Pocket Light

It’s about the size of a credit card and powered by a small cell. Flip up the lightbulb shaped cut-out to switch on the soft, mellow, glow of bliss. What’s the point? Novel - next time you have a bright idea, you can have an actual lightbulb “bling!” on.

Designer: Hyun Jin Yoon & Eun Hak Lee

0-60 Seconds in 60 Seconds…

Albert Einstein once said “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” Tell that to designer John Pszeniczny, he thinks time could use a turbo boost and has designed the fastest watch on Earth dubbed “F1/Carbon GMT”.

Inspired by the F1 race car world and constructed of carbon fiber, Swarovski crystal, rubber and metal, this timepiece has 18 identical rubies and tells the time in everyone of the 18 cities on the 2008 F1 circuit. With a built in lap timer function and a stopwatch, time will seem to stand still as it races by at relative speed…which is 42.

Designer: John Pszeniczny

Source: http://www.yankodesign.com/2008/10/06/got-a-light & http://www.yankodesign.com/2008/04/24/0-60-seconds-in-60-seconds/

Vuzix Wrap 920AV Glasses

There's little doubt that as we inch closer to the technological singularity, video-enabled glasses will play a part. Unfortunately, manufacturers have yet to produce a pair that don't make you look like a complete idiot, and bionic eye camera implants still seem a ways off.






Luckily, the folks at Vuzix must have grown tired of all the Geordi La Forge jokes, as their latest pair of video glasses look astonishingly normal. While there's no guarantee that the Vuzix Wrap 920AV won't induce muffled laughter from everyone around you, they do promise to combine virtual reality capabilities and augmented reality features into one of the least obnoxious designs we've seen yet. The Wrap 920AV glasses will supposedly connect with almost any media player, and include built in headphones and individual focal adjustments.


Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10127213-1.html?tag=mncol;txt

Displays that yields to the touch...

Hewlett-Packard and the Flexible Display Center (FDC) at Arizona State University announced the purported first prototype of what they call affordable, unbreakable flexible electronic displays.


For the uninitiated, a flexible display is a paperlike computer display that's made almost entirely out of plastic. According to HP, these displays consume less power than traditional computer displays and of course are more easily portable. They are also said to use up to 90 percent fewer materials than traditional displays by volume.


The press release states that "mass production of such displays can enable production of notebook computers, smart phones and other electronic devices at much lower costs since the display is one of the more costly components," but we'll have to wait and see if costs on these devices are actually lowered because of this technology.

The displays were created via a process called self-aligned imprint lithography (SAIL). SAIL purportedly enables thin film transistors to be fabricated on a flexible, plastic material in a roll-to-roll manufacturing process. According to HP, this allows for a more low-cost continuous production, rather than batch sheet-to-sheet production.

To create the display, FDC produces semiconductor materials and metals on flexible polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrates. Using the SAIL process HP then patterns the substrates and then integrates E Ink's Vizplex imaging film to produce the display on plastic.

Future of Internet Searching...

Mac Funamizu has a brilliant, forward-thinking concept of what of internet searching might look like on mobile devices in the future &

The device known as Looking Glass.

NEREUS ...a future watercraft

The world's first submersible fuel-free jetski...

Friends here is the world's first prototype of an under water jetski called the Nereus,

This jet-ski style watercraft is designed by Mathias Koehler. The whacky-looking concept uses the wind for propulsion, which means the rider can spend as long as they like out on, or under, the water.

Tell me, What could be more fun than flying a kite or riding a Waverunner? Try both at the same time! That’s the basic idea behind the “Nereus” water craft.

Powered by none other than Mother Nature herself, this water craft can deliver hours of fuel free fun above and below the water. Steering is managed via foot pedals and the diving function is handled vie the hand grips controlling the pivoting fins at the base. Sailing into the wind is a simple as traditional zig zag tacking.It’s much like sailing and jet skiing combined.

Time for a RIDE....

Source:www.yankodesign.com

Colourfull Water Ball Ripples

Water Ball Ripples

The Ripple faucet creates a new, fun way to interact with water. Drawing inspiration from surface ripples, the faucet creates a strong visual relationship between the two. On top of the frosted ripple surface sits a metal ball. An array of electromagnetic sensors detects that ball’s position. Moving the ball in or out from the center controls water pressure. Moving it around controls temperature.

The surface glows red or blue to denote how hot or cold it is. The two separate channels combine the hot and cold water to get the perfect mix. Don’t worry about scalding yourself tho. The water in the hot water channel isn’t actually hot until it’s ready to be mixed via flash heating.

