innovation

Last year we saw both people and dogs loaned out by libraries, but it would seem there’s still plenty that can still be done with books as well. Aiming to introduce more fun into library loaning, The National and University Library of Slovenia recently ran a program offering mystery packs of books to their customers.

Those visiting the library, based in the centre of Ljubljana, had the option to check out one of an assortment of mystery packages containing three books wrapped in brown paper. A sticker on the front of each package signified which literary genre the books inside belonged to, and librarians were on hand to advise customers on which genre they might prefer. The parcels all contained one novel from a contemporary writer, one classic, and one “easy to read” novel.

As libraries around the world begin to feel the strain caused by e-book popularity, this initiative offers a personal, curated touch, with a dose of mystery and fun thrown in to help attract customers. Libraries and educational institutions around the world, one to try out in your area?

Website: www.nuk.uni-lj.si/nukeng.asp Contact: info@nuk.uni-lj.si

Spotted by: Matej Golob

Related Ideas:

1. Brazilian tricycle distributes books to disadvantaged communities
2. Augmented reality app helps libraries keep track of books
3. Taiwan airport introduces world’s first ebook library

Möwe – Dream Paper Concept looks at the possibility of having intelligent paper that prints, auto cuts and folds 3-D paper projects. A lot of folks indulge in 3-D scale models and it is an interesting hobby. Mac takes the idea a step further by suggesting that what if we could control “where and how far to fold and also when to fold via Bluetooth or WiFi, it means you could move paper as you like without touching it. (It’s like embedding Javascript in paper!)” Building models from Google 3D Warehouse would be child’s play even for the non-devout! Awesome!

Designer: Mac Funamizu

---------- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store! (Paper Cut was originally posted on Yanko Design)

We’ve already seen augmented reality used to superimpose text on top of chocolate-bar wrappers and newspaper ads, but now we’ve come across an example of the technology being used in the publishing industry. Between Page And Screen is a printed book of poems that relies entirely on augmented reality to convey its words.

The Between Page and Screen poetry book has no text printed on its physical pages. Rather, each page is covered with a stark black and white geometric shape and a web address leading to the book’s website. To read the book, consumers must visit that site and hold each page up in front of their webcam, one at a time. Using the reader’s webcam, the site then detects the black and white markers and displays corresponding textual animations mapped to the surface of the page. The animations move with the book, creating the digital equivalent of a pop-up book. The video below demonstrates Between Page and Screen in action:

Written by Amaranth Borsuk and programmed by Brad Bouse, the poems in Between Page and Screen comprise a series of letters between two lovers, P and S, as well as animations based on keywords from their letters. Produced initially as a limited-edition, the book is now available for USD 24.95 from Siglio Press. Authors, publishers, and content producers around the globe: be inspired!

Website: www.betweenpageandscreen.com Contact: hello@betweenpageandscreen.com

Spotted by: Florent Lesauvage

Related Ideas:

1. Augmented reality app illustrates damage to smokers’ lungs
2. Augmented reality app reveals the world’s hidden stories
3. Augmented reality app helps libraries keep track of books

The Sólo is a modular traffic signal that can be easily disassembled and used for other purposes. A good example is the event of a road mishap, and how the lights can be intelligently used to create a detour for oncoming traffic. Even for road repairs; if the street is closed, may as well use the lights for marking out the hazard space! Clever use of LED lights ensure eco-sense and the modular format give the lights the versatility to be used in numerous circumstances.

MODULE: H: 300mm; W: 290mm; L: 168mm | weight: MODULE: 2.3 kg

Designers: Matheus de Luca, Moreira Pinto & Porto Alegre

---------- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store! (More Than Signals was originally posted on Yanko Design)

The UK’s Autofarm Porsche dealership may drive customers to the mall so that they can pass the time shopping while their car is being worked on, but Bahrain’s National Motor Company takes this concept a step further. Not only does the company’s brand-new Sehla-based service center offer free wifi and shuttles to local destinations, but it also houses a state-of-the-art gymnasium.

Founded in 1988, National Motor Company (NMC) is one of the leading automotive distributors in Bahrain, representing Honda, Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, and Hummer. Early this year the company opened a new BHD 4 million, 9,000 square-meter facility in Sehla complete with clear-glass viewing areas so that customers can watch their cars being worked upon, according to a report in the Gulf Daily News. An array of games are available to help customers pass the time, in addition to the four-floor facility’s gym, which can be enjoyed by fitness-minded customers until their car is ready to go.

