Le studio Makkink & Bey conçoit une collection de meubles pour un avenir nomade, dans le cadre d’une exposition sur les textiles. Un scénario futur dans lequel l’individu,qui se déplace au quotidien, reste confortable. Différentes œuvres à la fois pratiques et esthétiques sont à découvrir dans la suite de l’article.
News: a research team at Stanford University has developed a pocket-sized microscope that can be assembled from a sheet of paper and costs less than a pound to manufacture, intended to help in the fight against malaria.
The Foldscope can be assembled in minutes, includes no mechanical moving parts, packs in a flat configuration, weighs less than ten grams, is extremely rugged and can be safely incinerated after use to dispose of infectious biological samples.
“I wanted to make the best possible disease-detection instrument that we could almost distribute for free,” said Manu Prakash, assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford and head of the team developing the Foldscope. “What came out of this project is what we call use-and-throw microscopy.”
The Foldscope comes as a single piece of card, with all the necessary parts including optics, an LED and mirror built-in. A user tears each part from the template and then matches the pieces based on colour. The whole thing costs between 30 and 40 pence to manufacture.
To use the device, a sample is mounted on a standard microscope slide and wedged between the paper layers of the microscope. The user then holds the sample up to their eye and uses their thumb and forefinger to adjust focus by flexing and sliding the paper platform accordingly.
“These are literally built out of paper, tape and glue, and they are as good as research microscopes that you can buy,” said Prakash.
One of the key design features on the Foldscope is the use of inexpensive spherical lenses. Traditional microscopes use precision-ground curved glass as their lenses, but the Foldscope uses poppy seed-sized lenses originally produced as a type of abrasive grit to remove rough edges from metal.
Thanks to these cheap lenses – which cost less than 20p to make – the Foldscope can provide more than 2000 times the magnification of the naked eye.
They’re also extremely tough. In trials, the Foldscope was dropped from a three-storey building, stood on and dropped into water, but still worked.
At present a billion people worldwide are affected by malaria, but due to a limited supply of microscopes and trained professionals, many aren’t diagnosed. Prakash believes the Foldscope has the scaleability to tackle the problem.
The team is currently enlisting the help of 10,000 individuals for beta trials and hopes to develop a crowd-sourced biology microscopy manual based on the findings.
The post Disposable paper microscope
developed for detecting malaria appeared first on Dezeen.
This wearable design concept helps epilepsy sufferers manage symptoms, predict potential seizures and alert passersby or loved ones when having a fit (+ slideshow).
The Dialog device, developed by American technology company Artefact, would use a wearable sensor and an iPhone app to help monitor patients’ vital signs and keep a log of conditions leading up to, during, and after a seizure.
“There are currently three million epilepsy sufferers in America, and it is the third most common neurological disorder after Alzheimer’s and stroke,” said Matthew Jordan, the project leader.
Current solutions, according to Artefact, only focus on detection, alert or journaling and don’t address the whole experience of living with the condition.
The Dialog would deal with the problem by creating a digital network that connects the person living with epilepsy to caregivers, doctors, and members of the public who have installed the Dialog app with data and instructions on how to give assistance.
The user attaches a nodule to the skin, which can be done either using transparent adhesive paper or by wearing it in a bracket that looks like a watch.
Using a series of sensors that monitors hydration, temperature, and heart rate, it gathers information on the wearer and stores the data on a smartphone.
Additionally, the sensor would prompt the wearer to take medication and record mood through the sensor’s touchscreen, and logs information about local climate conditions that could increase the likelihood of a seizure.
In the event of a fit, the wearer simply grasps the sensor, which alerts a caregiver and anyone within close proximity of the sufferer who has downloaded the app.
“It helps possible first responders be notified that a patient who is nearby is having a sustained seizure, directs the bystander to the patient, gives instructions on how to help the patient through the emergency, and affords a direct line of communication to the family caregiver,” said Jordan.
When the seizure ends, information about the length of the seizure, along with other contextual information, is displayed on the user’s smartphone to help reorient themselves.
With the information generated by wearing the sensor, the app will then be able to learn what conditions or vital signs could indicate a potential seizure is imminent and alert all parties. It would also give time for the wearer to take preventative action.
A doctor can would be able to access all of the data generated by the app and make changes to medication or offer insights into causes and symptoms.
“At this point, the device is a concept, but we designed it with technologies and components in mind that are currently in development or being tested in labs and research centres,” said Emilia Palaveeva, another member of the Dialog team.
The post Epilepsy aid uses wearable sensors
to predict seizures and call for help appeared first on Dezeen.
