This Lup Cable, conceived of by ex-Apple mechanical engineer John Hanna, is a self-coiling charging cable. To turn it into a finished product, Hanna and his company, Reaction Labs, tapped industrial design and engineering consultancy Design 1st.Product Design RequirementsAiming to revolutionize cable management with magnetic technology, the project focused on surpassing typical USB-C and Apple performance criteria while introducing a self-coiling mechanism. Product design goals and requirements included:- Engineer a cable that automatically coils using magnets and complies with strict electrical performance standards.- Ensure the cable supports high-speed data transfer and power delivery for a wide range of devices.- Adapt the cable design for efficient large-scale manufacturing while maintaining consistent high quality.- Use up to 240 ultra-fine strands per wire, each only 50 microns in diameter, to enhance flexibility and durability. Engineering ChallengesThe Lup Cable's innovative design posed unique engineering challenges, particularly in integrating magnetic coiling with high electrical performance. The Design 1st team needed to ensure these features did not compromise the cable's functionality or standards compliance. Challenges included:- Solve interference from magnetic fields affecting data transmission and electrical integrity.- Design for durability under frequent bending and coiling.- Standardize production for consistent unit quality.- Comply with USB-C and Apple power and speed standards.- Use thermal imaging to assess and optimize heat managementThermal Imaging of prototype cable Product ResultsLup Cable's swift transition from concept to market exemplifies Design 1st's capacity for rapid innovation and effective execution. Released in just three months, the product quickly rose to prominence on Amazon, marking a significant achievement in the competitive tech accessories market. Its user-friendly design and powerful functionality have garnered positive reviews and robust sales figures.- The quickest market launch in Design 1st history, under three months from concept to volume production and market- Quickly earned Amazon's Choice status, indicating high customer preference and satisfaction- Utilized a novel blend of rare earth particles in the internal magnet for enhanced magnetic coiling without loss of flexibility.- Collected extensive customer praise for delivering power capability, ensuring rapid charging for devices.- Lup cable is available for purchase on Amazon Magnetic Lup cable moves from concept to volume production in under four months. You can see more of Design 1st's work here.

