A team in Tokyo has created a head-mounted camera that monitors brain waves and automatically starts recording when the wearer becomes interested in something.
Developed by Tokyo company Neurowear, the Neurocam headset monitors electrical activity in the brain. When the user sees something that causes a spike in brain activity, it automatically triggers a smartphone camera mounted on the side to start recording a five-second clip of what the user is looking at.
Users download an app on their iPhone, which is then slotted into a harness on the side of the headset. A prism then directs the camera’s lens to look forward at whatever the wearer sees.
The algorithm that powers Neurocam was developed by Professor Mitsukura of Keio University. Everything the wearer sees, and the subsequent reaction in the brain, is quantified on a scale of zero to 100. When the user sees something that the algorithm allocates a score above 60, the headset begins recording. The clips can then be shared on social networks such as Facebook, or viewed at a later date.
“The Neurocam is an extraordinary experiment that challenges the way future cameras can evolve and how humans may interact with such devices,” the team said. “The Neurocam allows humans emotions to become integrated with devices, and we see this as a totally new experience.”
The team is considering adding extra software features to enhance the user experience. Manual Mode would add emotional tags to the scenes the Neurocam records in the same way it adds GPS and location data. Effect Mode, meanwhile, would automatically overlay filters and visual effects based on how the user was feeling at the time.
They are also exploring how to make the headset more wearable. “In the future, we aim to make the device smaller, comfortable and fashionable to wear,” they said.
While still a prototype at present, the project is being backed by Japanese ad agency Dentsu in a joint venture called Dentsu ScienceJam. They believe the Neurocam has a number of applications relevant to advertising and marketing, including helping to determine which products people are interested by in a retail environment.
Another possible use for the the headset could be to aid in urban planning, since the information about interest levels can be overlaid with mapping and GPS data.
London architecture office Make has designed a portable prefabricated kiosk with a folded aluminium shell that opens and closes like a paper fan (+ movie).
Make based the design of the kiosks on the folded paper forms of Japanese origami, but chose to reproduce them in metal to create a compact and robust structure that can house street vendors.
“Origami was fundamental in developing the design; the ideas of a folding fan informed the design and folded paper models were used throughout the process, right up to the final testing of the completed design,” project architect Sean Affleck told Dezeen.
Two of the kiosks were installed in a public plaza at London’s Canary Wharf and acted as information and vending points for the duration of an ice-sculpting festival last month.
Affleck said the kiosks were created to perform multiple functions at different venues: “They’ve been designed to be used anywhere and for a multitude of purposes; from serving coffee, to information points, to a spot for DJs at events.”
The folded structure is made from hinged aluminium panels that radiate from a central axis and are treated with a resilient powder-coated finish.
A counterweight system controlled by a winch raises the front of the kiosk upwards from the base to create an opening that reveals the interior.
The folded section forms a canopy that protects the inside and anyone standing in front of the counter.
An interior space measuring 1.95 by 3 metres is lined with a plywood skin covered with a waterproof membrane, while a further layer of cladding creates an insulating gap to reduce the impact of solar gain.
Make collaborated with metal fabrication specialist Entech Environmental Technology Ltd to manufacture and test the pavilions off-site and then transported and installed them pre-assembled.
The kiosks will continue to be used as information points or rented out to vendors during an ongoing series of events taking place in Canary Wharf, and can subsequently be moved to a new location.
All images are courtesy of Make.
The architects sent us the following project description:
Make kiosks open for business
Two unique prefabricated retail kiosks designed by Make Architects were opened to the public for the first time when they became part of the Canary Wharf’s Ice Sculpturing Festival.
The simple folding geometric form of the kiosk is based on the concept of origami.
Expressed as a compact, sculptural rectangular box when closed, the structure is transformed when open, with folds and hinges in the aluminium panels allowing them to expand and contract like a fan when the kiosk opens and closes.
Sean Affleck, Make lead project architect, said: “It’s fantastic to see the kiosks on site being used and enjoyed by the public, and adding vibrancy and character to Canary Wharf’s public realm area.
