Cycling Shoes Designed To Reduce Energy Loss

Tags: Cycling Shoes, Cyclists, Energy Loss, Pedals, Shoes, sports

Cycling may be a really healthy way to exercise but like any other activity, it poses a lot of risk too. Some of the risks could be muscle tear, loss of energy from ankle flexion, injuries etc. A shoe design by Trident helps to reduce the energy loss, which is caused due to the ankle flexion during the power stroke while cycling. The Carbon Ankle Brace thus helps a cyclist to transfer the force from his/her lower leg to the pedal and cycle in an efficient manner.

The design comes with a Neoprene cuff and carbon fiber wraps around the heels, which makes the design really light. This cuff helps to transfer the movement into downward pedal force and helps the cyclist to balance pressure, force and also the direction of the movement. Since the efficiency depends on the relation between foot force and the pedal reaction, the shoes are so designed that energy is not lost and the cyclist can apply force in a better fashion and also in a more efficient manner to pedal faster but without compromising on energy. You could find other interesting designs on the Core77 forum.

Via: Core77

David Tonkinson’s Memory Device For Viewing Images And Videos

Tags: Cellphones, Concepts, David Tonkinson, Images, Memory tank, Videos

Sometimes it so happens that we really want to view images in a better way, especially those that are taken using the cellphone. However, until now, there wasn’t a specialized device to watch images and media sent as messages through cellphones. Now, The Memory Tank designed by David Tonkinson intends to change all that. The device, which is still at a conceptual stage would not only receive images and media from cellphones but also store and play them.

You could keep them in your living room or probably elsewhere in the house where it can be seen easily. You can store, view and enjoy photographs taken during journeys and you could play the videos as well. The best feature has to be the four screens, which means people, can sit all around the Memory Tank. It has a keypad that helps you send text messages and also images and media to other cellphones. Though not available at the moment, it definitely would be a very interesting product if it ever gets manufactured.

Via: DavidTonkinson

Voie Lactée: Grand Piano in a More Fashionable Style

Tags: Andrée Putman, France, piano, Pleyel, Voie Lactée

Grand old pianos in dusty may not fit into the decor of the homes of today. Intended for music lovers who wish to stick to a more contemporary style, Andrée Putman partners with France’s oldest piano maker, Pleyel, to create a more modern version of something that had, at one time, been a necessity at every home that could boast of elegance. The mod piano, titled Voie Lactée, is a smaller version of the grand piano in shining black lacquer.

The chrome baby grand piano has a music grand made from mother of pearl and styled in checkerboard black and white; the underside of the piano lid resembles the night sky in star-studded blue. Putman and Pleyel intend to release two versions of the piano: a limited edition of only eight and an unlimited version for the masses. The special features of the limited version are not known yet, but it would be hard to get your hands on one of the eight.

Via: BallerHouse

Electrical Exoskeleton Allows Locomotion in Paraplegics

Tags: Amit Goffer, Argo Medical Technologies, Biomechatronics, Electrical Exoskeleton, locomotion, paraplegic, prosthesis

Now and then we come upon an invention that does not just have a high cool factor but also rates so high in the usefulness scale that it overwhelms us with its possibilities. Imagine telling a paraplegic that technology has reached the stage where the person need not stay wheelchair-ridden for the rest of his life. Radi Kaiof had been paralysed for 20 years but is now able to walk with the help of an electric exoskeleton that propels his legs forward.

Interestingly, the inventor of this product Amit Goffer who founded the Israeli high-tech company Argo Medical Technologies, is paralysed himself but cannot make use of his own product since his arms are not fully functional. The wearer of the electric exoskeleton requires the use of handheld crutches to maintain balance. The prosthesis includes motorised leg supports, body sensors, a computerised control box and rechargeable batteries. With a remote control wristband, the user selects the desired option- stand, sit, walk, descend, or climb- and leans forward to activate the body sensors which puts the robotic legs in motion.

Via: OhMyWeird

Portable Folding Picnic Table that can Seat Four

Tags: foldable table, Folding Picnic Table, picnic table, Wooden Table

After painstakingly planning an outing for the whole family or a friend’s reunion, you reach the picnic spot and find that all of the tables are taken. If only you could have packed your dinner table into your picnic hamper. The Folding Picnic Table is a real wooden picnic table that can be folded into an easy-to-carry piece resembling a wooden suitcase. When folded the picnic table stands at barely 34”x14” and weighs only 20 pounds.

The Folding Picnic Table can be easily unpacked in less than two minutes and spreads out to measure 54”x33.5” in surface and can comfortably seat four people. The wood and aluminium table also has a small mount hole in the centre for a sun umbrella and when folded can easily be carried by the aptly situated handle. The Folding Picnic Table is available, with a protective cover, for $119 at HomeWetBar.

Via: PlanetGadget

Trampoline Coffee Table: How High Can You Jump on This?

