The Autonomous Police Vehicle by Or Gal is totally giving us Viper vibes! Like the awesome 1990s TV show, this concept is a sneaky twist on the classic police cruiser armed with an array of enhancements that make it a fearsome tools for fighting crime.

It special abilities include a visually impenetrable exterior that shields the person inside. It’s skin is actually one giant color changing display so it can adapt to match its surroundings. This adaptive skin also allows the windshield to display text to send messages to surrounding motorists or alert a vehicle it’s pulling over.

An smart system is connected with a central hub and feeds the vehicles with suspect activity in real time. It can then be dispatched to conduct surveillance, follow suspected criminals, or photograph vehicles making illegal maneuvers. Hey, as long as it’s not giving me tickets, it’s alright in my book!

Designer: Or Gal

Lar Rattray, photographe basée en Afrique du Sud, rentre dans les coulisses du Cape Town City Ballet dans sa série captivante intitulée « Swans ». Elle nous donne un aperçu rare des danseurs se préparant à monter sur scène : nous les voyons s’étirer, s’habiller et s’entrainer avant de s’exhiber. Avec discrétion et subtilité, Rattray nous restitue des images puissantes empreintes de vulnérabilité et de force en même temps. Voir plus de son travail ici et sur Instagram.

We didn’t see as many digital fabrication stories in 2017 as the year previous. But that doesn’t mean innovation is slowing down; it just means it’s becoming more precise and tailored. Here’s some of the past year’s best:

Italian startup Springa invented a CNC mill that’s essentially an autonomous router that roves over your workpiece:

Dutch consultancy Arup figured out how to achieve the low cost of sandcasting with the complexity of 3D printing:

Behold the Cubiio portable laser engraver:

MIT & Steelcase collaborated to come up with this Rapid Liquid Printing Machine:

A father-and-son team invented a new, inexpensive type of metal 3D printing machine:

Adidas unveiled kicks created with a Digital Light Synthesis method:

Affordable desktop CNC machines have now expanded into the area of textiles:

Artist Stefanie Pender combined traditional glassmaking with digital fabrication:

And finally, we learned that Jay Leno uses DMLS 3D printers to keep his collection of 286 rare vehicles up and running.

From smartphones to sneakers to motorcycles, designers were hard at work building the latest and greatest products during 2017. We’ve rounded up our favorite interviews from the past year with both up-and-coming and already prominent designers. If you’re looking for inspirational quotes to start your new year off right, this is the place:

We asked HomeMade Modern’s Ben Uyeda five questions about his favorite tools and how to be successful as a designer on YouTube.

During a visit to his studio, artist and designer Tom Sachs spoke with us about collaborating with Nike and why failure is a vital part of the design process.

Jason Pohl from OC Choppers’ talked about his insane career and the art of making motorcycles. 

Levi’s Head of Design Jonathan Cheung answered our Questionnaire, covering everything from foolproofing product ideas to productive procrastination. 

Bernhardt Design

Design and business guru jeffstaple sat with us to talk about his career and what design collaboration means in present times. So good we made it into two parts:  part one part two

Essential’s Lead Industrial Designer Linda Jiang visited our Soho office to show us prototypes of the Essential smartphone and explain her design process.

Our friends at Coroflot interviewed Fred Bould and Ayse Birsel about what they look for when hiring designers. 

frog’s Yona Project team discussed redesigning the awkward gynecology visit experience through their new speculum design.

IDEO’s Design Director Danny Stillion talked with us about their imagined future of driving and what it would mean for daily life.

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Just about every Cool Hunting team member can attest to the fact that it’s easier to write a feature length story than an Instagram caption. With the beauty we cross in a year, images really do speak a thousand—or more—words. We do our best, though……

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