“Our solution on the modern street kiosk is a distinctive sculptural rectangular box that transforms when it opens and its function is revealed. The design is also efficient and functional with compact, robust, durable, easy to maintain and vandal and graffiti- proof features. The internal fit-out elements can be adapted to suit the needs of individual vendors.”
The extremely lightweight, portable structure was tested and prefabricated off-site by Entech Environmental Technology Ltd, delivered to Canary Wharf via lorry and installed complete and pre-assembled.
French office Périphériques has redeveloped a site in west Paris by adding apartment blocks with contrasting facades and angular balconies, as well as a nursery with stripy pink and green walls (+ slideshow).
Périphériques designed three buildings for the irregularly shaped plot between Fremicourt Street and Boulevard de Grenelle, accommodating 35 apartments for rent, 54 social housing units and a kindergarten for up to 30 children.
The nine-storey apartment block is positioned on the northern side of the site, facing out onto Boulevard de Grenelle, and its facade is clad with terracotta panels that have been enamelled to create an iridescent effect.
The south-facing rear of the building overlooks a large communal garden, so the architects added a series of protruding balconies that extend the living rooms of each residence. Contrastingly, this elevation is clad with timber slats.
The social housing block is positioned opposite, facing south onto Frémicourt Street. The facade of this building is glazed, while its rear wall is clad with anodised aluminium.
“The program’s particularity is that the same operation unites social housing as well as private housing units,” said the architects. “Thus, we have treated the facades in a common way but with some classification.”
The three-storey kindergarten is sandwiched between the two housing blocks but can be accessed via a passageway that runs along the edge of the plot.
This structure has a multicoloured facade comprising terracotta blocks enamelled in various shades of pink, green, yellow, red and white. Some of these block also function as louvres for the windows.
The main spaces of the nursery are located on the two lowest levels of the building, while staff rooms occupy the uppermost floor.
Grenelle, 35 Private Housing, and Fremicourt, Immeuble de 54 Logements
The plot allotted to the project is situated between Fremicourt Street and Boulevard de Grenelle. It is exceptional by its orientation and its centre which is in continuity with the neighbouring gardens. In order to achieve a Low Energy Consumption Building in Paris, it is fundamental to recon on important technical plans of action.
The position of the building’s body on the boulevard (nine levels high) and on the street (ten levels high) is planned in a way to allow housing units with a double exposition. Their south end is extended by loggia spaces with pleasant views. Beyond the general implantation question, the proposed working drawing of the building is adapted to the context’s constrains.
The facades are creased in order to exploit at best its exposition and to mark the opening to the surrounding free spaces. The program’s particularity is that the same operation unites social housing as well as private housing units. Thus, we have imagined to treat the facades in a common way but with some classification.
The four facades, isolated on the interior, have been enveloped in an openwork horizontal sheathing elements – using glass for the Fremicourt side, anodised aluminium and wood for the garden side, and finally enamelled terracotta for the Boulevard de Grenelle side.
Nursery, 30 Cribs
The nursery capacity is 30 cribs. It develops as a 3-level superstructure with the first two floors accessible to the public. The ground floor houses the reception and premises for cradles, first floor houses premises for tall children then the second floor houses staff quarters.
The building is located in the inner courtyard of the passage along the west side of the operation. The volume respects the template imposed on street along the way. Inside the inner courtyard, the front of the nursery has inflection points in order to meet the size constraints imposed by the major sights in the lower levels of the building of social housing vis-à-vis.
The facades and garden will pass mechanical protection made with terracotta elements enamelled colour. This mineral cladding partially returns the roof. In front of windows, sunshades also in terracotta elements provide sun protection.
The outdoor areas are planted and bordered by a fence lined with a hedge shrub. A playground occasionally covered with a canopy containing the same elements as facade is provided along the building.
Stockholm 2014: student designer Nanna Kiil is showing a chair that looks like it’s dressed in a fat suit at the Greenhouse showcase of young talent as part of the Stockholm Furniture Fair.
Nanna Kiil modelled the Flesh Chair on an obese body. “The shape is inspired by overweight humans,” she told Dezeen. “I wanted to work with that aesthetic in a positive way.”
