By TREVOR HOGG There was a time when the audience was left to fill in the visual gaps with their imagination when attending live events, but this is no longer the case as stage productions have become technologically sophisticated and proficient in incorporating visual effects as part of the performance. This also applies to broadcast coverage, which has elevated the use of screen graphics by leveraging the tools of augmented reality. Recognizing the growing demand, companies such as Halon Entertainment, which is normally associated with creating visualization for film and television projects, have expanded into the world of virtual design for the likes of ESPN and Coachella. Arkelin Players Theatre and Zero Gravity Lab experiment with technology but not to the point of merging film and theatre. (Image courtesy of Arlekin Players Theatre) “[Y]ou are starting to see the crossroads of everything coming together. That being visual effects heading towards games, AR, VR and broadcast because of USD and all of the programs finding good ways to work together.” —Jess Marley, Virtual Art Department Supervisor, Halon Entertainment “For the past two, two and a half years, you are starting to see the crossroads of everything coming together,” states Jess Marley, Virtual Art Department Supervisor at Halon Entertainment. “That being visual effects heading towards games, AR, VR and broadcast because of USD and all of the programs finding good ways to work together. [The virtual news desk for] ESPN is a good intersection to that because we’re using Jack Morton’s C Port E-Files to introduce content into Unreal Engine and having to bridge the gap between all of those different departments working together, which is what virtual production does across the board.” The configuration resembles a LEGO set. “You are putting the pieces together in Unreal Engine, but you are getting pieces from different kits and packs from the client,” remarks Andrew Ritter, Virtual Art Department Producer at Halon Entertainment. “You have to make sure that they plug into the technology and creative vision sides and go directly into the audience’s eyeballs at the end of it.” Creating something filmic onstage is not an ideal way of using the stage and vice versa, believes Igor Golyak of Arlekin Theatre. (Photo: Andrey Maslov. Image courtesy of Arlekin Players Theatre) Nothing was radically different for ESPN. “ESPN used the same game setup process, meaning you had to look at your assets, plan out UE-Vs and light maps to make sure that things are going to take in light and shadow accordingly and to bake things down,” Marley explains. “Because in order for things to run in real-time and still have dynamic elements as far as media screens and different inputs, the rest of the scene had to be light. We’re also talking about glass and different layers of glass or frosted glass. Different things that are SportsCenter-related that need to be built. It was a careful curation of materials running efficiently but also looking a certain way. It also had inputs that you could control versus things that needed to catch light at a certain distance, so you put specific bevels on things.” The screen graphics were a combination of old and new techniques. “We are emulating the depth monitor for SportsCenter, so we are putting those graphic feeds into a screen that is in the fake world but has to look like a real screen in the real world,” Ritter states. “Initially, we asked how many feeds were needed back there because every frame you add is going to drop our framerate and affect the finished quality. Originally, they were like, ‘Four.’ Then, we had a meeting with the director’s team at SportsCenter who said, ‘We need 16.’ It all worked out in the end.” Gigi Watson as She and Garrett Sands as Soldier in Just Tell No One by Arkelin Players Theatre. (Image courtesy of Arlekin Players Theatre) Our Class, produced by Arkelin Players Theatre, taps into the surrealistic quality of a stage show. (Image courtesy of Arlekin Players Theatre) For Igor Golyak of Arlekin Theatre, the aim is to use the contemporary language of expression, which includes special effects, virtual reality and Unreal Engine, to express something that needs to be expressed. (Image courtesy of Arlekin Players Theatre) Stranger Things was spun off into a theatre production that was able to make use of virtual effects. (Photo: Manuel Harlan. Courtesy of Disguise) Shania Twain goes all out incorporating virtual content into her “Queen of Me Tour” in 2023. (Image courtesy of Disguise) ”It’s not about comparing. It’s about using the contemporary language of expression that includes special effects, virtual reality and Unreal Engine to express something that needs to be expressed.” —Igor Golyak, Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Arkelin Players Theater and Zero Gravity Virtual Theater Lab Preparation allows for adaptability. “Coachella was a good example of us creating AR content for a live concert