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AROUND THE HOME

Walking House: moving home takes on a whole new meaning

By Darren Quick

03:18 April 2, 2009 PDT

Quick! Out of the way, it's the Walking House!

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

GOOD THINKING

Architect-designed Ramp House is a skaters dream pad

By Jamilah Le

23:46 April 1, 2009 PDT

Main ramp in living room

For skating lovers who heard the phrase ‘don’t you dare skate in the house’ one too many times as a kid, this might just be the dream home you’ve always wanted. The unique dwelling is described as having a ‘curved form interior’ (otherwise known as a ramp), but it's not just 'a house with a ramp in it'. Archivirus Architecture and Design's creation sets out to deliver a completely 'skatable habitat' for the client (which is not actually Tony Hawk -he has his half-pipe built in the backyard) with smooth concrete and curved spaces to enhance the idea of motion. Read More

OUTDOORS

TentLED helps avert common camping mishap

By Jamilah Le

22:30 April 1, 2009 PDT

TentLED by VAN BERLO

Tripping over tent ropes - it's a problem regular campers understand only too well and apparently around 3000 people seek first-aid from this kind of mishap every year in the Netherlands alone. This solution created by VAN BERLO in the Netherlands, is an LED light for guy lines that are attached to the rope so you can see them at night. Read More

AROUND THE HOME

LoJoBall: the lounging lovechild of bean bag and pouf

By Anne Hanrahan

04:36 March 31, 2009 PDT

LoJoBall: the lounging lovechild of bean bag and pouf

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

BABY GIZMO

Merino Kids Cocooi Sleep Bag: 100% merino wool for a safe, warm night’s sleep

By Jude Garvey

00:08 March 26, 2009 PDT

Cocooi sleep bag keeps baby warm and safe

Just one look at the photo of the babe sleeping snugly in the Cocooi sleep bag makes me want one in adult-size! Merino Kids claim their Cocooi Sleep Bag is the world’s first 100% pure merino wool sleeping bag. This sleep bag is part of a new range from the company designed for the newborn to three month old age group which also includes the Cocooi 100% pure merino wool swaddle. Read More

GOOD THINKING

Vertical farming with seawater

By Darren Quick

04:03 March 24, 2009 PDT

The seawater vertical farm would make another stunning addition to the Dubai skyline
 Pic ...

The saying used to go, ‘only in America’, but in recent years it might be truer to say, ‘only in Dubai’, especially when it comes to architectural wonders. Buildings that would be unfeasible just about anywhere else seem to regularly spring from the ground in the oil rich emirate. The next eye-popping construction to grace the skyline could be a seawater vertical farm that uses seawater to cool and humidify greenhouses and to convert sufficient humidity back in to fresh water to irrigate the crops. Read More

ON THE WATER

Life Saver: beach rescue design concept uses solar energy

By Jamilah Le

21:06 March 23, 2009 PDT

Jet-engine powered water vehicle (Teseo) and solar powered tower (Arianna)

Teseo+Arianna is a concept by Italian designer Davide Anzalone that takes surf lifesaving to another level. The design comes in three major components - a tower (Arianna) with a rotating platform, a small vehicle (Teseo) with a jet engine and a quick-inflating safety vest with a CO2 cartridge. It is all designed with form and function in mind, and has the advantage of being environmentally friendly, with solar panels on the tower. It is based on the knowledge that a lifeguard and lifesaver needs to minimize the time it takes to reach a victim and begin giving life support. Read More

ELECTRONICS

The electrical inlet

By Darren Quick

22:13 March 18, 2009 PDT

The presumably 'knife friendly' Inlet Outlet
 Pic credit: core77

It wasn’t surprising to see that power conservation was a prevalent theme for entries in this year’s core77 Greener Gadgets Design Competition – the first two places were taken by variations on household power meters. One of the entries that made it to the semi final stage that we thought warranted some kudos was the Inlet ‘Outlet’ - a concept that would see household electrical outlets accompanied by an electrical ‘inlet’ that would make it easy for householders to feed power back into the power grid. Read More

