Robot LEGO band

Image: gizmag.com

LEGO is a long established toy favourite among kids, but the little plastic bricks may have a future in the music industry. Italian music producer Giuseppe Acito has created a toy army of band members made up of several tiny robotic LEGO figures programmed to play a variety of instruments. They call themselves the ‘Toa Mata Band’ and they are created from LEGO Bionicle pieces that are infused with rubber bands and pulleys. Arduino Uno and a MIDI sequencer control their arm movement so the bots play the instrument in front of them when nudged. The talented LEGO band can perform a pre-programmed song or play live with a human operator adding commands to the MIDI sequence in real-time. Acito has successfully tested Toa Mata Band’s capabilities on a variety of synthesizers, drum machines and vintage equipment.
 
 
 
Thermochromic Selvedge Jeans

Image: mashable.com

Denim designer Naked & Famous is known for their wacky denim creations. From glow in the dark jeans to jeans so heavy they could stand on their own, the denim gurus have always pushed boundaries. Recently they launched their new range of Thermochromic Selvedge Jeans that change colour according to your body temperature. They fade from the blue cold to the warm white due to a thermochromic dye that contains a heat-reactive molecule that alters the colour of the jeans. A word of advice: if you’re going to purchase these jeans, try not to fart.
 
 
 
Brain-Scanning Headphones Match Songs To Mood

Image: news.discovery.com

Creating a playlist of music to suit your mood can be a frustrating experience when you can’t find the right tunes. Fortunately, Neurowear has developed a range of headphones called Mico that can select and play music synced perfectly with your mood. The headphones feature a protruding electroencephalograph (ECG) sensor that identifies brain patterns to match a person’s mood to a particular track. The downside of the contraption is that a sad person might want to listen to upbeat music to dispel their funk, but the headphones will only play what your mood suggests.
 
 
 
Asian Cairns ‘farmscrapers’

Image: dezeen.com

Image: dezeen.com

Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut is attempting to redefine urban living with his conceptual ‘farmscraper’ designs. Made from giant glass pebbles, the farmscraper will house entire communities that work and live in the same structure. The aim is to build a natural ecosystem where all energy will be sourced from the sun and wind, and food will be produced from in-built orchards and vegetable gardens. Waste would be fed back into the system, and everything created will be recyclable. The buildings will be called Asian Cairns, and according to Callebaut’s proposals a series of six towers will be created. The curved shape will be formed by steel structures with solar panels and wind turbines mounting the exterior. The project will begin in Shenzhen, China – a country that suffers from high levels of industrial pollution. With some of the towers said to contain as many as 20 glass pebbles, the farmscraper residents will have brilliant views of the Chinese city.
 
 
 
Skate Guitars

Image: gizmag.com

Image: gizmag.com

The baddest skateboards are the ones that look beaten, abused, and faded with scruff. Although skateboards can take a lot of knocks, eventually they’ll need to be thrown. Innovative Argentinian luthier Ezequiel Galasso has joined forces with pro skateboarder Gianfranco de Gennaro Gilmour to recreate shredded boards into street-style cool guitars. The instruments are handmade in Buenos Aires at the Galasso Guitars workshop with each guitar being crafted from at least two skateboards and the body and neck produced from layered maple. The guitars are available in a diverse range of configurations.
 
 
 
Pulsate by Lily Jencks and Nathanael Dorent

Image: dezeen.com

Architects Lily Jencks and Nathanael Dorent have transformed London’s Capitol Designer Studio into a psychedelic showpiece. The duo fitted monochrome coloured tiles across every surface of the building to create a zigzagging pattern that twisted spatial perception. The floors are sloped and benches are built inside the structure to add to the visual bewilderment. Lights run along the seams of the installation in a modern twist. The piece – called Pulsate – will be exhibited for the next nine months and will play host to fashion shoots, product launches, lectures, and more.
 
 
 
Louis Vuitton Waffle Maker

Image: gizmodo.com.au

Andrew Lewicki has made eating in style a literal notion. The Los Angeles-based artist and designer has created a waffle maker that imprints the Louis Vuitton monogram onto your breakfast. If you ever wondered what designer food would taste like, then this your chance to give it a go… If you have the cash. The waffle-maker has yet to be picked up for production, but if you have deep pockets Lewicki will personally re-create his design.
 
 
 
Instagram Socialmatic Camera

Image: adr-studio.it

Instagram has launched its very own official camera. The device is tagged with Instagram’s colour striped logo, and resembles the vintage, hippy old-school flair Instagram helped popularise. The snazzy Socialmatic polaroid camera features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, 16GB storage, a 4:3 inch touchscreen, two main lenses, optical zoom, and LED flash. The impressive camera even carries Instagram-stylised paper sheets. The Socialmatic preserves Instagram’s brand as a social tool, as users can directly upload their pictures to Facebook from the camera. So far, Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram seems to be yielding impressive results.

Images: gizmodo.com.au, dezeen.com, adr-studio.it, gizmag.com, mashable.com, news.discovery.com

Words: Ra’eesa Pather

Jan Vormann is a German artist that adds a little more colour and happiness to the world with the simple use of bright, primary-coloured plastic: Lego.

Armed with a suitcase packed full with tiny Lego bricks, Vormann travels around the world filling in gaps, holes and clefts in walls and streets, public buildings and private houses.

Tel Aviv

New York

Berlin

He created the Dispatchers Project after he brightened up thousands of peoples’ day with a Lego version of Polyffilla at an art fair in Rome. He started by patching up surfaces in Bocchignano, Italy and has since employed the technique on walls in Tel Aviv, Berlin and 21 other cities so far.Vorman has reached a large audience with his work and in his latest project titled ‘Dispatchers Project Worldwide’,  individuals from across the globe are able to contribute by creating their own Lego Art, and submit photographs of Vorman will publish online.

From Hong Kong to Sydney, so far 24 cities have jumped on board… and I think South Africa is ready for some dazzling coloured interlude on her tired streets….

Jan Vormann says:

The Lego brick has a nostalgic value amongst different generations worldwide, but at the same time it is all up to date. The combination of stone bricks and plastic bricks creates all kind of different contrasts that, in my eyes, illuminate relationships between esthetics and functionality. Undoubtedly the project bears depth in ways of perception of reality.

Source: Dispatchwork