Design

It's that time of year when student boffins the world over display their final projects, offering tantalizing glimpses into their mad-scientist machinations, and possibly the future.

If inventions out of the California Institute of the Arts -- founded by Walt Disney in the early 1960s and now one of the nation's top art schools -- prove prescient, that future includes a wearable interface that lets dancers control music with the flick of a finger and a virtual studio where you can compose tunes by crouching toward the floor. The school will feature those and more student and faculty innovations Thursday at its Digital Arts and Technology Expo, which this year focuses on future directions in gaming, animation, human computer interaction, digital performance, graphic design, projection mapping, and machine learning. … Read more

The 3,000-mile Gumball 3000 rally turns 15 this year, and there are some pretty impressive cars in the mix.

We have an absolutely clear favorite, though. Saudi Arabian Team Galag, two brothers and second-time Gumball 3000 racers, have built something new to the rally table: a scale model of Batman's Tumbler, built by Florida-based bespoke car builder Parker Brothers Concepts, at a cost of around $1.55 million.

"Every year, the Gumball 3000 plays host to some of the most expensive vehicles in the world," Team Galag said on their Web page. "This year it was decided that we wanted to drive something a little more original. Enter the TG1." … Read more

When you pedal a bicycle, the kinetic energy is channeled into propulsion, but what if it could be used in other ways? Architect Michael Strain isn't the first to think of using pedal power to charge your gadgets -- in fact, there are products on the market that already allow you to harness that excess energy -- but his concept bike, has a few other tricks up its suspension.

The bike, called Levitation and designed for the 2013 Hi-Macs Annual Design Contest, looks like a more low-tech Tron Cycle. It features an on-board generator and battery that stores the power collected while cycling. The power can then be used in two ways: charging small gadgets via the USB port on the bike's handlebars, or sending it into your home's power supply via a drain cable to alleviate grid usage. … Read more

Spark your sabers, feed your Rancor, and fire up the X-Wing. It's May 4, a fabulous makeshift holiday that plays off the saying "May the Force be with you" and gives fans of the sci-fi saga yet another reason to openly celebrate "Star Wars" films and culture.

To commemorate the occasion, check out an incredible collection of conceptual drawings for "Return of the Jedi" by legendary artist Ralph McQuarrie.

The illustrations, which hugely influenced the aesthetics of the sets, characters, and vehicles in the movie -- astounds due to McQuarrie's sensational use … Read more

We all know that white light is created when different color wavelengths combine. So what happens when you use that phenomenon to create a lightbulb?

That's exactly what Dutch designer Dennis Parren did when he developed his CMYK bulb. Well, sort of. Expanded from his original CMYK Lamp 2011 graduation project for Design Academy Eindhoven, the bulb consists of a white LED light source pointing downward. Then placed equidistantly around the bulb, the cyan, magenta and yellow LEDs face up.

This has the rather fun and fascinating effect of casting a triple shadow from whatever comes in front of the LEDs -- one in each of the three colors. … Read more

Kitchen showrooms are full of massive, shiny appliances meant to be strewn liberally about in a large kitchen. Most of the world, though, doesn't have that kind of space to spare for ovens, microwaves, refrigerators, kitchen islands, stovetops, and the like. The Clei Ecooking kitchen minds its manners and limits itself to a very compact space.

The Ecooking station is sleek, modern, and modular. It was created by Italian designer Massimo Facchinetti for Clei, a company specializing in transformable furniture. The company's creations are intended to make the most of small spaces like apartments and lofts.… Read more

Don't you just love looking at luxury items you'll never be able to afford? The timepieces on display at Swiss watch fiesta Baselworld can carry price tags that will give you a nosebleed, but they also showcase stunning feats of craftsmanship.

Baselworld 2013 opens to the public Thursday, and aside from the oodles of gorgeous timepieces, the 41st edition of the fair is showing a glittering new exhibition hall redesigned by architects Herzog & de Meuron, who did Beijing's famous "Bird's Nest" arena.

Luxury brands from Hermes to TAG Heuer have swanky booths designed by prominent architects such as Japan's Toyo Ito, winner of the 2013 Pritzker Prize.

It's all to present the world's greatest watches in their best light. … Read more

Taxidermy and technology aren't two words you usually associate with one another, but Swiss artists Taiyo Onorato and Nico Krebs managed to make the two subjects collide in an unconventional series of works featuring cameras made out of the hallowed remains of books, armadillos, and turtles. Yes, you read that correctly.

Fortunately, no animals were harmed in the making of the series, as Onorato and Krebs sourced the creatures from flea markets and other uncommon outlets. … Read more

By the time the next presidential election rolls around in the United States, millions of us could be watching the results on our Google Glass. That might not seem crazy, being that the election will be only months after the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, which will be broadcast, viewed, and shared by many via Glass.

This is only a snippet of what the near future could hold if predictions made by research firm IMS come true.

IMS' most optimistic forecast finds that shipments of "smart glasses" -- including Glass and similar products from competitors -- could total … Read more