that was being streamed live, and all of our stuff went off without a hitch, but they were pushing it,” Ritter remarks. “They were making changes up to the last minute, but we had rehearsals and got to see it on the stage through the cameras before the actual shoot started. We had to test everything to make sure we had plenty of space as far as our framerate. We were communicating with the directors’ team to let them know which angles should be on ahead of time. And we rolled with it.” The process for producing content for a studio or concert setting is similar. “The only thing you have to consider is in-screen versus out-of-screen,” Marley observes. “All we’re doing for ESPN content is building in-screen 3D, so we’re moving the content behind the screen for the most part. For the Coachella stuff, it’s out-of-screen and is AR, so it’s separate as far as the use case, but the content still needs to run at the same pace and as flexible and optimized because the camera has to be live, and all the content needs to move whatever the tracking it’s going into. But it’s all the same 3D content.” Mixing various content together has become commonplace, which is reflected in the Glastonbury Festival in 2023. (Photo: Tom Marshak. Courtesy of Disguise) Working within the same environment is Disguise, which has collaborated with artists such as Adele and Shania Twain on their concert tours, as well as the stage play spin-off Stranger Things: The First Shadow. “One might be a TV show that has been adapted to the stage at the West End, and another might be a massive concert tour,” notes Emily Malone, Head of Live Events at Disguise. “It’s all about how you can best realize those ambitions, and that comes down to flexibility, stability, reliability and how quickly you can achieve something.” Mixing various content together is commonplace. “You have capturing inputs, pre-rendered content, real-time content increasingly, and being able to lay all of those together is becoming normal. A lot of the work that allows that to happen occurs when people have meticulous pre-production workflows. There’s so much that happens beforehand to make sure once you get into the room, you’re set up for success. Previsualization and content distribution are huge parts. There are more traditional tools from the film post-production world making their way into making content for live events. We’re pulling technologies from all of these different places. A game engine is another tool in the arsenal. Even if you’re not doing real-time content, Unreal Engine might be the tool you want to use to make the content and render it out from there because you get a different aesthetic, or your render time is different.” Tools more traditionally from the film post-production world are making their way into generating content for live events, such as Adele performing in Munich. (Image courtesy of Disguise) Coordinating the virtual content for the performance of DJ Snake at Coachella 2024. (Image courtesy of Halon Entertainment) “Coachella was a good example of us creating AR content for a live concert that was being streamed live… but they were making changes up to the last minute. [However], we had rehearsals and got to see it on the stage through the cameras before the actual shoot started. We had to test everything to make sure we had plenty of space as far as our framerate. We were communicating with the directors’ team to let them know which angles should be on ahead of time. And we rolled with it.” —Andrew Ritter, Virtual Art Department Producer, Halon Entertainment. Lighting and video departments are dependent on each other. “It might be for a portion of a show that the light team is handed control of video fixtures so they can do something tightly integrated in this one section. Then, there might be parts where video maps to lighting fixtures,” Malone remarks. “There is a tight collaboration between those two teams. For Stranger Things: The First Shadow, you would be hard-pushed to tell what bits come from what department. It can be incredibly immersive and engaging to the point where you don’t have to do much work at all to suspend the disbelief. It happens to you. There have been technological changes that have helped with that. Things like denser pixel pictures and higher resolution; things are getting bigger, and it is becoming cheaper to do those things. Higher color fidelity as well because there is a lot more color accuracy work going on and, subtly, that can be achieved, and the flexibility you get with that. You’re able to do more compositing and do more integration with the things that are happening on stage.” Virtual reality has been embraced by sports broadcasting and given a serious upgrade with ESPN SportsCenter. (Image courtesy of Halon Entertainment and ESPN) Making use of a LiDAR scanner to create virtual reality content. (Image courtesy of Halon Entertainment) Creating an interactive experience that allows artists to expand the scope of their