rhea jeong: 'void' LP player

That is absolutely lovely. I must have one.

dareth   06.18.09

Brilliant idea.

Dear design studio   06.19.09

pure fiction

carl   06.19.09

Extraordinary! wow

florian   06.19.09

where can I get one of these!

Domo-Kun   06.19.09

does anyone know if these are available for purchase anywhere? I simply MUST have one

Peter Gerbron   06.21.09

it really works?

W.Andrew   06.25.09

But the unsupported disc would pick up the sound vibrations from the speaker, which would shake the stylus, muddying the sound--and causing a feedback howl once the system gain passed a threshold.

Ivan Berger (formerly of Audio magazine)   06.25.09

Pure bull

Munger   06.27.09

this is the problem with these design assholes. they're solely focused on shape, form, line, and aesthetics while skipping over the fact that these things must be within the bounds of reality. the designer of this fantasy has absolutely no knowledge of how magnets, electricity, or acoustics work.

truth   06.27.09

totally fake and utter bull shit ..

xyz   06.27.09

Hey... guys...it's not real. It's an art project / concept.

ophello   06.27.09

If that works, and works well, then that is amazing.

sephfire   06.27.09

No doubt about it, MUST have!

RT
www.anon-tools.tk

John Davis   06.27.09

you need to make the sphere transmit the signal via bluetooth. now that would be cool.

yes yes   06.27.09

fail.

ch   06.27.09

It's possible you could design something real like this. Given the gyroscopic properties of a record spinning it would maintain rigidity, and I have seen objects levitated (mostly paramagnetic ones). Just a matter of putting the two together - but I doubt it would work on a standard record as they are not made from materials condusive to magnetic levitation.

Jaz   06.27.09

The gumball is GLUED to the LP. You can actually see the bead of glue and there's no way it would sit on the LP like that. Besides, how the hell is it supposed to stay in place and pick up the recording when it has to worry about levitating and working against the friction of the LP? Are magnets supposed to solve everything? Does it have tiny little stabilizing jets powered by Dilithium?

FTA: "...a self-running record player shaped
in the form of a red sphere, contains a needle, amplifier and speaker, spins around the record,
bringing the music to life."

OH, I see, of course. Wait, they crammed everything into the little red sphere including speakers!? That should sound awesome.

TM   06.27.09

I'll wait till this one's in the shops, unless there a video of a demo available.
I remember ages ago a toy van that would ride around an LP playing the music in a simlar style - but no levitation was involved!

Mark   06.27.09

the concept of a ball rolling on a surfqace "with its own needle" and then actually picking up any data is hilarious at best

babysinister   06.27.09

vid or GTFO

VMOS   06.27.09

Transmit the data from the ball to the base via bluetooth so we can use real speakers and make use of the upcoming technology to wireless power a device to keep the ball moving.

Do that and I'll buy ;)

S3rvant   06.27.09

I don't see why people are so skeptical...at least about the ball being able to play the record. All it has to do is follow the groove and project a needle which vibrates. Granted it probably sounds like crap, but this is 30 year old technology, made possible by a button-cell couple of transistors and a piezoelectric speaker.

While I could see it being buggy and impractical, there's no reason why it wouldn't work.

Andrew S.   06.27.09

absolutely ridiculous.
aside from the technical issues, vinyl recordings are not even marketable due to the advent f the digital age.
it's like designing a Model T concept car.

harrycary   06.27.09

@Above: A Model T concept would be awesome.
I kind of understand where all these harsh replies are coming from, seeing as it took me, a fourth year's industrial design student, some time to fully understand what concepts are for.

Concepts aren't about being practical. They aren't about being effective. They're not about being cheap. Hell, they're not even about working.

Most of all: They are not about being possible.

What they *are* about is inspiring designers working on real-life projects to break boundaries with their real-world designs. They're about slowly breaking down imaginary barriers. They're about showing a company a utopian vision. They're a form of art, if you will. Partly, they're about adding to the designer's portfolio and showing how 'out there' they can be;)
Also, they're great practice.

Bashing a concept design for not being feasible is an act that only shows the commenter doesn't know what a concept is. Adding a sarcastic or cynical overtone only amplifies this.

Besides, you might notice that "these designer types" do not present concepts are real-world products. This site did, and to blame the designer for that is nonsense.

Thijs   06.27.09

Actually, Vinyl is very marketable if you're a music snob (I know a large amount of electronica is still released on vinyl). However, no matter how awesome this thing seems i wonder how well it would do picking up the music given that it's running around the record, I agree that the ball containing bluetooth and instead sending the signal to the base so you can use built in/hooked in speakers. I'm more concerned on possible damage to the vinyl record as it doesn't have any support and the ball is going to have to be decently heavy to get good sound but the heavier it is the more stress it will put on the record.

Kravlin   06.27.09

yup. it's fake bullshit. There's a better chance that the link above me actually has the world's first nude jlh pic that this thing ever being real.

