Smirnoff has joined forces with British electronic music producer DJ Fresh and PhD Julien Castet, a leading brainwave technology expert, to enable a group of physically disabled music fans – Andy, Mark and Jo – to create a music track controlling musical software with nothing but their mind. The project, named Smirnoff Mindtunes, is the first of its kind and focusses on how technology can be used to transform brain activity and emotions into music, “enabling physical barriers to musical creativity to be broken down.” Supported by Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People (QEF), The Smirnoff Mindtunes project aims to raise money for the charity through proceeds of the sale of the track.
Presented during the 2013 Salone del Mobile, the Sandwichbike wooden bicycle by Dutch designer Basten Leijh will start production. Made of two wooden panels, this bicycle was inspired by the concept of flat packing and home assembly. To enable to make it a build-it-yourself product, Basten Leijh rethought most aspects of the classic velocipede. Instead of a welded frame, the vehicle is engineered as a “sandwich” of two weather coated frames of layered plywood. Bonded together by “smart cylinders”, the frames and components become a durable piece of technology.
Knock Knock is an amazing project that combines both technology and design. With it’s minimalist look, the wooden cube presents a face with the 4 mathematic basics: Additions, soustractions, multiplications and divisions. Have an original knock and then knock anywhere to operate by the number you want. Hard to explain but very simple to understand. Click on the picture below to tell you more about it in a video. Knock Knock was conceived and designed by Swiss designer Khalil Klouche.
Ross Lovegrove has designed the Biophilia Collection for Vondom. Biophilia Collection explores a new design language that forms a dialogue between time, form and space combining the pioneering organic design of Sagrada Famila by Antonio Gaudi, Vondom expertise in advanced roto-moulded technology and my studios ongoing research into the transference of digital process into contemporary design. Taken out of craft and into the 21st century progressive domain of polymerization and industry Biophilia is a collection, acknowledges this lineage but pushes the boundaries between material structure and form into a new modern territory as yet unseen, parametrically conceived and diametrically opposed to modernism in its expression.
At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show Toyota has introduced the i-ROAD – an electric personal mobility vehicle. Offering greater flexibility in an urban environment, the i-ROAD provides seating in tandem for two users in a pod-like enclosed environment. Its all-electric power-train features a lithium-ion battery – which provides power to a pair of 2 kW electric motors mounted within the front wheels. The EV provides unique, “active lean” technology for a safe, intuitive and enjoyable, helmet-free driving experience for over a range of up to 50 km on a single charge. The system features a lean actuator motor and gearing mounted above the front suspension member, linked via a yoke to the right and left front wheels. An ECU calculates the required lean based on steering angle, gyro-sensor and vehicle speed information. The “active lean” automatically moves the wheels up and down in opposite directions, applying lean angle to counteract the centrifugal force of cornering. Measuring 2,350 mm long and 850 mm wide, the compact three-wheeled PMV’s dimension also makes it possible to park four units in a single car parking bay and allows it to manoeuvre freely through congested traffic.
Prevention is always better than cure. That’s what Liquipel 2.0 is good at. It a molecular level coating technology that makes electric devices waterproof so that your gadgets will remain alive, in case of accidental splashes. Some of us already know this patented service. Liquipel has been around but now soon Liquipel will be available in retail locations.
Take a look at nicely crafted portable Wireless Speaker System that accompanies solid bass and excellent treble with added optimal quality and audio effects. The Bluetooth technology is the core of innovative gears these days, so don’t think about a sound system that doesn’t even have a wireless control. With integrated audio 3.5mm jack, this speaker system is good for wired music players as well. Play the music on demand right away and enjoy the soul soother.
Acknowledging the first generation of Sea Hawks in 1940s, Girard Perregaux Sea Hawk Collection is remarkable combination of classic style and modern technology . First introduced in 1980 the Sea Hawk features anti-clockwise bezel, helium valve for professional divers, fully waterproof steel case that can hold up-to 1500kg of pressure. Pictured above is a brushed steel, mechanical Movement GP3300, octagon bezel and easily readable dial.
