The Portable AeroTrack Workstation System, for Creatives On the Go

When designers rove between spaces, they’re typically spaces equipped with desks. But for furniture-free fieldwork, the laptop wants a surface to rest on, and a mobile desk would come in handy. This problem has been solved by Tether Tools, an Arizona-based manufacturer of photography accessories.

The company’s Aerotrac WorkStation System recalls workshop T-track jigs. It’s made of aluminum extrusions arranged in two leaves, like a book. Folded shut, it measures just 8.5″ x 11″ and is just ¾” thick.

Once unfolded, the two surfaces are rendered into one by a locking insert bar.

The worksurface can then be attached to a tripod, via a threaded insert integrated into the underside. (You can also use optional quick-release tripod adapter plates, if you don’t feel like screwing the thing on each time.

Two orange-knobbed “tech clamps” hold your laptop in place, securely enough that you can even carry it while attached to the worksurface. A handle is included.

Additional accessories allow you to manage cables and attach hard drives and other accessories.

Overall it’s pretty versatile, as you’ll see below:

The AeroTrac runs $300.

Industrial Design Student Work: Emergency Housing from Simple PVC Pipes

This CINTRE project is by Baptiste Marx, done when he was pursuing his Masters of Industrial Design at France’s ENSCI. Marx’s pre-ID degree was in “composite materials project management,” and both disciplines inform his approach.

“I base my practice on contextualized object design,” he writes. “Sensitive to an aesthetic resulting from materials and manufacturing processes, I favor an experimental and reflective approach, where research occupies a central place. Between sensitive and technical creations, I seek to develop a multidisciplinary and conscious design.”

CINTRE is part of an approach to designing emergency housing, intended to respond to crisis situations following natural disasters or those linked to conflict. In a context where sustainable reconstruction is delayed, if not impossible, shelter becomes an immediate necessity. CINTRE responds to this emergency by offering a system that allows shelters to be built quickly while guaranteeing long-term safety and dignity.

Using a process of hot bending PVC tubes, CINTRE offers simple and structural assemblies, allowing the interior and exterior construction of shelters in emergency situations. Resistant to moisture and corrosion thanks to its intrinsic properties, PVC pipe is a resource frequently available at disaster sites, where it can be recovered and reused. Lightweight, modular, and easy to transform without heavy tools or specialized know-how, PVC lends itself to rapid implementation. Hose clamps (flex clamps), used as a joining system, are a robust, economical, and easy-to-deploy solution for large-scale humanitarian missions.

CINTRE is not a fixed solution: it is an exploratory project aimed at encouraging the emergence of new types of emergency housing. Its purpose is to be appropriated, adapted, and enriched by the people concerned, in order to best respond to local realities and specific needs.

Developed in partnership with the French Red Cross, CINTRE is intended to be a tool serving affected populations, to be activated in various contexts and aspires to be part of a collaborative approach.

Xiaomi’s Bauhaus-ian Sound 2 Max Speaker

Xiaomi has been referred to as the “Apple of China,” and it appears they’re taking it seriously. This is their new 100W Bluetooth Sound 2 Max speaker, of unibody aluminum construction and seemingly designed at the Bauhaus:

Multiple units can be wirelessly linked.

The company offers three different magnetically-attached faceplates, each of them stark and minimalist.

The speaker runs 1,999 yuan (USD $275), but it’s not clear if it’s coming to the U.S. or not. We are, after all, no longer their most important market. It’s interesting to watch the divergence of the two countries’ product landscapes.

This DART Drone Can Safely Land on Cars at High Speeds

I don’t know if you’ve seen the footage—some of it quite disturbing—but high-speed quadrotor drones are being used to kill people with chilling accuracy in the Ukraine conflict. The progression of that technology will of course outlast the conflict itself, impacting modern warfare worldwide.

Meanwhile, researchers at Canada’s University of Sherbrooke are making more peaceful progress with high-speed drones. They’ve developed this Direct Approach Rapid Touchdown (DART) drone, which can safely land on vehicles traveling nearly 70 mph.

In order to land on a target moving this fast, the drone has to swoop down at an angle. But unlike the drones being used in war, it then needs to suddenly slow itself and properly land, rather than crash.

The researchers solved this with two physical tricks. The first is that right before impact, the drone levels out and quickly reverses its thrust, hitting the air brakes, so to speak. The second is that its four legs have been designed with friction-based shock absorbers in its joints, allowing it to splay its legs to spread the force out.

It’s pretty cool to watch in action:

If this was equipped with some kind of vehicle-disabling feature–like some kind of electrical jammer that would automatically engage a vehicle’s brakes–perhaps police chases (another thing that’s all over YouTube) will go away.

Design Postcard: Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

If you are into convenient package price holidays to relax on a deck chair by the pool, this might not be the place for you. The Mashpi Lodge in the Chocó-Darién rainforest in Ecuador, a 3-to-4-hour bumpy drive from Quito (depending on the rain and roads) is a place for adventure, education, and full immersion into the primary rainforest.

