Make your drawings come to life

3 Doodler is a new kind of pen that will draw in 3D. It will allow users to create sculptures or designs in 3D, either by drawing free hand, or by tracing sketches on paper then 'welding' the pieces together.

Currently only available by backing the project on Kickstarter for $75 or more, the pen uses 3mm ABS or PLA plastic as its "ink", which is heated and cools quickly to build solid structures and shapes.

Although there is not a date for general release, nor a suggested price, from the Kickstarter page we can see that the lowest price they ask is $75 and the upper is $99, with plans to dispatch the finished product in February of next year.

To showcase the capabilities of the pen, the makers, Pete & Max from Wobble Works, worked with some wire artists on Etsy to create some special pieces and templates for backers.

The 3Doodler has seen a lot of press since it was made public and the project has received almost $2.1M in funding, 70 times more than the $30,000 goal.

Find out more on their Kickstarter page or watch the video below.

A 'lickable' bit of advertising

Fanta has produced the world's first tastable advert. The concept developed for the drinks market in the United Arab Emirates, features a printed ad promoting their new recipe for Orange Fanta, which people could pop into their mouth and experience firsthand.

The campaign featured a full page ad, which is kept in a plastic sleeve within a publication, and encouraged the consumer to tear off a piece to try the flavour and share the experience with their friends as 100% of the ad is coated in the flavouring.

A clever concept to but we expect many would be reluctant to start eating paper supplied in a magazine?

Watch the campaign video below and let us know if you would be willing to taste a printed ad.

Heineken takes interviews to the extreme

Interviews can be stressful at best, but preparation is everything. That is however unless you were interviewing for Heineken's internship.

The company decided that they didn't just want someone who answered the right questions, they wanted someone up to the challenges that would lie ahead so they put the interviewees to the test.

During the course of the interviews the candidates were subjected to hand holding, fake heart attacks and fire alarms.

The one who kept their cool was voted for by the Heineken Internet community and the winner was taken to a Champions League game to represent the brand, having their success broadcast at the Juventus v Chelsea game on the 20th November 2012.

A great strategy for weeding out the chaff in the interview process or a very clever viral marketing campaign?

Watch the video below and choose for yourself.

A desk system for collaboration

Designer Seth Moczydlowski was thinking of educations establishments when designing the Synthesis Collaborative Desk, but we feel that there is serious potential for a wide range of applications. 

Each desk stands alone or fits snugly in a group of five for collaboration. The blend of wood and vibrant colors creates an interesting visual contrast that defines individual space when working together. Stackable, durable, and lightweight, they’re a great solution in any creative environment.

They were designed as part of an open-ended assignment that was themed around nature and the concepts of isolation vs. togetherness. Fulfilling this brief Seth states "In the classroom, students are required to work individually, as well as collaboratively at different times of the day. My desk design allows both functions, while providing an aesthetically pleasing environment for learning."

Let us know what you think of them; would you like to use them in your office?

UK's first BREEAM 'Outstanding' regional office building

One Angel Square opened its doors at the beginning of the year to become the new headquarters for the Co-operative Group.

Designed by 3D Reid, the building comprises the first BREEAM 'Outstanding' regional office building in the UK, offering a total of 327,643 sq ft over 17 floors.

The design incorporates a recycling system for used water as well as a rainwater harvesting system to decrease water consumption by the building. It is also designed to consume 50% less energy compared to the previous Manchester headquarters of the Co-operative Group, as well as a reduction of 80% in carbon emissions. This will lead to an overall reduction of 30% in operating costs.

The building will get it's power from rape seeds from the Co-operative farms, acting as fuel for the building's CHP (Combined heat and power) plant, with the remaining husks of the crop recycled into animal feed.

It has been designed to be future-proof allowing for a general temperature increase of 3-5 degrees and with the possibility of a 30% increase in rainfall by 2050. 

Other ground breaking engineering features include a double skinned facade, to minimise heating and cooling throughout the year, and underground concrete earth tubes that provide free heating and cooling for incoming fresh air. There are also electrical pool car charging points and an 'App' is in development to relay real time information on how the building is performing.

What happens when 15,000 Volts travels through wood

New York City's Pratt Institute sculpture student Melanie Hoff wanted to find out so she connected cables carrying 15,000 volts of electricity to a large plank of wood and then documented the results.

Surprisingly the areas around each contact point don’t simply catch on fire or burn in a circle, but rather traverse outward in a fractal-like pattern called a "Lichtenberg figure", similar to what happens when lightening hits an object. 

The amazing patterns created were captured in a video shown below.