Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

Amazon meets drone meets hyperloop!

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 12:07 PM PDT

Honestly, if there were any company meddling with innovative consignment delivery, it would probably be Amazon. Known to be a company that isn’t shy to push boundaries, they’ve got their fingers in every domain possible. The final frontier? Transportation! The Iris was developed as a concept to help Amazon get their deliveries done a whole lot faster.

These massive electric trains would carry Amazon cargo via rail to different parts of the country. However, upon reaching a destination, last-mile delivery of packages would be made via drones that dock inside the top of the train. Iris aims at using current infrastructure like railroads as their mode of operations, and hopefully becoming effective enough to democratize itself and offer its services to the likes of FedEx and UPS. The concept aims to tackle the entire delivery chain by creating one single solution that takes care of the entire A to Z (Amazon joke!) of deliveries. Hey, as long as I get same-day deliveries!

Designers: Martin Rico & Charles Bombardier (Imaginactive).

One Sexy Tractor

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 09:00 AM PDT

If there’s one machine that should adhere to utilitarianism, it’s the tractor. This one by Artur Gaca, called Norss Tractor, does so beautifully. It’s an all-electric, no-frills rover designed with one thing in mind: to get the job done. Interestingly, its resulting simplicity and symmetry are expertly executed for a look that’s undeniably artistic. At the heart of the design is a mobile driver’s cab unit that is set on a track and capable of moving from one end to the other, providing the operator with enhanced views from the glass cockpit. For areas that are harder to see, lights and cameras have replaced mirrors.

Designer: Artur Gaca

The backpack redefined

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 06:00 AM PDT

Hands down the most unique looking bag we’ve seen in a very long time (some may say it’s the most unique looking bag ever), the Pangolin by Cyclus explores nature-inspired design to create a superior and eye-catching backpack.

Made for the rebel, maverick biker, the Pangolin is great for wearing while riding. Not only does store all your gadgets and essentials, it can even hold your bike-helmet, given its unique hemispherical shape. Made entirely from recycled tire tubes (another hat tip to the biker as well as the environment), the bag’s aesthetic is undoubtedly the most eye-catching we’ve seen (so much so that it got featured in an X-Men movie). It even opens up like a pivoted shutter as the armadillo-style bands slide one under each other to open up. Definitely be prepared for the attention you’ll get with the Pangolin backpack!

Designer: Cyclus

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Seriously Surround Sound Headphones

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 05:00 AM PDT

While they can’t give you eyes in the back of your head, P-42 headphones will ensure no enemies are sneaking up behind you during a game! While typical surround sound headphones use 2 drivers and an algorithm to attempt to recreate location-based sound, the designers at Primer Studios have engineered a Multi-Driver 4.2 Wireless Surround Sound Headset which utilizes two forward mounted 25mm drivers, two 20mm rear mounted drivers, as well as two 50mm centrally located base drivers to accurately reproduce true location-base surround sound. Not just for gaming, this means they’re also ideal for providing a truly immersive experience for home theater & VR experiences too!

Designer: Primer Studios

3 Sinks in 1!

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 02:00 AM PDT

The Lifting Sink offers an innovative yet entirely simplistic way to customize the size of your sink while also reducing water consumption. Composed of three nested metal layers, it’s storage capacity of this sink can be adjusting in a cinch! When only a handful of things or small items need to be cleaned, select the small size or when you have larger pots or many items, select the larger sink. In each case, it will take less water to fill and contain items more efficiently!

Designers: Chengyong Li, Lei Yang, Sian Lin & Peishan He

Say hello to the world’s first eye-phones!

Posted: 22 Jun 2017 05:48 PM PDT

No no. Not iPhone (a classic Apple product that this world dearly loves)… This is an eye-phone, a beautiful hybrid between eyeglasses, and headphones.

The Zungle Panther look like an unsuspecting pair of wayfarers, but what you’ll never figure out is that built right into the temples (the side thingies that rest on your ears) of the sunglasses are Bluetooth powered bone-conduction earphones. So while it literally looks like you’re wearing an ordinary yet stylish pair of shades, you’re actually cutting the sun out, looking stylish, while also listening to music!

I’ve been a long-standing advocate of bone conducting earphones. They’re great conceptually because they don’t damage your eardrums since they don’t go into your eardrums. The audio quality has a long way to go since this technology came into the mainstream not more than 5 years ago. However, if there was one product that does the most justice to the bone-conducting technology, it’s probably the sunglasses, because they look exactly like any pair of glasses, but what they’re secretly doing is pumping audio into your head directly.

Perfect for covert music-listening scenarios, the Panther sunglasses (sorry, eye-phones) are great for listening to music in public, and especially for places where putting earphones on would seem rude. They even work as bluetooth headsets, allowing you to answer calls and talk on the phone (or on the sunglasses?). They don’t block your ears, so you can hear the world around you, which works wonderfully for pedestrians or just wearing outdoors, while we recommend you don’t wear these while driving (sunglasses and audio aren’t the ideal combo behind the wheel). As a bonus, here’s another crazy thing you can do with the Zungle eye-phones. Click on the link, watch the video and thank us later!!

Designer: Zungle

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Microphone, meet Modularity!

Posted: 22 Jun 2017 02:32 PM PDT

I didn’t realize what a game-changer the Korus Microphone could be until I saw it. This concept microphone explores two of the most exciting domains in electronics. Wireless-ness, and Modularity.

Imagine having just one microphone take care of all your recording needs? Depending on what you’re recording, all you need to do is swap the microphone head and base and you’re good to go. The Korus uses a standard wireless module and multiple microphone heads that just snap right on. Want to record your voice? Snap in the microphone with the pop-filter (ideal for vocal capture) and you’re ready to go. For instruments, you could switch to the directional recording attachment. You could even switch to the outdoor mic module for, well, outdoor recording. The Korus even explores modularity in the bases too. Ranging from a clip-on base with a gooseneck for pointing it in any direction, to a vice-mount for mounting onto instruments, to a tripod-stand mount, to even a easy-to-grip microphone handle base, the Korus leaves no stone unturned.

However, the true magic of the Korus concept lies in the middle component that acts as the binding unit. This takes care of the recording as well as adds the wireless feature to your microphone. You set the mic up using the Korus app, allowing you to control multiple Korus mics (trust me, that’s a big deal) all within one single interface. Since going wireless has certain limitations, Korus uses a router of sorts that plugs into your tablet and interfaces with the microphones, making sure there’s no audio hang-up or latency.

The Korus is designed to take the hassle out of audio recording. Setting up for a recording can take up to hours even without the sound-check (which takes even more time). The Korus uses modularity, and a brilliant interface to give you all the power while taking out the headache of organizing and setting up out of it. Let’s hope this one doesn’t remain a concept for long!

Designers: Joe Miller & DCA Design.