vision is something that the Museum of Modern Art facilitates. “At the core of our department’s mission is a strong desire to support our artists who are deeply informed by histories of experimental cinema, live performance, early video art, artwork responding to the media, and artists seeking to break down boundaries between genres and create something entirely new,” remarks Erica Papernik-Shimizu, Associate Curator, Department of Media and Performance at MoMA. “That’s something that feeds our desire to create the Kravis Studio.” The Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio has the appearance and capability of a black box theater. “But really that facility is flexible rather than a dedicated purpose with frontal-facing time-based work,” notes Paul DiPietro, Senior Manager, Audio Visual Design and Live Performance at MoMA. “That draws from the traditional theatre where you have to change things quickly, or you can do something that is time-based and change a look with lighting, sound, projected image and performers. When you start talking about theatre or art or installation, it’s all blurred. It has more to do with the public’s perception of it than the actual creation of the art.” Within a matter of seconds, the Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio can be turned into a light-locked room, which was required for the “Shana Moulton: Meta/Physical Therapy” exhibition. (Image courtesy of Museum of Modern Art) “At Pre-Kravis Studio, we would think about: do we need to bring in a sprung floor, put down Marley and install power and projectors?” states Lizzie Gorfaine, Associate Director and Producer of Performance and Live Programs at MoMA. “It was such a huge production. The thing about the studio is that when you get a proposal, there are things available for you to use much more readily than at any other point in the history of our museum. The fact that there is a tension grid where you can affix projectors, lighting and speakers at any point in the ceiling is unheard of for a regular museum gallery. Our seating situation is much more flexible. There is a blackout shade that exists on the southside where we can cover this huge window that looks out onto 53rd Street, which means in a matter of seconds, we have a light-locked room where we can achieve productions of the scale [required for the ‘Shana Moulton: Meta/Physical Therapy’ exhibition]. The thought initially around creating a space like this was that we could even consider these kinds of proposals and be able to achieve that level of production, which would have been much more costly and time and resource-intensive than before.” The Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio has the appearance and capability of a black box theater. (Image courtesy of Museum of Modern Art) Arlekin Players Theater and Zero Gravity Virtual Theater Lab are experimenting with technology but not to point of merging film and theatre. “The point is to continue their own path of development,” observes Igor Golyak, Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Arlekin Players Theater and Zero Gravity Virtual Theater Lab. “There are some things that are a crossover, but for me, they are a substitution. Creating something filmic onstage is not an ideal way of using the stage and vice versa. I was watching Poor Things and how interesting, imaginative and theatrical it is. It’s quite stunning what they achieved. Sometimes, things that aren’t overly realistic in theatre are more difficult to do in film; they can make the audience members [react] more [in theatre] than in a realistic filmic way of expression. It’s a different way of affecting the audience, and both work. It’s not about comparing. It’s about using the contemporary language of expression that includes special effects, virtual reality and Unreal Engine to express something that needs to be expressed” The Museum of Modern Art facilitates artists creating an interactive experience that allows them to expand the scope of their vision. (Image courtesy of Museum of Modern Art) The coronavirus pandemic had a significant impact. “Before the pandemic, I had a studio where we fit 55 to 60 people,” Golyak explains. “My virtual production theatrical shows that are live were presented simultaneously in 55 countries. Connecting to a wider set of audience is huge. It’s a different experience, and unlike a movie, they’re experiencing it live, and their interaction counts. They’re not passive listeners or watchers. They provide input into what is happening onstage or on a virtual stage and make choices. It lets me connect with more audiences and lets me connect the audience members to each other who otherwise wouldn’t have connected. There is a sense in a live theatre room where we are all sitting together, and if it’s inspiring and something incredible, we start to breathe together and our heartbeats align. There is a sense of community that comes from using contemporary tools to express the soul.”

