Author: Peter Suciu

Yurbuds for Your Ear

Going for a long run often means getting away from it all, but unless you’re in the middle of nowhere your run probably doesn’t get you away from everything. But Yurbuds could just take you away, even if you’re just on a treadmill.

These in-ear headphones were developed by athletes for athletes and officially launched this week with the new Ironman Series earphones. The earbuds were designed by company CEO and Ironman triathlete Seth Burgett while he was training. The result is an earbud that won’t fall out, even when taking part in grueling training regimes.

The sport earphone was developed to match the contour of the human ear without creating any pain points – because if the earbud is uncomfortable who is going to ever want to wear it. The Yurbuds Ironman Series feature an ultra-soft comfort fit and use the company’s patented “TwistLock” technology to provide the wear with exceptional sound by channeling the audio straight to the ear via the patented funnel shape.

(Video after the jump) Continue reading Yurbuds for Your Ear

Louis Garneau Introduces Europcar Pro Cycling Styled Brain Bucket

Louis Garneau has always taken helmet design very seriously, and while function remains key, the line of helmets has a excellent form as well. This is certainly the case with the Quartz line of helmets, which were introduced last year.

The Quartz helmet allows the rider to keep cool even when things heat up, thank to the enormous ventilation channels made possible by the MSB technology – a monocoque structural base at the base of the helmet that reinforces the perimeter for enhanced protection. This is further enhanced by the Composite Reinforcements that spread the shock of impacts, provide support, and are lightweight. Finally, the Patented Spiderlock Elite Retention has been hailed as one of the best in the cycling industry, and this allows the user to adjust the helmet with only one hand to ensure safety while on the bike. Continue reading Louis Garneau Introduces Europcar Pro Cycling Styled Brain Bucket

Table Tennis Gets Space Age Paddle

If those pressed wood table tennis paddles were good enough for Forrest Gump, they should be good enough for everyone else. Of course Tom Hanks didn’t actually spend years learning to play like Gump – those scenes were as digitally enhanced as the ones with Kennedy or Nixon. So maybe the paddle can give you an edge.

That’s the thinking of the Donic-Schildkröt CarboTec 100 paddles, which as the name does suggest are made of the space age carbon fiber. These ultra-light weight paddles, which feature a conclave grip, supposedly can enable players to have faster shots, and better ball control. And they are reportedly legal for competition play.

At $145 for each paddle we’d certainly hope so!

Donic Schildkrot Official Website
[Via Besportier: Carbon Fiber Table Tennis Paddle : Donic Schildkrot CarboTec 100]

Let’s Rollors

While there is increasing concern of the increasing size of children today, and there is no doubt that childhood obesity is on the rise, the truth is that many outdoor activities have fallen out of vogue. Worse still, old favorites like lawn darts have actually been banned for sale in the United States.

It is true, this type of “nanny state” that tries to protect children, actually has taken some of the fun out of playing on the lawn. But now a new game called “Rollors” could bring a return to the grass. Played with wooden disks that are basically like over-sized hockey pucks, the game promises to get things rolling. Players try to aim at a colored coded goal, thus the game takes traditional yard games and dare we say puts a new spin on it! Let the good times Rollors.

Rollors Official Website

New Study: Wii Could Motivate Inactive and Overweight People

The jury has been out for a while now on the exact “benefits” of video games as fitness. We agree that video games alone can’t really replace actual trips to the gym or other physical workouts, but a new study has found that the Nintendo Wii could play an important role in getting “inactive and overweight people into exercise regimes.”

This is among the findings from a new study from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), conducted by Creative Industries Research Associate Dr. Harvey May, a former personal trainer. He worked with a small group made up mostly of women, and found that they felt more motivated to exercise after a two-week fitness regime using the video game system.

In the study the participants showed significant reduction in body mass and fat deposition around the abdominal area and improved strength, balance and walking fitness. The study, which was conducted with QUT alumnus Dr. Kagawa from Kagawa Nutrition University in Japan, included one-hour sessions with the Wii that included yoga, strength exercise, aerobic activities and balance games.

