Always a (giant) crowd pleaser for any LEGO fan – making gigantic ‘things’ out of LEGO—this time it’s a Chevrolet Silverado pick up truck. Agreed it’s only because of a movie partnership – “The LEGO® Movie 2: The Second Part” – no less, we can all do with a little bit more of the bricks…
The only kind of pens that you’d like to pass down from one generation to another, are in the range of the expensive Cartier and Mont Blanc kinds. Definitely not falling into this bracket, is the ManualPen as it’s not super expensive and neither glam-ed up with celebrity endorsements. However, it holds the distinction of…
Back in 2014, Great Britain’s premier postal service, The Royal Mail, tied up with 3D printing company iMAKR, to offer their customers a 3D printing option on objects ranging from key chains to mini postboxes in the latest bid to retool the company for the 21st century. Similarly, La Poste Group, France’s national postal service…
Have you been there? A sharp *crack* sending you and your carry-on suitcase into that unforgiving airport terminal traffic? I’ve cracked a suitcase wheel on an uneven surface, giving my baggage a mind of it’s own. With no better option, I picked up the heavy bag and carried it, sometimes from the side, sometimes from…
12 centuries on and the Vikings are still a subject that looms large in our imaginations. Blonde, powerfully built men with horned helmets, nostrils flaring with aggression, weapon wielding to descend and capture. On a not-so-well-known note researchers assert that the weapon a Viking brought to his grave was a measure of his social standing.…
When running from a bear whilst out on a hike, there’s but one concern–getting clear, shake-free footage. There are various gimbals and stabalizer systems for the GoPro, but a new motorized option is making all the other options look weak. SLICK is a motorized GoPro stabilizer that allows you to record video hands-free, to let you focus on the activity, ahem, fleeing that…
If you were suitably impressed by Tarek Loubani’s efforts of innovating the 3D Printed Stethoscope, then you’ll surely be taken in with 3D4MD, a company that 3D prints medical supplies that can be used on the field or in remote places. The aim of the project is to empower doctors who visit those remote locations, equipping…
You know how Spotify works, right? You pay a subscription fee, then get earfuls of streaming music. We’ve seen the same idea applied to nearly every type of media. So, why not 3D Printing? Enter Kwambio, a new service set up to allow you to stream designer products, interact, customize and print. You can’t download…
Co-Founder Erik deBrun of Redshift Sports is an avid cyclists; this is his team’s second cycling related product and just like their first (the Switch Aero System – previously featured on SolidSmack) personal experiences and issues as cyclists gave birth to the ShockStop.
Sixteen-year-old innovator Mohammad Sayed decided that his wheelchair needed to be more useful. Having previously designed and added an interchangeable laptop tray and canopy along with classmates for a school project, Sayed felt that the chair could use some more design modifications to make it easier to use. Taking the redesign one step further, he…
Running any form of business that revolves around manufacturing can be challenging – especially for small businesses with limited resources and bandwidth. While a well-organized team and sufficient capital investment are a great starting point, challenges ranging from project management and client relations to asset management and billing can be just as tough to wrangle…
For all of the adult LEGO model builders out there (you know who you are), do you ever face the problem of building a LEGO model from scratch only to wish that you had some sort of a ‘back bone’ structure to begin with – such as for creating a mech robot with movable joints…
Origami is an art that requites a certain level of patience, skill, and precision. Be good enough at it, and it is possible to come up with beautifully detailed complex creations – all without the use of a single drop of glue. Using the age-old technique of origami manipulation, paper engineer Erik Åberg has created…
How does building a paper airplane that is remote controlled, costs less than $10, and works like a dream sound? Intrigued? So are we – gather your soldering iron, cutting tool, glue and crafting tools or rotary tools and lets get flying. The project, which was created by Instructables user ‘Imetomi’, cleverly uses your standard…
Roy Barazani is the rare type of person that I want to personally meet and congratulate on his ingenious product idea. His product, The OFFBITS, is a line of open-source robots that encourages users to add their own stray upcycled hardware components. Originally designed with “unused and unloved” bits and pieces, the ‘build-it-yourself’ kits can…
Since 70,000 BC, humans have been playing around with different shapes and sizes of lamps – but the LUNALUXX just might be the first lamp that literally floats in the air – it’s a sleek, minimalistic lamp with a light emitting disc that is literally suspended in mid-air. Created by design engineers Ian van Eenennaam…
Animal trophy heads or skulls have adorned the mantle of many a freemason’s living room over the years. Whether their presence has helped solidify an aura of mystery and manliness that some crave or is a sentimental object that’s been handed down over generations, few could have probably ever imagined what a trophy head would…
In the case you haven’t heard about the wonderfully-wacky and potentially life-changing Liquid-Glide yet, stop doing whatever you’re currently doing and immediately watch this. Born out of one of the more frustrating feelings in the first world – struggling to get the last bit of ketchup out of the bottle or the last squirt of…
Back in 2013, many of the world’s best architects and designers attended the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Among other concepts being presented for the first time, this was where “Blockitecture” was introduced to the world by James Paulius. Paulius, a product designer who…
