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InventHelp To Help Design Skateboard

It isn’t reinventing the wheel, but Davici’s Hillboard is reportedly working to develop a device to capture the thrill and excitement of skateboarding and snowboarding. We’re not sure what this simulation might be, but the original design was submitted to the Atlanta office of InventHelp.

“I invented this idea because I love board sports, and I am fascinated by the hover board from the movie Back to the Future II,” said the unnamed inventor. “I thought it would be awesome to design a board that works similarly to that.”

We’ll be looking forward to what this device could actually be!

InventHelp Official Website
[Press Release: InventHelp Client Develops Redesigned Skateboard (ALL-308)]

Light Time

This long winter has kept many indoors and that means out of the sun. That might not sound so bad, but getting some of the sun’s rays can actually help improve well being. Too much sun and you can burn, even in the winter, but not enough and you might feel downright blue.

So how do you know if you’re getting of the good UV rays? SunSprite is the world’s first wearable device that can track daily light and sun exposure. It can be paired with a smartphone and help users reach personalized goals to get just the right amount of sun to support a healthy lifestyle.

SunSprite, which is now being developed via an Indiegogo crowd funding project, is also unique in wearables in that it tracks the sun’s light and does so through solar power! Video after the jump

Tagged!

Laser tag is a good way to get kids away from the video games and get them actually moving around, but that typically means heading to somewhere to play or buying expensive equipment. Skirmos has launched a Kickstarter campaign to develop an open source laser tag system that allows players to create their own electronic battlefield.

It all is built around a white laser tag gun (seen above), which has been designed so that cannot be easily mistaken for a real weapon. We know some parents might not like the concept of a gun in any shape or form for kids, but this one features a transparent design with RGB LEDs that change colors, and the developers have vowed to never make these look like real firearms.

The gun will feature an LCD HUD that can track objectives, timers, ammo and even health as well as “kills/deaths.” This is a war game after all, and one that should get the kids’ hearts racing in a good way. It could be the ultimate first person shooter. Video after the jump

Fender Lights to Protect from Fender Benders

Being seen at night is really the first line of defense for cyclists, and the developers of the Revolights have created a bicycle fender that features an integrated light. However, the Revolights Arc is much more than a set of LED tail lights – it features sensors that actually allow it to operate much like a brake light as well. It can actually increase in brightness much like a car’s brake or go into a blinking mode to help really draw some attention to drivers.

The Revolights Arc is being developed now via a Kickstarter campaign. Video after the jump

Fly It On

It seems everyone is creating wearable fitness trackers for the wrist. However, the designer of the Flyfit is now looking to have cyclists, runners and swimmers put in the ankles instead!

Designer Jimmy Leu, who has taken his concept to Kickstarter, believes that the wrists are not exactly the optimal place to track body movement while exercising. By placing a monitor on the ankle it can better track movement and even different kinds of leg activity. It can thus track cycling rotation and cadence, swim leg strokes and steps taken while running or jogging. It can then stream the data collected via Bluetooth to an Android or iOS device on the fly. Video after the jump

Dual Chambered

The human heart has dual chambers and that works really well – provided the person eats right, exercises, etc. Two chambers just works, so why hasn’t the concept been taken to bicycle tubes before?

Now Schwalbe and wheel maker Syntace have announced plans to create a new dual chamber tire that could provide greater traction and control or mountain bikes. This system is actually “tubeless” in that the tire has no internal inner tube, and instead has chambered that hold air. The inner chamber – that is the one closest to the rim – can be inflated to a high pressure to keep the tire tight on the rim and to provide a buffer from puncture-inducing hits. The outer chamber – the one that could have contact with the ground – only requires a low pressure, which means it can cut down on the rolling resistance over uneven ground and provide greater traction.

However, don’t expect to get rolling with it just yet. The system is still being worked out, and the companies look to present more details at Eurobike in August.

