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<-234x60 Half Banner - left->Among the computer design concepts we wrote about on Techpin recently are two specifically designed for visually impaired.



If these 2 computers would exist on the market, people with eye disabilities would benefit from several next-generation technologies such as an intuitive tactile user interface, the magneclay material with morphing capability to take the shape of all Braille symbols, and 3D relief images brought by the Siafu concept, while ZEN would deliver something more complex but also in a single stylish portable computer.



ZEN’s design is inspired from Zen Buddhism and conceived as a combination of Sandbox PC hardware running on the ZEN operating system concept.
Its name comes from “Z-axis Enabled” suggesting the full interactive 3D computer functionality.
One of the Sandbox PC components is the electronic Active Surface, matrix of tiny fibers which make up each pixel, capable of taking various shapes for easy Braille reading, windows scrolling, icons and several textures. The surface activates when you scratch it with the fingers, based on touch-sensitivity technology.



ZEN measures 36 x 17 x 2.8 inches with 0.7 inch thickness and a 7 degrees work angle.
When the blind user touches its tactile surface that replaces the keyboard, ZEN turns On and the user feels what is on the surface including emails text, web pages text and others. For music and sound effects the computer comes with built-in speakers, saving significant space on the desk.
Also there is no cable used for connectivity as all happens wirelessly. For example to charge a cell phone the user has to place it on ZEN’s surface and the handset starts to recharge automatically. Same thing would happen with the other mobile devices.



The designer didn’t specify a name for the material that takes different shapes from ZEN’s surface, revealing 3D images like animated ripples and landscapes, but he suggested the digital mater-like material developed by Carnegie Mellon University. Anyway, it is very similar with Siafu’s magneclay.



The fibers from the Active Surface are shifting up and down creating a variation in depth across the matrix of fibers, and these accept pressure input to change their shape.
This technology permits the enabled computer to be a perfect device for online communication, document management, media playing, file sharing and so on, all done wirelessly and with eyes closed.



ZEN is the last PC concept from the NextGen PC Design Competition 2007-2008, in the alphabetical order, featured during the last two months. Now we'll have to wait until the judges decide which concept from the 31 finalists will occupy the first place.



Later this month you'll find out the Judges’ Awards, Chairman’s Award, and Public’s Choice Award winners so don't forget to subscribe to our news feeds via "Get email delivery" in the sidebar, and receive the next articles in your email.

Since its appearance, the Yuno PC concept was a pleasant surprise for many of us because of its unique shape of a long cup of coffee, capable to display the contacts and menus on its exterior surface that is a large touch-sensitive OLED display.





It was designed especially for business professionals, but also for people who like to travel, as a mobile companion that would serve as the morning and afternoon coffee cup as well as a cool personal computer.
Although it is a cool computer design concept I can’t say it is meant to replace a laptop, because it doesn’t provide a keyboard to complete your Office documents or PowerPoint presentation projects.



Yuno measures 6.25 x 3.75 inches and is washable if you remove the detachable bottom that houses the hardware.



While drinking your hot coffee or tea in the morning you can just touch its surface to reveal the latest emails, information on stocks, news and even traffic. When you’re done reading you can simply set a nice wallpaper on its surface and take it with you at work.



What do you like and what don’t you like at a coffee cup-shaped PC?
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We’ve seen a computer dedicated to children before, the I-Grow concept that learns the user’s behavior and records his/her life since birth.
WITHUS is another PC concept dedicated to kids with ages ranging between 4 and 6 years old, as it is equipped with functionalities interesting only for little children, like drawing, sharing and communication applications.
It is meant to shape characters and make children socialize by giving them the opportunity to interact with others via WITHUS computers’ multi-touchscreen.



Several kids can place their WITHUS near the others and start creating different drawings or play fun games like puzzles or board games, meaning your child will not stay alone in the front of the PC anymore and will have the chance to connect directly and evolve together with others having the same age, in a fun way.



WITHUS PC measures 220 x 220 x 45 mm and comes with a stylus of 95 x 35 mm, so the child can easily carry it to the kidergarted. There he can make a big drawing on 9 WITHUSES placed together to form a large display, and then spread it into puzzle pieces, so his friends to complete it. While thinking, the children can listen to the music.

About the design we can mention that the computer’s margins are rounded so the young user can’t get hurt, and the main body and the stylus are made with an injection molding method with rubber-coated ABS, while the device consumes less power and is lightweight.



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Don’t forget to leave us a line with your opinion about WITHUS.

TRVL is the name of a portable PC design concept and comes from “travel” because it is destined to those that spend considerable amounts of time on the go and would benefit from an all-in-one computer with mapping, guide, passport, schedule, TV, cell phone, email communication, digital camera, and video/music player functionalities.





These are main functions encountered at Smartphones but besides them, TRVL has a unique feature, it give the user the possibility to find detailed information about any object they select from the environment.



For example, if you are in a trip in another country and find an impressive building design that caught your attention, you just have to capture it with the transparent display and select it. Like this, TRVL finds all the data about the building in the database and displays it. Imagine how many new things you could learn with such a high-end device!



Another useful capability is the identity and ticket display. It can be set to show your identity card or passport, driver license and so on, on its transparent screen, eliminating the need to carry an extra bag with these documents, and the possibility to lose them.
It’s small, measuring 125 x 89.5 x 7 mm, the size of an American passport.



The display is touch-sensitive and TRVL also features voice-recognition for easy and secure access, but there also a few buttons on the side for main functions.
Why would TRVL be an ecological product? Because it would be powered by solar energy even for the thermal cooling system inside it.



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At NextGen PC Design Competition 2007-2008 we’ve encountered various computers presenting several innovative design concepts and next-generation technologies from which some are possible to realize in the near future while others look too futuristic.


T-Horizon is something in between the two, presenting itself as a folder with detachable processing unit and folder clip, the latter acting as a flexible LCD display with three functionalities: music player, cell phone and web camera.



In the detachable processing unit we find also the charger, an adjustable stand and the hidden charger cable. This unit has glowing LED edges to show when it’s On or Off.
When opened, T-Horizon exposes its double-sized transparent flexible OLED screen which helps in expanding the image and displaying it in wide format.
It adopts the haptic technology and supports stylus input, while the user can easily incline it at the right angle for increased ergonomics.



Additional sliding screens enlarge the multi-touch sensitive display on both sides and it comes to life at the first tap of the user’s finger.

A new technology encountered at T-Horizon is the 3D Holographic projection for a three-dimensional view of the object in the air.
The folder PC’s exterior is made of shock-proof digital textile, a soft, flexible and lightweight material with eco-friendly properties, which is also easy customizable with different colors and textures.



All the communication from T-Horizon to the other electronic devices is made wireless via Bluetooth technology, and the folder PC would be used for multi-tasking by creative professionals and for everyday applications such as online shopping, Internet browsing, watching videos, as music player, and chatting with the folder clip attached to the display.



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