Awesome Technology Concepts of 2011

This is not quite yet the end of the year, but we would like to look back on four of the coolest technology design concepts that came out in 2011. Some, like the imaging devices, are part of a long quest to ultra-realism, while others try to explore completely new usage models and lifestyles. Either way, they are amazing to look at and to dream about.

Samsung Flexible Tablet

The flexible display is almost a reality for end-users, but the Samsung Flexible Tablet concept takes things much further and shows a tablet that would essentially be a flexible display, with “real” augmented reality capabilities (working image recognition…) and dream features like a perfect two-way translation (I would even take the half-perfect one at this point). Of course, it is capable of perfectly executing today’s must-haves features like video-calls and gaming, but with a twist : the gaming would be in real (holographic) 3D. Of course, we’re nowhere near this. This concept was done as an advertisement for Samsung mobile displays. Yet, this is an awesome goal for 2022 tablets.

Nokia HumanForm

The Humanform is yet another bendable communications device that has been imagined to go beyond communications as we know it, making it more… human. The entire front surface of the Human touch is a display, and it is a bendable structure which allows commands to be sent by applying torque or pressure to the device. It is also smart enough to recognize one’s mood over a video call. It’s a really unique design, but we wonder: what if you’re trying to be productive with it. How do we read email or books?

Philips Beehive

Nutrition is as important (or more!) as communications, so Philips thought of a special way to procure natural sugar: by having a superbly designed beehive at home. Called the Urban Beehive, it has a bee entrance in the back (just above the flower) and  an integrated smoke actuator which comes in handy when it’s time to collect the honey. The smoke is typically used to calm the bees, and works mainly by masking the pheromones with which the bees communicate – it’s a bee jamming technique if you will. We know, it is scary to have a bunch of angry bees at home, but what wouldn’t you do to live the “organic” life… right?

NgSOC concept bicycle

The NgSOC bycicle is one of a kind: designed by Edward Kim and Benny Cemoli (or may be by Aliens, we’re not sure), it’s an electric bycicle that has a battery pack just near the seat which powers the vehicle when in electric mode (and keeps your behind warm in the winter). If you feel like pedaling, it is possible to switch into mixed or full “human-powered” mode , which charges the battery at the same time. Designed for a modern lifestyle, the frame has a smartphone dock receiver which charges the handset too.

NgSOC doesn’t look like anything that you may have seen on the road, and I really like how the designers made the frame stand out while the wheels are as discrete as possible. This highlights the “alien” look of their creation nicely.  This polymer/carbon fantasy bike is only a computer-rendered concept at the moment, but we can only hope that it will become a product soon.

Pico projector prototype used for interactive phone calls

The concept of pico projectors is an interesting one, although it’s probably a piece of technology which isn’t for everyone. However researchers from the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, have come up with a pretty novel concept of using a pico projector together with a smartphone that enables the sharing of data whilst on the phone.
As you can see in the photo above, the pico projector will project an image onto a surface, which is roughly the size of two tablets. One side of the display will be your phone’s menu/user interface, while the other will belong to the person on the other end of the line, assuming that they are using the same device as well.
From these screens, the users will be able to share data with each other and can drag and drop files onto each other’s screens. Users will also be able to share other forms of data as well, such as the sharing of calendars. The screens will be updated in real time so both parties will be able to see changes on the spot. As you can see from the video below, the pico projector attachment is by no means small, and is rather bulky, but should they manage to put it into production and shrink it down, this could very well be one of the new ways we interact with each other and share data in the future.

Nokia HumanForm phone is one beautiful phone

Remember the flexible Nokia concept phone that was shown off at Nokia World earlier this year? Well, it looks like that wasn’t the only bendy phone that Nokia had in mind. The creative folks over at the Nokia Research Lab have something even more ambitious than the bendy device but unfortunately it’s still just a concept phone without a working prototype.

Called the Nokia HumanForm, this oddly-shaped device defies almost all the rules of what makes a phone. Forget about a dedicated screen, physical buttons or even a conventional design. The Nokia HumanForm is designed to change the way we use phones. All buttons are replaced with onscreen taps and gestures, while the whole device works as a display in itself. In addition to working with regular taps and gestures, the phone itself can be bent to issue commands, just like the previously reported bendy phone.

All in all, if the future of smartphones is headed in this direction, then I’m certainly looking forward to it. Check out the concept video for yourself and let us know what you think: