Apr 01

This solar-powered aircraft is an aerodynamic commercial flyer of the future

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The world is gradually shifting towards eco-friendly ways of living, and transportation is one major industry carrying the gauntlet. Solar-powered airplanes are the future in this quest, and this concept gives us a look at the horizon of air travel in a decade’s time.

Solar Impulse solar-powered aircrafts developed by US-Spanish aerospace firm Skydweller Aero have shown us what totally fuel independent flying machines are capable of – sans any dependence on hauling fuel or need to refuel by pit stop landing. Venturing on intercontinental flights and countless flying hours, the solar aircraft opened up the world to the possibilities of totally sustainable flights. Laszlo Nemeth wants to carry forward the zero-emission dream of commercial and private aircraft flights with this intriguing concept.

Designer: Laszlo Nemeth

Looking more like the Tesla Model S of the renewable energy-powered aircraft world, this is the Falcon Solar aircraft concept that takes to the skies with its wide wingspan. This concept design breaks the accepted norms of aircraft design with an advanced set of wings that have a curved shape. One thing that caught my eye is the inverted wingspan compared to the real flacon bird. Stacked against the overall body ratio of the solar aircraft, the wings are quite large, perhaps to provide superior lift and lessen aerodynamic drag.

There are no rudders or rear wing or vertical stabilizers which actuate the direction of the aircraft. Hopefully, we are staring down an advanced technology that makes swift turning possible without these currently vital parts on any flying machine. The array of solar panels spans across the whole length of the wings which should be able to produce enough energy from the sun when gliding over the clouds. For now, the cabin of the aircraft looks quite compact and we don’t yet know if there is ample space for passengers to be hauled. This craft could be more like a luxury yacht of the skies for millionaires to play around with, in the near future, who knows!

 

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Apr 01

Interview: Kyle Pierce, Co-Founder of Health Tech Pioneer Options MD

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The entrepreneur’s path from law to a mental health startup and the Gaingels LGBTQIA+ investment syndicate

Trigger warning: this article mentions suicide 

With Options MD, co-founders Morgan Hewett and Kyle Pierce intend to revolutionize mental health services, specifically for those who experience severe and treatment-resistant depression—which affects an estimated 18 million Americans. Blockades have been plentiful, but Pierce’s specific professional path and personal experience continue to inform his every move. Pierce, who began as a healthcare attorney, now champions the “consumerization of healthcare,” which he defines as putting the individual in the front seat. In health tech, entrepreneurs sometimes to forget that they’re dealing with real people, but with Options MD, Pierce is advancing medical literacy to empower clients.

Pierce didn’t expect to create a mental health technology company. “When we are young, we use words like ‘entrepreneur’ and it doesn’t mean anything. You might think at some point in your life you are going to leave what you’re doing and become an entrepreneur—but in the meantime you might make choices that are safer and tend to make sense for where you are. For me, that was becoming an attorney.” In law school, Pierce already had reservations about his professional path.

“After working in that space for a long time, it became apparent that I had no other choice but to do something that meant more to me,” he continues. “One of my closest friends from high school through college, she was sexually assaulted on campus. Over the course of the next few months, she was diagnosed with severe depression. She tried and failed with a few treatments. The system let her down and she died by suicide. That was a wake-up call moment for me, realizing that we might not be aware of how much the ones we love most are struggling.”

“At that same time,” he continues, “the brother of my best friend had been going through very severe depression. He tried eight different medicines and their family went through hundreds of thousands of dollars for treatment. He attempted suicide and survived. He’s now in a better place. Reflecting on this experience, I realized it shouldn’t be one or the other: some survive and some don’t. This was what led me here.”

He took this motivation and through research and meticulous hiring transformed it into a startup. “I think it began by just having a vision,” Pierce says. “I’m a lawyer. I know healthcare and the law. All I had to do, in my own mind, was figure out what I wanted and find people to talk with about how the pieces actually fit together.” That vision was for people suffering from severe and treatment-resistant depression, which means they have tried more than two different medicines and not improved. “Getting treated should not look like 10 years of failure, it should use technology and the latest research to figure out what could be the proper path.” Pierce sought to eliminate the trial and error that often deters people, and help individuals understand the various factors woven into depression.

Option MD utilizes a proprietary software to deep dive into who their customer is and what drives them; then it uses this information to develop a path forward. “It provides you with a shortlist to educate you as the patient,” Pierce explains. “Based on that, we have specialists in-house to get you on the proper path. It might be a mix of pharmaceuticals and Eastern medicine, or new and cutting-edge treatments like ketamine and brain stimulation. It’s about longterm care.”

