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Snail concept rolls out Braille-to-speech translation
A new concept that fits nicely in the things-you-never-knew-you-wanted category is determined to make speed readers out of the visually impaired. Snail -- deceptive name aside -- uses a pressure-sensitive touch pad to read patterns in a Braille passage, then translates them to speech, speeding up the reading process and allowing users to record audio passages for later playback. The user places his / her thumb, in the obvious opening and glides the device over a line of Braille. The translated audio is then played back either through a built-in speaker or over a connected Bluetooth headset. Snail was made with the blind in mind, but considering we've always been curious about what resides in those bumpy white lines, we wouldn't mind rolling with one of these things ourselves. As is the case with so many concepts, however, there's no telling when or if this Snail will slither on to the market.
Conceptual 'Fujitsu Lifebook X2' folds into quarters, makes regular notebooks look lame
Being that doomsday and the robot apocalypse are nearing quickly, now seems an appropriate time to gaze into the future of laptop design, right? Well, maybe those anomalies aren't actually around the corner, but you know us -- we always fancy a warm cup of concept tea. Designer Park Hyun Jin over at Yanko recently posted some renders of the Fujitsu Lifebook X2, a laptop-like invention of his fervent imagination that allows for two orientations thanks to its four folds. The design features a full QWERTY keyboard that can be used when the notebook is folded out in full, as well as a half-folded option with an onscreen keyboard. Naturally, we'd love for this concept design to become a reality, but we can't wrap our brains around the seam between the two screens. Well actually, we could probably get used to it. Update: We got a request from the designer to pull this prototype, which was submitted to a competition and leaked. To be nice, we're complying.
3 Pin British Plug: go ahead and yank it
Yanking cords out of sockets is a terrifically satisfying way to take out your aggression on electronics, but it's not very safe. This British-only concept solution seeks to change all that, with some internal fortification and an external ball attachment to show you where to grip. Why not make a ritual out of rebellion?
Solar Pebble lamp doubles as a gadget charger, world changer
It might not change the world, but it won't be for lack of trying. Plus Minus Solar has designed what it's calling the LED Solar Pebble, a multifaceted device that requires just a pinch of sunlight (or maybe gobs of it, actually) in order to generate artificial light. And charge your arsenal of gizmos. It's engineered to be built at a low cost and used in developing nations, but unfortunately there's no confirmation on what exactly it'd charge. 'Course, it's just a concept as of now, so we're guessing a micro-USB and mini-USB socket could be tossed on by whatever manufacturer would be kind enough to get this to a production line. Right, prospective manufacturers? %Gallery-89647%
Origami-like Play MP3 Player concept makes tunes, not cranes
We're going to go ahead and admit up front that this is not the most practical concept we've seen come out of Yanko Design before, but it is quite intriguing -- even if its name is not. Called the Play MP3 Player it's inspired by origami and to control it you fold it to create the shape of what you want to do. A triangle to play, a square to stop, and overlapping triangles to go forward or backward (another pic after the break explains it). You can see where the lack of practicality comes in, as it'd be a chore to fold and refold this thing every time you wanted to skip that Miley album your little sister wanted you to hear, but it is rather more intuitive than certain other screenless MP3 players.
Ekokook concept kitchen's mantra: waste not, want not
If, like us, you've spent a fair amount of time in a kitchen cooking up a storm, then you're probably aware of one of the major drawbacks of major home-cooking... it generates a ton of waste. That's right -- up to 85 or 90 percent of a family's trash can be generated within the vicinity of the kitchen. Faltazi's concept kitchen should be interesting for just that reason -- Ekokook is designed to generate essentially zero waste. The solid waste -- things like glass -- are ground down using a hand-activated steel ball, and there's also a manual paper shredder which compacts the leftovers into small bricks. Water is stored, filtered, and reused, with waste water being used to water plants. Oh, and there's also an eco-friendly earthworm compactor in a drawer! Does it get any better? Well, there's a video after the break to check out.
