What is holding back bicycle commuting in the United States? Washington-born designer Gabriel Wartofsky has suggested that it is the lack of options available. To this end he has been working on an electric assist bike that could help users get to the nearest transit hub or final destination sweat-free, grease-free, and without a hassle.
Category: concept
Toyota Prius X Parlee Concept Bike
httpv://youtu.be/lWzdWMapJ-c
I can honestly say, never thought I’d see the day that you could move something with just your mind. You can, and this isn’t just something out of Star Wars. Toyota and bicycle manufacturer Parlee have teamed up to create a concept bicycle that is as cutting edge and trend setting as the Prius. The video above shows how this could be a game changer for cyclists. And in a related story the BBC takes its own look at mind control. Mind over matter indeed!
iPhone to Get ANT+
Want to see a few minutes into the future of mobile technology? Look no further than the FCC. Late last week word broke that an ANT+ adapter for the iPhone from Garmin had surfaced in FCC documents. The ANT+ wireless sensor would of course be used to track fitness data in devices such as heart rate monitors, sports watches and cycling computers.
While Garmin already makes those devices, it would appear that Garmin could be looking to create a fully integrated system that somehow utilizes the iPhone. From the images this adapter could be compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and maybe even the iPhone 4S.
A Speedy Vest for Commuting
Commuting on a bicycle can be a great way to start the day and for many people it is also the only time to get some exercise. Unfortunately, commuting can also be a sketchy proposition depending on the route that is used to get to work. When my wife and I lived in California I had a 50 mile round trip commute that took me over the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco. Fortunately for me, there were very few incidents that occurred, but occasionally there was the run-in with an inattentive driver or bus operator. Since those days, I have always been alert to new ideas regarding commuting. Recently one in particular caught my eye – the Speed Vest, which was profiled recently in Make magazine.
(Video after the jump)
The World Could be Feeling Bluetooth
According to a report from Research and Markets titled, Bluetooth 2011: Rapid Growth for Established Interface, the demand for Bluetooth-enabled devices worldwide is expected to exceed 2billion by 2013. The wireless protocol has continued to gain design wins over a wide range of applications, with Bluetooth device shipments increasing by 23 percent between 2009 and 2010.
It was noted that this growth has been due to the continued success of the so-called “Classic Bluetooth,” which includes all Bluetooth 1.x and 2.x standards. Bluetooth has been further bolstered in the past year by the emergence of two new standards, which include Bluetooth 3.0 + High Speed (HS) and Bluetooth 4.0.
Bluetooth 3.0 + High Speed combine classic Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transmit large data files. It was introduced in mobile phones in 2010, whereas Bluetooth 4.0 offers much lower power consumption than Classic Bluetooth and is targeted at medical and fitness devices, as well as PCs and mobile phones. Bluetooth 4.0 can also accommodate the HS option found in Bluetooth 3.0. The first 4.0 devices will ship in late 2011, and is primarily targets new BT markets: medical, fitness, and security devices.
The world could be a blue place in the near future.
Under(wear) Armor
The U.S. Department of Defense is often accused of casting a wide web, and not that include the “Warrior Web.” This isn’t some nefarious program to wage a secret war in some distant land, but instead it could protect those soldiers who do travel to hostile lands in the not too distant future.
Essentially the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) from the U.S. Department of Defense is developing a prototype one-piece suit intended for soldier use, ala a type of armored underwear, or underwear armor. This “Warrior Web” also covers more than the privates, and certainly more than just privates. All soldiers in the field could benefit from this futuristic attire that could protect soldiers from injury, help the wearer actually sustain body energy and even keep track of vital signs, not to mention look pretty cool in the process. Continue reading Under(wear) Armor
The Third Dimension of Training with Traq3D
httpv://youtu.be/8Y1I_soc_-Y
Fitness is now heading to a new dimension as Traq3D has announced the launch of the next generation TRAZER system, which utilizes the Panasonic Electric Works’ 3D Image Sensing Camera, D-IMager, as the preferred 3D motion detection device for this new product. TRAZER is an innovative interactive exercise technology that was featured on according to the company measures the previously immeasurable fundamental components of movement. It provides the power to detect movement asymmetries and weaknesses to guide rehabilitation, performance enhancement and injury prevention programs.
While this has the appearance of the technology used in current video games, such as the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft’s Kinect for the Xbox360 or the PlayStation Move, it is really a lot more says the technology’s innovator.