We discovered the beauty and magic of tiny homes a couple of years ago, and were happy to see it was an excellent discovery. Since then, tiny homes have gained immense popularity, and been experimented with to create even better, more beautiful, and functional designs. Weve seen a torrent of ingenious and thoughtfully designed tiny homes in 2024, and weve curated some of our favorites for you. These unique tiny homes are space-saving and eco-friendly, reducing the load on Mother Earth, while also managing to look as cute as a button. They will have you swooning!1. Nestrons Tiny HomesThese tiny homes by Nestron are designed to be futuristic and sleek, with a customizable and visually appealing prefab design. The collection includes the Cube One (C1), Cube Two (C2), and Cube Two X (C2X) homes that cost from $42.2k to $126.6k. This also depends on the configuration you select at Nestrons online showroom.Why is it noteworthy?The homes are amped with solar electricity, and heating, as well as a fully-equipped bathroom with a smart toilet. The interiors of the home can be customized, and theyre a great fit for sci-fi fans who want their own homes.What we likeThe entire process is handled by NestronMade from recyclable materialsWhat we dislikeThe homes arent very spacious, not well-suited for big families2. The eONE XLThe eONE XL tiny home is a spacious, light-filled, and free-flowing tiny home that is based on a double-axle trailer. The home features a Japanese-style charred wood exterior, which offers protection against bugs and decay. It has a length of 30 feet, and a width of 8.6 feet, and it even features an upgraded micro-living experience.Why is it noteworthy?The home includes massive windows, which let natural light stream in freely throughout the day. The home is made up of all-electric appliances, and it is also amped with storage space and floor space.What we likeThe kitchen is also spacious and well-equippedWhat we dislikeWe are unsure if the home comes with any furniture3. The PegoNamed Pego, this compact little home will accompany you on your adventures into the wild, supported by a solar panel setup. The home is pretty compact, but you shouldnt judge it by its size, as it is packed with functionality and utility, making for an excellent micro-living option.Why is it noteworthy?It is finished in wood, and the expert craftsmanship is represented in the shutters on the windows, and in the doors of the home. The house is powered by solar panels, irrespective of where it is parked. It also includes a standard RV-style hookup.What we likeIt contains a mini wood-burning stove, much like the ones you use while camping in a tentWhat we dislikeThe home is quite small for a European tiny house4. Crest GuesthouseDesigned by Mork-Ulnes Architects, the Crest Guesthouse is a lovely abode on a steep hillside plot in California. The home has a simple yet intriguing layout, one which resembles a Swiss Army knife. This maximizes the features of an otherwise compact, and not too spacious home. It represents how smart downsizing ideas can build a comfy home for a small family.Why is it noteworthy?The house measures around 400 square feet and is located in a forest. Since wildfires are common, the exterior is built using a fire-resistant cement board, which is pretty easy to maintain. A small deck was also incorporated to form a more usable outdoor space.What we likeSince the bed is essentially a Murphy bed installed into a wall, this forms a lot of free floor spaceWhat we dislikeLocation makes wildfires a major concern5. FujitsuboDesigned by the Japanese construction startup Serendix the Fujitsubo is a small home priced at around 5.5 million yen, or around $37,600. The home takes about 44.5 hours to print and assemble and serves as a functional tiny home for those who are looking for 3D-printed micro-living options.Why is it noteworthy?Fujitsubo translates to the barnacle, and it occupies a space of only 538 square feet. This is pretty small in comparison to an average American home, which is five times bigger. The 3D-printed home includes one bedroom, and bathroom, as well as an open living room that is connected to the kitchen.What we likePriced as much as a car while offering essential amenities and featuresWhat we dislikeIts still in the conceptual phase, so were not sure how the final structure will turn out to be6. Monocoque CabinNamed the Monocoque Cabin, this intriguing tiny home is inspired by a World War II airplane. It is a truly extraordinary home with a visually appealing curving exterior, and it comes along with a bunch of options ranging from an interior layout, and the ability to run off-grid.Why is it noteworthy?The tiny cabin is inspired by the WWII de Havilland Mosquito monocoque structure. The fighter planes monocoque structure was used as the source of inspiration. The home is made from timber materials, building a lovely connection with the surrounding rural settings.What we likeThe materials used to build the home will age gracefully, creating a prettier structure with timeWhat we dislikeThe unique aesthetics may not be to some peoples tastesIsnt equipped with wheels, so doesnt support an on-the-go lifestyle7. Elevate Tiny HomeNamed the Elevate tiny home, this house by Acorn Tiny Homes is equipped with a nifty interior layout and an elevating bed. This creates a flexible room that serves as a bedroom, and a light-filled study area. It can be tough to fit comfortable and practical interiors into tiny homes, but Acorn Tiny Homes has done it well.Why is it noteworthy?The Elevate is powered by a standard RV-style hookup, and the interior is amped with an ample amount of storage space. The floor space includes an open and light-filled study space, as well as a desk and chair. By pushing a button, a double bed is lowered down, and it can be stowed away near the ceiling when youre done using it.What we likeThe living area transforms into a bedroom with the simple push of a buttonWhat we dislikeAll the rooms seem to be located on one floor, which can be limiting8. CpsulaCalled Cpsula, this tiny home concept is designed by the architecture studio i29. It was unveiled at the Dutche Design Week 2023, and the cabins and homes have been inspired by design-led thinking, and they are quite simple yet highly functional.Why is it noteworthy?The project is pretty small-scale but the plans and ambitions for it are quite large. The goal and intention behind the project is to promote slow living and create the ideal cabin architecture with a couple of amazing options.What we likeInspired by minimal architectureFeatures top-notch amenitiesWhat we dislikeThe home may be considered too compact and small by some9. Sakura Tiny HouseNamed the Sakura tiny house, this home by Canada-based Acorn Tiny Homes is a complete game-changer in comparison to typical tiny homes on the market. The house doesnt include wheels and features an innovative space-saving interior which contains a transforming bedroom and kitchen.Why is it noteworthy?The Sakura tiny home is breaking ground in the tiny home arena, by taking this popular housing style to a whole new and upgraded version. It is inspired by popular Japanese design trends, which can be even witnessed in its name.What we likeWholly inspired by Japanese design philosophyA flexible multi-purpose spaceWhat we dislikeCan only fit two residents and two guests, making it a tight fit10. BrownyNamed Browny, this cute tiny home is pretty versatile, and it can function as a home office, exercise area, or guest bedroom. All of these have been fit snugly into a length of 6 meters, but it is still quite comfortable.Why is it noteworthy?The tiny home is supported by a double-axle trailer and features a finishing of red cedar, which is further accentuated by aluminum accenting and a roof. This tiny home is equipped with a generous amount of glazing, ensuring there is maximum natural light within the home.What we likeAccommodates multiple amenities in a small spaceFeatures integrated storage spaceWhat we dislikeDoesnt feature a proper kitchen and bathroom, which can be inconvenient for usersThe post 10 Best Tiny Homes Weve Loved In 2024 Up Till Now first appeared on Yanko Design.

