future – Page 2 – Mac Funamizu Design Blog

FiiL – Post-Touchscreen Interface Concept

未分類, Design, Gadget, technology, future, concept

Future TUI (Tangible User Interface) mobile phone. This is a post-Looking Glass concept; I’m thinking this type of user interface will be commercialized after touchscreen hopefully within a few decades.

As matter of fact, Looking Glass has two sequels in my head.

Looking Glass –> FiiL –> ???

I’ll make a post of the 3rd concept after I make a few that introduce more application examples of FiiL.

Basically this is a touchscreen, but this mobile phone lets you “feel” what you’re touching. The flexible screen surface makes z-axis movements and takes shapes of buttons, switches and so on.

For example, you toggle a switch to unlock the phone.

Buttons are now real buttons that you can feel the height of. You also feel the pressure when you push it.

Not leveled ground can be instantly scanned and rendered on the screen, which must be helpful for visually disabled people.

Solar charging. How much is completed can be known by its shape.

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Frostie – Digital Music Player Concept

未分類, Design, Gadget, technology, future, concept, fashion, mobile, music

Have you ever tapped a table with your fingers as if you were playing the piano? Or drums? Air guitar? Yes I have and I wish there were real sound made according to the movements of my fingers.

So what about a digital music player that not only plays music like iPods, but also actually plays sounds in your mind?

If it could listen to your song and adjust the tone, it would be more fun. Auto cord sounds would be exciting.

I love music, but I’m not satisfied with a digital music player I can only carry with me. I want something that can be part of me; something that is with me all the time, gives me what I want and creates what I imagine. You know, music is not only for listening.

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Mobile Phone Sketches: Nagisa

未分類, Design, Gadget, technology, future, concept

Just a sketch again. A part of it is glass.

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Motion Graphic Designs For SOTBANK 30-Year Vision Movie

未分類, Design, technology, future, concept

I had a chance to design concept models for a movie titled “Information Revolution” which was aired at the 30th Anniversary Event by SOFTBANK.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXMtRSCcGY4]

Here I designed the user interface for a future computer.

This is a concept model of future computer program. I made lots of images and the below movie is the motioned sequel of them. I tried to make it look organic. (Not all of the below cut was used in the final version.)

(View it on Behance Network.)

I also made some concept images of future medical technology.

I was invited to the anniversary event in Budo-kan, Tokyo. I was truly impressed with the vision of the SOFTBANK president Song-san.

Dew – Future Wearable Mobile Device Concept

未分類, Design, Gadget, technology, future, concept, 3D, mobile

Like one of my previous posts (Cobalto), I was picturing sci-fi movies when I thought of this wearable mobile phone. It’s something I want to see used in a futuristic scene.

The ball works as a controller and an indicator changing colors. It can slide anywhere on the surface.

Of course it’d be fun to watch 3D hologram on it.

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Funny USB Memory Stick #6 Final

未分類, Design, Gadget, technology, future, concept, inspiration

This transparent USB memory stick covers all the convenient functions of the memory sticks I’ve introduced so far. The light inside the glass represents the data saved in it: No lights means no data, lights filling the glass means there’s no more space. The kind of data is recognized with colors. For example pink is for images, blue is for documents and green for movies, etc. It would be more fun if the lights can move in the glass when you shake it.

Synced with the icon on your desktop of course.

Inspired by Japanese Soma-Toh or a revolving lantern, which beautifully shows colored silhouette.

Also visit the other series of this gadget.

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Mobile Phone Concepts "Floater"

未分類, Design, technology, concept, mobile

About 80% of the day time, my mobile phone sits on my desk. I have it in my hand or in my pocket for the other 20%. I was just wondering why not make it look better on a table if it’s in the idling mode most of the time. Just sitting flat on the desk is not fun to look at.

Floater A
Wouldn’t it be fun if your cell phone sits up by itself (or tilt up a little) when put on the desk and starts moving when there’s a phone call or an incoming message? The curved bottom allows itself to tilt up a little bit when put on a flat surface and left idle for some time. It starts nodding or rotating when it receives a phone call or an email etc.

Floater B
This one doesn’t move by itself, but it has a supporter on its back to make the round body stand on a flat surface. You slide the supporter the other way and you can use it as a physical keypad.

“Floater” comes from a surfing technique. Both look like a surfboard, don’t they?

