An ingenious application of 3D printing, this digital-looking sundial shows the time just like an electronic clock would, but using just sunlight and shadow – entirely analog with no batteries required.

A system of tiny holes in the gnomon let in small amounts of light in just the right way so that the readout changes over time but always looks just like the face of a digital alarm clock.

Of course, showing every minute would be physically unfeasible, so it shifts only once per twenty minutes. Also, it is limited by daylight, so it can only function between the hours of 10 AM and 4 PM. All things considered, it’s still an amazing work of clever 3D printery.

The post Digital Sundial: 3D-Printed Timepiece Needs No Batteries first appeared on Gajitz.

We love listening to records, but all of that sound system equipment sitting out on the shelf is not exactly pretty. Designer Roy Harpaz came up with a record player design that not only sounds great, but also looks like a piece of modern art.

The vertical record player is egg-shaped with a front made of CNC-cut walnut wood. Inside, very modern components give your prized records the very best treatment. The TOC can play even old and warped records which would ordinarily be unplayable thanks to spherical ball bearings that let the record spin freely.

The front of the player has touchscreen controls, but you can also control playback using the matching remote control. Unlike old record players, the TOC even lets you skip between songs thanks to a special sensor that reads the grooves to find out where the next song begins.

Buttons on the side let you choose between three record sizes and three rotation speeds. The player features standards speaker outputs as well as two USB inputs so you can play your favorite music right from a flash drive, smartphone, or laptop. The TOC is a concept, not a consumer product, but we’ll still be hoping to see it on our shelves sometime in the future.

The post Sexy Sculptural Record Player Combines Analog + Futurism first appeared on Gajitz.

No need to hit ‘Save’ when you are finished with a sketch or idea and want to move on – simply scroll further along the roll to store your creation in a physical archive.

Safe from power outages and surges, remote hackers and obsolescent operating systems, the Analog Memory Desk was designed and effectively open-sourced by MCAD student Kristen Camara.

Rolled up below but available on demand, thousands of feet of butcher paper  are connected to the legs supporting the surface above. The top, meanwhile, will record anything from scribbles to coffee stains. “1,100 yards of paper will record the lists, the phones numbers you call once, the pixel size of that box on that website, the street name of that business, and the long division you try to remember.”

Licensed Creative Commons, anyone can download the plans and build their own version of this desk. “I’ve come to realize that I’m somewhat obsessed with how we remember the past. This is the latest installment in that series and a more serious attempt at furniture making. There are a hundreds of little things that we don’t try to remember every year or even every week. Does the sum of all these tiny parts produce a new narrative on our lives?”

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Translating analog constructions into virtual realities, a combination of hardware and software tracks what you build in realtime and effectively backs up both process and product in digital format. The system uses a combination of accelerometers built into the blocks themselves and wireless radios that transmit their motion to your device.

The idea has a variety of potential applications, from industrial and architectural design to converting objects from one material or size to 3D-printable formats at other scales. The results can be rendered as you build in full color, wireframe or other display modes to give you different perspectives on what you are creating.

There are also myriad educational possibilities, allowing children to alternate interactions with digital and physical objects without any kind of complex rendering program.

Its makers at Gravity are the same group responsible for a remarkable augmented reality sketchbook that allows you to effectively draw in three dimensions – this is in some ways an extension of the same digital/physical hybridization.

The post Lego X: Physical Blocks Auto-Generate Digital Schematics first appeared on Gajitz.

Portland, Oregon-based studio Grovemade has been designing gorgeous wooden accessories for Apple products for years, but they are now moving away from their signature pieces by introducing a lovely wooden wristwatch. The Wood Watch features an exceptional modern design with a minimal wooden face and circular hands that traverse the watch’s perimeter beneath the face.

The watch was designed in collaboration with Stefan Andren, a seasoned watch designer who put great care into every facet of the design. The same care is taken with the watch’s manufacturing process; the metal backing is machined in Oregon and the wooden elements are sanded and oiled by hand.

Although it may seem unusual for a company who made their name selling Apple accessories to introduce an analog watch, Grovemade wanted to create a more tactile design that would give wearers a tangible idea of where they are in their day. The designers understand that we all have the exact time on our phones or tablets, available at any time. The Wood Watch provides an elegant, physical way to keep track of the time.

Available in East Hardrock Maple or Black Walnut, circular or square dial, and leather or silicone strap, the Wood Watch offers options to fit plenty of tastes. The watch will retail for $239 and will be available in late 2014/early 2015.

The post Elegant Wooden Watch Gives a Modern Analog Take on Time first appeared on Gajitz.