“When we think about what we are doing as a company, it’s trying to create a cultural shift,” Pierce answers when asked if he’s founded a tech brand or a health organization. “We consider ourselves medical iconoclasts. We are bringing things to the forefront that haven’t been thought about yet. We are trying to change the culture around the way we look at people who struggle with severe mental illness and emphasize that there’s hope to be had.”

Pierce himself (an inaugural Gaingels 100 honoree, a group of inspiring figures selected by Gaingels, an LGBTQIA+ venture capital group that’s extending support to others in the queer community) has a unique perspective that’s equipped his approach and business acumen. “My co-founder is a Black woman. I’m a Black Latinx gay man,” he tells us. “It requires a certain confidence to understand that even with all the progress that’s happened in recent years, we’re still novel. But regardless of whoever is on the other side of the phone, we have to be ourselves and present who we are. That’s always worked best. We’ve failed when we’ve tried to give what we think others want. When people see authenticity, it’s often met with acceptance.”

In addition to the technology side, Pierce and Hewett have paid close attention to design. “The branding of healthcare companies can be bland and boring. They don’t have to be blue and white and basic. We were inspired by the beauty of makeup brand websites and what they illicit from a person, which is a desire to be there. If you do not want to be on a site, why would you ever stay there long enough to address your health?”

Everything will fall into place as long as we stay true to our purpose for being and create outcomes for people

“When we started this company, we pictured ourselves only being a software,” Pierce continues. “We realized that we were doing a disservice to our patients. They would come to us, build that trust and then have nowhere to finish that experience. We were putting them with partners of ours. So, our vision changed. Now, we are end-to-end providers. Everything will fall into place as long as we stay true to our purpose for being and create outcomes for people.” He dreams of supporting one million lives.

The aforementioned Gaingels lent early support to Option MD. “Having entities like Gaingels come out to make it their mission to support us has been a game-changer,” Pierce says. “We met [managing director] Lorenzo Thione very early on and he saw what we were doing and who we were as founders. They have been the best partner for us. To have created this network of people who have gone through the same struggles, who think in a similar way or have a similar perspective. It really is refreshing, especially after being in rooms where you’re often the token.” Pierce is grateful for the support, and believes that Gaingels empower. “The fact that my co-founder and I are one of only 300 minorities this year to raise over $1 million is ridiculous. The existence of Gaingels means we have the power to not always fall into a statistic,” he says.

Right now, Option MD has amassed a waitlist of 5,000 people, but there are other options in their ecosystem. “We have the largest FB community for treatment-resistant depression,” Pierce says, “and if you’re on our waitlist, we are always handing out new information.” With mental health, it starts with being informed.

Images courtesy of Options MD

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Apr 01

Top 10 Apple MagSafe accessories that are the ultimate upgrade for your iPhone

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The arrival of the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models was accompanied by the reinvention and return of MagSafe, and it became an instant hit! There is a great sense of satisfaction, in my opinion, to have things just stick to your phone. Be it a pair of earphones (maybe that’ll be the next generation of AirPods) or have your phone just conveniently stick to a charging pad – it’s almost like magic! The reintroduction of the MagSafe led to a whole new world of accessories being unleashed! Designers and creatives were racing to create a whole range of products for the repurposed MagSafe. And we’ve been loving every bit of it! From a UFO-inspired MagSafe charger to a MagSafe car mount that doubles up as an air freshener – there’s a MagSafe accessory out there for your every need. And, we’ve curated a bunch of products that we truly believe are worth buying and investing in. This army of accessories will truly amp up your Apple experience!

1. The G4 charger

The G4 charger is a wonderful throwback accessory that reminds me of that Elago charger that turned the Apple Watch into the Macintosh. Its design, however, doesn’t seem to have aged the way the Macintosh has. Even by today’s standards, the iMac G4 is an incredibly eye-catching device that you’re sure to be amazed by. The charger condenses that beauty down into a small device that is equally good at drawing your attention to the iPhone that sits on it.

Why is it noteworthy?

The iMac G4, with its debut in 2002, was truly a design icon in that it was nothing like anything else that existed in its time. While the world still struggled with boxy plastic computers, the G4 had this intensely beautiful organic design accentuated with chrome details. It hovered above the rest, thanks to its adjustable stand, paving the way for future iMacs which still to this day retain the detail to maintain the right eye level. Eponymously named the G4, this quirky little charger pays a hat-tip to its 20-year-old predecessor. It sports the same dome-shaped base and chrome-plated stand upon which sits the MagSafe wireless charging element that lets you snap your iPhone to it. Once the iPhone comfortably nestles in place, it transforms almost into a miniature computer, hovering above the ground in a way that makes its display easy to view as well as to use, by allowing you to tap and swipe away!

What we like

  • The dual joint system on the back of the charger lets you angle and position your phone however you please
  • A nifty light within its domed front lights up when your phone begins charging

What we dislike

  • It isn’t available yet!

