The hamburger icon is a classic. Even if you don’t know it by that name, its three black bars are as familiar as your mouse’s cursor—a constant companion on your cyber journey since the day you got your first computer. But who designed this icon?
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You’re probably familiar with LG’s cutting edge curved OLED TVs, but the company is taking the technology in a new direction. At the Light+Building trade show in Frankfurt, LG unveiled an OLED table lamp. It’s a little bit ugly—okay, a lot ugly—but the technology bears some exciting implications.
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Under Armour is about to release a new line of gear coated in a sheath of sturdy plastic, designed to provide support while also flexing with the shape of your movement. "Clutchfit," as the new tech is called, isn’t aesthetics—it’s science.
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3D modeling software is often used to visualize and develop concepts – anything from a piece of furniture to a video game. Those programs make it easy to transition from idea to prototype and to refine or duplicate sketches, but they require a lot of practice and training to master. A new company called Gravity thinks it can make sketching in 3D almost as easy as doodling with pen and paper.
Gravity uses an infrared pen, a control pad with sensors and a pair of augmented reality glasses. You use the pen to sketch in midair, just above the control pad. You won’t need to be M.C. Escher to start creating 3D models though, because Gravity only allows for sketching in one plane at a time. A switch on the pad lets you switch planes, rotating your virtual object to the side where you want to draw. Your sketch will then be visible to anyone wearing the glasses – it could just be you, or a roomful of people.
The founders of Gravity believe that “CAD [computer-aided design] generates perfect shapes that don’t leave room for the imperfection of your early modeling to allow imagination to keep influencing the idea. CAD requires thinking in terms of functions and variables. This is where imagination is defeated. There is much lost in the process of moving from 2D to 3D.” I’m not sure I buy that. Sure, making complex technology user-friendly can help drive innovation and speed up the development of concepts. On the other hand, professionals need the precision and the shortcuts that CAD and other 3D modeling software provide. For example, will Gravity users be able to cut, copy and paste an exact part of a sketch, and will the commands for those features still be intuitive without being tedious?
Sketching in 3D looks cool, but I’m going to let the pros decide if this is just a high-tech whiteboard or a legitimate alternative to 3D modeling software.
This project is from 2010, but it’s such an amazing and unusual achievement it’s still worth sharing today. Artist Pete Fecteau created a huge mural commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. out of more than 4,000 individual Rubik’s cubes, with each square on each cube hand-arranged to create the detailed image you see above.
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Whoever said that food and fashion don’t mix obviously haven’t seen these dainty and appetizing hats by MaorZabar Hats. Granted, the concept is strange and a bit far out, but the execution is just gorgeous.
Of course, it’ll take a playful personality (and possibly a large head) to be able to pull some of these hats off. But if you’re looking for one-of-a-kind fashion pieces that make a statement (mostly about your love of food), then these hats will do exactly that for you.
Sushi, fried eggs, salad, and pies – there’s a hat for each and every one of them.
They’re available for $266 each. Not cheap, but you have to admit, they are pretty amazing. You can check them out on Etsy.
[via Incredible Things]
If you’ve fallen flat on your face one too many times while attempting to ride a Segway, then the Commute-Case may or may not be the right method of transportation for you.
It’s a compact electric scooter that has mobility in mind. Not just when you’re on it, but also when you’re not using it as well. The sleek design allows you to fold the entire thing up into a briefcase of sorts when you’re keen on walking or for storage. You can also easily convert it into a trolley as well.
The Commute-Case can do up to 12.5mph and weighs just 27 pounds with a weight capacity of 275 pounds. Range is up to 25 miles, and it takes as little as an hour for a full recharge. It’s normally priced at $5,990(USD) but Green Energy Motors is currently offering pre-order reservations at half the price.
[via Dvice]
Proposals for LEGO video game sets haven’t met much success, but that’s not going to stop fans from hoping. One of the newest proposals on Cuusoo is for a Metroid set. It was submitted by lizardman, who kept his proposal simple: a Super Metroid-themed set featuring Samus Aran, her arch-nemesis Ridley and her gunship.
Ridley is undoubtedly the star of the set, being much larger than a minifig – to reflect how he and Samus matched up size-wise in most Metroid games – and fully poseable. Lizardman also said that the gunship will have a detailed interior. Sadly he forgot to include a spare head for Samus with her helmet off.
Roll up into a ball and vote for lizardman’s Metroid set on Cuusoo.
[via GoNintendo]
From churches-turned-libraries, to new uses for old CDs, we have plenty of lovely and awe-inspiring things for you to peep this time around. Check them out in this edition of the most beautiful items of the week.
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The exterior of this brick home in Amsterdam was transformed by Studio Wessels Boer into a large-scale curio case to commemorate its role as one of the original Dutch "dime buildings," an early, 1870s-era attempt at cooperative housing. Each of the custom-made cut-outs tells a story about either the history of the place or a personal narrative from a current resident. [Lustik]
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