She used memory foam covered in a light pink textile to create the flabby appearance of the armchair. A wrinkled breed of dog was also taken as a reference when forming the folds and creases. “I was really inspired by the shar pei dog, where the fat is something I find really attractive,” said Kiil.
The foam was scrunched and wrinkled around a metal frame then sewn together along the edges. Wooden appendages are attached to the end of the frame and poke from the lumpy material to imitate hands and feet.
This hilltop staircase by Dutch firm NEXT Architects appears to create a continuous pathway, but it’s actually impossible to walk round more than once without climbing off (+ slideshow).
NEXT Architects designed the rusting steel structure for a grassy peak in Carnisselande, a suburb south of Rotterdam, where it provides a viewpoint overlooking the city skyline.
Rather than designing a simple loop, the architects based the form of the structure on the single-surface volume of a Möbius strip. This means the surface of the pathway wraps around onto its underside, making it impossible to walk around the entire periphery.
“Based on the principal of the Möbius strip, the continuous route of the stair is a delusion – upside becomes underside becomes upside,” explained the architects. “The suggestion of a continuous route is therefore, in the end, an impossibility.”
The structure is built from pre-weathered Corten steel, giving it a vivid orange tone that contrasts with the bright green of the grass below.
It was completed as part of a local art initiative entitled The Elastic Perspective.
Here’s a project description from NEXT Architects:
The Elastic Perspective
A rusty steel ring is gently draped upon a grass hill in Carnisselande, a Rotterdam suburb. It’s a giant circular stair leading the visitor up to a height that allows an unhindered view of the horizon and the nearby skyline of Rotterdam. The path makes a continuous movement and thereby draws on the context of the heavy infrastructural surrounding of ring road and tram track. While a tram stop represents the end or the start of a journey, the route of the stairway is endless.
However, the continuity and endlessness have a double meaning. Based on the principal of the Möbius strip, the continuous route of the stair is a delusion – upside becomes underside becomes upside. It has only one surface and only one boundary. The suggestion of a continuous route is therefore, in the end, an impossibility.
The Elastic Perspective is a local art plan for which NEXT architects designed this stair. The project reflects on the ambiguous relationship of the inhabitants of the Rotterdam suburb Carnisselande with their mother-town, which is expressed in both attraction and repulsion. “The view on Rotterdam is nowhere better, then from Carnisselande” as one of the locals put it.
The circular stair offers the suburbians a view on the Rotterdam skyline – only a couple of kilometers ahead – but forces them to retrace their steps back into their suburban reality. Rotterdam, by tram just minutes away, but in perception and experience tucked behind infrastructure and noise barriers; far away, so close.
Location: Carnisselande, Barendrecht NL Client: Municipality of Barendrecht Programme: Local Art plan Design: NEXT architects, Amsterdam Engineering: ABT consult, Velp Contractor: Mannen van Staal, Leeuwarden Budget: 150.000 euro
Twenty-two years after completing the exhibition venue in its home city, OMA returned to improve the energy efficiency of the building, rework some of the circulation routes and implement new security measures to prevent further break-ins.
“The renovation demonstrates the possibility of updating the building to meet contemporary requirements, whilst retaining the original concept of an exhibition machine,” said OMA partner Ellen van Loon, who led the project.
The refurbishment included adding a second entrance, making it possible to access auditorium and exhibition spaces independently.
Existing reception, restaurant and shop areas were integrated into the main route through the building, which OMA says “will enable the Kunsthal to evolve with the growing need for economic independence of cultural institutions”.
High-performance insulation materials were installed around the iconic glass facades and the roof, while other improvements include energy-efficient lighting, climate-regulating systems and sub-dividing partitions.
Stockholm 2014: Swedish studio Front presents spherical glass lamps that appear to be steamed up at the Stockholm Furniture Fair and Northern Light Fair, which opens today.
Front‘s Fog pendant lamps for Swedish lighting brand Zero consist of a glass ball that is frosted on the bottom and gradates to transparent at the top. “With no apparent light source, Fog looks like a flaming planet, a mystical hovering globe,” said the designers.