2. The Fjorden

YouTuber Marques Brownlee, who shoots all his videos in 8K on ridiculously expensive RED cameras, alludes to the fact that “the best camera is the one you have on you”, and that’s almost always your smartphone camera. Your smartphone camera’s image processing engine is arguably powerful enough to click photos as well as a DSLR, and the only thing really missing is precision and that hands-on experience… that’s where the Fjorden comes in.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Fjorden turns your iPhone into a hybrid DSLR. It physically snaps onto the back of your iPhone, giving you analog camera controls including a two-stage shutter button, a jog dial, a zoom slider, and even an extra multi-function button you can use to do stuff like trigger the flash. The overall form is comfortably tactile and grippy (and comes with the same texture found on cameras) and orients the buttons in a way that’s intuitive and easy to use (so you don’t have to sprain your thumb to reach the shutter button while holding your phone with the same hand). Moreover, the actual physical buttons allow you to use the camera with gloves on, an understated-yet-impressive upgrade to the iPhone camera experience).

What we like

  • Portable and sleek
  • Has it’s own camera app

What we dislike

No complaints!

3. The MagSnap Wallet

Want more out of your wallet? Well, the MagSnap Wallet’s magnetic design makes it modular too, allowing you to easily attach extra modules that let your wallet hold more cards, cash, and even EDC tools. The MagSnap Wallet has the incredible advantage of being sleek when you want, and modular/accommodating when you need it. It also docks on the back of your phone for easy carrying, and thanks to its all-metal design, it’s RFID-blocking too – a feature that Apple’s own MagSafe wallet still lacks.

Why is it noteworthy?

OhSnap is quick to mention that the MagSnap Wallet isn’t MagSafe compatible (that would mean reorienting the MagSnap Wallet’s magnets to make the wallet thicker). Instead, the MagSnap Wallet comes either with a magnet-enabled iPhone case or an adhesive MagSnap plate that can attach to practically any phone. “Our magnet array and locking pin are much stronger than MagSafe”, says the designers at OhSnap, mentioning that while Apple’s own MagSafe wallets tend to slide around when mounted on the phone, the MagSnap Wallet stays firmly put. “Our approach may be slightly less streamlined than Apple’s, but our magnetic connections are stronger, and our products are more modular and way more functional.”

What we like

  • Has the ability to snap on extra modules that give the wallet a storage upgrade
  • It is digitally secure – thanks to its RFID-blocking abilities

What we dislike

  • Their approach is slightly less streamlined than Apple’s, which everyone may not agree with

4. The UFO MagSafe Wireless Charger

For geeks who want more than just a standard MagSafe charger for their den, the UFO MagSafe Wireless Charger will be the preferred choice. This cute-looking accessory for the Apple ecosystem is currently just a concept design, but we want to see it make it to the shelves. It’s like a UFO riding on the back of your iPhone 13 minus, all the shenanigans of gimmicky gadgets.

Why is it noteworthy?

When charging, the transparent dome with the Android-like being looking you straight in the face lights up with a warm glow as soon as the iPhone is snapped onto it. Now that’s going to act as a cool bias light for people who are in a habit of staring at their phones in the pitch dark. At least with the UFO MagSafe charger hooked on, your eyes will get some respite, even if for some time!

What we like

  • UFO-inspired!
  • Perfect for space lovers

What we dislike

No complaints!

5. The MagSafe Phone Case

MAG.T MagSafe Phone Case Designer

MAG.T MagSafe Phone Case is the latest accessory design for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12. It delivers a new charging experience that others can say is better in many ways. Not all iPhone models support MagSafe wireless charge technology— only the latest iPhones can. It seems more third-party manufacturers are coming up with new accessories for the MagSafe system. We can expect more related announcements of actual products and even concept designs will be made.

Why is it noteworthy?

The MagSafe Phone Case is ideal for different modes of use: Ring Mode, Stand Mode, Play Mode, and Handle Mode. When talking to someone on the phone, you can hold it more securely with the part that lets you hook your finger. The Stand Mode is ideal for watching your favorite TV shows, movies, or YouTube videos. Play Mode is for when you’re spending time on your favorite mobile game while Handle Mode is for regular use when you just want to scroll through your social media apps or favorite websites.

What we like

  • Sleek form
  • As per the designer, there is no case in the market yet that acts as a phone case and phone stand in one that is compatible with MagSafe

What we dislike

  • Not sure if it’s durable enough to protect the phone from drops from an acceptable height

6. The Snapods

The Snapods by Scendo are a pair of TWS Earbuds that come with a flat case that snaps right to the back of your phone. Building wonderfully on the capabilities of the MagSafe feature introduced in the latest iPhones, the Snapods make carrying earphones convenient. Just snap them to the back of your phone and you’ve got yourself a pair of earphones that are easy to store, quick to access, and hard to lose.

