Tej Chauhan has long positioned product design as the facilitation of joy, deftly shaping innovative devices, furnishings, and apparel through a considered balance of whimsy and refinement. The British designer deploys distilled, recognizable, playful forms as a way of softening both existing and emerging modalities of function, especially when it comes to making rapid technological advancements decipherable and perhaps even relatable. This approach is best exemplified in the new S1 Soother, conceived for Motorola Nursery.

Introduced as the latest addition to the paradigmatically reimagined PIP collection of baby monitors and complementary devices, this fresh-format portable nightlight emits carefully calibrated soft light while also projecting gentle soundscapes. Shaped to resemble a “little seal,” the animated device works to calm babies and toddlers as they begin to rest. It becomes a friendly force, providing immediate, if indirect, support when parents cannot.
When not activated, the sleekly designed, monochromatic object remains sculptural, slightly distinct from its zoomorphic configuration, yet still somewhat inconspicuous.

“With the S1 Soother, I wanted to create more than just a nursery device—I wanted its form to capture a sense of calm and character, inviting warmth into an everyday routine,” says Chauhan. “The PIP collection has always been about blending emotional connection with purposeful, reliable technology, and the S1 needed to embody that concept completely. It’s designed to make parents feel good, to bring joy and reassurance to quiet moments, and to look beautiful wherever it lives.”

The S1 Soother is a far cry from its bulky, poorly imagined competitors: products in which function strenuously supersedes form, and design is an afterthought, if even a thought at all. With its clever proportions, form and function are considered in equal measure. And yet, the form is less a reflection of pure, so-called universal function than of an implicit emotional need. Here, it is not only about getting the job done — getting the kids to sleep — but about making sure the experience is positive, holistic, and hopefully not traumatic.

Third Man Records–Jack White and Ben Blackwell’s Detroit- and Nashville-based full-service label—has teamed up with heritage audio-tech manufacturer Victrola on a limited-edition turntable and bookshelf speaker set embodying the kindred brands’ shared appreciation for enduring analog vinyl culture.

To commemorate the collaboration, the machinery—developed with Victrola’s audio expertise—has been deftly dressed in Third Man’s proprietary yellow-and-black palette. The distinctively punkish colorway carries across the products, packaging, complementary hardware, and accompanying swag.

“I’ve had the opportunity to visit Third Man many times,” says Scott Hagen, Victrola CEO. At the start of the 20th century, Victrola was instrumental in democratizing recorded music through the introduction of the first home gramophone. “What Jack and his team have built is something truly magical. They aren’t just painting things yellow and black. It’s as if they’re bringing inanimate objects to life, each one with its own character and soul. Maybe that’s why vinyl and vinyl culture fit so naturally within the Third Man world. It’s certainly why Victrola was incredibly honored when Third Man asked us to design and bring these new products to market together.”

The Wave turntable is made from sturdy MDF and equipped with an adjustable counterweight, a removable headshell, and high-resolution Bluetooth with Auracast support. The Tempo bookshelf speakers offer multiple input options, including optical, USB-C, and RCA, along with Bluetooth and Auracast multi-room connectivity for up to 10 speakers.

“Third Man is stoked to be making these yellow-as-hell-o turntables and speakers with the cool cats over at Victrola,” says Blackwell, Third Man’s co-founder. “Set the volume to ‘stun’ and be blown back and blown away by the sonic magnificence on display.” To extend the experience—and furnish customers with a few records to start with—the label has re-released several key albums: Elephant by The White Stripes, Blunderbuss by Jack White, and Broken Boy Soldiers by The Raconteurs, naturally all featuring White in some capacity or another.

As brand collaborations continue to define releases across product categories, it’s clear that the best are those that stem from authentic symbiosis: a mutual understanding of cultural value rather than a simple attempt to meet the bottom line.

What’s the purpose of bird feeders? Like most human innovation altruistically aimed at aiding nature and other sentient beings, the benefits have almost always been mutually beneficial. In this case, a feeder helps ensure our avian neighbors are well taken care of, while also allowing us to glimpse them from a far more intimate, up-close vantage point. It is also a chance to discover the full range of species that live nearby, inhabiting our gardens and the woodlands farther afield.

