Jun
10

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Belkin Charging Case Protects and Powers Up the Nintendo Switch 2 for Endless Play

Category: YankoDesign

Sometimes a game gets so good that you lose track of time, only to be jolted back to reality by the dreaded low battery warning. That is where the Belkin Charging Case for the Nintendo Switch 2 comes in, turning the usual carrying case into a little fortress of power and convenience. Inside this rather bulky box is a bit of magic that makes every gaming adventure more enjoyable.

What really sets this case apart is the chunky but clever compartment hiding a removable 10,000mAh power bank. You will not need to fumble around for a separate battery pack, because everything is tucked away neatly inside. The real treat is the built-in display on the power bank itself, showing you the remaining battery life at a glance. No more guessing if you have enough juice left for one more quest or boss fight.

Designer: Belkin

Belkin did not just stop at stuffing a big battery inside, though. They added a special groove designed to work with the Switch 2’s own kickstand. Set your console up in tabletop mode, plug it in for a charge, and the groove keeps everything stable, even if you get a little carried away during a heated Mario Kart session. It is the kind of detail that makes gaming on the go a whole lot less stressful.

The inside of the case is as organized as a well-planned inventory screen. Along with the dedicated spot for the power bank, there are slots for up to ten game cartridges and a sneaky little pocket for an AirTag. Extra cable slots mean you can keep things tidy, so you are never digging through a mess of wires when you just want to play. The outside is tough and water-resistant, giving you peace of mind if you are caught in the rain or accidentally bump your bag on the way to a friend’s house.

Is all of this worth the $69.99 price tag? Considering you are getting a high-capacity power bank, sturdy protection, and thoughtful features for travel, it is a pretty sweet deal. The power bank alone could cost nearly half that on its own, but here you get it perfectly integrated into the case, ready to go whenever you need it. It is not just about charging, it is about keeping your entire setup streamlined and ready for action.

Belkin’s Charging Case feels like it was designed by gamers who know exactly what it is like to run out of battery at the worst possible moment. It is playful and practical, with just enough bells and whistles to make it feel special. Whether you are heading across town or across the country, this case makes sure your Nintendo Switch 2 is always ready for one more round.

The post Belkin Charging Case Protects and Powers Up the Nintendo Switch 2 for Endless Play first appeared on Yanko Design.

Jun
10

By

Tiffin’s Open Trail 25 AO camper is designed for adventurous couples who travel with kids

Category: YankoDesign

You have identified a remote spot on the map for a family tour, but have been pushing the idea back because your existing camper van limits you with its ability to accommodate all the members, or it cannot handle the unpaved track to your final destination. Luxury recreational vehicles manufacturer, Tiffin Motorhomes has been reinventing the wheel for our travel and camping needs, and it has pushed the walls of another motorhome further back to deliver what it calls the Open Trail, an adventure van with the capacity of a Class C RV, and the ability to take you where the heart desires.

The entire setup of the Open Trail 25 AO, as it’s officially called, is designed to create more space onboard for families to travel without cramped quarters. To make that possible, the not-so-ordinary Open Trail is based on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 AWD chassis, which has been pushed a few inches wider from the factory version to measure 25 feet 6 inches long and 84 inches wide. It has an interior height of 80 inches and is considered the most spacious Tiffin model, surpassing the company’s previously largest GH2 model.

Designer: Tiffin Motorhomes

While the interior is more or less similar to an existing van home, it’s the slightly higher roof that extends over the cab to create a storage alcove that makes things somewhat different and stations the Open Trail in the Class C category for your liking. The Sumo Springs Ride Assist System adds to the scheme of things, making the camper van more stable, durable, and comfortable no matter where you’re headed.

The layout is pretty much straightforward as said, until you get into the details. On the front of the cabin, you get swivel seats that face inwards when you’re camped. Behind the passenger is the galley, which features a large countertop extension for prepping, while the main counterspace makes space for a single burner induction cooktop, sink with a hideaway faucet, and space for a microwave and a 297L fridge alongside. Just opposite is the living space, accoutred with a two-person inward-facing bench seat that works as a dinette and a one-person sleeper at the camp. Tiffin offers the option to include an L-shaped sofa in the space.