Why is it noteworthy?

The case’s design is inspired directly by where it’s located. Made to sit against the back of your phone, the Snapods case comes with a flat, wedge-shaped profile, making it easy to slip your phone into your pocket. The slim case doesn’t just dock the earphones, it charges them too, giving you an impressive 45 hours of playtime. The earphones match (and sometimes outperform) the AirPods in almost every category. Pop them out of the case and they instantly power on and connect to your phone using Bluetooth 5.2 technology. Thanks to the latest Qualcomm 3040 flagship chipset, the Snapods offer a seamless and incredibly responsive audio experience, with zero lag, stuttering, or pauses.

What we like

  • The Qualcomm cVc 8.0 noise reduction algorithm is capable of cutting up to 30 decibels of ambient noise
  • You can attach the Snapods to phone cases, tablets, or even your laptop

What we dislike

No complaints!

7. The Nomad MagSafe Base One charger

Nomad Base One MagSafe Design

Nomad Base One MagSafe

The latest is the Nomad MagSafe Base One charger that makes a first impression that lasts with its glass and aluminum design. It is an official third-party charger you can use for your iPhone as it offers official MFi MagSafe charging. Base One works with most Qi devices, delivering up to a maximum of 15W charging speed. The iPhone charger comes with a weighted metal body complemented by an elevated glass panel. The combination results in a look that can fit most interiors and spaces.

Why is it noteworthy?

Nomad’s MagSafe Base One charger shows a solid metal and glass design, but it is not something delicate to hold and touch. It may remind you of a hockey puck, even with its rounded square shape. However, the weighted build gives it a sturdy form, so you do not have to worry about it easily being damaged.

What we like

  • Made using high-quality metal chassis and a premium glass panel
  • It can also wireless charge your AirPods

What we dislike

  • The 30W USB-C Adapter is not included in the box
  • Not sure if it is fingerprint or scratch-resistant

8. The Chargepuck

The Chargepuck is what you get when you mash the words MagSafe, AirPower, and PopSocket together. About the shape and size of a hockey puck, this little number snaps onto the back of your iPhone, offering the powers of a wireless charger, with a pop-out ring that doubles as a holder/stand for your phone. If somehow that wasn’t enough, while one surface of the Chargepuck remains magnetically adhered to the back of your iPhone, the other side lets you attach an Apple Watch, while two tiny holes along the rim let you dock your AirPods earpieces, and the Chargepuck effectively charges all three devices simultaneously… something the AirPower mat could never do.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Chargepuck acts as a replacement for the wireless charging dock or mat you’ve probably got lying on your desk or somewhere at your bedside. Instead of being a static device that sits plugged into an outlet forever, the little puck sits attached to your iPhone and comes with its own retractable cable that lets you plug it in anywhere. The Chargepuck isn’t a battery pack (it doesn’t have its own battery inside it), but rather, it’s a charging apparatus that sits attached to your phone and lets you charge three devices at the same time.

What we like

  • Portable design
  • Full functional 360-degree ring

What we dislike

  • It may not appeal to everyone

9. The FLIP MagSafe power bank concept

This is the FLIP MagSafe power bank concept that has so much potential to become a real product in the near future. I say that because it nearly triples your compatible iPhone’s battery with an intuitive design. There are two independent power banks – each having a 4200mAh lithium-ion battery capable of juicing up the iPhone 13 or AirPods Pro courtesy of the MagSafe technology.

Why is it noteworthy?

In the connected configuration, the two power banks can be folded at any angle to suit the user’s needs. You can align it in a standing position to charge the iPhone 13 with one base and your earbuds with the other. Yet another possibility is to make the accessory stand in a V-position to hook on the iPhone 13 in landscape orientation for watching multimedia content. Or just keep them in a completely folded position to lay the smartphone down flat while charging during the nighttime.

What we like

  • Triples your compatible iPhone’s battery with an intuitive design

What we dislike

  • It’s still a concept!

10. The NUMBER ZERO

You might as well be a jack of all trades when you’re designing a product that’s got stiff competition, right? Sure, your smartphone car-mount can hold your phone, but can it freshen the air too? That’s sort of the direction the NUMBER ZERO is going for. A MagSafe-compatible car-mount that sits universally on any car’s AC vent, the NUMBER ZERO lets you snap your iPhone on without worrying about clamps, grips, friction, or flimsy parts. It secures your phone in either landscape or portrait orientation using a series of robust magnets that can hold up to 12-times the iPhone’s weight and even comes with an air diffuser that relies on the AC vent behind your phone to disperse any fragrance of your choice all around the car.

Why is it noteworthy?