Considering that recent statistics have proven that 62% of Americans believe that we will eventually be living in a “Keyless Era”, it should come with little surprise that there is an increasing demand for smart locks of all shapes and sizes that speak to different markets. According to those statistics, 4 out of 5 Americans…
POMCH is a Hong Kong based bag brand and concept store that began as a school assignment between 2 friends. Jeffery Leung and Felix Tai epitomize the synergies that exist between industrial and product design through their pet project, POMCH. POMCH is the sound from the heavy machinery operation, which leads to the brand concept…
It stretches. It bounces. It tears and it shatters – now put it next to a magnet and it comes alive! Of course you remember playing with Silly Putty as a kid. Thinking Putty, however, is no longer just Silly; it’s all grown up and developed even more superpowers! Thinking Putty is a silicone polymer-based…
Most ‘zen’ practitioners will tell you that reaching a state of higher consciousness is not an art but a way of life, where “awareness” is “consciousness”. The emphasis on the present moment is perhaps Zen’s most distinctive characteristic. In modern times, finding the time and ability to disconnect from technology, busy schedules and sensory overload…
Aside from giving us the Mad Max films and dang-good biscuits, Australia has also given us a number of world-changing inventions including the black box, the ultrasound scanner and WiFi technology – which has personally allowed me to while away hours in my favorite coffee shop. Now, Sydney-born Duncan Helmers wants to revolutionize the way…
It goes without saying – science should be (and most often is) fun and entertaining. When we’re curious our minds are the most open to new ideas and sometimes people forget that ‘playing’ is the most natural form of discovery and exploration – especially where innovation for product design is concerned. Nanotechnology is the study…
As if the new iPhone 6 hasn’t given users enough new screen real estate, a new product wants essentially double your viewing pleasure. This spring, gadget maker Oaxis will be launching their brand new Inkcase 6 case which fits seamlessly to the iPhone 6. Oaxis has taken a rather ingenious approach to the ubiquitous problem…
Often referred to by experts as the M2 Generation, there’s no limit to the amount of time kids aged 6 to 10 will spend playing with apps on various multimedia devices including smartphones and tablets. With this in mind, the designers behind the Hackaball have developed an ingenious learning tool that helps teach kids the…
“Head out on the highway, looking for adventure and whatever comes our way” – Steppenwolf, Born to be Wild. Move over pocket-ripping and bulky multi-tools! Portland, Oregon-based Leatherman Tools has recently launched an industry first; their vision of a fully-functional multi-tool that can be worn around the wrist in the form of the Leatherman Tread.…
The Zeni Kinetic Origin series of 3D printers are Designed for the future. A future where the 3D printer becomes a common appliance in homes and offices. With the Origin series, the Zeni Kinetic is bringing out well-designed and good looking 3D printers at a price range that is much more affordable to most of…
Times have certainly changed in the “art nouveau” world which was synonymous with harmonizing the various elements of nature with design. Say a warm hello to Canada’s craftsman de extraordinaire Daniel Szohatzky of GLARECUT. Daniel’s take on Tiffany Lamp shades includes staying as far away as possible from the mass produced tradition and adopt a…
How would you connect the budding thinkers of the future with the best of the innovative tools to realize their dreams? It’s simple: take it to their door step. Well, that’s what North Carolina-based Betaversity’s BetaBox is designed for anyways. The shipping container-turned fablab packs more than enough practical and clever tools that bring some…
Dave Petrillo and Dave Jackson made waves with the Coffee Joulies; and now their new sensation – Booze Joulies – keeps alcohol cold without watering it down is creating quite a literal stir. According to the team, a few Booze Joulies in a glass of room temperature scotch gives “medium chill without the flavors becoming…
The popularization of computers and modern printers since the 1980s has clearly resulted in a slow death for typeset printing from the mainstream realm – yet the appeal of letterpress printing over the years has ensured that it lives on. In the case that you love the charm of letterpress prints (admit it – you…
If we were all being honest here, there has to be at least one time where we have all hoped for that never ending supply of LEGO bricks of choice. Thankfully, there is now a virtual option for owning thousands upon thousands of the iconic bricks without the need for physical storage space and the…
The Sugr Cube portable WiFi Speaker from Sugr can be a classic case for the scenario where a product becomes an extension of one’s reality. Devoid of inanimate and mechanical switches and dials, this portable speaker lets you interact with it in a very humanized way: it understands your touch, strokes and gentle nudges to…
Among other recent technological breakthroughs, it is now possible for dreams to be translated much more efficiently into physical 3D creations. Among others, ‘The Wire Collection’ of vases designed by Ivan Zhurba is a testimony to that fact. Produced using selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing technology, ‘The Wire Collection’ vases thrive with the spontaneous…
It goes without saying – wearable devices are a hot topic these days and while many designers and corporations are primarily focusing on wrist and eyewear, China-based Eamey has been busy infusing wearable technology into something that most people already wear daily: headphones. Needless to say, headphones present a wearable device genre that has been…
If you know a cyclist, you’ve likely heard complaints about that persnickety front bicycle derailleur. Well, to take those derailleur woes away, a father and his three sons have come up with a simple device which could redefine cycling as we know it – a 3-speed front gearbox.