If you have ever found yourself in an unfamiliar room, staring at a closed door and wondering what lies beyond it, then you are already familiar with the mysterious driving force of Blue Prince. Will this door lead to a twisting passageway? A quiet bedroom? Or a grand ballroom? My name is Tonda Ros, an indie developer with a love for atmospheric games, and for the last eight years, I have been working on a game about a large manor and its many mysterious doors. Blue Prince was formed from big ideas from very different worlds. It has elements of mystery, strategy and discovery, merging the world of a first-person puzzle adventure with the drafting mechanics of a tabletop card game. It also launches April 10 as a day one PlayStation Plus Game Catalog title.But how exactly does the game work? Floor plan drafting  When my own journey began almost a decade ago, I had one simple idea: “Every door is a choice.” In a way, these five words sum up the entirety of Blue Prince. The estate of Mount Holly is not an ordinary house. This is a manor of shifting rooms and ever-changing expectations. And in this house, each door you open can lead to one of three different rooms. The choice is up to you.  Do you want a storeroom to gain useful tools? A library to search for more clues? Or perhaps simply a long hallway, to grant yourself even more doors to continue your exploration? As you make your decision and open the door, you are instantly met with the room of your choosing. Constructing a shifting house Ironically, the process of creating this game is a lot like playing Blue Prince. Both the player and I are attempting to construct a shifting house of many rooms. A mansion that is full of challenges that we cannot foresee at the onset of our adventure. And to create this house, we build rooms, one at a time – door by door, blueprint by blueprint. The rooms we choose to draft are of course, entirely up to us. As we create, we are also able to explore, traveling from room to room in search of answers and clues. Where the player’s adventure begins to differ, however, is at the end of each in-game day. When you awake tomorrow, you will find the house you have been exploring will have a completely different layout. You will find doors that lead to new rooms. You will find different items, different clues and different puzzles. You will make new discoveries, and each day you will learn more and more about the strange rules that govern this mysterious house. Shifting puzzles Designing puzzles for a game taking place in an ever-changing mansion was a bit of a challenge. One player might find a puzzle in the mansion, and the very next room they draft might contain a clue for it.. For another, it may be dozens of rooms before they discover the secret. The beauty, of course, is this is actually what makes the experience special. The rooms you draft, the items you find, and the order in which you make discoveries all contribute to an adventure that will be wildly different from every other playthrough. Additionally, there is no puzzle in the game that must be solved. Like most things on the estate, there are always alternate avenues of progression to find and various solutions to the challenges you face. If you can’t figure something out in the game, don’t be afraid to move on. Exploring the manor will eventually lead you to the answers you are looking for, as most challenges in the game cannot be solved without finding more information and clues in other areas of the estate.  After eight years of development, I am finally at the end of my journey, and I am eager to hand over the keys to you so you can start your own. If you will allow me one final word of advice: the less you know about this game going in, the better. In this article, I have only given you a broad sense of the basic mechanics of my game and how I approached designing them. I will leave the evolution of these mechanics and the story of Mount Holly for you to discover yourself. But don’t worry, you won’t have to wait long. The doors of Blue Prince open April 10.

BDS, a pro-Palestinian human rights movement focused on pressuring Israel to comply with international law by promoting boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against the country and its economic partners, added Microsoft and Xbox to its list of targets on April 7. “Microsoft partners with the apartheid regime of Israel and its prison system,” the Palestinian BDS National Committee’s official statement explains. “It provides the Israeli military with Azure cloud and AI services that are central to accelerating Israel’s genocide of 2.3 million Palestinians in the illegally occupied Gaza Strip. After 34 years of deep complicity with Israel’s military, the Israeli army relies heavily on Microsoft to meet technological requirements of its genocide and apartheid regime.” Microsoft employees Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal interrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebration on April 4, confronting executives and denouncing what they see as Microsoft’s complicity in Israel’s brutal retaliation against the Palestinian people following the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. Both have since been fired. “You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military,” Aboussad is reported to have shouted at Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman during her protest. “Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region.” The movement is calling on the public “to pressure Microsoft with divestment and exclusion from contracts, whenever feasible” as well as boycott Xbox products, providing the following options as tiers of engagement: Cancel your Xbox Game Pass subscription. Boycott Candy Crush, Minecraft, and Call of Duty – flagship videogame franchises owned by Microsoft. Boycott all Microsoft Gaming products, including Xbox-branded consoles, headsets, accessories and all games published by Microsoft-owned publishing labels (such as Xbox Game Studios, Activision, Bethesda, and Blizzard). BDS was inspired by South African anti-apartheid and launched in 2005 by a group comprised of 170 unions, women’s organizations, professional associations, popular resistance committees, and other Palestinian civil society bodies. Since then, it has launched several successful campaigns against Woolworths, Hewlett-Packard, and Eurovision. Other current targets include Reebok, Chevron, and Cisco. “By boycotting the Xbox brand, we’re pressuring Microsoft to end its complicity in Israel’s genocide, occupation and apartheid against Palestinians,” the BDS movement’s statement concludes. “Palestinians call on everyone to boycott Microsoft’s Xbox and Microsoft gaming products since viable gaming alternatives exist. Genocide is not a game.”