The NUMBER ZERO’s design comes with a clever bit of consideration that’s often overlooked by other companies. The mount’s design was created to look good even there’s NO phone mounted on it. Rather than just use that opportunity to slap a massive piece of branding onto the mount’s design, the NUMBER ZERO comes with a neat little kinetic animation that’s powered by the wind from the AC. The mount comes with a variety of animations to choose from, all of which feature a rotating element that’s powered by the wind coming off the AC vent at the back. The air from the vent pushes a series of gears that then cause the kinetic animation to gently rotate, allowing the NUMBER ZERO to look eye-catching even when the phone isn’t mounted in place.

What we like

  • Its universal clip on the back mounts onto any car’s AC vent without requiring any tools or special know-how

What we dislike

No complaints!

The post Top 10 Apple MagSafe accessories that are the ultimate upgrade for your iPhone first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Apr 01

Cloud Socks

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Greenpoint, Brooklyn-based Brother Vellies—founded by Aurora James—champions traditional African design practices while sustaining artisanal practices and offering luxury accessories. Their cotton mid-calf Cloud Socks are chunky and cozy. While the one-size-fits-all socks comes in a range of colors, our pick is the lavender, as proceeds from this hue go to the brand’s mask-making and food-distribution initiatives in Kenya.

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Apr 01

The components of this table lamp were CNC-milled for precise and interchangeable assembly

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The BN! is a modular, customizable table lamp that’s constructed from CNC-milling techniques to ensure precise and interchangeable assembly.

Timber toys, like Jenga and burr puzzles, depend on precise fittings and even edges to fulfill their purpose. Much like those timber toys, wooden product designs that are CNC-milled maintain a symmetrical and unified structure to ensure seamless assembly and operation. CNC-milling also allows designers to keep the number of building materials to a minimum.

Designer: Baliza Norte

From wooden figurines to timber homes, CNC-milling is trusted as the means to format components and cut them down to their most precise angle. The BN! Lamp designed by Baliza Norte, an architecture and interior design project, is constructed using CNC-milling techniques for an assembly process that doesn’t require any hardware or tools.

BN!, a lamp named after the company that designed it, is a tabletop lamp constructed from sheets of plywood that were pre-fitted to fit into each other without the need for extra hardware or tools. Delivered in a flatpack design, when disassembled, BN! Lamp perfectly fits in a 28 x 28 cm square and can easily be packed for shipping or transporting.

Using modern CNC technologies, each component of BN! Lamp “is intended to be a playful object which can be easily assembled or disassembled, it subtlety evokes a timber toy.” Since each module of the BN! Lamp is fitted for precision, each one can be replaced when necessary. The modular and interchangeable configuration of BN! Lamp also allows users to choose the brown color scheme, giving the lamp an air of bespoke appeal.

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Apr 01

Samsung self-repair program is a bold step toward smartphone sustainability

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Earlier this year, Samsung made a lot of noise about its most recent effort in reducing its negative impact on the environment. Rather than reduce the number of phones it produces each year, which would have reduced the amount of plastics it uses, the world’s biggest smartphone maker turned to recycled plastics instead. Using responsibly sourced materials, however, is only one part of the sustainability equation. Reducing the number of smartphones and smartphone parts thrown out each year is an equally important part of that formula. That, in turn, would require that smartphones can get repaired for as long as they can, and Samsung is taking the rather bold step of giving people the ability to repair their phones on their own.

Designer: Samsung

When it launched its new Galaxy S22 phone series, Samsung also boasted about the big change it’s making in its future phones and tablets. The plastics it will use in these devices will be made from recycled fishing nets rather than being produced from scratch. That hits two birds with one stone since it reduces the amount of new plastic being produced for new phones while also finding a new home for tons of discarded fishing nets that endanger marine life year after year.

Although it’s an important and significant step forward, it is still just one step. It doesn’t address the problem of smartphones and their parts being discarded on a regular basis, often because they can no longer be repaired or, worse, because it becomes cheaper to just buy a new phone rather than spend on first-party repairs. The fix here is to actually encourage a stronger culture of repairing phones rather than discarding them, and part of that means giving consumers the permission and the tools to repair their own devices without having to pay anyone, especially Samsung and its partners.

This “Right to Repair” is gaining strong momentum among consumers, businesses, and legislators, and Samsung is following Apple’s bold announcement last year that creates an official program to help owners repair their phones on their own, should they choose to go down that route. Samsung is pairing up with iFixit for guides on how to do exactly that, while the company will also provide tools and replacement parts for supported devices. At the moment, only the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S21, and Galaxy Tab S7+ have been named to be included in this program.

Images courtesy of iFixit

Just as important as the ability to repair and replace broken parts is the responsibility of disposing of those components properly. Part of this self-repair program involves sending those broken or irreparable pieces back to Samsung, who will then dispose of or recycle them as necessary.