The spheres were sand-blasted on the inside to create the foggy effect and at first glance the light seems to shine from this cloudy base. “The light appears to shoot up from the bottom of the globe, emitting an ambient glow that rises like a magically fiery fog,” the studio said.
In fact an LED light source is hidden in the socket, which illuminates the frosted glass so it glows. The effect is intensified in the dark, when the contrast between the top and bottom is amplified.
Metal fixtures are available in copper or powder-coated in black or white, and also with a black or white cord. The lamps are currently on display at the Stockholm Furniture Fair and Northern Light Fair, which continues until Saturday.
Dezeen promotion: the second edition of EDIT by designjunction will take place at the eighteenth-century Palazzo Morando (pictured) in Milan from 9 to 13 April, during this year’s Salone Internazionale del Mobile furniture fair.
Curated by the team behind the London designjunction event, EDIT will present a range of new products and furniture by British and international brands.
Poke Stool by Innermost, to be shown at EDIT by designjunction
Already confirmed to exhibit are British brand Modus, New Zealand designers Resident and Hong Kong-based company EOQ, with more to be announced soon.
The exhibition will be held in Palazzo Morando located at Via Sant’Andrea 6, a historic eighteenth-century building close to Milan’s Brera design district.
A cafe by Florence coffee company La Marzocco will also be set up on-site, plus bike tours organised by London cycling store tokyobike will meet and depart from the venue.
designjunction returns to Salone del Mobile for EDIT with a powerful showcase of international brands taking over Palazzo Morando .
For the second year running, EDIT will take place during the Salone del Mobile from 9-13 April 2014. EDIT, which launched in April 2013 and attracted 22,000 visitors through the door, will showcase a powerful line-up of leading international brands. Set against the stunning backdrop of Palazzo Morando, a historic 18th Century building in the heart of Milan’s fashion district, EDIT strikes the perfect balance between creative and commercial.
EDIT is set to be the premier design destination at this year’s fair, presenting a carefully curated selection of more than 20 international brands, aiming to showcase quality, authentic design across all design disciplines.
Creating a dynamic hub for design in the centre of the city, just a stone’s throw from the Brera Design District, EDIT by designjunction will present new product launches, brand collaborations and installations including daily city bike tours courtesy of tokyobikes, Dezeen’s augmented reality pop-up watch store, an exhibition from COVER Magazine and a bespoke onsite café from Florence-based coffee connoisseurs, La Marzocco constructed in the building’s outdoor courtyard. Other brands exhibiting include: Modus, Innermost, EOQ, Stellar Works, Utopia & Utility, Flux, Resident, Baroncelli, Afghan Made and Adentro with more still to be announced.
Lily Chair by Modus, to be shown at EDIT by designjunction
“This year’s show will be a truly international showcase of leading global enterprises. Twenty cutting-edge design brands have been carefully edited to capture the imagination of our flagship London show – with a focus on quality not quantity,” said event director Deborah Spencer.
“This year we have moved to Palazzo Morando, to the south of the Brera Design District. The venue continues our ethos of finding architecturally interesting venues to house the designjunction showcase. Palazzo Morando is traditional and authentic in its architecture and the perfect backdrop for our international exhibitors. Spaces have been divided into zones rather than traditional stands to create a flow through the venue, and to allow exhibitors more expression,” said creative director Michael Sodeau.
Modus
Modus launch a series of new products at EDIT including a new sofa collection by Kenneth Grange with Smith Matthias and a new chair by Michael Sodeau.
Modus is an award-winning British furniture manufacturer dedicated to producing the very best in contemporary design. They work with both internationally acclaimed designers and emerging young talent to produce high quality, covetable pieces for both domestic and contract use.
Innermost
Innermost launch three new products this April. Dent 200 is a light fixture, two metres in diameter, with an interlocking cell structurebased around a truncated icosahedron form – the form most commonly used for footballs – each piece is powered by a custom LED unit of 31 bulbs. Poke is a new wooden stool with a unique stacking feature and Canvas is a surreal seating solution – a two-dimensional image which leans against a wall yet allows for effortless lounging through a clever construction of structured fabrics hidden within.
