Yanko Design - Latest Posts

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• Birth of a Table (1915)
• Short Distance Solar Powered Rental Bikes
• It Plays Only My One Song
• Zubin Metha’s Next Assistant
• Cleaning Up The Wire Mess

Birth of a Table (1915) Posted: 16 Jul 2009 01:46 AM PDT So you’ve got this table, right? It’s got several levels separated and maybe even held up by these thin steel bars. The bars are different wacky colors, and the table is titled “1915.” — Let’s crack this enigma! — First off, this project was made by industrial designer Teruhiro Yanagihara with design firm Isolation Unit. With a name and a company name like that, you know this project is gonna mean business… Each bar is placed in a specific way to keep the table “balanced and stable.” Pink, There are always two diametrical bars placed 90 degrees to one another. Each bar facing another bar has its complementary color. As these colors combine (in your mind) - they become gray, “leaving the white boards to hover in space.” How interesting is it to have a centerpiece in which each component has been thought through to this degree, given emphasis in every weird way? Too interesting? And finally, I still have no idea why the table is titled “1915″ - so instead of an explination, I dug this classic video up for you! Have fun watching that, then have fun with this table! Designer: Teruhiro Yanagihara of Isolation Unit

Short Distance Solar Powered Rental Bikes Posted: 16 Jul 2009 12:34 AM PDT Just what the title says! It’s made for you to go to the station and pop in a little cash to take it for a spin! The carrying case in the middle comes standard, with folding out sides (but just a bit!) so you can fit your stuffs in there. Lithium-based accumulator batteries store energy which are charged by plugging in to a standard socket, the energy provided ideally 100% by a solar-panel laden station roof. Ride on! In addition to the simplistic translated nutshelled fantasy-vision I’ve provided above, the designer Tobias Bexten has a bit to say about the shape: By an uncommonly forward leant main body that stems against the driving direction, the vehicle displays its role in a decelerated form of mobility. Additionally this formal aspect serves as a strong recognisable attribute as well. Clean surfaces and precise edges add up to a valuable impression of the design in order to emphasise the functional elements of the vehicle and to aspire a reduced and calm style, according to the innovative and clean form of mobility this vehicle is representing. This entire design is done in reaction to some facts dug up by Bexten, exact parameters unknown: “at an average of only 1,2 people are traveling together in one car at the same time, and the quote “50 percent of all distances covere with a car are shorter than five kilometers, 90 percent of all distances covered are shorter than 9 kilometers.”" I would not be surprised at this being true of my very place of residence: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. These vehicles would be a blessing here. Designer: Tobias Bexten

It Plays Only My One Song Posted: 16 Jul 2009 12:05 AM PDT On one hand we have MP3 devices by the score, boasting of infinite giga amount of memory and on the other hand we have The Single. A brave little soul that plays only ONE (uno) song! This feature may send you gadget-crazy generation into a tizzy, but I quite respect the designer's decision to stick to one song format. Even the functioning is pretty simple, one giant play button that starts and pauses the song. Load the music via the USB and hang it up on the wall. The Single features built-in speakers and a magnet plate at the back so that you can stick it to the refrigerator or cupboard. It's kinda water-resistant, so you can even take it with you to the bath. Just be sure not to get the USB side wet. Designer: mintselect @ mintpass

