Thinner and better, this new generation of solar panels collaborated by Japan and Austria scientists is merely 1.9 micrometers thick, but is flexible enough to stick onto almost everything, so as to help generate electricity in a much effective way. But the only problem is that the solar panel can only convert 4.2% of sunlight into electricity, so we may still need to wait for years till its commercial availability is high.
“Feed Me”, a soft silicon iPhone case that features a big mouth at the back is an interesting accessory for iPhones or other smartphones. It’s pretty functional too, as its open mouth can hold credit card, cash, coins and other items – the moment you put something into its mouth, then you may feel that you’re feeding a hungry baby, and that’s also why the case gets its name “Feed Me”.
Paper PP Alloy, developed by the PEGA Design and Engineering, is strong, durable and eco-friendly material that is an ideal alternative to plastics and metals. It is a mixture of 50% paper and 50% polypropylene, seeming the same as regular paper but features a good durability and flexibility, which makes it even suitable to produce consumer electronics.
Bondi is a smart little hanger with astonishing multi functions. According to your real needs, the Bondi can be used to hold a wide range of things, including your cellphones, keys, or even your books. With its flexible but practical design, Bondi can be used anywhere too, such as in your cars, on your bicycles, in your kitchen and so on. The possibilities are endless- as you think of a new possibility, the Bondi then manages to make it true.
Work smarter, not merely harder. FLEXiT is an ultra-flexible light that can be wrapped around tubes, bent into tight corners or magnetically fastened onto metal objects to serve as different types of lights: table light, camping light, work light, directional light and so on. Except for it adjustable shapes, the FLEXiT’s light functions can be changed too, offering low, medium and high light according to your various needs.
Audio Wrap is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a bag wrapped with flexible speaker on the surface, allowing the users to enjoy music in a more convenient and fashionable way. The flexible speaker adopted to make these bags is developed by the governmental Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan, and it can produce the same volume as a small mobile speaker. So, when you wanna listen to music on the go, play your bag!
New developments have been found in the Electronic Skin field, because researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley Lab have created both flexible and stretchable electronic skin using semiconductor-enriched carbon nano tubes. The electronic skin is proved capable of detecting and responding to touch, and expected to provide lithography-free fabrication of low-cost flexible and stretchable electronics in the future in combination with inkjet printing of metal contacts.
Robots are no more solid and cold machines as we’ve ever known. From Harvard University, the new robot is an ambidextrous automation featuring flexible polymers. Its inspiration comes from starfish, worms and squid, and thus the robot is built with inflatable chambers within its legs and central spine to help it move.
The first high-efficiency OLED on plastic was claimed by researchers from the University of Toronto recently, which is deemed as an important development that may lead to more durable and “impact-resistant” displays. The flexible OLEDs were invented by adding 50-100 nm thin layer of tantalum oxide onto plastic, thus to achieve the same refractive index as that of heavy metal-doped glass. The new technology is believed to be producing OLEDs with a low cost, while promoting the efficiency and durability of OLEDs in the meanwhile.
Metal seems cold while wood makes you warm? Well, then welcome you to a new age that prefers folding wood as iPad cases, cellphone cases, or laptop cases. The folding wood is made by a Dutch digital manufacturing company Snijlab, who uses laser cutting technique to make tiny cuts on wood sheets and thus makes them fully bent in all directions without breaking.
Can solar cells become as flexible as paper or fabric? The answer from a MIT group is “yes”. Instead of producing solar cells, the researchers actually printed solar cells onto fabric or paper substrate, thus making the cells quite flexible. On the other hand, this technology reduces the production costs as well.
With the innovation of design concepts and the progress of technology, remote controller is now approaching its new period that features great changes in both appearance and functionality. The Leaf Grip Remote Controller by Murata is a creative one that requires the users to control their TVs with a bending and twisting motion. Furthermore, it is built with a photovoltaic cell, providing the device with a battery-less feature.
“Just Fold It” is a flexible and portable room divider that fits in different locations. Its unique design allows the room divider to be adjusted by adding some extra modules. The product is wind-resistant too, as there’re some perforations built on the surface. [Read the rest of this entry...]
Did back discomfort ever annoy you when you just sat before computers to visit the I New Idea? If so, we need to apologize and we really wish we would have found this Koala HUG Lumbar Support for you much earlier. [Read the rest of this entry...]