The most attractive part about the Ultimate Ears BOOM is that you don’t need to treat it like some precious treasure that is good to see, nice to hold but breakable. Covered in a soft, wear and water resistant acoustic skin that feels warm and comfortable in your hands, the speakers are the center of all action.
The simple plus and minus interface is refreshingly easy to use. The fluorescent flat cable avoids tangles and twists, and rolls up cleanly for easy storage.
Designer: NONOBJECT
–
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design!
(Listen With Your Life was originally posted on Yanko Design)
Related posts:
     |
Artist Gabriel Barcia-Colombo has created a vending machine that dispenses human genetic material to highlight privacy issues emerging as biotechnology makes it easier and cheaper to access information locked in our DNA (+ interview).
“In a dystopian future where we all have samples of our friends’ DNA, we will be able to do things like genetic engineering in the same way as we do 3D printing,” Gabriel Barcia-Colombo told Dezeen. “When everyone has access to cheaper biotechnology, DNA may be much more valuable than a candy bar, soda or some other treat sold in a vending machine.”
The New York artist created the DNA Vending Machine with the hope of challenging people to ask more questions about privacy and who owns the material that makes us unique.
“There are a whole range of court cases that say our DNA can be used against us for anything,” explained the artist, who is also a lecturer at New York University specialising in interactive telecommunications. “We have huge pharmaceutical companies making loads of money out of DNA from people who haven’t necessarily given them permission to use it.”
Presented in a recent TED Talk, the DNA Vending Machine replaces snacks and drinks usually found in an automated food dispenser with samples of people’s genetic code. These samples can then be bought.
“I began collecting the DNA of my friends at my house during Friday night gatherings, and then furthered mycollection through several scheduled open houses where anyone could come to my studio and sign up to submit an open-source sample of their own DNA,” the artist explained.
Participants in the project spat into a vial containing solution that breaks down the cells found in the saliva, releasing the DNA. Alcohol was then added, causing the strands of genetic code to clump together and making them visible to the human eye.
The vials were then sealed inside identical white containers and placed inside a standard vending machine. “Each sample comes packaged with a collectable portrait of the human specimen as well as a unique link to a custom DNA extraction video,” said Barcia-Colombo.
The machine was installed in an art gallery in New York last year, and the artist recalls some of the reactions to the art piece. “They’re disgusted that this is using human genetic material, and they often are scared by it,” he said. “They’re scared because the samples can be bought and used to plant evidence on a crime scene.”
“In a dystopian future where we all have samples of our friends’ DNA, we will be able to do things like genetic engineering in the same way as we do 3D printing,” he predicted. “When everyone has access to cheaper biotechnology, DNA may be much more valuable than a candy bar, soda or some other treat sold in a vending machine.”
Barcia-Colombo sees comparisons between DNA ownership and concerns over the collecting and harvesting of our own digital data. “Our phones are harvesting our data and then being sold is a very similar idea to companies harvesting our DNA and selling it to pharmaceutical companies without us knowing.”
The DNA Vending Machine was designed to start a conversation that the artist feels is long overdue.
One of the most high-profile cases surrounding the legality and ethics of DNA ownership was the example of Henrietta Lacks. While receiving treatment for cancer of the cervix in 1951, she had a healthy part of the tissue removed without permission.
The cells were later grown in vitro and have since been used by pharmaceutical companies to develop polio vaccines and in the research of AIDS, cancer and radiation poisoning. The material is still used today and is referred to as hela cells in reference to the first two letters of her first and last name.
More recently, a court case in 1990 between John Moore, a US citizen undergoing treatment for hairy cell leukaemia and the UCLA Medical Center brought the issue back into the headlines. “The supreme court decision in the case ruled that a person’s discarded tissue and cells are not their property and can be commercialised,” said Barcia-Colombo. “It’s ridiculous. When it becomes easy to reproduce these things, it brings up a lot of personal questions about rights and you as a personal franchise.”
A second version of the art project is due to go on display in New York this summer.
Below is an edited transcript of the interview with Barcia-Colombo:
Matt Hussey: How did you develop the idea of the vending machine?
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: I’m very interested in the idea of law generally when it comes to ownership of DNA, and I like to express that in a playful way. But it’s really about questions of privacy. We have huge pharmaceutical companies making loads of money out of DNA from people who haven’t necessarily given them permission to use their DNA. That kind of thing really fascinates me.
Matt Hussey: What is the piece about?
