Here’s what we looked at this week:

Form follows function: The ultra raintight Ergoldsbacher Karat roof tile.

This is what Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery looks like.

Manufacturing porn: Making a carbon fiber bicycle.

Re-thinking the flashlight interface: A “pop-to-light” design.

From Steady Bags, the convenience of apron chest pockets, without the apron.

A compact, easy-to-deploy design for a car sunshade.

A look at how Amazon uses robots in their fulfillment centers.

How a better combat boot design can lead to more sustainable civilian footwear.

Gnara’s GoFly zipper design makes it easy for women to pee outdoors.

The Nike x Hyperice recovery boot is like a massage chair for your feet.

Pipe Lighting’s “light light” provides better UX for production crews.

The Willow Power Supply, by furniture brand OFS, is a kinder-looking take on the desktop power.

These Freeaim VR Shoes keep you in place as you walk.

Here’s a transparent Volkswagen ID.3.

A robot lifeguard: The EMILY Rescue Robot.

Kuka’s Autonomous Mobile Platform robots have startlingly good looks.

DeWalt’s cordless bandfile is a tiny, battery-powered belt sander that packs a punch.

Design for the Common Good: Using design to better communities worldwide.

Since 2011, Samsung has been launching two flagships a year, one under its premium Galaxy S brand and another with the Galaxy Note name. The latter has mostly been defined by its large screen and S Pen stylus, though now large screens or phablets are the norm rather than the exception. By now, the Galaxy Note is pretty much history, but it seems that it might be making a comeback in an unexpected and perhaps unwelcome way. We’re still half a year away, but rumors about the Galaxy S25 Ultra have already started to attract attention, both good and bad, especially on how its design will be throwing away what has made it look unique in exchange for what is both a throwback to the past and a nod to its stylus-less siblings.

Designer: Samsung (via @Wvisioncreation)

Galaxy S24 Ultra

Although Samsung retired the Galaxy Note name, its legacy lived on in the Galaxy S Ultra series. Not only does it have an S Pen stowed inside its body, it also retains the design that set the previous Galaxy Notes apart from the Galaxy S phones. Specifically, it had a rather boxy design, especially when viewed from the front. Not only are the top and bottom edges flat, the corners are also sharp and angular, a design that you’ll rarely see on other phones these days.

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

According to the first rumors to come out for Samsung’s 2025 flagship, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be losing that design DNA. The design is described as having more rounded corners, similar to the Galaxy Note 7 from 2016 with one important exception. The screen is still flat, something that Samsung did for the first time in this year’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, rather than the heavily curved display of yesteryear’s Galaxy Notes. In not so many words, it’s going to look like the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+, and presumably the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+.

Galaxy Note 7

On one hand, this change makes sense from a branding perspective, especially if you consider how the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip are also transforming. Samsung’s foldables are becoming edgier, so to speak, taking on an appearance similar to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The company, therefore, needs to differentiate the two product lines, and making the Galaxy S25 Ultra look like its siblings from the same Galaxy S line makes the integration of the Galaxy Note complete.

Galaxy S24+

On the other hand, response to the rumored change has been generally negative so far. That boxy and squarish design has become the visual identity of the Galaxy S Ultra, especially for fans of the Galaxy Note. In fact, they probably wish the Galaxy S to adopt the design rather than the other way around, if only to set Samsung’s flagship apart from the sea of phones with flat edges, flat screens, and rounded corners.

Galaxy S24 Series

The post Galaxy S25 Ultra design rumor claims it will lose its distinctive boxy look first appeared on Yanko Design.

Dezeen Showroom: Doha-based brand Shaikha Al Sulaiti has released a series of translucent tables that reference motifs found in traditional Qatari architecture and design.

Wahaaj tables come in a spectrum of kaleidoscopic colours that reference the stained glass windows found in traditional houses in Qatar.

Moulded plastic creates the tables’ semi-transparent forms – the plastic is inlaid with recycled fabric, creating a mottled finish that casts dynamic shadows when light shines through it.

Blocky shapes formed from repeated squares in various arrangements recall the furniture used by nomadic Bedouin people, and can be connected and used in combination to create adaptable compositions.

Each constituent square has a raised lip around its perimeter, allowing cushions and trays to be placed inside, furthering the tables’ functionality and further referencing Bedouin furniture items.

The tables form part of the brand’s wider Imagining Utopia collection, which contains furniture and lighting that aims to celebrate Qatari heritage through the medium of contemporary design.

Product details:

Product: Wahaaj tables
Brand: Shaikha Al Sulaiti
Contact: press@esralemmens.com

Material: recycled yarn and plastic

Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

The post Wahaaj tables by Shaikha Al Sulaiti appeared first on Dezeen.

Even with the advent of smart TVs and streaming, remote controls are still an indispensable part of that user experience, imperfect as it may be. The basic design of remote controls has changed very little, save for the extra minimalist variants that, in exchange for simplicity, sometimes make you crawl through menus and options just to get to the function you need. More importantly, however, the complexity of these electronic accessories has made them too stressful to use, and their tendency to get stuck in the corners of couches was a meme even before there were memes. This concept tries to revolutionize the remote control design to deliver a more tactile experience that lets you operate or even pick it up without looking at it at all.