Just adjacent to the sitting cum sleeping arrangement is a spacious wet bath with a toilet and an otherwise large vanity sink, spanning the entire width of the bathroom. The fancy part of the Open Trail 25 AO is reserved for the end where two fixed raised beds can be combined with a central cushion to form a nice king-size bed with storage underneath, where a couple can sleep comfortably with their toddler tucked in the middle. In that arrangement, the Open Trail can accommodate four people during the day and at the campsite comfortably. To ensure you can spend a couple of extra days in your chosen spot, the camper van rolls out with a 200-W solar panel, 270-Ah lithium battery, and 3,000-W inverter taking care of the power needs. The 197l fresh and waste water tanks onboard and 15,000-BTU air conditioner ensure you can ride in the Open Trail all year round. There is no official word on the price, but you will get Starlink connectivity built-in.

The post Tiffin’s Open Trail 25 AO camper is designed for adventurous couples who travel with kids first appeared on Yanko Design.

Jun
10

By

Architecture That Works With Challenging Terrain, Not Against It

Category: Core77

Building on a rocky coastal hillside might yield spectacular views, but it also requires heavy excavation and an environmental cost. Faced with a challenging plot of land on Albania’s coast, JA Joubert Architecture of Holland and UNS Architects of Albania found a way to work with the land rather than against it. Here are the plans for the Zig-Zag Resort the two firms co-designed:

“Architecture should not dominate the land; it should respond to it,” says Marc Joubert, of JA Joubert Architecture. “At Zig-Zag, we created a design where nature dictates the structure—ensuring that every guest experiences this amazing landscape.”

The resort harmonizes with the natural terrain through its signature zig-zag layout, ensuring that each guest enjoys uninterrupted views of the breathtaking surroundings.

The project prioritizes sustainability and seamless mobility, incorporating a funicular system, pedestrian pathways, and drop-off points for intuitive navigation. It is built with locally sourced Berat Stone, blending regional craftsmanship with modern luxury while optimizing passive cooling and solar energy efficiency. With minimal land disruption, rainwater management systems, and an indoor-outdoor architectural flow, Zig-Zag integrates ecological sensitivity into its design.

The resort’s sea-water infinity pool and private coastal access further enhance its connection to the Albanian Riviera, making nature a core part of the guest experience. The project spans 30,000m², including hotel accommodations, gardens, and various amenities, and is currently in the design phase.

Jun
10

By

BARE Designs a Better—and Less Expensive—Dutch Oven

Category: Core77

The original promise of industrial design, as a profession, was to apply intelligent design decisions and an advanced understanding of materials to create better products that are affordable for the masses. In practice, we haven’t seen much of this lately; as prices soar, objects with superior design tend to be much pricier than the incumbent designs.

Well, here’s one refreshing difference. Dutch company BARE Cookware aims to use modern materials to improve the design—and price—of cooking utensils. Their BARE Dutch Oven, recently posted to Kickstarter, does away with the pain points of traditional Dutch ovens, while coming in at a fraction of the price.

The traditional Dutch oven, invented in the 1700s, was made out of cast iron. This was a good choice for the time, as the production method was widely available. In the 1800s the innovation of an enamel finish was added, which prevented the vessel from rusting or reacting to acidic foods.

The pain points are twofold. The first is that cast iron, while possessing excellent heat retention, is extremely heavy. This makes it tricky to handle, particularly when it’s searingly hot. The second is that the enamel finish is brittle and easily damaged. Once chipped, the damage tends to spread, and chipped enamel on Dutch ovens cannot be repaired.

BARE has done away with both pain points. By using a two-ply construction—a 5mm-thick aluminum core and stainless steel for the cooking surface–they’ve created a much lighter vessel with similar heat retention properties to a traditional Dutch oven, but without the hotspots.

Being that the interior is stainless steel, there’s no enamel to damage, and it’s dishwasher-safe. Other nice UX touches include wide handles, less draft angle for more cooking surface and measurement tickmarks on the interior.

Best of all is that these added conveniences come at a reduced cost, compared to premium brands. A Dutch oven from Le Creuset or Staub can run from the mid-$300s to over $500. BARE’s offering is going for $148 on Kickstarter, where it’s been a smash hit, landing $610K in pledges and counting. At press time there was 22 days left to pledge, and they expect to ship in November.

Jun
10

By

Clever Materials Use: How to Clear Standing Water on a Flat Roof Using Rope

Category: Core77

Wick cord, or wicking rope, is a hack used by some gardeners and plant enthusiasts. A cord or rope made of cotton or nylon is used to connect a water source with the soil surrounding the plant. Capillary action causes water to slowly move from the water source to the plant.

