A new vision for artificially intelligent devices has emerged from US start-up Friend, which is launching a necklace wearable that promises constant companionship.The Friend device is an amulet-like pendant that listens to its wearer throughout their day and sends conversational text messages based on things that are happening in their life.Friend launched for pre-order on 30 July with a blog post by company founder Avi Schiffmann titled "Happy International Friendship Day", beginning with the line "Friend is an expression of how lonely I've felt".Friend attempts to combat loneliness with an AI companionIn several interviews with tech publications, Schiffmann discussed how he had become disillusioned with productivity optimisation as a de facto end goal for AI technology.He started to develop Friend while feeling lonely on a business trip in Tokyo with his then productivity-focused AI prototype, Tab. He found he didn't just want to talk to the AI, he told Wired, he wanted it "to feel like this companion is actually there with me travelling".His tweaks to that prototype became Friend, which has a stripped-down functionality focused purely on conversational companionship.The companion is always listening and interacts via text messageFriend's AI is always listening and sends messages without prompting. But the user can also press on the centre of the circular device to talk to their companion directly and receive a response in reply. A video ad for the device shows it usually taking a positive and supportive tone.While the user can speak out loud to Friend, Friend always replies via text message.Although the idea of constant audio recording will be a dealbreaker for some consumers, Schiffmann considers it necessary to get the natural-feeling interaction he is aiming for with the device.Avi Schiffmann is the founder of Friend"You don't need to give your Friend context," Schiffman said on X. "[You] can just walk out a meeting and say 'that was crazy' and they understand.""Just makes for a really seamless integration of a digital friend into your life."Read: Google reports 50 per cent jump in emissions due to AI energy usePhysically, Friend has a simple, rounded design with a light-up central element, and is initially being sold in a white colour only.The casing contains a Bluetooth microphone but all recorded data is sent to the cloud for processing, with the company promising end-to-end encryption and no long-term audio or transcript storage.Friend has a circular amulet-like formThere is also no back-up for Friend. If the necklace is damaged or lost, the company says, that is the end of that particular Friend.The product is the latest in a run of ventures from Schiffman, who first gained recognition while still in high school at age 17 when he created one of the first Covid-tracking websites in the US, the Coronavirus Dashboard.Two years later while at Harvard in 2022, he built another website to match Ukrainian refugees to hosts in neighbouring countries, although that proved more controversial.The device is designed to be worn constantly around the neckWith Friend, he is promising relatively limited functionality compared to this year's high-profile AI product launches; however, that is the selling point.The Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin were positioned as all-round assistants that could action requests, control the user's apps or identify objects in the real world, but both failed to live up to expectations and met with poor reviews upon release.The post Wearable Friend device aims to fight loneliness with AI companionship appeared first on Dezeen.

Here's what we looked at this week:A look inside NBC's insane Olympics war rooms.The Owlet: A new form factor for the e-bike.Smart design: The Allpacka One is a collapsible cargo box for bikes. Stanley vs. Sigg's classic metal storage tin offerings.The FlipDie: Dice with a coin form factor.Skip's MO/GO "Movewear:" Powered pants with exoskeleton technology.Clever design: A jack-free tire changing solution for dual-axle trailers.Industrial design case study: SeymourPowell tackles Brompton bike rental stations.Jim Dimond invented and sells this Tigers Teeth oscillating tool blade sharpener.The Sneaker X, designed by JMDF, is a gaming PC designed to look like a sneaker.Explaining what the Olympics shooting competitors are wearing on their faces.Finally, a wheeled robot dog that can escape enclosures.The do-it-all Modular Bottle.Industrial designer Paul Cohen's hingeless eyeglasses.This Mobile Block Factory turns rubble into Lego-like blocks for disaster relief housing.The Fairfield Parent + Child Carrel is library furniture designed to make childcare easier.Oakley's WTR Icon is a helmet for surfers.The simple, elegant Iota door handle, by industrial designer Sebastian Bergne, has a family on the way.Industrial design case study: Formation Design tackles an off-road suspension controller for Fox Factory.

Fox Factory, the manufacturer of high-performance automotive components, wanted to create an in-vehicle interface that would allow users to dial in suspension settings on-the-fly. To realize the product, they turned to industrial design consultancy Formation Design.As the firm writes:"The LiveValve system is an evolution in off road suspension control. It marries an in vehicle physical control unit with a web and mobile application. The app provides customized set ups, post run feedback, and more that communicate with the in vehicle touchpoint controller. The touchpoint distills the complex set ups into a simplified interface for optimal control whilst driving." "Through research and cycles of concept development it was determined that simple concise controls were needed in vehicle, and most existing products reflect this. However, by implementing simple controls you can get stuck trying to cover a wide range of potential desired settings with limited input selections.""Our goal was to design a system that could filter down the potential desired settings based on terrain. Then within the terrain settings you could have a more niche range of options, which could be even further dialed in with the web/mobile application. Combining all this together with Fox's LiveValve tech will help users achieve perfect suspension setting." "After concept exploration for both the web/mobile application and the in vehicle controller select designs were taken forward into physical prototypes. This led to human factors and usability testing to advance the concept. ""Due the expected rough terrain impacting users dexterity we aligned on paddles to allow for larger motor control inputs. These paddles had simple up and down functions to cycle through two columns of options." You can see more of Formation Design's work here.