Designer: Smith Newnam & Touch360 Studio

Normal

Cold

Hot

Source:http://www.yankodesign.com

A Future HAND Glove

Talk to the hand via 'HandTalk'

There may come a day when telling someone to "Talk to the hand" won't intimate you're turning a deaf ear to what the other person has to say.

Quite the contrary. Designers Bhargav Bhat, Hemant Sikaria and Priya Narasimhan have in hand a prototype gadget called HandTalk, which essentially is a phone for the hearing impaired. This wearable glove device detects the motions and gestures used in sign language, translates these into audio, then plays this back on a cell phone or mobile device.

Recently showcased at the Meeting Of The Minds expo at Carnegie Mellon University Center, the mobile software app can reportedly detect 32 words to date--a mere drop in the ocean of the hearing impaired's vocabulary.

But it's a start, and one the team hopes to expand by integrating pressure sensors and accelerometers to augment the flexor strips on the glove's digits. Hopefully, too, this turns out to be more than just vaporware, unlike a certain glove camera.

Source:http://crave.cnet.com

Super Long Phone

World’s Super Long Phone




Finally, a mobile phone that bucks the trend.There is a big competition among different mobile companies that claim their mobile phones to be “the smallest“, “the thinnest” or “the lightest“. But how about manufacturing a mobile phone that is “the longest”?

Most phones are designed to be pocket-friendly. But the designer Tamer Koseli thinks a bit different. His phone is probably the world’s longest phone ever made.

He wanted to create a device with no superfluous features. That’s right, you won’t find a MP3 player, video capabilities, or even a camera. But WAIT! Don’t dismiss the Super Phone yet because it’s got a touchscreen. The idea behind the extra long design? There's more screen estate naturally, which means there's plenty of room for touchscreen functionality.

There are, in fact, two displays: One OLED that shows basic info, the other for scrolling. And from the pictures, while there’s no digital camera onboard, there appears to be an expansion slot of some sort. So, if this Super Phone manufactured commercially, would you be interested in buying one?

Source:www.techlivez.com

Toyota’s Lightweight 1/X Concept

Toyota 1/x concept

After presenting the 1/X concept , Toyota has proved again that they are the pioneer in the field of the future cars. It seems that they are going to utilise each and every space of this car , so that unneccessary space can be avoided.They are trying to reduced the weight of the car also so that we a get good fuel milege in a result.

It seems like every other day now that a car company announces a new concept that is redefining what it means to be an environmentally friendly vehicle. However, when Toyota says it, we tend to take a closer look. It was Toyota, after all, that created the Prius, the standard to which all subsequent hybrid vehicles are measured. The Toyota 1/x concept, which recently appeared at the Chicago Auto Show, is Toyota’s latest attempt at redefining what a green vehicle means. And to them, it is all about making it weigh less.

The name 1/X refers to the reduced amount of weight, emissions and fuel consumption that the vehicle has compared to that of other similar vehicles in its class. It is made from a carbon fiber reinforced plastic frame, that is quite strong but much lighter than conventional framing system. The shape of the vehicle is a result of a desire by Toyota’s designers to create a smaller space, that would have a feeling of openness. It has the same amount of space as a Prius, yet weighs about a third

Toyota is looking for more ways to squeeze every inch from a gallon of gas possible. This 1/X concept design was built from the ground up with light weight materials, with which they hope to double the Prius’ already impressive mileage ranking. Some interesting choices can be found overhead. The roof is transparent, heat and noise insulating, and made from a bio-plastic derived from kenaf and ramie plants. The wheels are thinner than normal cars due to its extreme light weight.This design, combined with the lightness of the car means that it can travel for over 600 miles on a four-gallon tank of fuel. Pretty impressive effort from Toyota, one of the only companies successfully marketing hybrids today.

The roof is transparent, heat and noise insulating, and made from a bio-plastic derived from kenaf and ramie plants. The seats of the vehicle are extremely light, yet, according to Toyota, quite comfortable. The entire front of the vehicle is clad in an LED lighting system that provides a soft glow, illuminating the entire front surface of the vehicle. And, due to the light weight of the vehicle, the 1/X’s wheels are smaller and thinner than those of a regular vehicle. They have even reduced the amount of water splashed by the tires when traveling on wet surface.

The aerodynamic shape of the 1/X and unique cabin design result in smaller pillars, allowing passengers more visibility and helping to create a greater sense of openness and freedom with its outer surroundings for driver and passengers.The 1/X roof is produced from a bio-plastic made from environmentally-responsible material derived from kenaf and ramie plants. The result is a roof that improves heat insulation, emits less carbon dioxide, increases the amount of light entering the cabin, and reducing noise.

