Michael young re-designs moke for the 21st century

After a 20-year hiatus, car company moke international is back behind the wheel, this time teaming up with chinese manufacturers chery motors and their subsidiary company sicar engineering to put the moke vehicle back on the streets with a new 21st-century aesthetic concocted by british designer michael young (an avid moke enthusiast himself). the niche automobile will be released on a low-volume basis, with only 1000 cars per year being produced, focusing primarily in australia. michael young expresses his ideas towards the new version:
'As a moke enthusiast when the email came asking if I was interested to talk about the project it was more like a call for duty. I had recently rebuilt a moke from the ground up out of old parts so I was fully aware of what was needed to be done. you must remember that this car is from the 70’s, I knew for a fact there was no way we could just replicate it, times have changed and the car needed enhancements, improved road holding, breaking, suspension and so on. I was equally aware that I had to respect the past and make sure the over all visual aspect be kept in tact. lets say this is the first version, it was essential for find a balance in equal terms for the old enthusiast and also the new generation.'
A long future is expected for the vehicle, as the holga has made a comeback in the photographic world, so is the moke in the automotive world, selling a lifestyle above all, with a fuel-injected engine available in automatic or manual transmission and plans for the electric eco-moke to be introduced next year.the 70's and 80's age of 'no doors, no roof, no worries' is getting a second chance in the sustainably aware 21st century.

Ross lovegrove: UFO light for lille3000

A large unidentified flying object hovers over the lille, france railway station platform, on the verge of making a landing… conceived with terrestrial materials by ross lovegrove, 'UFO' is the result of the british designer's desire to create a pure and pristine form that rejects the boundaries between art and design, technology and science, spirituality and physics, nature and religion. 

the large metal space craft, adorned by lights which mark the perimeter of the design, has been developed for lille3000 - the festival which investigates new technologies and concepts for application in the creative fields of design and art - as part of their 'fantastic 2012' program (the 'UFO' is on show until january 13th, 2013) in which visitors are faced with the supernatural and sublime reality whereby the distortion of time and space is imminent.
The influences which drove lovegrove to this form came from the blurry images and obscure film footage available that document elements that are 'out of this world', along with interviews of area 51 scientists who were assigned to analyze propulsion systems and materials man has not been previously aware of. the installation of 'UFO' within this transportation hub alludes to the mystery which is present in the discourse between imagination and reality, a sort of conspiracy, where perhaps 'one day, there will be a clear visitation to experience in the clear light of day, the wonders that we are all being slowly primed for,' says lovegrove.

Shoes with GPS by dominic wilcox

Upon commission by global footprint - a northamptonshire-based visual arts and living heritage programme - british designer dominic wilcox has developed a bespoke pair of GPS prototype shoes which help guide you home. A piece of software has been created in which the wearer plots their desired destination on a map - this location is uploaded via USB to the shoe. through the use of two microcontrollers called arduinos, a simple click of the heels, where the GPS is embedded, activates the system, with a red tag containing the unit's antenna positioned upwards.
powered by battery, similar to that of mobile phones, data from the left shoe communicates wirelessly with the right one which shows progress via a bar of LED lights on the footwear's toe cap. a green LED is illuminated once one has arrivedat their final destination. the left shoe indicates the correct direction in which to walk by way of LEDs placed in a circle.

Leanie van der vyver: scary beautyful

Amsterdam-based designer leanie van der vyver has conceived and collaborated with dutch designer and shoe fabricator rené van den berg to execute 'scary beautyful', a pair of shoes for women which reverses the expected location of the heels and insole. the user must pointe their foot to insert into the shoe's modified vamp which is inclined forward and tapers down to the toebox. the foot rests upon a platformed toebox and is stabilized within the glove-like shoe with a brace which wraps the ankle and is secured with buckles.
Spreading up the front of the shin, an angled heel projects from a tract of suede to support the individual. these 'high-toed' pumps instead position the leather sole to cover the arch of the foot.

Liquid glass by jean bérard fotografía

Mexican photography studio jean bérard fotografía (JFB) have developed a series of images which capture the chaos and unpredictability of liquids. instead of water being contained within a vessel 'liquid glass' depicts it splashing about the exterior of six different containers in a strategic and methodical way, resolved using only photography techniques.

