Being mindful of how we interact with technology, and in turn, how technology influences our interaction with each other, is vital in an increasingly virtual world. In collaboration with Surface Magazine, we propose a few ideas that would help better blend the physical with the digital.
How can we reimagine broadcasting in the age of smart phones?
Everyone is content-maker, from YouTube bloggers to citizen journalists, so this portable photo studio is for all of us. An inflatable ring of polyethylene and LEDs connects to a phone or tablet and turns any room into a broadcast studio. Pack it into its self-charging messenger bag.
The intersection of portability, immediacy, and quality.
Designed to respond to the speed of life, this portable photo booth erases the barriers between the instinct to capture and create, and output.
While tinkering with offices, we honed in on the boardroom. For spaces that are meant to inspire new ideas and collaboration, most are anonymous and cold. We re-envisioned the conference table to be the new office “water cooler”—the place where people want to meet.
How can you design a conference table for coffee talk, brainstorming, and Skype?
The goal was to create a table that worked well for everything from big meetings to one-on-one chats.
A hydraulic lift moves the table up and down to accommodate a variety of movement—sitting and standing—mirroring the way we work in groups.
With the flick of a finger, anything jotted on the table’s surface can be displayed onto the transparent LCD screen.
Quickly going from ideation to realization.
When smartphones or tablets are placed on the table, Bluetooth sensors download and share information with others. The table can also capture paper or objects placed on its surface and display them on the LCD screen.
We’ve imagined a way to maintain connectivity with our devices without hindering our style. By creating a fashion accessory that acts as a phone receiver, we’ve bridged the gap.
How can we let go of our devices, yet stay connected?
This bracelet connects to devices via Bluetooth and displays messages on a pocket watch-like disk. The bracelet is customizable, with collectible charms that have specific functions: one might track steps; another would display the weather; a third might register incoming texts.
The disk has a menu of Emojis and shorthand text, letting the user build a library of responses and create a language of their own.