Designer: Gisung Han

The traditional remote control design has always been one of practical convenience rather than comfort or enjoyment. It’s meant to let you quickly change channels or the volume, but the irony is that it often takes more time to look for the right button or, worse, look for the remote itself. Even with more minimal designs that reduce the buttons to half a dozen or so, the rectangular shape of the device itself lends it to being lost too easily.

The Sightless Remote Control proposes a rather drastic change to the standard design in order to address these issues. Instead of a flat rectangle, the remote has a T-shaped form that ensures it won’t slip through the gaps in couches and chairs. It also makes it easy to pick up the remote, whether from those corners or from the top of a table, all without even looking at the remote and just using our sense of touch instead.

The same is true for the buttons themselves, which are no longer distinct circles or ovals. Instead, there’s a single column in the middle of the remote’s top surface with wedge-like shapes rising on opposite sides almost like waves in the ocean. Instead of using printed icons, text representing the functions are instead embossed, again allowing for “blind” use by letting your fingers do the seeing. It will still require a bit of muscle memory to help place that finger in the right area, but it won’t be as tedious as on a typical remote with very smooth buttons.

More than just enabling sightless use of the device, this design tries to bring back the joy of using an analog device in an age of smartphones and touchscreens. It makes entertainment not just a pleasure for our eyes and ears but also for our sense of touch, all while helping reduce the cognitive overload that multi-functional screens and phone apps bring to our brains.

The post Remote control redesign lets you use the device without even looking first appeared on Yanko Design.

I am definitely a complete cat person, but I really cannot help adoring doggos at times! They are just so cute, not to mention insanely loving (a quality most cat owners aren’t used to witnessing in their pets). And as much as I love pampering my kittie cats with presents from time to time, I’m sure all dog owners feel the same. Ensuring your pet feels safe, secure, and comfortable at home is every pet owner’s priority. We want to make sure they always feel loved and truly at home! It’s important to create an environment where they feel completely safe to let their guard down, while also managing to stay active and playful. And, we’ve curated a collection of dog-friendly product designs that promise to do exactly that! These pet products will help turn your home into the ultimate safe haven for your dogs, allowing you to connect and bond with them better while ensuring they’re always comfortable.

1. Fetch House

Dubbed the Fetch House, and designed by CallisonRKTL, this unique-looking home offers shelter to one happy doggo. It features a modular internal structure that lets you compression-fit at least a 1000 tennis ball into it! You can randomly pluck out the balls from their individual enclosers to play fetch with your pet. And once your dog is done playing, you can press-fit the ball back into the dog house.

Why is it noteworthy?

If you like, you can add fewer balls and build patterns in the facade, or even form windows for ventilation and light. “Ultimately, we would like to create a platform that allows individuals to customize the doghouse design based on their specific dog,” says Brendan O’Grady, VP of CRKTL’s Dallas office. “They can then download the digital model and use a local maker space or their own desktop 3D printer to fabricate the structure.

What we like

• Unique and fun home for your dogs
• Easy access to balls, so you can play fetch with your pet whenever

What we dislike

• We’re unsure how to maintain and clean the dog house

2. ORo

Ogmen Robotics unveiled something super cool at CES 2024. It is an intelligent home robot that was designed from the ground up to be the “pawfect” guardian, playmate, and caretaker for your canine best friend. It looks like one of those robots on wheels that are intended for human use.

Why is it noteworthy?

ORo can provide physical, mental, and emotional stimulation through playful activities. It can help you keep track of the dog’s health, and even find out when they’re feeling anxious, and play some soothing music to help calm them down.

What we like

• Help owners train their dogs through obedience games and virtual training services

What we dislike

• Not sure how comfy dogs would feel with a robot, they could get aggressive or feel threatened

3. Clink Clicker

Named the Clink Clicker, this tiny gadget is perfect for training your doggo! The click combines clicking and the treats in one nifty design, so you need to hold and operate only one device while training your dog. The clicker looks like a typical clicker, but it is equipped with a sliding mechanism that holds treats for your doggo!

Why is it noteworthy?

Once you’re done training your dog, you need to press the clicker, and your doggy will come to you. You can feed him the treats then! The clicker features a tiny space for the treats, which is essentially a desiccant compartment that keeps the treats fresh even if you’re outdoors with your pet.

What we like

• Simplifies your training session with your pet
• Reduces the time spent on the training process

What we dislike

• The size of the clicker is quite small, so you need to take care to not misplace it

4. Precision-Crafted Pet Bowl

Called the Precision-Crafted Pet Bowl, this aesthetic-looking food bowl for your furry buddies isn’t just good-looking, it is functional too. Creativity and craftsmanship were combined to create a pet bowl that offers a delightful experience for all the members of your home. The bowl was designed to focus completely on the eating experience, making the “ease of eating” the main aim of the design, but doing so in a simple yet efficient manner.

Click Here to Buy Now: $349

Why is it noteworthy?

