Here’s what we looked at this week:
Fantastic edge detailing on this Water Lily Work Desk, by designer/cabinetmaker Jonas Lyndby Jensen.
When leather furniture was designed to be re-tightened over time.
19th-century manufacturer Ross and Co. of Dublin made a lot of flatpack furniture that doesn’t look flatpack.
An example of early, very clever industrial design: This portable Victorian travel light, designed in 1886. Cilck the link to see how it worked.
E-tailer Temu, a purveyor of cheap and bizarre goods, offers these Women’s Bubble Slippers.
Click here to see video of how these amusingly elaborate early designs for pencil sharpeners work. Just fascinating.
Expanding tables are nothing new, but French manufacturer Tectona makes this one for outdoor use.
This modular Sentinel subsea habitat is like an underwater space station.
The UGOT Robotic Kit is for those who’d like their kids to have an AI- and camera-equipped robot roaming around the house. Might as well get them used to overseas surveillance early.
In contrast to humanoid robots, the evoBOT is just a pair of legs and a pair of arms. Manufacturer Fraunhofer reckons the non-anthropomorphic form factor “lowers the inhibition threshold” for robot-averse humans.
An incredibly rare original X-wing fighter model used to film “Star Wars” is being auctioned off for $400,000. For scale, it costs $250,000 to refurbish a Falcon 9 booster.
Designed for #vanwork, not #vanlife: This Bott Smartvan Shelving system keeps vans organized.
The X-Cabin is Japan’s answer to the Airstream Trailer.
Ford’s clever Pro Access Tailgate has a vertical-hinged center section, to make access easier when towing something. And it still works like a regular tailgate.
The Smart Tire Company is selling airless bicycle tires that use NASA’s shape memory alloy technology. $500 a pair, but you’ll never get a flat again.
Systainer/Festool’s MW 1000 is a handtruck/tool organizer that turns into a portable workbench.
Honda’s incredible Motocompacto is an electric scooter that folds into a briefcase shape. It’s going on sale in November for $1,000.
ID firm Pensa’s “Street Level Stations” concept uses information to allow city dwellers to remain aboveground for longer.
