CoolAnt is a passive cooling system for buildings, developed by New-Delhi-based architect Monish Siripurapu. The name isn’t just a twist on refrigerant; Siripurapu was inspired by anthills, which are passively cooled. Air circulates through the …
The JENZ Hackthor: A German Biomass-Producing Truck with an Elevating Cab
Here’s an example of how the different needs of different countries prompt the design of entirely different vehicles. As Germany tries to move away from coal, biomass has become a core part of the country’s …
Industrial Design Case Study: Designing NFL-Level Shoulder Pads
Wrapping high-net-worth NFL players in protective gear is serious business. When XTECH Protective Equipment wanted to level up their line of shoulder pads, targeting elite NFL and collegiate players, they collaborated with ID firm Studio …
Craighill Improves the UX of the Key Ring
An industrial designer is supposed to notice the details of existing objects—especially the ones that annoy us. Brooklyn-based product company Craighill’s Rope Split Ring does away with the key hassle of a key ring by …
Flos Updates Philippe Starck’s Bon Jour Unplugged Lamp
It’s the 10th anniversary of Philippe Starck’s Bon Jour Unplugged, a cordless rechargeable lamp designed for Flos. To celebrate, the brand is updating the lamp with new colorways, along with some technology that the 2015 …
Choo Choo the Seahorse: When Industrial Design Meets Baby Products
Brooklyn-based designer Scott Henderson has a knack for creating products that become household staples. The Moby Spout Cover he designed for Skip Hop in 2008 is one of the best-selling baby items of all time, …
Enslaved Cyborg Cockroaches Used as Cheap Rescue Robots
This is both innovative and disturbing: Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore have developed a way to enslave cockroaches by turning them into cyborgs. These are used in humanitarian aid missions, like searching through …
Retro-Futuristic Forged Automotive Rims by Concept Car Studio
These Vector rims are by California-based Concept Car Studio, and designed to look like something you’d see on an ’80s-era concept car. They look particularly good on wedge-shaped vehicles, like the Subaru XT6: “We realized …
A Pop-Up is Serving Jet-Black Ice Cream by CJ Hendry
This year the FDA announced a plan to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the American food supply. Studies have popped up linking these dyes to negative health effects. Why do these dyes even exist? …
The Blisstil Serenade: A Noise-Canceling Pillow
In my 20s, I had a friend in Manhattan who lived on West 28th Street, directly above a nightclub. From 10pm to 4am it was absolutely deafening inside her apartment. She didn’t live there long. …