Amazon has finally launched Zoox, their public robotaxi service, in Las Vegas. Their vehicle is the world’s first purpose-designed robotaxi; competitor Waymo, which currently operates in Phoenix, San Francisco, L.A., Atlanta and Austin, uses retrofitted …
A Designey Ultrasonic Cleaner for Retainers, Mouthguards or Nightguards
If you use a dental retainer or sleep with a nightguard, you know they can get funky pretty quickly. If you don’t properly clean it, you can do more than give yourself bad breath: James, …
Using a Robot Arm to Create a Rotary Texturing Process
This texture below is what the Japanese call naguri, which literally translates to “beaten,” revealing its metalworking roots. In wood, the texture is achieved with an adze or gouge. Image: Wrath of Gnon Woodworker Takurou …
More Design Tricks for Tight Living Spaces: A Camper with a Sliding Bathroom
In an earlier post, we showed you four nifty interior design tricks by German RV manufacturer Bürstner. One of them was this bathroom where the sink slides over the toilet, turning the space into a …
Peter Donders’ Astonishing Handcrafted Walnut Shelly Chair
Belgian designer Peter Donders is a real materials maniac. This Shelly chair was made by producing a 3D print, making a mold around the print, then casting the chair in bronze. Then he went and, …
Why Darth Vader’s Head is on the Washington National Cathedral
In the early 1980s, Washington’s National Cathedral was losing relevance with the younger generation. In an effort at outreach, they partnered with National Geographic to hold a “Draw-a-Grotesque” competition for schoolkids. (A grotesque is a …
While Foreign Engineers are Arrested, a Humanoid Robot Quietly Put in a 20-Hour Shift at a Car Factory
The Hyundai-LG Metaplant in Georgia is a joint battery production facility set up by the two South Korean giants. Representing at least $7.6 billion in direct investment, it’s the largest economic development project in Georgia’s …
BIM-Driven Layout Robot Saves Time, Money
A bad use for robots: Replacing a human worker that can do the work just as well. A good use: Performing a task that makes human workers’ jobs easier, without replacing them. This Dusty FieldPrint …
A Revived Industrial Design Classic from Poland, Now in Three Flavors
Roman Modzelewski was a natural-born industrial designer, at a time when ID was not available in his native Poland as a field of study. In the 1940s, when he was of college age, he studied …
Nendo’s Helically-Mated Pair of Chopsticks
Remember Kaare Klint’s Propellor Stool, where the helical legs nest together? An unlikely relative exists in these Rassen chopsticks, designed by Nendo for manufacturer Hashikura Matsukan. “Chopsticks ordinarily come in pairs, but the Rassen chopsticks …