Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group has taken 100 year old technology and slapped it on a slab of sand to change how we interact with software and hardware. Project Soli consists of a small chip with a gesture control sensor to control devices without actually touching them. It’s a ‘gesture radar’ small enough to fit on a watch, keyboard, monitor or tablet, and functional enough to control sliders, buttons or 3D objects with pinpoint accuracy.

Of all of the minor annoyances that occur in the workshop, the need for an easily-adjustable bright light while working with both hands certainly ranks high up there – especially when looking for ‘that missing screw’ ends up taking just as much time as a project assembly itself. Of course, the best solutions for these minor annoyances don’t always come in the store bought variety – and multi-directional lighted workshop glasses are no exception. Created by master design modeler Jude Pullen, the ‘Detachable 360-Degree Mag-Lights for Workshop Glasses’ project is not only one of the most cost effective and usable DIY solutions for the workshop that we’ve seen, but it’s…

After years in development, those who have always wanted a solid, native version of Mcneel’s lightweight Rhino modeling environment on their Mac are finally in luck. Released on Monday, the new Rhino 5 for Mac marks the first time that the company has brought their NURBS-based modeling tool to the Mac, ever. While the young release will feature many of the same modeling tools that will be familiar to those who have used the program on Windows, it’s still not without its setbacks. Among others, the Mac version will lack support for plug-ins including the popular Grasshopper, a critical feature for many that has made Rhino such a powerful platform…

Time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! The Weekly App Smack is the best of design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list sure to make you more efficient. This week we have a fallout shelter simulator from the popular Fallout franchise, an easy to use mobile analytics tool that will forever change your Excel data, a ‘smart’ dashboard app and more… Have an app suggestion that’s made your life easier or changed up your workflow? Let us…

Although their products over the years have been hit or miss, the democratic design approach towards product development that Quirky has pioneered since being founded by Ben Kaufman in 2009 has always been front and center for the company; now, it’s looking like that’s all that they’re going to do with a new focus as a B2B platform. After years of launching dozens of products ranging from cable management systems to a ‘smart’ air conditioner, the company is hanging up their sketchbooks, calipers, markers and aprons in favor of implementing the code and community side of their democratic design platform into the product development process for larger corporations who are…

It’s no secret that one of the fastest ways to improve any digital workflow is to learn a program’s hot keys. Whether the program in question is Photoshop, SolidWorks, MODO or even your OS itself, knowing the keys can be a lifesaver for bouncing quickly between tasks. The problem of course – is actually learning them and remembering them. While some digital designers may know their hot keys like they know their own phone numbers, it can also be a cumbersome experience for new users. But as our digital toolkits become increasingly larger, what if we didn’t have to remember each and every key for each of these digital tools?…