TREND REPORTS
Fraunhofer - Automatically Darkening Windows in a Wide Range of Colors
[Tech]
2017/02/08 10:47
Electrochromic glass darkens automatically when the sun shines and keeps the heat out. Previously it was available only in blue, and switching times were also long. Now, a new process makes it possible to manufacture other glass colors for the first time. And compared to previous models, switching is nearly ten times faster.Applying voltage enables smart glass to darken or brighten accordingly....
The Tough Man’s Fire Mask
[Design]
2017/02/08 10:47
Construction site fires are quite common, but it’s the smoke and not the fire that usually proves deadly to workers. In the event of a fire, this fire mask concept simplifies the very process workers would normally use to prevent smoke inhalation.Just as they would wet a cloth with water and cover their mouth, this convenient, easy-to-use design attaches to the mouth and instantaneously disper...
(Patent) Amazon’s Latest Drone Patent Features Foldable Wings for Flippable Flight
[Tech]
2017/02/07 10:57
Amazon has sought patents for hitchhiking drones, mini-drones that can sit on shoulders, drones that assemble themselves like Lego toys – and now drones that flip their wings to go from vertical to horizontal flight.The hybrid foldable-wing design is covered in a patent that was published on Tuesday, following up on an application filed back in 2014.When the drone takes off, the robo-plane’s...
(PDF) The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2017
[Consumer]
2017/02/07 10:56
Apprehensive millennials: seeking stability and opportunities in an uncertain world. A turbulent 2016—punctuated by terror attacks in Europe, Brexit, and a contentious US presidential election—appears to have rattled millennials’ confidence. Last year, many millennials seemed to be planning near-term exits from their employers. But, after 12 months of political and social upheaval, those amb...
Facebook is Using AI to Help It Better Understand What Content You Like
[Business]
2017/02/07 10:56
Facebook may be working on an app for Apple TV and similar boxes that would be videocentric and free of friend-based filtering. Facebook once again reported very good earnings last week, with massive growth in both user numbers and ARPU driving both significant revenue and profit growth. But Facebook also warned of increasing saturation in ad load, which it says will lead to much slower overall...
MIT and Google Designed a Cubicle That Comes Down from The Ceiling for Open Offices
[Design]
2017/02/07 10:56
Google, MIT, and architect Michelle Kaufmann designed a giant cubicle, called the Transformable Meeting Space, that comes down from the ceiling. By maneuvering a lightweight pulley, people can make the Transformable Meeting Space wrap around them. It measures about 10 feet in diameter.[MIT and google design transformable workspaces]"We were going after the challenge of office environments, wher...
Global Cooling : Worldwide VC Investment Down
[Investing]
2017/02/07 10:56
Deals and dollars invested are down globally, but Europe beat the slump in Q4.Investors closed out 2016 with a whimper, as both deal volume and dollars invested hit an 8-quarter low in Q4 with $21B invested across fewer than 2,000 deals. Though a few markets and verticals bucked this trend over the year, our 2016 MoneyTree Report in partnership with PwC shows that the total amount of capital in...
(Video) Transformers Reclaims Long-Lost Retro Appeal with Infobar Mobile Phone Project
[Product]
2017/02/07 10:55
The only thing cooler than intergalactic alien robots that transform into muscle cars and big rigs are ones that transform into outdated (but stylish!) mobile phones.A collaborative effort between phone company au by KDDI and toymaker Takara Tomy, this series of Transformers phones pays homage to designer Naoto Fukasawa’s Infobar cellphone for KDDI au, which debuted back in 2003.Known for its...
Hybrid Inclusive Mobility ? The Volkswagen Roller
[Design]
2017/02/07 10:55
The Volkswagen Roller, in fact, is a new-age roller skate. It’s autonomous, and hands-free. The design comes with two main hubless wheels and two retractable rear wheels. The rear wheels (almost like a plane’s landing gear) remain outside before and after the ride. However, while in-transit, they retract inwards, so that you ride using only the main hubless wheels on each foot. Think of it as...