The guys over at Porsche seem to have the technology and the power in their all new Motionless Driving Experience. The new 3-D projection mapping technology is spectacular and they create a four and a half-minute long video that shows their all new 91 Carrera 4S in all its excellence. From the rain to the snow, and even the sunsets and sunrises, this 3-D model leaves nothing to guess.
Joachim Garraud is a Frenchman, alien enthusiast, computer nerd, DJ and producer extraordinaire. Known for his impressive audiovisual shows and high-end production, Joachim has always been drawn to two things in his life: music and technology. Read the interview after the jump.
“When I was young, I learned to play piano and drums. In ’84 there was the first software on the computer, that was a fusion between my two loves, music and technology. Making the fusion with these two things was like, wow… This is exactly what I want to do! I want to make music with my computer.
“The first track I made, was a real techno track because there was only cheap sounds. Short, because there was no memory. In mono, because there was no stereo, and using only 8-bits, so the sound was like ‘qsh qsh qsh qsh’.
“Even if the quality was bad, I was so excited to use this kind of tool to make music.”
As with many, DJing for Joachim was about being able to share his passion for music. It may not have been in the spotlight or on the festival stage yet, but it was just where he wanted to be.
“At the beginning, being a DJ was not very sexy. The DJ was in the basement and nobody could see him playing, but I was very excited to be a DJ in the dark, I was excited to share my love and my passion of the music.
“Before being able to play my own tracks as a DJ, there were two different jobs. There was the producer and the DJ. Today, these are completely linked. If you want to be famous as a DJ you have to be a producer, and you have to play your own tracks.”
Serato Video is now one of the pillars of Joachim’s performance. It’s another way of making the show bigger, the fans more excited and the experience special.
“There is a very strong link between video and audio, you need to be synchronized, but keep the DJ spirit and control everything by yourself. With this kind of technology, you can be flexible as a DJ but as massive as YouTube. When you see a huge crowd, dancing, hands in the air on your own track, you have so many good vibes, after that you cant sleep.”
INOX Park Festival in Paris, is Joachim’s pride and joy. It’s a place where he gives back to his fans, tests out new show ideas and experiments.
“Every year I produce an outdoor event in Paris. This is the third edition of INOX park. It’s my baby, it’s my own festival. Producing my own festival is very important for me, for many reasons. It is a way for me to transmit my passion to the new generation. INOX park is the best place for me to do an experimental show.
“This is the first time I am doing a 3D show, with mask.”
With so much going on – Video, Audio, Lighting – it’s important that he gets out in front and makes a connection with the crowd. Whether it’s shooting a smoke cannon into the front row, playing his keytar or dancing, Joachim loves to perform.
“I am very proud to say that I’m a showman. That’s why I started playing keyboard. You make a direct link, unique with people, and they freak out. On top of that, you are going to be able to play audio and video synchronized, it makes people hypnotized by the show. To deliver more than the classical DJ, I’m very excited and very proud of that.”
The Space Invader, now an iconic feature of Joachim’s brand, is an important part of his identity as a performer and something he personally connects with.
“This icon is very close to my music, there is no question of religion, racism, it’s like universal, it’s for everyone. On top of that, I like all the stories about alien space invaders, it’s linked to my passion of the machine.”
Joachim’s other passion in life is his family. DJing hours aren’t always suited to family life but it’s important he tries to find balance. Now, Joachim lives in Los Angeles, where he is still hard at work producing and planning his shows.
There’s still so much to learn and so much new technology to take advantage of. It’s what drives Joachim, and what excites him about the future.
“I try to keep the balance right, between family and business, but this is very hard. One month ago I moved to L.A. with my family, because I’m going to produce much more music with American people.
“I’m very excited by the future, thats why I love technology, there is something more to learn everyday, it’s very, very exciting.”