Continue reading The Third Dimension of Training with Traq3D
Sweden Building World’s Largest Indoor Ski Slope
Stretching over 753,473 square feet, Skipark360 will be the world’s largest indoor ski resort doubling the size of today’s current indoor ski champ, Holland’s SnowWorld Landgraaf. The new resort, which will be situated 45 minutes from Stockholm, Sweden, also hopes to be the world’s only indoor ski resort to house a 2,297-foot long slope with a 525-foot drop — large enough to officially host alpine World Cup events. Designed by CF Moller Architects, this winter wonderland will also feature a 2.2-mile cross country ski tunnel, 20,000 square-foot biathlon arena, ice hockey arena, figure skating arena, and a snowboarding area. And that’s just part of this massive facility.
Video after the jump Continue reading Sweden Building World’s Largest Indoor Ski Slope
Quirky New Bike: Modus
In just 24-hours a new bike was created with the input of people on the internet. The “Quirky Moneyball Project” was a collaboration between crowd source invention company Quirky and Columbia Pictures in promotion of the new film Moneyball.
You might think that the promotion would be to build a better bat or baseball cleats. The challenge for Quirky however, was to develop and build a new bicycle in just 24 hours. The collaboration included input from the Quirky design team with the healp of Oakland A’s fans, film enthusiasts and the Quirky global community.
Video after the jump
Ford Unveils Radical Bike Concept With Formula One Tech
The big auto shows—Detroit, L.A., Tokyo, Geneva, etc.—are where car manufacturers show-off dreamy, almost-out-of-this world concepts; many will never make it into production, while some will morph into practical variants, but they showcase the direction a carmaker is taking and new technologies it is using. These concepts tend to be of the four-wheel variety, however, Ford’s newly unveiled vehicle at the Frankfurt Motor Show this month isn’t what’s usually shown on the show floor.
Behold Ford’s beautiful E-Bike Concept. It has the recognizable two-wheel frame of a traditional bicycle, yet it has lines and accents that evoke a modern car. According to Ford, the E-Bike is an exercise in translating Ford’s “design language” to a bicycle and demonstrating “Ford’s electric mobility competence.” Ford recognizes major growth in the electric bicycle market and sees e-bikes as a major part of urban transport in the future. Continue reading Ford Unveils Radical Bike Concept With Formula One Tech
An “Open” Solution to Measuring Your Heart Rate?
The idea of measuring a person’s heart rate using an optical pulse sensor is certainly not a new concept. Shine a light source through a fingertip or an ear lobe and the light either bounces back to the light sensor or it is absorbed by the blood. The number of times that the light is bounced back is the sensor is the number of time that your heart is beating or your pulse rate. It is pretty simple, so why are we still using heart rate monitors with straps that wrap around our torsos? Why can’t the average athlete clip on an optical sensor to an ear lobe, have their heart rate taken using an optical sensor and have that information transmitted (maybe via BlueTooth) to a recording devise with a digital display? That may all change with a new open-source optical heart-rate pulse sensor from two Physical Computing professors at the Parsons the New School for Design.
Yury Gitman and Joel Murphy have recently achieved, and far exceeded, their fund raising goal of $3000 using KickStarter.com to mass produce their new optical heart-rate pulse sensor, the Pulse Sensor. The new Pulse Sensor, along with the processing software, plugs right into another open-source item – the Arduino platform. Their new sensor is currently being marketed to students, artists, athletes, developers or anyone else looking to develop a device to record a heart rate.
Video after the jump Continue reading An “Open” Solution to Measuring Your Heart Rate?
Columbia Thinks Corn is so Cool
Corn is a summer favorite. Recommended servings include grilled, steamed and cooked in the microwave as long as there’s a dollop of butter to melt over the kernels. But would you think about wearing corn? The Omni-Freeze Ice Baselayer from Columbia Sportswear coming out next year is made from a corn or maize-based fiber.
The shirt does well to keep the wearer cool in hot weather. Tiny crystals in the fiber undergo a change from solid to gel when they become wet. Sweat causes this reaction. The result is that the gel cools the skin, or “sucks heat from the surrounding environment,” Columbia claims.
This is called a baselayer, however even with the cooling functions it’s going to be the only layer.
Columbia Sportswear Official Website
[Via GearJunkie: ‘Maize-Based’ Compound Adds Cooling Effect to Columbia T-Shirt]
No Need to Pump It Up With Self-Inflating Tires
Nothing can ruin a bike ride like a flat tire. While a crash of course is far worse, a flat is just downright annoying and frustrating because it is fairly minor but yet just enough to get you off the bike. Now Benjamin Krempel has developed a system that could keep you riding instead.
The PumpTire system consists of a tire, an inner tube that clips into it and an air valve. The concept is a different as clincher tires are from tubular tires. Basically the PumpTire is designed to automatically pump air into the inner tube by actually using the compressive effect when the tire rolls. To ensure that it doesn’t just keep inflating, the tube stops pumping when the desired pressure is reached.
Video after the jump Continue reading No Need to Pump It Up With Self-Inflating Tires