Sleek, Adjustable, Wall-Mounted Bedside Reading Lamps

Wed, 2024-03-13 08:06

This aluminum Vision 20/20 SW is a wall-mounted bedside lamp designed specifically for readers. The bulb is a warm 2700K, and a large knurled dial allows you to adjust the intensity. ("0" is off; "100" is a max of 143 lumens.)

The Vision Omni SW is similar, but does double duty with a sconce light up top.


Both are in production by French manufacturer DCWéditions, a designer-championing brand who typically credit the responsible designer on the product page; for some reason, these are uncredited. I imagine there's an in-house designer who's très vexé.

Dutch Drone Gods & Red Bull Create Revolutionary Filming Drone

Wed, 2024-03-13 08:06

As drone piloting team the Dutch Drone Gods well know, the fastest FPV drone tops out around 180 km/h (112 mph). But over a year ago, Red Bull asked them if they could design, build and pilot a drone that could film a complete overhead lap of a Formula 1 car going full-tilt.

The request was insane. It's not just that F1 cars can surpass 350 km/h (217 mph); it's that during a lap, the cars are also braking, accelerating and turning at neck-snapping rates. To match the pace, a drone would not only have to be quick, but nimble; and it would have to be light enough to keep up, yet carry a battery large enough to sustain its insane output for the entire lap. No such drone exists.

The DDG guys got to work, first prototyping this interesting fish-like design, that takes off vertically but flies horizontally.

After some trials, the design was further refined into this bullet-like shape:

After more testing, the team finally had to turn to the F1 engineers for help, allowing them to arrive at this powerful but ultra-lightweight version:

While the entire video below covering the development (and eventual success) is fun to watch, the footage they were able to capture is flat-out astonishing. All of the F1 drivers, reviewing the footage, are agog; no race has ever been covered from these angles, and more than one driver comments that it relays the true sense of speed to the viewer. Even if you don't watch the vid, do scrub through to get to the lap footage. Between the visuals and the engine noise, it's pretty thrilling.

Assuming they can clear the safety regulations, surely all F1 races will be filmed in this way in the future.


The Thuraya Skyphone: A Smartphone With a Chunky Pull-Out Antenna

Tue, 2024-03-12 07:47

UAE-based Thuraya is a satellite telecommunications company. Their newest product, the Skyphone, is an Android smartphone—with a chunky pull-out antenna. If you can't get a GSM signal on a local carrier, pull out the antenna, and you can now communicate using Thuraya's own satellite network.

We're familiar with roaming charges, but I wonder what Space Roaming charges look like.

A complete list of the phone's physical dimensions (and its price) hadn't been released at press time, but at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Phone Arena reviewer Preslav Kateliev got his hands on a demo model and says the size seems manageable:

"It's a somewhat hefty handset — it starts with the 6.67" AMOLED screen, and then there's hardware it needs to fit, including its retractable antenna. We wouldn't say it's unwieldy — it's on the thicker side, but we've rocked phones with rugged cases on them before, and this is about the same in size. It does also have IP67 rating for dust- and water-resistance."

Image: Phone Arena

Image: Phone Arena

Image: Phone Arena

The Skyphone probably won't be coming to the U.S.; while Thuraya's five-satellite network covers over 150 countires "across the globe," that translates to Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. Those of us in this hemisphere are limited to Iridium's dedicated sat-phones.

All of that said, as someone who lives in a low-signal area, I think I'd be willing to live with a thicker (non-satellite) smartphone that had a pull-out antenna, just to improve regular connectivity.

fuseproject's Qin Li Seeks to Enrich Everyday Life Through Design

Tue, 2024-03-12 07:47

This year Qin Li leads both the Core77 Design Awards Consumer Technology category featuring consumer products that are screen-based, tech-enabled, or Internet-connected, and the Core77 Design Awards A/V & Photography Equipment category which features consumer hardware or software product designed to enhance the experience or production of audio or video.

Qin Li knows design can have a transformative impact on people's lives, starting from day one. One of Qin's best-known designs, the SNOO baby bassinet, was created to ensure that infants sleep safely on their backs and has provided more than 500 million safe sleep hours since its launch. "The journey of crafting a revolutionary product is often challenging, demanding a multidisciplinary approach, hard work, and unwavering persistence, but it's rewarding," said Qin.

Qin Li, Vice President of Design at fuseproject

In her role as Vice President of Design at fuseproject, Qin leads the creative team and oversees Industrial Design, Experience Design, Environments, Visual Design, and CMF. She brings a human-centered approach to her work, grounded in the belief that designers hold the power to drive cultural change, enhance the quality of life, and address the world's most pressing issues. Qin has helped bring designs to market for AI & robotics, health & wellness, consumer electronics and many other categories, serving clients that range from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. Her designs have earned recognition including Gold and a Special Award from IDEA for the SNOO bassinet and Ori Living, TIME Magazine's 100 Best Inventions of 2020 for a smart bot, Moxie, designed for Embodied, and numerous other awards and honors.