On a roofing forum on Reddit, one poster had a problem unrelated to gardening. He recently replaced the flat roof on his house with a new one. Flat roofs are notoriously poorly draining, and the poster observed standing water on their roof, an 8-square-foot puddle. For four days, the puddle would not evaporate nor drain.

Seeking a solution, the poster put one end of a wicking rope in the puddle, weighing it down with stones, and routed the other end through a scupper into the drainpipe.

“It seems to work great!” the poster writes. “The puddle went from 8 sq ft and an inch deep to totally dry in less than 12 hours.”

It’s cheaper, and a lot less hassle, than having to pump the standing water out.

Jun
10

By

U.C. Berkeley’s Tiny Pogo Robot has a Unique Locomotion Style

Category: Core77

Robots that move typically have legs or wheels, for walking or rolling. But researchers at U.C. Berkeley have developed a pogo-like robot with just a single leg. It locomotes—up to 8 miles an hour—by hopping.

The diminutive robot is called SALTO, for Saltatorial Agile Locomotion on Terrain Obstacles. (“Saltatorial” is the scientific name for the locomotion style used by kangaroos, grasshoppers and rabbits.) The thinking behind the robot’s small size and unusual movement style is that it can travel through challenging terrain. “Small robots are really great for a lot of things, like running around in places where larger robots or humans can’t fit,” said UC Berkeley robotics grad Justin Yim.

“For example, in a disaster scenario, where people might be trapped under rubble, robots might be really useful at finding the people in a way that is not dangerous to rescuers and might even be faster than rescuers could have done unaided. We wanted Salto to not only be small, but also able to jump really high and really quickly so that it could navigate these difficult places.”

That was the robot’s original mission, dating back to 2016 when development on it first started. Now, nearly ten years on, another potential application has come into sight. As Robert Sanders of U.C. Berkeley Research explains, “Yim is embarking on a NASA-funded project to design a small, one-legged robot that could explore Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, where the gravity is one-eightieth that of Earth, and a single hop could carry the robot the length of a football field.”

In order to achieve a moon-ready robot, the researchers reckon SALTO must be able to land on small targets with pinpoint accuracy. They’ve looked to squirrels, who can leap long distances and land precisely on branches. After studying squirrels’ leaping mechanics, they’ve modified SALTO with both a grasping claw and a propellor-like flywheel that helps the robot make attitudinal adjustments:

As for why the robot only has one leg and not multiples, Yim explains that it’s more efficient. “One leg is the best number for jumping; you can put the most power into that one leg if you don’t distribute that power among multiple different devices. And the drawbacks you get from having only one leg lessen as you jump higher. When you jump many, many times the height of your legs, there’s only one gait, and that is the gait in which every leg touches the ground at the same time and every leg leaves the ground at approximately the same time. So at that point, having multiple legs is kind of like having one leg. You might as well just use the one.”

It’s worth noting that SALTO’s development was made possible by collaboration between researchers from two very different fields: Biology students from Berkeley’s PolyPedal Lab, and Engineering students from the school’s Biomimetic Millisystems Lab. It’s a great example of how two diverse disciplines can come together to yield true innovation.

Jun
10

By

if you want vibrant colors back in design, you will have to ‘pay’ for them

Category: Design Boom

Future of design has fewer colors and more minimalism

 

These days, if users want vibrant colors back in minimalist designs, they’ll have to pay for them. The word ‘pay’ here is not literal. It’s to compromise. On June 9th, 2025, Apple unveiled the Liquid Glass UI, which turns all the apps, buttons, and controls on iOS 26 transparent. The vivid colors are gone, replaced by floating icons that mimic the wallpaper with a blur. If users want to bring back the colors, they’ll have to downgrade their software, which can mean a slower smartphone and outdated apps and functions. Users have weighed in on the Apple update on our Instagram post. Some have compared it to the floating, glassy icons of Windows Vista between 2006 and 2007, while the update reminds a user of the Gaussian blur, which is a blurring technique that makes an image softer or have a smoother appearance. There’s a comment imagining how Steve Jobs would react to the color-free icons (which is the standard option that users can change), while another says, ‘welcome to the future.’

