posted by ginni
29.4.11
Touch Pad Sofa
Dynamic Life: Matali Crasset's Transforming, Touch-Pad Controlled Sofa
Sometimes a sofa is just a sofa, not a "new domestic typology," as the press release from Campeggi for Matali Crasset's new furniture collection non-explains. But in the hands of this French design star, "just a sofa" is pretty stunning: using a built-in touch pad, the pillows on this futuristic piece of furniture unfurl like the fingers on an open palm, creating a bed, chaise longue, or anything else you can think up.
posted by ginni
Electrolux
FYI - the Electrolux design competition entry must be submitted by Sunday night, May 1st.
24.4.11
21.4.11
Your New Car’s More Fuel-Efficient Engine May Fire Up With Lasers, Not Spark Plugs
If you're contemplating your next car add-on, consider replacing your boring, old spark plugs with lasers. Yeah, lasers. Lasers that cut down on noxious emissions and provide better fuel efficiency! If Japan's National Institutes of Natural Sciences has its way, a replacement of that sort may not be so far off (or strange).
The traditional spark plug we're all used to works by sending electrical, well, sparks, between two, uh, electrodes. This causes an explosion in the engine and forces the piston to move down, creating the all-important horsepower that gets you going. Here's the problem: More burnt fuel equals more noxious emissions... and no one likes those.
And while the spark plug is powerful enough to burn leaner fuel (thereby reducing emissions), it can't do so without burning the electrodes. Cue tiny car lasers: Because their architecture involves no electrodes whatsoever, they're able to burn leaner fuel without causing any damage.
The laser system also does its job much faster than traditional spark plugs. A process that currently takes milliseconds will be reduced to nanoseconds with this system. And while you won't be able to shoot missiles out of the sky with your Nissan laser beams (yet), your engine will undergo a quicker combustion, which means better fuel efficiency. Ford's been working on this too—and I think I can settle for laser cars instead of flying cars. [PhysOrg]
-Joe Costello
Self healing polymer
Self-healing polymers are extremely sought after by scientists, as they have many useful—not to mention lucrative—applications. Back in 2009, we reported a polyurethane-based polymeric material that heals itself in roughly an hour when exposed to UV light. That particular polymer, made by Biswajit Ghosh and Marek W. Urban, would be useful as a protective coating for phones, cars, etc. It worked based on the principle of having a reactive chemical component that would split open when physically damaged to create two reactive ends that can then covalently link together under UV light to repair itself.
In a recent issue of Nature, Mark Burnworth and his colleagues report a different type of self-healing material, one that can repair itself in about a minute under UV light. Burnworth’s polymeric material also doesn’t function on the basis of forming chemical bonds between organic compounds for repair. Instead, it relies on localized heating and metal-ligand interactions.
Burnworth and his team used rubbery oligomers, poly(ethylene-co-butylene), as the core of their material. They attached ligands, 2,6-bis(1’-methylbenzimidazolyl)pyridine (Mebip), that can bind to metals at the ends of the oligomers. To form long polymers, the researchers added either zinc (Zn2+) or lanthanum (La3+) ions to the solution of oligomers. The metal ions form metal-ligand complexes with the Mebip, linking the oligomers with one another.
For their self-healing tests, Burnworth and his team shaped the polymers into films that were 350 to 400 µM thick. They purposefully cut the polymer to about 50 to 70 percent of the overall thickness of the film. When the cuts were exposed to two consecutive 30-second rounds of UV light (320 to 390 nm wavelength at an intensity of 950 mW cm-2), the cuts sealed up. The healed material was comparable in toughness to the original polymeric film, and images from atomic force spectroscopy show that the cuts essentially disappeared.
This process works because complexes of Mebip with metals are chromophoric, so they can absorb light of a specific wavelength, such as light in the UV range. Once they absorb light, they get into a higher energetic state and then lose that energy by giving off heat. Thus, when the researchers exposed the cuts to UV light, there was heating at the surface of the polymeric film—enough heating to reach over 220°C in 30 seconds. The heat quickly depolymerizes the area around the cut. Once the UV light is turned off, the liquidized area cools, reforms the ligand-metal complexes, and seals up the cut.
The healing process can be localized, as you only need to hit damaged areas with UV light. The researchers also show that the healing process would still work if the polymer was under a load of about 8 kPa. They suggest that different ligands could be used to cover a range of absorbable wavelengths. Thus, you could selectively tailor the wavelength of light to heal different types of damaged materials.
Burnworth and his colleagues have made a significant step in getting us closer to having self-healing polymers on the market. Their approach is quite different than that of Ghosh and Urban, which we described previously. While Burnworth’s method certainly heals quicker, it also produces a dramatic increase in surface temperature during healing. Such a huge temperature surge could be disadvantageous for certain applications.