Optimizing this dual function is the new and improved Bird Feeder 2, recently released by specialized tech brand Kiwibit. The simply packaged device—reminiscent in look and shape of the gable-roof sheds we might otherwise find in our backyards—packs a punch when it comes to integrated tech, ease of use, adaptability, and durability.

The most significant update is the fully integrated AI-powered camera, which allows even the most enthusiastic twitchers to keep track of the various species that have stopped by, even when they are away—on the other side of the planet, even. Wi-Fi connectivity, up to 2.4 GHz, and 4.4W built-in solar panels—not unlike those one might mount on an actual roof—ensure there is no interruption in monitoring. One can watch, listen, and control the dispensation of different food supplies contained in two separate containers. The roof simply lifts up for these 1.5-liter receptacles to be filled. The camera has a 132-degree perspective, and the integrated AI technology immediately identifies species. It can pinpoint up to 10,000. The 4K HD-resolution camera also has night vision and records for up to 24 hours before rolling over.

The Kiwibit Feeder has an especially durable plastic shell with IP65-rated waterproofing and a temperature tolerance down to -4 and up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. It is engineered to be quickly and sturdily mounted to poles, attached to walls, or strapped around trees. With this latest, comprehensively imagined contraption, there is very little stopping hobbyists from fulfilling their dearest desires.

To shop the Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2, visit kiwibit.com.

Photography courtesy of Kiwibit.

As AI, spatial computing and immersive technologies rapidly move from experimental novelty into the fabric of everyday life, a new question is emerging for designers, architects, technologists and cultural institutions alike: What does it actually mean to design for humans in an increasingly immersive world?

As part of the Design Dialogues by Design Milk at Clerkenwell Design Week 2026, the conversation “Immersive Spaces: Technology, Empathy & the Human Experience” explores a shift already underway: from designing spaces people simply look at toward designing spaces people emotionally inhabit.

From AI-responsive retail environments and adaptive workplaces to immersive cultural experiences and multisensory public installations, the next generation of spatial design is no longer only concerned with aesthetics or efficiency. It is increasingly concerned with behaviour, feeling, participation and responsibility.

As immersive technologies become increasingly embedded within public spaces, workplaces and cultural environments, the conversation is shifting from novelty toward responsibility. The question is no longer simply how immersive a space can become, but how intelligently, ethically and humanly it responds to the people moving through it.

Image courtesy Adipat Virdi

Designers are now exploring how AI, spatial computing and multisensory storytelling can create environments that are more adaptive, empathetic and emotionally aware and become spaces capable of responding to human behaviour, attention, mood and need in real time. From workplaces that foster wellbeing and collaboration to cultural spaces that deepen participation and reflection, immersive design is beginning to redefine how people relate not only to technology, but to one another.

At the same time, this evolution challenges creators to think more carefully about the systems they are building:

• How do we create experiences that feel genuinely inclusive and accessible?

• How can immersive environments encourage reflection, connection and presence rather than distraction and overload?

• What does it mean to design spaces that do not simply capture attention, but actively support human experience in more meaningful and responsible ways?

Rather than treating immersion as spectacle alone, the conversation explores how emerging technologies can create responsive, participatory and emotionally resonant spaces designed not just to impress audiences but to understand and support them.

The discussion will explore how emerging technologies are reshaping the relationship between people, story and space and why empathy may become one of the most important design principles of the next decade. Central to the conversation then is the idea that immersive design should not be treated as spectacle alone but as a form of behavioural and emotional architecture.

Image courtesy Adipat Virdi

Drawing on my Empathy Engine Framework methodology, I argue that the most powerful immersive experiences are not those that overwhelm audiences with technology but those that reposition people as active participants within meaningful systems of interaction.

Developed through years of work across immersive theatre, XR, AI-driven storytelling and spatial experience design, the framework explores how empathy can be operationalised within environments, thus, transforming audiences from passive observers into emotionally and ethically engaged protagonists.

This approach reframes immersive space not as a layer placed onto architecture but as a living relational system capable of shaping attention, behaviour, memory and social connection.

At a time when AI-generated environments, responsive interfaces and intelligent spaces are rapidly becoming commercially viable, the conversation asks whether the future of immersive design will simply optimise engagement or whether it can help cultivate understanding, reflection and belonging.