Azerbaijan … it sounds sexy, cool and exciting … say it in your mind, “I’m going to Baku, Azerbaijan, for a 3D Print Conference.” Totally exotic and sexy right! Enough of the fantasy fare, now for the serious business on hand; Baku is a happening city and which is why the 3D Print Conference is…
If there’s one thing that the world seemingly doesn’t need any more of, it’s another reusable water bottle design. Between the combination of modular concepts that unscrew for easier cleaning to those that include an embedded lemon juicer, the human race has never had as many options for getting water into a mouth as they…
Basic Conception (AKA BiCi) is a smart bicycle with tech that will make you drool all over the handlebars of your Huffy. Among other features, the goodies include built-in sensors that track your cycling stats to keep your ‘quantified self’ busy during the duration of your route to grandma’s house. Built by AOAO Studio, the…
We can’t fault Seth Manlove for being unsatisfied with the kind of lamps we find in the marketplace these days. While innovation in some like Slow Wood’s Teca Lamp is impressive, the choices in the kitsch category are very limited. The SLIM Lamp is here to fill this void and can be found on Kickstarter…
Crowned as one of the best iPad Apps of the year by Apple, the GoldieBlox and the Movie Machine App is super-crazy and super-delightful. Designed used alongside the GoldieBlox Movie Machine engineering toy for girls (and boys!), I had the time of my life simply exploring this creative engineering and movie-animation app. First things first:…
Grunt, squeeze and pop that 3D printed champagne cork. Yesterday, at Autodesk University, the software company that serves manufacturing, architectural and the media and entertainment industries pushed further into additive manufacturing with three announcements. Autodesk has formally launched the Spark Platform, along with a Printer, a Fund and a strategic partnership with 3D print industry…
You’ve probably heard about the TouchPico – a handheld projector that transforms any surface into an amazingly awesome interactive touchscreen. The 80″ screen surface that you get is a bold step in technology innovation and means a lot to the designing community as well. Recapping the technology aspect – the interactive Android PC projects via…
Necessity is the mother of invention some might say and the need to make optimum utilization of the limited space available in the refrigerator has given birth to many a great invention, such as this amazing new bottleLoft by product designer Brian Conti. Billed as the ‘world’s first magnetic bottle hanger’, the slim organization system…
Toilet humor is considered rude and cheap, but this time around we have a very innovative contraption that fits the bill in a good way. It’s not new news that we as humans have to use the restroom daily. It’s also not new news that we flush down gallons of water because, well…because that’s how…
For those who missed it, yesterday, 14th October was Ada Lovelace Day. It is a day dedicated to commemorate the achievements of women in STEM, i.e. science, technology, engineering and maths. In an era where the likes of Satya Nadella (Microsoft’s CEO) undermine the prowess of women, I guess it’s important to celebrate everyday as…
There is nothing more cool than watching the dude in this video sculpt a fake spider in virtual reality. Using a Sculpting Tool, VRClay allows you to freely sculpt with tools like buildup, pull, push, drag and others to your heart’s delight. The drool quotient is that it’s compatible with Oculus Rift. So the lucky…
It’s easier said than done when it comes to taking care of pets. Right from the tiny fishes in a tank to the poop-master doggies with droopy eyes and fluffy ears – all spell work. Yes, we succumb to their charms and are left with tons of cleaning and caring to do. This is till…