Hasta La Gadget!

Driving a car has become second nature to many of us, and sometimes, it tends up as a reflex action that we do not pay too much attention to – which is a good thing most of the time, although there are moments when we take this particular moment for granted and start to focus on doing another thing such as checking out our e-mail, only to realize that we might have stepped on the brake a little too late shortly after, resulting in a fender bender afterwards. Well, I guess this is why a driverless car makes plenty of sense, although I am quite sure that it could prove rather disconcerting to some that you do not have full control over the vehicle in which you are traveling in. How about driving a car with your thoughts alone? Don’t you think that this would be cool beyond words?

This is what a bunch of engineering students over in India are working on. At Mount Zion College of Engineering and Technology, this particular project would involve converting a small van into a computer controlled vehicle, where the Emotiv EEG headset would function as a controller. We are talking about using off-the-shelf parts here, people, in order to get the job done – now how about that?

Of course, there are still plenty of questions which are left unanswered as at press time, as this particular concept would take years of refinement for it to become safe enough to drive. The thing is, how are we to know that our brain is able to tell the difference between switching gears and turning left while we are pre-occupied with the goings on at the office? What do you think of this proposition – does it sit down well with you? Do you think this is a better idea than a self-driving car?

Source
[ Fancy driving your car using your brain alone? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Having clean drinking water is something that many of us might take for granted, especially for those of us who happen to live in a First World country. If you have ever made a trip to Third World and developing countries, you would know just how some people live with seemingly dirty water, and have to literally make do with what they have. With the NKD AQUA POD, it is one device which basically allows you to transform ordinary tap water into pure mountain quality spring water as you drink, or so it is claimed. The NKD AQUA POD is a Kickstarter project that is also the first of its kind in the world when it comes to portable water filtration as you will find out in greater detail below.

Just how is your water filtered and supercharged? Well, it claims to use “a 100% natural clean and green purification process” as you drink. While the standard issue water bottle’s structure has more or less remained the same for so many years, the NKD AQUA POD was developed with an intention to not only be functional, but pleasing to the eyes as well, resulting in a bottle for modern living. After all, what is the point of having the self-proclaimed “world’s best water” if it does not end up in the “world’s best bottle”?

The NKD AQUA POD works by sending water that you drink through a patent pending filter that is a snap to change, where it is touted to do away with chlorine taste and odor, not to mention filtering out around 99% of the bacteria in the water. It can also filter out heavy metals as long as the water you are drinking is from the municipal tap, while the gritty carbon taste that you normally experience from other carbon filters are also done away with. Not only that, your tongue will enjoy supercharged water with natural minerals and electrolytes that can be found in nature, and it uses the safest, most technologically advanced plastics which are FDA-approved plastics.

Kickstarter Page
[ NKD AQUA POD offers filtered and supercharged water copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Ah Thanksgiving, I believe it exists not only to remind us of all the things we have to be thankful for, but also to drive home the fact that eating is a wonderful thing. Of course too-much-turkey hangover, and a 5 pound weight gain overnight …not so much. If only we could have all the pleasure of food and snacks, with none of the pesky after effects.

Now, what if you could eat a nice leafy green salad, and have your tastebuds tell you that it was a bacon double cheeseburger with fried onions and extra ketchup? Well, it could happen, in fact, Nimesha Ranasinghe, a Ph.D. research scholar at the National University of Singapore, is in the process of developing a device that actually simulates flavors directly on the tip of your tongue, using a “lollipop” consisting of a silver electrode.

In fact, Nimesha and his team are able to reproduce our most established basic tastes, like, sweet, salty, sour and bitter, and by combining these flavors, a person’s taste receptors are fooled by simply varying the alternating current from the lollipop and slight but rapid changes in temperature. Imagine being able to one day believe you are tasting real food!

Where could this technology take us? I can think of a vast market for such a device. From dieters to diabetics being able to experience foods that shouldn’t be on the menu, to advertisers being able to offer up sample tastes of their next delicious offerings, to entertainment venues like movie theaters, where you would be able to taste what you see on screen. Yup, it could be huge… but for the time being, I’m sticking with my turkey and gravy – and then I’m going to take a nap.

Source
[ Technology and Tastebuds – Digital Lollipops Could Taste like Turkey copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

When you think of the title ‘artist’ a moody, eclectic sort of person comes to mind. Of course, there is a myriad of artist-types out there, and with the rise of technology, there are more and more digital artists. Of course, just because the art is on a computer doesn’t mean that all of it is intangible (the concepts of abstract artists are a different story however). There is 3D modeling that can lead to printed sculptures, jewelry, and more. While 3D printers are becoming more widely available, they’re still pretty expensive, and only have one function. This is great for smaller projects, but what if your imagination is itching to do more?

For those who want a place to create anything their minds can think up, there is the FABtotum Personal Fabrication Device. This will let you do additive printing, 3 and 4 axis subtractive manufacturing, 3D scanning, and more. The printing and milling volume is 210 x 240 x 240 / (your milling bit height) mm. It can work with PLA and ABS plastic, foam, balsa, plywood, thin aluminum, and brass alloys. As this setup is not completely bound to one structure, you can disassemble it to add new parts which will provide even more functionality.

This isn’t meant to be some product that can be fully described and explained in one go, as it was made for those who want to think outside of the box. In essence, it can be whatever you want it to when it comes to fabrication. You can choose the get a fully assembled version or the DIY kit, but there will of course be a difference in price. The kit will cost around $1,000, and the fully finished package will cost around $1,100. There is also an option to buy a kit that comes without the electronics or motors which will cost around $700.

Fund raising over at indiegogo, found via Technabob.
[ FABtotum Personal Fabricator will let you create to your heart’s desire copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Just like how we have covered our fair share of portable wireless speakers over here on Coolest Gadgets in the past, another particular area where this particular niche gizmo is dime a dozen would be the phone charger. All phones come packed with their respective charger, although over the years, you would have realized that a single charger is good enough to play nice with a myriad of other phones, as long as they share the same connectors. Well, this begs the question, are all phone chargers created equal? The correct answer would be “No”, as evident by the flaming hope that this Kickstarter project, the Wrist Charge phone charger, claims.

What makes the Wrist Charge phone charger so different from the rest is its highly portable nature. Whenever you want to travel outdoors with your phone charger, you would not need a bag or backpack to toss it in, just slap the Wrist Charge phone charger around your, well, wrist, and you’re good to go. Not only does it ensure that your smartphone gets the necessary amount of juice whenever required, it will also double up as a fashion accessory when not in use.

The Wrist Charge phone charger will hook up any mobile device to a USB port to keep the battery going, and it will work with a myriad of iPhone models in addition to all Android-powered smartphones. Wrist Charge inventor and CEO Jerry Castro, said, “Wrist Charge is the most efficient product that I have designed to date. Wrist Charge provides convenience on the go, prevents lost phone chargers, and eliminates unnecessary clutter. Wrist Charge was created to help make cell phone users lives a little easier.”

If you want to see Wrist Charge being made a reality, a $15 contribution would definitely net you a Wrist Charge that you can call your own should it meet its target goal, where it will then be valued at $29.99. Instant win!

Kickstarter Page
[ Wrist Charge phone charger needs your support copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]