Hacked arcade game uses real-time traffic data
While many video games are designed to distract from the gamer’s everyday life, we have recently seen some developers instead try to incorporate real-world activity into the virtual world, with last year’s Tweetland being one example. Now New York-based creative Tyler DeAngelo has built 5th Ave Frogger, which takes real-time traffic data and feeds it into a homage to the classic arcade game. READ MORE…
Acoustic ceiling for concert halls adjusts in real time to the music being played
Now that we’ve seen automotive tires that can adapt automatically to changing road conditions, it’s not surprising to come across an acoustic ceiling for concert halls that adjusts in real time to the music being played. Resonant Chamber is a new innovation from Michigan design firm RVTR that “deploys the principles of rigid origami to transform the acoustic environment through dynamic spatial, material and electroacoustic technologies,” in the company’s own words. READ MORE…
Notebook system rids surroundings of odors
Hot on the heels of our recent coverage of Alcoa’s Reynobond with EcoClean architectural panels, which feature self-cleaning technology that also eradicates smells and smog, we’ve discovered another air purification system, this time fitted to a notebook computer. The Fujitsu LIFEBOOK AH78/HA now comes with nanoe, a system that helps to rid the atmosphere around the device of harmful particles. READ MORE…
Security-focused USB key enables users to delete data remotely
A full 65 percent of recorded data losses involve mobile data on laptops and non-secure USB memory devices, which are all too prone to theft and loss. That’s according to UK-based ExactTrak, which offers a secure and trackable USB key that even lets users delete their data remotely, if necessary. READ MORE…
Sidewalk pavement stones offer Bluetooth and wifi
We’ve already seen sidewalks used to capture the energy of pedestrians’ footsteps, so it doesn’t seem all that far-fetched to see them emitting power as well. Sure enough, iPavement is a sidewalk pavement stone that serves as a wifi hotspot with Bluetooth connectivity. READ MORE…
With wireless sensors, mobile app will help users improve posture
Back pain affects some 80 percent of Americans at some time in their lives and is the number one reason for job-related disability. That’s according to California-based LUMOback, which is now gearing up to offer a tech-enabled solution. Through a combination of small, wireless sensors and a smartphone app, LUMOback will monitor the user’s posture in real time and help make it better. READ MORE…
In Spain, trains offer first chapter of novels through QR codes
The Netherlands has already introduced an initiative to get commuters reading through the VertragingsApp, which offers up short stories based on travel time. Now the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government Railways) has placed QR codes with links to the first chapters of popular novels on its trains as part of the National Reading Plan, with the aim to encourage citizens of Spain to get into a good book. READ MORE…
Designer handbag can charge a phone while on the go
We’ve already seen Vodafone UK’s branded taxis giving London consumers a way to charge their mobile phones while on the go. Now, the company has partnered with designer Richard Nicoll for a similar purpose, but with a very different method. Specifically, a new handbag introduced by the designer at London Fashion Week earlier this year includes technology that can charge the user’s smartphone. READ MORE…
At Malaysian jazz club, patrons order drinks using BlackBerry Messenger
If consumers can order take-out food via QR code, it stands to reason that they should be able to order drinks with similar convenience. Enter BlackBerry Malaysia, which recently partnered with Kuala Lumpur jazz club No Black Tie to enable patrons to order their drinks directly from the bartender using BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). READ MORE…
QR codes embedded into art on ceramic tiles
Mini Masters has integrated QR codes into art inspired tiles, displaying quotations added by tile owners to anyone who scans them with a smartphone. READ MORE…