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3D Desktop Concept

未分類, Design, Gadget, technology, future, concept, inspiration, 3D, augmented reality

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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).

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Trou – Hologram Projecting Flexible Mobile Phone Concept

未分類, Design, Gadget, technology, future, concept, inspiration, competition

This is the second idea I submitted for a future mobile design competition held last month. The theme was “Design the mobile phone of 2020″.

The technology of holography is progressing day by day. In 10 years, I hope it will have already been developed for mass production and will of course used in our mobile phones. The area conventionally used for a display in a mobile phone will no longer need to be a screen with 3D projecters. Instead, it could be a hole, which allows another useful purposes.

At the same time, the materials used for the outer body of a mobile phone will become softer and softer. By successfully combine those attributes, there could be a mobile phone with a flexible vacant frame, which projects hologram in the vacant area.

When you have it in your hand, you can use it just as a conventional mobile phone except for the fact that what you see is 3D holography!

Because its frame area is flexible enough to let your wrist go through the hole, you can wear it around your wrist. A quick phone answering can be done while you are wearing it.

3D projectors are located inside the flexible frame, which project dramatic holography.

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PHYDI – Physical and Digital Message

未分類, Design, Gadget, technology, future, concept, inspiration, competition, mobile

This is one of two ideas I submitted for a future mobile design competition held last month. The theme was “Design the mobile phone of 2020”.

We all know how great a touch screen is and the reason doesn’t have to be mentioned. But have you ever thought that a touch screen is a nightmare for the blind? You never know what you’re touching because everything is flat. All the information and status are on the screen, so a user has to take the device up from a pocket, touch the necessary buttons and see with his eyes even when he just wants to know if he’s got a single email or not. In the future, information is told in 3D or with something that a user can FEEL by touching or just seeing so that the above problems can be solved.

This PHYDI mobile phone is just that. The front face and the sides of a PHYDI transforms the shapes according to what information or status is expressed. It makes concavity and convexity on the surface. For example, the face can be customized with contoured graphics. It could be dressed up with a kimono-like graphic or it could have a concave clock so that a blind user can know the time.

The status is shown on its sides.
A convexity means a “+” notice, for example there’s an unread email message and unanswered phone call. For a negative status, for example, the battery running out soon or having a bad reception, a concavity appears at a certain location. With this function, you can know without even touching or looking at the phone if your current location has a good reception to talk on the phone, if the battery has to be charged and if you have unread emails or unanswered calls. You wouldn’t have to travel around a place to find a good spot to talk on the phone, taking a look at the small icon on the screen many times.

PHYDI’s front face (left) and back (right)

customized front look

an email notice

poor reception status (top) and running out battery status (below)

unread email message (top) and unanswered phone calls (below)

When a PHYDI is making a continuous movement, it means you have an imminent status to take action. For instance, when its surface is moving like a wave, you’re getting a phone call. The movement can be customized freely.

wave movement on the face for an incoming phone call

With its flexible surface, the information on the screen could be dramatically expressed. Even an email message could be on a protruded paper.
Your file management could be done in 3D. Open a folder to take out movies and photos in it just like you do in the physical world.

an email message

file management control in 3D

The biggest merit with this feature could be a 3D map. you can get a much greater feeling of locations with “heights” because in most cases, a landmark is something very high, which can be difficult to be expressed in 2D. Can you imagine how easy it would become to search where you are and which way to go with this function?

3D map

When you want to make your email message stand out, you can put an embossed present box on the screen. A calculator will be much easier to use if you can feel the keys. An RSS feed could be read on a book-like shaped surface. The curl on the bottom right corner means you have a next page to read, A flipping gesture takes you to the next page. A physical keyboard of course makes your texting faster!

email with a graphic image

calculator with embossed keys

RSS feed on a book-like surface

of course, keyboard

For advanced functions, there are limitless ideas to be realized that could never have been done with a conventional flat screen. For example, you can leave a hickey mark and handwritten message to send your love to someone! Text information could be rendered in braille for the blind. This might make even copy-and-paste possible for the blind people.

hickey mark with a handwritten message

text in braille

Touch&feel Tetris you want try? The control would be much more instinctively done.
An idle screen could be customized in dramatic ways. If you like gentle ripples on the water, just put it with heights. Try other textures such as fur, chocolate or even tatami mat!

tetris with embossed blocks to turn and move with your fingers directly

various customized idle screens

I’ll make a post of the other mobile phone design later.

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