 

In many ways, this has become a road brands and companies choose for their branding, logos, and even gadgets, products, and objects. The past was bursting with colors, and recently, these shades have gotten lighter, more translucent, faded. With Apple, it’s a consistent move towards reduced colors in line with its ‘simplicity’ ethos. The brand had a colorful time around the 1990s when it introduced its fruit logo in rainbow. It became metallic, glassy blue in that period, and soon enough, it went monochrome around 2001, predominantly using white, silver, and black color schemes as an appeal to minimalist consumer style. Nowadays, the similar look spreads around with brands shifting their identities to a lot less color. For them, it’s not just a trend. It’s part of their design strategy.

graph showing changes in the colour of objects over time | image courtesy of Science Museum Group | study here

 

 

Brands have shifted their identities to ‘simpler’ designs

 

Other brands, and not just Apple, have also lost vivid colors to appeal to a modern audience and adapt their designs to new gadgets. Google, for example, has turned their name in some of their apps into grayscale and just put the colors in their logos. Slack has gone from having a number sign with overlapping colors to a geometric logo with distinctive shades. Spotify has changed too, from different logo and text colors to a singular green shade. Firefox from a fox clinging onto the globe to just the animal’s silhouette in blazing hues of red and orange.

 

Even American Express has shifted from having a glow of white light in the background to just a plain blue backdrop. The Guardian has let go of its two-tone blue for a monochrome. Gap has switched from white text over a dark blue background to black text over a white backdrop. These brands, to name a few, have their reasons why they’ve decided to go through the change. Some studies have documented that losing colors to brand identities or making them more minimalist helps consumers understand them clearly and easily. In return, they trust them more. 

Firefox loses the globe in the new logo | image courtesy of Mozilla Corporation and Mozilla Foundation, via Wikimedia Commons

 

 

minimalist logos, icons, and brands are easier to look at

 

It’s also because simple designs help brands be seen clearly on modern devices. In line with the device-reliant generation, there’s a less-is-more design strategy because there’s too much digital information happening at once. The burst of colors in brand identities doesn’t help since it can ‘confuse’ the users as to what they are. Simple designs use clear shapes, few colors, and easy-to-understand words, so this combination makes it easy for them to remember the brand. In a nutshell, a simple design stands out because it is not messy.

 

Technically speaking, websites need logos that can change for different screen sizes, so having simple color plans and word styles works well in digital platforms. Aside from that, having less color means cheaper production and printing. If brands, and in return the consumers, want to bring back the vivid colors and not the minimalist design, they’d have to pay for them. Reports have mentioned that branding changes can cost around 50,000 USD, and it depends on how big the brand or company is. 

Spotify changes from two-tone to singular color | logo images courtesy of Spotify

 

Small changes alone, including adding a splash of hues to the logo or text, can already cost around a thousand and up from different agencies. Even users who want to toy around with apps to add hues to their designs may need to pay, too. Color grading apps like Cinema Grade and Colorboss have fees, and when buying refurbished gadgets, the prices vary too depending on the devices’ color. Usually, brighter ones like gold, silver, blue, and pink are priced more compared to black ones. 

 

These days, brands and products lean more toward having a single color. Again, it’s seen as memorable and trustworthy, but it also means less ‘life.’ It advocates the less-is-more philosophy, but gadgets and objects with minimalist colors in their designs are still quite pricey and out of the budgets’ range. The future of design is starting to look bleak. It doesn’t have to be, but only if companies see the worth in bringing the colors back. Otherwise, it’s a brutalism fest, and consumers have no choice yet but to be in the front row.

Slack image past (above) and present (below) | logo images courtesy of Slack

Google goes monochrome for some of their brands | logo images courtesy of Google LLC

Apple’s Liquid Glass UI makes the buttons transparent | image courtesy of Apple | read more here

 

 

 

project info:

 

brands: Apple, Google, Slack, Spotify, Firefox, American Express, The Guardian, Gap | @apple, @google, @slackhq, @spotify, @firefox, @americanexpress, @guardian, @gap

The post if you want vibrant colors back in design, you will have to ‘pay’ for them appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Jun
10

By

fiandre lifts the curtain on tribute100 ceramic collection composed of recycled fragments

Category: Design Boom

Fiandre presents Tribute100

 

At the crossroads of heritage and avant-garde innovation, Fiandre (Iris Ceramica Group) lifts the curtain on Tribute100 – a collection that revisits a classic and reinvents it with sculptural intent. Tribute100 marks the revival of Serie 100, the brand’s cult 2010 collection that broke new ground by integrating recycled content into ceramic design. More than a retrospective, Tribute100 is a forward-facing homage, reinterpreting eco-consciousness through tactile surfaces and light-responsive geometry. This collection affirms that ceramic surfaces can transcend decoration. 

