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.
-
Designer Cécile Barani on taking hifi to new heights with Swiss audio brand GoldmundCécile Barani not only created the formal language for speaker specialist Goldmund’s portable Pulp speakers but also designed its monumental Gaia system. We spoke to her about working in high-end hi-fi
-
Vancouver restaurant Elio Volpe evokes a sun-drenched Italian beach clubExperience the laid-back feel of coastal Italy in Elio Volpe, a transportive new restaurant designed by Ste. Marie Studio
-
‘You should not take yourself too seriously or you risk becoming boring’: Luca Guadagnino and Nicolò Rosmarini on Homo Faber 2024As the design and film worlds flocked to Venice at the weekend for Homo Faber and the Venice Film Festival, Wallpaper* sat down in a cool salon with two men in hot demand to take their temperature on craft, interiors and gold leaf cable covers
-
Is the new Google Pixel 9 Fold Pro the ultimate do-it-all device?Google's Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Fold Pro go head to head in our hands-on test of the latest generation of AI-infused smartphones
-
Hold my ice cream, Ken: HMD’s long-awaited Barbie Phone is now availableHMD's Barbie Phone shuns the socials in favour of a pink-tinged, ultra-fabulous distraction-free life
-
Cutting-edge new kitchen tech is aimed at saving time, space and foodThese new kitchen appliances are for the gadget-loving cook, from coffee creation and food preservation to space saving
-
Folding Motorola razr 50 and 50 ultra enter the smartphone arena – plus the latest competitionMotorola and Samsung unveil cutting-edge new folding phones, while Honor’s photography-focused device proposes portraiture as the new hotness
-
Wallpaper* Smart Space Awards 2024 winners announcedDiscover the Wallpaper* Smart Space Awards 2024 winners: innovation across all forms of domestic technology and product design
-
Pocketable audio: five ways to take audio out and about while staying smartphone freeFiiO’s elegant portable CD player tops our list of portable audio players, along with the debut device from new brand Activo
-
The new HMD Skyline is a repairable smartphone that won’t rule your lifeHuman Mobile Devices has pulled out all the stops to ensure its flagship HMD Skyline can not only be easily repaired, but helps divert you from doom-scrolling
-
Analogue Pocket Aluminum Editions: the cult video gaming console shows its new metalThe strictly limited-edition Analogue Pocket Aluminum Editions bring high-quality materials to Analogue’s elegant combination of hardware and software design