Car owners may come from all walks of life, but one thing they tend to share is an impatience when it comes to repairs and maintenance. Give them myriad ways to multitask while they wait for your service, and you’ll surely set yourself apart. Service providers around the globe: take note!

Website: www.nmc.com.bh Contact: namco@nmc.com.bh

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Related Ideas:

1. Drivers submit a photo, auto shops bid on their car repair
2. Fiat offers electric bikes as loaner vehicles
3. Volvo dealership loans bicycles instead of cars

Inspired by his grandfather who has been in a wheelchair since the age of 20, designer Oscar Fernandez created the electric Independent Wheelchair Assistant to help users independently access their local communities in a safe and easy way. The design utilizes the user’s own wheelchair, acting as a true assistant and eliminating the need to constantly transfer between other devices like scooters or power chairs. Hit the jump to check out its unique functionality.

The user attaches to the device from the rear via a small bracket that must be attached to the wheelchair. The bracket slides into the back of the IWA, lifting the two front castor wheels of the wheelchair off the ground. The bracket locks into place, securing the chair and transferring the weight evenly across the four large wheels of both the IWA and the users’ wheelchair. Equally simple controls allow the connection to be made or released with the press of a single button. There’s even a headlight for night riding!

Designer: Oscar Fernandez

---------- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store! (Independent Wheelchair Assistant was originally posted on Yanko Design)

The slim and stylish Glide is a minimal yet elegant take on the iPod docking station that will look great in contemporary and classic settings alike. Speakers located on the tips of its solid wood wings create an aesthetic of lightness and balance in contrast with its powerful and crisp sound quality.

Designer: Matthew Hicks

---------- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store! (The Smoothest iPod Dock was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Using a polyjet printer allowed designers at Voxel Studio to use a variety of materials with unique properties and textures to create the Cocoon lamp. The lamp’s organic form is truly a representation of its unique construction- similar to the way caterpillars use fast hardening liquid from their spinnerets to build their cocoon shells, the polyjet applies liquid photopolymer through nozzles which then hardens in UV light. 

Designer: Voxel Studio

---------- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store! (Light Metamorphosis was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Obama wants America to get back to the business of making things. That means developing skilled workers at home

There are few aspects of life that can’t be enlivened by a little friendly competition, and home energy metering is no exception. Enter German GreenPocket’s namesake smartphone app, which “helps consumers share their carbon footprint in a competitive and entertaining way on Facebook”.

Based in Cologne, GreenPocket is a software provider focusing on the visualization and interpretation of smart metering energy consumption data. As a complement to its smart metering and smart home solutions, the company recently launched a social metering app to sustain consumers’ interest in monitoring their energy use over time. Push notifications inform consumers as to how well they are doing compared with their friends in weekly energy efficiency contests, for example, as well as about other positive developments related to their energy consumption behavior. GreenPocket CEO Thomas Goette explains: “This combination initiates an innovative dialogue between the utility and the customer and opens up an entirely new channel for utility marketing campaigns.”

Gamification is a trend we’ve been tracking for some time already, but we hadn’t yet seen it applied in this arena. Utilities and monitoring companies around the globe: be inspired!

Website: www.greenpocket.de Contact: info@greenpocket.de

Spotted by: Raymond Neo

Related Ideas:

1. Service uses gaming to reward consumers for saving money
2. In India, home solar energy on a pay-as-you-go plan
3. Intelligent thermostat learns from user behavior

Leaf Wireless Mouse scores big time on looks and has a decent enough direction as far as tech aspects go. The one thing that we do with our mouse the most is to move it around. Based on this, the designers have created a concept that uses its motion to self-power the mouse. It sounds like a whiff of air for now, but imagine if we could have a wireless mouse that did not tank up on so many batteries every month? Because I use it so much, I tend to replace my Magic Mouse battery every 7-8 days. I say go for Leaf right now!