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.The Garmin Forerunner 255 is on sale right now for $229.99, its lowest price ever. That’s about half the price of the Forerunner 265 ($449.99), which is the current generation (and my personal favorite running watch). The two watches have nearly identical features—I’ll explain the differences below—making the 255 an incredible bargain.  Garmin Forerunner 255 GPS Running Smartwatch (Gray) $229.99 at Amazon $349.99 Save $120.00 Get Deal Get Deal $229.99 at Amazon $349.99 Save $120.00 The differences between the Forerunner 255 and the 265 Left: 265S (the smaller, newer model). Right: 255 (the larger one with the MIP screen that's currently on sale). Credit: Beth Skwarecki The numbered models can get confusing, but I promise you’ll be able to follow along. Just remember that the 255 is the slightly older one that’s on a big sale right now, and the 265 is the newer version. The newer 265 is my favorite running watch. You can read my review here: it has a ton of great features for runners. Some are concrete and functional: physical buttons, lots of options for data screens, and a dual-band GPS for extra location accuracy. Others are more software-y but still arguably useful: training status, daily suggested workouts. The battery also lasts between one and two weeks, depending on how many workouts you do. The 255 has all of these same features. The only features that are meaningfully different between the 255 and 265 are: The 255 has the older, always-on MIP screen, while the 265 has a smartphone-style AMOLED screen.The 255 doesn’t have a touchscreen. You’ll use the UP and DOWN buttons on the left side to scroll through options. The 255 can’t store music, unless you buy the 255 Music version.The 255 doesn’t have Training Readiness, but it does have Training Status. (Personally, I never use Training Readiness, so this isn’t much of a loss. You can always look at your HRV trend, which the watch also reports, if you want a sense of how recovered you are each morning.) For the detailed list of every minor feature that’s different between the two, you can check out this comparison page on Garmin’s site. Which Forerunner 255 version you should getThere are four versions of this watch, compared to two versions of the 265. Three of them are on sale. The regular Forerunner 255 is the larger size (45.6 mm) and does not have music storage. The Forerunner 255S is the smaller size (41 mm) and also does not have music storage.The Forerunner 255 Music is the larger size (45.6 mm) and does have music storage, so you can play tunes from the watch while leaving your phone at home.The Forerunner 255S Music is the smaller size (41 mm) with music storage. I’m not seeing any discounts on this one, so it still costs $100 more than its non-music counterpart—enough that you may want to look at the Forerunner 265S instead. Personally, I always have my phone with me when I run, so I’ve never found the standalone music feature very helpful. If you think you might use it, though, it’s normally a $50 upgrade, but currently only a $20 upgrade on the larger size of the watch.To help you decide, the photo above shows the difference in screens between the AMOLED 265S (left) and MIP 255 (right). It also shows the size difference between the smaller and larger models; the 265S on the left is 41.7 mm, very close to the 255S at 41 mm. How old is the 255, anyway? The 255 is only one year older than the 265. They were released in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Before that, Forerunner releases tended to be three to four years apart. The quick turnaround between the 255 and 265 makes sense when you realize they’re basically the same watch with a different display.So I wouldn’t expect a 255 to feel outdated anytime soon. The main question you need to ask yourself is: How do I feel about an MIP screen? I’ve written more about the difference between MIP and AMOLED here. MIP screens don’t light up, although they have a backlight that can come on automatically when you raise your wrist. At rest, they are “always on,” in the sense that they’re always displaying something, so you’ll never look down at a blank screen. They’re also brightly reflective in sunlight. AMOLED screens are more like a smartphone screen, with glowing pixels, and watches typically turn off the display when you’re not using it to save energy. (You can enable an always-on setting, but it eats battery.) That said, the overall battery life on both watches is similar on default settings—14 days not counting activities for the 255, and 13 days for the 265. Some people prefer the MIP screens, and if that includes you, this is a no-brainer: snag the 255. You can even get a refurbished version for $179.99, which makes this one of the cheapest Garmin watches in any line. 

