Say, is that an MP3 Player in your pants, or…all right, I think you all know where that one was going. I’m not liking where the Dancepants is going.

You see, the Dancepants isn’t just an MP3 Player that is designed to fit in the pants. That would probably be easy. You would just find a convenient place to stitch in the apparatus, and just make certain that the user can charge it and download tunes easily.

The Dancepants are not like that. You see, it is powered by kinetic energy. So if you like to listen to music while you are jogging, then you had better keep jogging, or your music will die. That, or you will. Heh heh heh.

Seriously, the Dancepants are a great idea. After all, kinetic energy is just the energy of motion, and we need to channel all of the excess energy in motion if we really want to save energy. After all, our highly technological society always needs energy to power our machines, and we also need to exercise more. Why not combine the two?

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There are far more people than just parents that have to worry about the changing of diapers.  There are the obvious ones within daycare and preschool.  Then there are those that work within hospitals that take care of young children as well as the elderly.  This diaper monitor system was developed for the elderly to make life easier on those caring for them.  However, there are plenty of other areas in which a device like this could easily be used.

The sensor kit is placed within the diaper.  Then in the presence of urine it causes a chemical reaction that can generate electricity.  It generates just enough to send a signal to a receiver unit.  The kit can transmit signals to the receiver as long as it’s within 3 meters.  This comes from a research laboratory at Japan’s Ritsumeikan University.  It was co-developed in collaboration with Seiko Epson.  Right now it’s still in the works, but hopefully it’ll be mass produced for hospitals soon.

Source: Crunchgear

I’m guessing that is there for tourists who have lost their way, and designer Jaie Kwon has figured out a way for people to have a better sense of direction.

It’s called the Map Hole, and it is designed to turn an ordinary sewer cover (politically correct word for manhole cover) into a round map and compass.

I’m not certain if you can see this in the photo, but it has a location carved onto the metal itself, a direction where the landmark is, and the time it will take to get there (presumably by walking).

Well, as someone who has visited many a big city, I can see the merits of the Map Hole. However, it’s pretty easy to see the drawbacks of it.

It would be pretty easy for any prankster to turn the Map Hole in whatever direction he or she liked, which would confuse a lot of people.

Of course, I can think of a semi-easy fix to that. Just change the entrance so the Map Hole cover only fits in a certain direction. That, or just paint an arrow on the street, and make certain an arrow on a Map Hole lines up in that same direction.

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Kids are notorious for leaving lights on.  They don’t have the burden of knowing how high that energy bill really is when they constantly leave the lights on within rooms they aren’t using.  This light switch was probably created to save the earth, but it might be nice to have purely to save your sanity.  With this visual reminder of how much energy is being used, it might help you keep your energy bill down.

This Tio Ghost wall-mounted light switch system is a design by Tim Holley.  It’s actually developed with kids in mind to teach them about conserving energy.  When the light switch has only been on for less than an hour, it glows green.  Then after four it goes to yellow and after eight it turns to an angry red.  Sadly it is still just a design, so you’ll have to find some other way to motivate the kids to turn out the lights.

Source: Gizmodiva

Even if you’re used to using both a Mac and a PC, for some reason you’ll probably start to acquire a preference as to which calculator you prefer.  The one within Windows or the one you would use through Mac OS.  Either way you’ll get the same numbers, but for one reason or another you might find one of them more convenient than the other.  Well these calculators take the in-computer versions and make them real.

They even include the boxes to close out of the calculators, although I’m not really sure how they would be used.  They are there though, so that’s got to count for something.  These were created by the product designers at MintPass.  That also means so far, nothing like this is actually available for purchase.  It would be great if Windows or Mac ever came out with something like this themselves.

Source: BBGadgets

Even if we never tested it, we’ve all thought about using the cup trick to communicate with a nearby friend when we were kids. To be able to secretly talk without your parent’s knowledge is every kids dream.  Well with technology as it is, it’s a touch easier for kids to do that.  If you’d still like to enjoy that same feeling you got as a kid when you used those cups, maybe you could give this cup trick a whirl in an updated way.

This concept is meant to bring you back to the good old days.  It uses digital networking to give that same old feel.  In order to activate it, you just tug on the cord and then to communicate you just squeeze the cup itself.  It’s extremely similar to a walkie talkie, just far more awesome.  Sadly this cup isn’t something you can pick up at your local electronics store.  It’s still trapped in the design phase of things.