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: The piece is about privacy and DNA ownership. With the DNA Vending Machine I hope to draw attention to historical cases of DNA ownership or commercialised human cells as in the cases of Henrietta Lacks and the supreme court decision in Moore v. Regents of the University of California, where in the early 1990’s the court ruled that a person’s discarded tissue and cells are not their property and can be commercialised.
This is not a celebration of any of these verdicts or laws but rather a reminder of our complicated past when it comes to ownership over genetic material. In the future, when everyone has access to cheaper biotechnology, DNA may be much more valuable than a candy bar, soda or some other treat sold in a vending machine.
Matt Hussey: What have been the responses to the vending machine?
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: On approaching it, they don’t know what it is. Then they read about it on a little placard and are pretty grossed out by it. They’re disgusted that this is using human genetic material, and they often are scared by it.
They’re scared because the samples can be bought and used to plant evidence on a crime scene. It’s DNA from inside our cheek cells which is very readily available, but in this context it’s elevated to a more artistic context, but also, in another way, it makes it more human.
Matt Hussey: Who are the samples of?
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: Mostly friends. I started doing it at parties. I’d have people over at my house and say hey, “let’s do some DNA extraction” and show them how it worked. I work at NYU and asked if there were any students who would be interested in it outside NYU, and then I worked with a bio-tech lab in Brooklyn called Genspace, and we did some DNA extractions there. So I started with friends and then expanded.”
Matt Hussey: Were you worried at all that people wouldn’t want to give samples?
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: I was worried at first about how many people would want to be part of it. I explained to them very clearly that this could have implications where someone could buy this sample and if they wanted to sequence it, and in the process discovered some kind of new drug, they could make a lot of money out of this.
But I also framed it as a very exciting art project that they could be part of. I think it’s one of the first times this has been done in the artistic community.
Matt Hussey: What was it that appealed to you about using a vending machine?
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: They’re usually utilised to sell snacks at the movie theatre or on the street, but suddenly here it’s used to sell genetic material. It’s funny in a way. Because it’s humorous I think it makes it easier for people to understand. Ideally I’d want to bring it in to public places like Grand Central Station or Times Square. Places with a more public context.
Matt Hussey: There has been an increase in cheap gene sequencing thanks to companies like 23andMe that’s raising legal questions that many people don’t feel comfortable with. Is this a response to that?
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: For me, it’s indicative of other privacy right issues that are going on right now in the United States with phone calls and online data. When this moves completely into the genetic market, and when it becomes easy to reproduce these things, it brings up a lot of personal questions about rights and you as a personal franchise.
It also touches upon those people who are disenfranchised with the process and don’t understand the legal issues surrounding it and don’t have a way of really fighting back.
Matt Hussey: How would you summarise the mood of people towards these ideas?
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: I think there is an immediate fear growing within people. I think we’ve only really started hearing about in the past two years. Our phones are harvesting our data and then being sold. It’s a very similar idea to companies harvesting our DNA and being sold to pharmaceutical companies without us knowing. I think it’s reflecting itself.
I myself am not a paranoid person, I’m very open about things, but I do think there is a place for art to question what is going on. I use art to provoke conversation, and this is a conversation piece. The DNA vending machine is not a protest piece, it’s about having ideas and questioning what the future holds, security in terms of genetic material, and to educate people about what can be done with DNA, and how accessible this human data is.
The post Genetic engineering will be “as accessible as
3D-printing” says DNA Vending Machine designer appeared first on Dezeen.
Pint-sized printers are by no means a new invention, but they’re apparently back in vogue. You may remember Little Printer—the ticker-producing content curator—which we covered when our friends at BERG first introduced it. If we were to go as far as to make broad historical comparisons, as we do, the “Cub”—an early 20th century printing pess kit for kids, made by the Chicago-based Superior Marking Equipment Company (SMEC)—is the analog precursor to the Little Printer.
Tiny rubber characters (clearly intended for child-sized fingers) were included with each kit—more characters and images could be purchased, Gillette-style, of course. To create customized prints, users would carefully align the rubber stamps on the rotary with tweezers. While the outcome would put the printer miles ahead of the competition when it came to personalized babysitting or lawn mowing fliers, this was not a toy for the short of patience.
Left: sample copy from a print press kit; right: 1951 Popular Science ad
If you think the miniature press itself is awww-inducing, check out this throwback commercial from SMEC competitor, Ideal:
News: internet-connected cars will soon be harvesting data on the weather, road conditions and traffic flow and selling it to the grid, according to panelists at the Internet of Cars session at the SXSW festival.
The data could then be used by meteorologists and highways agencies to help them improve their services, with drivers receiving a small payment.