Zubin Metha’s Next Assistant Posted: 16 Jul 2009 12:02 AM PDT Apologies to Yiran and all those who play music, but many of us YD-ers may be ignorant on the nitty-gritty of music composition, play and practice. So before I launch into a full detailed explanation of the Lyra project, I must get some basics clear. Musicians often use a metronome to help them practice their sessions however this device does have its limitations. And apparently musicians also have heightened peripheral vision in comparison to us normal folks. The Lyra offers visual feedback and provides users with tempo, dynamics and articulation information via discrete, moving patterns represented as OLED illumination that peek the peripheral vision during the playing. So basically this means that the info relayed to a musician practicing his piece, is through visual notations that are picked up by the corner of the eye. To stay true to his explanation, I'm gonna reproduce the exact text that Yiran sent in: Through visual feedback, Lyra offers musicians the ability to monitor his/her own musical performance in the process of skill acquisition. It will also help music students in keeping up their motivation and enthusiasm during the practice. When there is no conductor available, group of people practice with a metronome often have difficulty following the beat. The sound of metronome is either too loud or too quiet to be heard. Headphones are used in most of times for recording soundtrack of films. First major function of Lyra is to display tempo information. The simplest one is sequential mode, most suitable for soloing, like piano. It clearly identifies the beats inside each phrase of the music. Common 2, 3, 4, 5, beats can be selected. A very demanding functions, which is instant change of tempo is achieved by a pedal. Player can simply press the pedal to toggle between 2 pre-set tempi, rather than mess around with his or her metronomes during the performance. Designed for ensemble or chamber music scenario, conductor mode imitates the movement of the conductor's white baton. This mode fully exploits the peripheral vision so that the player can feel the movement at any position as long as the display is within eyesight. The bottom of the display panel is the same as the invisible plane for a baton movement. Pedal still functions here to change the tempo instantly. These movements are for conductor's practice, mirrored versions are available to provide a view from the musicians and audience. In Dynamics Mode, Lyra analyze incoming sound signal and provides objective dynamics information of the music being produced by the player, or from other sources. Though visual feedback, players can practice, compare or try to imitate master's performance with more ease. With complex Fourier transform it is able to track strong rhythmatic beat. This will be useful for certain types of instrument such as drum. The player can directly visualize the rhythm he is performing, or compare to a tempo display together to improve the skills. It might also work with other instrument types, while more intelligent algorithm needs to be employed to get a good result. Control of Lyra will be actualized by an upgradable software interface on touch-screen such as iPhone/iPod and devices like MID, offering quick and ease control for different functions. The working prototype mainly shows the display panel of Lyra, it comprise 3 times 13, totally 39 units. In order to present the best result possible, 39 large bright LEDs are used for the working prototype. 2 layers high-quality diffuser are used to make the light property closer to OLED The prototype system consists of a computer with microphone, a control box (consists of Arduino Mega board and other minor electronics), a Pedal and the Display panel. The MAX/MSP program will take control and Arduino act as a hardware interface between the software and the lighting. Two 25-way cables are used for connection between the display and the control box The display panel uses cutting-edge glass type OLED panels; it has a resolution of 13 X 3, totally 39 white illumination sources in a single glass panel. Color and shape for each-unit is irrelevant since movement pattern is the essence of the peripheral vision 13 horizontal resolution is perfect to display 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7-beat time signatures sequentially in an even spacing, while 3 vertical resolution are used for more spatial display for dynamics and conductor-movement Unlike LED which is directional, OLED is diffuse, subtle and soft, sometimes described as a ‘light cloud’, ideal for generate ambiance and in this case, peripheral vision With ultra-thin layer which is less than 1.8 mm and no heat emission. At vertical mode, the front structure of Lyra is designed to be able to hang on most the music boards belongs to either music stands or grand pianos, up to a maximum thickness of 1 inch (2.54 cm). When the base is sitting on the edge of the music board, the lower structure push itself against the back of the board thanks to the horizontal gravity component resulted from the weight of the arm and display. The software itself, along with the firmware inside Lyra, can both be upgraded to provide improvements and new functions. Lyra can be connected to a computer via mini-USB cable, or the USB-adapter for power source. The pedal will be connected to the adaptor; a wireless version could also be available. Designer: Yiran Feng

Cleaning Up The Wire Mess Posted: 16 Jul 2009 12:00 AM PDT OMG, not another electrical gadget at home…where do I plug it…too many extension cords, wires, plugs, hassles! Does this thought often bog you down? It did bother designer Ashley too much, since she resides in a Victorian house where wiring and plugs haven't been changed for more than 70 years! Instead of cribbing, she mulled and came up with the AllSocket Power Track and AllPlugs. Now she has the perfect solution for us…see her demo it for us after the break. The Power Track integrates the electrical wiring into a skirting board or a similar wall panel. 'AllPlugs' replace conventional electrical plugs, then simply slot into the distribution system anywhere around the perimeter of the room, giving you access to power wherever it is required. AllPlugs are environmentally friendly, with options that allow users to turn the power off to one or several appliances at a time, by either a flick of one conveniently placed wireless wall switch, or automatically by smart plugs which detect standby states. AllSocket Power Track System and AllPlugs is a James Dyson entry, you can vote for it here: Designer: Ashley Kelly

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