Designers: Lu Hairong and Zhang Xuehui

---------- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store! (Kinetic Leaf was originally posted on Yanko Design)

After reading the book, we all know what Job’s day was like … no power points, long walks to trash out problems, ritual lunch with Jony Ive, inspiring sessions with A-level executives, zero tolerance for bozos and shit products, rounded off with a vegan meal. But that was Steve … what about you? YD is curious to know what is your typical day like? Better still show it to us! Send us a video of a day in your life. Grab your iPhone or music player or digicam; just any recorder and capture how you deal with creative blocks, inspirational moments, eating lunch or hanging out with your friends; any theme will do.

General Guidelines

• Record a video of what your typical day is like
• The video has to be no more than 3 minutes long
• Just have fun and basically give us an idea of how you like to spend your day
• The good, the bad, the ugly… any approach will do as long as it is authentic

Suggested Themes

• Dealing with creative blocks
• Inspirations
• Rituals that you follow
• Stuff that ticks you off
• Fun Day
• A day with you!

The Booty

• The best submissions will be featured on YD as an exclusive showcase. This is your moment to shine and show to the world how fun and creative you can be.

Submission Procedure

• You can upload your video on Youtube or Vimeo and send the link to videos@yankodesign.com
• Alternatively you can email us the file at videos@yankodesign.com

Last date for submission: 8th February 2012, midnight PST

---------- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store! (A Day in the Life of … Steve Jobs? was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Pay-what-you-can pricing is one way for a restaurant to help fight hunger during tough economic times, but recently we came across a different approach that aims to combat obesity and waste as well. It’s called Halfsies, and it’s essentially a program that’s designed to help consumers eat less at restaurants while helping to feed the hungry and minimize the amount of food that gets thrown out.

Halfsies is “a social initiative offering restaurant-goers a choice that provides a healthier meal portion, reduces food waste, and supports the fight against hunger,” in the site’s own words. Now gearing up for a pilot launch this spring in Austin, Texas, and New York City, Halfsies plans to partner with local restaurants for participation in its program. Those that do participate will then choose a set of meals on their menu to include in the program, designating them with a small symbol. Then, when a patron chooses to “go halfsies” on such an item, he or she receives a half-portion of the meal while still paying full price. Ninety percent of the proceeds are then donated to support the fight against hunger, with the remaining 10 percent used for Halfsies’ own operations. The video below explains the premise behind Halfsies in further detail:

In this era of obesity, oversized portions and unbridled food waste, there are still roughly a billion people worldwide who don’t have enough to eat, Texas-based Halfsies says. The company currently seeks sponsors, partners, donors and volunteers — time to help combat three of the world’s most persistent problems?

Website: www.gohalfsies.com Contact: gohalfsies@gmail.com

Related Ideas:

1. Buy online tutoring, donate school supplies to kids in need
2. Buy one condom, donate one to women in the developing world
3. Donations to hungry children based on the value of donors’ favorite meals

We’ve recently featured a number of innovations such as Swimtag, which employ technology to motivate and encourage users to exercise more frequently. Now Bally Total Fitness gyms in the US have launched motion-sensing interactive walls that give their customers nutritional and workout tips and advice.

Bally Total Fitness teamed up with Helios Interactive Technologies and SoftKinetic, aiming to modernize the brand and increase new sign-ups. The project took seven months to complete and resulted in the creation of eight foot tall monitors with motion-sensing cameras embedded. As movement is captured and tracked, gym users can interact with the screen using simple arm gestures. The wall has three main functions; to provide knowledge on nutrition for inside the gym and out, to make workout recommendations and improve exercise routines, and enable users to see what their body might look like if they continue working out, with a “Future Self” application. Bally Total Fitness planned to roll out the walls to 20 of their gyms by the end of 2011. The video below shows the motion sensing interactive walls in more detail:

According to Bally Total Fitness, the motion-sensor walls have been well-received by staff and members alike. Could similar technology offer a compelling experience for your customers?

Website: www.ballyfitness.com Contact: www.ballyfitness.com/contact-us.aspx

Spotted by: Raymond Neo

Related Ideas:

1. Vibration-based exercise app lets users run through virtual cities
2. Portable fitness device motivates users with charitable incentives
3. Social network for sharing fitness activity

Blu is a modern musical instrument that draws inspiration from the keyboard, re-imagining keys in a modular and flexible way. Much in the same way a child learns to build structures from toy blocks, they can learn to understand tonality and song composition simply by changing the position of the modular keys around the central unit to control pitch and timing of the notes. Its smart, colorful user interface makes learning music an exciting and memorable experience.

