concept | Evolving Consumer

Smart Workout Apparel in Development

Currently, we are seeing workout attire that breathes better, doesn’t retain that foul gym smell and even helps provide extra “squeeze” to compress muscles. That’s all good and clever, but truly “smart” clothing is now being developed that could change the way we work out.

Reebok and start-up MC10 have partnered up to develop apparel that would utilize stretchable silicon electronics. Reebok would utilize the flexible electronics from MC10 into its sportswear, resulting in clothing that can actually monitor a user’s health and performance during training and post-workout cool down. Continue reading Smart Workout Apparel in Development

Dare to Go Bare with Footstickers

Footstickers3 — Concept Footsticker for dance class.

Bare feet get a lot of attention these days. Running in bare feet or bare feet-like shoes from Vibram are said to be healthy. Yet if you choose to go bare, your feet are vulnerable to injuries such as twists, slips, and the dreaded pebble or glass. A concept from designer Frieke Severs from Nike EMEA for “Footstickers” covers key points of the foot to provide better motion control, more feeling for the direct floor contact and a surface-grabbing silicon surface to propel you in your workout. Continue reading Dare to Go Bare with Footstickers

Snow Won’t Stop the Bond Bike

While mountain bikes can handle reasonable amounts the white stuff, usually deep snow means it is time to hit the rollers or exercise bike instead. Two wheels and thick packed snow just don’t mix. But the British Environmental Transport Association (ETA) might have an alternate solution with a special bike kit that utilizes a caterpillar track-driven snow bike.

BikeRadar.com reported that the bike, which was designed as a proof of concept device for the Cycle Show 2010 in London, actually found use following the recent snow fall in Britain last week. The concept converts any existing 26-inch mountain bike (hard tail or full suspension) into a snow bike by replacing the front wheel with a single ski and using a rubber track setup with the rear wheel. This solution allows the rider to retain the use of the gears and rear brake. Super villain and Bond girl not included.

[Via BikeRadar: Taking the ‘Bond bike’ for a spin in the snow]

Kinetic(mis)Shift: Once-a-Week Fitness

Ever gone to the gym’s trainer and lifted weights just above your ability? Your muscles feel like used rubber bands and you don’t feel like visiting the gym for about a week. The MaxOut Strength Studio work on this premise, and charges you $140 (per month) for four workouts. That’s more than most gyms and this is a small “studio” with leather couches instead of equipment. The franchise states a guarantee of results, but never states what that guarantee actually is.

MaxOut Strength Studios

Kinetic(Mis)Shift are products that we think deserve to be called out for their utter lack of fitness benefits.

Nike Moves Toward Sustainability with Collaborative Design Tool

Expect to see more environmental, sustainable products from Nike and hopefully the industry. The company just released its Environmental Apparel Design Tool to foster collaboration between companies, and maximize the use of sustainable materials and processes.

The Environmental Design Tool is an open source tool based on Nike’s Considered Design Index. This is seven years in the making and the company has made a $6 million investment in the software-based system to help designers make real time choices that decrease environmental impact in their process. Continue reading Nike Moves Toward Sustainability with Collaborative Design Tool

Park Your Bike up a Pole

It’s often difficult to find a bike rack. And when you do, your bike still takes up valuable space on the sidewalk. A German hobby supply company has the answer for you. A stand that raises the bicycle up a lamp post or other pole. So far, this is strictly a DIY project, but this company, Conrad, has the supplies and instructions for you to make your own. Check out how the mechanism works, and how it’s put together (in German).

[via Cyclelicious]

Mass Transit Powered by the Masses

In the Flintstones the cars and buses and such were often powered by the riders essentially moving their feet. Even as a child that didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me; I mean why wouldn’t Fred just walk instead of having to use his feet to “drive” the car. Apparently some of the cars were powered by crude engines made somehow out of stone, or powered by animals – but the point is that even the theme song suggested it was “Fred’s two feet” that provided the motion. So much for Stone Age technology, but now that same source could be used for a very high-tech monorail. And we’re not talking about a cartoon character’s two feet, but rather your two legs, at least if you plan on riding in the Shweeb monorail. Continue reading Mass Transit Powered by the Masses

Bicycle Briefcase

There have been a lot of folding bicycles, including several that are small enough to fit in a suitcase, so when we heard that there was a briefcase bicycle we quite expectedly got a little excited. But in fact the bike doesn’t fold up to a size small enough to actually fit inside a briefcase, and instead the carbon fiber bike comes with a carbon fiber briefcase that helps maintain the rigidness of the frame while riding. The bike was designed by Marcos Madia, a finalist in the Seoul Cycle Design competition.

It is an interesting concept, and it is just in the concept stage at this point. The biggest downsides we see to the bike is that it is still likely to be too big to bring into most offices (those building managers have something against bicycles), and the briefcase is too small to transport much. Likewise, there is the fact that this could be a tricky bike to lock up too – and it has “steal me” practically written on the side, even if it isn’t quite stable enough to ride without the briefcase. Now if only there was a way to get a folding bike that could actually fit inside a briefcase. George Jetson had his aircar that folded up, so a bike should be a no brainer.