It is a stainless steel bowl that serves food at an angle of 20 degrees, making it easy for your pets to slurp on their food and eat it up, without spilling anything. At the same time, this makes life easier for humans, as they don’t need to keep cleaning up once their pets are done eating.

What we like

• Meets the needs of humans and pets alike
• The base is made of fine Japanese cypress wood

What we dislike

• Too easy for food to spill out

5. ROLA PetPal Robot

Raising pets isn’t an easy task and with busy schedules, it can be hard to be present for them all the time. This is where the Enabot ROLA PetPal robot comes in! The robot helps you and takes a load off your shoulders, especially if you’re not able to always give your pet what he/she needs. You can change what the robot does, by switching out the load it carries on its back!

Why is it noteworthy?

The ROLA PetPal resembles the popular disc-shaped robot vacuum cleaners. It features two wheels on the side and has a “face” on the front. It has a modular design and can switch from providing entertainment to exercise. You simply need to switch to the Interactive Toys module or the Treat Dispenser module.

What we like

• Keeps your doggos occupied with a playful stick, laser games, or rolling balls

What we dislike

• Pets may not take too well to the robot and may take some time to adjust to it

6. Dyson Pet Grooming Kit

Getting your pets neat and clean can be a tedious process, but something that cannot be avoided at all costs. If you want to break down and simplify your doggy’s cleaning process, then you may want to get your hands on the Dyson Pet Grooming Kit. This grooming kit works great for cats as well!

Why is it noteworthy?

Cats and dogs both tend to shed quite a bit, depending on their breed and the season. This grooming kit helps you handle the issue at its root, keeping your pets neat and tidy, while also ensuring you don’t need to run around constantly vacuuming and cleaning your house.

What we like

• Makes the after-bath ritual less hectic and more calming
• Comes along with an extension hose, which offers 3 feet of flexibility

What we dislike

• You need a Dyson vacuum cleaner to pair up with the accessories and use them

7. Wowo Multipurpose Furniture

Dubbed Wowo Multipurpose Furniture, this collection of furniture designs is intended for human kids and fur babies both! It includes furniture pieces with rounded and playful forms, as well as colorful hues that truly make them stand out. The shapes of the furniture designs are inspired by the mouth shape kids make when they say the word “wowo”.

Why is it noteworthy?

The designs feature a hollow structure, merged with “saturation color and mellow shape”, to create comfortable furniture products that are cozy for both kids and pets. Some of the seats are hallowed, creating space for your pets to sit in, and lounge about. This furniture collection serves as a harmonious space for your human kids, and pet kids!

What we like

• Works well for your kids and pets both
• The main components of the furniture are 3D-printed

What we dislike

• The collection seems to be a concept currently, so we are unsure how well it will translate as a real product

8. Cottage Dog House

This adorable little structure is called the Cottage Dog House! It is a minimalist dog house designed for your beloved pets. It features metallic elements, and eco-friendly felt coverings, creating a cozy little corner for your dog. It allows your pet to have a space of their own in their home, somewhere they can retire to and rest, without being disturbed. Although dogs aren’t too fussy, and they can get comfy anywhere, it is still nice to have a special space for them in your home.

Why is it noteworthy?

Designed by LSY and Jaeyeon Choi, this dog house is one-of-a-kind, as it serves as a comfortable haven using only a felt covering, and a pretty sturdy and durable build. Although the home is quite minimal and simple to look at it, it has a resilient build, and can handle your dog’s weight and sudden activity.

What we like

• Features an internal cushion that offers extra comfort for your canine buddy
• It has a removable roof to allow for an open-air sleeping area as well

What we dislike

• The aesthetics are a bit too simple and could have been worked upon

9. Maeve Pet Protection System

Say hello to the Maeve Pet Protection System – an innovative system by Tavo that lets you take your pet from your home to the car, and then to the final location with total ease. This system is a lifesaver when you need to take your pet to a dreaded vet appointment. It contains a carrier and a vehicle base for the carrier.

Why is it noteworthy?

The latest United Nations ECE child restraint standards were used by Tavo to provide the highest degree of safety and protection possible. With this protection system, you can travel with your pet in peace, knowing they are safe and secure.

What we like

• Ensures the ultimate safety and comfort while traveling for your doggo

What we dislike

• We’re not sure how easy to clean and maintain the system is

10. Hank Feed Bowl

This is the “Hank” Feed Bowl, and it is designed to help your doggo eat with ease. It features a maze pattern which ensures they don’t just gobble down their food in one go without raising their heads, as this can cause choking and clogging of the digestive tract. The feed bowl helps them eat in a better manner.

Why is it noteworthy?

Made from silicone, the bowl can be removed and cleaned easily, which should be done often. It is fitted inside a container with a cover, which keeps dust, dirt, and other unhygienic substances away from their food. The designer also says that the “working principle of the cover will automatically turn on” when it detects that your dog is nearby.

What we like

• Features a silicone strap, so you can carry it with you whenever you head out with your dog
• It resembles an adorable little toy

What we dislike

• It is a conceptual design, so we are unsure how functional it will be as a tangible product

The post 10 Best Dog Products to Keep Your Furry Friend Happy & Comfy first appeared on Yanko Design.