There was some negative findings as well, notably that the video games could result in repetitive stress and “poor direction for some activities.” Still, anything that helps motivate people to do more is good in our book.

[Via HealthCanal.com: Game consoles can help inactive adults get fit]

Serious Post Work Cool Down

There is no denying that if you workout hard there is a chance you can over do it. A lot of times that means changing from your fitness attire and grabbing the ice pack, but in many cases people don’t ice post workout as they get down to other things.

The folks at 110% Play Harder solved this problem by creating compression clothing that helps during your workout, and by letting you add the element of ice after you’re down. This attire features sleeves that allow you to slide pre-chilled ice sheets and seriously cool down after your workout.

The sports compression clothing is available as Transformer Shorts, Juggler Knickers, Sleeves and even Crew Neck Ts. There is even a tote bag that keeps the ice sheets chilled for six hours. So you can even workout and cool down before you head home.

110% Play Harder Official Website
[Via BeSportier: Sports Compression Wear : 110% Play Harder Transformer Shorts]

Senza-ble Bike Lock

There is no denying that there are a lot of different concepts with bike locks. We’ve seen a lot of locks, and one issue remains that it means bringing something “extra” along for the ride or daily commute. But Jaryn Miller’s Senza has interesting twist, it is a bike lock that is also the bike’s handle bars.

Essentially, the bars come off the bike and are locked together to form a U-Lock. The idea is that it provides dual security, because if the lock is cut the bike is much harder to ride away with, as there is nothing to hold on to!

We like the idea and think the designers are on to something, but as others have mentioned there are some problems to be resolved. The most notable is that the handle bar has to be durable enough to be a lock and that could add weight for those times when you don’t need to lock the bike. It also means that riders have to like the style of the drop bar – and this could be a problem for the mountain biker who usually prefers a straight bar with bar ends. Continue reading Senza-ble Bike Lock

Lenovo Brings Motion Controlled Game System to China

A first look at the iSec from China

Strange as it may seem some video game technology is actually not available in China. This is because of a combination of technology that is banned for export to China, as well as a ban on the importation of the systems by the Chinese government. And let’s not forget that there are no doubt fears that it will result in mass pirating.

The latter is no doubt a concern, as has been seen in recent years just about any technology can be reversed in China, and we pretty much known that the Blackhawk helicopter that was destroyed in the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden will likely be studied very closely by the Chinese military. This could jump start China’s attempts to get stealth technology for rotor aircraft, and area where the country has so far lagged behind.

Another area where China is already looking to jump ahead is surprising enough in the aforementioned video game space, and now Lenovo, China’s largest PC maker, has introduced a console to rival the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360, complete with motion control.

Originally known as the eBox, the console has reportedly been renamed the iSec, which stands for “Sports Entertainment Center.” It will include motion sensing technology that works much like that in the Microsoft Kinect, suggesting that this could be used for a range of gaming styles – allowing players to take part in Chinese style martial arts action adventures and of course fitness games.

There is some irony in all this. The Chinese government had banned the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 as there were concerns it could harm the country’s youth – and of course there had been bans to export some hardware to China. But now the Chinese are looking to get in on the game, and the computer gaming market is on the rise Chinese seems to think if you can’t keep it out, embrace it. The final question will be whether China attempts a US invasion with the iSec.

[Via PC World: Lenovo-backed Video Game System Unveiled in China]

Under Armour Puts It Technology Where the Mouth Is

Fitness can get you in great shape, but some sports can also be downright bad for the mouth. Contact sports and other activities can result in teeth getting a different kind of extreme workout, one that is can be painful and costly. But Under Armour, the maker of protective attire, puts it technology where the mouth is with its Performance Mouthwear.