On the inside, the 1/X employs four ultra-lightweight seats made of polyester fiber that is knitted three-dimensionally for added comfort. The material functions like a spring or damper that helps create a cushion-like feel for all occupants

The 1/x is meant to operate at a fuel efficiency that is double that of the Prius. It comes with a plug-in hybrid unit and a small fuel-engine. This design, combined with the lightness of the car means that it can travel for over 600 miles on a four-gallon tank of fuel. Overall, a pretty impressive technology package from Toyota

Source:http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/04/08/transportation-tuesday-toyotas-lightweight-1x-concept/

LIFESAVER Bottle

Life saving Design

Availability of clean drinking water is massive problem all over the world. From natural disasters like 2004’s tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, to war torn areas of the word, countless lives are unnecessarily lost due to bacteria and virus filled wells, lakes and streams.

LIFESAVER bottle is the world’s first all in one ultra filtration water bottle. It will remove bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and all other microbiological waterborne pathogens without using chemicals like iodine or chlorine which leave a distinctive foul taste. LIFESAVER bottle produces filtered sterile drinking water quickly and easily. It incorporates LIFESAVER systems’ unique FAILSAFE technology (another world first) which shuts off the bottle’s cartridge upon expiry, preventing contaminated water from being drunk.With LIFESAVER bottle there is no need for tablets, boiling, chemicals, tubes, shaking, scrubbing, waiting or effort. LIFESAVER bottle produces clean, sterile drinking water with no foul taste - fast!

The Lifesaver is designed to operate at any angle, or on any axis. This means that the bottle can be used to fill a variety of water storage vessels easily. The pneumatic action of the bottle allows water to be pressurized for use in applications where a high pressure spray of water is needed, like the sanitation of a wound. The possible applications for this innovative design are vast and include use by the military, where it will reduce the weight carried by soldiers, as well as in rescue operations, like the one faced by response teams after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.

In this example, many people perished in the weeks after the tsunami hit, simply because they had no access to clean drinking water. Instead of providing the water directly - an expensive and time consuming logistical challenge that also requires the clean up of millions of empty bottles - rescue efforts could supply the means by which every person was able to collect safe water themselves. With the Lifesaver bottle there is no time wasted filtering water at the point of collection or waiting for chemicals to work, you simply collect the water, apply a few pumps, and drink.

Winner of countless design and product awards, the LIFESAVER bottle dispenses the need for tablets, boiling, chemicals, tubes, shaking, scrubbing, waiting or effort. The LIFESAVER bottle could be one of the most important designs this century so far.

Source:www.yankodesign.com & www.gizmag.com

DIGITAL POT

Plants Tell You What They Want

This is Digital Pot a concept from designer Junyi Heo that's a 21st Century plant pot. It's filled with sensors measuring temperature, soil moisture and the like. It lets you know the results on a display with a mix of emoticons and symbols, so your plants can tell you what they want (and no: they probably don't want you to smoke them.)







Growing plants would be a lot easier if plants could express what it is they need from you. Fret not because that’s what the Pet Plant by Junyi Heo does. The very sleek looking pot measures soil conditions, temperature, humidity, and water - calculates those variables based on the need of said plant, and expresses its condition via a series of pictograms on an LCD display.

It’s also smart enough to know if you’ve over watered and will systematically drain itself into a water vessel. All this high tech goodness does mean it needs power but a simple USB interface does double duty by charging and transmitting pertinent information to and from computer software.

It's even clever enough to drain itself if you're a chronic over-waterer and charges via USB— also sending its data to your PC for your perusal. Just a concept, but a rather cute one, don't you think?

Source: www.yankodesign.com

DEATH WATCH & ROCKET-COPTER

Timex concept is a literal death watch

Here's something we don't want:

the Timex 2154 life index watch. Years ago we came across a page called Deathforecast.com, which predicts how long you'll live depending on the answers to a couple dozen questions. That was morbid enough, but now there's something that does it one better by providing a constant physical reminder of one's mortality.Chances are, you’ve come across or heard of longevity calculators, but now instead of turning to sites like Deathforecast.com or crunching numbers according to longevity statistics.Timex is making it possible to wear your personal count down clock on your body in a form similar to nicotine patches.

The "Life Index Watch" is a concept developed for a Timex competition that keeps track of your remaining days based on personal biometrics. or that counts the minutes you have left to live.And just to make sure you don't miss one nerve-wracking second, it's meant to be "worn like a patch on the skin," according to ProductDose.

Basically, you put it on your skin, where it reads your biometric stats to determine how much longer you'll be alive. Pretty frightening, but even worse, it appears to be only available in purple.The digits displayed are based on your personal biometrics.

