Tag: Design

People with disabilities can find tailored physical exercise. Meanwhile, a Dutch charity is installing multi-functional clubhouses at sports areas inside refugee camps. The buildings were designed by an architecture firm and are housed inside transportable shipping containers. Inside are shelves with sports equipment, alongside WiFi hubs, power outlets and a fridge. Electricity comes through solar panels on the roof....

An add-on makes wind turbines safer for passing birds. Decommissioned wind turbines offer shelter too. A design studio has converted a former machine cabin into a tiny house. The nacelle, which once stood at 100 metres and housed the power generator, is 10 metres long and 4 metres wide, offering 35㎡ of living space. Its glass-fibre reinforced interior was...

Ships at anchor can generate electricity. Now, a London-based designer wants to equip narrowboats with a special bumper to help clean up British canal waters. The plastic bumper, which hangs from outside the boat, has holes in its lower half, and is filled with coconut fibres and microbes. As the canal water flows into these openings any oil it...

A robot shapes dresses. If we ourselves don’t feel in great shape, perhaps because we are experiencing stress, a special ball can help us calm down. Now, thanks to a design student’s award-winning concept, items of clothing could soon fulfil the same function. Inflatable elements of various sizes are sewn into the upper part of her garment. Where exactly...

Creatives can transform their stories into games or compose music on smartphones and share it on their socials. The most well-known AI chatbots are trained using data that software firms find on the internet - even if creatives haven't consented to its use. Reason enough for a US-based organisation to try and make things more equitable. Their method? To...

3D printing can deliver adaptors for handheld toothbrushes and bespoke prosthetic limbs. Now, a London-based startup has come up with a new concept, developing a special sleeve for those with below-elbow limb differences. Once the soft, lightweight sleeve is attached, different adapters can be fitted to it. Enabling those who rely on prosthetics to undertake a range of activities....

Some car tyres can adapt their size according to the terrain. Flexible walls mean flats can be easily converted. But eyewear that automatically adjusts focus between near and distant objects? Sounds unlikely, but it’s exactly the product a startup from Japan has recently developed together with a design firm. Before first use, consumers adjust the diopter for both integrated...

Seaweed can be used as a fire retardant. In Berlin, meanwhile, a female designer has developed a thin algae-based film and coated it with a natural dye. The aim? To stop still edible food being wasted. Her film changes colour according to the pH value of what it’s covering, reacting upon contact with gases like ammonia, produced when fish...