Hasta La Gadget!

This week Inhabitat saw the light as we showcased an array of exciting developments in energy-efficient illumination. First off, Philips dazzled attendees at this year’s Lightfair expo as they unveiled the EnduraLED — the world’s first LED replacement for those ubiquitous energy-sucking 60 watt incandescent bulbs. We were also excited to see the unveiling of the SolPix – a giant energy generating LED wall that doubles as solar shade and can be installed as high-tech building cladding. And if you think energy-efficient lighting isn’t easy on the eyes, check out this beautiful LED flower that soaks up sun during the day and blooms at night.

We also looked at several incredible (and insane) futuristic modes of transportation – for starters, how about an electric zip-line backpack that shoots you through city streets? We were also impressed by the Cell, a shape-shifting electric vehicle concept that comes complete with its own car-sharing transit system. And if soaring through the skies is more your style, check out these self-sufficient airships that harness solar energy to generate biofuel.

Wearable tech saw several developments as well – this week we looked at the ultra-efficient 3d printers that created Iron Man’s suit of armor. In other news, your next trip to the doctor could merit more than a single shot in the arm – researchers are developing a new type of “prescription” tattoo that keeps tabs on glucose levels using infra-red ink.

Finally, we saw several remarkable inventions that stand to change how we combat climate change and construct our built environment. This week Bill Gates unveiled plans to invest in the development of a fleet of seawater-spraying mist machines that could combat climate change by creating sunlight-reflecting clouds, and we looked at a new type of biologically crafted brick that can be “grown” from a combination of sand, bacteria, and urine.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: LED lights, biofuel airplanes, and prescription tattoos originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Until we reach the time when tattoos make checking blood glucose levels cool, we’re going to need another way to keep kids with diabetes healthy. And hey, kids love videogames, right? Bayer’s Didget is based on the company’s Contour glucose meter, but instead of connecting by USB it’s shaped like a Game Boy cartridge, enabling it to slot into a Nintendo DS or DS Lite. When kids upload their scores to a custom game (the less than thrilling sounding Knock ‘Em Downs: World Fair) they’ll unlock new characters and items, but there’s one fatal flaw in this plan: the system necessarily isn’t compatible with the DSi (or its XL brother) and we’re guessing the big cartridge slot isn’t due for a comeback in the 3DS. In other words, this meter is on a fast-track to obsolescence.

Bayer Didget blood glucose monitoring system does double-duty as a DS game originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BodyTrace rolls out GSM-enabled eScale originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At Inhabitat we’ve seen 3D printers that create entire buildings out of stone and complete meals out of simple ingredients, but this week we watched in awe as scientists used a 3D printer to create the world’s first “printed” human vein. And if advances in biotech get your blood flowing, you’ll be excited to hear that this week a team of researchers successfully tested a new type of nanobot that travels through the bloodstream to turn off tumor cells. Contact lenses are also getting a much needed upgrade as scientists unveiled a new type capable of fighting glaucoma and other diseases by dispensing a powerful dose of medication.

In other news, solar energy is lighting up the world at large as India gears up to power all of its cellphone towers with photovoltaic cells, saving 5 million tons of CO2 and $1.4 billion annually. And speaking of silicon cells, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently unveiled its latest creation: a super robot capable of assembling an entire photovoltaic cell in 35 minutes flat. We also looked at a prototype of a prismatic solar balloon that uses a colorful new type of solar cell to soak up the sun’s energy from high in the sky.

Finally, this week we took an in-depth look at the Ingocar, a hydraulic hybrid drive vehicle so light and efficient that it promises a mileage of 170MPG. This next-gen vehicle uses hydraulic fluid under pressure to accelerate, brake, and eliminate the need for a heavy mechanical drive train, making it 50% lighter than hybrid electric vehicles. And if you’ve ever experienced the maddening anxiety of circling for a parking spot on crammed city streets, relax – there’s an app for that!

Inhabitat’s Week In Green: 3D printed veins, solar cell towers, and the Ingocar originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We get both weird and wonderful submissions to our Gadget Lab tips hotline, all of which we enjoy. Then we get something like the Gluvi, and it makes me doubt not just the world of gadgets, but the future of humanity itself. The Gluvi is a small plastic bag into which you slip a remote control. It costs $10, and would seem to be an overpriced cover to protect the remote from spills. It isn’t. Instead, it is designed to protect you, the user, from dirty, unhygienic sticks of plastic.

It works like this: You are Howard Hughes, so scared of germs around you that you use tissues to pick up anything. Given your various paranoias, it is inexplicable that you visit a hotel, but you do so anyway. When you arrive, it strikes you that “most hotels do not require their maids to clean TV remotes” and that you could be exposed to “diseases found on hotel remotes such as the H1N1 virus, cold virus, herpes, hepititas [sic], etc.” (I swear I am not making this up).

But you came prepared. You pull out the prophylactic (or “Portable Sanitary Solution”) which is “easy to use, slip on and off” and cover the foul, disease-ridden device. But what of the Gluvi itself? Surely that, too, will get dirty as you travel? No matter. The website suggests you use solvents.

Unbelievably, it gets worse. What do you think this overpriced freezer-bag might be made of? If you guessed “easy grip, stylish yoga inspired reflexology material”, you would be, inevitably, correct.

And on: There are two models available. The Hotel Gluvi for travelers we already covered, and the Custom Gluvi, “designed to fit your home cable TV remotes” and protect the actual device from gunk. Yes, we finally get to the part where I make the joke about keeping the remote clean whilst watching “late night” movies. And to finish, there is actually a recommended by link on the store page. Who is this benevolent endorser? Amazingly, it’s the Working Mother blog.

Gluvi Remote Protector [Gluvi. Thanks, Andrea!]