Tag: design | RocketNews24

design

The UNiMO Wheelchair: a Sofa-Inspired Mini Tank That Takes You Anywhere

May 8, 2013 by Oona McGee
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Japanese Tech firm Nano-Optonics Energy has developed a new all-terrain mobility machine that goes where wheelchairs usually fear to tread. Quite literally.

The UNiMO uses built-in sensors, independent suspension and rubber crawler tracks to navigate trips to the beach, gravel roads, hilly treks, and snow-covered surfaces, all with an unprecedented level of safety. It can even make its way over 15-centimetre (6-inch) steps and ditches.

May 4, 2013 by Oona McGee
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From office buildings to towers to hotels, urban environments across the world have seen huge improvements in vertical design over the years. But in amongst all this creativity and innovation, there was always one building left waiting for a look-in: the humble multi-storey car park.

Now, thanks to an international architectural competition, there’s a futuristic new proposal set to revolutionise the way we park our cars. It’s called the “CarPARK”, and it aims to provide a great day out parking for the whole family.

Apr 10, 2013 by Philip Kendall
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Japanese video game giant Nintendo has announced that it will be accepting applications from university students between May and June to attend a special seminar beginning this summer; the first of its kind in three years.

Mar 29, 2013 by Master Blaster
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On rainy days, especially in Asia, a dozen or so umbrellas can be seen sitting outside of stores and other buildings. For thieves or people with momentary rain-soaked lapses in conscience it the perfect chance to get a free bumbershoot.

To combat this we have the Lizard Umbrella – a 2012 Red Dot Design Award-winning concept by inventors Kim Seokhui, Kim Seongjin and Kim Dasol.

Feb 3, 2013 by Michelle
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Hello Kitty gets a funky new makeover!

Jan 15, 2013 by Jessica
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In Japan, people generally eat jellyfish, not decorate with them, but if you are the kind of person who eschews conventional interior design, you’ll want to have a look at these charming hanging lamps made by California-based Roxy Russel Designs. Faithfully modeled on real jellyfish, these translucently luminous creations will enchant even the most jelly-phobic decorators. Read More

From D-Cup T-Shirts to Nostril Power Outlets — the Creative Clowning of Takayuki Fukuzawa

Jan 12, 2013 by Philip Kendall
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Quirky Japanese designer Takayuki Fukuzawa is on a mission to make people smile.

A graduate of Tokyo’s Nihon University, Fukuzawa started designing his own unique brand of “humourous art and design” products not long after entering full-time employment as a home designer. After bringing smiles to exhibition attendees’ faces and realising that he might be on to something, he quickly established his own company, ekoD Works (pronounced “eco doh”), and hasn’t looked back since.

Japan’s Excite News sat down with Fukuzawa to pick his brains about his unusual product line-up, the meaning behind the company name and the runaway success of his mercilessly cheeky “Wild Idea Mapping red Bra T-shirt”.

Dec 20, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Tired of mowing down pedestrians and scratching up your car while cruising around town? You, my friend, need a supersoft cushion car!

Developed by Hiroshima University, this electric car is completely surrounded by ultra-strong air-filled cushions that protect both those inside and outside the car, meaning that as well as being environmentally friendly it transforms life-destroying collisions into mere belly bounces from the Stay Puft Marshmallow man.

Nov 27, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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North Korea isn’t exactly renown for its footwear industry, but the recent appearance of a new pair of sneakers on North Korean television has caused quite a stir in the Asian media.

Featuring an “extra-supportive heel section” and a red design with a series of white stripes, the North Korean design bears a striking resemblance to Japanese company Asics’ own model.

Is this a simple coincidence or are we looking at an all-out rip-off?

Oct 30, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Ask anyone to tell you the first things that come to mind when they think of Japan and, once giant robots and kinky fetishes are out of the way, Mount Fuji is bound to crop up.

The enormous near-symmetrical mountain has come to be known as a symbol of Japan, and the sight of it standing tall on a clear day is nothing short of spectacular. Up close, Mount Fuji is nowhere near as picturesque and is a rather unattractive mass of dark grey rock and ash, but from a couple of kilometres away there’s no denying that it has a certain majesty about it, and even native Japanese whip out their phones to take a snap of the notoriously shy mountain whenever they have the chance.

So what better way to show your love of Japan than by slipping your passport into a unique Mount Fuji passport case?

Oct 23, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Despite it being the backbone of the country’s agricultural industry, rice consumption in Japan is on the decline.

While favourites like sushi and donburi continue to be enjoyed, increasingly few young Japanese sit down to a bowl of rice with their meal compared to even ten years ago, with more and more people are choosing bread and pasta instead, citing their convenience and “cooler” image.

In the past, both morning and evening meals in Japan were comprised of rice, a bowl of miso soup and fish, meat or vegetables. Lunch, too, often included rice or onigiri rice-balls. While the nation still continues to eat vast amounts of the stuff, and we’re in no danger of losing cute and creative bento packed lunches any time soon, it has been revealed that Japan now consumes more bread than it does rice, and that rice farming is in trouble.

In an effort to keep its rice industry alive, however, Japan Agriculture, along with a host of rice producers, have struck upon an idea that’s proving to be a big hit and putting a little cool back into the nations staple food.

Introducing: The Moé Rice Revolution!!!

Oct 10, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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As much as it might sound like a speech that one of those creepy, smile-flashing, tracksuit-wearing guest speakers might have given at your school when you were a kid, it genuinely is cool to be seen cleaning up your town in Japan right now.

In a joint venture between Garbage Bag Artwork and Columbia Sportswear Japan, a range of artistically-designed garbage bags has been launched, along with a swanky new website that aims to encourage both local groups and handsome folks like you and me to get out and clean up our towns. Read More

10 Everyday Items Inspired by Food That Look Good Enough to Eat

Oct 10, 2012 by Steven
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Everyone has their own comfort food; a meal that brings you back to better days and fills the void in your heart and stomach. But how about food that provides real, physical comfort?

From curry futons to ice cream cone lamps, here are 10 unique food furnishings from around the net that are sure to add a little relish to your everyday life!

Jun 22, 2012 by Kay
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If you were a fish, wouldn’t you want to be able to swim around the world? Well, any fish in this stunningly artistic fishbowl designed by Takuro Yamamoto Architects can travel the world – or at least appear as if they are to anyone looking at the fish. The “fishbowl” actually isn’t shaped like a bowl at all, but you have to admit that the design is definitely eye-catching. It’s as if the container and fish together form a living work of art! Forget fancy fish tanks with all the high-tech accoutrements. Could this fishbowl (or fish tank or aquarium or whatever else it may be appropriate to call it), with its simplistic yet exquisite design, be a fish’s dream home? Read More

Ice Cream Too Hard? No More!

Apr 16, 2012 by danielnishina
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We’ve probably all experienced that struggle, that anguish – you go to eat your ice cream only to discover it’s still frozen solid and your spoon can only make pathetic little dents in it. The folks at Lemnos Co. could not let this injustice go unaddressed, and have invented a special spoon to do the job. Read More