Hasta La Ideas

A globetrotting Japanese expat once told me he believed there was a Japanese expat pecking order. “The coolest kids move to London,” he explained, “the second coolest, to New York. The third coolest move to L.A.” (This last one delivered with an undertone of scorn.)

If his theorem can also be applied to Japanese automobiles, then Nissan is in pretty good shape. Their boxy NV200 won NYC’s “Taxi of Tomorrow” competition (albeit amidst resistance) last year; now it’s just won the “Taxi for London” title, and will begin rolling out there later this year.

Petrol version

Electric version

(more…)

The KAYLAD-e trike makes getting around the city a cinch! The electric pedal-assisted design focuses on safety and security to give the rider peace of mind both on and off the trike. Head, tail and direction LED lights give the rider visibility while integrated locks secure the bike and any cargo from theft. In the event that someone is able to make off with it, built-in GPS makes it possible to track down.

Designer: Dimitris Niavis

Kaylad-e | trike evolved from Dimitris Niavis on Vimeo.

–
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!
(Worry Free E-trike was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

1. Worry Beads Player For Fidgety Hands
2. Trike for Disabled Tikes
3. Equestrian Inspired Trike

It’s that time of the year when we sit back, relax and reflect on the year gone by. 2014 is fast approaching and here is a quick recap of the Ten Most Amazing Designs in the field of Transportation. Interesting to note that cars didn’t quite make the cut, instead bikes, alternate modes and bicycles made a splash. Free market is such a fun space; you never know how people will react and what catches their fancy! Stay tuned for more creative insights tomorrow.

Saddle Lock – Bicycle Lock by Lee Sang Hwa, Kim Jin Ho & Yeo Min Gu

Bugatti Gangloff – Concept Car by Paweł Czyżewski

Honda Type E – Concept Vehicle by Michael Brandt

Quick Stand & Lock For Bicycle by Soohwan Kim, Junho Yoon, Dohoon Lee & Hyojin Park

BMW Rapp – 100th Anniversary Concept by Dejan Hristov

Spearhead Yacht by Alexander Shevchenko

Audi Motorcycle – Ducati by Thibault Devauze

7-miles Robotic Orthosis by Josef Ludvik Bohm

nCycle by Hussain Almossawi & Marin Myftiu

One Shot – Folding Bike by Valentina Vecchia

STP – Step Scooter by Benk Koros

National Geographic 2035 ZAIRE Concept Car by Dong Man Joo

XGV-A “Orbiter” – Space Launcher by Oscar Viñals

Flexi-Bike by Hoon Yoon

Audi Nexus – Concept Vehicle by Marco Wilhelm

Zapfina – Concept Bicycle by JiaLing Hu

–
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!
(Best of Transportation Design in 2013 was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

1. YouRail Design Contest – Visions of modern transportation by Bombardier
2. Top 32 Favorites From 2013 iF Design Award
3. Best Of A’ Design Awards & Competition 2013

Visualized for the Paragon Space Development Corporation, this concept capsule will take passengers to the edge of space where they will be able to observe the curvature of the earth. Inspired by luxury aircraft interiors, the design focuses on enhancing comfort onboard to create a transformative human experience!

World View plans the flights of the capsule, which can carry eight people, to over 30 kilometres (98,425 feet) by means of a helium balloon. The ascent will take between one and a half to two hours. The capsule will then spend between two and six hours at the intended altitude of 30 kilometres, before returning to Earth over the course of 20-40 minutes.

The extended length of time spent in space was a significant driver for the design of the vessel. As director Nigel Goode explains: ‘The idea of space travel naturally brings to mind traditional rocket ships and the aerodynamic forms they command. However, the World View experience is not about speed, it’s about enjoying a once in a lifetime journey. The unique advantage is that the body of work over the last 25 years, from product design to aircraft interiors and hotels, means we always design with the user at the heart. We didn’t just want to design a vessel, we wanted to define what commercial space travel could be. We wanted to create a stylish, elegant, luxurious environment for this unique experience. It was all about finding the right balance between form and function.”

The capsule’s sturdy form was designed to enhance passenger safety. The key design features are the large panoramic windows constructed from an array of small high pressure units. Goode continues ‘It was crucial to find a way to maximise the viewing windows. In our initial design meetings with the World View team, they talked about wanting to start the journey before dawn, so that as passengers rose up to space, they would be able to observe the sunrise, the curvature of the Earth, the thin blue atmosphere and the blackness of space. The windows we designed offer the maximum amount of viewing space for passengers, whilst meeting stringent safety requirements. There is also a cupola viewing dome for unrestricted view of the Earth’s curvature.”

Other features include a lightweight structure, permanently deployed parafoil to maximise safety, science capsule attached to the top of the exterior for potential scientific data readings, deployable landing gear (skids), a reserve parachute for safety and a unique trailer unit for ground transportation and launching platform.

Designer: Priestmangoode

–
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!
(See Space in the Lap of Luxury was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

1. Luxury Android
2. Dare To Dream Luxury?
3. Green Luxury Wares

All photos by Hanne van der Woude

Last few weeks ago, a Cinelli “Laser Nostra” prototype sold for nearly 2.5 times its high estimate of $20,000 at a charity auction, raising $47,500 for (RED)—a fraction of the $13.1m total, but certainly a handsome sum for a bicycle that reportedly won the 2011 Red Hook Crit in Milan. (The one-off red Mac Pro went for nearly a million bucks, grossly eclipsing its $40,000–60,000 estimate.) Of course, the hammer price with buyer’s premium comes in at one-tenth the figure of the most expensive bicycle sold at auction, a Trek Madone adorned with custom Damien Hirst ‘butterfly’ graphics—real wings applied to the frame and wheels—raced by Lance Armstrong during the 2009 Tour de France (see the full ranking here). The lepidopterous lightweight sold, pre-doping scandal, at a 2009 charity auction for the controversial cyclist’s Livestrong organization, bringing in (as Lance Tweeted) “Half a million bucks!!!”—far and away the most of any of the art bikes he raced on that year.

Now Sotheby’s, the esteemed auction house behind both of these notable sales (Bono is the man halfway-but-not-really behind the curtain), has commissioned a kind of artist’s edition of bicycles from Herman van Hulsteijn, whose elegant seat tube-less frame design we first admired a couple of years ago, shortly after he launched his eponymous bicycle brand (styled as Vanhulsteijn). The Dutch designer has outdone himself with his latest project, a collaboration with his neighbors in Arnhem, who specialize in the craft of lacquer, also known as urushi.

Urushi is the sap of the urushi or lacquer tree (rhus vernicifera). It is a member of the sumac family (anacardiaceae) and native to China, Korea, Japan and the eastern Himalayas. The sap of this tree contains a resin (urushiol) which, when exposed to moisture and air, polymerizes and becomes a very hard, durable, plastic-like substance. Urushi is in fact a natural plastic. The process of applying the lacquer is long and labour intensive: independent of the size of the surface it takes on average 6 months to carry out the finishing. In some cases 60 layers are applied and polished by hand. Depending on the kind of lacquer the time it takes a single layer to dry can take from two hours up to three months. Due to its fascinating characteristics which are both sustainable and aesthetically beautiful, urushi is still used for a wide variety of purposes.

Video by Vandervan

(more…)