Photo by Anki Delfmann

Built on 2,500 hectares of land purchased from loggers and gold miners in 2001 by Roque Sevilla – a former mayor of Quito and conservation visionary – and the Grupo Futuro, the primary goal has always been to conserve this unique biodiversity hotspot, and to work with scientists and local communities to keep it that way for the future. It wasn’t until 2012 that the stunning, glass-fronted, Roberto Burneo designed 5 star lodge was opened on the unlikely site of a former sawmill, without a single tree being cut down.

Photo by Anki Delfmann

So why is this relevant for designers? Apart from the obvious local design challenge here to create something new without impacting the natural environment, it comes with the systemic challenge of engaging local communities that used to live off industries that destroy the rainforest, together with scientific conservation and research requirements, and the need to cater to tourists that pay for a 5 star hotel experience. So rather than designing a hotel, the task was to design a system that enables all of the above.

Mashpi Lodge does a stellar job of bringing it all together: The expedition guides are mostly from the area, combining inherent local knowledge with scientific education that is paid for by the lodge. The hotel’s own conservation research station is financed by hotel revenue, and enthusiastic guests often co-finance projects.

So how did they build a user experience that makes hotel guests so engaged? They designed a fully vertical and 24 hour immersion into the rainforest.

Let’s break it down by altitude:

Canopy level (60-20 meters)

Let’s start with the loftiest, and one of the most spectacular experiences: The Sky Bike

The Sky Bike at Mashpi Lodge. Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to fly like a barred hawk: Built like a tandem bike on a cable, guests pedal themselves silently above and through the canopy of the rainforest, up to 60 meters above the ground. The sky bike is situated at the spot where the rainforest becomes the cloud forest, so spectacular views with clouds lingering below are guaranteed. It’s the closest you can feel to flying without actually taking off.

Trunk level (20-4 meters)

The Dragonfly at Mashpi Lodge. Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to lazily travel through the trees like a sloth: The Dragonfly is similar to the sky bike, but there’s a motor, so you don’t have to pedal yourself. And talking about lazy: it’s also quite likely you will spot a sloth and many rare birds along the way.

The Chocó rainforest at night from below. Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to dive into the foliage: At any time of the day, but especially during night walks, guests are always encouraged to look up. The rainforest flora is simply spectacular, and offers a whole new colour scheme when lit up by a headlamp against the black of the night.

The terrace at Mashpi Lodge. Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to fall from my bed directly into jungle immersion: The hotel terrace is built at the perfect height for forest and bird watching. You can even see Toucans in the early mornings.

Human level (4-1 meters)

The research lab. Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to know more about the science: Every day, there are lectures about the local wildlife. There is also a fully equipped research station that guests can visit and dive deeper into any scientific topic.

3D physical map in the lobby. Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to know where I am: a 3D model of the reserve in the hotel lobby helps guests to orient themselves and retrace their adventures with their fingertips. (There is no phone reception on the rainforest expeditions).

Locally inspired haute cuisine. Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to taste the local food: The kitchen creates truly local dishes, refined for 5 star expectations. You can look forward to local wild garlic, chillangua, palm hearts, peanuts and other organic ingredients.

Expert guide Estuardo. Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to connect with local people: You’ll likely have to, as most of the staff and expedition guides are from the area. You can learn all the Latin, Spanish and English names of all the creatures and plants around you, and their significance and role in the ecosystem. You might also learn that your guide is the first one in their family to learn a foreign language, or go to school at all, and that during their lifetime the village completely changed their approach to how to live from and with the rainforest.

Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to get down and dirty: The river walk is one of the most immersive and unique experiences. Walking sticks and rubber boots are provided by the lodge, and very necessary: you will get wet as you walk through rapids and depths, with a slightly precarious but otherwise unachievable and magical point of view.

Photo by Anki Delfmann

I can’t walk that well but want to see the rainforest: You can’t do steep and muddy jungle walks? No problem, there’s a lift built into the thicket right by the hotel to make things accessible for almost everyone.

Ground level (1-0 meters)

Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to walk through the mud: The walkways through the muddy and rainy jungle are secured by repurposed bottle crates. Organic materials would either deteriorate too fast in jungle conditions, or be tricky to source or install. The crates ensure a sturdy walk even when it rains a lot, they were freely and cheaply available when the project started. Any shards or broken crates are picked up by guides and guests alike, and this has become somewhat of a gamified activity during expeditions.

Tarantula saying hello. Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to see the danger of the jungle: The guides constantly encourage guests to look down. Sometimes it really pays off, like when there’s a big tarantula waiting by the toilets.

A frog at night. Photo by Anki Delfmann

The illusive Mashpi glass frog, a fascinating creature with transparent skin. Photo by Anki Delfmann

I want to see something incredibly rare and unique: If guests haven’t caught the rainforest fever yet, they probably will when 4 expedition guides climb through thick foliage over a river in the darkest rainy night to find the pièce de resistance: The Mashpi glass frog, one of the 20 endemic species that were discovered, described and protected here… because someone once designed and built a 5 star hotel in a very unlikely place.