Ultimately, “Immersive Spaces: Technology, Empathy & the Human Experience” is not simply a conversation about technology but becomes a conversation about what kind of human experiences we want to build into the spaces of the future and what responsibilities come with designing environments that increasingly think, respond and feel alongside us.

As the pageant queen of design weeks, Milan tends to go all out. And this year, the city-wide festivities were bigger and bolder than ever. The name of the game: balloons. From the most luxe brand-activations to emerging artist installations, giant inflated creatures and air-filled experiences emerged as a clear visual motif of the festival. Here, check out 5 standouts that rose above the crowd.

Courtesy of 10 Corso Como.

Courtesy of 10 Corso Como.

1. Moncler’s Octopus Invasion at 10 Corso Como

As if the celebrated creative hub, concept store and restaurant 10 Corso Como wasn’t iconic enough, this year’s pop-up took things to new heights—literally. Part of Moncler’s Puffy Summer campaign, the building’s facade was taken over by a giant, balloon octopus in a striking maroon hue. Bursting through windows and wrapping around walls, Moncler’s supersized mascot made for a thrilling observation from the street, and a fearsome presence for anyone who dared to dine (or shop) in the belly of the beast. And as far as fashion forecasts go, I’ve personally fallen for the puffy summer propaganda.

Photography by Giuseppe Miotto / Marco Cappelletti Studio. Courtesy of Sara Ricciardi Studio.

Photography by Giuseppe Miotto / Marco Cappelletti Studio. Courtesy of Sara Ricciardi Studio.

Photography by Sophie Sobol.

2. Serotonin: The Chemistry of Happiness by Sara Ricciardi Studio

Part of Brera Design District 2026, this colourful installation — titled Serotonin: The Chemistry of Happiness — by artist Sara Ricciardi for American Express explores the hormones that create human happiness. Made up of large, tie-dyed blue and pink balloon balls juxtaposed against the bones of the historic Loggia of the Pinacoteca di Brera, the installation is true to its name: a joyful surprise and a dynamic contrast. And for those who waited in line to walk within the installation, they’d find that the giant forms moved and breathed like living organisms.

Courtesy of Ulises.

Courtesy of Ulises.

Courtesy of Ulises.

Courtesy of Ulises.

3. Škoda Auto x Ulises Studio: Škoda Epiq

Located at the Palazzo Senato for a week-long takeover, this collaboration between Czech automobile manufacturer Škoda Auto and multidisciplinary design firm Ulises Studio looked like a video game brought to life. Led by Spanish architect, artist and studio-founder Ricardo Orts, the larger-than-life balloon installation was designed to promote the upcoming launch of new all-electric car, Škoda Epiq — plus a marketing campaign that would be heavily influenced by modelling clay. Drawing on this playful spirit, the result is a kind of adult fun house with slides, ball pits, relaxation zones, a mobile cafe and more. With over 60,000 visitors during its run, this installation was a crowd-favourite (it even received top prize for Fuorisalone 2026 as the top-rated installation.)

Photography by Giovanni Genzini. Courtesy of Sara Ricciardi Studio.

Photography by Giovanni Genzini. Courtesy of Sara Ricciardi Studio.

Photography by Giovanni Genzini. Courtesy of Sara Ricciardi Studio.

Photography by Giovanni Genzini. Courtesy of Sara Ricciardi Studio.

4. Dalfilo’s Dream Walkers

For anyone walking through Brera during Milan Design Week, you may have seen a troupe of ethereal wanderers dressed in all-white, carrying giant inflated pillows. These were the Dream Walkers—brought to life by Samira Cogliandro and Cult of Magic performers. Promoting a capsule collection of bed linens, dubbed Land of Dreamers, designed by Sara Ricciardi Studio for Dalfilo’s new flagship store on Corso Garibaldi 60, this dreamy performance and promotional stunt certainly turned heads. Plus, their jumbo balloon pillows surely stirred up some longing for tired tourists.

Photography by Sophie Sobol.

Photography by Sophie Sobol.

5. Marea / Tide by Habits

Inspired by the intersection of suspension, inflatable art and kinetic environments, Marea / Tide by Milan-based industrial design studio Habits spotlights a new, interactive aerial structure that explores how spatial thresholds shape social space. Created by a team of engineers, prototypists and software experts, these lightweight helium-filled modules react in real-time to user engagement, creating a responsive canopy that draws close and rebounds according to a robotic system of monitors, sensors and micro-fans. With a fluid choreography, the project name references the rise and fall of the tides.