From a sundial, to a water clock, to the rings of a tree, we have developed our ability to measure time from the resources around us. Italian watchmaker Ab Aeterno draws on the beauty and richness of the Australian landscape to create their collection of wooden watches. As a combination of modern Citizen movement technology and ageless materials (the brand’s name means from time immemorial) these are timepieces that are both organic and precise. Crafted from 100% natural sandalwood, each watch is hypoallergenic and, thanks to the wood grain, visually unique.
Gravitylight is the revolutionary piece of technology. GravityLight will work without any operating cost - a lighting solution designed for developing countries. It works in such a way that it stores the energy in rechargeable battery (through solar panels) and the energy is used to lift the weight attached to it therefore providing light through gravity pull for up-to half an hour. Takes no batteries to run out, replace or dispose off. Capable of powering up the radio, other small lights or even recharging batteries, the GravityLight comes with a durable fabric bag wiz filled with sand, soil to power it up. This remarkable achievement will be the best alternative lighting system and will work for number of years because it doesn’t take any operating costs.
Nike Free Trainer 3.0 is a blend of advanced technology and articulated design. Weighting less than 9 ounces, Nike Free Trainer features flexible, breathable, supportive, strong material and as light as air. Expected to launch in January 1, 2013.
The Real-Life Pixar Lamp called Pinokio has come to reality with awesome artificial intelligence technology. The lamp you saw in the Pixar animated movies, has been designed in the real to stand on desk and amuse you with its incredibly funny and dynamic gestures. Book lovers like it most because it makes possible for machines to interact with humans in a quite decent way while staying on study table. I wish it could jump like the virtual Pixar Lamp. The lamp is designed antique by Victoria University students Shanshan Zhou, Adam Ben-Dror, and Joss Doggett using Processing, Arduino, and OpenCV. It has a tiny camera for facial recognition and eight sensors to detect movements. Not just that, it listens to the sounds in environment and understands what is going on around. Is someone playing hide and seek with him? Well he understands those gestures too. The mass production of this lamp will start after developers get the safety approval license.
The world of interfaces continues to evolve and surprise us. We still think of it as something we can hold, fold and place in our bag to carry anywhere. What if you can be part of an intuitive and holistic experience where your interface is not reduced to a mouse-click or a two dimensional tablet screen. Welcome to the Immersive Cocoon, a surround display dome with sophisticated motion sensor technology that inspired the technology depicted in ‘Minority Report’. Now your body becomes the interface, as you are enveloped and your body movement becomes part of this digital environment to make our everyday lives more enjoyable, at least that is what this conceptual project tries to explore.
The Immersive Cocoon opens its hatch silently and extends a small set of stairs that helps you move into this 360 degree display covering the entire interior walls. Inside you can sit, lean, and accommodate an adjustable work surface depending on how your imagination desires to utilize the Cocoon. You can connect into a virtual meeting across the globe, do yoga while at the airport or even visit a preserved temple in Tibet right from home, mall, or anywhere else this product will be located. I am not going to lie, I would like this in my job as I would not mind having lunch on the coast of a Greek island at least twice a week.
The Cocoon’s potential extends beyond leisure and into education, productivity, training and other uses that would benefit from this immersive technology. This spherical pod seems to show promise in many levels but the question always become its financial feasibility and social acceptance. Although innovative, something this ground breaking seems to have a hard time being implemented in public spaces. Seeing the roll out of this technology will be interesting and full of insight as more people interact with it. We can guarantee that it doesn’t lack thought and ingenuity as its 3D motion tracking system was developed by John Underkoffer, a former fellow of the MIT Media Lab. This conceptual prototype developed by NAU out of Zurich, Switzerland, shows immense opportunities into future daily and exclusive activities. What will be the price we pay financially, socially and psychologically? Maybe it will not be hard to adopt after all as we are really used to seeing this kind of innovation on the big screen.