Researchers from Queen’s University in Kingston have invented a thinnest cellphone we’ve ever met. It looks no thinner than a credit card and features a good flexibility that allows the users to bend it in various ways. Moreover, as you bend it, you’re actually controlling the phone: making a corner to bookmark a page or flipping the corner to get a new page. Really amazing and possibly such “bend gestures” method will be an overwhelming trend of the future too. [Read the rest of this entry...]
In ancient China people used to write on silk when there was no paper created, while nowadays researchers from Taiwan still prefer to use silk as basic materials for e-reader displays. The process begins with “liquid silk”, which is turned into insulating membranes to make the TFT (thin-film transistor) screens. These new e-reader displays are not only flexible, bendy but also cheap compared to existing ones. As a result, we may conveniently roll up e-readers just as we roll up books or newspapers, sounds really amazing! [Read the rest of this entry...]
As more and more designers take care of the living environment of the disabled, Kaylene Kau also shows concern and brings out this new Prosthetic Arm. It is announced to perform as well as men’s hands, bending flexibly to get the users their needed items. In other words the Prosthetic Arm is just as smart as an elephant’s trunk, so that would be quite an important help to the disabled people.
We humans are really clever: we put our foot into the waste basket to compress the discarded paper, so as to make room for trash. But apparently the designers are much clever, as they’ve collaborated with a flexible waste bin that allows the users to make room for trash much more quickly and neatly. When the basket is almost full of paper, you simply need to get its mouth together and compress the trash, and you’ll find more room is made once you release its mouth to let the bin will then go back to its original shape. Fantastic!
Dubbed Push Up, the flexible waste bin is an iF Concept Design 2010 winner. [Read the rest of this entry...]
Different furniture has their own secrets of success: excellent quality, reasonable prices, exquisite shapes, or unique techniques. And as for this chair designed by Gilli Kuchik, it has drawn forth exclamation of praise at the Milan Design Week 2010, because of its amazingly perfect flexibility and durability as wooden furniture. Elastic material is also used to make the chair, and its main task is to join one board with another so as to transform the 2D spread into a 3D shape.
More pics after the jump. [Read the rest of this entry...]
Page Chaser is a flexible and folded bookmark that automatically shifts its position to mark the pages as they’re turned. Furthermore, you won’t lose your pages coz the new bookmark will stay attached to the book. Cheap, convenient and practical, Page Chaser obviously would attract everybody that loves reading and books. [Read the rest of this entry...]
Obviously the design shown here is a flat mat set, but it is also a table, a stool, and a chair. What, you don’t think so? Well, guys, after you lift the panels and fold them, you’ll find all those are possible. [Read the rest of this entry...]
Nobody would refuse a trip around the world, but the premise is to have enough money and also a lightweight backpack. Otherwise, you’ll walk with a slow dragging motion…So why not replace the big torch with the FLEXI lightweight LED lights? As a collaborative work of Kyeore Kim, Jaesuk Han, Sungkuk Hong and Sena Joo, the flexible light is made out of a thin rectangular silicon pad, with a powerful but energy-efficient LED lights on the edge. It can be rolled up into different shapes, to serve as a directional light or a flashlight when needed. But in most conditions, the kids prefer to make it open like a sheet and use it as an ambient illumination. [Read the rest of this entry...]
No doubt the development of technology has greatly changed our life, and we wouldn’t agree with that more after we’ve seen the continuous improvement of LED films. Dubbed LightForm, the world’s first flexible LED lighting film measure 254mm long and 12.7mm wide, with an average thickness of less than 1mm. Moreover, it could be easily cut into various shapes, according to your different needs—attaching them onto your car or even sew them onto your clothes. Available in red, amber, green and blue colors, the LED film is priced from $ 26.95 (no battery included) to $29.95 (a battery included). [Read the rest of this entry...]
Frankly, the mug has nothing to do with Van Gogh but the concept is rather intriguing. The Dear Van Gogh is a silicon mug that features an ear-shaped flexible handle. Designed by Mike Mak, the handle feels realistic and could be twisted or pulled hard. That sounds like a perfect way to release your anger! [Read the rest of this entry...]
Made from flexible materials, the gadget could be easily changed into different shapes and features a perfect heat resistance. It measures 18″ long when expanded, and comes with a touch of stainless on the end. So do you know what it is actually used for? [Read the rest of this entry...]
You need a lantern not merely because you want it to light up the dark room, but also because you would find some fun with it. An interesting, beautiful, but also practical product has been something that every designer hopes to attain, and certainly Charles Jones is amongst them. And he succeeded. The Kutch Lantern is a lighting device which could be turned on when you squeeze its body (which is squeezable of course) or spin the rotary dial at its base, and that’s totally different from other lanterns on the market. How do you like it? Let me know then. [Read the rest of this entry...]
