Vending machine advances/variants

While we’re not surprised that vending machines are finally getting touchscreen interfaces, like this Coca-Cola machine on display at CES, spotted by MegaWhatTV

…we are surprised that this is coming to us from Sapient, rather than Japan, where jidohanbaiki offer an almost absurd range of products. But while they’re not pioneering touchscreen interfaces, Japan does have some seriously overengineered vending machines, seemingly designed to keep mechanical engineers employed:

Not that they’ve got a monopoly on such things–the video below shows a machine shows an overly sophisticated in Strasbourg, France (fast forward to 0:25 for the action).

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Industrial ‘Furniture’ Design

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Produced in Eindhoven, the VANDERPOLL table is the latest piece from Marijn van der Poll. Made-to-order, the table is built from 3mm plate steel with the option of a stainless steel tabletop (pictured) or black oak.

I wanted to design a table with a strong structural base. To have it ‘sit’ in your living room and be a central piece in your interior. I wanted to go beyond design as an object with a branded identity and found inspiration in heavy machinery. Massive objects, where functionality and strength dictate the buildup of an object made to last. The company name embossed on the front is thus merely a statement regarding its heritage in a functional way. As an option the name and city on the front can be substituted for it’s new owner. A table is a place where family members gather to share a meal and their lives. As such it connects them and reflects their story as much as my role as fabricator.

Marijn’s Jetstream table which debuted in Milan last year recently won a ‘2008 GOOD DESIGN Award’ from The Chicago Design Museum of Architecture and Design.

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The Seven Deadly Sits

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Designer Thomas Von Staffeldt has expressed the Seven Deadly Sins in a rather unique way: By modifying Arne Jacobsen’s classic “Model 3107” chair to represent each one. The “Saligia” (the Latin acronym for the 7DS) collection is being auctioned off for charity; question is, will Greed fetch the highest price, or the lowest?

via moco loco

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Apple product ideas: one silly, one sensible

Apple’s Cover Flow interface is designed to emulate the process of flipping through a stack of records or CDs; so it seems darn silly to make a physical product to emulate a virtual experience that emulates a physical one, but that’s just what this iShelf Concept CD Stand does.

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Jesus Diaz, on the other hand, has proposed a far sounder idea for an Apple product: a keyboard that not only docks your iPhone, but lets you use it as part of the interface itself.

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via cult of mac and gizmodo

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The decline of printed matter, the rise of microfiber

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How can you prevent a nearly obsolete product from making its way out the door? By giving it a secondary, more modern function. Rand-McNally, manufacturer of printed maps (remember those things?) has surely seen a decline in sales since the advent of Mapquest and Google Maps. But a clever RM product planner realized that more and more of us are carrying at least one device with an LCD screen, and LCD screens get dirty and need to be cleaned.

The result? Rand-McNally’s new fabMAPs, printed on microfiber cloth. Now that their maps can be used to wipe down a cell phone, camera lens or display, tourists just might start buying them again.

via oh gizmo

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Obama action figure

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While we could never imagine an American toy designer proposing an action figure of the Japanese Prime Minister, it somehow makes sense the other way around.

Well, as much sense as it could make, in a world where one of the “tools of diplomacy” is a Lightsaber.

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We’ve avoided putting up some of the more controversial action shots, but those willing to be paid a visit by the Secret Service can click the link to Gamu Toys to see what else they’ve got the President doing.

thanks tomur!

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Recycling for kids

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There’s an entire category of toys that involves emulating adult tasks, like toy sewing machines or the Holly Hobby EZ-Bake Oven. I always thought it was strange that these toys emulate distinctly un-fun activities; I mean who the heck wants to cook and sew? What is this, the 1800s?

A toy in this category that we’re surprised to see on the market is the Discovery Paper Recycling Studio. The kit actually lets children recycle paper (presumably without any harmful chemicals) and produce their own from the refuse, embedded with objects, as you can see in the sample photo above. And while recycling ain’t fun (at least not at real recycling plants) at least it’s teaching kids something important about the environment.

via gadget grid

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Motorcycle designers expanding, while working in secret

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It’s nice to hear that, economic downturn aside, some design companies are still expanding. Xenophya Design, a UK-based motorcycle design consultancy, has just opened a new design studio in northeastern England.

You may have never heard of Xenophya Design, and well, that’s no accident:

Since establishing the company in 2001, Mark Wells and Ian Wride have spent the last seven years building up an impressive portfolio of projects and an equally enviable client list. Although most major motorcycle manufacturers have their own in-house design team they often employ the services of consultancies for smaller design projects or specific aspects of larger projects. Companies without their own design team employ Xenophya to provide a complete design service.

Much of the work produced by consultancies such as Xenophya is never allowed into the public domain. “Some of our most impressive, innovative work is confidential and not meant for public, much less competitor consumption” Ian Wride explains. Changing objectives, markets, and budgets mean it is common for projects to get stopped before they reach production.

Mark Wells hints at his frustration when he says “We are extremely proud of all our work but unfortunately a lot of it never gets to see the light of day. On occasion we have to stay completely anonymous. Some contracts state that we can’t even mention that we worked for the client let alone be allowed to use anything in our portfolio…. that’s just the way the industry works.”

Check out the gallery of concept sketches and designs that these guys can show here.

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3D scanner may liberate ID interns from measuring hell

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At a previous ID gig I had to painstakingly measure every millimeter, angle and curve of a competitor’s product using calipers and ship’s curves, then create a model of it in the computer.

If Rochester, New York-based Real-View’s 3D scanner is real, perhaps you young bucks can avoid similar fates. The website seems a bit dodgy and the Starship Enterprise aesthetics are a bit strange, but if the device does what it says it does, you’ll be thankful you never have to touch ship’s curves again.

via dvice

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Zero Pollution Motors: Air to stay?

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We were excited when we heard about Zero Pollution Motors and their air-powered car back in ’07, but with no news from them in all of ’08, we assumed that they folded.

The good news is they’re still cranking, and will reportedly begin taking orders this year for their air-powered cars, allegedly deliverable in 2010.

Pure Driving: The Revolutionary Compressed Air Vehicle

If you can, imagine a vehicle that runs on air, achieves over 100 gas-equivalent mpg and over 90 mph, has zero to low C02 emissions, seats six, has plenty of space for luggage, cuts no safety corners, and costs no more than an average economy to mid-size vehicle.

This is the expected performance of the revolutionary compressed air vehicle that Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM) is introducing to North America. The vehicle is powered by the Compressed Air Engine (CAE) developed by Motor Development International (MDI), a 15-year old company based in Nice, France, and headed by inventor and Formula One race car engineer, Guy Negre.

ZPM will begin taking reservations in mid-2009 for US deliveries of our compressed air vehicle in 2010.

Curious? Click here to see some videos about the tech on the company’s website.

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