Smiling Opel

Steel Drake’s design for Opel (Buick in America) gives the brand a much-needed breath of fresh air. Called the Lancorte, it looks a bit like a cross between a CR-Z and an Eclipse… sporty but reserved for the older target customer. If its price point is as low as the brand’s other models, the coupe will be worth it to impress the neighbors for at least a moment. Favorite feature: those side dimples! Hit the jump to see what I mean…

Designer: Steel Drake


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(Smiling Opel was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Wooden Bike Perfection

Beech plywood frames, solid seats and pinstriped tires give the WOOD.b series of street bikes a somewhat vintage feel but seamless joints, steel accents and a simple minimal aesthetic give the series away as modern designs of today. It is this perfect balance that makes them timeless and almost too pretty to ride!

Designer: BSG Bikes 2/2


Yanko Design
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(Wooden Bike Perfection was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Electrified Urban Commuter a Reality

The VANMOOF 10 Electrified represents the next leap forward in empowering urban commuters worldwide with an intelligent commuter bike! It takes modern tech advances from the car industry like GPS tracking, smart power control and a lightweight, integrated battery and merges them into a minimal all-city bike. Best of all, you can be one of the first to own it: here!

With the capacity to boost your own pedal power by an astonishing 80 percent, the VANMOOF 10 Electrified is the first urban commuter bicycle to feature intelligent SMART POWER ASSISTANCE technology. Specifically developed to address the demands of urban commuting, the bike’s onboard computer monitors your cycling behavior via a sensor, adjusting the bike’s electric power – supplied via the small, lightweight motor in the bike’s front wheel. Whether you’re going uphill or downhill SMART POWER ASSISTANCE takes the sweat out of urban commuting, getting you around town more comfortably than ever.

Integrated into the anodized aluminium frame of the VANMOOF 10 Electrified is a discreet dashboard that offers complete control of all of your bike’s key functions. An intelligent interface between cyclist and machine, its display features both a battery indicator and a motor power indicator, allowing you to keep track of your progress at a glance. What’s more, the corresponding remote control allows you to turn your bike on and off as required.

The VANMOOF 10 Electrified comes with an ingenious system to help you retrieve your bicycle in the event of loss or theft. GPS tracking systems are already widely used in the car industry; now it’s part of your urban biking experience.

Designer: VANMOOF


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(Electrified Urban Commuter a Reality was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Lean, Mean, Muscle Machine

At a glance, this wild bike concept looks more like a sculpture… maybe even something out of the Body Worlds Exhibit! Drawing from our very own anatomy, Zapfina takes inspiration from the relationship between bones, ligaments, and muscles, translating their connection to a design language fit for 2-wheels. The Z shaped frame was formed like a joint to absorb shock and protect moving components like the chain and gears. All it needs is a little human muscle!

Designer: JiaLing Hu


Yanko Design
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(Lean, Mean, Muscle Machine was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Scientist Figures Out How Those Big-Ass ‘Sailing Stones’ Move Themselves Across Death Valley

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“Racetrack Playa” sounds like the screenname of an online teenager you’re competing against in Need for Speed, but scientists recognize it as the name of a dried-up lake in Death Valley. For a century, scientific minds have been puzzled by a well-documented, poorly-understood phenomenon occuring at Racetrack Playa: Enormous stones, some up to 700 pounds, appear to have somehow moved themselves across the lakebed floor in random patterns, leaving a furrowed trail behind them.

sailing-stones-02.jpg

No one had ever seen these “sailing stones” move, but many photographed the end result. The original thought was that the lakebed forms a thin sheet of ice on it, and that the wind then blows the rocks across it; but that theory was discounted after researchers calculated it would take wind speeds of hundreds of miles per hour to move the rocks, while the wind at the Racetrack maxes out around 90 m.p.h. And if you’re wondering why they don’t just strap a GoPro camera onto a rock to see what’s going on, scientists returning to the site over the years have calculated that the rocks move for short periods of time, just once every three years. That’s a bit longer than your battery’s likely to last.