I’m not too sure why anyone would wear this, but it’s probably meant to raise awareness, no remind people that their lives are shortened by smoking cigarettes, consuming alcohol and living under stress, and that when they exercise and right, they can actually increase their lifespan.

Why anyone would want something like this is beyond us. Then again, maybe it's meant to remind us that life is short, so remember to enjoy the important things while we're here.

Source: http://www.crave.cnet.com/

Personal rocket-copter for your commute

With $4 gas prices looking like a permanent fact of life, consumer interest in jetpacks and other forms of personal air transport might soon go from whimsy to reality. That seems to be driving the engineers at Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana, whose latest project is the "Libelula Rocket Helicopter."
Don't laugh. This may look like something from a '50s sci-fi movie, but its creators have already produced a "Rocket Belt" built to custom specifications. The personal chopper could be also be more reliable than its full-size counterparts because, Dvice says,

"by using tiny rocket motors at the tips of the rotor blades, the Libelula eliminates the torque which makes a tail rotor necessary in a conventional helicopter."

There are other potential advantages over the jetpacks we've seen, including price. We assume that the Libelula will be at least a tad cheaper than the Rocket Belt, which goes for $250,000--that's crazy money to pay for anything, let alone something that can fly for only 30 seconds at a time. Then again, the way prices at the pump are going, it might be worth another look.

Source: http://www.crave.cnet.com/

Strangest Gadgets of the Future

Solar Powered LED Light

The LightCap is basically a solar powered water bottle which has a built-in LED light in its lid. It features a waterproof solar panel, battery pack, and "will stay bright for hours while the rechargeable Ni-Cad batteries will last for at least 300 cycles" on a four hour charge -- in sunlight. This device measures 8 ¼" tall and 3 ¾" wide with a 32 oz capacity. No word yet on pricing and availability.

Source: http://www.yankodesign.com/ & www.techeblog.com

Intelligent Spoon

Connie Cheng and Leonardo Bonanni have developed the world's first "Intelligent Spoon". It's equipped with sensors to measure temperature, acidity, salinity, and viscosity. Download the recorded data to any computer via a cable for furthur processing.

This project aims to introduce computing into traditional culinary utensils. It seeks to provide information, in an integrated manner, about any food the spoon is in contact with, and to offer suggestions to improve the food. The spoon is equipped with sensors that measure temperature, acidity, salinity, and viscosity, and is connected to a computer via a cable. The sensors evaluate the different properties of the food, and send them to the computer for further processing.

" Apart from consolidating measurements that are normally done by an array of equipments into a single spoon,the information obtained can be used to advise the users what their next step should be,for example it tells the user if there is not enough salt in the brine prepared to make pickles "

source: http://www.media.mit.edu/ci/projects/intelligentspoon.html
www.techeblog.com

Citizen's Memory LCD

Citizen Japan has unveiled a new LCD technology -- called "memory liquid crystal" -- that retains the image even when turned off. Basically, its inorganic membrane and angled orientation keep the crystals frozen without needing power. Practical applications would include watches and mobile phone displays.

Used in conventional liquid-crystal orientation polyimide film instead, inorganic orientation film used for the orientation film and liquid crystal molecules with extreme angle of 20 degrees on the memory to achieve. In addition, the gap between conventional glass substrate of about 1 / 3 the following, could improve memory and low-voltage (5 V) is the driving.

Major Features

◆ It is also shown to cut the power is maintained by the memory of a function LCD display.

◆ picture writing except when they are not needed for power, as compared to conventional LCD about 1 / 50 (※ rewriting frequency of 1 / 10 sec for) the low power consumption.

◆ orientation film material is used as inorganic orientation film, film and the orientation of liquid crystal molecules and a 20-degree angle near the pole by setting a sufficient memory to ensure success.

◆ glass substrate of the LCD to the usual gap of about 1 / 3 or less narrowing of the memory of better results occur as expected.

◆ PASSHIBUMATORIKKUSU display system for Adoption, detailed images can be formed.

Uses

◆Electronic shelf tags and other types of meters and as part of the liquid crystal display

◆As mobile phone sub-LCD display Or e-books as part of electronic paper display

◆In addition, low-power consumption is required as part of any liquid crystal display

source: http://www.citizen.co.jp/release/06/060413me.html

www.techeblog.com

Origami DVD Player

This Origami DVD Player concept uses a fully-flexib

le display technology (e-paper) to ensure maximum portability. When not in use, the screen folds up neatly back into the case. From the image, it looks to sport integrated speakers as well. No word yet on if this concept will go into production.

"As a product, it would target the business traveler who wants a convenient way to watch DVD movies "

source: http://inventables.com & www.techeblog.com