You can’t envision any future without conceptualization. Concepts have always interested us and been the backbone of Yanko Design because they present an image of products, technologies, experiences, and consequently, futures. They showcase an inventiveness and creativity that’s truly worth appreciating and that’s where we see a massive overlap of interest with our friends who host the Red Dot Concept Design Awards.
This year’s Red Dot Design Concept Awards: Best of Best honors some exciting concepts. Whether it’s cutting-edge technology used in consumer electronics, or in the health sector, or design that uplifts user experiences and environments, Red Dot’s Best Of Best is our annual go-to for designs that speak of creativity, cross-discipline collaboration, and marvelous execution. Here are a few of our favorites from this year’s Red Dot Design Concept Award: Best of Best! Scroll right to the bottom to see which project won the Luminary Design Award! You saw it here first!
01. Manovivo by Guiyoung Kim, Prof. Jieun Kim & Hyejeong Lee
The Manovivo is a wearable smart-glove that helps assess and monitor the activities of daily living (ADLs) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
02. Futura Project by Ye Seul Oh & Hyeon Ji Park
Inspired by the first typeface that made its way to the moon, the Futura Project visualizes the font’s letterforms as 3D objects and furniture, bringing the elegance of a font that’s a favorite of Wes Anderson and Stanley Kubrick, quite literally into one’s home!
03. Cookacross by Zaviè Design Studio
The Cookacross grabbed a nomination for the luminary prize, for its inventive rectangular matrix of gas burners. Place any utensil anywhere on the stove and only the burners directly under the utensil light up. Rather than having a big flame onto which you place your cooking utensil, Cookacross uses multiple smaller burners that light up when directly under a vessel. This not only saves fuel, but also helps heat get evenly distributed across the cooking surface!
04. Martians by Igor Lobanov
For its incredibly slim circular light-panel, and the tripod base that gives it an unusual look, the Martians floor lamps win a Red Dot. The legs are individually angle-adjustable, allowing the lamp to practically pose, rather than stand erect. The light panel can be adjusted too, to face at a wall, directly downwards, or at a seating area.
05. Revive by Franziska Heuck & James Skeggs
Designed to act as a highly accurate robotic arm capable of intricate operations, Revive works a lot like Apple’s Daisy robot. It assists humans in pulling apart waste electronics to harvest and recycle parts that may not have been accessible to humans. The highly specialized robot arm comes with multiple attachments that help it open and pull apart complex electronic products with relative ease.
06. Grit – Resistance Training Shoes by Aarish Netarwala
With a 3D printed sole that has my heart, the Grit offers resistance training by mimicking the feeling of standing/running on sand. The soles come with an interwoven pattern that collapses gently under pressure, just like how your foot sinks into the sand. Wearing the Grit allows you to exercise more efficiently, and build muscles by battling the resistance!
07. Nonnos Smart Insulin Watch by Inno-Partners
The Nonnos is in every sense a breakthrough. While the Apple Watch Series 4 focused on the EKG ability, there was initially a lot of speculation that the watch would be able to measure the wearer’s blood sugar levels (externally and using non-invasive tech), a feature that, if executed, would perhaps make the Apple Watch the greatest wearable of all time. Rumors are that the Apple team is still working on the technology and developing ways to make it a reality. The Nonnos Smart Insulin Watch, in that regard, seems like the perfect wearable to complement that feature. The Nonnos is a wearable that is capable of providing you with a dose of insulin without any needles or injections. The device uses a process called Thermophoresis that allows insulin to directly be absorbed into the skin.
08. Etnisk – Food Storage by Alejandro Mandrion Moreno
The Etnisk is an eco-friendly food-storage system that uses traditional techniques and indigenous materials to prolong the shelf-life of food without expending any energy. If perfected, Etnisk could reduce the use of single-use plastics, tetrapaks, or even refrigeration!
09. DSLRUOK? by Dustin Brown
Completely altering the ergonomic design that you’d associate with DSLRs, the DSLRUOK? (I love the name) camera sports a unique aesthetic that’s easy to grip, fun to use, and interesting to look at. It also allows you to use your phone (with its high definition screen) as a viewfinder. DSLRs officially have a lot to worry about now!
10. MOTOROiD by Japanese Yamaha Motor Co Ltd [Luminary Winner!]
Well worthy of the Luminary Prize of this year’s Red Dot Design Concept Awards, the MOTOROiD is a beautiful blend of visionary thinking, industrial design, transportation design, engineering, sprinkled with a touch of futurism.
The Motoroid, like many futuristic concept vehicles, is complete with an AI system, but not just any AI system… Motoroid’s AI can recognize its owner and even go as far as interacting with the user in a manner that seems fitting for a living object. This comes as no surprise when Yamaha also boasts the ability to evoke the experience of ‘Kando’ for the rider – the Japanese philosophy which simultaneously inspires a deep satisfaction, appreciation, admiration and emotional impression.
The self-balancing electric bike is currently in its proof-of-concept status, which is remarkable news, showcasing that a future where you communicate with your bike like it’s your companion, isn’t that far off!