Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

Half a Motorcycle, Twice the Fun

Posted: 08 Mar 2017 09:00 AM PST

If you thought this looked like motorcycle chopped in half you wouldn’t be far off! The KTM Unicycle is an all-electric, one-wheeled wonder that utilizes current gyroscopic tech to stay balanced. It really does look like half a normal KTM with its signature bright orange bodywork, thick sportbike tire, lights and handlebars. More nimble than a Segway (and made with less material), you can scoot around, dodge pedestrians, cars and other obstacles like a pro!

Designer: Ricardo Gutiérrez Bustos

Your Desktop Design Factory!

Posted: 08 Mar 2017 06:15 AM PST

Most people are consumers. But there is a small section of us that proudly call ourselves creators. We desire to build beautiful things, not just own them.

Roughly 5 years ago, the maker revolution began with desktop 3D printing. While 3D printing is great, as a designer, it’s more of a mock-up tool, more fit for prototyping than actual production. We designers rely on other procedures for quality production. Like CNC Machining, Injection Molding, Laser Cutting, and Vacuum Forming. There’s a long way to go for most of these procedures before they shift from large-scale industries to households, but Vaquform has done something pretty spectacular. This desktop mounted vacuum forming machine only downsizes without compromising on quality.

More rapid than rapid prototyping, vacuum forming is one of the industry’s most important processes. A lot of plastic packaging for products (blister packs, for example) relies on this technique. Vacuum forming is also used to make products in itself. 3D signboards, food trays, ice-trays, toys, masks, coffee cups/lids, and planting pots to name a few. Depending on the material used, vacuum formed parts can be made transparent, colored, impact-resistant, and food-grade just by using the same setup but switching plastic sheets. Vacuum forming is also known to use only sheet materials, making products incredibly lightweight and cheap.

Vaquform fits an entire industry onto your desktop. Occupying just 1.5 sq.ft. of space, this thing can sit on your desk, taking up as much space as your inkjet printer. It works with a 9in X 12in forming area, allowing you to form not just singular big parts, but also multiple tiny parts together. Vaquform is designed to work with multiple types of plastic sheets, allowing you to set heating presets based on material. An infrared probe senses the heat of the plastic and activates the vacuum only when needed, saving on resources like electricity. Vacuum forming is incredibly fast, and with Vaquform’s hybrid vacuum machine, you can virtually make one round of prototypes every 5 minutes!

Vaquform is a great product (and soon to become a common household item) for makers and DIY enthusiasts. If you already own a 3D printer or have access to printing or CNC machining, the Vaquform really helps ramp up product development. Competitively priced at virtually a fraction of the cost of a 3D printer (Ultimaker), the Vaquform is definitely the paving the path for a domestic design industry. What’s next, a desktop injection molding machine?!

Designer: John Tan

BUY IT HERE: $645.00 $899.00

Point, Shoot, Print!

Posted: 08 Mar 2017 03:00 AM PST

As minimalist as the Halo camera might be, it offers users unparalleled functionality with its built-in photographic paper printer! Now, you don’t have to choose between hard prints and digitals… you can have both! Preview your point and shoot digital images on the large screen OR frame it just right and print directly from the device! No complicated settings or numerous buttons to navigate. Plus, would you look at that gorgeous ring-shaped flashlight? Major drool happening. Especially since this camera takes design inspiration from Parisian Macarons!

Designer: Feng Bo

Grooming Goodness

Posted: 08 Mar 2017 12:00 AM PST

One often overlooked disadvantage of homeless or impoverished people is their lack of access to basic grooming necessities… and sometimes a decent appearance is all they need to get back on their feet whether it be for an interview or general public perception. Designed with this in mind, the VITRUS multitool aims to provide individuals with all the grooming essentials in an inexpensive, accessible way.

It houses four essential grooming tools: A pair of safety scissors, a fine toothed comb, a removable safety razor and a deployable toothbrush. Its design aesthetic was specifically aimed to reduce excess material requirements while creating a simple form that was a functional as it was beautiful. Constructed from ABS plastic, VITRUS is entirely 3D printable. This process of manufacturing allows each component to be integrated into the casing without being manufactured and fitted separately.

Designer: Fraser Leid

Tea-for-ya!

Posted: 07 Mar 2017 02:00 PM PST

We’ve seen expert brewing machines for coffee, heck we’ve even seen soft-drink machines but this… this is a rare one. The Teforia infuser is the grand-master of tea making, with an intuitive AI that can prepare 20 different kinds of tea from Teforia’s tea portfolio. Each tea has a specific brewing technique and the infuser takes delicate care to make sure that the tea leaves are identified, and are then brewed to perfection. If you’re a connoisseur of the finest teas, the Teforia is sure to delight your senses with the way it immaculately prepares a brew with the correct notes, odor, flavor, and hue. Now that’s truly impressive.

Teforia packs centuries of tea-making experience into its design, which is why it comes with a rather hefty price tag. Would you pay $1499 for a machine that brews the perfect cup of the world’s favorite beverage?

Designer: Allen Han of Teforia

BUY IT HERE: $1499.00