Triband Games is back with another entry in its “What the” franchise. What the Clash? is an exclusive for Apple Arcade and will be available on May 1. Apple describes it as a "quirky, fast-paced multiplayer game" that features Triband’s take on popular minigames like table tennis, archery, racing and tag. However, this isn’t just a simple multiplayer minigame collection. Players can use modifier cards to "create absurd combos." This includes stuff like "giraffle, toasty archery, sticky tennis and milk the fish." Remember, this is the developer behind the monumentally silly What the Car? and related titles. The game offers simple touch controls, which makes sense given the platform, and there’s a solo mode for those who don’t want to goof on their friends and family. It includes leaderboards and tournaments. Also, everyone plays as a giant stretchy hand with legs (?!) that can be customized with clothes and accessories. Trident also made the fantastic What the Golf? and the VR-focused What the Bat? Both are very good. Two of the company’s games ended up on our list of the best Apple Arcade titles. What the Car? also won mobile game of the year at the 2024 D.I.C.E. Awards.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-goofy-multiplayer-game-what-the-clash-hits-apple-arcade-on-may-1-155951496.html?src=rss

Here's everything you need to know about The Last of Us season 2's confirmed cast.

Technology stocks bounced Tuesday after three rocky trading sessions, spurred by hopes that the U.S. may negotiate aggressive tariffs with world leaders.

It would seem unlikely for clothing designers to get their wheels turning by thinking about what happens to garments when people are through with them, but that’s exactly the sort of backward thinking that led to Under Armour’s new “regenerative sportswear collection,” created in collaboration with Portland, Oregon-based Unless Collective. The collection, which is making its debut in Italy this week during Milan Design Week, comprises footwear and clothing made entirely from plants and plant-based materials. That means they’re biodegradable and compostable. “All of our products make good dirt,” says Eric Liedtke, Unless cofounder and Under Armour EVP of brand strategy, who spoke with Fast Company from Milan. Unless was acquired by Baltimore-based Under Armour last summer, and Liedtke says that it’s allowed Unless to tap into Under Armour’s large base of resources and partnerships to expand its offerings and development operations—the new “regenerative” collection is the result. “We’re here to introduce the idea of regenerative fashion,” he says. “What we mean is that things come from plants and minerals, natural materials, and then go back to being natural materials. . . . When you’re ‘regenerative,’ you add value back to the ecosystem, rather than being destructive.” Liedtke says that 70% of clothing is created from “petroleum-based feedstock,” mostly various types of plastics, which never completely vanish or go away—they break down into microplastics and end up in the food and water supply. But his new clothing line does break down and go away; once you’re through with one of Unless’s garments, for instance, you can bury it in your backyard garden, and it’ll compost away. In an industrial composter, an Unless tee shirt will decompose within weeks. [Photos: Under Armour] The new collection features shoes, jackets, vests, shirts, and more that are made from a variety of plant materials. For instance, shoe liners and soles are made from coconut husks and natural rubber latex, buttons are made from corozo nuts, Kapok cotton is used for insulation in vests and jackets, while cotton remains a staple for shirts and other garments. Liedtke says that the garments are built to last, too, and could be compared to products from companies like Russell, Champion, Carhartt, or Dickies. And for those worried about their clothes decomposing while they sit in a dresser, he says not to worry: It takes very specific conditions to initiate the composting process—conditions hopefully not present in the typical closet or bedroom. The collection is meant to be provocative, in some ways, and bring attention to the pollution that modern fashion and clothing manufacturing produces. In that way, it’s not too different from how companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Meat disrupted the meat industry, or how EVs have shaken up the auto market in recent years. Liedtke hopes that at least some clothing manufacturers will follow suit and start using more natural materials, rather than plastics, to cut down on waste and pollution. “The future is regenerative,” he says. “The question now is scaling it, and telling people about it.”