Tags: Alberto Bonomi, Table, toy, trampoline, Trampoline Coffee Table

It always infuriated me when I wasn’t allowed to climb onto chairs and tables and jump up and down to my heart’s content. Slightly older, I understand the impracticality of the desire to jump on the dinner table, but like old habits old desires die hard. The Trampoline Coffee Table must have been created for all the hyperactive kids and the adults who never grew out of that crazy desire. Designed by Alberto Bonomi, this coffee table has a hollow centre which houses a trampoline.

Bonomi reasons that tables need not have a continuous surface since drinks are always placed on the edge, and incorporating a trampoline seems like a good idea. I definitely agree with him; the Trampoline Coffee Table looks like something cheeky that wouldn’t look out of place in a house full of kids (or kid-like adults). The only unappealing thing about the table is that the table is sold at a whopping $4500. If you still desire this piece you can buy them at Greener Grass Design, or you could buy an electric saw for much lesser and cut a hole in your table and attach a trampoline.
Via: BallerHouse

SoulArc Board: Skateboard cum Surfboard by Mitch Mulder

Tags: Action Sports Retail, Kendall College of Art and Design, Mitch Mulder, Orlando, Salvaore Vilardi, San Diego, Skateboard, soul arch, SoulArc Board, Surf Expo, Surfboard, surfs up

Skateboarding and surfing are two sports that seem to rush on parallel streets, but they seem to have met and collided to fuse into each other with this new product. The SoulArc Board appears super cool with a rigid top and below-deck composite spring that provides the skater with an experience similar to surfing. The SoulArc Board was designed by Mitch Mulder for a class project at Kendall College of Art and Design, and is already on its way to being made available to the masses in collaboration with Salvaore Vilardi.

The name is inspired from the surfing expression, Soul Arch, being one with the wave. Several things taken into consideration in the perfection of the board included optimal board height, ground distance, lateral/vertical flex, compared with torque response and general overall ride ability. Those who have used the product insist the soulArc gives the smoothest and most unique ride. The SoulArc will make its first appearance at the Action Sports Retail trade show in San Diego at the Surf Expo in Orlando. Surf’s up, dude, when are you going to ride the wave?

Via: Core77

El Zulo: Specially Designed Station for Power Napping by Frank Ehners

Tags: digital fingerprinting, El Zulo, Frank Ehners, Germany, Halle Univesity of Art and Design, hideout, performance optimisation, Sleep

Power napping has been in focus for quite some time. Power napping is sleeping for a short duration of time, between 10-20 minutes, in which the individual does not have enough time to drift into deep dreamy sleep. Thus, the individual would wake up rested and alert. El Zulo may appear like Superman’s space travelling pod but is designed to give the user the best power nap so he wakes up energised and ready for optimum performance.

El Zulo, meaning ‘hideout’ in Spanish, was designed by Frank Ehners as an industrial design project while at Halle Univesity of Art and Design, Germany. The user is seated in an upright embryonic position in El Zulo so that body weight is optimally distributed and the back is relieved. This upright position would give the feeling of being able to get back right up to work. The inside is made from a flexible timber form and is padded with special foam for a comfortable nap.
Ehners has included digital fingerprinting for a more personalised experience and a vibration alarm along the chest range would wake you up sans an irritating noise. Special hygienic covers for the headrest and other contact areas allow use of El Zulo by multiple users. El Zulo is intended for offices or research establishments where ‘nap breaks’ could be given to increase the performance level of employees.

Via InventorSpot

Pedal Your Way To Clear Snow

Tags: Blake, DIY, Pedal Powered Snowplow, Snowplow

When the whole world is talking about sustainability and renewable sources of energy, automotive energy can’t be left behind. Vehicle manufacturers have stressed their responsibilities in maintaining a healthy planet with clean air and abundant energy resources. Now that winter is approaching, we must also consider the less-than-vehicle snowplows. This Pedal Powered Snowplow uses your kinetic energy to get it moving and clearing snow. You could sit on this snowplow and since it has wheels you can actually ride it.
Just imagine, you could actually have fun while plowing snow in your driveway and also get some exercise! Since the snowplow runs on pedaling, you are not using any energy resources and it is completely green and sustainable. Blake, the guy who designed this wonderful and functional snowplow, was inspired by ‘Monster Garage’. You could do this too, if you are interested in DIY products. For now, we must say that the Pedal Powered Snowplow is not only a functional design but a highly workable concept that could be mass produced.

Via: HackedGadgets

Brain Lamp For An Eerie But Soft Light

Tags: Brain, Brain Lamp, Home Décor, Lamps, Lervik Design

We have always wondered about the brain, and it still remains a mystery. Scientists have explored, experimented and dissected so much but there still remain a number of unsolved mysteries about this organ. While the scientists are still busy researching on the brain, the guys at the Lervik Design have created a cool Brain Lamp, which also is an accurate 3D modeling of the artist’s brain. He obtained the shape and image thanks to the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and used a 3D printer to create this awesome lamp.
You could use this lamp to decorate your bedroom and at night would look almost surreal. Though a little macabre, I’m sure you would love the soft light emitted through the artist’s real brain model. Now I’m sure you must be wondering if the designer has created lamps based on any other body parts. Well, for now, it is just the Brain Lamp. The pricing details are not known but we bet something like this must be priceless.

Via: UberReview