Inzoi is letting players try its character creator for just five days.Krafton's life sim has at least one thing inarguably going for it: very pretty characters.

Your complete guide to the best of Canva's database of over 5,000 fonts.

While its true that we will always have Paris, time stops for no one. The 2028 Summer Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles are just 1,428 days away. This is the third time that the City of Angels has hosted the athletic competition, so the city is familiar with the honor and challenges it brings. It owes a debt of gratitude to 1932 and 1984 for those lessons.Heres what you need to know about the future event, also known as LA28.What are the dates of the 2028 L.A. Olympics?The games will kick things off with the traditional opening ceremony on July 14, 2028. Sixteen days later, the competition comes to a close with another ceremony on July 30, 2028. The Paralympics follow from August 15 to 27.Which venues are being used for LA28?The nice thing about hosting for the third time in Los Angeles is that the basic infrastructure already exists and will just need some updating for the events. The City of Angels used this as a selling point in its bid to host the games. While some of the details are still being worked out, heres what we know so far about where events will be held.The athletes will be housed at UCLA instead of building a brand new Olympic Village. Gymnastics will borrow The Arena (aka Crypto.com Arena) from the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Sparks for the summer. Diving will take place at a 1932 Pool in Exposition Park.LA Memorial Coliseum will, of course, get in on the action as well, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies as well as some of the competition. A swimming pool will be built at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. This will become the largest Olympic swimming venue of all time, with the capacity for 38,000 fans.Other cities are also offering their venues for the big event. Long Beach will host marathon swimming, the triathlon, and sailing. Temecula is hosting Equestrian events. Further away, Oklahoma City will help out with canoe slalom and softball.Which new sports events are planned for LA28?A surprising fact is that Olympic sports change every four years. Only four mainstays have been included every year since 1896: athletics, fencing, swimming, and artistic gymnastics. For the 2020 Summer Games, the International Olympic Committee created a mandated group of core sports that must always be part of the competition. The host city is free to suggest up to six optional sports to add to the mix.Los Angeles has picked cricket, lacrosse, baseball/softball, squash, and flag football. Cricket, lacrosse, and baseball/softball have all been at the Olympics before. Squash and flag football will be making their Olympic debuts.What about breaking and boxing?Breaking is out for 2028. The sport made its debut in Paris, but before those games even started, the decision was made to exclude it from Los Angeles. Many are disappointed in this decision, especially since the sport originated in the United States.Victor Montalvo took all this in stride and was thankful that breaking made it to the Olympics at all. I feel like we did our job, he mused about his fellow competitors to USA Today. Everyone loved it. The crowd was going crazy. Its OK. Were not in 2028, but honestly, I (am) the first ever bronze medalist for breaking. So, thats an amazing thing to say.As for boxing, it has not officially been put on the roster either, although it will most likely have a better fate than breaking. In June of 2023, the IOC stopped recognizing the International Boxing Association due to its alleged corruption. A new governing body for the sport is needed to secure its Olympic future.Will cars be allowed at the L.A. Olympics?Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, is holding fast to her promise of a car-free Olympic games. If you have been to the area, you are right to have doubts.Were a very car-dependent city, but it means that if you are going to attend any of the sports venues, youre going to have to take public transportation, Bass told CNN. Weve been building out our system, but were also going to need a lot of buses, thousands of buses from neighboring cities and states to help us deliver that.

