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Around The Home
Go With the Flo: the transcendental toilet
20:58 May 19, 2009 PDT
"Men are never so serious, thoughtful, and intent, as when they are at stool." We wonder whether this quote from Gulliver's Travels influenced the thinking behind Go With the Flo - a self-sustaining toilet concept from students at ASU College of Design that calls on yoga principles in its quest to define the lavatory of the future. Read More
Alkeo ultra-violet cutting board
By David Greig
18:55 May 18, 2009 PDT
One quick way of coming down with a bout of food poisoning is by transferring bacteria and viruses from one food source to another – raw meats are a good example where contamination can occur. A cursory wipe with a cloth, or even a wash in hot soapy water, is unlikely to remove all the bacteria. The Alkeo from Joe Brussel is a self-sanitizing cutting board design that aims to improve food preparation safety by incorporating a medical-grade, germicidal UV lamp to destroy any nasty bugs. Read More
Demy digital recipe reader puts a world of dishes at your fingertips
By Darren Quick
17:34 May 18, 2009 PDT
Looks like the Key Ingredient Corporation is looking to be to recipes what Apple is to music. Instead of iTunes, it has the keyingredient.com website that lets people either share recipes publicly or store them privately and, instead of an iPod, it has the Demy – a digital recipe reader – with 7-inch touchscreen and "kitchen safe" casing – that syncs with your online Key Ingredient account. Read More
Make espresso on the go with the mypressi TWIST portable brewer
By Gizmag Team
01:28 May 15, 2009 PDT
Your life is stressful enough without having to wonder where your next shot of espresso is coming from. One sure-fire solution is to take it with you, and that's where the mypressi TWIST espresso maker from Espressi Inc. comes in. The portable device uses a unique pneumatic system that operates on common compressed gas cartridges and requires no external power so you can enjoy a fresh pull of go juice wherever you can find hot water. Read More
The NotHot Wine and champagne glass cooler
By Mike Hanlon
20:00 May 12, 2009 PDT
Chugging warm champagne or wine on a hot day can get you in all manner of trouble, and indeed, in the immortal words of Dorothy Parker, perhaps more – and delicate wine glasses don't withstand high ambient temperatures for long. Can and bottle insulators have now been around for decades, but when we saw the designer NotHot wine and champagne glass insulators we couldn't help but see all manner of new and more upmarket promotional possibilities. NotHot will create custom printed designs in nine different colours, enabling you to give your outdoor wedding, party or corporate event a unique and memorable take-away item that will go on working forever. There's even a lanyard available so you can hang your glass around your neck! Read More
Century-old French cabinet expected to fetch USD $1.5 million
By Mike Hanlon
19:46 May 11, 2009 PDT
An extraordinary cabinet described as the equivalent of the Cullinan diamond for French furniture will go under the hammer next month. First exhibited at the Salon du Mobilier in Paris in 1908 , the cabinet was made by the great French furniture maker Francois Linke, a leading light of the makers of French meubles de luxe in Paris during the Belle Epoque. Read More
A lamp that reads your mind…maybe
By Jude Garvey
16:48 April 29, 2009 PDT
A Princeton University research team claims that the Psyleron Mind Lamp changes color due to the power of the human mind. According to researchers, "electron tunneling" causes the lamp to move from deep shades of white, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, and magenta. The powerful LEDs within the lamp help to ensure that the lamp glows brightly even in a lit room. Read More
Shfud for thought
By Paul Best
21:59 April 26, 2009 PDT
If you can’t cook, it’s still possible to do it in style with a set of these kitchen utensil designs, called Shfud (pronounced sh-food). According to the designers Shfud is “about creating new motions in the kitchen that will inspire new ways of preparing food and a new generation of chefs”. The Shfud designs consist of a chopping ball, cutting blade and grater. Read More