ROBOTICS

Robot supermodel takes to the catwalk

By Kyle Sherer

18:10 March 18, 2009 PDT

http://www.pinktentacle.com/2009/03/video-hrp-4c-fashion-model-robot/

Japanese researchers on Monday unveiled the HRP-4C robot in a mock fashion show, which showcased the versatile facial expressions and motions of the bot, rather than the outfit of the month. The petit, 158cm tall robot has 42 motion motors in its body, and can imitate a variety of facial expressions. Read More

ECOGIZMO

Don't be a pig with your power usage

By Jude Garvey

00:27 March 18, 2009 PDT

Power Hog

Educating children about power usage can be a difficult task. It’s not easy explaining the concept of electricity to a five year old, let alone the fact that we have to pay for it. This cute little pig might help to solve this problem and monitor television and game usage at the same time. Power Hog is a power-consumption meter design concept in the form of a green and silver piggy-bank. You simply plug the tail into the power outlet and the snout into the electric device, feed in some coins and this little piggy does the rest. When the Power Hog is connected the dollar sign glows green, it fades when there is sufficient credit and alerts you that money is running low by blinking red. Read More

PERSONAL COMPUTING

Innovative ‘caseless’ computer housing concept from BMW

By Darren Quick

21:43 March 15, 2009 PDT

The open modular design of the Level 10 concept PC

Although obviously best known for its cars and motorbikes, BMW also creates yachts, aircraft and trains, and has now turned its design expertise to a computer gaming tower with the ‘Level 10’ concept for Thermaltake, a manufacturer of computer housings and components for individually configurable high-end computers. Read More

MUSIC

Silent Drum wins applause

By Darren Quick

22:27 March 10, 2009 PDT

Jaime Oliver and his Silent Drum

New technology means new ways to create and express music and new types of interfaces that broaden the definition of a "musical instrument" way beyond traditional parameters. Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology seeks to recognize the creators of new musical instruments with the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition. The first winners of the competition include a robotic guitar, SLABS touch pad and a Silent Drum that generates sound by manipulating the elastic spandex head of a drum shell. Read More

URBAN TRANSPORT

Wire Bike uses carbon fiber and Kevlar cables

By Paul Evans

07:05 March 9, 2009 PDT

Wire Bike by Ionut Predescu

Super light structural materials such as carbon fiber and Kevlar have incredible natural strength in tension but are much weaker in compression. A good example of this is how the carbon fiber suspension on a formula one car can resist several tons of downforce but explodes when crashed into a barrier. The concept of tension has been a familiar sight in large engineered structures such as suspension bridges and now the same concept has been applied to a bike frame. Read More

GOOD THINKING

The coffee cup for a zero g situation

By Karen Sprey

21:24 March 3, 2009 PST

Designer Travis Baldwin's impression of the On-Orbit cup

Astronauts may have the very cool job of floating around in space, but when it comes to grabbing a caffeine fix, they are faced with the decidedly uncool prospect of drinking out of aluminum bags with straws. Donald Pettit was on Space Shuttle mission STS-126 when he decided enough was enough and came up with the idea of an "On-Orbit Coffee Cup" designed to hold liquid in zero gravity situations. Read More

GOOD THINKING

The anti-mirror... and more

By Darren Quick

22:24 March 2, 2009 PST

The non-reversing mirror.
 Photo Credit: Andrew Hicks

You could be forgiven for thinking Andrew Hicks is obsessed with his own reflection, but it’s the mirror itself which attracts the interest of this mathematician from Drexel University, Philadelphia. Hicks has used computer algorithms to generate a mirror that produces a mirror image that isn’t a mirror image, making it possible to read reflected text normally. Read More