Source: Gizmodiva

This digital microscope made from a cellphone and $10 in parts could revolutionize bush medicine.

First there was the One Laptop Per Child laptop for under $100, now an engineer has created a $10 do it yourself microscope out of a cellphone!

The vision of engineering professor Aydogan Ozcan of UCLA, the microscope uses a cellphone and ten dollars ($10) of off the shelf parts. The idea is pretty groundbreaking and could help doctors who seek to diagnose illnesses in the “bush” areas of the third world where sophisticated lab equipment simply isn’t available.

The idea is pretty ingenious. Rather than take a slide and magnify it, the cellphone microsope can image the slide sample and send it wirelessly to the nearest hospital laboratory. But with special “app” software developed by Ozcan, the cellphones can also detect abnormal shaping of bloodcells which could show signs of infection.

And there’s even a special microscope box which can connect to a cellphone which can then transmit the data where it needs to go.

“There’s no need for regular microscope lenses anymore because the software can magnify the cells electronically,” said Ozcan, “by creating a hologram that can image several cells at the same time and analyze how they interact. We can learn a lot in seconds.”

And in a world where infectious disease can strike hundreds in a few hours, this invention can save lives to boot. My only question is, when will we see the iPhone app?

Hat Tip – the NYTimes via The Giz

If you’re all about being immersed in you music, this chair is definitely the way to pull that off.  With the speakers right up around your head, and the cozy look of the chair, you’ll be able to get lost for hours.  I just wish it were a swivel chair, then it’d have that command center type appeal.  Although, you could get that super villain kind of look if you picked up the black version of the chair.

The chair is made out of hard plastic and then the seat has soft foam covered in leather or the fabric of your choosing.  Your iPod is seamlessly integrated into the arm of the chair itself.  The headrest has a 3-way speaker that gives you that nice surround sound we all know and love.  They’ve also put a compact projector into the left side of the chair’s headrest.  As of now this is just a design by Martin Emilia, so you won’t get to purchase one as of now.

Source: CraziestGadgets

More details have emerged about the operating systems and applications that power Microsoft's new Courier Tablet PC.

Details about Microsoft’s alleged bookish tablet PC are beginning to surface, and with every bit leaked, the anticipation rises. Courier, the dual screen tablet which we reported about here a few months back, looks more like a book reader should look, but also enables a “cliff notes” representation of the data files saved on it, but also contains a searchable “journal overview” which enables users to search by subject, keyword, or other criteria.

Organizing data files is the “Library” interface browser. A favorites tray sits on the left hand screen for saving often used files for quick access, and there’s a digital version of the old school library card file for flipping through data files and their histories.

Users of Evernote will recognize a feature in “Browser” that allows clipping web content and saving to the journal application for further use.

Aside from choosing the favorites dock for often used files, users can also save files in a very interesting fashion, by dragging the file to the spine, which closes and saves the file – a very cool idea.

Agenda is more than a calendar, it’s more like a daily journal which keeps track not only of appointments, but allows for taking notes and sketches by date and subject. Collaborate is a project based application no doubt to serve as a wireless connection with other Courier users in order to accomplish some project.

Fiinally, the digital stylus is more than just a handwriting interface, as it has two programmable buttons, a digital eraser, and activation of an artistic drawing mode with the flick of the wrist.

Now many people may roll their eyes at a software company making a hardware interface, but Courier isn’t Microsoft’s first rodeo. With success of the XBox and XBox 360, UltimateTV (we still use this DVR and it’s excellent), Surface, and even the struggling Zune, Microsoft can easily develop a serious tablet computer for release and could challenge Apple as a hardware company to boot. But chances are, Redmond will simply license the design to other manufacturers. But we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on Courier, hoping it’ll be under our Christmas Tree someday!

Hat Tip – Mashable/Gizmodo

Here’s how it works. You begin with a “light source” that is really a database of some information, like the New York Times, for example. This source is placed on a table that is probably best described as a Microsoft Surface (but isn’t).

This source shines a light with visible particles that essentially contains all the information of on that database. From there, the user can physically place a “prism” that filters out all the information except a certain subject. That subject can be pre-determined by the user by a jog wheel.

I suppose this would be a non-Wikipedia way of doing research. For example, let’s say you had a light source of world history, and you used the prison to filter out everything but Egyptian history. From there, you could use another prism for Cleopatra, the pyramids, or whatever piece of information you need.