Portugese furniture designer Victor Manuel picks up where Postmodernism left off. Manuel refers to his style as "Geometric Chimera—a bold fusion of furniture that challenges the norms of symmetry and conventional functionality." The designer takes the Midcentury Modern aesthetic and mashes it up—largely with itself—to create large pieces that don't always make functional sense, but never fail to draw the eye. "My work is a synthesis of historical influences that translates into a new, contemporary style that is relevant to the history of design: hybrid design. I do not limit myself to paying homage to the great movements of the past; I seek to reinterpret them, balancing tradition and innovation, and thus offering a new approach to design." "I like to say that being a Designer is more than a profession; it is a true state of mind. This vision is embodied in the hybrid style – an innovative fusion of functionality and art, which positions itself as a new artistic movement in the world of contemporary furniture design, challenging traditional norms and expanding the boundaries of this field." "My goal is to create serene and organized environments. My creations are elegant, [and] meticulous attention to detail and quality construction are hallmarks of each piece, ensuring durability and longevity. They also bring a touch of vintage nostalgia, adding an extra layer of charm and personality to contemporary design." "In a world that often values ??uniformity and the mass production of repetitive forms, I propose an alternative vision: A future of design that celebrates diversity and individuality, the luxury of innovation, a new concept: Geometric Chimera. Hybrid creations are not just furniture, but functional sculptures that challenge established norms and invite users to reimagine the spaces they inhabit. In this context, I redefine what it means to live surrounded by objects, proposing an experience that is simultaneously aesthetic and deeply personal." There's plenty more to see here.

Boston Dynamics has been developing quadruped robots with major success, and a few other inspired versions by robotic companies including Unitree’s Go series (Go1, Go2), and the KAIST Hound have also caught the world’s attention. Kawasaki Heavy Industries has also been developing its fleet of robots under wraps, and now they’ve unveiled their ideation of future quadruped robots. Meet CORLEO, a hydrogen-powered robot horse prototype shown off at the Osaka Kai Expo 2025. The intriguing bot aims to redefine mobility and navigate tought terrain with maximum precision. The four-legged robot is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, and the makers claim it can navigate any kind of terrain with a human rider on top. Even though it looks like a horse, the initial inspiration for designing the robot was the aggressiveness of a wolf, the agility of a deer, and the speed of a panther. Designer: Kawasaki Heavy Industries The robot with articulated legs brings a very unique riding experience to enthusiasts who want to explore the great outdoors. At its heart, CORLEO is a beastly motorcycle having a 50cc hydrogen engine that generates electric power to move the legs. The hydrogen is stored in a rear-mounted canister for silent operation. It adapts to any tough terrain using swing arms in the legs to absorb the impact, making the rider feel comfortable and in a forward-leaning posture even in rugged mountain terrain or down the steep steps. Each of these metal legs has a hoof made out of anti-slip rubber material – split into two halves to navigate any surface like grass, rock, or gravel. For advanced navigation aids, CORLEO has a navigation panel that displays vital information like the rider’s center of gravity, real-time speed, navigation details, or the hydrogen levels left in the tank. During the nighttime, the robot projects illuminated markers just like you would see in advanced automotive navigation systems, to point to the terrain up ahead. Driving the quadruped robot is going to be an interesting drill, as Kawasaki has put in place sensors on the handlebars and stirrups that detect the rider’s shift of weight to actuate the movement. Those stirrups can be adjusted to achieve an ergonomic sitting position for better comfort and confidence while riding this beast. According to Kawasaki, CORLEO is an “off-road personal mobility vehicle offers excellent all-terrain capability, powered by four robotic legs, together with the handling and stability of Kawasaki’s motorcycles. While preserving the joy of riding, the vehicle continually monitors the rider’s movements to achieve a reassuring sense of unity between human and machine. Scale mountains, breathe in the fresh air, and enjoy panoramic views. Let CORLEO unleash your “Impulse to Move” in the great outdoors.” The Japanese automaker has not yet detailed the specification, range, or other features of the robot. All they’ve made clear is that the four-legged robot is envisioned for a future twenty years down the line. The post Kawasaki CORLEO is an all-terrain robot horse that you can actually ride first appeared on Yanko Design.