If you thought mobile cases with bunny ears and googly eyes were weird, wait ‘til you get a load of what HCI (human-computer interaction) researcher and interaction designer Marc Teyssier has been working on. By laying a number of electronics underneath a mixture of various silicones, he and his team created Skin-On: a phone case…
While extremely versatile for a wide range of applications, there’s no denying that poorly-disposed PET plastics are affecting our ocean systems. To help counteract their contribution, Coca-Cola committed to manufacturing all of their bottles with at least 50% recycled plastics by the year 2030. So far, it looks like they’re on track. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKbZOQX8Mkc This month…
In this modern age of everything-looks-the-same DIY furniture, it makes sense that some people want to make something unique to stand out from their friends’ IKEA apartment fixtures. While you could spend hours searching a thrift store for something out of the ordinary, the best way to find something one of a kind is to…well,…
Fans of inflatable bouncy castles and comfy car seats have reason to rejoice because 3D-printed inflatables are now a thing! Created by the minds at the Self-Assemble Lab of MIT and BMW, these inflatables adapt and transform by themselves to suit your comfy needs. Dubbed “Liquid Printed Pneumatics,” these silicone materials take on different shapes…
In the “YOU MAKE IT WE SKATE IT” YouTube series, a group of skateboarders with a video camera and a penchant for material science create skateboard decks and accessories out of random objects to see if they ride or not. To date, this has included riding on everything from a flatscreen TV to a series…
Call it a first world problem, but keeping plates hot and drinks cold during a carefully-curated meal can be a problem for many chefs – particularly if they’re upholding a reputation in the elite ranks. First shown at the Salone del Mobile in April, the SmartSlab Table just might be the missing piece in a…
With an estimated 1 trillion plastic bags being consumed worldwide each year, it’s unfortunate to know that less than 5% of those bags ever end up being recycled. This effectively leaves roughly 95,000,000,000 opportunities for toxic chemicals to end up where they shouldn’t be. While thought leaders, lawmakers and grocers continue to find alternative solutions…
A team of Harvard researchers have recently designed a new self-actuated material that is tunable for different architectures – or in other words, a material that can flatpack a design and pop it back into its 3D form when needed. The thin-walled three-dimensional structures – which can withstand the weight of an elephant when folded flat…
Since founder Eric Singer created the first hardwood wayfarer sunglasses style in 2009, Portland, Oregon-based Shwood has only continued to push the boundaries of what’s possible for materials in sunglass frame design. Particularly, sunglasses made from natural materials that are continuing to resonate with the outdoor enthusiast market. Since creating the original hardwood frames, the…
Balancing a metal structure on top of a dandelion without the dandelion breaking sounds like the beginning of some sort of bar trick sorcery – yet this is entirely possible without the need for any sleight of hand or other forms of trickery. After years of researching and developing a way to make some of…
No matter how you watch it – from your iPhone while on the subway or from the cozy confines of a plush leather couch with a bowl of cheddar popcorn – there’s no denying that HBO’s Game of Thrones is one of the best television shows ever made. It’s so good in fact, that HBO…
If you’re an avid backpacker, cyclist, runner, or just plain like carrying a plastic reservoir for your hydration needs around with you, chances are you’ve come into contact with that undesirable (and unavoidable) side effect of weird tastes and smells each sip of the way. Regardless if your portable vessel has been plastic or metal,…
