Horray! Friends amongst killer animals! Animal inspirations. Actually there’s no scorpion involved. Awww. What is involved, is solar power, first off. Solar power charges up the batteries in this lifeguard stand. As the batteries charge, the lifeguard sees danger! He slides down the slide, picks up a battery, inserts it in the stingray skiff, boats on over to the victim, inflates the safety vest, and autopilots back to base.

This project is called “TESEO+ARIANNA” named after the Greek myth of Theseus and Ariadne. The stingray being the one called Teseo, while the guard stand is called Teseo. Teseo and Arianna are solar powered. Arianna charges batteries with a giant solar panel that sits on its head. Teseo uses these batteries to power its propulsion system, and also to accept commands from the autopilot feature via the stand, Arianna.

Together they are mythical water safety lovers forever!

The only thing that concerns me is the step where the lifeguard has to drag the skiff out into the water. I hope it’s not too heavy!

Designer: Davide Anzalone

Blockbuster Hollywood movies can bring on the spotlight to lesser know disease and medical conditions. For example, After Rain Man we all knew what Autism was. That story told us how autistic people suffer from impaired social interaction and communication. In children the condition is heightened with sensory disorders and even minor noises can disturb them. A recent research suggests that stimulants like music, aromatherapy, and textured toys can help alleviate the condition. This where something like the Beagle scarf-hoodie can help.

This scarf includes speakers in the hood making it the perfect soothing wrap, around the child’s ears. Furthermore, customized aroma patches along with textured inner pockets can be integrated to the scarf. Coping with as autistic child can be trying at times and if something like the Beagle can bring the child some relief, then so be it.

Designer: Leo Chao

YD is a melting pot of varied cultures; we have Asians, Americans, Australians and British in our group. Luckily we all use English otherwise can you fathom the commotion if we all mailed in our respective mother tongues! Funny as it may sound now, language barrier can pose a problem when we can’t communicate effectively with locals on a trip abroad. For vegetarian like me, ordering a chicken dish out of a Chinese language menu would be awful! I’d need something like the ViewTrans to help me out.

Digital translators may not be new to the scene, but what makes ViewTrans different is that it “translates what you see.” As the designer explains, “existing electronic dictionaries are useful only when you can read the letters of the language”, ViewTrans changes the foreign script that it views to your language of choice and displays it on the screen. For example if a Chinese script menu were put in front of me, it would get translated to the English script on the screen display.

Here is how the device works:

1) Choose the language (or the country you are traveling in).
2) View the word you need to translate on the screen.
3) Focus on the words and then hit ‘T’, the translate button.
4) The screen shows the translated word.

Designer: Jaeseok Han

I have been covering design and technology for many years now and the product design that excites me the most is the Cellphone. If you trace it from its origins, you will be amazed to see how this communication device has transformed from a basic wireless telephone to a fashion gizmo that packs it in all. If it’s not the camera, projector or touchscreen prowess, then it’s the blinged look that this device boasts of. Here’s a look at the Poison that brings a transparent LCD screen to the device. Looking more like a perfume bottle than a phone, it’s toxic!

Designer: Ryan Ma

That’s an air cleaner, thank you very much! For those who thought that air cleaners need to be these drab objects in the room, take a look at the pleasant NU.AER. Resembling a soothing view, the illuminated surface on it exudes a therapeutic and relaxing environment. If you’re wondering just how “clean” is your room, then just check out the illustrated display and you’ll get the picture. If it’s not what you expected then just change the setting by using the slider.

Designer: Jan König

I had a roommate who was a Coke fiend, no not the white powdery kind - the addictive pop kind. She needed to drink 2 cans a day. Watching her prepare her favorite drink was  an exercise in monotonous observation. She’d wipe the condensation off the can, then run the top under hot water to kill any festering bacteria. That technically doesn’t work but it gave her peace of mind. The Cole Cleaner was made for people like her.

The device uses UV radiation to disinfect any tin drink. It takes 1 to 5 minutes (not sure why the huge time gap) but when the purple LED lights up, you’re good to go.

Designer: Leon Peng

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Submission deadline: March 30, 2009

UPDATE: Win Hypershot HD as a bonus prize. Details after the jump.

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This is a really simple concept but one I want like yesterday. The Solar Birdhouse is exactly what it says. The roof has a solar panel that charges a small battery. At sunset a sensor turns on the illuminated perch, creating a whimsical glow in your garden and hopefully makes it easier for your birdies to get home. The entire thing is made out of gorgeous meranti wood and measures 7.1 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches.

Designer: Studio OOOMS

Herman Miller is providing its customers with an exclusive program intended to enrich their connection to the world’s most renowned product designs. Called Herman Miller Select, the program offers an opportunity to own a limited edition product released once a year with a distinct characteristic for collector appeal.

The company’s first Select product release will include the Eames(R) Molded Plywood Lounge Chair, fashioned with a luscious walnut veneer and refined leather hairhide upholstered seat and back. Gregg Vander Kooi, manager of Herman Miller’s Classics, notes that the Select program was born out of the increasing demand from collectors for classic products with unique enhancements.

“Charles and Ray Eames often experimented with different finishes and materials for their designs. This version of the chair was offered in the 50’s and 60’s and we thought this would be a great way to allow our customers to own a similar share of design history.”

If you want one you better act fast! Only 500 chairs will be available for this inaugural year from the company’s global network of dealerships and retailers. Each piece sold will be numbered for authenticity and packaged with a signed and numbered print of the Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair by Nick Merrick of the famed Hedrich Blessing studio.

Designer: Herman Miller [ Buy It Here ]

The original DUET was a hit with many enthusiasts looking for a complimentary computer speaker system without breaking the bank. JBL went at it again with the new DUET II. New look, new specs and still affordable, but how does it perform? Hit the jump for my review.

One thing I’ve always loved about JBL are their futuristic designs. The DUET II looks like two high-tech footballs on display. The entire front of each speaker is covered with a mesh grill hiding the decently powerful drivers. On top of the right speaker is the volume dial that glides smoothly with just a touch. There are no treble or bass controls but the DUET II was meant to be extremely simple and totally plug-in-play.

The mid and high ranges are crystal clear with only slight distortion if you crank the volume all the way up. Bass is a little deficient for my tastes but some slight tweaking in your computer’s or MP3 player’s audio settings can compensate. The DUET II is compatible with anything that’ll accept a 3.5mm audio jack. I had my flanking my laptop. At nearly 11″ tall, they’re certainly noticeable but the design easily blends in with my Macbook Pro. From the rear, the high gloss black finish belies their function that is until you look at the base…

There are way too many cables. It’s the basic set-up we have to put up with any budget desktop speaker system. There’s one that connects to the audio source. Then there are two separate cables for each speaker and finally a power cable. They’re extremely long so if you aren’t an organized bee, you’ll soon find a tangled mess behind your computer.

At under $99 from Amazon.com, the DUET II offers a lot of value especially in today’s budget busting economy. Every genre of music sounded great coming thru clear and crisp. Stuff like hip-hop and electronica lost some of their luster with the anemic bass response but I suspect only audiophiles will hear it. But for gaming, watching videos, and even video chatting - the DUET II are an amazing set of speakers.

What we liked:

• Futuristic design, utilitarian chic blends in with desktop set-up
• Good mid and high range audio
• Not too big or small. Perfect sized footprint
• Easy to use volume control
• Easy set-up
• Priced to fly out the door

What could be improved:

• Too many cables
• Bass is a little anemic

Company: JBL [ Buy It Here ]