Graduate shows 2015: University of Brighton graduate Amber Defroand has designed a vibrator with interchangeable shafts to "enable women to personalise their sexual experiences". More about Pillow Play modular sex toys are designed for personalised pleasure
Dezeen and MINI Frontiers: last year London studio The Workers built a fleet of robots that allowed the public to remotely explore galleries and museums from their computers at home. In this interview, studio co-founder Tommaso Lanza explains how they did it (+ movie). More about Fleet of robots by The Workers allow the public to explore galleries by night
Ocean plastic is this year's breakthrough material. Pharrell Williams has used it to produce a range of clothes, Adidas has launched a range of trainers and a young designer has created a machine to harvest tonnes of the waste material from the sea. See all our stories about ocean plastic »
More about Today we like: designers working with ocean plastic
Dutch fashion designers Viktor & Rolf transformed broken picture frames filled with fabric into haute-couture gowns during their latest catwalk show, by taking them off a wall and draping them over models. More about Viktor & Rolf dresses models in wearable paintings during Paris couture show
Graduate shows 2015: tiny turbines installed in the arteries of genetically modified cows provide a solution to future energy production in this fictional scenario by RCA graduate Paul Gong. More about Bloodflow of beefed-up bovines harnessed for energy in The Cow of Tomorrow project
French designer Samy Rio has received the highest honour at this year's Design Parade festival in Hyères for his products that incorporate bamboo. More about Bamboo hairdryer and speakers win Grand Prix at Design Parade 10
Sportswear brand Adidas has launched a prototype shoe with an upper made entirely from yarns and filaments produced using plastic salvaged from the ocean (+ slideshow). More about Adidas unveils sports shoes made from recycled ocean waste
This window by Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel is made up from coloured solar cells that harvest energy from the sun and convert it into electricity to charge small computer devices. More about Marjan van Aubel's "stained glass window" harvests solar energy to charge mobile phones
An installation of more than two million translucent straws provides the setting for a retrospective exhibition of work by Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka (+ slideshow). More about Tokujin Yoshioka uses millions of straws to recreate Tornado installation in Japan
Graduate shows 2015: these headphones by Royal College of Art graduate Gemma Roper clip to a cycling helmet and play music through the wearer's cheekbones so they are still able to listen out for vehicles (+ movie). More about Bone-conduction headphones allow cyclists to hear traffic noise while listening to music
Brooklyn studio Snarkitecture has transformed the grand hall of the National Building Museum in Washington DC into a "beach" featuring a sea of translucent balls and a shoreline dotted with lounge chairs and umbrellas (+ slideshow). More about Snarkitecture fills Washington DC museum with nearly one million plastic balls
Rio 2016: the 2016 Olympic torch by São Paulo studio Chelles & Hayashi has been revealed ahead of next year's games in Rio de Janeiro. More about Expanding torch for Rio 2016 Olympic Games unveiled
Artek is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala's birth by re-releasing a set of glass lampshades he created in the 1960s. More about Artek reintroduces coloured glass lampshades by Tapio Wirkkala
The research arm of Dutch studio OMA created a 1990s-style nightclub in Paris to host a one-off event for fashion brand Miu Miu (+ slideshow). More about AMO designs pop-up Miu Miu Club for fashion event in Paris
Fans of Bubble Wrap are up in arms after its American manufacturer unveiled a new variety of inflatable packaging that doesn't pop under pressure. More about Bubble Wrap redesigned to create pop-less packaging material
In this movie, Dutch designer Hella Jongerius introduces the three latest additions to Danskina's range of rugs and explains how she "always starts with the yarn" when designing new textiles. More about Hella Jongerius' new rugs for Danskina were designed from the yarn up
The education system is "obsolete" and fails to reflect the way creative people work, according to trend forecaster Li Edelkoort, who is introducing a new department of Hybrid Design Studies at Parsons School of Design in New York (+ interview). More about Li Edelkoort introduces hybrid design to Parsons "to loosen things up"
Ceramic triangular prisms are arranged as staggered peaks to form this public installation by Istanbul studio SO? Architecture and Ideas outside London's Royal Academy of Arts (+ slideshow). More about Unexpected Hill provides seating and climbing opportunities at the Royal Academy of Arts
Graduate shows 2015: Royal College of Art graduate Kyugum Hwang's perfume-designing station allows shoppers to create bespoke fragrances by picking complimentary scents from coloured containers (+ slideshow). More about Kyugum Hwang creates coloured Scent Palette for customising perfumes
Israeli architects Pitsou Kedem and Irene Goldberg have created a series of nature-influenced products for the home, including a shelving system that references a rock formation and a sink based on an iceberg. More about Pitsou Kedem unveils first items from Object furniture and homeware collection