Time is one of the hardest intangibles to fathom. It can feel both fleeting and unending; perceptively tied to specific places and conditions, yet also entirely untethered by context. With the advent of industrialization nearly four centuries ago—electric light “allowing” us to operate beyond the limitations of natural, seasonal rhythms—the perception of time itself accelerated.

The best we, as humans, have done to formalize and comprehend this unceasing force is the invention of the clock. This ubiquitous, endlessly reinterpreted instrument was modeled on ancient sundials and, before that, the inherent patterns of Earth’s rotation. Like a compass helping us navigate longitude and latitude, the conventional mechanism clearly demarcates cyclical measures of passing time through swinging hands moving across radial dashes or uniformly depicted numbers. Until now, this predominantly visual convention has, for the most part, remained unchallenged.

With innovative tech brand BALMUDA’s newly released The Clock, that changes. The small, handheld yet mighty device—cleverly hewn from a single block of aluminum and reflecting the form and feel of an old-school pocket watch—champions the new Light Hour system. With sequential dashes illuminated from behind in gentle gradients, there’s no need for additional apparatus or the aesthetically overloaded layering of hands. Rather than somewhat ominous, anxiety-inducing ticks, The Clock signals the passing of time through soft chimes and ambient soundscapes.

With a growing desire to push beyond, rather than simply revert from, the mounting pressures ushered in by industrialization, this fresh paradigm better supports actual human cadences. It is designed to facilitate the needs of today’s more health-conscious consumer. Through the meticulous chronomatic sequencing of light and sound, The Clock offers Wake, Focus, and Relax functions. The first gradually fades in. The second introduces white noise to reduce distraction. The third emits rainfall, cathedral bell, and crackling firewood sounds to imbue its surroundings with calm.

“As an adult, sleep takes effort, and lately I found myself relying on rain sounds played from a tablet to help me relax before sleep,” says Gen Terao. “However, using a connected device in the bedroom never felt quite right. This led to a simple idea: to create a dedicated clock designed to support better sleep through sound and light. The Clock was developed as a focused, distraction-free tool to improve how we rest.”

With its lightweight, compact form, the device is inherently portable and capable of doing its thing almost anywhere, untethered by context.

To explore The Clock and other products by the brand, visit balmuda.com.

Photography provided by BALMUDA.

The simple pleasures of life are defined personally – ice clinking in a glass of water on a hot summer’s day, a fresh bar of nice-smelling soap – certainly, not everything is for everyone, yet there are usually things that modern adults can agree upon. A clean home is usually one of those, and for those of us with pets or kids, it sometimes seems impossible to stop the  neverending flow of spills and messes. Operating like a self-driving car, Matic is a robot vacuum that doesn’t require you to remove obstacles beforehand. No more tangled wires or spinning out over a throw carpet, the cute little device switches automatically between sweep and mop functions, for a cleaner and more healthful home.

Security is essential to the Matic system, all mapping and information stored on the device itself. With an option to connect to wi-fi, the included app controls where, when, and how the device cleans – even remotely. These systems are end-to-end encrypted, ensuring the information gathered inside your home is safe and secure.

Ultra-quiet, Matic’s normal run volume is low enough to run at night. This allows more to get done while you sleep, and perhaps take advantage of those hours when dust can settle enough to be cleaned efficiently. Other devices navigate blind – bumping, guessing, and mapping in 2D. Matic uses five cameras and proprietary SLAM technology to build a 3D map of your home with 99.99% accuracy, keeping functions unobtrusive and protecting the errant charger.

With a low profile and large, grippy wheels, Matic is meant to navigate wood, tile, and carpet with ease. Even a playroom with toys and pencils is no match for Matic, understanding what stays and what goes efficiently.

Dynamic movement is sometimes the downfall of an otherwise successful vacuum cycle, pets and robots not necessarily on the same page. With a creature around, brushes and all rotating elements are situated on the bottom of the device, with protective covering to keep things contained. Simply pop the lid, replace the bag, and you’re on your way to a cleaner home once again.