Construction is underway on ten underground schools in the Zaporizhzhia region in southeast Ukraine, designed to protect thousands of children against Russian air raids.Local authorities in Zaporizhzhia are creating bunkers to provide safe in-person learning facilities for children living through the war that was triggered by Russia'sfull-scale invasion in February 2022.The goal is to accommodate nearly 45,000 students by the end of 2024, according to the Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne.Region needs "to build approximately 20 schools"Head of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov, said construction work is currently underway on six of the ten schools in the oblast."We're doing everything to create safe conditions for the educational process in Zaporizhzhia, despite the difficulties and challenges," Fedorov stated.Repairs are also currently underway on 20 existing underground shelters at schools in the region.However, Fedorov says more are still needed."In order to cover the needs of the region, we need to build approximately 20 schools," explained Fedorov."But the plans are limited by several factors: time, money and a sufficient number of contractors who are ready to perform the work. We expect that by the end of the year, approximately 10 will be built."Read: Ukrainian studios "doing what we can, and sometimes what we can't" after two years of warRussian missiles continue to strike Ukraine today, more than two years after the invasion began.According to Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Education, one in seven schools in the country is currently damaged as a result of the war, with many forced to take their teaching online.Non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch has said this had "put Ukraine's education system under enormous strain".The underground schools are required in Zaporizhzhia home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant seized by Russian forces in May 2022 as it is one of the most significant zones of conflict."These are not just concrete walls"According to Fedorov, the underground schools are being designed to feel welcoming for children, filled with desks, furniture and blackboards."These are not just concrete walls," he said. "It will be a real educational space underground, where children will want to go."One of the ten shelters is being built on the site of an existing education facility in Zaporizhzhia named School No.88, which did not previously have anywhere for students to study safely in person.Set to complete this autumn with space for 500 pupils, it will be nestled seven metres below ground and designed to double as a 1,500-square-metre nuclear shelter.According to the news network Euronews, the school's principal Liudmyla Zlatova said "the parents reacted very well" to the plans."Our school is the only one in such a single neighbourhood, there is no other alternative for children to go to," Zlatova said.Read: "Ukraine had a shortage of adequate housing before the war" says UN's Richard EvansA mother of one of the children currently learning online with School Number 88 said the students were also "happy" at the prospect of beginning in-person learning again."We were very happy and the kids were happy, they miss live communication," said mother Liubov Pashina."Nowadays, the children's eyesight is deteriorating because they are constantly sitting at the computer and their eyes do not rest."The underground schools in Zaporizhzhia are not the first to have been built in Ukraine following the Russian invasion. A number have already been built in metro stations throughout Kharkiv.According to Ukrainian newspaper Euromaidan Press, the country is also building underground maternity wards to ensure safe delivery of babies.Elsewhere in Ukraine, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is working to help rebuild homes in the country that have been damaged by Russian attacks. In a recent interview with Dezeen, project lead Richard Evans said the goal is to build them back to a better standard than before the war.To mark two years of conflict in Ukraine, Dezeen asked architects and designers in the country about how they are coping during wartime.The photos are courtesy of Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration via Wikimedia Commons.The post Underground schools "to create safe conditions" for children in Ukraine appeared first on Dezeen.

