In the course of considering 2024, Dezeen design editor Jennifer Hahn reveals her own selection of this year’s gadgets, by naming a transparent laptop, a medieval beat machine and enhanced hiking trousers.
The last twelve year has seen the likes of LG and Huawei stretch their imagination with flexible screens as far as creating displays which can be bent, twisted and folded into three dimensional shapes.
At the same time, the boundaries between the real world and the spoke became even thinner as Apple and Lenovo experimented with mixed reality and AI enabled some people to connect more with nature.
Continue reading to see how the following top 10 Gadgets emerged this year
Modem Works, Panter & Tourron: Terra.
This post-pandemic device dubbed a handheld “compass” million devices makes it easier for people to walk without the urge to use their phones. This aligns perfectly with the current trend for technology.
Instead people can give AI specific instructions with the aid of the device. For example, if people were to say “go for an architectural tour of Kyoto and return by 4” the device creates unique routes for the people and guides them through vibrations in the right direction.
According to Panter & Tourron co-founder Stefano Panterotto, “the continuous alerts from smartphones have made it difficult to engage with the environment. This is why it is crucial that there be an intentional engagement with the environment.”
Apple: Vision Pro.
This decade, The Apple Vision Pro headset is probably the most popular item, as it is Apple’s first new product. The head set was designed to be used in Mixed Reality.
Switching from augmented reality to the real world is very easy to do. Using the headset, applications can be projected on top of reality right on the user’s eye view.
Users have reported mild discomfort with the product. Nevertheless, the system core which allows users to control the headset via the head, hand and eyes, won a D&AD already.
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Teenage Engineering EP-1320
Samplers EP-1320 beat machine by Swedish tech company Teenage Engineering comes packed with “rowdy peasants,” bagpipes and lutes sounds which musicians can interface with.
Also known as an electronic musical instrument, its users can employ it to produce their own mediaeval song compositions in addition, the item is adorned with whimsical graphics of medieval music instruments.
In the same way, this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in las Vegas was ringing with applause for Teenage Engineering’s latest product Rabbit R1 AI companion only to come out to negative reviews after its release.
Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop
Come 2024 it appears that the trend is towards screen transparency, with both Samsung and LG showcasing their see-through TVs at CES while Lenovo brought a laptop with a transparent screen during MWC in Barcelona.
It is the first time a laptop has been given the ‘transparent’ label, the ThinkBook concept comes with a rear camera for depth perception so that it is able to see and recognize items behind it and interact with the items via AI and AR.
In that regard, “The touchable transparent display provides an alternative approach to work efficiency and collaboration by combining real world interaction and digital layering.”
Pyri by Richard Alexandre, Karina Gunadi, Blake Goodwyn and Tanghao Yu
This year’s US James Dyson Award winner is a charcoal and wax wildfire detector, aimed to “decompose” upon the effect of heat.
When the wax starts to melt, it then begins to release an electrolyte saturated saltwater solution that activates the electronics integrated in the device and sends an emergency signal via radio to local people.
Using carbon based compounds instead of precious or rare metals compounds which perhaps do not need mining makes this organic electronics a low cost low tech solution and more likely can be disposed.
AX Visio binoculars by Marc Newson and Swarovski Optik
Industrial designer Marc Newson created AI binoculars with the help of Swarovski Optik, which have the ability to determine around 9000 bird and other wildlife species on the spot.
In addition to two optical lenses standard on binoculars, AX Visio has an additional lens that serves as an AR display and directs specific species info into the space around the viewer.
Newson said, “It is not very frequent for a designer to design the first ever item in a category and therefore we must say it is interesting and without doubt complex.”
Mate XT Ultimate Design by Huawei
In another first, this year also has left Behind to turn while Chinese Huawei unveiled what it claims to be the first ever triple foldable phone that unfolds into a 10.2 inch screen.
Flexible OLED touch screens are hinged in both directions utilizing a system designed for dual axes. This particular feature enables the phone to be folded in and out.
When users extend the screen, the device morphs into single, double and triple screen settings rather effortlessly with a laminated composite that provides strength but is still lightweight.
MO/GO pants by Arc’teryx and Skip
Outdoor clothing brand Arc teryx and Google offshoot Skip have partnered to create trousers for those who find movement a struggle which enables a user to walk better.
The MO/GO pants connect to battery powered motors located close to the knee, which eases the muscles in the legs during an uphill and knee joint going downhill.
These motors fit into an exoskeleton joint attached on light-weight carbon rods clipped in soft-fibre cuffs worn inside the trousers to disperse the force of the motor around the leg.
LG Display’s Stretchable Screen
This says the artistic LG which made it using a mix of “materials which are typically found in the contact lenses.”
The display consists of micro-LEDs and can stretch up to 50% which increases its dimensions from 12 to 18 inches. In addition, it also can be twisted and bent so it can be designed more for apparel and car applications.
‘The stretchable display more than just an expanded screen’ said the team further, ‘it can be folded, twisted, and reshaped’”
Clicks Creator Keyboard by Clicks Technology
In what can be termed a blast from the past, US based Clicks Technology to unveil a iPhones Keyboards for its contact discourages Blackberry keyboard users in this fashionable age.
The qwerty keyboard was however made using 36 keys so that its “satisfying feedback” gets users fingers working effectively making it easier to maintain accuracy while typing on the keyboard in busy areas.
“Clicks brings the tactility and precision of a physical keyboard to iPhone,” words by Michael Fisher, Clicks Technology cofunder and a popular Youtube tech reviewer.
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