-Joe Costello
20.4.11
18.4.11
Paper record player
The booklet is comprised of a cover, two inner pages, a letterpressed band (with instructions and a tear-off RSVP postcard), and a flexdisc on a screwpost. The recipient bends the second page of the booklet back to create a tented “arm.” With the needle placed, they then carefully spin the flexidisc at 45 RPM (ish) to hear the song. The sewing needle travels the length of the song and produces the sound. Its vibrations are amplified by the thin, snappy paper to which it is adhered. To keep the needle down on the record, we reinforced the back of the “tent” with a spray-mounted half page of heavier cardstock. To reduce friction between the acetate flexidisc and the backing cover, we had the inside of the booklet laminated to be slick and conducive to hand-spinning.
-Aaron Venturini
16.4.11
12.4.11
10.4.11
The Power of Efficiency and a Well-Funded Infrastructure
A road construction job that would have taken months in America has been finished in less than a week in Japan. The 9.0 magnitude March 11th earthquake demolished a stretch of the Great Kanto Highway in Naka, leaving a 150 meter crater-like crack. Construction workers and engineers arrived at the damaged highway on March 17th, and by March 23rd, it looked like the road never even had a pothole.
Many workers in Japan returned to their jobs the day after the earthquake and tsunami. Crews from the NEXCO repair company arrived at the damaged highway six days after the disaster and just six days later, the road was open to traffic. The astonishing speed of reconstruction is being used to highlight Japan’s strength and ability to recover. It’s no secret that the nation is home to some of the world’s best engineers, and the repairs at the Great Kanto Highway are certainly proof.
Forget the iPad, here's a tablet for adults
Digital development tools are an integral part of design and construction processes. m • pad is a Tablet PC that is optimized for the needs of designers and developers. It combines the advantages of intuitive multi-touch operation with the precision of a pressure-sensitive pen.
Important keyboard commands are arranged next to the 15.6 “OLED display: nine fixed buttons, such as ALT, CTRL, etc., and two programmable buttons rockers with e-ink display, with up to 24 short-cuts for each software application can be assigned individually. The scroll wheel completes the gesture control in fast 2D navigation is optional, and a 3D space mouse. Improved ergonomics, the m • pad are inclined 15 degrees. Left-handers simply rotate the board 180 degrees. The integrated ball-bearing hub enables quick and always optimal alignment of the board for character work. With just 430x280x25mm, the m • pad is the perfect solution for mobile working.
-Joe Costello
I hope I'll be this good at 3-D rendering one day.
Digital artist Luis Nieves rendered this gorgeous Ford GT40 in Gulf Oil livery complete with a digitally enhanced driver using multiple programs includingZBrush.
"I wanted to push myself on how far I could go, so I decided to build a piece capable to make an art statement; I didn't want to feel that it was just another 3D model," said Nieves.
-Joe Costello
For all our advancements, we're just now synthesizing this?
-Joe Costello
Chocolate Bar Inspiration
"Plastic parts have traditionally been a difficult area to save weight without sacrificing strength and durability, but by looking to the Aero chocolate bar they have produced a lighter plastic by introducing gas bubbles into the plastic as it is molded."
Jason Browning
9.4.11
Citrus-Powered Digital Clock
Like a sour version of the Eco-Friendly Water-Powered Clock, this timepiece runs on the energy of a lemon, which makes it possible to power it for a week or longer.
This pedagogic project is a kind of shortcut intended to remind ourselves that nature, in spite of the various transformations to which we subject her, is still our direct energy source.
The somewhat magical dimension of the operation is in fact simple electrolysis, like a conventional electric battery.
Head over to the annagram.fr website for more photos of the Citrus Clock
Posted by Levi Smidt
Water Powered Clock
We love cool gadgets that are eco-friendly and have shown some nifty H2O-powered devices like the Water Powered R/C Car, the Water Powered Watch, and the Water-Powered Calculator, but the newest version of the Water Powered Clock combines style with the eco-friendly attitude.
Like the name implies, the clock doesn’t require batteries or an AC plug. Just fill up the reservoir with 28 ounces of tap water and let the internal electrolyte “engine” do the rest. One fill-up can power the clock for up to 12 weeks, and an internal memory chip keeps track of the time during while refilling so you don’t have to worry about resetting the time.
Posted by Levi Smidt
Dine Ink Pen Cap Utensils
Whoever is in the think tank of Fred & Friends has hit the multi-tasking nail on the head with this set of Dine Ink Pen Cap Utensils. Taking after the classic Bic ball-point pens we know and love, the pens in this set come with caps in the shape of a fork, knife and spoon, each doubling as a blue ball-point pen.
Pen caps are so easy to lose, but when they’re shaped like silverware you are more likely to find them.