Here’s a new app for all of you iPad VJ’s out there. Introducing Vjay made available at a special introductory price of ten bucks. Mix and scratch your favorite music videos from iTunes or combine songs from your music library with personal video footage into an interactive audio visual experience. Or use your iPad’s built-in camera to create your very own music video live. Vjay lets you get creative with your content, display directly to a TV, stream wirelessly via Apple TV, or record your performances live to share on your favorite social channels.
In order to celebrate the airline’s new in-flight bar, Virgin Atlantic has decided to create custom ice cubes in the shape of Richard Branson‘s head. The bar will also incorporate a raft of additional innovations including the fabulous new champagne coupe glass, enhanced mood lighting and a new seating system to facilitate the most comfortable social experience in the air. The ice cubes were created using the exact measurements of Branson’s head and have a level of detail not seen before in an ice cube, Virgin said. It took six weeks for a team of four designers to create Sir Richard’s likeness. They used detailed photographic techniques and laser scanning technology to make the Branson ice cubes.
At CES got to see some new Android smartphones, tablets, and TVs, but there were quite a large amount of awesome accessories. One company I definitely saw a stunner from was Vuzix, who unveiled their SMART Glasses Technology. High prices and bulky designs have slowed the adoption of wearable displays among the average consumer, but Vuzix hopes to change that with their latest products.
Thanks to internal developments and a recent licensing relationship with Nokia Corporation, Vuzix was able to produce a 1.4 mm thick polymer waveguide lens that fits into the temples & lenses of a conventional pair of eyewear. The new glasses are designed to work with connected devices like smartphones and allow the user to watch big screen movies or interact with augmented reality apps.
The current STAR 1200 glasses from Vuzix retail for $4,999, so hopefully they can bring the price down quite a bit and bring their wearable displays from today’s battlefield to the average consumer. Check out the video below for an idea of what see-through augmented reality can do.
You know the situation. You want to go for a ride on your bike and mix some music at the same time. Normally you’d have to settle on just doing one or the other. Not anymore. My homegirl’s jaw literally hit the floor watching this. And even I don’t even know what to say. I mean, that is simply way too dope. I can totally envision crazy competitions that involve using your skills at both biking and mixing… and I really like what I see. The technology in question is called a Turntable Ride by Cogoo.
The existence of Google X was first disclosed late last year and reports that the researchers there were exploring augmented reality surfaced in February. This is the first time Google has officially acknowledged this particular project. Writing for the New York Times, Nick Bilton notes that Babak Parviz is known for creating contact lenses embedded with electronics, which suggests that Google’s augmented reality might be available in a form factor smaller than sunglasses at some point.
Google has posted a video on YouTube that explores how the glasses might work. The scenes shown are not actual production footage of the glasses in the field. They’re augmented with post-production graphics that show how Project Glass might work. But the video conveys what Google hopes to achieve: a seamless experience where the technology enhances activities and doesn’t interfere with them. The future you’ve seen in movies over the last decade is starting to get closer.
Samsung, among other companies are always trying to create the next wave of future tech for the public. The CES show is a place where all those companies come together to show the best of what they have, and the 2012 show, Samsung went above and beyond with their ‘Smart Window’. Check the method below.
TDK’s ‘UEL476′ see-through screen, now in mass production, was designed specifically for use in mobile devices. Japanese electronics company TDK has just begun mass production of the world’s first near-transparent,
passive matrix organic Electroluminescent (EL) display. Organic EL displays use organic materials that emit light in response to an electric current, offering the benefits of a wide viewing angle and high brightness with a see-through screen. The ‘UEL476′ screen being produced is a 2.4-inch QVGA (320 x 240) display designed for mobile devices, and thus constructed to obscure light transfer through the device, preventing content from being visible from the opposite side. Operable in temperatures ranging from -20 to 85 degrees celsius (-4 to 185 degrees fahrenheit), it features 40% transmittance and no color shifting over the course of its life. ALso, for those worred about people being nosey… While transparent from the front (left), content is obscured from the back (right), as shown in engadget’s hands-on coverage during the CEATAC 2010 electronics show. The development opens up numerous design possibilities for mobile devices, especially in the field of augmented reality.
