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Ladybag Alerts You to Missing Keys

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Wearables, Design, Misc. Tech,

Students at Canada’s Simon Fraser University have come up with an idea to remind you if you forgot your cell phone, keys, or other important items before you leave your home or office. Utilizing RFID technology, they have created the Ladybag. The handbag reacts by showing what is missing on its LED display. Taking it one step further, the bag reflects emotions via sensors. Grab its sides and it shows a happy face. Play with the zipper and it shows nervousness. While we are not sure that we like the second attribute, we can’t wait until this prototype is picked up by an enterprising backer.

Alien Abduction Lamp to go into production

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Smart Home, Misc. Tech, Science,

As you may recall, we introduced you to the Alien Abduction Lamp last year, a prototype designed by Lasse Klein complete with a pulsating beam. Now it turns out that because of the hype, this is one idea that has reached fruition. Although no date has been set for its sale and there is no final word on whether it will be made in plastic or metal and glass, we are pleased that it will be coming to market. New to the lamp will be human and bovine abductees, for it is well known that aliens love people and cows. We’ll keep you posted on when the UFO becomes available.

(Thanks, Lasse)

Wear Your Tunes

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Transportation,

Imagine earning your B.A. degree just by creating a prototype. That is almost what German designer Joonas Saaranen did by combining music with mobility. His Reppo II is a hardshell backpack that would be great on camping trips, bicycling, and even exercising. Inside are speakers and an amplifier. It took him about 8 months to build and his focus group seemed to think he had a dynamic idea. We do, too and hope he moves it along to reality.

OSP Robots Clean Up Oil Spills

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science,

It looks like SOTAB 1 isn’t the only bot that will soon be attacking oil spills. Designer Ji-hoon Kim’s OSP robots may look like Roombas but love the water. Each has a computer system that plans and controls its motions, a GPS system and radio antenna to communicate with its fellow modules, boom connectors for hooking up to others, a solar panel to collect energy, and an inflatable boom that rolls out for protection. With their small size, they can be moved quickly to the site by boat or helicopter. We hope this is one prototype that becomes real before the next large oil spill.

Sound System Keeps to Itself

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Home Entertainment, Music, Science,

Chan-Hui Lee and his team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology purport that someday we will be able to listen to music within a Personal Sound System that will not bother others standing outside it. Their prototype features 9 1/2-inch speakers arranged in a row. They found that there was a 20 decibel difference between the center and the outside, comparable to a regular conversation and a whisper. Lee foresees the technology being utilized eventually for cell phones and PDAs. We would just settle for using it on the neighbors’ backyard barbecues.

Digital Wallet Juggles Your Finances

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Smart Home, Misc. Tech,

For anyone that just can’t get the hang of their finances, Veronica Vail has designed a handheld Digital Wallet that dispenses with the need for cash, checks, or credit cards. It will track your earning and spending and devise ways for you to save. You can monitor your account, track investments, and make credit card payments. Fingerprint identification is used to access the information and make your payments so no one else can check out your private business matters. Still a prototype, we wonder if it could figure out a way to get us that money in the first place before we invest.

Picket Fence Hides Wires

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Misc. Tech,

If you want to organize your extra cords, take a look at this clever Picket Fence that goes inside your home. Each piece attaches to your baseboard and routes all your wires out of the way. The gaps allow easy access to plugs. Although this is only a prototype designed by Karl Zahn for oboiler, we think this might not be doable for homes with small children who have just reached ~~tripping~~

walking age or puppies who are not quite toilet trained.

Fingers Organizes Your Cords

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, Design, Misc. Tech, PC / Laptop,

Fingers Tired of that mess of cords behind your computer? Fingers is a prototype created by Oof Design that keeps the untangled when you unplug your laptop. Made of acrylic, each slot is made by laser for different types of plugs. The device also raises the height of your laptop making it more ergonomic. We have practically become accustomed to the clutter that hides back there. If we get that organized, we may get around to throwing away those faded post-its with ancient reminders of chores that we never accomplished.

Cannon snap Makes Anyone a Super Spy

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Design,

You too, can aspire to be James Bond with this prototype digital camera. The Canon snap is small enough to be discreet yet can house high-quality optics. Designed by David Münsher for atomare, it features a single button interface and can be worn like a ring. We figure it might also come in handy for places that you are not supposed to bring in cameras anymore, such as concert or nightclubs with drunken celebs. You just never know when that next paparazzi shot will net you the big bucks.

JVC’s Clap On, Clap Off Television

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, HDTV, Home Entertainment,

JVC’s latest entry into the world of electronics is their “hand clap & gesture recognition” TV. Unveiled at the CEATEC 2007, you clap 3 times into its mic for a menu. A cam sitting atop the screen tracks your hand, thereby turning it into a tuner. Hook your finger and you click a button. There are also different clapping patterns for such features as volume control. There is no target date set for this prototype’s commercialization. While this is a definite advantage if you are one of those who had a “clap-on” signal for your remote control when it got lost, we are curious as to its response to a televised concert when the applause rolls around.

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