Posted by Levi Smidt
8.4.11
The Little Robot Made to Clean the Icky Spots
Sold in a $300 package with accessories, the Scooba 230 is the least expensive Scooba from iRobot; the earlier Scooba 350 and 380 cost $400 and $500, respectively. It's less than half the size and weight of its larger and pricier predecessors, giving it the ability to scoot into tough-to-reach spots, like behind most bathroom toilets, where nobody wants to clean. They need to make one for the shower & tub.
7.4.11
Hot Wheels
"I think we can all agree on one thing: Hot Weels are awesome!" This huge loop track pops up in Bogotá, Colombia.-Aaron Venturini
3.4.11
A Day Made of Glass: Corning’s Vision of the Future of Display Technology
A Day Made of Glass… Made Possible by Corning
Can you imagine organizing your daily schedule with a few touches on your bathroom mirror? Chatting with far-away relatives through interactive video on your kitchen counter? Reading a classic novel on a whisper-thin piece of flexible glass?
Corning is not only imagining those scenarios – the company is engaged in research that could bring them alive in the not-too-distant future. You can get a glimpse of Corning’s vision in the new video, “A Day Made of Glass.”
Corning Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks says Corning’s vision for the future includes a world in which myriad ordinary surfaces transform “from one-dimensional utility into sophisticated electronic devices.”
The video depicts a world in which interactive glass surfaces help you stay connected through seamless delivery of real-time information – whether you’re working, shopping, eating, or relaxing.
“While we’re not saying that it will develop exactly as we’ve envisioned,” Wendell says, “we do know that this world is being created as we speak.”
Glass is the essential enabling material of this new world. “This is a visual world – so transparency is a must,” explains Wendell. But that’s just the beginning. Ubiquitous displays require materials that are flexible, durable, stable under the toughest of environmental conditions, and have a cool, touch-friendly aesthetic. And not just any glass will do. This world requires materials that are strong, yet thin and lightweight; that can enable complex electronic circuits and nano functionality; that can scale for very large applications, and that are also environmentally friendly. This world calls for the kind of specialty glass made by Corning.
Such real-time information also depends on communications networks with massive bandwidth capacity – meaning new opportunities for Corning to apply its optical communications expertise to customers’ tough challenges.
Does the world showcased in “A Day Made of Glass” seem like something out of a fantasy movie? Jim Clappin, president of Corning Glass Technologies, reminds us that, just a decade ago, pay phones, VCRs, and film cameras were also commonplace. Today, we’re accustomed to movies streaming on demand to a 60-inch television hanging on the wall and to video calls on notebook computers, essentially for free.
“The consumer trend driving our vision for tomorrow is very clear,” Jim says. “We all want to be connected with what we want…when we want…anywhere…and with great ease. Corning’s innovations in glass will enable this journey to continue.”
http://www.corning.com/news_center/features/A_Day_Made_of_Glass.aspx
Ted
Midnight Shot NV-1 Night Vision Digital Camera
Midnight Shot NV-1 Night Vision Digital CameraThis digital camera employs a super-bright IR LED to illuminate the entire scene and capture a picture in complete darkness. However, since people cannot see infrared light, this camera’s IR flash is invisible to the naked eye.
It even has some x-ray like features! Infrared light can penetrate various fabrics and materials that block normal visual light. This means that an infrared camera like the Midnight Shot NV-1 Night Vision Digital Camera can see right through those materials. Hmmm. Get your mind out of the gutter...
-Aaron Venturini
2.4.11
Parliamentary Complex of the Republic of Albania
Architects Coop Himmelb(l)au of Vienna have won a competition to design a new parliamentary building in Tirana for the Republic of Albania.The parliamentary hall will be housed in a central glazed cone and members of the public will be able to access the roof of the building plinth to look down into the hall.
“Our design for the new Parliament in Tirana, Albania, stands for the transparency of democracy”, according to Wolf D. Prix, Design Principal and CEO of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU.
-Aaron Venturini
AirVolt Wireless Phone Charger: A Revolutionary Charger For Your Mobile Phones
This device, which can only be found in Think Geek, is a one-of-a-kind mobile phone charger that can power up your phones via induction. It also works easy enough. You only have to slide your phone into the included receiver case and watch as your phones get juiced up. Once your phone is completely charged, this AirVolt Wireless Phone Charger will automatically turn off.
Posted By Levi Smidt
Dell Streak Tablet Will Soon Debut On AT&T
Called the Mini 5 or the Streak, the new Dell tablet is looking at coming out soon on AT&T in the late summer. However, this new tablet will debut first in Europe rather than in the United States.
With a size of a Sony PlayStation, this portable Streak can be an iPad competitor with its 5-inch capacitive display screen, a 5MP camera at the back, a separate front-facing camera that can be used for video conferencing, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, WiFi and 3G connectivity and Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor.
This tablet will run on the latest Google Android operating system version 2.0 or higher. Also, Dell offers that this tablet can make calls via a SIM card optionPosted by Levi Smidt
1.4.11
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