Before you scoff in disbelief at the $450 price tag on this adorable children’s toy, remember that you’re actually getting two ride-ons for the price of one here. The Mini Runner, made from a hydroformed lightweight aluminum frame, converts from a sit down balance bike to a standing scooter with minimal fuss and muss.
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Looking for a way to dress up your dining table, but don’t want to go with an ordinary candleholder? These unique candleholders are definitely conversation starters, since you’ll have a hard time figuring out if they’re 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional.
Flatlights look like the 3D wireframe perspective of a candle when viewed from above, but lay completely flat on your table.
Each Flatlight is made from a 0.4mm thick sheet of brass, which is photochemically etched to create the openings. This creates a more durable object than one created on a 3D printer, and also reduces sharp edges compared to laser cutting.
Early buyers can get a single Flatlight for £12(~$19 USD) each or £21(~$32 USD) for a pair. For a few dollars more, they’re also available with black on one side and white on the other, or in a 24K gold-plated finish which looks pretty spiffy.
If you’re interested in getting some Flatlights for your table, head on over to Kickstarter and make your pledge before November 9th.
So many people end up in car accidents every year. One of the common reasons was because the driver wasn’t paying enough attention. Some apparently can’t let go of their smartphones when they’re on the road, while others are too busy tinkering with their radios, or putting on makeup.
What drivers have to realize is that they have the obligation to be responsible on the road, because it’s not only their lives that they’re putting in harm’s way. Pedestrians, cyclists, other drivers and passengers of other cars are all put in danger because of one reckless driver’s actions.
With this in mind, Emotiv and the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia came up with what’s probably the world’s first “concentration-dependent” car. It comes with an EPOC neuroheadset developed by Emotiv that connects with custom software that’s installed on the car.
The headset measures the electrical activity in the driver’s brain to gauge their level of concentration. When the driver is distracted, the car automatically slows down to about 9mph to remind the driver to focus on the road. Aside from that, the car will only run at its full capacity when the system determines that the driver is truly concentrating on driving.
Pat Walker, who is RAC’s executive general manager, says: “The impact of inattention is now comparable to the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by speed and drink driving, which are all contributors to Western Australia consistently having the worst fatality rate of any Australian state. Nationally, it is estimated inattention was a factor in 46 percent of fatal crashes.”
I think this is a great idea and has the potential to change how people drive. What do you think?
[via C|NET]
At first glance, Split might look like a pair of handy dandy wireless earphones, but they’re more than that. They’re actually self-contained MP3 players that you can control without a display or buttons.
Greenwing Audio definitely succeeded in making the most compact music players I’ve ever seen. The earbuds are magnetic, which is a handy feature since you’re less likely to lose one of them if they’re stuck together when you’re not using them. Either that, or you lose them both at the same time.
Without a display, how do you control these things? By biting down. Apparently, one bite skips a track while two bites toggles the volume. And no, you don’t need to put them in your mouth. This feature is triggered thanks to a three-axis accelerometer installed in the ear buds.
Split is charged via USB cable, with each charge lasting about four hours. Songs are also transferred to the system via USB. Unfortunately, given its size, storage is limited to 256 MB or roughly 24 songs.
It’s definitely an interesting concept, but I’m thinking this is something you definitely can’t use while you’re eating or if you have a habit of biting down randomly throughout the day. Split is up for funding on Kickstarter through 10/31/13, where a minimum pledge of $155(USD) will get you one pair.
[via Dvice]
Need some beautiful things to gaze upon at the end of a long week? How about photos of the restoration of an 138-year-old Brooklyn bank? Or a lighting pavilion that looks like it’s alive? Or a massive Lego calendar that syncs with your smartphone? These things and more wonders from the worlds of design, art, and architecture are the most beautiful items of the week.
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We’ve seen an iOS app that can translate text from one language to another in real-time. The engineers at Japanese telecommunications company NTT DoCoMo thought it would be easier for users if the translator was integrated into a pair of glasses. If I had these the first thing I’d do would be to use it to play all the Super Robot Wars games. Damn you Banprestoooo!
Similar to the voice translator Sigmo, NTT DoCoMo’s prototype needs an Internet connection to be able to translate text. It will then display the translation over the Japanese characters.
2020? There’ll be a billion SRW games by then!
[via Reuters via UniqueDaily]
So we get that it’s the perfect tool for capturing skydiving stunts, but as innovative as Google Glass seems, we’re only slowly starting to see other ways it can be useful to the average user. And of all companies, paint maker Sherwin-Williams has come up with a rather clever use for the enhanced specs: as a real-life version of Photoshop’s color-picking eye dropper tool.
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I’m sure you’ve gone on first dates before. And I’m sure you’ve learned the hard way that first dates usually go worse the more you like the person you’re with. Most dates involve eating a meal – and where there’s food, there’s bound to be accidents – usually the messy kind.
With this in mind, Cristina Guardiola redesigned your typical utensils to come up with First Date Cutlery that’s guaranteed to get you through that first date without using the wrong knife or using the dessert spoon for your soup.
Cristina explains that the set adheres “directly to appropriate advice in Debrett’s Etiquette, enhancing the prospect of correct use and diminishing that of an unfortunate faux-pas.” So with etiquette worries out of the way, you should be safe, right?
The soup spoon encourages you to drink from the proper side of the spoon, thus reducing messy spills, while the knife and fork are magnetic, which allows you to place them neatly on the plate so you can take breaks to chat with your date.
The dessert spoon that comes with the set offers up a little reward too, as it was apparently “made for two people sharing one dish.” Well, I honestly think that’s moving a little too fast for comfort, but hey, I’m not one to judge.
I think you know by now why it’s important to brush your teeth regularly. Those two minutes each morning and night might just save you from a future of missing teeth and dentures. But now there’s a new toothbrush of sorts in the market that promises to cut your brushing time down to six seconds per session. I’m not kidding.
It’s called the Blizzident and it’s a 3D-printed toothbrush that’s customized for your specific dental configuration. It costs $299(USD) to get one made, because it’s custom nature means that you can’t just pick one up at a store. You’ll have to get a dentist to make a 3D impression of your teeth, which is scanned into a 3D file and sent off to Blizzident.
They will then get to work on your custom toothbrush. The Blizzident has soft bristles all over, so instead of moving the brush, you just have to bite and chew for six seconds to get a deep clean around every tooth in your mouth – as well as your tongue. It’s recommended that users get a their Blizzident replaced annually. After the initial brush, it’ll cost $159 for replacements.
You can get more information about the Blizzident on their website.
[via C|NET]
Microwave ovens let us heat food in seconds. Soon we’ll have a similar device to cool drinks. A British company called Enviro-Cool and its partners are working on a rapid cooling technology called V-Tex. A refrigerator using V-Tex can cool a canned drink in just 45 seconds. Screw hoverboards or jet packs, I want this fast fridge now.
V-Tex refrigerators create rotate cans or bottles while cooling them in water to avoid forming slush. Apparently the fridges rotate drinks in such a way that carbonated drinks won’t build up pressure and explode when opened.
Here’s a chart that shows how fast the prototype can cool drinks. It’s clear that metal cans are the way to go, since they conduct thermal energy much better than glass.
As much as I love novelty ice trays, I’d rather have a cold drink in a jiffy. Let’s hope this technology finds its way to consumer appliances soon.
[Enviro-Cool via TechEBlog & Geek]
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