Bluetooth powered wooden keyboard by orée

French design group orée has developed the 'orée board' a bluetooth equipped portable wireless keyboard made from a single piece of premium maple and walnut. each unit is cut into three sheets to preserve the wood grain across the shell and separate keys to minimize waste.
conceived as a universally compatible device, it works with any tablet, smartphone or PC. Sustainably sourced in southern france, the accessory offers elegant aesthetics to create a warm tactile experience for the user.
The orée wooden keyboard will be showcased at TENT during the 2012 london design week.

LEGO bridge

German artist megx (martin heuwold), has transformed a train overpass in wuppertal, germany by painting it to seem as if the bridge were constructed of LEGO blocks. taking nearly 4 weeks to complete, a full construction team was onsite to oversee the development of the project.

Interlaced stool and coffee table

Austrian designer philipp aduatz has designed the 'interlaced stool and coffee table', using the influence of 'interlaced video' – a technology developed in the late 1920´s to reduce the flicker of analog television by doubling the frame rate without consuming extra bandwidth. because each frame is composed of two fields that are captured at different moments in time, motion artifacts known as 'combing' will be displayed if the recorded object is moving fast enough, capturing the object in a different position.
Aduatz' furniture collection incorporates small oak-wooden elements which are glued together to construct a complex geometry. to ensure stability steel reinforcements are embedded in the wood, each piece is made unique to reflect on its structural arrangement.

Jaguar f-type

Debuting at the 2012 paris international motor show, the 'F-type' by jaguar is presented as a two-door convertible, taking visual design ques from its iconic 'E-type' predecessor. with a supercharged 5.0L V8 engine producing 488-horsepower and a maximum torque of 375 lb-ft,
the vehicle reaches a maximum speed of 186mph (300km/hr), attaining 0-62mph (0-100km/hr) in 4.2 seconds. the eight-speed transmission uses an aeronautical influence for its sportshift selector, where additionally, the interior dash controls are ergonomically modeled after the cockpits from fighter jets.

By incorporating aluminum double wishbone front and rear suspension, the F-type provides a quick-ratio steering rack for ultimate responsiveness.driving position is 20mm lower than the XKR-S, dropping the centre of gravity, enhancing handling and on-road performance.a standard active exhaust system (AES) utilizes a number of electronically controlled bypass valves in the rear section of the exhaust which open under hard acceleration to enhance sound quality.

Equipped with 380mm front, 376mm rear brake discs, computational fluid dynamics optimize brake cooling with electronic brake force distribution technology. the exterior front end features a 'blade dissecting the shark-like gill', which emphasizes its bi-xenon headlamp and integral LED daytime running lights. at its back end, an active rear spoiler which deploys at speed to reduce lift by up to 120kg is found alongside a pair of full LED rear taillights.

In order to reduce the carbon footprint in both manufacturing and during driving, parts such as the cylinder heads are constructed from recycled aluminium, and an intelligent stop/start system which automatically shuts down the engine when the car comes to a halt offering fuel economy and emissions benefits of up to 5 per cent savings.

Thonet bike by andy martin

Thonet has collaborated with london-based designer andy martin to develop a concept road bicycle using their steam bending process developed in the 1930s. constructed using beech wood, the frame is precisely adjusted with a CNC machine along with its solid beech pan which sits on sprung rod supports to reinforce joints and major stress areas in the frame. the fixed gear conception takes influence from the tradition of cycling; where one has a greater connection to the bike and the surface a user rides on. built without brakes, it still has the capabilities of using several interchangeable gear ratios.

IAAC: endesa solar pavilion

Designed by the institute for advance architecture of catalonia (IAAC) as part of the 2012 smart city expo in barcelona, the 'endesa pavilion' is a highly efficient shelter which is built to meet very specific energetic and comfort needs. essentially a wooden box, modules on the exterior walls fold out at different distances to create triangular protruding awnings whose exact angle and length are precisely calculated by the position of the sun, the need for shade and the spatial requirement of the interior. each section contains photovoltaic
cells on the top, and block out the sun over the window located underneath or on the downward-facing side. the inside of the forms create pockets for people or storage, effectively increasing the livable area on the same size footprint.a simple pine-wood frame system supports panels of oriented strand board (OSB) which make up the floors and ceiling planes.each component, based on particular algorithms and angles, was digitally fabricated using CNC machines and was assembled in one month with a great amount of precision. all the design issues were solved on the computer, so that each piece could be created afterwards and simply assembled on site.