Design

Regardless of my clothing brand preference, I can't help but get when excited major players in fashion tease a future filled with techy clothes that change color or size with a flick of the wrist.

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Polo shirt in 2013, Lacoste collaborated with ad agency Mnstr on a video that envisions a future in which the high-end shirts contain some extraordinary technology. … Read more

We've seen transforming robots before, and I'm not talking about anything related to Hasbro.

Researchers from MIT are among many engineers and tinkerers trying to design robots that perform different functions by changing their shape or appearance.

Japan-based Brave Robotics has designed a 1/12-scale RC car that can transform into a humanoid robot. It can shuffle around, grab footage with its Wi-Fi camera, and even fire little missiles from its arms. … Read more

Picture eliminating camera shake with what looks like an old film canister. Japanese brand Gizmon, which brought us the quirky iCA case, has released a remote shutter that looks like a used roll of 35mm film.

Hidden within the "film cartridge" is a retractable cable that plugs into the headphone jack of any iOS device, with a button on top of the canister acting as the shutter button. This makes the remote shutter useful for long-exposure shots or even self-portraits. The button can also be used to start or stop video recordings. … Read more

Can't get enough of cameras this festive season? The folks at Photojojo have thought of a way to make photography a part of the holiday cheer with their very own Photojojo Tree Bling.

Made in Poland, these camera-inspired ornaments are made to look like miniature replicas of film-era single-lens reflex and Polaroid SX70 instant cameras. The trinkets are constructed from blown glass and furnished with a metallic top. Measuring just 3 inches tall, the ornaments are handpainted with glitter accents and topped off with silver trimmings. … Read more

When I see a cute critter like Fizzgig or an Ewok in a movie, I want to take it home with me. I get the same feeling when I see Pixar's sweet Luxo Jr. lamp mascot. It's like a little metal puppy you want to hold on your lap and take care of.

The sprightly lamp has now hopped out of the screen and into the real world thanks to a project created at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand by Adam Ben-Dror, Joss Doggett, and Shanshan Zhou. This lamp is black, rather than white like Luxo Jr. The project is called Pinokio and the lamp is imaginatively named "Lamp."

Pinokio uses six servos, a Webcam, and Arduino to track human faces, play hide-and-seek, hear sounds, and try really hard to get your attention.… Read more

If you want to steal Sparse bicycle lights, you're pretty much going to have to steal the whole bike. The Sparse headlight is called the Spacer Light, so named because it sits beneath the handlebar stem. It features a 3-watt white LED and can be set to on, off, or blink.

The 1-watt Sparse taillight slips onto the seat post. As with the Spacer Light, you would have to start removing parts of the bike in order to steal it. Both lights are made from die-cast aluminum to stand up to the elements and the jostling of biking.… Read more

Sadly, the French trampoline bridge Crave told you about last month remains a concept. But in some news that's sure to make you jump with hopeful joy, Russia recently boasted an actual trampoline sidewalk. Could there be a more fun way to get from Point A to Point B? I think not.

Estonian firm Salto Architects built the sidewalk for the Archstoyanie Festival, an annual art and design exhibition in the village of Nicola-Lenivets about a four-hour drive away from Moscow. Archstoyanie visitors used the 167-foot-long "Fast Track" sidewalk for both play and playful transport between festival venues. … Read more

When I get into a submarine, I expect certain amenities like air conditioning, an iPod sound system, a screaming red paint job, and a plate of caviar. All except the caviar are available with the C-Explorer 5 from U-Boat Worx.

The $2.4 million C-Explorer 5 is being advertised as the "world's first subsea limousine." It holds five people, has an air conditioning system, can dive down to 1,000 feet, and sports a full 360-degree acrylic pressure hull. Cruising speed is 3 knots underwater.… Read more

You know that greasy bike chain sitting in the corner of your garage? Take a look at the below gallery of original art made from bicycle components, and you might think twice about getting rid of it.

Chicago-based bike parts company SRAM gave a group of handpicked artists a box each of 100 high-performance bicycle components and told them to craft something amazing. They responded with everything from a bike-centric interpretation of Vincent van Gogh's famous "Starry Night" to a robotic ostrich, a crawling "Sramantis," and your typical Mary Jane-wearing bike chain quadruped with a plastic baby head. … Read more