Innermost is a British design brand that stands for concept, quality and wit. Founded in London and working with designers from all over the world, founders Steve Jones and Russell Cameron’s philosophy is to be British yet very diverse.
Flux
Flux adds its own unique take on the new tea revival with a new collection in cobalt, gold, platinum, and in four new designs; Novella, Archibex, Tropical and Bendot. An elegant, contemporary but minimalistic teapot, milk jug and sugar pot, with detailed fluting reminiscent of Flux’s Staffordshire tradition. Whether your taste is for a refined Lapsang Souchong or the classic family brew, Flux has the right mix and match ideas for you.
Flux Stoke-on-Trent is an innovative company designing & manufacturing English fine bone China in the traditional heartland of the British ceramics industry with innovative and unique designs at the driving seat of the brand. Based in Stoke-on-Trent, the traditional heartland of fine bone china since the 18th century, Flux is driving a veritable renaissance of design, craftsmanship and quality manufacturing.
Chair by Adentro, to be shown at EDIT by designjunction
Adentro
Adentro launch the Ninna armchair by Carlo Contin formed from solid Ash with a leather-crust seat. The Cosimo Desk by Marco Zanuso Jr and H.E.A.D. chair by F.Pozzi + Adentro Studio formed in solid Ash is also new to the collection.
Adentro contemporary design was launched in 2011 in Paris with a single aim: to design and make furniture that bridges classic furniture to the Modern world. Timeless collections represent simple shapes and contours with a purity in form and line that makes the Adentro collection suitable for both residential and professional usage. Working with only the highest quality materials, Adentro take great pride in craftsmanship during each and every step of production.
Baroncelli
Baroncelli creates inspired lighting designs and installations for interiors throughout the world. Each project is expertly managed by Baroncelli’s technical expertise and creativity combined with the highest level of personal service. All pieces are made exclusively in Italy and are showcased in London and New York.
The London design studio is a creative hub for projects underway around the world. There are two main elements to Baroncelli’s lighting design business. The award-winning Collection features a bold and dynamic range of original designs which can be customised by interior designers. While Commissions demonstrates Baroncelli’s skill at creating spectacular, design-led centrepieces for industry leaders working on prestigious projects.
Flexus Pendants by Baroncelli, to be shown at EDIT by designjunction
Stellar Works
Launching a series of new products at EDIT, Stellar Works is a contemporary design brand with a strong commitment to creating collections inspired by craftsmanship and style traditions from around the world. Stellar Works has partnered with a select group of the world’s finest designers (Neri&Hu, Space Copenhagen, Zaha Hadid, Yabu Pushelberg, Borge Mogensen) who share a passion for cultural investigation and natural materials.
Furniture and design collections are designed to work in both domestic and commercial environments, where they provide a sense of comfort and warmth, elegance and timeless refinement.
Resident
New Zealand based contemporary lighting and furniture company Resident, launch nine new products at EDIT this April. Established in 2011, Resident combines an authentic blend of craft, engineering and innovation to produce a refined collection of furniture and lighting. Drawing from the eclectic inspirations of a select group of designers, Resident champions New Zealand based manufacturing and aims to find new materials and processes to produce iconic, practical and dependable consumer products.
EOQ
Michael Young has designed a brand new lighting collection for Hong Kong brand EOQ, to be presented this April alongside his new Yi chair.
EOQ is rooted in a spirit of enquiry and industrial adventure, delivering perfectly executed future classics with a balanced offering of functions and finishes. Committed to offering the highest quality while using the most sustainable methods, the first three collections from Michael Young work with aluminium extrusions. In the future, EOQ are looking to add further materials to the range – focussing on developing productsthat are both accessible and useful.
Stockholm 2014: design duo Färg & Blanche created this furniture collection by sewing pieces of plywood together (+ slideshow).
Färg & Blanche used a heavy-duty sewing machine more commonly used for making car seats to stitch together sections of plywood.
Wood Layer Armchair
“No one had ever tried using such a hard material on the machine,” Emma Marga Blanche told Dezeen.
After discovering that it was possible to sew the wood together, the pair experimented with different thicknesses and densities to push the limits of the machine.