This is just the latest step in Samsung’s attempts to reduce its negative impact on the environment, going beyond reducing its carbon emissions. Although it initially ridiculed Apple for it, Samsung eventually jumped on the bandwagon and removed chargers from many of its smartphone boxes. It has also reduced not only the amount of plastic it uses in its phones’ packaging but also reduced the size of those boxes as well. It might not sound like much in isolation, but considering the fact that Samsung is the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, every little bit adds up in the long run.

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Apr 01

Blond Fold wireless charger checks all the boxes of great design and sustainability

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Phone makers are cutting down on chargers in boxes, but third-party chargers are rising in number instead. Blond, fortunately, has a great idea on how to fix that problem as well.

One of the biggest sources of electronic waste in garbage dumps has been discovered to be smartphone chargers. According to the European Commission, about 11,000 tonnes or 11 million kg of unused or discarded chargers pile up every year. Figures and studies like these are often cited as reasons for imposing a common charging standard or removing charging bricks from phone packaging. That only addresses one part of the problem, though, because chargers are still being made and sold en masse anyway. The other part of the solution is to make the chargers themselves long-lasting and sustainable, which is what this innovative multi-functional wireless charging concept is trying to propose.

Designer: Blond

The Fold, no relation to Samsung’s foldable phones, immediately strikes one as a handsome piece of tech. Blending minimalism and transparency, the foldable wireless charger makes no qualms about its geeky nature. In fact, it invites people to peer into its very soul, and some might even have to dig deep into it in order to repair the accessory over time.

Creative design studio Blond’s concept for this wireless charger is notable in more ways than one. More than just portable, thanks to its foldable design, the charger can be used in multiple ways as well. For example, it can juice up three devices all at once, but it can also act as a smartphone stand when folded in a certain way.

Its most ambitious feature, however, is its longevity. Unlike most consumer electronics, the Fold is designed to be easy to open up and replace broken parts, at least for someone who is used to doing repairs on their own. In theory, the materials used will also be sustainable or responsibly sourced, possibly from recycled products even. That’s not always possible with electronics, of course, so the option of repairing and sending back components for recycling helps both the owner and the environment in the long run.

The Fold’s sustainability extends to the concept of its packaging. Where most products require two layers, with the packaging itself and then the shipping box, Blond envisioned a single recycled and recyclable packaging that meets both needs. This eliminates wasted materials while still leaving room for some creative innovation inside the box, like a space for broken or suspended components for shipping back to the manufacturer for repairs or recycling.

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Apr 01

The world’s first 4-in-1 Mop Vacuum Cleaner uses hot water to efficiently deep-clean floors

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Ask any household and they’ll tell you the secret to spanking clean floors. Simply sweeping/vacuuming your floors doesn’t get the job done, just the way simply wiping a plate after eating in it doesn’t make it clean. Like with your plate, your floors need to be washed too. I don’t mean turning your house into a slip-n-slide, I mean wet-mopping. Every Indian household has a two-step cleaning process – first, sweep the dust away, second, take a wet mop (often combined with a chemical cleaning agent) and wipe your house clean. The OSOTEK HotWave wants to bring that same two-step cleaning process to all houses. Designed to have a wet and dry mopping feature, OSOTEK is the world’s first 4-in-1 mop vacuum cleaner with a built-in water heater that efficiently wipes/mops and de-odorizes your floor in a way that’s just as effective as a floor disinfectant, yet without any of the chemicals.

Designer: OSOTEK Team

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The OSOTEK HotWave makes cleaning ‘intelligent’. It single handedly handles vacuuming, mopping, self-cleaning, and self-drying. All you really need to do is remove the OSOTEK HotWave from its dock and use it the way you’d use a standard vacuum cleaner. Once you’re done vacuuming and heated water-mopping, the smart dock takes over, restoring your OSOTEK HotWave to its cleanest state for the next time you need to use it. In a move comparable to ‘Who watches the Watchmen’, the OSOTEK HotWave actually cleans itself after each use, so you don’t have to.

The phrase ‘intelligent cleaning’ isn’t just some marketing catchphrase. The OSOTEK HotWave is quite literally a smart cookie. It comes equipped with an infrared sensor that can detect how dirty your floor is and adjust the suction power automatically in real-time. This, in effect, reduces your need to constantly run the vacuum over a spot to clean it. The variable suction power intensifies when the OSOTEK HotWave detects more dirt, and reduces when your floor is relatively dirt-free, saving you energy while also conserving battery.

The Osotek HotWave even has a built-in ‘superthermal’ heater that heats the water inside its tank up to temperatures of 197°F or 92°C for mopping. Designed to work equally well on marble, vitrified tiles, and on hardwood floors, the Osotek HotWave’s hot-water mopping feature works on spills, stains, grease, etc. to clean out even the toughest marks, leaving your floor more spotless than a conventional vacuum cleaner.

