Hasta La Ideas

I’m not quite sure what to make of an IndieGoGo project that turned up in the inbox over the holiday: the EveryTouchFX is a haptic switch that is designed specifically for household applications. The wired black box turns most any decorative element into a simple capacitive switch, effectively touch-enabling everyday objects through osmosis. Watch:

The team behind the EveryTouchFX is based in Poland and Philadelphia, PA, USA (if you can’t tell from the introduction to the pitch vid); hence, unironic locutions such as “From now on comonly [sic] used and know [sic] switches will go down in history thanks to an invention, which is patent protected.”

Ambiguously bombastic copywriting notwithstanding, my BS meter isn’t going off, and I don’t think it’s a hoax—it’s hard to tell from the video, but if the EveryTouchFX can reliably ‘learn’ the materials (up to 10cm thick) in which it is ’embedded,’ the input device might have additional applications in everything from DIY projects to defense to exhibition design.

As for the more mundane household setting, I don’t know it’s worth $100 for what is at best a dubious upgrade—it’s bad enough walking into a bathroom where the light switch isn’t adjacent to the door; I don’t know that a wall tile or vanity would make for a more practical trigger for illumination. With no backers as of press time, they may need to rethink the strategy for their campaign—seven and a half weeks may not be enough time to sell 1,000 switches to individuals…

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News: rumours are mounting that Apple is working on a wearable smartwatch that would link up to an iPhone.

Top image: the LunaTik watch, designed to hold an Apple iPod Nano

A Chinese technology news website has claimed Apple is working with chip maker Intel on a watch with a 3.8-centimetre OLED screen, which would use Bluetooth technology and Apple’s voice assistant Siri to communicate with the wearer’s iPhone to send text messages, emails and status updates.

Citing unnamed supply chain sources in China, where Apple manufactures most of its products, TGBUS said the product is expected to come out in the first half of 2013.

While rumours from Chinese suppliers often turn out to be unfounded, partly because manufacturers sometimes develop products in the hope Apple will take them up, technology bloggers believe the arrival of an Apple smartwatch would be a timely response to consumer demand for an iOS-compatible watch.

Experts say the recent popularity of designs such as the LunaTik and the Apple-approved iWatchz nanoclipz, which both turn an iPod Nano into a touchscreen timepiece, may well have nudged Apple towards launching its own version.

Designed by Scott Wilson of Chicago studio MINIMAL, the LunaTik raised $1 million through crowd-funding website Kickstarter in just a few days, as Wilson told Dezeen in a movie interview last year.

Similarly, the Pebble watch is one of Kickstarter’s biggest success stories, having raised more than $10 million from backers who wanted a watch that could work with their phones.

Wearable computers, smart glasses and skin-mounted sensors will soon be part of our day-to-day travelling, shopping and socialising, according to Google Maps boss John Hanke, who spoke to us recently to mark the UK launch of Field Trip, an location-based app that provides tips on nearby sights and activities using information from websites including Dezeen.

Other Apple developments we’ve reported on lately include a major management shake-up to place Jonathan Ive in charge of both hardware and software design, and the recent news that a yacht built for the tech giant’s late co-founder Steve Jobs was briefly impounded following a dispute over an unpaid bill to French designer Philippe Starck. See all our stories about Apple.

See more stories about watches or browse products from Dezeen Watch Store.

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Bad Trip est le projet un peu fou d’Alan Kwan. Ce dernier a décidé depuis novembre 2011 de filmer chaque moment de sa vie grâce à une caméra montée sur ses lunettes pour ensuite les incruster dans un programme qu’il a conçu et structuré. Une expérience immersive entre la mémoire et les rêves à découvrir dans la suite.

Amanda Ghassaei a réussi avec une imprimante 3D à créer un vinyl pouvant être lu sur une platine standard et pouvant de la même façon proposer de la musique digitale convertie sur l’objet imprimé. Une nouvelle étape dans la technique d’impression à découvrir en images et vidéo.

Aaron Sherwood a pensé en collaboration avec Mike Alison cette installation appelée « Firewall ». La mise en place d’une feuille en élasthanne agit ici comme une interface avec une membrane sensible à la profondeur que l’on peut pousser afin de créer des effets visuels et sonores. Plus dans la suite.