Conceptual Gadgets

Thanks to tabloids, we know more than we really should about celebrities. I mean, do I really need to know that Hugh Jackman is in Hawaii? If I went to some tropical place, the only ones who would see fit to report about it is me.

I’m sure it is harder to be a celebrity than the tabloids make it look. You’ve seen the video footage with the barrage of flashing cameras by the paparazzi. For those celebrities who are sick of all the flashing, they can now flash back! I’m not talking about Britney Spears when she forgot her underwear.

The Flash Purse is a concept gadget that works by sensing the activation of other flashes. I’m not certain how it does that, but somehow the device senses the flashes and gives its own flash. So when the paparazzi guy goes to get his pictures developed, all he will see is one large spot where his subject’s face will be. So much for his million dollar paycheck.

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The E-Ink Coaches Playboard could give coaches a high tech edge.

From our friends at Yanko comes designer Gordon Yeh’s game clipboard that utilizes the newly developed technology known as “E-Ink” to create a digital clipboard for hi-tech coaching on the sidelines.

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We have covered a lot of clocks in the past. Some of them are solar powered, some run on water, but this is the first time that I have ever seen bug power.

That’s right, someone has actually invented a carnivorous alarm clock that works like a Venus Fly Trap. It works with a conveyor belt of flypaper that takes a captured fly and drops them into a microbial fuel cell. This dead bug is digested by bacteria, then there is a chemical change that can somehow power the clock.

I’m surprised that I haven’t heard about bug power before, as roach motels could be turned into batteries and hanging flypaper could be turned into chandeliers. Right now, I am living in a place that is full of flies, and I could use a device like this.

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The Glastonbury Solar Concept Tent definitely qualifies as Coolest Gadgets material, as it has more gadgets on it than MacGyver’s knife. The U.K. company Orange has called the Glastonbury as “the tent of the future”, but this is one that I want to take “out on the rough” right now.

The tent has photovoltaic fabric, specially coated solar threads woven into the fabric. It can capture the rays of the sun and use them for some juice later. Yes, you don’t worry about your GPS or mobile phone going dead on your next camping trip. Not only that, the tent has a wireless control hub that keeps track of the energy generated and consumed. This hub has an LCD screen and even has a wireless Internet signal.

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We at Coolest Gadgets love to report on any technology that allows things to float in air. Yes, from the crazy conceptual Void LP Player to the Levitron Revolution, the future is completely “in the air”, so to speak.

So why not have a whole table that can float in air? Well, we are probably a long way from a table that hovers without any legs, but the Levi-Table is probably the next best thing.

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It isn’t often that we report on record players, for obvious reasons. Of course, there are some people who are like Nicholas Cage in The Rock who believe that LP records “sound better”.

I am assuming that if these type of people can afford to buy old vinyl records, then they can afford fine record players like the Gabriel Turntable. Perhaps they can afford the Void LP Player if it ever becomes more than just a concept.

If it does get made, then what you see in the photo is not a special effect. That record is actually floating above the base. How is that possible? Some sort of magnetic and auto-calibrating control system.

The sphere that you see there on the record itself has a needle, amplifier, and speaker, so you can hear the music. Of course, I am assuming that the user just picks up the ball when he or she wants to switch tracks.

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Want something different for your room? Well, if only the Sputnik LED Lamp and Storage Chest designed by Shane Crozier could actually move from being a concept device to being an actual manufactured device. This unique lamp gets its design inspiration from the iconic satellite that was fired into orbit all the way back in 1957. This concept will come with the now recognizable quartet of individual LED antennae which can pivot on a universal joint, enabling it to both fill a space while fitting into crevasses according to your liking. As for the base area, it offers some storage space and remains stable thanks to being weighted by the power adapter.

Source: Yanko Design

At Coolest Gadgets, we love to report on new ways to make energy from methods where energy goes to waste. About a year ago, it was the Revolution Door, a revolving door that is connected to a turbine, harnessing the energy for when people walk through the door.

Here is a another gem of an idea when it comes to energy conservation: a power-generating parking lot. It works with a series of plates that create a rocking motion when cars drive over them. The rocking motion can turn generators and thus make power.

How much power? It can make about 30 Kilowatts of energy per hour, to be exact. You may not think that isn’t enough, but it could be enough to power the store, including the registers.

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