AyeRoxor   06.27.09

This is total BS people.

BSbuster   06.27.09

While this concept does appear impossible, it is sadly typical of comments sections that some folks seem to take this personally on a deep and disturbing level.

What's with the intense anger in comment boards?

Get over it folks, don't let a silly thing like this get your blood pressure up! Remember, stress kills, and hate only hurts the hater.

And there is no way this invention would work, but thats no reason to freak out kids!

Take a chill pill and grow a sense of humor folks! This internet thing needs to take a deep breath and relax!

Andrew Thomson   06.27.09

Wow that is really cool, hopefully she gets a video up of it in motion. I wonder how good the audio quality is and how reliable it is while in motion - I'd be concerned that the ball would fall off the record while playing or something.

also wouldn't the magnet hurt the LP?

Melvin Kalgone   06.27.09

If they manage to make it work, I'll be a buyer.. even if the sound quality sucks, it would look cool enough.

Toni Noname   06.27.09

This looks interesting from a design point of view, but I do not think it will work especially considering that the LP has to float in mid air and at the same time not move while the sphere is reading it. There are too many variables making this design hard to implement without having issues with the sound clarity and skipping.

Daniel   06.27.09

ANYONE who believes this is a real product is among the bottom percentile.

Alex   06.27.09

I LOVE this concept, please be real! Will there be a video demonstration of it soon? Please! Thanks. :)

Sentry   06.27.09

I bet it uses a laser pickup - or it should.

Mechanoid   06.27.09

The problem with the design is that the red ball has to weigh something, and would cause the thing to tilt, with the result that the ball would simply fall off the disk. That's besides the massive problem of actually controlling the position of the ball independently of the position of the disk. How do you magnetically control two objects independently? Two magnetic fields?

I'd have to call this one busted.

duglarri   06.27.09

I don't believe it, I need youtube to believe this even a little.

charles   06.27.09

All of you poor, retarded losers that are getting upset about this not being real, read this! Hopefully some knowledge will help soothe your underdeveloped brains.

Earlier, someone said this, and it's the truth. Check it out, don't be afraid to LEARN SOMETHING:

Concepts aren't about being practical. They aren't about being effective. They're not about being cheap. Hell, they're not even about working.

Most of all: They are not about being possible.

What they *are* about is inspiring designers working on real-life projects to break boundaries with their real-world designs. They're about slowly breaking down imaginary barriers. They're about showing a company a utopian vision. They're a form of art, if you will. Partly, they're about adding to the designer's portfolio and showing how 'out there' they can be;)
Also, they're great practice.

Bashing a concept design for not being feasible is an act that only shows the commenter doesn't know what a concept is. Adding a sarcastic or cynical overtone only amplifies this.

_____

So if you'd like, leave a constructive comment below, but if you want to tell people they're stupid for reading about a CONCEPT (google.com: define:concept), you may as well go back to middle school.

Mark Branson   06.27.09

Nice concept, but you're missing the RPM selection switch (33 or 45) that's on every record player, and is needed to play them. Also, the ball looks stupid, if you can replace it with lasers......

ninjafury   06.27.09

@AyeRoxor

People that type "YOUR" when they should type "you're" are actually the retarded ones.

Why do stupid people even refer to this website? I figured anyone would at LEAST be over 15. People in this world make me very, very sad. I'm glad that I do not choose to associate with dumb people that don't a) understand what a concept is, and b) are blinded by a retarded rage born of ignorance.

Try maturing a bit and then come read about technological advances and concepts when your testicles finally drop.

euphorica   06.27.09

people that r bashing this concept are stupid idiot faggots. lol

poor losers

YOOF   06.27.09

Andrew S. said "this is 30 year old technology"

haha yeah the record was invented in 1979, gg buddy

CDs have been available for almost 30 years genius

Bongo   06.27.09

What's the VTF on that thang. lol

Edison   06.28.09

"While this concept does appear impossible, it is sadly typical of comments sections that some folks seem to take this personally on a deep and disturbing level."

Actually, I do take it personally. As an electrical engineer who works as a product designer I take great offense at so-called "designers" who just whip up a 15-minute piece of art in 3D Studio Max and call it a "design". It not only makes him/her look like an idiot, it serves to skew the public's perception of what is possible in a product and makes people believe that all kinds of products exist that do not.

If, in 10 years, something like this were actually realized by an innovative design team and turned into an actual product, everyone who saw it debut would post comments saying "ZOMG! So lame! I saw this 10 years ago!" and put up links to this idiot and his pretty picture.

Publicizing *art* like this as *design* is what is RUINING THE WORLD OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN!

Work like this didn't used to ruin design, because early concept stuff didn't used to look so "finished". Now that the tools exist to make complete, shiny, finished-looking concepts, people can't recognize which images are actual designs and which are just empty pieces of art with form and nothing else.

