Good Thinking

Cryoscope gives users a feel for tomorrow's weather

Cryoscope gives users a feel for tomorrow's weather
The Cryoscope brings a haptic element to tomorrow's forecast by letting users feel tomorrow's expected air temperature
The Cryoscope brings a haptic element to tomorrow's forecast by letting users feel tomorrow's expected air temperature
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The Cryoscope brings a haptic element to tomorrow's forecast by letting users feel tomorrow's expected air temperature
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The Cryoscope brings a haptic element to tomorrow's forecast by letting users feel tomorrow's expected air temperature
The Cryoscope's components
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The Cryoscope's components
The Cryscope is an aluminum cube that indicates the forecasted temperature through touch
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The Cryscope is an aluminum cube that indicates the forecasted temperature through touch
The Cryoscope has a temperature range of 0 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit
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The Cryoscope has a temperature range of 0 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit
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Given that touch is generally the best way to determine how hot or cold something is - as long as it's not too hot or cold - Rob Godshaw has come up with a device that could provide a more immediately understandable representation of tomorrow's weather than the traditional abstract number coupled with simplified symbols seen on the nightly news. His invention is an aluminum cube called the Cryoscope that adds some haptic feedback to the daily weather forecast by letting users physically feel tomorrow's temperature - at least in their fingertips.

Godshaw, an Industrial design student at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Associate Engineer at Syyn Labs, constructed the Cryoscope by encasing a thermoelectric Peltier element, heat sink and cooling fan inside an aluminum cube. The cube is connected via cable to an external power supply and Arduino controller that allows it to pull the forecasted temperature off the Internet, with users providing their location via a Web app.

Once it receives the forecasted temperature, heat is pumped in or out of the Cryscope until the surface reflects tomorrow's expected air temperature. The device takes into account humidity, wind chill and the properties of the aluminum material, with a neutral air temperature of 73°F (23°C) translating to a surface temperature of 85°F (29°C), which the skin perceives as neutral.

The Cryoscope's components
The Cryoscope's components

The aluminum shell contact surface has a temperature range of 0 to 100°F (-18 to 38°C) and there's also an LED on the underside of the device to give a visual representation of the device's current temperature - red for hot, blue for cold.

The Cryoscope is just a concept at this stage and there's no indication that Godshaw has any intentions to take it beyond that. But given the simplicity of its construction, you could probably whip one up yourself if you had half a mind to.

Below is a video from Godshaw describing his Cryoscope.

Source: Robb Me Blind via CNET

Cryoscope

View gallery - 4 images
6 comments
6 comments
agulesin
OK Great idea but I can\'t see the point of keeping that block at a certain temperature just in case someone happens to touch it... LCD displays are much more energy-efficient...
(Haven\'t seen [or used] one of those rainbow ribbon cables for years!)
Chuck Anziulewicz
The only problem with this device is that there\'s a difference between how air and metal feel, even if they\'re both the same temperature. Look at it this way: If it\'s 70 degrees Fahrenheit outside, that would feel fairly pleasant. But if you jump into a pool of water that\'s 70 degrees, it\'s going to feel a bit chilly. It has to do with how different materials transfer heat to or away from the skin.
Bruce Williams
Yes, It should be USB. How much power does it draw? And, Chuck, I agree with you. Personally, I would not want one. As a source of potential amusement, I can just picture someone, not knowing how to turn it off, walking into the emergency room with one stuck to his tongue!
Matt Rings
... waste of power, and no doubt, costs double to cool or heat the room in which this hot or cold device sits... sheesh.
How about a light bulb that shows if its going to be sunny or cloudy tomorrow? Or a fog machine set to spew if its foggy or smoggy tomorrow?
Duh.
Dawar Saify
No, this has educational value and gives us an idea what a particular temperature feels like. We simply live our lives reading temperatures, this has educational value.
PatrikD
But does it get wet?