Other innovations in the near future will include heads-up displays on windshields that allow you drive through thick fog, and music systems that automatically pick tracks to match your driving.
“The cars we drive nowadays are giant sensors on wheels, generating tons of data,” said Scott Lange, executive creative director at Team Detroit, an agency that works closely with Ford. “Each car generates 25Mb of data per hour.”
By aggregating data from sensors in cars’ suspension systems, for example, highways agencies would know which stretches of road needed repairing, Lange said. “You could create really accurate data of where all the potholes are.”
Information on when drivers had switched their windscreen wipers on and off could be used to track the weather, he added. “That data suddenly becomes very important to meteorologists.”
Automotive makers are working to develop an industry-standard software platform that could be made public so that developers can explore ways of utilising the data, much like they develop apps for mobile phones.
“It’s not about creating a proprietary Ford-owned system,” said Sefi Grossman, vice president of technology enablement at Team Detroit. “It’s about opening it up. We’re trying to create a unified API.”
This would also allow manufacturers to push software updates to cars via the internet, rather than waiting for the car to book in for a service.
The panel, convened to discuss the implications of having cars connected to the internet, took place in Austin, Texas last week as part of the SXSW Interactive festival.
Lange described cars as “the biggest and greatest wearable [device] that you have. It’s an exoskeleton that gives you superhuman powers.”
Dave Knox, CEO of digital strategy company Rockfish, said that cars could link drivers to their homes and interface with wireless control systems such as Nest. “The car would remind you that you left your front door open at home,” he said.
Lange added: “You could get an icon on your phone saying you need to leave work early to buy gas, and suggesting where you could buy it.”
Heidi Browning, senior vice president of strategic solutions at internet radio technology company Pandora Media, added that in-car music streaming services would soon be able to match tracks to your driving style. “You could control your music by your speed,” she said. “Hard Rock when you’re speeding, Country when you’re slowing down.”
The panel predicted that car use would move to a subscription model, with car companies providing drivers with different vehicles for different purposes, based on a unique digital profile of their driving habits captured by sensors in cars. “You will get different data sets for different drivers in the same car,” said Lange.
The panel agreed that the issue of who owned the data was a sensitive one, with Grossman saying the information was “valuable and there may be some payback for drivers [who give up their data]”.
He added: “Hypothetically, users could give up certain data streams and in return get different vehicles for different times of the week.”
The post Internet-connected cars will give
drivers “superhuman powers” appeared first on Dezeen.
These shoes are 3D-printed using flexible, durable filament so they can be folded up and stuffed into a pocket or bag (+ slideshow).
Designed by Ignacio Garcia of Spanish 3D-printing firm Recreus, the Sneakerbot II shoes are printed with the company’s Filaflex 1.75-millimetre filament, which comes in a range of metallic colours and matte hues.
This elastic filament forms a rubbery, waterproof material that is bendy and retains its shape after being scrunched up.
The shoes can be printed on a MakerBot using a custom extruder also designed by Garcia, which prevents the elastic filament becoming tangled during the process.
Sole and upper are printed in one piece, then the tongue is attached to the front of the shoe. Holes for threading the laces through are incorporated into the print file.
Chunky faceted forms around the bases of the high-top trainers create a Futurist appearance.
This design builds on the original Sneakerbot model, which has smoother surfaces that look more like running shoes.
The files for both designs are available to download for free from MakerBot’s Thingiverse website.
Others experimenting with 3D-printed footwear include fashion designer Iris van Herpen and sports brand Nike, which have both used the technology to create shoes. Also, 3D-printing company Cubify has launched a range of women’s shoes that can be printed overnight at home.
The post 3D-printed shoes by Recreus
scrunch up to fit into pockets appeared first on Dezeen.
Wi-Fi on the go is such a great idea and for those of us who are dependent on it for survival (read online geeks), it’s a matter of life and death! The CLIP 4G Portable Hotspot Device sounds like a dream. Available in 3G HSPA & 4G LTE network, the device can be connected via micro USB or Wi-Fi interface. The fact that it supports limitless data services is amazing grace!
Designer: Kihyun Jeong for LG Innotek
–
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design!
(The Clip Advantage was originally posted on Yanko Design)
Related posts:
| |
La marque allemande KUKA, spécialisée dans la robotique, a réalisé cette vidéo pour l’inauguration de sa nouvelle usine à Shanghai. Avec humour, la vidéo oppose, lors d’un duel, le joueur pro de tennis de table Timo Boll avec le robot Kuka. Qui sera le vainqueur de cette partie qui oppose l’Homme et la Machine.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
