Know Your Parking Spot in Advance

Danny Cheng: "That's Good, do Times Square, Taikoo Shing and Pacific Place working on this project now?"

Ok so you drive into the public parking lot and keep circling around to find an empty spot. Cut, rewind and refresh! So you are back at the parking lot, only this time the ticket stub prints out the exact next available parking with a color-coded block, indicating the precise location for you. How cool is that! You not only save time in finding a spot, you also can find your way back to the car without a hitch. Awesome!

Designers: Shih Chang-Chi, Huang Shao-Heng & Wang Shou-Yu
Source: Yanko Design

Neat Pizza Fingers

Danny Cheng: "I think Paisano's in Wan Chai should use this concept asap :)"

This Paper Dish concept  is only a well-cut paper with appropriate perforations, that allow you to slice and devour a pizza slice, without getting your hands messy. The idea is very clever, more like a makeshift paper plate, but worth including in my next box of hot takeaway!

Designers: Yu Kyung Ha, Won Min Jung & Kwon Young Hee
Source: Yanko Design

Riot Slower Downer

Danny Cheng: "Seems like Hong Kong Police Force & Government might need this, and they might put Ms Chrissie Chau 周秀娜's poster inside the disperse to calm down the protester :O"

With widespread protesting and rioting on the rise, it’s no wonder that concepts like this have become a more popular design subject. Disperse is a system of transportable triangular units that can be arranged in combination to create a series of honeycomb paths that rioters must weave through to reach the destination on the other side. Like the name suggests, the aim is to disperse the mass of people into manageable numbers that law enforcement can safely contend with.

Designer Hsu Sean also hopes that the system would also calm rioters progressively as they worked their way to the other side. It might be wishful thinking, but it’s an interesting concept nonetheless!

Designer: Hsu Sean
Source: Yanko Design

Find Tranquility in Furniture

Danny Cheng: "Freedom, personal space and privacy are good at work :)"

 Alain Gilles’ designs, the BuzziHood and BuzziBooth for Buzzispaces, (thats a whole lotta Buzzi!) are all about personal space, privacy, and intimacy. The wall-mounted BuzziHood pictured here offers a quick escape from the surrounding cacophony of distractions so you can have a moment of peace for a phone call or just a quick breather. The BuzziBooth provides a private and comfy setting for intimate conversation in public spaces. Each is made of 100% recyclable, sound-absorbing fabric.

Designer: Alain Gilles for Buzzispaces
Source: Yanko Design

Fujitsu Lifebook – Well Configured Life

Steve Jobs once said that people don’t know what they until you show it to them. This is probably why we have independent gadgets now vying for integration with features of mainstream products. Can your tablet take good pictures; is your cellphone smart like a computer; can your MP3 player shoot videos? Not only are we duplicating applications, we are also diluting the individuality of a device. I’m not going to judge on the technology wastage here, instead I’ll update you on concepts like the Lifebook. An idea that integrates a tablet, camera, phone and music player to collectively form the hardware for a laptop! They all work independently to support their unique identity and yet unify to create a magical device.

The proposed Lifebook is a laptop computer concept based on the principle of “shared hardware”. Currently a lot of hardware is wasted when we use separate devices, as there is often a lot of “repeat” of data stored and features. For example if I have my songs on my music player, why do I have to block the same amount of storage on my laptop? Similarly, if I have a processor sitting in my tablet, why can it not also run/assist my laptop? If I have a fully functional camera with its own memory and image processing power, why do I need to have it repeated in my laptop?

Designer: Prashant Chandra
Source: Yanko Design

Clever ID Tag

Danny Cheng: "Yes, but I think we don't need to buy this ID Tag, this should came with the gadget we bought, and different products should come with different plug design too!"

Braille Electric Plug Tags are Velcro fastening labels that identify a plug using Braille, embossed icon and English abbreviation of products. The concept is backed by the research that many independent visually impaired folks find it difficult to identify their appliance/gadget plugs, especially when many of them are hooked on a multi-socket power board. Clever and easily reusable, the concept is good for regular folks too.

Braille Electric Plug Tags is a 2011 red dot design concept winner.
Designer: Shuwen Chen
Source: Yanko Design & Clever ID Tag

Proinjector – Microwave Projector Concept

Danny Cheng: "I think the Microwave should record the video and share on YouTube & viddy too :)"

Based on the theory that microwave poses a greater health risk to pregnant women, children and the silver generation; Proinjector has been designed to project a realtime image of how the food is cooking onto a wall. The cooking can be monitored from afar without risking unnecessary exposure. Basically keeping an eye from a distance; smart!

via: reddot

Eggs Anywhere

Danny Cheng: "Yeh, can cook eggs without hot boiling water!"

