Tag Archives: communication

This smart adjustable lectern is all-in-one audio-visual solution for least distraction in teacher-pupil communication

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Lecterns have come of age over the years from sturdy wooden contraptions to those that are embedded with smart systems or foldable for storage convenience. One aspect, for me, that remains overly inert is the design. It has become sleeker with time and more materials have been incorporated into their construction. However, they have only solved one direct function and have been little impactful in minimizing user distraction.

This is what TZEN Studio intends to rectify with the design idea of a smart adjustable lectern. Conceived with the simple idea of trying to make a lectern an effective tool of communication between teachers and students, this adjustable option incorporates a handful of conveniences. Some may be overly obvious some are nifty and user-friendly.

Designer: TZEN Studio

You’d not be wrong in guessing the smart adjustable lectern turns up with a host of audio-visual arrangements. It does that making it suitable for classrooms in schools and colleges. Given that a range of smart lecterns with multimedia integrations has made it to the fore, this guy had to do something more to complete it. To that accord, it comes with a colorful, modernistic, and robust design – incorporating more than an interactive system – to make two-way interaction between teacher and students more productive and less distractive.

The adjustment option of the lectern allows the teacher to adjust on the fly to their height, or to use it standing behind or on the side of it. For the latter, it comes with an extracting platform on the right to keep a book or a document. The nice combination of black and white with a hint of orange makes the lectern a vibrant element in the new-age classroom, while the multimedia interaction adds to the convenience of an interactive class.

For this, the lectern is integrated with a computer and a keyboard, which is different from other options with touchscreen displays only. On the right of this installation is a touchscreen tablet, and right below you have a speaker for two-way communication. The essential microphone protrudes from the front and is highly adjustable. What catches the eye is the bottle/glass holder on the bottom left. Generally, a teacher has to walk out from in front of the lectern to fetch a glass of water leading to a break in momentum. This adjustable lectern puts it right there in front so there is the least distraction.

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This desktop gadget helps students study on their own by making them more social

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Although many schools have returned to traditional face-to-face interactions, there are still some that utilize online classes. Even without these more recent changes in school systems around the world, there have always been times when students had to face their school work on their own, separated from classmates and friends. Of course, smartphones and computers make connecting with others remotely all too easy to the point that they become distractions instead. Striking a balance between focus and socialization in the age of the Internet can be a daunting prospect for both students and their parents; that’s why this rather curious touch screen device tries to perform that delicate dance by connecting students to one another without becoming a distraction.

Designers: Simay Tokus, Muhammet Uzuntas, Brenda Gallardo Flores

Self-study has long been encouraged by many education systems, but let’s face it, few students really enjoy and thrive in that environment. While they may be able to focus for some time, they eventually find themselves craving a connection with their classmates, especially when they come across a problem they can’t solve on their own. Smartphones and the Internet break down barriers and connect students to one another easily. Unfortunately, they also become a source of distraction, even when the screen is turned off.

Summy is a dedicated device designed to keep students connected while still setting up limits to how many interruptions they can do. At its most basic, the device is a voice messenger, a timer, a daily planner, and a sort of social network among friends, most likely students in the same class or level. The idea is that you only get to send short voice messages to those in your circle, at least only when they’re available.

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The device uses a UI made of concentric circles and icons represented by old-school monochrome 8-bit characters. Tapping on a friend’s icon allows you to send a voice message, which is more limited and less disruptive than a voice call. You can view other friends’ daily schedules, and if they’re free, you can send a “Study with Me” request so that both of you can set a synchronized timer to study for the same time period.

Summy creates a rather playful atmosphere around the concept of studying together, even remotely, making it easier for students, especially younger ones, to adjust to the system that might remind them of mobile games that have short bursts of activity and communication only. The spherical shape of the device reinforces that playful character, especially with how the screen flips over to turn off the device. Of course, this only works if the student has a number of friends willing to play the same “game,” but Summy can also be a fun gadget to keep tabs on their own time and maybe have a retro display on their desk to keep them entertained.

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The post This desktop gadget helps students study on their own by making them more social first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Proto “M”: A Compact Holographic Display and Media Device

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If Back To The Future II taught us anything, it’s that the future will be filled with holograms. Of course, Back To The Future II was supposed to take place in 2015, and we haven’t realized even a small fraction of the technology it promised, but enough about my resentfulness; this is about the Proto Hologram “M,” a compact holographic display and media device made for home use. Curse you, Robert Zemeckis!

With its integrated AI-enabled smart camera, the $2,000 “M” can provide two-way holographic communication with another unit, taking video calls to the next level. That level being holographic calls, just so we’re clear. That is if my parents ever bother to pick up the hologram when I call, which they probably won’t. I swear I’m not just calling for money again!