I’m not certain why you couldn’t do what the Infractor does on a computer with an ordinary search engine, but the Infractor website says the presence of a physical object helps.

Perhaps the idea for the Infractor came from a Surface-like computer seen in the movie The Island, which operated with a desk-sized flat display and paperweight-like objects.

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infractor – interactive, collaborative multitouch application from siwamat on Vimeo.

Mundle has a lot of interesting things to say about the way computers are headed. One of his demonstrations includes a computer that can project its images onto a pane of glass in front of him. He says that the future will probably bring about a workstation that will include multiple displays, that will eventually work their way into 3-D images. I can’t help but agree with him.

Mundle then used gestures to rotate and focus in on an image of a wind turbine. Gesture recognition is something that has been under development, and I’m certain will be perfected by the year 2054. (Because Minority Report takes place in that year.)

Mundle also showed how a computer can recognize handwriting when doing searches, but his results page was quite confusing as it showed many pages like a quilt of many tiny tiles. He then used eye-tracking to scan along those tiles, and each one would enlarge as it came into focus.

It really is quite amazing to see what they are working on, especially the eye-tracking. I don’t know whether that was just a special effect, but I certainly wouldn’t mind having that now. Perhaps Microsoft is one step closer to achieving that 2019 vision of the future.

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Recyclable laptops made of paper could be popular in the future, and good for the environment.

Our friends at Yanko are working overtime again trying to come up with environmentally friendly electronics which won’t pollute our landfills. And this time they’ve come up with a recyclable paper laptop. That’s right. A paper computer which can be thrown away once it’s no longer wanted or needed. Considering Moore’s Law means computing power doubles about every 18 months, a disposable laptop may be a good idea. Here’s the thinking …

Recyclable laptops could benefit from prinatble circuit boards and flexible OLED screens.

OLED screens are getting brighter, with higher resolution, and at a cheaper cost. Soon, they will create “e-ink” electronic paper which is foldable. Couple that with a cardboard case that replaces hard plastic or in Apple’s case titanium, printable circuit boards which actually carry a current, and you have a computer that could be thrown away when it’s no longer needed.

And the argument is that disposable cameras and cellphone have already gained acceptance, so why not a PC? Interesting idea if you upgrade your rig every year or so – which is probably the case for those who travel for a living – or those who don’t want to risk their most expensive computers while they’re on vacation.

Only time will tell if the idea would catch on or the price point would be cheap enough to make it feasible. But there are already $10 laptops being developed in India, and it’s conceivable that said computer can be built almost like a newspaper is printed, so chances are, this could be a winner.

Hat Tip – D’Vice

As an “out-of-towner”, I probably would just assume that this man had some disability that required him to wear metal braces on his neck and…backside, and would probably not ask him about it.

Actually, this man is asleep. That’s right, he is on the Vertical Bed, and all those braces are designed to attach to an ordinary subway grating. This very tired chap tried it out in NYC, and he actually got forty good minutes of shut-eye.

Personally, I think this is the sign of the times. I mean, I have taken naps on libraries, coffee houses, and other public places that are not ideal for napping, but I would have to be very tired in order to consider this vertical napping accessory.

Honestly, I just don’t think that humans were meant to sleep standing up like horses. Not only that, but what is prevent pickpockets from robbing these easy targets?

This Vertical bed is just a concept for now, but it comes with noise-canceling headphones, sunglasses, and a free-standing umbrella. It is all made to fit compactly into the suitcase that you see attached to the standing napper.

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Yes, rolling it up will turn the volume up, an rolling it down will turn it down. I am going to assume that you turn the radio on by turning it up, just like you would an older radio dial.

If you want to tune the radio into a certain station, just move it left and right. In short, it’s like having an analog radio that allows you to shift the station marker with your hand.

Now, you might be asking: who could use a device like this? After all, we live in an era where most radios have digital indicators that show the exact number of the station. Let me give you a hint: close your eyes and try to tune into a station using a digital station indicator. Just try finding your favorite station that way.

Yes, the blind still use the analog radio with a dial, and cannot see the numbers of the station unless they are in Braille. I don’t know if there is a device like this, but the R1 is “designed for them [the visually impaired] to control the radio more intuitively”.

This R1 Radio is still a concept by South Korean Il-Gu Cha, and not currently on the market as yet.

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Yes, this is a shower, and none like I’ve ever seen in its shape. Not only that, it has a 3D touchscreen, allowing you to watch a movie while you bathe. The touchscreen enables the user to control the temperature of the water as well as the intensity of the jets.