It’s always the cameras’ shapes and patterns that make them attractive and distinctive. And we usually call those designs ‘a creative design’. Not exactly. As a matter of fact, you may find nothing could be regarded as an innovative design except that it is new in both functions and appearance. Just like the Fleksimus Camera presented here. It comes with a flexible tube, on one end of which is a lens and on the other is a compact viewfinder. Therefore, the lens can reach any odd angles, allowing you to take pictures from those angles you never tried before. [Read the rest of this entry...]
‘Adam and Eve’ is a new way for home furnishing. Then what is behind the special name ‘Adam and Eve’? You’ll be interested, right? Actually, Adam and Eve separately stands for two different parts of the furniture set, the former refers to the soft part for you to relax on and the latter is the hard part that allows you to place your stuffs. [Read the rest of this entry...]
How long haven’t you seen a radio? One year, two years, or even longer? God, it is so far from the days we were accompanied by radios. So it is time radio returns to our life. A high-tech radio. An ultra-thin radio powered by solar energy. Though the so-called ‘Flexio’ radio receives only one fixed FM channel, it would be a good gift for girls, who loves anything that is cute and mini. [Read the rest of this entry...]
The “Ghost Icon”, due to its special design and material selection, are warning us of the phenomenon of growing warmer and resource waste. In fact, it is encouraging us to use fluorescent bulbs as well as LED or OLED instead of incandescent light bulbs to reduce the carbon content in the air.
What if your chair breaths? It’s weird, huh? But have you imagined the great fun and comfort feeling it will bring to you? Believe me you wouldn’t like to leave the ‘Breathing Chair’ as long as you’re seated. Also known as Tofu Chair, the clever seating by Yu-Ying Wu is just a foam cube if none is sitting on it and once you sit down it turns into the shape of a chair.
Believe me that you wouldn’t mind waiting for a few years to own a futuristic laptop like the Roll-Top, though it’s just a concept product at present. Due to the soft OLED technology, this laptop is a flexible display that unrolls into a multi-touch 17-inch laptop. As it could be rolled up conveniently, Roll-Top is more portable.
The rubber band bookmark is one of the products that you never want to miss. Simply wrap it around your book and you’ll no longer need to worry about forgetting your pages. Featuring an indicator arrow to show the right line you are reading, the bookmark also helps to improve your reading efficiency greatly. How convenient it could ever be!
It’s really a long time since we’re used to reading time via cell-phones rather than watches. Even if sports watches are still popular among young people, you’re sure to agree that it’s more of a hindrance in most conditions. So here is to present a new watch that is really true to its name “sports watch”. Thin and flexible, it could be fixed on your wrist steadily without affecting your sports. In the meantime, the watch could also serve as a timer to record your sports time, heart-rates, etc.
Not only can clothes increase their flexibility with zippers, bags could also make it. With zippers on, these bags can be totally unfolded into a flat. So it won’t take up too much space to keep them.
Unlike traditional product, this Interactive projector comes with a flexible screen, and so you can press it to reshape the image on the screen.
Video after the break
This so-called solarcat is actually a solar battery. Oh, no, it is not the traditionally solar battery; instead, it is a solar powered rechargeable battery.
In order to charge the rechargeable battery, we usually have to buy an additional charger, but this one can charge itself without any extra device. Thanks to the flexible solar panels skin, this solarcat can be recharged just by bathing in the sunglight.
I guess you have seen flexible screen from Sony, Phillips or even LG Display. If you’re American, you gotta ask a question like “What about us(or US)? ” OK, here we come.
Arizona State University’s Flexible Display Center (FDC) and its military and industry partners are claiming the first flexible touchscreen integrated with an active-matrix display. Sure, it is flexible, but it is also a touch screen. Yes, you can write words with your fingers on a flexible display.
Video after the break
Taking a nap at noon will surly give us extra energy to improve working efficiency. But taking a cat nap at the desk is not so comfortable. Is there any way to have a better relaxing?
Try this one. This napping pod comes with a flexible form of wood along with padded resting structures assure the most relaxing power naps. As a matter of fact, every part of this “micro-bedroom” is following the ergonomics theory and so your napping will be more sweet. [Read the rest of this entry...]
Because usually used for washing vegetables, kitchen sink should be cleaned frequently, especially for those without a disposal.
Unlike normal strainer, this product is made from flexible material and also comes with a handle. Pulling the handle will make the cleaning process more convenient. [Read the rest of this entry...]