ECOGIZMO

Shenzhen's solar-and-wind-powered skyscraper

By Karen Sprey

17:24 March 1, 2009 PST

China to get solar and wind powered skyscraper

Traditional architecture has been swept away and replaced by skyscrapers in China’s bid to modernize its cities and house its huge population and thriving business interests. Shenzhen in southern China’s Guangdong province has grown from a fishing village in the 1970s to a vibrant economic and financial centre - one of China’s most successful special economic zones. Now its skyline will be graced with a 49-storey solar-and-wind-powered tower designed by Austrian architecture firm Coop Himmelblau. The second skin of the building will be lined with photovoltaic cells and feature mechanisms to provide natural ventilation, reduce wind pressure, shade the interior from sun and display multimedia banners. Read More

ECOGIZMO

Magenn floating wind generators take advantage of high altitude winds

By Loz Blain

16:15 February 26, 2009 PST

Magenn's MARS floating wind generator

Wind power is notoriously flighty, particularly at ground level. Most turbine-on-a-post wind powered generators operate at around 20-40% of their rated generation capacity, simply because wind is intermittent and changes direction. But a generator situated 500-1000 feet above ground level would enjoy much more consistent strong wind - which is why the Magenn MARS system makes so much sense. It's a helium-filled rotating airship that spins in the wind on the end of a variable-length tether that also acts as a power transmitter, and it's expected to operate at more like 50% of its rated capacity. Each MARS system will be cheap and portable, which will make them extremely useful in rural, camping and emergency situations. A prototype has successfully been flown in North Carolina. A great idea that makes economic sense. Read More

SPORTS

Splitstream Dynamic Triathlon Handlebars make switching a breeze

By Mick Webb

14:50 February 17, 2009 PST

The Splitstream Dynamic Triathlon Handlebars.

Up until now, triathletes have had no option other than to switch between two different handlebar set-ups when cycling, but this prototype design provides a new approach. Splitstream Dynamic Triathlon Handlebars combine two configurations in one, utilizing a hinge mechanism in the center which enables the cyclist to seamlessly navigate between two riding positions. Read More

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

Windows Mobile 6.5 shoots for iPhone-esque usability

By Loz Blain

14:25 February 17, 2009 PST

Windows Mobile 6.5

When Apple's iPhone first hit the stores two years ago, it was a revelation in slick, simple user interface design that left competition reeling as it quickly achieved cult status. Such ease of use, however, comes at the expense of some functionality and configurability that many users expect from their smartphones, leaving the door wide open for platforms like Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile to go for the power-user market if they can just address their interface issues and build something slick and sexy that does what the iPhone can't. Gizmodo has shown the first hands-on look we've seen at Windows Mobile 6.5, which doesn't add a lot of new features, but makes WM much more finger-friendly and puts some surprisingly effective lipstick on the old girl. Read More

GOOD THINKING

Solving the global food crisis: vertical aeroponic farm grows food out of thin air

By Loz Blain

01:14 February 17, 2009 PST

Eric Vergne's Dystopian Farm concept

More than 50% of our planet's massive human population is concentrated into urban centres - and on current estimates, that's likely to be as high as 80% by the year 2050, a year many of us will be around to see. So the challenge facing today's forward-thinking architects is how to create positive outcomes out of a crushing space constraint. Going upwards, in projects like Eugene Tsui's Ultima Tower and the London Vertical Village concept, seems to offer some practical solutions to the living space conundrum - but what about feeding all those people? Vertical Aeroponic Farming seems to be an idea whose time has come - it will let us use land, nutrients, power and water much more efficiently than ever before, while delivering a quality-controllable, year-round and emissions-positive food source for urban communities. Eric Vergne's Dystopian Farm is a design study that examines how a vertical farm might use the latest in agricultural and architectural technology to feed the cities of the future. Read More

