Flip phones have gone out of vogue in favor of the sleeker, flatter smartphone, but designer Kristian Ulrich Larsen has a new take on the whole concept of a phone that flips. The Flip Phone is a revolution in the arena of mobile phone design. Instead of the ubiquitous flat rectangle that seems to represent every smartphone these days, the Flip Phone features three separate screens.

The screens can be arranged and used in a variety of different ways, even running different apps on all three at the same time. They can be opened up to create a large display or folded into a triangle to make a traditional-looking clock. They can become a screen and a keypad or a book-like e-reader – and there are seemingly endless other configurations.

The phone was the product of a six-week creative workshop involving Larsen and other designers. Larsen then further developed the idea as part of his MA program. He saw that people are using their mobile phones for far more than just communicating verbally or via text; they’re using them much in the way that we use our laptop computers.

This led him to design a phone that would work more like a computer and allow users to do more – or less, depending on just what they need at the moment. The phone would consist of three flexible AMOLED screens covered in Gorilla Glass, a lightweight aluminum case and steel mesh at the joints to make the phone easy to bend and flip around.

It’s safe to say that the highly unusual design is unlike any mobile phone on the market today. Whether it is ever developed into a real product remains to be seen, but judging from the demo video it’s going to take a lot of fancy software to make this phone capable of everything Larsen wants it to do.

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The Dutch have sure had some bright ideas lately. Design company Booo, located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, has set out to create sustainable, all-in-one light bulb / lampshades. They have challenged the classic design of the light bulb and work with distinguished designers such as Nacho Carbonell.

Carbonell’s main criterion for the re-design of the essential yet simple LED light bulb is based on one major flaw: it’s made of glass. Light bulbs in general can sustain very little physical trauma without breaking. Throw shipping in the mix and the bulbs are more vulnerable than a bare light diode.

In accordance with Booo Labs, Carbonell created a bulb and lampshade hybrid by surrounding the bulb with a soft plastic dome. Practical and user-friendly, the lampshade can be squeezed and molded. It offers soft diffusion of the LED’s glow. He also created a ladder-like tail that connects to the lampshade and can be used for further décor. They would make perfect additions to art galleries, live music shows or your living room.

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Lots of people bike for exercise, but other than the physical benefits they receive it seems that these workouts could be doing more good. The Levitation Bike from design team DEzien is a concept that would incorporate exercise, electricity generation and a mobile hotspot.

The bike is a futuristic concept that would be made from Hi-Macs, a moldable solid material that would let the bikes be rapidly and inexpensively produced. But of course, the fact that the bike levitates would be its stand-out feature. It uses magnetic levitation to keep it just above the ground as you coast along, avoiding pebbles and uneven terrain. At slower speeds, it rides along the ground just like a regular bike.

But as you pedal, you also generate energy that is stored in high-capacity batteries. You can detach the batteries later to charge your gadgets, or you can plug it right into your home’s electric system to feed power back into the grid. If you prefer to charge on the go, you can plug in your USB-charged gadgets as you’re cycling.

An LED touch screen lets you keep track of your workout information and how much energy you have generated. Levitation creates its own mobile wi-fi hotspot as you pedal, letting you stay connected as you’re on the go. Of course, Levitation is only a concept (and, to be honest, a kind of uncomfortable-looking one at that) but its purpose is to bet people thinking about alternative means of energy generation. With its gorgeous looks and unique concept, it seems to do that quite well.

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Fujitsu Laboratories‘ new user interface effectively makes any surface into a touchscreen. The system uses relatively simple hardware: an ordinary webcam and a commercial projector. Image processing technology lets you select text from a real-world document and digitize it, effectively using your fingertip as a next-generation scanner.

The system doesn’t respond to regular activities on the table or whatever surface you’re using it on. It would react to the pointing of a fingertip which, according to Fujitsu, is an effective combination of analog operations and digital devices.

Users can also manipulate the system with gestures, which would make it much more useful in a variety of applications. It’s surprisingly adept and able to detect differences in ambient brightness, skin color and fingertip height. It can also adjust for differences in surfaces, such as the curved surface of an open book’s page.

Fujitsu is planning to market the system as an all-around interface which could be used to digitize analog data, make presentations or file paperwork at the courthouse. They are planning to develop a commercial version of the technology for fiscal year 2014, but significant user testing is required before it’s ready for the market.

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Named for the Mayan god of rain, the Chaac Ha water collector is an intuitive and impressive invention for water preservation, which is becoming an increasingly immediate global obstacle. It was created by students from the Yucatan region of Southeast Mexico.

This funky looking gizmo catches dew as well as rain and is also portable. It collects 2.5 liters of water every night from dew alone. The design was developed by observing the water’s natural cycle. The layout of the Teflon fabric is meant to mimic the petals of a flower, which have evolved to collect moisture from the air.

The students involved in the project used cutting edge 3D design software made by Autodesk, who awarded the recognized students with Autodesk Sustainability Workshop award. Their goal was to transport clean water to neighboring villages that don’t have regular access to the necessity. They achieved this as well as designing one cool looking yard decoration.

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