Fiandre presents Tribute100, the collection that plays with colours, three-dimensionality and reflected light, offering versatility and spectacular decorative potential | all images courtesy of Fiandre

 

 

fiandre’s refined choreography of recycled material

 

Fiandre, under the umbrella of the Iris Ceramica Group, is globally recognized for its pioneering role in high-performance, sustainable porcelain. Collections such as PULSAR and Marmi Maximum reflect this legacy, each transforming raw material into an expressive architectural language. Tribute100 resonates with this same philosophical depth, drawing from its heritage to establish a meaningful material narrative that is both emotive and precise.

 

Tribute100 takes a different approach—offering a refined choreography of recycled material, structured finishes, and illuminated textures, creating a deliberate and poetic interpretation of light, sustainability, and design history.

the collection pays homage to a product launched in 2010, which went on to become a cult: Serie 100

 

 

Tribute100 revisits the changing three-dimensionality of Serie 100

 

Rooted in the original Serie 100, Tribute100 revives the pioneering spirit of recycled ceramics with a renewed sensibility for form and feeling. The collection unfolds through three distinct surface designs—Net, Fold, and Paint—each engaging light and texture in unique ways. Net features a woven aesthetic, reminiscent of fine textiles or metallic grids. Fold offers the softened structure of pleated paper, subtle yet architectural in its rhythm. Paint, by contrast, captures the fluid spontaneity of a brushstroke mid-motion, infusing the surface with energy and a sense of transformation.

 

These surfaces aren’t passive, they shift and shimmer depending on the environment, making each installation a dynamic experience. They engage with light not just as reflection, but as part of the material’s expression, blurring the line between architecture and art.

Tribute100 recovers the sinuous movement and changing three-dimensionality of the Serie 100

 

 

The Tribute100 palette is refined and atmospheric, encompassing a spectrum of tones that lend versatility and depth. Pearl is luminous and expansive, casting light across surfaces and opening up the space it inhabits. Shark, a deep, sophisticated grey, fluctuates between solidity and movement, while Mink offers a warm, earthy elegance. Titanium stands at the intersection of warmth and coolness, a balanced neutral that adapts to its context with ease. Each shade is offered across all three textures and comes in modular formats of 120×60, 60×60, and 60×30 cm, supporting recombinable, flexible design strategies that adapt effortlessly to any project scale.

 

Complementing the tactile designs is a breakthrough in finish: metallic glazes that introduce a soft sheen, elevating the surface without overwhelming its natural form. These metallic accents, paired with subtle 3D reliefs, create a layered effect of matte and gloss, shadow and reflection. The result is a surface that feels alive—one that evolves throughout the day with changing light, offering a sensory experience that’s as visual as it is physical.

the collection comes in four colours – Shark, Mink, Pearl, Titanium

Tribute100 stays grounded in cultural memory, yet equally futuristic in its approach, reflecting Fiandre’s dedication to materials that are sustainable in composition and conceptual longevity. The collection proves that sustainability can be quiet, sophisticated, and deeply emotional.

 

This spirit is fully embodied at FAB, where Tribute100 is displayed for formal architectural settings as well as through playful, sensory installations – like a ‘grab & go’ concept inspired by food retail, where samples are packaged like gourmet items. It’s a tactile, joyful way to engage with materiality, reflecting Fiandre’s vision of ceramics as both a craft and an experience.

Tribute100 offers a ange of versatile formats, 120×60, 60×60, 60×30 cm, along with different colour-design combinations

the collection is crossed by 3D filigree patterns just waiting to meet the light to add a unique changeability to the ceramic surface

combined with a lightly 3D surface, the ceramic surfaces are given a living, changing appearance

three textures play on the surfaces with thicknesses, incisions and reflected light

the unique light and shine of these surfaces comes from the use of metallic glazes

 

 

 

project info:

 

name: TRIBUTE100

company: Fiandre | @fiandre_surfaces

colors: Shark, Mink, Pearl, Titanium

finish: Structured

sizes: 120×60, 60×60, 60×30 cm

thickness: 8 mm

The post fiandre lifts the curtain on tribute100 ceramic collection composed of recycled fragments appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Jun
10

By

Retroid Dual Screen Add-on Brings Double the View for Handheld Gamers

Category: YankoDesign

Gaming handhelds have always been about taking your favorite games anywhere, but that convenience comes with a few trade-offs. Compact designs make these devices easy to carry, but you also lose the flexibility and sheer screen real estate that PCs and consoles hooked up to big TVs provide. With limited space, it is tough to keep anything else visible on the display, whether it is a chat window, a map, or a guide.