ECOGIZMO

The Vitruvian Building System: green, cost-efficient and fast

By David Greig

17:51 February 15, 2009 PST

Less waste = reduced construction costs

When we think green house emissions, fume spewing factories and highways choked with gas guzzling vehicles are usually the first images that spring to mind, but it may surprise some readers to learn that buildings represent a sizeable chunk of our collective carbon footprint. In America, it's estimated that buildings contribute to 36% of energy consumption and 30% of green house gas emissions and it's an area that's ripe for improvement. Innovative American building company Vitruvian is doing just that by offering a full service green building system that utilizes pre-engineered modular construction consisting of inter lockable panels to form a complete, weather tight building shell. As well as delivering extremely low energy bills, Vitruvian has calculated that if its process was used for all building replacement and construction in America between now and the year 2030, its environmental impact would be the equivalent of removing more than 80 million cars from the road. Read More

ECOGIZMO

Madrid to get radical new solar-coated landmark

By Noel McKeegan

22:47 February 12, 2009 PST

CICCM by Mansilla + Tunon Architects and Matilde Peralta

Spain has a well-earned reputation for extraordinary architecture that, like many buildings around the world which defy convention, divide opinions and cause passions to run high. The next dazzling addition to Madrid's skyline will be the Centro Internacional de Convenciones de la Ciudad de Madrid (CICCM), and it offers much more than simply a conversation piece. Shaped like a giant glass wheel, the Convention Center will be completely covered in photovoltaic panels but will still provide adequate sunlight to reduce the need for artificial light through the use of concave design elements that scatter light into the interior. The 110 meter tall structure will include a rainwater catchment system and house a 5,000 person auditorium and exposition centers in its 100,000 square meter layout. Read More

ROBOTICS

Wheelchair-mounted robotic arm controlled by thought alone

By Kyle Sherer

20:39 February 10, 2009 PST

The Brain-Computer Interface allows control a robotic arm

Researchers at the University of South Florida have designed a system that uses an Electroencephalograph (EEG) to read the brain waves of wheelchair-bound people and allows them to control a robotic arm with their thoughts. The Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) captures P300 brain wave responses, the consistently detectable brain waves associated with decision making, and transmits instructions to the robo-arm “without the user moving a muscle.” Read More

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Rebuilding the face: medicine meets engineering at the beginning of an industrial revolution

By Loz Blain

00:11 February 10, 2009 PST

S. Bell: the process of rebuilding a damaged face using engineering-assisted surgery

February 10, 2009 Mass-production technology has revolutionized so much of modern life that we take it for granted - but early iterations of all technologies were hand-built, relying on the skills and intuition of master craftsmen for the effectiveness of each end product. It might surprise you to learn that in the field of facial reconstructive surgery, the vast majority of work is still being done in a pre-industrial revolution fashion - and results for patients who present with horribly disfiguring facial tumors or bone injuries are as varied and inconsistent as the human hands that do the work. Dr. Ninian Peckitt, originally from the UK, has pioneered a truly revolutionary "Engineering Assisted Surgery" approach that uses advanced CT-to-CAD modeling, rapid stereolithographic prototyping, pinpoint CAD design, electron beam melting (EBM) mass-production and error-eliminating surgical procedures. The results are absolutely stunning. Patients that would normally require traumatic 20-hour operations involving complicated, imprecise and ugly bone grafts are being fitted with incredibly precise, long-lasting titanium facial inserts so effective that once surgical scars fade you'd never know they had a facial injury. Surgery is simple and can often be completed in an hour or two using techniques that eliminate human errors - and the entire procedure comes in at a fraction of the price. Peckitt's work is amazing - but if powerful lobbies in the medical fraternity have their way, it may cost him his career. Read More

MUSIC

Learn guitar using laser guidance

By Darren Quick

19:56 February 9, 2009 PST

The 'Maestro' guitar learning aid concept design

Guitar Hero and Rock Band have allowed masses of people without the time or patience to learn the guitar to become Rock Gods in their own living rooms. For those looking to take the next step and pick up a real guitar, this concept for a guitar learning aid from designer Eugene Cheong promises a faster transistion. The “Maestro” would attach to any guitar and get budding guitarists jamming in record time by using lasers to guide their fingers. Read More

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