The real solution is for design sites like this one to not publicize work like this and focus on the real designers that are making real products.

design   06.28.09

surely a 'concept' should bear some realtionship to an actual producable product shouldn't it? After all, concept cars actually mostly can be built- they may not be commercially viable. This is some busted ass student gluing a gumball on a record and using a magnetic toy to lift a record and pronouncing it a 'concept'. Looks like it was cobbled together over a bottle of wine the night before a assignment had to be handed in to me.
The entire idea is just stupid and I want my 10 minutes back

john   06.28.09

Do I need an RIAA phono preamp with this one? I wonder what the tracking force is, will it ruin my records?

clueless   06.28.09

Who's mama?

Edison   06.29.09

Vapourware designed in 3D? Yup.

Levitation beyond currently accepted laws of physics? Certainly.

Designer ignoring science completely? Priceless.

Grant   06.29.09

For the aspiring designer:

Please do take the time to design and not just imagine.

Concept designs are not awarded to Jules Verne but designers that actually explain a few of the design aspects.

For the Industrial Designer that took him 4 years to get the idea of concept designs:

Concepts are supported by a theory. For example the belief that electric cars will become a mass produced product, led to the extrapolation that the technology will make them quiker (as they were slow initially). They did not lie completely into imaginary travels of some creative mind. In design I call this brainstorming 'out of the box' ideas. The meticulous study of how to make it happen (even theoretical) makes you worthy designer.

For DesignBoom: Please save some space for designers that actually do an effort, (even conceptual or arty). But the next thing to present is a genetically modified cricket that reads your vinyl and plays it in perfect harmony while its tail is a strobe that synchronises to the beat.

Hope to see some more rounded-studied stuff from this designer in the future.

Joris   06.29.09

You babies are missing the point. It's sweet lookin'; who cares if it's real?

cyoung   06.29.09

looks awesome

a definite buy! - regardless of audio quality

purely for looks

nasdaf   06.29.09

Here's a philosophical question-if this is a "concept" with no regard to practicality, would it be appropriate to call it fantasy as opposed to science fiction which would have some theoretical basis in reality even if that reality is artificial? Either way, would the "concept" explainers say the same thing if the product being shown were a 200 story building suspended from a satellite by dental floss. It is just a concept, you see. Oh, and this thing could never work.

gladbag   06.30.09

That's sic!!!! Though I highly doubt I'll be replacing my Technics SL-QD33 with one of these...

audioguy193   06.30.09

looks purty. won't work. that angle shown would make the needle skate across the vinyl surface. even if the electronics are compressed inside that ball, you want to have as LITTLE weight as possible pushing that needle down. cute, but no sale. there's a reason that audiophile turntables are designed with heavy bases, to eliminate the vibrations that would otherwise cause the platter to wobble, as this 'concept' would seem to allow the record to do. i understand that a concept doesn't need to be practical, but there has to be a line between practical and ridiculous. This isn't science fiction. It's space opera. And not particularly good space opera, at that.

Michael Reese   06.30.09

I don't know if this thing works at all, and I'm sure it wouldn't sound good or be gentle to the LPs if it did, but it's a novelty item.
I don't see why it can't work, at least badly, while looking cool. The design is pretty straight forward if you analyze it calmly.
A ferrous/magnetic disc is attached to the underside of a vinyl LP. An electromagnetic field is generated by the base (claimed to be electronically controlled) that makes the LP levitate but not spin. No black magic so far.
A red ball with rubber wheels locked to the approximate angle required to circle the LP is gently placed on top. A stylus (needle) that supplies its own tracking force (in dependant of the weight of the red ball) dangles from the bottom and traces the LPs grooves as the ball 'drives' itself in circles around the still LP. A tiny speaker plays out of the top of the ball, badly reproducing the sound recorded in the LP while looking really cool doing it.
If the ball is light enough, the magnetic field levitating the LP is strong enough, and your expectations of audio reproduction low enough it seems like this could function. Other than levitating the LP, it's not far removed from the early 1980's toy VW buses that could play stationary LPs (after a fashion, anyway.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uYsjs_xleg

Gadgeteer   06.30.09

If you have to write two paragraphs then you need to get friends that listen to you sometimes.

If have two paragraphs of praise then you are exempt from that last comment.

If this thing is real, then let it be.

But when I see it in the store, THEN we can talk technology

namegarbage   07.02.09

I've got one, and it works great. The sound is awesome!!
Oh, wait a minute, that was me in the alternate universe of seventh (or was it the ninth?) dimension...now where did I put that string.

Knishknosh   07.03.09

awesome concept. couldn't work. stop freaking out. It's fun to imagine it could be real. Any one who truly appreciates vinyl for its pure sound would be too freaked out to use an unbalanced player anyway, so calm it down.

blip getty   07.04.09

This is absolutely an INSANE concept Bless the inventorr!!! is it available how much & where?

D.j sKrApE   07.17.09

video?

Michel_LeGrisbi   12.04.09