Most cargo bike designs are clearly evolutions of the standard bicycle design. However, a German mobility startup called Dynamic Drives started from scratch with their Intelectra, a cargo e-bike.The first big difference is how you sit on it. While the standard cargo bike rider position is this the Intelectra offers this:The company reckons this recumbent seating position offers "faster entry and exit." (I'll leave that for experienced cyclists to debate.) With their chosen seating position established, it was a matter of adding a platform that could support their target payload: Standardized Euro boxes with a total weight capacity of 450kg (nearly 1,000 lbs) including the rider. This yielded the following form: The bike is a pedelec; pedaling generates juice, helping to charge the battery that powers the motors on each rear wheel. The company says this chain-free design reduces maintenance needs. The battery can be additionally charged by plugging it in, and it takes about 1.5 hours to top it off. The bike's range is 93km (58 miles), and the top speed is capped at 25 km/h (15.5 mph). It can be fitted out with options ranging from a passenger seat to lids to a Conestoga-wagon-like canopy. Admittedly it's not the most dynamic-looking design, but it is form-follows-function, and I appreciate that the designers started from a blank page rather than incumbency. If all goes right, these will hit the streets later this year.

Although the craze for old retro designs has gripped many industries, it has taken a rather odd direction in the computing and gaming worlds. More than just recreating the designs and experiences of the past, many retro computers or consoles also strangely decided to shrink those products down to sometimes unusable sizes. Though manufacturers like Nintendo have jumped on that bandwagon, the biggest push comes from makers and modders who now have a wide arsenal of tools available at their disposal, giving them the freedom to create or recreate almost any design imaginable. This painstaking DIY project, for example, tries to bring back the iconic beige computer boxes of the 90s in a way thats almost usable, at least if you can manage squinting at a 4-inch screen.Designer: Salim BenbouziyaneThe PCs of the 90s and early 2000s arent really the epitome of inspired industrial design, which is why their rival Macs became the choice of designers, creators, and design-conscious users. Nonetheless, these geometric boxes were also the pinnacle of computing technology of that period, earning them their place not only in offices and homes but also in iconography. There are also quite a number of fond memories attached to these machines, which some more skilled craftsmen are now using to turn some of that nostalgia into a working PC, albeit a miniature one.Patterned after one of the more common designs of Dell PCs, this tiny retro computer revives the spirit if not the function of those 90s computers. Its pretty much a box-like CRT monitor sitting on top of another horizontal box which was the convention for desktop computers at that time. The attention to detail is pretty impressive, from the carved DELL branding to tiny Intel Inside and Windows decals.Its a completely functional computer, though not all represented features actually work. The floppy disk drives, for example, are naturally too small for any disk, but they happen to be the right side to let a micro SD card through. There are LED lights to indicate power and mimic the flickering hard drive spinning activity. On the software side, it convincingly mimics the Windows XP look and feel, but its actually a flavor of Linux designed for the Raspberry Pi thats running inside. And, of course, it can run DOOM, just like any self-respecting computer.As impressive as this intricate recreation might be, it is also one that is a true labor of love. It requires a lot of 3D printing, custom soldering, and fiddling with electronics, so its not something that just about anyone can do on their own. Fortunately, the instructions and materials for this project are all listed and available for anyone to see, reliving the spirit of openness and exploration that was also alive during that period.The post DIY tiny Windows XP PC is an extreme nostalgia trip first appeared on Yanko Design.

No butts. This is a show about lighthouses now.The Slow TV fans and the retirees appreciate my artor fell asleep with their TVs on.

The 'Unflattened' game was a surprise highlight of the first VR Games Showcase.