Editor’s note: This article was first published in September 2012. Prices and market claims are from then: the CTX virtual keyboard at about 99 dollars, described as the cheapest and most compact on the market, and the controller table at around 3,500 dollars.
Continuing our series on original products, here are four new ideas that are eye-catching, to say the least.
1. CTX virtual keyboard
In the age of smartphones, some users miss having a proper keyboard, but carrying a portable keyboard around isn’t exactly ideal. Brookstone has set to work on a virtual keyboard that you can carry on a small keychain. It connects wirelessly to your mobile device and projects a virtual keyboard onto any surface. It’s suited to anyone who wants a more comfortable way to type on their device. This isn’t the first keyboard of its kind, but for now it’s the cheapest and most compact on the market (about 99 dollars).
2. Nested shoe rack
A very “fashion” shoe rack design. It works for any kind of shoe (men’s and women’s) and has the advantage of saving space while leaving the shoes out in the open air. You might not want it in the living room as a decoration, although you have to admit it would rival some works of modern art.
3. Wooden light bulb
This invention is still a business project, but its creator, Fukusada Design, has already won an award at a design competition in Kyoto. The bulb works with an LED wrapped in an extremely thin wooden shell, made using a Japanese “Rokuro” technique (I have no idea what that is, but that’s how their website describes it). In short, a modern, innovative design made with a traditional craft technique.
4. The controller is the table
For the more “tech” users who love video games, Nintendo and functionality, the space the living-room coffee table takes up could do double duty: once the glasses and plates are cleared away, the table becomes a giant controller. The maker, Charles Lushear, came up with the idea of replacing the cold plastic of the Nintendo controller with this one, to improve the user experience. The invention has reportedly already been bought by a large American company. The table costs around 3,500 dollars. You’d really have to love video games 🙂
Further reading
Featured image: Evan-Amos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
