Guide to Starbucks

Sure, this will definitely take you to the Starbucks, but if your iPhone already knows you’re going to a Starbucks, how about showing a cute and chatty barista who’s happily guiding you to the store like a human while naturally asking you what you’ll order at the Starbucks? It’d not only save your time, but you could enjoy your way there. Also, it could work without you looking at the screen if you have a set of earphones.

To Design Next Version of ION Glasses

marca_ION-glasses
I’m very happy to announce that I’ll be designing the next version of ION Glasses, the first optical and sun smartglasses that interact with your devices! (The photos below are the current version.)

I’ll update the new design here when it’s ready to publish.

ION Glasses Project is receiving funds now until November 16, 2013.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ion-glasses-first-optical-and-sun-smartglasses-that-interact-with-your-devices

Kaya – Future Microwave Oven Concept

I’m not a cook, but I know what the food should be like for me to eat. I know it shouldn’t be burned or it should be defrosted. I just don’t know exactly how long it should be cooked. I wish there were a microwave oven like this that ‘shows” me what the food will be like after cooking.


But first, I wish a microwave oven was movable so that it could get close to the table when necessary.


Put a dish in it and this oven tells what kinds of foods are in it.


Adjust the ‘look’ of the food displayed on the glass by dragging the button. You can control the cooking time while looking at what it will be like after cooking the adjusted length of time. You’ll know exactly when it boils or burns.


Inspired by a dome tray when I was watching Ratatouille.

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User Interface Concept: Universal Remote Controller

Lamp, stereo, TV, air conditioner, heater… Just point at it on the transparent screen and select the menu item you want to make a change to (speaker volume, channels, brightness, etc.).


A charging stand with a magnet so the remote can stand on a table.

Of course, you can use it for an internet TV.


Switching channels.

Also visit the other series of this gadget.

User Interface Concept: Air Conditioner
User Interface Concept: Air Conditioner

User Interface Concept: Light Switch
User Interface Concept: Light Switch

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Thru –Lucent Mobile Phone Concept


Just like some of my previous mobile phone concepts, the transparent body would be pretty attractive.

What’s different this time though is that this Thru has a function to show 3D images behind the screen. It looks as if there were another world behind it because the images are made to look natural on the floor behind the screen.

So the email notification would be made like a game, which sounds fun.

There could be a fierce battle on your desk. In any case, I’m pretty sure it would be so fun that you couldn’t stop watching it.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/18835228]

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Animation Video Chat

Now that we have Google’s automatic captioning on videos on YouTube, which I like very much, what about speech balloons around the captions? It’d be more helpful if the location of the voice source could be indicated by an arrow from the balloon and the voice tone could be expressed with different balloon shapes.

If your gestures could bring motion characters that can be manipulated on both sides, video chatting would become like a fun video game.

When your girlfriend throws a kiss when video-chatting, many hearts appear moving towards the thrown direction. You can touch and move the characters on your side.

Wink and get stars. (Can characters go beyond the chat window like this?)
You might think of lots of other gestures and fun characters.

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red dot design concept award 2009

red dot design concept award 2009 winner

I can’t believe I won the red dot design concept award for the Looking Glass concept!! (I added some photos of the awarding ceremony on my Flickr.)

First of all, let me thank Radhika Seth (for everything), Mika Ueno and *momoc (for beautiful photos), Takashi Yamada (for first picking up and naming this gadget), Regina Teh (for inviting me for the competition) and my family (for letting me keep doing this crazy hobby).
This is really exciting for me because it’s the first award I won since I became a designer.

