Any selection of the year’s best futuristic forays has to include a robot or two. As well as mechanical quadrupeds, here’s Wallpaper* technology editor Jonathan Bell’s selection of the most quirky tech stories of the past 12 months to see you into 2024, taking in sound, vision, books and mechanical birds.
Quirky tech for 2024
Laika, the robotic space dog
Laika, the robotic dog for space exploration, by Jihee Kim
Yes, it’s a far-fetched, far-future vision, but there’s something especially wholesome about design student Jihee Kim’s dream of a robotic companion that monitors astronauts’ health, both mental and physical.
Birdie air monitor
Birdie Air Quality Monitor
A way of getting wholesome tweets back into your life? Birdie is an zoomorphic air monitor that injects fun into a serious subject.
Fender Saint Laurent Stratocaster
Fender x Saint Laurent Stratocaster and '65 Deluxe Reverb amplifier
Fender went high fashion with this strictly limited edition of the enduring Stratocaster back in June 2023. None more black, it was paired with a bespoke '65 Deluxe Reverb amplifier.
Apple’s Daisy de-manufacturing robot
Apple Daisy de-manufacturing robot
We’re still waiting for Daisy to give us the answer as the underlying question remains – how do we scale down the mountain of e-waste? Daisy is a robot that can turn an iPhone back into its constituent parts: this is the kind of robot army we need.
Moog’s Mini Moog Model D website
Moog's MiniMoogModelD.com website
Pioneering synthesiser maker Moog suffered a blow late in 2023 as a new owner laid off much of its venerable and experienced workforce. A shame, because in recent years the company had done much to democratise access to its majestic machines, with Pentagram’s fun Mini Moog Factory website being a case in point.
A For Ara FS1 and FS2 speakers
A for Ara FS1 speaker
Perhaps the most extreme speakers we saw this year, A for Ara believes in over-engineering, elaborate forms and meticulous craft. An object for the ages.
Disney x Leica Q2 camera
Leica Q2 | Disney ‘100 Years of Wonder’ Edition
It’s not the most obvious partnership, but there’s an undeniable appeal to the pop graphics on the body of Leica’s Disneyfied Q2.
Steve Jobs: Make Something Wonderful
From the book, Make Something Wonderful: Steve Jobs in his own words. Steve's passport, spring 1973. He was 18
A fine read for those fascinated by the enduring legend that is Steve Jobs. Bringing all sorts of Apple-era ephemera together, the book was shaped by Jony Ive’s LoveFrom.
Icoma Tatamel e-scooter
Icoma Tatamel e-scooter
Who wouldn’t love a pocket-sized personal transport? Icoma’s Tatamel e-scooter is about as small as an electrified two-wheeler can get.
Loona Petbot
Loona Petbot
Since the little Loona robot debuted back at CES in 2023, its makers have integrated ChatGPT and Google’s Blockly programming language. Part toy, part pet, and definitely hypoallergenic.
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‘Concrete Dreams’: rethinking Newcastle’s brutalist pastA new project and exhibition at the Farrell Centre in Newcastle revisits the radical urban ideas that changed Tyneside in the 1960s and 1970s
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Mexican designers show their metal at Gallery Collectional, Dubai‘Unearthing’ at Dubai’s Gallery Collectional sees Ewe Studio designers Manu Bañó and Héctor Esrawe celebrate Mexican craftsmanship with contemporary forms
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At The Manner, New York has a highly fashionable new living roomThe Manner, a new hopsitality experience by Standard International in the heart of SoHo, triples up as a hotel, private residence, and members’ club
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Alpange’s high-tech piano makes its New York debut. Does it hit the high notes?We lift the lid on Alpange’s high-tech digital piano, a blend of traditional craft and contemporary modelling technology
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First look: Leica Cine Play 1 brings premium style and tech to the world of home cinemaLeica compresses its meticulous optic know-how into the ultra-compact Cine Play 1 4K projector
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The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus Community Edition taps into the brand's creative followersThe unconventional features of Nothing Phone (2a)’s new limited edition come from a community-driven project to reshape the style and ethos of the smartphone
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Epson’s Mini Laser Projectors with Google TV make light work of home cinemaThe Epson EF-22 is an ultra-compact, highly versatile laser projector that can fill a room with sound and images
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Aarke has created the ultimate collection for caffeine lovers, the Aarke Coffee SystemThe new Aarke Coffee System consists of three elegant components, part of the Swedish company’s ongoing quest to reshape the world of appliances
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Huawei’s new MatePad Pro 12.2-inch tablet is a game-changer for digital artistryWith pro-level creative features, from delicate brushwork to myriad surface choices, the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2-inch makes extraordinary art a possibility and a pleasure
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All-new Nothing Ear (open) offers up a different kind of listening experienceIf you find traditional earbuds cancel out too much of the outside world, Nothing has got you covered. We get down with the company’s new Ear (open) to experience this transparent new soundscape
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Lasting impressions: the latest Beoplay H100 headphones from B&O are for keepsBang & Olufsen’s head of design, Tiina Karjalainen Kierysch, talks us through the new Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100, headphones designed to last a lifetime