Moxie, an AI-equipped, smart companion for kids, by fuseproject for Embodied

If Qin has concerns about the future of the industry, they involve people undervaluing the importance of design or considering it a superficial process that addresses only aesthetic concerns. "In reality, design surpasses aesthetics," she said. "It involves extensive research to understand complex problems, users, and their contexts. It demands empathy, understanding and compassion."

To those who might question whether AI technology could replace the human ingenuity involved in design work, Qin emphasizes the designer's role in "strategizing solutions, collaborating with experts, dedicating hours to ideation, sketching and innovating, building mockups and prototypes to enable usability, improve ergonomics, address real-life problems, and ensure the design intent was followed through in the engineering and manufacturing process."

As a juror for the Core77 Design Awards, Qin hopes to see entrants submit novel ideas that "go beyond merely emulating successful designs and, instead, are inventive, intentionally crafted solutions that strive to create a better world." She also encourages submissions that consider sustainability with respect to manufacturing and longevity. "I look forward to seeing thoughtful designs that enrich everyday life and embrace environmental responsibility."

In Qin's experience, design done well is a long journey that demands hard work and persistence. But she finds that journey worth the effort. As she said, "Recognizing and respecting the true value of design is crucial for fostering a culture built on innovation, empathy, and a collective vision of a richer, more equitable, and more sustainable tomorrow."


Last year's Core77 Design Awards winner in Consumer Tech was the Dexcom G7 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System, a wearable technology that measures and sends glucose numbers to a user's phone or Dexcom receiver for real-time management.


The 2023 winner in the AV, Photography Equipment category was the SEAVU Explorer by Paraform, an underwater live-stream and videography platform.

If you've got a novel project with potential for transformative impact, enter it in the Core77 Design Awards today.

Samsung Shows Off Multiple Strange, Morphing Screen Concepts

Tue, 2024-03-12 07:47

Samsung has rolled out a dizzying array of morphing screen concepts at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. There doesn't seem to be much design intent behind the concepts, which are instead ruled by raw experimentation; it's like they're throwing a number of "solutions" out there to see what sticks.

OLED Smart Speaker

Perhaps the strangest of the bunch: A speaker with a screen that mechanically unfurls to double its size:

Flex Note Extendable

Equally bizarre is this screen that can both bend and stretch, apparently intended for automotive applications:

Flex In&Out

A smartphone display that can bend in half, in both directions:

Slidable Flex Solo

A screen that stretches from rectangular to square. (Is there a demand for square visual content?)

Rollable Flex

This screen retracts into a housing. Window blinds of the future?

Flex Magic Pixel

Perhaps the most prosaic of the concepts. It's a screen with a kind of lenticular effect, providing a measure of privacy:

I suppose the last one has some commercial applications. The rest of the concepts are, and perhaps this is a sign of the times, technically impressive but emotionally underwhelming; solutions in search of a problem.

With the concepts involving motorized screens, there is also the question of speed. I understand it's incredibly technically challenging to get them to move in this way, hence the snail-like pace of their transformation. In this age of instant gratification, will consumers be willing to wait for these things to unfurl?

Perhaps in time some practical applications for these concepts will emerge, but for now, it's just a Wild West for engineers.

Is This What It Looks Like Inside a Gargoyle?

Tue, 2024-03-12 07:47

Among the many areas in which my knowledge is deficient: Gargoyle plumbing. I've never seen inside a gargoyle, have never seen a building wall from which a gargoyle was removed, and I've certainly never seen a building awaiting a gargoyle installation. So I have no idea how they're constructed.

Swiss architecture firm Piertzovanis Toews posted these images of a building they're working on:


Read the Instagram caption:

Either the Swiss sense of humor is different than I imagined and this is the world's designey-est waterspout, or they are in fact waiting for their gargoyle guy to show up.

Rimowa's Pilot Case: An Attractive, if Oddly-Shaped, Piece of Luggage

Tue, 2024-03-12 07:47

It's hard to make luggage sexy, but Rimowa's Pilot Case fits the bill.


"The top opening provides easy access to your belongings, and the padded laptop pouch can be removed to transform the business case into a versatile toolbox. Multiple pockets of different sizes keep essentials organized, including two zipped pockets intended to hold batteries and chargers, and a vertical pocket designed to hold a small water bottle or umbrella."

The supreme irony is that after ponying up $1,550 for one of these, you may not be flying with it, at least commercial; the case's quirky dimensions—19.69" x 16.54" x 9.06"—don't quite jive with the 22" x 14" x 9" cage that the gate attendant occasionally demands you stuff it into. But maybe you'll get lucky. Or, you could just live up to the bag's name and become a pilot; they've got more luggage leeway.