It comes with two water tanks – a 750ml tank for fresh water, and a 640ml tank for used water that gets sucked right back into the mop once it’s done cleaning your floor. What about solid waste? Well, the OSOTEK HotWave filters dust/dirt/debris and other solid matter out, storing it in a separate compartment for easier cleaning.

Based on how clean or dirty your space is, the OSOTEK HotWave offers 3 modes of use – the Turbo mode tackles heavy dirt such as grease and sauce in the kitchen; the Automatic mode is ideal for daily residue and stains cleaning in the living room; and the Water-absorbing (or suction) mode is calibrated to handle all dust and dirt around the house and water absorption in the bathroom.

Once you’re done cleaning your space, the OSOTEK HotWave does a second round of cleaning… this time, however, it cleans itself. Designed to serve two important purposes, the OSOTEK HotWave’s self-cleaning and self-drying functions help maintain your mop so that you don’t have to, but more importantly, it prevents odors, molds, and bacteria formation caused by a dirty, wet mop-head (the OSOTEK HotWave uses hot 58°C air to quickly dry the mop head, preventing bacteria formation). In turn, once the OSOTEK HotWave self-dries, it can easily be used again to clean other parts of your house.

The OSOTEK HotWave comes along with its own intelligent base station that handles pre-cleaning and post-cleaning tasks while also charging your OSOTEK HotWave mop. The base station comes with a 3000ml water reservoir that helps replenish and refill the tank in your OSOTEK HotWave up to 4 times over, helps with heating the water up, and even assists in the OSOTEK HotWave’s self-cleaning and self-drying activities.

Designed to be compact, efficient, and intuitive, the OSOTEK HotWave sports a 4000mAh battery that gives it 35 minutes of run-time. If and when the battery runs low, the cleaner uses voice prompts, telling you to recharge it. The OSOTEK HotWave comes with 9 built-in languages that power its voice prompts, and the cleaner gives you constant status updates on the OSOTEK HotWave’s functions, battery, temperature levels, and cleaning status. For good measure, it comes with an LED display too.

The OSOTEK HotWave is priced at a respectable $519, putting it in the same range as other vacuum cleaners (even the high-end ones from Dyson), although it sits in a class apart as the only 4-in-1 mop vacuum cleaner to have a built-in water heater as well as self-drying and self-cleaning capabilities. It comes with an ergonomic design and a long telescopic handle that’s easy to use and maneuver, along with an intelligent base station that not only charges/cleans/maintains your Osotek HotWave, but it also acts as a storage unit for extra accessories like new mop-heads. The OSOTEK HotWave is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, while simultaneously beginning mass production to roll the device out to backers.

Click Here to Buy Now: $519 $949 ($430 off). Hurry, only 46/80 left!

The post The world’s first 4-in-1 Mop Vacuum Cleaner uses hot water to efficiently deep-clean floors first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Apr 01

This prefabricated home combines Scandinavian simplicity with a breezy Californian twist

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Adobu and Koto Design collaborated to design a prefabricated backyard home with off-grid capabilities, marrying Scandinavian design with sustainability.

Based in the English seaside village of Westward Ho!, the architecture studio Koto Design captures the mellow vibe of a day spent at the seashore and translates it to the home space. Inspired by Scandinavian simplicity and Japanese minimalism, the result comes through breezy, open floor layouts and organic building materials.

Designer: Koto Design x Adobu

The architecture studio is known for its extensive catalog of sustainable, prefabricated tiny homes that can be transported to locations across the globe. In a recent collaboration with the USA-based, backyard home-building company Adobu, the two studios worked together to construct a tiny, prefabricated home that marries Scandinavian design with a Californian twist.

From the outside, the backyard cabin appears like one of Koto Design’s signature tiny homes, topped off with a slightly torqued roof. While its original look maintains an elemental, wooden look without any paint, buyers can choose from an array of different finishes. The organic facades merge with large, floor-to-ceiling windows that are meant to embrace a semi-outdoor lifestyle, a common touch in Californian architecture.

Inside, the large windows work to keep the interior living spaces airy and bright, like a day spent seaside. Integrated storage compartments line the perimeter of the interior rooms to maintain the flexibility that an open-floor layout provides. Additionally, built-in furniture, like a window bench in the dining area, creates space for guests and residents to relax without introducing more furniture pieces to crowd the floor.

Koto Design is committed to delivering sustainable, prefabricated homes that don’t compromise on comfort. Each tiny home built with Adobu takes around four months to finish offsite construction, while the onsite assembly is completed in some weeks. In collaboration with Adobu, the two studios can now offer carbon-neutral homes in the USA that have a 60+ year lifespan, on and off-grid capabilities, and are built to full housing standards.