Designer: Eric Pautz

---------- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store! (Modular Maestro was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Alain Gilles’ designs, the BuzziHood and BuzziBooth for Buzzispaces, (thats a whole lotta Buzzi!) are all about personal space, privacy, and intimacy. The wall-mounted BuzziHood pictured here offers a quick escape from the surrounding cacophony of distractions so you can have a moment of peace for a phone call or just a quick breather. The BuzziBooth provides a private and comfy setting for intimate conversation in public spaces. Each is made of 100% recyclable, sound-absorbing fabric.

Designer: Alain Gilles for Buzzispaces

---------- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store! (Find Tranquility in Furniture was originally posted on Yanko Design)

The ISI clip provides a straightforward and super easy way of managing computer and power cables. The simple, flexible steel clamp can be placed on the edge of any standard size desk or leg to keep cords in order and out of the user’s way.

Designer: Devraj Bhadra

---------- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store! (Space Saving Cable Clip was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Many companies waste millions on R&D, while early-stage marketing can prove a more cost-effective way of developing new products

Much the way the solar-powered Puma Phone delivers eco bragging rights in addition to a green-minded smartphone, so too the new Changers Starter Kit goes beyond simply giving users a way to charge their personal electronics. Rather, users of the German solar-powered charging kit can both see and share information on the CO2 they’ve saved, while being rewarded with credits at participating stores.

Priced at USD 149, the Changers Starter Kit includes the Changers Kalhuohfummi solar battery and the Changers Maroshi solar module, along with all the cables and adapters needed for a consumer to produce and consume his or her own clean energy. Users simply find a sunny spot, connect the battery and the solar module together and start harnessing the energy of the sun. Then, when they need to recharge their iPhone, iPad, iPod, Kindle, Android phone or any of 1,000 or so other devices, they attach it to the battery to charge it using the energy they captured. The Changers Kalhuohfummi will recharge the device as fast as a regular charger does, but without tapping into the grid. What’s more, users can upload their energy production statistics to visualize their actual CO2 savings and compare their score with others, sharing the results via Facebook and Twitter. The amount of energy produced is also automatically converted into Changers Credits, which can be spent at retail partners on the Changers Marketplace.

Solar charging is already a win-win for consumers and the environment, but the addition of social aspects and shopping rewards compounds those benefits many times over. This may just be what it takes to sustain consumer interest over time. Retailers around the globe: one to get in on?

Website: www.changers.com Contact: info@changers.com

Spotted by: Raymond Neo

Related Ideas:

1. Crowdfunded rewards for achieving fitness goals
2. Pop-up restaurant uses only solar energy for cooking
3. In India, home solar energy on a pay-as-you-go plan

It was just a few months ago that we covered Auti, a toy designed to help autistic children learn how to better interact with others, and recently we came across another innovation with a similar goal. Squag is a social application customized for teenagers and tweens on the autism spectrum to help them connect with their parents and with one another.

Parents begin by registering with Canadian Squag and setting up their child’s home page — called a “Squagpad”— on the ad-free and self-contained network. On this homepage, which is designed to have the appearance of a virtual room, they can leave curated content and positive messages for their son or daughter to see when they visit the page. Security is a top priority at Squag, so there’s no file sharing of any kind allowed. The site explains: “When the user arrives in their Squagpad, they are surrounded by all of their favorite things. They can watch videos, browse photos, and write in their journal. They scroll over their room, see positive messaging from their parents, and use them to create original thought about themselves.” Once the child is ready — and his or her parent’s application is approved — a proprietary matching system directed by parents can give the child a small sample of “Squaggers” to connect with based on common interests and shared experiences. If another Squagger accepts, the two users’ Squagpads pop up together on-screen, and all the thoughts they’ve each created about themselves become available for the other to view in order to spark a one-on-one conversation. The video below describes Squag in more detail:

Social networks may now be everywhere, but that doesn’t mean they’re always suited for everyone. There’s still plenty of innovation to come in this area, so be inspired!

Website: www.squag.com Contact: info@squag.com

Spotted by: Lisa Borden

Related Ideas:

1. Electronic tags help prevent disabled parking abuse
2. Shopping carts designed for children with special needs
3. Network for people with disabilities