Future humans grown in artificial wombs could replace the embrace of a parent with Heavy Duty Love, a machine created by sci-fi designer Lucy McRae for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021. More about Lucy McRae creates cushion machine to offer lab-grown humans a womb experience
Swedish designer Jonatan Nilsson built his own machine from sheet metal and wooden blocks to create this Shifting Shape collection of glass vases, which feature jagged edges and rippled surfaces. More about Jonatan Nilsson designs unique glassblowing contraption to make amorphous vases
Los Angeles-based artist Lucy McRae has created a machine she calls the Compression Carpet, which offers a hug to a person craving intimacy. More about Lucy McRae creates hugging machine as an antidote to the "touch crisis"
Danish design studio Flensted Mouritzen has created a running mould machine that makes sculptural plaster objects with mottled surfaces. More about Flensted Mouritzen adapt heritage plaster technique to make sculptural Revolve objects
Eindhoven-based Studio Joachim-Morineau has designed a manufacturing machine that replicates human error, to create ceramics with individual structures, patterns and textures. More about Dripping machine creates ceramics that marry technological precision with handmade details
Riccardo Blumer Atelier worked with a team of students to create this machine on show at the Venice Architecture Biennale, which is programmed to build and repair an 11-metre-long bubble wall. More about Automated machine by Riccardo Blumer Atelier builds a wall out of soap bubbles
Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Sooji Lee has created a hand-operated machine that painstakingly rewrites the Bodoni typeface in lowercase. More about Wooden machine produces "handwritten" version of Bodoni typeface
Graduate shows 2016: Central Saint Martins student Charlotte Nordmoen has designed a robotic potter that anticipates a time when human labour is no longer needed (+ movie). More about Charlotte Nordmoen's Humanmade robot designer could replace potters
Graduate shows 2016: Taiwanese designer Shawn Yang has created a giant version of a Spirograph toy that makes three-dimensional patterns on homeware (+ slideshow). More about Shawn Yang uses giant Spirograph to make home accessories
Dutch designer Dave Hakkens has updated his series of Precious Plastic machines, which anyone can build and use to make products by recycling the material (+ movie). More about Dave Hakkens updates open-source Precious Plastic recycling machines
Thousands of metal marbles tumble through this wooden contraption by Swedish musician Martin Molin, which is operated with gears to produce different sounds and create tunes (+ movie). More about Wintergatan Marble Machine plays music with metal balls
Design student Luiz Zanotello has created a machine that uses digital methods to map the location of the mythical Sandy Island (+ movie). More about Luiz Zanotello's New Velocity machine plots the position of a phantom island
Vienna Design Week 2015: a hammer that persistently strikes a stone and a "breathing" vacuum-packed sponge are among the moving sculptures that Norwegian studio Kneip has installed at a Viennese workshop (+ movie). More about Kneip creates miniature motorised sculptures from found objects
This machine by Dutch designer Jolene Carlier spurts popcorn from the end of a glass tube into a bright yellow bowl when the snack is ready to eat (+ movie). More about Willy Wonka-inspired machine propels popcorn through a curved glass tube
One-minute movie: Dutch sculptor Theo Jansen has created huge moving sculptures to prevent the erosion of sand dunes, which he claims are evolving without his help. More about Theo Jansen creates giant wind-powered Strandbeest sculptures
Interview: Dutch sculptor Theo Jansen has spent the last 24 years developing a series of wind-powered machines called Strandbeests that he describes as "a new species on Earth". Dezeen caught up with him on Miami Beach last week, where he explained how his creations are now evolving without his help (+ movie). More about "I try to make new forms of life," says Strandbeests creator Theo Jansen
Dutch Design Week 2014: Netherlands-based multidisciplinary artist Helmut Smits has developed a device for "a world in which drinking water can be harder to come by than Coca-Cola". More about Helmut Smits' The Real Thing turns Coca-Cola back into water
Synthetic human body parts mounted on robots dance to dramatic music in Dance Machines, an installation by British artist Peter William Holden in London (+ slideshow). More about Peter William Holden’s Frankensteinian robots perform dance routines to music
American brand Proper Coffee has developed a machine that can take up to four hours to brew one pot of coffee – a process expected to improve the richness and reduce acidity. More about Proper Coffee's Imperial Drip machine brews drinks slowly to improve flavour
Venice Architecture Biennale 2014: Space Caviar's algorithmic publishing project will be travelling to Venice for the architecture biennale, with the final issues from Milan design week now available to download – including contributions from Formafantasma and Martino Gamper (+ slideshow + download). More about Final issues of FOMO released as project prepares to visit Venice