This towable XL camper comes with roomy and bright interiors to give you a comfortable outdoor experience!

Posted on 15/10/2021 by Gaurav Sood

Lightweight, modern teardrop trailers hit the market very frequently these days. Despite that, there is always scope for something like the Droplet XL, an insulated, spacious and naturally well-lit camper for weekend RVers, urban dwellers, and pro campers alike.

After entering the market with Droplet 58, a small trailer with a big impact, the trailer manufacturer is back with the next version called the Droplet XL. This is a bright and modern insulated trailer with a queen-size bed and a fully equipped kitchen. Based on a powder-coated steel chassis, the trailer is made from a wood-fiber frame overlaid by aluminum composite skin and in between the two layers is the closed-cell foam for insulation.

Droplet campers are ergonomic and reliable. The Droplet XL also thrives on this image in a lightweight form factor, which can be towed by any RV. This cool feature means people who do not have a larger truck or towing vehicles – such as the city dwellers – can also haul this teardrop trailer behind their cars for a weekend off-site or a slightly longer adventure trip. What sets the new model apart from the premier iteration is its high focus space, larger panoramic windows and skylights, and extensive storage to keep all the camping gear out of sight and completely safe.

For those keeping a record; the Droplet XL weighs just over 1,000 pounds and measures 9.5 feet in length. The longer flatbed means there is more storage capacity between the kitchen and the sleeping area. The latter houses a queen-size mattress and is spacious enough to sleep a couple. With the generous use of panoramic windows and skylights, the roomy bedding seems even more spacious. The trailer has a fully functioning kitchen with a shelf for cooking and a large fridge to keep your beer chill and packaged food from rotting.

In spite of its name, Droplet XL is pretty tiny. Owning to its compactness, one can count it off for being any good on roads less traveled. Surprisingly, with its 13-inch wheels, the trailer is pretty stable for off-road rides into the wilderness. Ideal for all types of small distance, long trip and family adventurers, the teardrop trailer features LED lighting and USB charging ports. The Droplet XL retails for $16,950 and can be customized with a battery pack, awning and shower for slightly extra.

Designer: Droplet Trailer

Clean Teeth, Clean Earth

Posted on 11/05/2016 by Troy Turner

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The Droplet project aims to redesigned the electric toothbrush to be just as easy to use as a non-electric one AND do as little harm as possible to the environment! The design uses a vibration motor similar to ones used in smartphones. This drastically reduced the overall size and minimized the part that needs replacement. Now, users no longer have to replace the entire head. This further minimizes waste. When it comes time to cycle out the cleaning head, simply interchange a smaller tip made of silicon that’s easier to recycle.

Designer: Mian Wei

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Droplet and StackAR bring physical interface to virtual experiences, communicate through light (hands-on)

Posted on 24/04/2012 by Zach Honig

Light-based communication seems to wind throughout the MIT Media Lab -- it is a universal language, after all, since many devices output light, be it with a dedicated LED or a standard LCD, and have the capacity to view and interpret it. One such device, coined Droplet, essentially redirects light from one source to another, while also serving as a physical interface for tablet-based tasks. Rob Hemsley, a research assistant at the Media Lab, was on hand to demonstrate two of his projects. Droplet is a compact self-contained module with an integrated RGB LED, a photodiode and a CR1216 lithium coin battery -- which provides roughly one day of power in the gadget's current early prototype status. Today's demo used a computer-connected HDTV and a capacitive-touch-enabled tablet. Using the TV to pull up a custom Google Calendar module, Hemsley held the Droplet up to a defined area on the display, which then output a series of colors, transmitting data to the module. Then, that data was pushed to a tablet after placing the Droplet on the display, pulling up the same calendar appointment and providing a physical interface for adjusting the date and time, which is retained in the cloud and the module itself, which also outputs pulsing light as it counts down to the appointment time.

StackAR, the second project, functions in much the same way, but instead of outputting a countdown indicator, it displays schematics for a LilyPad Arduino when placed on the tablet, identifying connectors based on a pre-selected program. The capacitive display can recognize orientation, letting you drop the controller in any position throughout the surface, then outputting a map to match. Like the Droplet, StackAR can also recognize light input, even letting you program the Arduino directly from the tablet by outputting light, effectively simplifying the interface creation process even further. You can also add software control to the board, which will work in conjunction with the hardware, bringing universal control interfaces to the otherwise space-limited Arduino. Both projects appear to have incredible potential, but they're clearly not ready for production just yet. For now, you can get a better feel for Droplet and StackAR in our hands-on video just past the break.

Gallery: MIT Media Lab: Droplet and StackAR hands-on