Yanko Design opens store, oodles of concepts now on the market
Yanko Design is well known for digging up some of the most amazing, most commercializable concepts on the world wide web, and today the site has finally taken the next logical step. With every awesome mockup comes the inevitable question: "Yo, holmes -- where can I buy this?" With the grand opening of the YD Store, you can now exchange your currency for such luxuries as the d°light Huggable Pillow, Magnetic Spice Stand, Sorapot and Cloud Chair. We couldn't be happier to see some of these incredible designs ushered into the market place, and if you're feeling the same, you can give that read link a tap to enter a deep, dark world that's bound to drain your wallet dry. Have fun!Update: Seems the site is getting battered at the moment, though we're sure they're buying more bandwidth as we speak. Right?
Conceptual self-heating Vertigo container makes Philmont infinitely more bearable
We won't say precisely which Engadget staffer can speak from experience, but suffice to say, having the Vertigo whilst out and about in the New Mexico mountains would've made the epic Philmont adventure a much, much more delectable trek. Dreamed up by Nicolas Bernal, this self-heating container is theoretically constructed from Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) and features a high performance dynamo that heats up food within minutes. Naturally, there's a LED on board that lights up when the contents are ready for consumption, but sadly, we highly doubt this will land in your local R.E.I. / Camping World within the next few years.[Via Engadget German]
USB finger drive concept attempts to keep up with reality
Yanko Design is certainly home to many far-fetched, never-to-be-realized gadgets, but this so-called You-SB finger drive isn't one of them. In fact, it's already a bit behind the curve. Apparently, after losing a finger in a motorcycle accident last year, Jerry Jalava took advantage of the situation to get a 2GB USB drive installed in his new prosthetic finger, which he's happy to inform us stores the Billy Linux distribution and the movie Freddy Got Fingered. The drive is even removable to allow for upgrades or different drives for different tasks. Can a pico-projector finger be far behind?Read - Yanko Design, "You-SB"Read - Jerry Jalava's Flickr page[Via Grinding.be]
Colorsonic concept MP3 player turns your tunes into groovy colors, man
MP3 players with screens that show pretty colors are certainly nothing new, but Rhea Jeong's Colorsonic concept is something rather different. It's a little donut-shaped device that lacks a proper display, instead lighting its sections up to represent different types of music tagged using software at home -- think Shuffle meets mood ring. You could drop all your Sabbath and miscellaneous metal on black, Green Day and various faux-punk on green, and your Clannad and other soothing tunes on a nice dreamy blue. Then, just touch that section of the player and let the music flow. The thing even has storage for two impossibly small Bluetooth earbuds (shown below) that can nestle within the center (aka the Munchkin/Timbit zone). While we generally hate being teased by fanciful concepts as much as you, but this one was developed as part of an internship at Samsung, meaning there might just be a chance it could come to fruition. Sorry, colorblind folks, you'll have to stick with other oddly shaped ways to play your tunes.
Felt Mouse puts a different spin on ergonomics
We have little choice but to take Joey Roth's word for it, but we've got our reservations about this one. The so-called Felt Mouse forgoes the typical dome shape that most mice made this millennium share in favor of a totally blockish -- and likely uncomfortable -- design. Conceptually, at least, the critter is indeed wireless, and while you will notice a right and left click, you can forget about finding one of those fancy "scroll wheel" contraptions. The unit is said to be constructed primarily from "natural wool felt and laminated bamboo ply," and the former will apparently conform to your hand when you grab hold. Check out the underbelly after the jump -- we promise carpal tunnel syndrome can't be contracted visually.[Via YankoDesign]
Eclipse Office Partitioning System concept adds privacy to the workspace
Let's face it, not everyone can get relocated to the corner office, but if designer Marcus Ward Curran has anything to do with it, even the newbies can look forward to a certain level of privacy in the office. The Eclipse Office Partitioning System enables desk dwellers to cover up their space with panels in varying degrees, and it even touts the ability to change colors throughout the day to liven up the mood. Furthermore, the unit includes an RFID sensor (hey, The Man has to hold you down somehow, right?), a wireless charging mat, pillar-based speakers, an internal projection system and a built-in lighting system to boot. Throw in a teleportation feature to get us home on the double and we'd be sold. Check out the video after the break.[Via YankoDesign]