Long car rides, typically of the road trip variety can often be exhausting in their monotony and isolation. We don’t often think of car rides as anything more than a means of reaching a destination. We become disassociated with the other people, cars and environments that are inevitably surrounding us.
GM’s new Windows of Opportunity project was begun to explore innovative ways to use interactive technologies to create a more interesting driving experience. The project, which was inspired by psychological studies that show passengers typically feel disconnected from their environments, uses smart glass to generate augmented reality digital layers over passing landscapes.
The company commissioned students from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel to explore unique ways to use the smart glass technology. They were given full creative control to develop different applications regardless of whether they would be produced. The apps are primarily games but help to cultivate a stronger relationship between their users and their environments.
The most common form of force feedback in our electronic devices is the sort of rumbling buzz you get when a motor spins some sort of mass inside the case of your hardware. Video game controllers usually have two motors, one on each side of the controller, and that sort of “rumble in stereo” configuration allows for a number of effects based on the speed of each motor. This takes power, it takes space, and there’s not much you can do with the technology. At CES I met with Artificial Muscle, a Bayer MaterialScience company, so they could show me their Vivitouch technology. Vivitouch a sort of artificial muscle that could changing how we experience haptic effects in our devices.
The Vivitouch device is small, almost perfectly flat, and after playing through a few demos using a consumer device that’s available now, I was turned into a believer. That thin piece of plastic in the image above produces a rumble effect that’s more responsive, subtle, and expressive than the technology that’s currently the market standard.
The haptic effects in this case are created by a “dialectric elastomer film” sandwiched between two layers of electrodes. The electrodes contract when electric current is introduced, causing movement. You still need mass in order to give the player a satisfying feeling of movement and rumble, and in most of the devices we saw—such as a concept cell phone and a modified iPad—the mass was supplied by the device’s battery. Vivitouch is able to use the existing components of the device to create rumble, instead of the metal weights used by most game controllers and portable devices.
What’s even better is that the technology is easy to apply once the hardware is installed. I played a series of tech demos on an iPhone where the feedback was created using sound cues from a game. When I rolled dice, it felt like I was holding a box that contained physical dice, not the sputtery rumble usually felt in an iPhone. I played a pinball game on a modded iPad that included one of these strips, and the rumble effect felt much more satisfying than what we’re used to from our portable electronics. I was told that they could fake the effects very well using just audio information, but the company would also provide an SDK for developers so they could code even better effects into games and applications.
Right now this technology is more expensive than existing motors, so if a company is just looking for a brute force approach, this isn’t the best option. What this version of haptic feedback excels at is sending more detailed and subtle information to the player, and that’s where the extra cost is justified. I was able to play with an Xbox 360 controller that had been modded with Vivitouch’s technology and during a few demos I was able to feel the rumble of a motor in a way that felt much more realistic. In this case the strip was located in the center of the rear of the controller, using the battery pack as the rumbling mechanism. That may sound like it leads to a jittery mess, but the rumble effects felt much more precise than the stock controller.
The cost of these strips will come down in time, and the benefits are many: the technology is smaller than existing motors, it requires less power, and the feedback offered by the rumble is much higher quality than what’s currently available. It may take a little convincing for electronics manufacturers to look at a new way of offering force feedback, but Vivitouch has a compelling argument.
Gravitylight is the revolutionary piece of technology. GravityLight will work without any operating cost - a lighting solution designed for developing countries. It works in such a way that it stores the energy in rechargeable battery (through solar panels) and the energy is used to lift the weight attached to it therefore providing light through gravity pull for up-to half an hour. Takes no batteries to run out, replace or dispose off. Capable of powering up the radio, other small lights or even recharging batteries, the GravityLight comes with a durable fabric bag wiz filled with sand, soil to power it up. This remarkable achievement will be the best alternative lighting system and will work for number of years because it doesn’t take any operating costs.
