Inhabitat: Engineers at Innowattech in Israel recently created a new type of road that generates electricity as vehicles pass over it! The supercharged surface is embedded with piezoelectric crystals, which transform kinetic energy from passing vehicles into an electrical current. With widespread adoption, the technology could feed energy back into the nation’s burgeoning electric vehicle grid, transforming congested roadways into […]
Roadway Energy
Bike Power Charger
Inhabitat: Imagine never having to plug your cellphone into the wall again! Now you can just plug it into your bike with Oscar L’Hermitte’s “Watts Maker” cell phone charger. The system consists of a small kinetic generator that provides power to your mobile phone while you take an evening ride around the neighborhood or pedal to work. This model takes […]
Speed-dating For Babysitters
Iconoculture: Finding a reliable babysitter can be tough. Sitter Soirees in Portland, Oregon, streamline the process with “speed-dating” sessions that bring parents and sitters together at informal gatherings held in family-friendly boutiques. Soiree founder Jen Fererro recruits potential sitters from local colleges and employment websites. The dozen or so who make the cut out of 50-70 applicants boast impressive creds, […]
GAMEROX Gaming Chair
Slash Gear: If your kids aren’t interested in a Wii but you’d still like them to get some exercise benefit out of their console, the GAMEROX gaming chair might be the solution. Resembling a couple of mudflaps, the GAMEROX chair moves in all three axis and, by making the child support themselves rather than slump, trains core stability, tones muscle […]
Paper Christmas Tree
Inhabitat: The Cardboard Christmas Tree was designed and developed by Cloud Gate Design LLC, a Chicago based design house. Cloud Gate Design was founded in 2006 by two designer friends, Nick Ng and Dan Greene, as a way to bring environmentally conscious alternatives to market. One such item, the Cardboard Christmas Tree, extends the life of existing cardboard by using […]
Cooling E-Bag
TrendOriginal: The E-Bag from Hungarian designer Apor Püspöki cools your drink while you walk. How does it work? Quite simply: The rotating handle is attached to a dynamo that uses arm motions to charge a battery. “The cooling system makes use of the Peltier technology, a kind of solid-state heat pump that transfers heat from one side of the device […]
Small Acts Of Kindness
Springwise: When times are tough, there’s nothing like a little sympathy from a brand to get through to consumers in a way no mass-media ad can. Case in point: To promote its new Stove Top Quick Cups, Kraft Foods is offering warmth and samples at select Chicago area bus stops. Kraft has already posted ads in 50 bus shelters around […]
iLetYou
Iconoculture: Consumers who prefer to borrow products instead of buy them now have an online marketplace with iLetYou, a website that hooks them up with rental retailers. More than 65,000 U.S. business are participating to help consumers benefit from short-term use of their products. Think everything from traditional loaners like wedding party supplies to novel newcomers like clothing and kids’ […]
Stitch Humdifier
Popgadget: I never tire of humidifiers in the shapes of animals and characters – why not bring a little whimsy to an otherwise mundane product? Runa Net will soon launch the Stitch Humidifier (in the shape of the Disney character). This one connects to your PC through USB or AC adapter, and keeps the environment around your desk/cubicle moist. (Just […]
2009 Ford Flex Tuning Car
Born Rich: For those of you who were yearning for an inside tour of the tricked-out 2009 Ford Flex by Kal Koncepts/Air Syndicate Inc. displayed at SEMA 2008 in LasVegas, here is the treat. This customized version features Sony Xplod; 22 speaker sound system and a perfect tuning set-up complete with two turntables and a mixer in “battle style” set […]