However, a fortunate collision between two of these magic rocks provided planetary scientist Ralph Lorenz with an interesting discovery:

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A Bike for Babes

For ladies who like to travel in style, the Fluxa bike was designed to be a rideable fashion accessory that enhances your look rather than dulls you down! Designer Callie Clark looked to NYC’s fashionistas for inspiration, noting the most popular shapes, textures and prints being worn and translating them to the language of 2 wheels.

Designer: Callie Clark


Yanko Design
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(A Bike for Babes was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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A Look Inside Japan’s Suh-weet Underground Automated Bicycle Server

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We first reported on Japan’s underground bike storage systems a few years ago, but Culture Japan host Danny Choo has released a newer, high-res video. His updated look at a modern-day underground “bike server” in Tokyo’s Shinagawa ward is a must-see:

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Gran Turismo Trimaran

Clemens Auer’s modern yacht design takes inspiration from almost the polar opposite: classic cars! This is most noticeable in the trimaran’s front half, where the wings are reminiscent of vintage fenders from the 1930s. Exquisite finishes and exaggerated features, including an abundance of wood detailing, square tail, drop top, and dramatic lines, reflect the era in an entirely new and fresh way. 

Designer: Clemens Auer


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BREAKFAST’s #PointsSign System Represents the Future of Wayfinding Signage

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Among the many criticisms leveled against New York City’s new bikeshare program, I’m particularly perplexed by the notion that the stations are a blight upon Gotham’s otherwise pristine streetscapes—at worst, they’re conspicuously overbranded, but, as many proponents have pointed out, they’re no worse than any other curbside eyesore. Although the city is making a conscious effort to reduce the visual overstimuli at street level, it’s only a matter of time before static signage simply won’t suffice.

While Maspeth Sign Shop continues to crank out aluminum signs, BREAKFAST proposes an entirely novel concept for interactive, real-time wayfinding fixtures. “Points” is billed as “the most advanced and intelligent directional sign on Earth,” featuring three directional signs with LEDs to dynamically display relevant information. However, “it’s when the arms begin to rotate around towards new directions and the text begins to update that you realize you’re looking at something much more cutting-edge. You’re looking at the future of how people find where they’re headed next.”

See “Points” in action:

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The Ultimate Lux Sub

The MIGALOO private submarine transforms the stereotypical industrial style of submersibles into a lavish private vessel fit for a king. It offers a state-of-the-art luxury experience (including a pool and ample deck space) of similar sized super-yachts with the added benefit of submerging to travel or stay underneath the water for complete privacy. When it comes to having the flashiest yacht, this one sinks the competition!

The hull of the 115 meter long and 11 meter wide MIGALOO is identical to current submarines, only the tower is custom designed, which means it is longer and wider to host a light flooded main saloon followed by a wide staircase including a central round elevator shaft.

The enormous space of the aft deck includes lounge areas, sun beds, a bar, an 8 by 3 meter-pool as well as a heli-pad that offer a wide range of activities and possibilities. When MIGALOO is submerged, all furniture is stored in large storages underneath the granite decking. The bottom of the pool also raises up to the main level of the deck.

The foredeck is fully dedicated to the owner’s privacy. This includes lounges, a private bar and a private access to the 2-level-owner’s suite directly underneath. The telescopically extendible roof provides shade and follows perfectly the contour lines of the hull when closed. A spacious sun lounge on top of the tower completes the common amenities found on a super yacht. The lounges are accessible via 2 wide stairways from the main deck, or, even more comfortable, from all interior deck levels via the lift. The telescopically extendible roof provides shade and will also be closed when the owner prefers to dive with the yacht. A cinema room, a library, a gym and a gaming room are additional features which ensure total comfort when living or traveling longer distances submerged.

For the crew, the design studio has planned an outdoor helm station on the forward top of the tower when MIGALOO travels above the water line, otherwise the spacious bridge and all necessary technical rooms hosting the equipment to control the submarine are directly underneath the tower in the hull. The design and dimensions of the hull are inspired by existing submarines, positioning necessary components where they need to be without compromising the common space for the owner and his guests, which are accommodated in 8 VIP-suites on sub-deck 2 and 3, while the owner has his private-full-beam-quarters over 2 decks on sub-deck 1 and sub-deck 2.

Designer: motion code: blue


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(The Ultimate Lux Sub was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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