Ever dropped a bowl of soup, or perhaps a bottle of olive oil? An instance as such has the power to ruin a whole day. Save some time and sanity with a vacuum that truly can handle it all, and values your privacy as well. Just set it up once, and let it do its job, so you can go do yours.

To learn more about the Matic robot vacuum, visit maticrobots.com.

Photography courtesy of Matic.

One device is synonymous with the image of 1980s music: the legendary Sharp GF-777 boombox. Though not the first portable music playing device of its kind, this derivation had both style and substance. Released in 1983, the then advanced four-speaker, dual-cassette apparatus carried a rugged yet effortlessly elegant look that quickly made it a status symbol with the time’s street culture.

For the true music mavericks and aficionados of the era—the pioneers of Hip Hop, R&B, House, Techno, etc.—the device was a marker of taste; denoting a keen understanding of quality. Wrapped in a sleek chrome finish and bold primary color accents, the GF-777 was ideal for recording and mixing; enabled with tone controls for customized sound and to connect other devices.

Looking to recapture this glory but without the overly nostalgic reverence defining a lot of retro-tech these days, specialized producer Bumpboxx has released the reimagined but greatly optimised BB-777—cohereing classic analog formats with top-grade digital performance. “We wanted to build the boombox we grew up with, but engineered for today; something powerful, reliable, and complete,” says company founder Rob Owens. “The BB-777 is our way of proving that physical sound still matters.”

While it still incorporates the defining dual cassette deck, the at once historically cued and future forward device covers all the bases—tracks the evolution of music technology over the past three decades—with included radio, CD player, bluetooth streaming and USB playback. It’s TSA-approved rechargeable battery provides up to 15 hours of cordless power. With multi-voltage 100–240V AC compatibility, the BB-777 can be used almost anywhere around the world.

Thanks to two 6.25-inch super woofers, replete with independent channel gain, the revived boombox delivers up to 270 watts of power output. The BB-777 also includes two 6.25-inch coaxial speakers—emtting balanced mids and detailed clarity—and two horn tweeters—ensuring crisp, high-frequency projection. The fan-cooled amplifier provides thermal stability during periods of extended use. There are two wired microphone inputs with volume and echo controls but also ones that are built-in. Naturally, the BB-777 comes with a headphone output.

To learn more, visit bumpboxx.com.

Photography courtesy of Bumpboxx.

Milan Design Week is particularly good for one thing: holistically imagined installations that when conceived well demonstrate the potential use of new products. Where these go wrong is in simply mounting loosely defined, marketing ploy, stylized backdrops for an endless onslaught of replicative social media moments.

Falling squarely in the first category are Danish electronics producer Bang & Olufsen (B&O) and Italian premium stone purveyor Antolini. The seemingly disparate yet complimentary brands have joined forces to mount a fully sensorial Milan Design Week installation playing up the opportune coherence of immaterial sound with emphatically material stone, presented in a recreated natural setting brought indoors: Antolini’s centrally located Duomo Stoneroom.

The fully sensorial showcase demonstrates both brand’s capacity, with new and refreshed product ranges cleverly paired together—more explicitly suggesting potential applications. B&O’s new Beosound Haven outdoor speaker anchors on and cuts through slabs of Antolini’s mat-finish Taj Mahal quartzite.

Surrounding these totemic combines are tastefully manicured zen gardens; a contextualized, if slightly fantastical evocation of where both device and material might live. At the center, there is a pool of water with a cascade of droplets falling from above.

“Design at Bang & Olufsen has always been about understanding the relationship between technology, materials, and the spaces people inhabit,” says Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, Senior Director of Design. “Through Beosound Haven – our forthcoming landscape speaker – we explore sound as an architectural language. It interacts with materials and forms atmosphere, creating a refined sense of place that is both subtle and powerful. It reflects our ambition to find new ways for sound to enrich the experience – not only as something you hear, but as something you truly feel.”

The collaboration extends to a limited run of the Beolab 18 speaker, produced using Antolini’s comprehensive range of natural stone products in matte finish: Amazonite, Retro Black Petrified Wood, Patagonia Original, Dalmata, and Cipollino Grey Wave, as well as Taj Mahal. “In collaboration with Bang & Olufsen, we have moved beyond traditional design to embrace the open air,” Carlo Alberto Antolini, owner of Antolini. “By blending the raw elegance of natural stone with precision sound, we’ve created a bridge between nature and technology. These landscape speakers are not just objects, they are a dialogue between the elements, transforming gardens and terraces into living galleries.”