Husqvarna's autonomous Automower 260 ACX calls for help via SMS
By Mike Hanlon
04:51 April 24, 2009 PDT
Homeowners with lawns 6000 m² or more spend more than 120 hours every year mowing lawns according to Husqvarna, the world's largest lawnmower manufacturer – that's the equivalent of three weeks work. Those with better things to do, can either pony up three week's wages for someone or buy the Automower 260 ACX, the biggest yet Husqvarna robotic lawnmower. The battery driven EUR 4,000 Automower 260 ACX just goes about its business, 24 hours a day, recharging itself through an electrically powered charging station when necessary. It's completely set-and-forget, and if it encounters any problems, it'll send an SMS to your mobile. Read More
New touch-free faucets use capacitive sensors to boost reliability
02:05 April 24, 2009 PDT
Automatic faucets are a good idea, they're convenient, hygienic and big water savers, but many of us who've encountered these "smart taps" in public washrooms would be familiar with the inordinate amount of hand-waving that's sometimes required to actually make them work. Fontaine believes it has the answer with its new line of Sensa Field automatic faucets. Rather than relying on motion activated Infrared sensors which have a tendency to cut out mid-rinse, these taps utilize a capacitive omni-directional sensing zone around the spout which the company says guarantees activation the first time. Read More
AquaHub conserves H2O in the garden
21:03 April 22, 2009 PDT
With water conservation becoming an increasingly urgent priority in many parts of the world, we're always on the lookout for something that saves on H2O. Described as a "power strip + surge protector for watering outdoors", the AquaHub is a water management tool that connects to a standard garden hose, branching out into six regulated irrigation outlets to pinpoint and cater for the specific needs of different areas within the garden, saving time as well as water. Read More
High-tech tap sets temperature using facial recognition
06:38 April 22, 2009 PDT
Once a new technology hits the deck we are constantly surprised by the different scenarios in which it gets applied, so I guess that means we should have seen this one coming. iHouse has unveiled a new concept product which brings facial recognition into the home bathroom. Dubbed the SmartFaucet, this indulgent piece of plumbing recognizes you when you stand in front of it and delivers water flow and temperature to suit your individual tastes, all while checking your email on the inbuilt touch-screen. Read More
The LG Artcool Photochangeable air conditioner goes quieter
By David Greig
17:47 April 18, 2009 PDT
April 16, 2009 In a world where ongoing technological improvements are accepted as the norm, a development that can hide or improve the appearance of those ugly necessities like air conditioners is a god send. Anything that lowers their noise level will also be warmly (pun intended) welcomed. After all who is really out there looking to purchase an air conditioner that will constantly interfere with the pleasant sounds of the home based entertainment system or wishes to place an ugly monstrosity in a prominent position in their home? The leading supplier of air conditioners in the world, LG has not only realized that air conditioners are not all about technology, design and style are just as important and a unit that runs as quiet as a mouse will be a big seller. Recently LG Electronics' launched the new low noise Deluxe Split Inverter Air Conditioning range that extends their highly successful range of Photochangable air conditioners. Read More
Cooking's silver lining: the roll-up stove-top
19:05 April 8, 2009 PDT
Cooking might be a chore or a pleasure, depending on your culinary proficiency. But what's out of your hands is how much room you have to prepare your culinary feast. If there's barely elbow room to stir your pots and pans, then this funky looking roll-up stove-top from Italian designer Maurizio Maiorana - called the Cooka – might be just the extra hand you need. The design resembles a yellow table mat and is made from a non-toxic, liquid silicone rubber that can be rolled up and easily stored once you've finished cooking with it. Read More
Dishwashers save more water than washing by hand?