[Via BikeRadar: Schwalbe and Syntace unveil dual chamber tyre system]

Titanium Printing May Revolutionize Bike Production

The above image may look like a piece of modern art, or perhaps the digestive system for a robotic man – but it is in fact parts for a 3D-printed titanium bicycle frame. Renishaw, an additive manufacturing firm based in the U.K., has joined forces with Empire Cycles to build a one-off titanium MX-6 mountain bike.

Empire Cycles already offers a production version of the bike but in aluminum, yet it has been long noted that titanium has a high Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) that is far greater than aluminum. One issue has been that titanium is also denser than aluminum, so the parts had to be altered and material not contributing to the overall strength removed.

Titanium is a perfect metal for 3D printing as it isn’t a traditional ore, and it now appears that the bike industry is looking to get rolling on this technology. The future could be printed bikes that can be faster to produce and likely even more affordable for the rider.

Press Release: First metal 3D printed bicycle frame manufactured by Renishaw for Empire Cycles

Personalized Poles

Char Poles of Salt Lake City haven’t so much reinvented the ski pole, but it certainly has expanded the possibilities of what the pole can do. While these work like normal ski poles on the slopes these offer a variety of customizable options in the grips. This provides useable Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, while the end of the grip can be used as a monopod mount for a camera. The baskets at the end of the poles even offer a bottle opener.

Char Pole is now looking to a RocketHub crowd funding campaign to raise money. Now is your chance to get in a pole position. Continue reading Personalized Poles

RaceWare Goes 3D (Printing)

Customized products are nothing new, but RaceWare Direct is taking it up a notch thanks to 3D printing technologies. The company will soon be offering products that can be very customizable when it comes to color and text, and is offering a number of bicycle mounts in both 3D printed nylon and titanium.

The online customization service will launch later this year.

RaceWare Direct Official Website

Alarmed and Ready

You can’t always keep your eyes on your bike, but the RFID Bikealarm is the next best thing to having someone watch your bike. Designed by Dennis Siegal, this device attaches to a bike saddle and emits a 120dB alarm when moved. This isn’t meant to replace a physical lock but rather to provide a low-cost second line of defense.

The alarm is activated by holding an RFID tag close to the device until an audio acknowledgement is sounded, and deactivated the same way when the owner returns. Siegel opted to use RFID technology as opposed to Bluetooth as a way to keep the costs down. Siegal designed the RFID Bikealarm as part of his university studies at University of the Arts Bremen in Germany.

Dennis Siegal Official Website

Shields Are Up

Shark attacks are rare, but they do happen. Now Shark Shield has been awarded a government grant for a surfboard shark deterrent. The Western Australian State Government Grant has been presented to Shark Shield to develop a shark deterrent for surfers. The company, along with two Western Australia universities, have been award $967,161 (AU) in the second round of applied research funding. Continue reading Shields Are Up

Fly6 Has Your Back

Cyclists need to keep their eyes on the road, but there are times many wish they had eyes in the back of their head to watch for oncoming traffic. The Fly6 Camera and Tail-Light Combo is a bike light and more. It provides a light to alert drivers to a rider’s position, but also features a camera that can record how a driver may have responded.

The design came about after one of the inventors was shot by a slingshot by a passenger in a passing car. The designers, which are now looking to a Kickstarter campaign to help the Fly6 get off the ground so to speak, are hoping that drivers who know they are being filmed will behave more responsibly. Video after the jump

Rockwell Bean Bucket

There have been numerous attempts to make a better bike helmet, but German designer Rockwell Headgear has looked to a concept we first covered back in 2012 when it was introduced for ski and snowboarding helmets. Instead of a foam liner the Rockwell utilizes Vaco12 technology, which consists of pods of beans that are spread out to absorb energy on impact.

The Rockwell helmets feature a Vaco12 layer along with a hard outer shell and a textile softshell in between. The result is a helmet that has layers to take the blunt of an impact – which is better than the head taking it!

Rockwell Headgear Official Website