To learn more about the Beosound Haven by Bang & Olufsen in collaboration with Antolini, visit bang-olufsen.com.

Photography by Max Zambelli.

A heatwave hack, a last resort—perhaps even a stand-in for traditional air conditioning—tiny fans have long hovered somewhere between novelty and quiet surrender. Dyson, unsurprisingly, has other plans. Enter the HushJet Mini Cool: a handheld, wearable, desk-friendly device that reframes personal cooling as less of a coping mechanism and more of a lifestyle accessory—one that just so happens to deliver airflow speeds up to 25 m/s (about 55 mph).

Weighing just under half a pound—roughly the heft of a smartphone—it’s engineered for the kind of constant companionship usually reserved for earbuds and iced coffee. And in a world where overheating is both literal and metaphorical—packed commutes, open-plan offices, increasingly ambitious summers—the health benefits of staying cool are no longer trivial. Regulating body temperature can help maintain cognitive performance, reduce fatigue, and keep irritability at bay, effectively turning personal cooling into a productivity tool.

Dyson, predictably, doesn’t stop at function. This is as much an aesthetic recalibration as it is a technical one. Personal fans have historically been relegated to the same kooky category as neck pillows and emergency ponchos—useful, but hardly aspirational. The HushJet Mini Cool course-corrects with a design language that feels closer to wearable tech than seasonal accessory. Three finishes—Cobalt/Ink, Carnelian/Sky, and Stone/Blush—lean into contrast, softness, and emotional resonance, turning airflow into something almost expressive.

Even the acoustics get a glow-up. Dyson’s HushJet projection system doesn’t just move air efficiently; it refines the sound profile, stripping out the high-pitched whir that has long defined the category. The result is cooling that considers ambient comfort as much as performance—present, but polite.

Then there’s the versatility. Handheld on the move, perched on a desk when focus is fleeting, or worn hands-free when your outfit—or your patience—can’t accommodate another device. Add a lanyard, travel pouch, or optional clips and mounts, and it becomes less a single object and more a system for staying composed in increasingly uncomposed conditions.

Seventeen years of airflow engineering distilled into something that fits in your palm, the HushJet Mini Cool makes a compelling case: staying cool is no longer just about survival—it’s about self-regulation, performance, and a bit of style. Because if you’re going to carry a fan, it might as well look intentional.

To shop this and other innovations by the brand, visit dyson.com.

Photography courtesy of Dyson.

There’s a particular kind of expectation that follows Apple and their iconic announcements—a belief that even the most familiar object can be recalibrated into something more ambient, more intuitive, or more essential. We’ve been spoiled lately. But with the introduction of AirPods Max 2, that expectation is less about reinvention than refinement. The quiet yet consequential upgrades to this device actively shape the conditions in which we live, work, and move.

Powered by the H2 chip, the second generation of Apple’s over-ear headphones leans into listening as a series of adaptive experiences—shifting through context, intention, and identity to serve personas defined by how sound integrates into daily life.

The Traveler: Silence as Infrastructure

Movement has always been synonymous with noise—the low, constant roar of airplane engines, the unpredictable cadence of trains or cars, and the friction of shared space with pedestrian traffic. For the traveler, AirPods Max 2 operate as a kind of arbiter of quiet, better negotiating that boundary between calm and chaos.

With Active Noise Cancellation now up to 1.5x more effective, the headphones carve out a private auditory interior, dampening everything from cabin turbulence to commuter chatter. Paired with Adaptive Audio, which continuously calibrates the balance between noise cancellation and environmental awareness, the experience becomes fluid rather than fixed.

The Live Translation feature subtly repositions the weary traveler as an active participant in social situations otherwise inaccessible. Language barriers soften in real time to foster meaningful exchange. And sound creates connective tissue between otherwise disparate cultures.

The Remote Worker: Focus by Design

The office is no longer defined by cubicles or traditional commercial space. Today, it’s more often a balance between home, café, car, and everything in between. AirPods Max 2 respond to this ambiguity with a suite of features that treat focus as something engineered for efficiency.

