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Conventional fire alarms work effectively to warn people of the danger by sounding an alarm. But that means nothing to hearing-impaired people as they could hear nothing. So what could wake up hearing-impaired people in time? The unusual fire alarm designed by Kobe-based fire extinguisher company- Air Water Safety Service and the Tokyo-based Bioventure Seems looks like a practical solution. It is based on hearing impaired people’s keen sense of smell and warns them by releasing wasabi stench. The new fire alarm also works effectively, for example, one 8 in x 3 in unit could alarm people within an area of up to 50 square feet in less than three minutes. The smelly fire alarm is bit of expensive at present, each costing about $560. But a reasonable price of $225 will be possible after further improvements.

You think shower drains are too ugly? You won’t think so after checking out these ones. Designed by California Faucets, these shower drains seem more like an art work with their stylish patterns. The four impressive shower drains each comes with an impressive name- Mission, Waves, Deco Line and Deco Swirl. Hopefully we could see them hit the market soon. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Anything could be changed into an art work when the inspirations occur to the designers. Look at these creative projects, they look like full-color portraits of people from far away, but their true pixel-like nature will be revealed if you walk up to them. Designed by Eric Daigh, each of these portraits is finished with about 25,000 pins. Terrific! [Read the rest of this entry...]

Designed by denim brand Gluejeans, the so-called ‘Juxtapose’ collection includes a ladies’  ‘reverse’ denim coat, a men’s ‘reverse’ jacket and some new designs for jeans, which are all glued rather than stitched. Each garment comes with a rough look due to the colored glues used to assemble the pieces. [Read the rest of this entry...]

The Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE) has finally developed the stylish solar power glass after lengthy years of research. The system is constructed of rows of pyramid-shaped glass receptors, which will change their directions all the time to keep track of the sunlight. All the energy is stored in a small photovoltaic cell built in the center of each pyramid. The transparent design not only makes the system eye-pleasing and attractive, but means light could pass through the system more effectively for energy storage. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Arina Komarova has come out with a new shower room concept, a shower stall that you would want it to appear in the living room rather than the bathroom. It is shaped like a huge egg, allowing you to stretch yourself with sensuous pleasure in the warm Jacuzzi. Sadly it is only a concept at present and there’s no news when it will hit the market. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Creative Factor: A clever and proper utilization of waste material.

To those who have been in deep love with air travel, the Airplane Hotel at the Teuge Airport in Netherlands seems quite attractive. The luxury hotel is transformed from a Cold War-era East German Airplane but features something new and modern, including 3 flat screen TVs, a sauna, 24/7 hostess, a Jacuzzi, and a Blu-Ray player.

Continue reading for more pictures. [Read the rest of this entry...]

It would be nice to preview what our cities will be like in one or two decades, and Norway has already drawn a blueprint of that and named it as the ‘Turbine City Concept’. Several huge wind turbines will be adopted to convert wind into electricity to supply needed energy to offshore hotels, spas and museums. Connected together like an archipelago of islands, these wind turbines also function as a base for passing sailors. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Creativity is everywhere and Erika Iris Simmons is here to show us a new look of art by creating some portraits with weird stuff. Her first project, which is also Simmons’ favorite work, is a portrait of William Shakespeare made out of the writer’s books. And after that, Simmons has tried to make portraits with other materials and finally come up with some impressive portraits made out of cassette and film tapes. So what are you waiting for? Check out more cassette and film tape portraits after the break. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Creative Factor: Eliminates the need of soil and encourages people to harvest plants inside their residence.

Designed by Jim Ruck, the ‘Breathe’ Concept Soil-Free Harvesting is a vegetation system that aims to bring people closer to the nature by permitting us to harvest plants inside the residence. It adopts misters to take the place of soils to supply the plants with needed water and nutrients. The conceptual garden also provides periodical water flow for the plants. Both the water flow and the misters are powered by electricity. It also features backup batteries to pump the water or set on the misters during the time of power outage. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Using hinged double panels of plywood, a Dutch firm Kapteinbolt has created the FLKS framework of an instant workspace that includes a desk, a chair, and other gadgets. Whenever you’d like to create a private office, you just need to follow the instructions to unfold each piece of furniture.

Check out more pictures after the jump! [Read the rest of this entry...]

From Lifegoods Design, the dubbed ‘at-at walker’ is a wooden drawer with a built-in light dimmer. It appears to be absolutely nothing particular when the drawer is in ‘off’ mode. But the moment you pull out the drawer, bright light will then come out of that and illuminate your room. Claimed by Lifegoods Design, “The lamp is like a science fiction object but characterized by the warmth and the preciousness of the woodwork.”

The project is on show at imm cologne 2010. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Just look at the NASA’s Puffin Personal Tilt-Rotor Aircraft, it’s obviously another product meant for the most-wanted of your grocery lists. It features a vertical-takeoff and allows the pilot to fly with a prone position. Electrically propelled, Puffin can cruise at a speed of 150 mph and sprint at more like 300 miles per hour. Other features about it also include non carbon emission and the ultra quiet design.

It would be nice to see this practical concept hit the marketplace instead of the limited choice we have to choose from these days.

Nobody would refuse simple ideas that work effectively, or much more effectively. And ‘Inklet’, a latest concept from Ten One Design, is an advanced piece of software that transforms MacBook’s trackpad into a drawing tablet. That is to say, your multi-touch trackpad of the MacBook would translate what you’ve drawn on the interface into drawing marks with the help of ‘Inklet’, just as you can see in the video after the jump. So, for $24.95, you can use your trackpad like a tablet, doesn’t that sound appealing? Cool! [Read the rest of this entry...]

Controlling the cursor with a ball? That’s really an interesting idea. But the ball is not an ordinary ball, but a ball-shaped mouse that has 14 built-in pressure sensors, including a three-way acceleration sensor. As a result, the mouse would always control the cursor whenever you roll, squeeze or throw it. Yes, the ‘Puyocon’ mouse has completely changed the traditional way we use a mouse and make it more interesting. I love the idea!

It is connected to the computer via Bluetooth devices. [Read the rest of this entry...]