Interview: Kevin Hunter, President of Toyota’s Calty Design Research

We talk cars and design process with the head of California's original car design center

For the last decade Kevin Hunter has been the president of Calty—Toyota’s design research center in Newport Beach—but he’s worked there for nearly 35 years. When Calty opened its doors in 1973, it was the first Southern California-based design center for any major auto manufacturer and the beginning of a deeper recognition that the California market is both important and distinctive. Calty employs 100 designers …

Sleep Number 360 Smart Bed

Everything you've come to expect from a sleep-tracker, in an adjustable mattress

For anyone who’s spent substantial time adjusting a bed to their ideal position, Sleep Number’s recently debuted mattress, the 360 Smart Bed, does the adjusting for you. But that’s not all; this mattress tracks users’ sleep and reports to Sleep Number’s connected app for personal analysis. That data can integrate with a Fitbit and the whole system can be paired with a Nest thermostat. One …

Airbus Group’s Self-Piloted Flying Car

A vision to reduce traffic congestion by taking to the skies

A proposed benefit of the self-driving cars in development through numerous auto and tech companies is traffic reduction. Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders, however, wants to do one better—lift people off the streets and out of any potential complication. Speaking at Munich’s DLD digital tech conference, Enders addressed Airbus Group’s Project Vahana: a short-haul, self-flying urban aircraft. Yes, that’s more or less a flying car—announced …