This includes the ArmourBite patented mouthwear technology that was developed by Bite Tech, Inc. And the Performance Mouthwear is essentially a new category of sport equipment that allows athletes in any sport to protect their teeth. There are also two models – the Performance Mouthpiece for non-contact sports such as mountain biking and even tennis, and the Performance Mouthguard for contact sports including football, lacrosse, martial arts and wrestling. Now you can get in shape, give it your best and protect those pearly whites!

Under Armour Official Website

Hydromax – The End of the Water Boy?

We may soon mark the end of the end of the era in football. Over the years there have been many changes to the game, the introduction of helmets and pads, the change of the grid field and even rules in scoring. But soon, the once proud water boy maybe out of a job thanks to a new wearable water supply system.

In truth, this could actually solve an increasingly worrisome problem. Dehydration remains an issue for many players, especially in southern states and on those sunny and warm fall days. The Hydromax system could just be the key to keeping athletes hydrated for those times when water remains on the sidelines – so close and yet so very far away. Continue reading Hydromax – The End of the Water Boy?

Olympic Velodrome Completed and Green

Let the games begin! That’s the feeling we’re getting right now as it has been announced that the site of the 2012 London Olympics track bike racing events has been completed.

The Hopkins Architects-designed arena can seat about 6000, and is the last of four permanent venues in the London Olympic Park to be completed. It is however the first to be completed on time and on budget. The sinuous velodrome was also reportedly inspired by the lightweight and streamlined bikes that do the loops inside. It features a track with western red cedar timber as the main cladding, while the roof collects rain water, which can be resued and recycled. The curved cable net structure is also designed to reflect sun, and thus reduce the need for air conditioning. Continue reading Olympic Velodrome Completed and Green

Bike is “Slow-Moving Vehicle”

Bike safety is promoted on the LAPD Website

This week Sgt. David Krumer of the Los Angeles Police Department in a presentation admitted that even members of the LAPD are “not well-versed in the Vehicle Code as it pertains to cyclists.” Krumer, who serves as the department’s liaison to the cycling community, analyzed sections of the California Vehicle Code, which identifies bicycles as “slow-moving vehicles.”

This in itself is not innovative, but it should help make the road friendly for riders overtime as it could create better understanding between riders and drivers. Some of the key points of California traffic law that were discussed:

• Cyclists may ride in the middle of a lane as long as their speed does not impede traffic flow.
• To avoid the “door zone”—the space occupied by an open door from a vehicle parked curbside—cyclists must ride three feet from parked cars.
• Riding side-by-side, also called “two abreast,” instead of in a more lane-space-efficient single file line is legal if there is more than one lane in the direction in which the cyclists are traveling that motorists can use to pass on the left.
• A cyclist is impeding traffic if followed by five or more motor vehicles. The law requires a turnout to the right in such an instance.
• Cyclists in crosswalks are a very gray area and for the most part left to an individual officer’s judgment as to whether a citable offense has occurred.
• Traveling the wrong way on a street is never legal for a bike rider, but it is sometimes permissible when riding on the sidewalk, which cyclists are allowed to do.

So will this help ensure that drivers share the road? Maybe, but knowledge can go a long way.

[Via Sherman Oaks Patch.com: Law Defines a Bicycle as a ‘Slow-Moving Vehicle’]

Biodegradable Golf Balls Made From Lobster

Here is an interesting solution that could solve two problems. First, what do you do with all those lobster shells that must pile up at various seafood restaurants – at least the higher end versions that serve real lobster? Second, driving golf balls into the ocean probably isn’t that good of an idea – there was that Seinfeld episode that explained why.

So how about golf balls made of lobster shells? In a word, brilliant!

That’s exactly the result that a team from the University of Maine – a place likely known for its lobster – has come up, golf balls made from the shells of last night’s supper. Chemical Engineering Professor David Neivandt and undergrad Alex Caddell, working with The Lobster Insititute, created the biodegradable balls, which are made from crushed waste shells, a binder and coating. Continue reading Biodegradable Golf Balls Made From Lobster