Once the tiny home finishes offsite construction, Adobu can assemble the tiny home onsite in a matter of weeks. 

The post This prefabricated home combines Scandinavian simplicity with a breezy Californian twist first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Apr 01

ROLI announces the Seaboard RISE 2, an incredibly fluid keyboard surface made for ultimate sonic expression

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Nearly 10 years after ROLI reinvented music keyboards, the company is back, older, wiser, and with its 2nd generation flagship, the Seaboard RISE 2. Led by Roland Lamb’s vision of designing a keyboard ‘without keys’, the Seaboard RISE 2 comes with the same familiar wavy interface that lets you tap, press, slide, and glide across its dynamic surface. However, in its long-awaited second edition, the Seaboard RISE 2 is arguably better built, looks more inviting too (if that was even possible), comes with a USB-C, and marks a shift for ROLI from a fledgling music startup to a mature, seasoned industry veteran.

Designer: ROLI

The nature of my job, especially for the last 2 years, has been predominantly online… a convenience for the most part, but also a hindrance because I seldom get to experience the products I so passionately write about. The Seaboard RISE, however, was an exception because I actually got to tinker with it back in 2016 when it was on display in Tokyo for winning the Good Design Award. Not only did the original Seaboard RISE look nothing like your conventional keyboard, as soon as my hands touched it, I realized it was a tactile experience like no other too. You see, the digital version of a piano is the keyboard. The electric version of a guitar is the electric guitar. There isn’t quite a ‘digital’ version for violins, flutes, brass, or other wind instruments… and more importantly, while the keyboard is the default input device for most electronic musicians, its key-based interface doesn’t let you easily play guitar or flute-style tunes on it. The Seaboard RISE hoped to change that. With a singular rubberized play surface, the Seaboard RISE let you musically express yourself in 5 dimensions. You could play keys from the left to right, increase/decrease volume by moving up or down a key, slide between notes by sliding your finger along the top of the keyboard, press downward on each key to trigger different effects, and even gently jiggle your finger while pressing a key for that beautiful tremolo effect. The Seaboard RISE didn’t feel like a traditional instrument because it was, by design, made to be an instrument for unbridled expression. That rubberized surface, a ROLI representative told me, went through over 40 iterations to reach the right tactile feel, so your fingers could effectively interact with the Seaboard and fall in love with its versatile dynamic surface!

While that was the Seaboard RISE from nearly a decade ago, the new Seaboard RISE 2 boasts improvements based on feedback that ROLI patiently gathered for 10 long years. For starters, the company stuck to the 49-key setup because it just was the most popular of the lot. The new Seaboard RISE 2 also ditched the all-black design for something more striking, opting to encase the dynamic playing surface in a stunning aluminum chassis in anodized platinum blue. This really allows the Seaboard’s elements to stand out, from the 49-key surface to the sliders, the effects pad, and the other buttons to the left of the keys. The keyboard’s surface went through refinements too. The original Seaboard had a sine wave-inspired surface (hence the name Seaboard, because of the waves), although it presented minor problems in terms of intuitive playback. Roland and his team revisited the design of the surface for the RISE 2, resulting in what they call Keywave 2, a more squared-off surface that ROLI claims “is the most approachable, easiest to play interface we’ve ever made”. It features precision frets, small embossed lines of silicone down the center of each key which, like a guitar’s fretboard, serve as a motor-sensory guide. ROLI also broadened the surface and articulated the shoulders of each keywave to further improve when the keyboard would register an action.

The RISE 2 further benefits from the development of Equator2, ROLI’s homegrown MPE synth. MPE, which stands for MIDI Polyphonic Expression, builds on the simplicity of MIDI, giving it the kind of nuance that the Seaboard RISE 2 champions. Since you’re doing more than just hitting keys with the RISE 2, the increase in variables led to ROLI developing Equator, a synth designed to really allow the Seaboard to shine. Aside from redesigning the RISE, ROLI was also quietly working on Equator2, the world’s leading MPE Synth that ROLI describes as “a mature and sonically beautiful instrument”.

“Seaboard RISE 2 is the Seaboard I always dreamed of making”, says ROLI founder Roland Lamb. Nearly 10 years in the making, it takes the original vision for the Seaboard and builds on it, improving the stuff that worked, and discarding the stuff that didn’t. To help showcase the Seaboard RISE, ROLI worked with musician Marco Parisi in developing the promo video at the beginning of the article., and they even shipped their first unit to Oscar-winning Music Director A.R. Rahman for his first thoughts. The ROLI Seaboard RISE 2 is available for Pre-Order starting at $1,399 USD, with shipping beginning towards the end of the year.

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