By Jamilah Le
05:40 April 7, 2009 PDT
To handwash or not to handwash? When it comes to saving water, it seems some people firmly believe that the dishwasher is one of those things that need to be sacrificed. Too much water and energy is the argument. A new study firmly refutes this idea and - keeping in mind that it's presented by Electrolux, a company that makes washing machines - revisits the debate on dishwashers. Read More
Walking House: moving home takes on a whole new meaning
By Darren Quick
03:18 April 2, 2009 PDT
For anyone who has wanted to get away from it all without leaving the comforts of home Dutch design group N55 has just the thing – a walking house. Consisting of a basic module measuring 3.5m high by 3.5m wide and 3.72m long the walking house can cover a decidedly leisurely 60m an hour on its six insect like legs. Read More
BBQnique: outdoor entertaining that stands out from the crowd
By Jude Garvey
23:51 April 1, 2009 PDT
The BBQnique is a barbecue with a difference. The barbecue burner is incorporated into an outdoor granite dining table and offers a multitude of cooking options. Within minutes it can be changed from from a grill to a hot plate, oven or even a wok burner. Now, your dinner guests will be able to help prepare their own meal! Read More
LoJoBall: the lounging lovechild of bean bag and pouf
04:36 March 31, 2009 PDT
Not sure about you, but I never found the traditional bean bag the most appealing of items, always having to re-adjust myself to stay comfortable and still have my drink within reaching distance. Gizmag has recently looked at some of the latter day improvements that seek to redefine these polystyrene ball filled sacks into a comfortable alternative to furniture, and the LoJoBall -a sphere like creation that is a cross between a bean bag and a pouf - is another that fits the bill. Read More
The Breezy Seat fan-forced toilet odour filter: no more courtesy flushes
By Loz Blain
23:14 March 24, 2009 PDT
They say necessity is the mother of all invention - so we're going to steer clear of the Tennessee inventor of the Breezy Seat. It's a battery-powered, fan forced toilet seat that turns on when you sit on it, sucking smelly air out of the bowl and sending it through odor-absorbing filters and "nano-modules" before it escapes to stink up the rest of the house. Far more effective than air freshener sprays that merely paint over the turdy waft with a thin veneer of "mountain air," the Breezy Seat kills the odors right where they begin. And let's face it, in a modern world, you really shouldn't have to be holding your breath as you walk past the bathroom after your brother's been through. Read More
Watchdog windows: motion sensitive glass could boost home security
By Darren Quick
22:57 March 18, 2009 PDT
Besides letting in light and providing pleasant views, windows unfortunately also provide a convenient entrance for burglars. Security systems have long employed contacts that, when broken, activate an alarm, but what if the simple act of moving around outside a window were enough to raise the alert. That’s the concept behind a system developed by scientists in Berlin that sensitizes windows and doors to detect suspicious movements. Read More
Kalorik's high-tech, double-barrelled wine cooler
By Jamilah Le
21:51 March 17, 2009 PDT
Even if you’re a wine buff, this wine cooler with an in-built microprocessor might still surprise you. The Kalorik Wine Cooler is programmed to maintain the ideal drinking temperature for two bottles of wine, and gauges the temperature of the wine itself, not the bottle. It has an LCD and screen and wireless links to two temperature probes inserted into the bottles. Read More
Laundry POD: from salad spinner to washing machine
By Karen Sprey
00:22 March 16, 2009 PDT
It’s a great example of thinking outside of the box: as industrial design firm RKS were redesigning a salad spinner they discovered women were buying them to wash their delicates, so they modified the technology and created a portable, hand-powered laundry machine. The Laundry POD is stylish, easy to use and eco-friendly, saving energy and water, and is perfect for delicate items, “in between” and small loads, camping and traveling. Read More
The (unfortunately named) Blight solar blind
By Darren Quick
23:09 March 12, 2009 PDT
Blinds are handy things. They give us privacy at night and block the sun’s rays during the day. But what if there was a way to capture the light from the day and give it back at night to illuminate the house? That’s the thinking behind Vincent Gerkens’ concept design which takes a Venetian blind and combines it with flexible solar cells and electroluminescent foil to produce the ‘Blight’ – that’s short for ‘Blind Light’, but I’d be tempted to give the name some more thought if I were Vincent given the images of pestilence and decay the word evokes. The Blight captures solar energy during the day and uses it to power the electroluminescent foil covering the blinds to produce light at night. Read More
Black & Decker previews high-tech locking system
By Darren Quick
21:24 March 11, 2009 PDT
Black and Decker is giving homeowners a way to lock up their daughters when they aren’t even home. The company's new motorized locks are designed to complement the emerging electronic ‘smart homes’. They can be activated remotely and can even directly control home security and automation systems, and vice versa. Read More
The Vue personal video network
By David Greig
00:48 March 4, 2009 PST
Wondering what is going on at home or in the office while you are away? Avaak, a leader in the supply of ultra low-power easy-to-use, wire-free video technology has just launched its Vue™ personal video network. Combining real-time remote video viewing and Internet connectivity, the wire-free Vue system is a network of small, magnetic mounted, battery-powered wireless cameras with a range of up to 300 feet that can transmit an estimated one million frames on a single battery. Read More
matthew.rings
- November 23, 2009 @ 02:00 UTC