Proto imagines the “M” being used in a variety of applications, including virtually trying on clothes, personal training workout routines, and displaying your expensive NFTs so guests know you’re a hip investor. And while all this sounds well and good, I can’t help but be a little skeptical about a technology company that only uploaded their demo video in 480p. Makes me wonder.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Nokia Luna Net is a conceptual communication system that will let you connect to WiFi on the moon!

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Dear reader, it was my childhood dream to be an astronaut but I wear glasses and that was enough to disqualify me so I instead started to read, write, listen, watch everything space as an attempt to fill the vacuum of a crushed dream -yes, like the vacuum in space. Do what you will with that fun fact about me but, as a kid with a vivid imagination who was obsessed with space travel, the first thing that always came to mind was “how will I call my friends and family back home?” And now with NASA’s Artemis Program in motion to bring humans back on the Moon by 2024, that question has grown up into “what equipment do we need to make faster contact with Earth?” Enter Nokia Luna Net – a smart communication system!

NASA is cooperating with external companies to build the needed equipment for this mission. For this design, Nokia was kept in mind as the partner building the first-ever Moon internet solution which is scheduled to launch in 2022. It consists of one main unit, the lander, and three smaller nodes. The lander and nodes spread out over a specific area that will have the wireless connection and thus build a mesh communication network. The system will be transported via a rocket after which it will reach the moon independently. Luna Net is autonomous and therefore it can set itself up – now only if my Earth WiFi did that too. Thermogenerators will be used for the power supply as they can deal with the extreme temperatures and the long days/nights on the moon. These generators are able to produce electricity from drastic temperature differences (+172 degrees Celcius during the day and -123 degrees Celcius during the night) and store it in rechargeable batteries.

The lander and the nodes are all equipped with VR cameras and LiDAR sensors (Light Detection and Ranging sensors are a remote sensing method used to examine surfaces). This combination allows the system to generate 3D content with detail and depth which gives us a much more realistic understanding of the situation/information. It also has a 360-degree camera and screen set up which lets users on Earth see live images/data from the moon. Rieder explores the design beyond just hardware, the next generation of lunar surface communication should look into how people on Earth can experience and learn about space in a new way even if they don’t get the chance to go up in space…I am sure I am not alone, on this planet or in galaxies far far away.

Designer: Johannes Rieder

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A unique walkie-talkie design that makes it easier to carry any time, any way!

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Scroll through the walkie-talkie archives ever since their inception around the Second World War, and typically what you will see is a brick phone-like device with the microphone on one end and a speaker on the other, topped off by an antenna. These two-way radios have now evolved to include certain function buttons and LCDs. One thing that remains unattended mainly is the way to carry it. Walkie-talkies are either tied to a sling, wrapped around the wrist, fastened to the belt, or the shoulder strap. As a more innovative way – to highlight its transport – Franco Calegari has designed a walkie-talkie with the bottom half of the device cut out into a hollow ring, which can be used to attach a carabiner or in a range of other ways.

The primary responsibility of a walkie-talkie is to be a portable communication device. “Designed to be carried at any time, in many different ways,” this walkie-talkie can be used in any industry or organization where instantaneous communication between peers is required, and phone signals are unreliable. These would generally include security services, transportation industry, construction sites, manufacturing, and warehouse facilities amid a few other sectors. The fact is that walkie-talkies are easy to use and have grown beyond commercial use into the lives of the masses. Smaller versions are especially very popular among kids.

If you already use a walkie-talkie at work or otherwise, coordinate with colleagues or keep tabs of children when out on a camping site; you know they usually fall short on handling. This conceptual walkie-talkie can hang through a keychain or carabiner and open up more use case scenarios for you. Though we aren’t sure of what range or how many channels this gadget will support but its compact form factor with a large push-to-talk button on the side and LCD on the façade, it is a refreshing take on the otherwise brick-like design!

Designer: Franco Calegari

CommStar will launch a relay satellite to talk to astronauts on the Moon

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NASA plans to return humans to the Moon by 2024, but there are still plenty of questions about how that will work. One challenge is that communicating between Earth and the Moon still requires bulky, expensive equipment. A new company, CommStar Space...

US Space Force will send its first satellite into space today

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The US Space Force will kick off its first National Security Mission this afternoon. It's sending a Lockheed Martin Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-6) satellite into orbit, onboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. The satellite...

As internet forums die off, finding community can be harder than ever

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Before social networks took over the internet, message boards were perhaps the most essential way for people to come together online and talk about whatever was on their minds. Our discussion spaces have evolved dramatically, though -- message boards...

Government reportedly tells Google it can’t ban political talk at work

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Regulators have reportedly told Google to allow employees to discuss politics and workplace issues, following a directive from the company ordering them to "avoid controversies that are disruptive to the workplace." The National Labor Relations Board...

Google’s internal community guidelines discourage political discussions

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Today, Google released a new set of community guidelines that bans political discussions inside the company and reminds Googlers that they are responsible for their words and will be held accountable for them. The policy change appears to be an attem...