Horray! Friends amongst killer animals! Animal inspirations. Actually there’s no scorpion involved. Awww. What is involved, is solar power, first off. Solar power charges up the batteries in this lifeguard stand. As the batteries charge, the lifeguard sees danger! He slides down the slide, picks up a battery, inserts it in the stingray skiff, boats on over to the victim, inflates the safety vest, and autopilots back to base.

This project is called “TESEO+ARIANNA” named after the Greek myth of Theseus and Ariadne. The stingray being the one called Teseo, while the guard stand is called Teseo. Teseo and Arianna are solar powered. Arianna charges batteries with a giant solar panel that sits on its head. Teseo uses these batteries to power its propulsion system, and also to accept commands from the autopilot feature via the stand, Arianna.

Together they are mythical water safety lovers forever!

The only thing that concerns me is the step where the lifeguard has to drag the skiff out into the water. I hope it’s not too heavy!

Designer: Davide Anzalone

[yankodesign]

The LA Times recently let iconic designer Philippe Stark loose on a shopping spree to the thrift store chain Big Lots to find out his take on living elegantly and economically. Once in the store, Stark grabbed a cart and said “We shall see. Give me 20 minutes.”

Stark roamed the aisels of the store packed with closeout merchandise on a mission to find items that caught his eye but also reflected his embrace of sensible consumerism by selecting quality over quantity.

“You must be very rigorous,” he says, sifting through discounted wares in search of the gems. “Try to find the essence, the most iconic or simple representation of a thing. Look for the bowl that looks most like a bowl. That means we must avoid colors and patterns, and everything that can be trendy.”

Stark quickly pulled together a ‘Scandinavian style’ place setting. Mixing a silver charger, white dish, and a black plate. He added a glass tumbler bringing the total cost to $5.50. For utensils he found a 42-piece set for $25. He commented that on a white table cloth, the setting is flawless.

Over in the childrens area, Stark is happy to see a large selection of art supplies and furniture for kids. He grabs a folding table and chairs, sidewalk chalk, a 240-piece paint and marker set, packs of pencils, and a ream of paper in the color he calls “Prada green”. All of this for less than $50.

“In a crisis, we have to think about our children and especially push their creativity,” he says. “If capitalism is failing because it is a selfish system, we can teach them to reinvent society so that it is based on sharing.”

[psfk]

Sleek looking gadgets are always welcome in the rugged world of cars and the stylish Moto scores well in the looks department. Moto is a Multi Navigation System designed by Jeongmin Ok, who takes inspiration from the design of a compass. According to Ok, a compass symbolizes accuracy, a device that never lets you down and guides you all the way to your destination.

Interestingly Moto also means movement in Italian, and this baby really holds all the right moves. It features Bluetooth and a camera for wireless communication. The 3.5" touchscreen can be viewed in two modes, one with the actual visual of the street and the direction to be followed. And the other shows you the direction without the frills.

Moto boasts of a strong aluminum die casting frame that pack in the goodies neatly. The push button docking system latches onto your dashboard conveniently. There is a hidden slot on the rim that holds a MicroSD-card slot, earphones and power inputs. The only grouse is that it's still a concept.

[designlaunch]