See a video of the experience

Watch the Mashpi Lodge Design Postcard to get a more immersive feeling of the Ecuadorian rainforest.

String Ring: A Creative Way to Manually Create Physical Images with String

As our lives become increasingly digital, more and more people are seeking to create tangible things with their hands. It’s no wonder that LEGO, gardening and tool purchases are all on the rise.

We’ll probably start to see more objects like this String Ring, a creative way to turn digital images into handcrafted art.

It was invented by an Atlanta-based group of creatives called Heartistry. “Our journey started when we first discovered this art form and spent a full day building a makeshift loom with wood and nails. It was beautiful, but also stressful, time-consuming, and expensive. We knew there had to be a better way to let people enjoy the creativity of stringing without the hassle of building their own ring.

“After dozens of prototypes, we developed unique pin shapes that let your mind flow through the loom twice as quickly as with nails.”

The way it works is, you upload a photo to their website. Their software then generates a string-by-number sequence, which it announces (audibly) through your phone; you can dial in the pace at which the sequence is announced.

Then it’s a matter of connecting the dots, so to speak.

The process, they say, is meditative and soothing.

The $54 String Ring kits have been successfully Kickstarted, with 28 days left to pledge at press time. Units are slated to ship this December.

Clothing With Extreme Pockets Trend Continues

“On average, we touch around 600 objects a day,” Karim Rashid told us ID students, decades ago, at Pratt. (He still cites the stat in interviews.)

What’s strange is that today, we seem to be carrying many of those objects around with us. Last year we looked at Storm Labs’ Storm Jacket, which had an absurd 18 pockets:

The approach had precedent: A year earlier, a company called Minimal Organised Wear (MOW) released this Isola jacket. It has 20 pockets and was Kickstarted to the tune of $330,919.

Now MOW is back with the Nomade 58, a waterproof zip-up hoodie with 58 different “features.”

The $117 Nomade 58 has also been successfully Kickstarted, with 24 days left to pledge at press time.

Given our current product landscape, we expect this trend—where people walk around carrying more gear than a paratrooper preparing for a mission—to continue.

It’s kind of weird, if you think about it. Cargo pants came from the military. Now the civilian sector is creating clothing with way more pockets than what guys who jumped into Normandy had.

The Surprising Way Airplanes Attach Advertising Banners After Takeoff

Aerial advertising banners are a kitschy, eye-catching way for companies to get their message out.

I always thought they were an American thing, but I was wrong.

Anyways: Did you ever wonder how they attach the banners? The airplanes can’t take off with them; dragging the banner down the runway would foul or destroy the banners, as well as provide unwelcome drag.

Chance Mitchell, a/k/a Chance the Pilot, demonstrates how it’s done. The plane takes off without the banner, which is on the ground, attached to a rope that’s slung between two poles. The pilot makes a dive run towards the banner, throws a freaking grappling hook, then pulls up:

This might be a tough watch for desk-bound office workers. This is Chance’s daily view at work:

And you thought “industrial designer” was an unusual job to explain to strangers.

Core77 Weekly Roundup (9-29-25 to 10-3-25)

Here’s what we looked at this week:

Frank the Dogtopus is a smart design for a dog toy: It’s low-tech, durable, eco-friendly and time-consuming.

With this $400 ultrasonic chef’s knife, 40,000 vibrations a second do the cutting for you. (Alternatively, you could learn to sharpen the knife you already have.)

Succuc’s handsome 3D printed vessels.

The Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro is an impressive portable outdoor theater with a 16.7′ inflatable screen and surround sound.

Flos Design Space, featuring lighting design classics alongside contemporary models, opens in Chicago.

Industrial design case study (from a mechanical engineer): This beautiful, tiny Featherforged bike pump.

Charlotte, by Crest Robotics and Earthbuilt Technology, is a 3D printer that walks and lays walls.

Titaner’s innovative take on the fractal vise.

Industrial designer Friedrich Gerlach’s elegant Lecrase Stool is made of leather offcuts.

From Sweden, the Nomad Collection: Sleek, cast-aluminum power strips with plug-in lamps.

Fidlock’s nifty variety of magnetic buckles.

Artist Sven Sauer’s dazzling kinetic light installation brings a message of hope.

Nikon’s compact indoor binoculars, designed for concert halls and museums.

The Stockman Trekka 01 is an Australian off-road camper trailer designed specifically for e-bikers.

Nikon’s Compact Indoor Binoculars

Most of the binoculars Nikon makes are bulky, black, have a technical look to them, and are made for the outdoors.

But they also make this discreet, compact 4x10D CF pair, designed to not look out of place in indoor settings. Specifically, concert halls, theaters and museums.

The design is simple and basic: The only things you fiddle with are the central focus knob, and the two halves, which are hinged to adjust for your eye spacing.

They offer 4x magnification and offer a wide field of view, making them ideal for concerts. But the lenses are such that for museum use, you can use them to see details of objects as close as 3.9 feet away.

They come in three colors, a leather case is included, and they run $225.