I added some new images and fixed a few old ones.

future of internet search augmented reality

future of internet search augmented reality

future of internet search augmented reality

future of internet search augmented reality
Dragging stuff like a building floor to see its floor map would be useful and fun.

future of internet search augmented reality

future of internet search augmented reality

future of internet search augmented reality

future of internet search augmented reality

future of internet search augmented reality

And here’s the presentation sheet I submitted to the red dot.

future of internet search augmented reality presentation

future of internet search augmented reality presentation

future of internet search augmented reality presentation

I also appreciate all the support I’ve got from the readers and magazine/newspaper editors who wrote articles of this gadget.
I’m planning to attend the award ceremony on November 24th in Singapore, so anyone who happens to be there, please talk to me. I’ll post some photos on my Flickr if I can shoot good ones there. And of course I’ll keep twitting in Singapore, too.

3D Desktop Concept

I’m back! Thank you so much for all the get-well messages and comments. As I wrote on Twitter, the operation went OK and I’m 90% back to normal. I drew some sketches in my Moleskine while I was in the hospital, and this is one of them.

This 3D hologram video just makes me want to have a desktop like this.

When you’re not using it, it works as a desk lamp.

3D_Desktop4-1_image2

Bring the black curtain down so that the hologram can be seen more clearly in front of you.
There are tiny projectors installed, giving off 3D hologram in front of the curtain.

3D_Desktop4-1b_image2

3D_Desktop4-3_image2

3D_Desktop4-2b_image

A browser window can be resized by actually “pinching” and dragging the tab at bottom right.

3D_Desktop4-7_image

It would be fun if a document could be made as if you were using a typewriter. The curled paper hologram comes out of the keyboard.

3D_Desktop4-6_image

Touching the 3D objects would be really fun. Dragging, throwing, resizing, etc., but crushing paper to dispose it would be the most interesting.

3D_Desktop4-10b_image

You have to adjust the “depth” of the cursor on screen, so how about a mouse like this? By pressing the mouse body downwards, the cursor sinks (goes deeper) on screen. When you release it, it goes back to the default position (front).

3D_Desktop4-4_image
3D_Desktop4-5b_image

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See also a related post.

Speech Balloons for the Hearing-Impaired

Speech balloons in comic books show very well how the characters speak. If we could instantly visualize how people speak, wouldn’t it be nice for the hearing-impaired? It means they can SEE our voices.

Speech balloons for hearing-impaired
Stressed words are rendered larger than those spoken less loudly.

Speech balloons for hearing-impaired
Arrows of the balloons show from where it’s spoken (of course).

Speech balloons for hearing-impaired
A scream is shown in a balloon with jags.

Speech balloons for hearing-impaired
Imitation sounds are also rendered, but with other colors than spoken words.

Speech balloons for hearing-impaired
When spoken to from out of the screen, it shows the words with the direction the voice is from.

Speech balloons for hearing-impaired
A pair of glasses with the same functions could replace the device if we could figure out a good way not to block visual information.

Also visit the other series of this gadget.


Part1:”Future of Internet Search: Mobile version”


Part2:”Future of Mobile Internet Search: Applications”

future search mobile #3-2
Part3:”Look at What You Don’t See Through Glass”

future mobile search for diet
Part4:”Future of Mobile Search for Diet”

future mobile search
Part5:”Future of Mobile Search- Search Beyond Time”

future of mobile search6
Part6:”Future of Mobile Search- Power of Visualization”

future mobile search
Part7:”Future of Mobile Search: Virtual Shopping #1″


iPhone with Looking Glass
See also the iPhone version of this concept.

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Future of Mobile Search: Virtual Shopping #1

future mobile search

future mobile search

I’m pretty sure companies like Ikea would quickly start to use this device this way if it became really available.

Also visit the later series of this gadget.


Part1:”Future of Internet Search: Mobile version”


Part2:”Future of Mobile Internet Search: Applications”

future search mobile #3-2
Part3:”Look at What You Don’t See Through Glass”

future mobile search for diet
Part4:”Future of Mobile Search for Diet”

future mobile search
Part5:”Future of Mobile Search- Search Beyond Time”

future of mobile search6
Part6:”Future of Mobile Search- Power of Visualization”

Speech balloons for hearing-impaired
Part8:”Speech Balloons for the Hearing-Impaired”


iPhone with Looking Glass
See also the iPhone version of this concept.

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