“It was really exciting to find that this actually worked,” said Blanche. “We went thicker and thicker with the wood, so the ideas kept coming and developing.”
Pocket Cupboard
The first item they created in the Wood Tailoring range was the Pocket Cupboard, a modular storage system with leather pockets attached onto the front of the doors.
“Sewing is so heavily associated with the fashion industry but we like to think we’re tailoring each of these pieces to create Haute Couture furniture,” said Fredrik Färg.
Wood contours that get darker as they become smaller form the back of the Wood Layer Armchair, which arcs around a leather seat.
Bespoke Chair
The pieces of the smaller Bespoke Chair are steamed to bend them before stitching, while the armchair is sewn flat and then glued into its curved shape.
Färg & Blanche also sewed a large freestanding cupboard from a dark grey insulation material, with a topographical motif on the sides similar to the back of the armchair.
Färg & Blanche are a Swedish and French duo who worked independently before combining their efforts and setting up their own studio in Stockholm four years ago.
Fredrik Färg and Emma Marga Blanche’s latest innovation Wood Tailoring will be presented at the Stockholm Furniture Fair for the first time. Sewing technology is taken to its extreme with a thoroughly researched craftsmanship.
“We have tried extreme sewing technology the past years,” says Fredrik and Emma jointly, “not at least in the Emma armchair for Gärsnäs where the stitch was part of the construction. Now we have gone even further by reducing everything, only a shell of wood with the sewing as pattern generator and a structural element.”
Wood Tailoring employs sewing machine to stitch directly on to the wood in order to join different parts together while at the same time creating patterns which has an aesthetic of their own. Layer on layer of thick plywood is stitched together to make the Wood Layer Armchair, and where the sewing presents a topographical map with an organic pattern that resembles the growth of wood.
“Sewing is usually seen as something, which has to do with soft materials. We use our heavy-duty sewing machines to sew in wood. And, yes, it’s a raw poetry that fuses the hand-made with the industrial.”
Wood Tailoring is a new technology, which explores radical new possibilities in the joining of parts in furniture. The first products are the Wood Layer Armchair, the Bespoke Chair and the Pocket Cupboard, all to be presented at the Stockholm Furniture Fair.
Dezeen and MINI Frontiers: in our first movie looking at the interface between design and technology, Andy Millns of 3D production company Inition claims virtual reality will soon become almost indistinguishable from the real world.
Based in Shoreditch, east London, Inition specialises in using new technologies such as virtual reality to create a range of experiences and installations.
“Virtual reality was the technology that set me off on this career path in the first place,” says Millns. “I was absolutely obsessed with virtual reality in the early nineties; now it’s very exciting that the hardware has finally got to the point where the experience matches people’s expectations.”
The studio has been working with the developer version of Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset that was announced on crowd-funding website Kickstarter in 2012. The consumer version is currently in development and expected to launch this year.
“Oculus Rift has been sort of the poster child for virtual reality,” says Millns, before going on to explain how straightforward the device is. “What you’ve got essentially is a seven-inch mobile phone-type screen and two lenses. It’s that simple.”
The developer version of Oculus Rift has a very low-resolution screen, but with the pixel density of mobile phone screens rapidly increasing, Millns says it won’t be long before virtual reality becomes as life-like as the real world.
“We’re going to see this year a headset where it’s starting to get quite difficult to distinguish whether you’re actually wearing a headset or not,” he says. “When we start to get super-high-resolution headsets with the type of display technology that we’re seeing on the market now, it’s gong to blur the line between what is reality and what is virtual.”
It’s most recent project using the Oculus Rift device was a collaboration with the fashion designer Gareth Pugh called Monolith, which was installed last month at Selfridges for the London department store’s Festival of Imagination.
Visitors entered a soundproofed booth and put on a special helmet, which transported them on a virtual reality journey through monochromatic cityscapes populated by ghostly figures based on the sculptural costumes Pugh created for the Royal Ballet.
“You walk into the store, put the headset on and you’re immersed in a three-minute experience inside the world of Gareth Pugh,” Millns explains.
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