Voice Isolation prioritizes speech clarity during calls by filtering out the ambient unpredictability of shared environments. Conversation Awareness recognizes when users step out of their workflow automatically lowering audio and enhancing nearby voices, allowing for seamless transitions between concentration and casual interaction.

Most intriguing is the introduction of studio-quality audio recording. For podcasters, journalists, and creators, the line between consumption and production dissolves. AirPods Max 2 becomes a tool for making, enabling high-fidelity recording with natural vocal texture directly from the device’s microphone.

The Aesthete: Sound as a Style Signifier

Apple has long understood that technology is as much about presence as performance. With AirPods Max 2, that philosophy extends into a palette of fresh finishes—midnight, starlight, orange, purple, and blue—that position the headphones as objects of self-expression as much as technical tools.

What’s more, Personalized Spatial Audio introduces a deeply individualized listening experience, mapping sound to the contours of the user’s perception. Using the iPhone’s TrueDepth camera, listeners can scan their ear shape to generate a custom audio profile, resulting in more precise, immersive surround sound. Instruments feel placed rather than played, and music becomes architectural occupying space with greater clarity and intention.

Even the addition of camera remote functionality gestures toward a broader lifestyle integration transforming the headphones into a tool for capturing, composing, and curating one’s image. For the aesthete, AirPods Max 2 operate at the intersection of design and identity.

While this list is far from exhaustive, a larger narrative begins to take shape. AirPods Max 2 are more about tuning into oneself than escaping the world. In a culture increasingly defined by noise—literal and otherwise—that kind of control feels quite lovely.

To shop the AirPods Max 2, visit apple.com.

Photography courtesy Apple.

The power of craft has touched every facet of design since the dawn of time. At the Harvard Graduate School of Design, students Annie Xing, Luke Fiorante, Joseph Fujinami, and Chi Zhang investigate the logic of making by hand—and whether the modalities of robotics can learn these distinctly human gestures. A portmanteau of two Japanese words––”hikari,” meaning light, and “kirigami,” the art of cutting and folding a single sheet into three-dimensional form––Hikarigami explores the intersection of digital code and physical force.

What begins as a flat aluminum sheet evolves into a volumetric luminaire composed of six formed panels, each contributing to a dynamic field of light. A function of both process and progress, the material is first laser-cut with a variable lattice pattern derived from computational simulations, then shaped through robotic incremental forming—transforming the planar into the spatial without the use of molds or conventional tooling.

Alike to chainmail, each motif follows a continuous logic, yet no two are identical. The lattice varies in density and geometry, guiding how the aluminum bends, resists, and ultimately refracts light. The result is a porous, light-refracting surface where structure, texture, and illumination emerge simultaneously from a single act of making.

A robotic arm—an ABB industrial model guided by Grasshopper and custom toolpath scripts—presses into the metal sheet with sub-millimeter precision, forming each panel point by point. This process, known as single-point incremental forming, borrows from aerospace and automotive manufacturing, yet is recontextualized here as a tool for design exploration. Each deformation is deliberate, yet responsive, producing subtle variations that make every panel—and every projection of light—distinct.

Seemingly similar yet with a modality all its own, Hikarigami’s magic comes from within. When illuminated, the six panels act as both diffuser and lens, casting caustic light patterns that shift across walls and floors. The experience is neither static nor singular; it evolves with movement, angle, and proximity, dissolving at times into atmosphere, and at others revealing a dense, almost textile-like surface language.

The raw, unfinished aluminum bears the marks of its own creation—subtle irregularities, directional grain, and residual tensions left by the robotic tool. These are not imperfections, but a visible record of process, allowing the object to carry its own romantic narrative of making. Over time, the material will continue to change, taking on a patina shaped by use and environment.

The Harvard graduate team is as follows: Annie Xing, who directed computational design and fabrication; Luke Fiorante, who specialized in robotic fabrication and toolpath programming; Joseph Fujinami, who led fabrication and structural assembly; and Chi Zhang, who contributed to robotic fabrication. Completed in 2025, the project delineates a new paradigm of manufacture—one where craft and automation are collaborators, and where variability and precision coexist within the same material language.

To learn more about the Hikarigami luminaire, please visit lukefiorante.com.

Photography by Annie Xing, Luke Fiorante, Joseph Fujinami, and Chi Zhang.