This beautiful Iota door handle is by the prolific British Industrial designer Sebastian Bergne."Iota is based on an extremely simple notion of subtraction from a supersized bar. If the bent tube handle has become a ubiquitous symbol of modernity, this design subverts, distorts and rethinks it so that the everyday becomes the special. Unusually, the neck becomes the rose and the junction between handle and door becomes a single seamless, fluid sweep."It was originally designed in 2010 and is in production by door hardware manufacturer iz. Bergne has teased that "work on an expanded family is now well underway," and says we'll be able to see it "soon."

I don't know much about surfing, but saw one of those Olympic surfing clips making the rounds, and was surprised to see some of the surfers wearing helmets. It makes sense, given the massive force of nature surfers are up against, and we now have a better understanding of concussions than when surfing was invented. That said, I've learned not all surfers wear them. "Even top pro surfers can have a wipeout that changes their life forever. But when it comes to wearing a helmet, surfers are still torn," says pro surfer Griffin Colapinto.Colapinto is sponsored by Oakley, who has been working on a helmet that they reckon surfers will want to wear. Their description of the design illuminates the user resistance points they're trying to overcome:"The best-in-class helmet is made from strong ABS and is designed to absorb impact, disperse energy, and reduce blunt force trauma. Its unique shell design prevents disorientation and drag in the water and with open ventilation, surfers can easily maneuver through and under water even while duck diving, allowing for immediate drainage upon reaching the surface." "Complete with adjustable and removable ear protection, engineered to maintain hearing, prevent cuts and protect against eardrum blowouts, the helmet allows surfers to stay aware of their surroundings, make split-second decisions, and always be in control." The helmet is called the WTR Icon, and you won't see it at this year's Olympics; it won't be ready for production until November of this year.

Librarians at the Fairfield Area Library in Virginia spotted a problem. "The staff noticed that parents with toddlers or infants in strollers had no easy way to use the library's adult reading room computer workstations. Further, their young children might disrupt the work of others using the library workstations."The library reached out to architecture firm Quinn Evans to develop a solution. Quinn Evans then worked with Michigan-based TMC Furniture, the largest contract children's furniture manufacturer in America. They jointly created this Fairfield Parent + Child Carrel:"The Carrel's workstation side has a tall panel offering privacy for the seated parent, while the mid-panel is low, providing sight lines into the child's play area. The worksurface includes a grommet and wire management features." "The Fairfield Carrel enables parents and caregivers to use the workstation while older children are reading or playing nearby. The inside play space, designed for infants and toddlers up to two years of age, features a mirror at the lowest level and a series of interactive panels above. Library staff can switch these panels out to provide a variety of content which might change for the season, curriculum or other community needs. The exterior panels can feature a variety of TMC-standard ImPrinted designs or a custom creation." "Maintaining sanitary surfaces was a prime concern. TMC's two decades of work in major healthcare systems around the world gives us leading expertise in sanitary system and material specifications for children's furniture. The vinyl mat is made of healthcare-grade material which can be easily wiped down multiple times a day as needed. Both the mat and the maple finish on the workstation are non-toxic and durable for frequent cleanings. A gate on the play area also simplifies access for cleaning." The library reports that the carrels have been a hit with parents.

When structures are destroyed by war or natural disasters, there is an urgent need to rehouse displaced residents. Most disaster relief housing initiatives focus on deploying tent-like structures. But an Australian charity called Mobile Crisis Construction has figured out a way to quickly produce more durable structures, using a raw material that is readily available: Rubble.MCC has developed a mobile block-making factory that fits into a 20-foot shipping container. Rubble is loaded into it, mixed with water and concrete, and the factory compresses it and spits out Lego-like blocks that interlock. The blocks must sit for one week to cure, and then they can be used in construction. Because the blocks are designed to interlock, no mortar is required, and unskilled labor can be used to erect walls. (Skilled labor is required for everything else, of course: Roofing, plumbing, flooring, electrical, etc.) The holes you see in the blocks are for inserting rebar. MCC says that once reinforced, their structures are earthquake-, fire- and cyclone-resistant."Our mobile block factories use the rubble and waste materials from the disaster to make blocks for construction of sturdy, long-term structures in a very short time, with each mobile block factory producing up to 40 tonnes blocks per shift. [That's] enough blocks to build one school, three large houses or 10 small houses per week."MCC held a successful crowdfunding campaign to send one of their factories to Ukraine. "MCC will establish the initial rebuilding efforts in a relatively safe area near Kiev, and expand operations into other areas as needed, dependent on funding." Here's how MCC's system works:

Chinese robotics company Unitree is the firm that dresses their humanoid robots in clothes. Their dog-shaped robots, on the other hand, let it all hang out. They recently upgraded their Go2 model with wheels:Perhaps the most dog-like thing it can do:There are more impressive tricks in the full video below.There's no word on what this Go2-W model costs, but its unwheeled Go2 sibling starts at $1,600.