There are probably just as many people who have never thought about needing a second screen on their handheld as there are those who have dreamed of it. For that second group, Retroid’s latest accessory is an interesting solution. The Retroid Dual Screen Add-on attaches a 5.5-inch display to the back of your handheld, letting you see extra information at a glance and opening up new ways to play and multitask.

Designer: Retroid

On paper, the Retroid Dual Screen Add-on is hard to ignore. It offers a vibrant 1920×1080 AMOLED touchscreen that runs at 60Hz and reaches up to 500 nits of brightness, all without making your device unbearably heavy. At just 130 grams, it keeps things portable. The hinge is adjustable to 120, 150, or 180 degrees, giving you plenty of options for how you want to use the extra screen.

Compatibility is mostly focused on the Retroid Pocket 5, Pocket 4 Pro, and Pocket Mini series, but a handful of other devices might work if they match certain dimensions and can output video over USB-C. However, the clamp could cover ports or vents on some systems, so not every device is a perfect fit. It is also important to note that only handhelds with USB-C video out can take full advantage of this accessory.

Software support is another potential hurdle since a lot of games and even some operating systems are not built with two screens in mind. Depending on what you want to do, this limitation might be restrictive, but if you own a recent Retroid handheld, it is one of the best options out there for getting a second screen. The add-on is available in Black, GameCube-inspired GC purple, and Translucent White, which means you can match it to your device or go for a little contrast.

The $69 price tag makes it a tempting upgrade for multitaskers or anyone who wants a setup that brings back memories of dual-screen gaming. While there are still a few things that could be improved, like broader device support and better software integration, the Retroid Dual Screen Add-on brings a rather interesting and unique experience to a handheld gaming market that’s increasingly starting to look too similar.

The post Retroid Dual Screen Add-on Brings Double the View for Handheld Gamers first appeared on Yanko Design.

Jun
10

By

Skitter is a tooth-shaped doorbell concept that lives and listens

Category: YankoDesign

I haven’t lived in a house that has a doorbell for some time now so if ever I would hear one, it would probably startle me. I’ve always wondered why we couldn’t have more musical or at least more subtle doorbells. Or maybe there could even be one that can be connected to a music streaming service so you can do a little dance when someone rings your bell.

The Skitter doorbell concept offers a gentle subversion of what we’ve come to expect from home technology. In place of harsh tones, abrupt chimes, or flashing alerts that demand attention, it welcomes guests with a soft kinetic buzz, an ambient vibration that evokes the soothing, rhythmic hum of cicadas on a warm evening. This sensory response doesn’t jar or interrupt; instead, it blends seamlessly into the atmosphere, creating an experience that feels natural rather than mechanical. Installed on a vivid teal door, Skitter perches like a sentinel of subtlety, both decorative and functional, yet unlike any smart device you’ve encountered before.

Designer: Alex Mckeown

At first glance, Skitter could be mistaken for a whimsical sculpture or an abstract ornament. Crafted from sandblasted aluminum, its curved form and etched details are reminiscent of insect wings that are delicate yet precise. Flexible wire “antennae” stretch out from either side, catching the wind and lending it an uncanny, almost living presence. Look closer, and you’ll see the hints of its quiet power: a discreet solar panel, a softly glowing core, and a motion-activated stir that brings the piece to life.

Rather than startling residents with an insistent sound, Skitter responds to presence with ritual. When someone approaches, facial recognition triggers a slow, pulsing light that is less of an alert and more of a greeting. The design draws heavily from the natural rhythms of Aotearoa (New Zealand), where the boundaries between built and wild environments often blur. In this spirit, Skitter replaces the sterile “ding-dong” of traditional doorbells with something tactile and emotionally resonant. It doesn’t just notify there is someone there, it acknowledges.

Its name is apt. Like the insects it’s inspired by, Skitter doesn’t dominate a space, but inhabits it. It whispers rather than shouts, invites rather than monitors. This is smart home tech that feels less like a machine and more like a guest, a quiet participant in the home’s rhythms rather than its overseer. It’s a kinetic sculpture, a security device, a poetic expression in just one entity. Most importantly, it reminds us that even the smallest interactions with technology can be made more human, more sensory, and more alive.

The post Skitter is a tooth-shaped doorbell concept that lives and listens first appeared on Yanko Design.

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