The ultra-portable Heater Egg Card utilizes a wire-web and thin skin that envelops the egg to reduce heating time. The casing can then be “smooshed” together to make it as thin as a credit card. Small enough to take anywhere in your wallet, purse, or other compact carrier.

Designer: Jidanjiareqi Limian

Outta-the-door Reminder

Danny Cheng: "Yes, this should installed in all apt @Hong Kong"

So, you and the family is going on this big vacation and just as you finish locking up everything and shut the main door, your wife calls out – hon, did you check the gas and switch-off all the lights? Sounds familiar? How about if you had the ‘Off’ installed! It is a door handle with connections to your mains like gas supply and electricity. Simply switch off both or either one of the services by rotating the dial and flip it back to activate it all. Super cool and innovative I tell ya!

Off is a 2011 red dot design concept winner.

Designers: Eun Ah Kim, Jinhyuk Rho & Maria Rho

The Ultimate Green Hotel

Danny Cheng: "Would like to see this hotel in Hong Kong, London, Seoul and Toyko :)"

The Urban Hotel is a very well thought-out solar-powered ‘green’ hotel. It features rainwater recycling system and a bicycle in each room, to help visitors explore the city. Now the cool thing here is that there is a specific slot in the room to place the bike and you can use it as an exercise cycle. Stored kinetic energy from it gets converted to electricity and helps power small gadgets and lights. If you get enthusiastic enough, for all you know, you could end up renting the room for free! Apparently all your pedaled miles get converted to energy savings and can be redeemed against the room rent. Sweet!

Designers: Lo Li-Te, Tai-Yen Lee, Cheng-Yu, Tsai Zong-Huei & Hsu Song-Jung Chen

Titanic Needed This!

Danny Cheng: "YES, GPS are really important!"

One of the biggest fears while evacuating a sinking ship is the possibility of survivors being carried away by the tide, and people getting lost at sea. The Network Tube is a rescue tube with magnetic properties and aims to form a floating cluster, bringing people together via GPS. When people huddle together, they not only boost each other’s morale, but they also increase their chances of survival.

Network Tube is a 2011 Spark Awards entry.

Designers: Son Kijo, Joon Hyoung Seo, Uhm Hyung Woo, Choi JinYoung & Kim Junpyo

20 Best of Best red dot award : design concept 2011

As expected this evening here in Singapore has turned out to be magical! I know most of you are curious to know which designs bagged the Best of Best honors. So before I sign out for tonight, here are my pick of 20 Best of Best red dot award : design concept 2011. Congratulations winners!

Air-curtain Shower Cabin by Liu Yi, Luo Jing & Jiang Yuning

A’konkret Furniture by Tjiang Supertini Yuwono

ARROW by Prof. Jeon Sung-su, Prof. Kim Ki-Pil, Han Kyung-Chan, Kang Kyung-Rok, Kang Dong-Woo & Jeon Ji-Yong

Creative Helmets by Igor Mitin

Digimo, Camera for Creatives by Lee Sang Ik

FRIDA Concept Robot by Kenny Wong

GEM by Jarkko Saunamäki, Dr. Hannu Nieminen, Marko Luomi, Yan Qifeng & Heikki Naulapää

Kulou Cigar by Prof. Gao Liqun, Wang Jun, Zhang Nan, Li Yulin, Liu Rumiao, Ding Ning, Du YaNan & Wang Yancai

Little Explorer by Chen Liao-Hsun, Chen Wei-Ting, Tsai Hui-Jou, Dai Siao-Ying & Chen Jia-Wen

Magic Carp-pet Rug by John Leung

Mole’s Hide and Seek Bike Rack by You Song Young, Park Soyoung, Hong Sung Min & Hong Se Won

Nursing Kit by Lee Sheng-Hung & Chen Yu-Lin

Paper Chair-piao by Lei Zhang, Christoph John & Jovana Bogdanovic

Parking Guide by Shih Chang-Chi, Huang Shao-Heng, Wang Shou-Yu

Piling Eating by Lu Ying-Jung & Chou Ya Shang

Microbial Home by Philips Design

SoundsGood by Tang Peiqi

Tea-Time by Yu Pengtao

Topless Shoes by Prof. Ying Fangtian, Zhao Xiaoliang, Han Like, Liu Peng, Meng Qingbao, Ren Mingjun, Yang Xiao, Chen Xuan & Lin Lin

Wormhole Folding Seat by Igor Lobanov