Japanese freelance concept artist E wo kaku Peter has a unique flair for imagining technologies future and past paired together in realistic illustrations. His clear fondness for mechanical and military designs, as apparent on his online art gallery filled with illustrations of fighter jets, tanks, air craft carriers and robots, also finds expression in his focus on everyday life, resulting in thought-provoking and sometimes whimsical visions of an alternate reality.

His recent work appearing on his Twitter feed focuses on communication technology.

This illustration of a trio of Twitter terminals seems to borrow the aesthetic of public pay phones.

Part of a series called "2030," this illustration entitled "Public Smartphone" was included in E wo kaku Peter's most recent art book, a screenshot of which he shared on his Twitter account. The caption for the illustration reads:

"My concept for this drawing: Although the technology in the hardware is from the present, the way it’s being used is from the past. Just by itself, this public phone would only have been a piece of nostalgia, but the way I drew it, I think I was able to give it a more punk look."

Here, a device somewhat reminiscent of NTT's "shoulder-phone" 100 circa 1985 is re-imagined with today's technology (an iPhone-like smartphone) and a bit of tomorrow's (a holographic interface).

This design imagines a world in which the old train ticket punch, now obsolete in all but a few rural railway lines, is compatible with digital IC cards currently used in almost all forms of transportation in Japan. The word kokutetsu visible on the yellow battery is an abbreviation for Japanese National Railways, the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.

This illustration is entitled "Public Assault Rifle." According to E wo kaku's Twitter account, he borrowed from the design of an umbrella locker (often found in Japan in front of supermarkets or museums).

When asked if he had a message, he gave this somewhat tongue-in-cheek reply: "I use umbrellas as weapons rather than to keep the rain away, so I have no message here at all." The text printed on the outside of the container reads: "Let's build a bright society together -- Ministry of Heavy Firearms."

A vampire hunter's briefcase in an alternate future. The garlic and cross don't seem to have changed, but the tools of the trade have been seriously upgraded.

E wo kaku Peter calls this one: "Home Security Soldier."

As we mentioned earlier, E wo kaku Peter also has a passion for military designs. You can enjoy beautifully drawings such as this on his online art gallery. In addition, although his art book is not currently available for sale, you can purchase some of his jet fighter drawings and a making-of movie at his online shop here.

To see his latest work, be sure to follow his Twitter account here.