My source uses the word “3D touchscreen”, but I’m not certain that your movies would be in actual 3D. I mean, do you need to wear special glasses while in the shower, or does the teardrop shape of this tub make it possible to view movies in 3D without glasses?

If so, then I would hate to be just finished shampooing my hair and see the shark from Finding Nemo hovering in front of me. Just imagine playing that one scene from Psycho. I would probably have to clean the shower afterwards, if you know what I mean.

By the way, where is the shower curtain on this thing? Do you have to buy it separately?

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This is essentially the role of AIDA (Affective Intelligent Driving Assistant). This robot head not only serves as a GPS Navigation system, but it actually has expressions. It’s eyes will look happy when you’re going the right way, and become a warning sign when you are not. There is a video of this intriguing concept after the jump if you aren’t already sold on it yet.

AIDA is more than a navigation system, though. It is intelligent enough to remember where you have been, and from this information determines your driving habits. It uses a lot of sensors to gather intel, and will even let you know when you’re low on gas, and where is the best place to stop for gasoline on your way.

AIDA is still concept for now, and is under development by MIT SENSElab, MIT’s Media Lab’s Personal Robots Group, as well as the Volkswagen Group of America’s Electronics Research Lab.

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In fact, there is probably more science fact than fiction in this particular device. This was on display at the Taiwan broadband show by Ericsson to show what a computer might look like in the future.

That’s right, this device that you see here is a computer. Actually, it is more of a model of what the computer could look like, and there is a working model of this product after the jump. There is also video of it after the jump as well.

Here’s the basic concept. One side of this thing has a pico projector that is good for a 30 inch projection. As for the other side, it projects a laser keyboard onto the table. It is a technology that has been around for a while, but hasn’t really taken off as yet. The device also has a memory card reader built right in.

Yes, this is still a concept, and Ericsson wants to develop one with a battery and 3G connectivity.

So are we looking at the replacing the desktop with this, or the notebook? If so, then we’re going to need a lot of wall space.

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This is why the military is developing a miniature helmet-mounted radar system (HMRS). Think of it as radar for the head, to let you know if people are around you.

The range on this guy is about 25 meters, and it is very lightweight at 2.5 pounds. One of those pounds is actually on the helmet itself. I’m not certain what the power source would be used for this guy, but it would have to be built to last.

This radar can see through dust, fog, foliage, and even walls. So if there is some enemies hiding in the close by, a soldier can detect them before he or she gets shot at.

Of course, there really isn’t a way for the helmet-radar to detect the enemies from the “friendlies”. Other things could probably set this off too, such as thin trees that wave in the wind.

Just think about how many soldiers in past wars could have been saved with a device like this! Considering the losses that the United States has taken in Iraq or Afganistan, soldiers could use a little warning before going around that unknown corner.

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Ropid is the creation of a Kyoto based group known as Robo Garage, and it has the ability to run and jump. By the way, the robot is programmed to jump with a vocal command. In other words, if you say “jump”, then the robot may not say “how high”, but it will jump as high as it can, which is 8 centimeters high.

That’s not bad considering Ropid measures 38 centimeters tall, and weighs 16 kilograms. The robot has 29 joints and four gyro-sensors, and is powered by a lithium-ion battery. By the way, the vocal commands will also run when you tell it to run, and stop when you say stop. Now if it could run and jump, perhaps it could beat the Olympic long jump record.

So far, there is no plans to market this guy, but I think that Wowwee would be all over this thing. Ropid’s movements aren’t as fluid as say, a human, but it is enough to beat the snot out of any toy robot out in the market right now. Now, if only it could fold up into a car or something.

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After all, don’t you think it’s odd in this digital age that we still exchange these little paper rectangles every time we want to do business with someone?

In the age of the MelonCard, everyone would have one of these devices that you see here. This card-size piece of scratch resistant glass would be attached to a thin plastic strip that would have its own flash memory, Bluetooth, and power supply.

If two businesspeople want to exchange information, then they would simply slap two Meloncards together like a high-five. Apparently, two accelerometers onboard automatically exchange digital info, so you can contact your contact later.

I love the idea of the MelonCard, but my source believes that if this theoretical device used Bluetooth, it would eat up a lot of power. In other words, you couldn’t use it for too long without recharging, and the usage time is too short, what is the point? Perhaps we need some sort of universal cellular phone app that can do the same as the Meloncard.

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