Dinner parties and official gatherings are a time to mingle and do some serious networking. In such situations many of us (greedy/hungry) people have to give the yummy hors d’oeuvres and appetizers a miss, so that we don’t come across as awkward and messy. You know the scene: glass of wine in one hand and a plate full of goodies in the other! Mantara is the ideal solution for such social situations. It looks stylish and has a groove to hold your wine glass, a niche to secure the spoon/fork and the dish holds the appropriate proportion of food. Keep it all in one hand and let the other do the flirting!

Designer: Gabriel Contino

Designer Adam vows that he never looked to any specific design while conceptualizing the City Vehicle, but I think if we were to re-do the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car for the future urbanites then this would be it. Hosting all eco factors like solar technology on the surface of the roof, regenerative braking, electric motor and capabilities of harnessing wind power as well, this concept car is meant only for city commute. To keep the vehicle light and easy all high-tech gadgetry has been ditched and only the bare essentials incorporated.

The car is meant to seat 2 people in a 1+1 in line seating arrangement, or 1 person with luggage. This is coz Adam believes that mostly people commute alone in the city (say to work) and rest of the space in the car is wasted.

Practical, viable or simply OTT; I reserve my judgment on that, but I kinda like the cozy appeal that it has.

Designer: Adam Palethorpe

Imagine painting your body with a specially formulated ink and your gestures, movements or touch allowing you to communicate with electronic devices directly. Bare is this new parasitic technology being explored where you apply the special paint to your body via brush, stamp, or spray. The paint acts as a medium to send information from a person to another, transmit data from a person to a computer, or power small LEDs. It’s however limited to simple applications such as switching and data transfer that consume less power, but the potential is unlimited.

In the future we can see this technology being explored in the arena of dance, music, computer interfaces, communication and medical devices. It even has a special place of contention in areas where wires are cumbersome. The Ink per-se is temporary, non-toxic and water-soluble and is composed of non-metallic conductive particles suspended in food and cosmetic additives. Thus it is safe for skin application.
The circuitry between the ink and the electronic device is completed when the small electrodes are placed directly on to the skin, which in turn transmits the data.

The Music Box seen here was an experimental performance that involved simultaneously choreographing dance and composing music using Bare as a conductive medium. A professional dancer was invited to perform in the box, and as different parts of her body touched its surface, musical notes and patterns were created. The result of this direct interaction between movement and sound was a unique and compelling performance.

Designers: Bibi Nelson, Matt Johnson, Isabel Lizardi & Becky Pilditch

Styled as a sleek looking Samsonite Briefcase, the B-Seat is in fact a baby seat for infants and children up to 6 years. The focus of this concept is mainly on safety, ergonomic details, comfort and looks. Designed to be molded from strong plastic with chrome details, the guise of an elite briefcase befits the globe-trotting mamas and dads. Two things missing: comfy, cushioned seating that most baby seats require and handles to carry it. However the exterior design is totally with it!

Designer: Cesar Estrada

So you’d like to have a tiny motorcycle. So you’d like to have a fast motorcycle. So you’d like to have a safe motorcycle. I am sorry you cannot have all three! What you’ve got here is a very fast, very dangerous vehicle. It’s called the Halbo, and it’s got a BMW stamp on it. It’s tiny and it’s got a front wheel motor combined with a sphere form rear wheel.

The target user for this vehicle is a “vibrant eco-minded young individual.” Speed on! It’s half the size of the “regular high end motorcycle,” and it’s full name is Halb Organismus.

Wild enough?

Also it’s electric powered. The front wheel is stationary, while the back… tail… turns left to right. It’s like flying an X-Wing! Or… like a motorboat! Or… anything with a stationary front end!

Designer: Pierre Yohanes Lubis

Future Duo-Wheel Transport BMW Halbo Pierre Yohanes Lubis

Flamboyance in prepping the food, presenting and entertaining guests from the kitchen space is an art in itself. Pelago Kitchen Island is for those who like to show-off their cooking skills but have limited space. The workstation features multiple counter surfaces that slide away to reveal the sink and has drawers for specific tasks. Granite countertops and aluminum sinks are the obvious choice of materials as they are easy to maintain. It even has a niche space for 2 people to sit while you do the cooking.

The Main Features:

• A sliding counter-top surface hides prepping sinks when closed, maximizing space and creating an area for either food prepping (sink open) or an entertaining area (sink closed).
• The two smaller prep sinks make it easier to segregate raw meat from vegetables, reducing the risk of cross contamination. In addition, a larger primary sink is in the center of Pelago providing an area for storing dirty dishes.
• Multiple sized drawers house different kitchen utensils, tools and dishes.
• A hands-free opening garbage drawer prevents the spread of bacteria.
• Opposite the sink station is a kitchen bar counter that is part of the island. Seating for two

Designer: Curtis Ma

When I first learned to ride a horse, I was told that I needed to move with the horse, as if of one mind. I was bucked off twice before I finally let go and learned to let go and move with “Davis” the horse, as opposed to trying to force her to bend to my will. That lesson seems to be apparent in Designer Andrea Mocellin’s latest “EXO- AUDI” concept. Andrea feels that the best way to drive is to be at one with your machine.

By “Taking advantage of the exoskeleton  and nanotechnology evolution, we can create a potential energy source and produce a new generation of human powered vehicles: faster and stronger.” Inspired by sports equipment, footwear design and human instinct, this design uses the owners own kinetic energy to power your way down the street. Though it is not quite clear if Andrea is talking about pedal power or full body motion, this design not only re-imagines power train options but also makes us look deeper into the obvious inefficiency of modern human conveyance systems. No wonder GM is having a hard time finding a buyer for HUMMER.

Designer: Andrea Mocellin

Aversion to new fangled technology? Wanna keep it old school but modern and classy? Don’t I sound the an infomercial? If you said yes to all the above, check out this credit card size notepad. It uses foil and rubber to imprint whatever you write using an included stick but any blunt surface will do. If you’re not familiar with the old tech, the built-in slider brings it to a clean slate. I believe this is concept only.

Designer: Piotrek Gorski

Every month we take a look around and select some of the most interesting designs that was showcased here. Below you’ll find the most popular designs we’ve tracked over the last 30 days - an overview of designs you shouldn’t have missed in June 2009.

10) Scania Truck by Adam Palethorpe. Permalink Hits: 7229

9) Portable Record Player by Charles Pyott. Pemalink Hits: 7380

8 ) Hologram Mobile Phone by Mac Funamizu. Permalink Hits: 7693

7) Turn-around Toilet by Young Sang Eun. Permalink Hits: 7935

6) Ferrari X-Racer by Vincent Montreuil. Permalink Hits: 8487

5) Mobile Touchphone for the Blind by Zhenwei You. Permalink Hits: 9487

4) Meet Pushya & Pullya Robots by Paul Grader. Permalink Hits: 9978

3) Earphone Transforming Mobile Phone by IIshat Garipov. Permalink Hits: 11397

2) Service Please Bottle by Doyeop Kim. Permalink Hits: 30711

1) Cargo Truck by Adam Schacter. Permalink Hits: 150407

Park your butt on it or stow some books; you got to hand it to these wonderful designers for addressing many issues at one go. For example, if you have space crunch, then this impromptu bookshelf stool is handy. Notice how the deep U-s hold thick fat books comfortably! You like modular, multifunctional stuff; check the box!
Using bending technique for molding the 8 layers of industrial gray felt (stuck with epoxy resin) and 2 layers of veneer, this piece could add a third dimension to it….use it as a table!

Designers: Can Onart, Elissa Myres & Bethany Casperite