At this year’s Amsterdam Light Festival, event goers certainly won’t have a hard time finding the exhibition’s ticketing booth — after all, it’s been constructed as a giant LED-lit biometric pavilion. Designed and manufactured by the Holland-based UNStudio and textile firm MDT-tex, the structure — dubbed Eye_Beacon Pavilion — draws its inspiration from bioluminescent sea organisms. In other words, it’s like nothing festival fans have ever witnessed before; it’s truly stunning.
“Similar to deep sea creatures that use bioluminescence to signal, attract, and inform, the Eye_Beacon uses choreographed light sequences to alert visitors to its dual function as both a sculpture and an information point for the festival,” said UNStudio’s Ben van Berkel to Arch Daily. “Along with the effect of the pavilion partially overhanging the Amstel River, the twist that connects the two halves of the structure emphasizes the crossing point between the land and water routes of the festival.”
Comprised of two separate cube-like structures which are fused together by a series of flexible surfaces, the pavilion boasts a whopping 250 different panels. Built by MDT-tex using tensile modules, each panel not only provides a perfect template for projecting LED lights but also for showing silhouetted flashes of the interior. Furthermore, the LED lighting consistently changes its colors which dramatically alters the structure’s appearance from moment to moment. While it is a sight to behold for anyone visiting the festival, it’s from a distance that the pavilion really shines — no pun intended.
UNStudio and MDT-tex situated their innovative pavilion on the Amstel River’s western bank, right near the city’s Blauwbrug bridge. As mentioned above, the Eye_Beacon serves as the festival’s ticket booth but also functions as an information hub that connects the event’s “Water Colors” canal route with its “Illuminade” installation. Having officially debuted on December 1, the Amsterdam Light Festival will continue its stay along the river until January 22.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.