Join NASA has a way of turning urine into a sports drink
Remember the opening shot of Waterworld where Kevin Costner pees into a cup, puts it through a machine, and drinks it? Would it greatly surprise you to know that NASA is working on giving this technology to the astronauts?
The process uses forward osmosis, which is “the natural diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane from a solution of a lower concentration to a solution with a higher concentration”. This allows you to urinate into a bag, and then use the syringe attached to the receptacle bag to turn your liquid waste into a sugary electrolyte drink.
That’s right, you can turn your pee into Gatorade! I’m not certain whether I want to be the first to drink this. Some of you are probably finding this entire subject matter to be “gross”, and I think that is a perfectly human response. I would imagine that someone has to go against their natural instincts and actually try to drink the filtered urine.
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IK MINI universal microphone stand adapter
IK Multimedia has just unveiled their latest iKlip MINI, which is the universal microphone stand adapter that will play nice with just about all other versions of Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch models. With the iKlip MINI, it is a snap to mount the iOS device on a microphone stand, pole or tripod without missing a beat, which would find itself at home whether on the stage, in the studio, at school or at the office.
You would definitely want something sturdy and tough to hold your iPhone or iPod touch in place, and the iKlip MINI does not disappoint since it is made of sturdy, durable thermoplastic. It also doesn’t matter whether you’re rocking to a first generation iPhone or iPod touch, the iKlip MINI does not discriminate against any model. It is capable of holding the device in place in both horizontal and vertical positions, where the multi-angle adjustable design will enable optimal viewing. Not only that, it also provides access to all controls, buttons, connection ports and camera without any obstruction.
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On This Day Poster
Most teens tend to have idols – and sometimes, they put up posters of them around the room, with movie posters also being a hot commodity as well. The £15.99 On This Day Poster might be worth checking out even if you’ve outgrown the awkward teen years – especially when it features heat sensitive squares that can be revealed the moment your finger approaches it. Move your finger away (or any other source of heat), and whatever you were able to read will disappear. Nifty, no?
The poster’s extremely innovative design also leaves room for you to mark all the important dates in your life, not to mention setting reminders for yourself. Should you opt to leave it unmarked, it can function as a calendar perpetually – every single year after its purchase. This is definitely a conversation starer in any home or office.
Omnidirectional robot gallops around
We know that humans have always taken nature’s designs to be their inspiration – such as the plane and robotic worms, but how about using a snail as a model? That certainly would be farthest from most people’s minds, but snails “gallop” around such as the inchworm, sticking the front of its foot to a surface, drawing up the rest of its body right behind. The galloping technique has been studied closer, and adapted and improved for robots by the Biomechatronics Lab at Chuo University in Japan.
Known as the “Snail-Wave Omnidirectional Mobile Robot,” Toro II, it definitely isn’t a snail at all, and there is no shell to crush, but the biggest advantage would be to have it move in all directions, thanks to a large and grippy area which is always in contact with the ground.
No idea on how it is going to be applied in real world use. What do you think? I’m quite sure the military would have a good idea on implementing it on the battlefield…
The Aid cane helps track of vital signs
I think it is a huge stereotype that senior citizens don’t deal well with technology, but this tech cane can do some very helpful things.
The cane, which is known as the Aid, has a built-in navigator that provides the user directions to a certain location. So if you get lost, this cane will point the way home.
Additional features include monitors for the user’s pulse, blood pressure, as well as body temperature. These important numbers are displayed on the LCD screen on the cane’s clasp. It even has a button for sending out an SOS in case of emergency.
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The future of eyeglasses
In the future, our glasses could help us see better in a different way. I’m talking about using some electronic technology on the glasses.
Some Oxford researchers are working on some frames that have cameras mounted on the edges, along with lenses studded with lights. This allows the users with macular degeneration to see a simplified version of their surroundings. They also have some other interesting features like face detection, tracking software, position detectors, and depth sensors.
If you think this is cool, I found another concept set of eyeglasses that can do yet even more. This one is under development by Rosalind Picard of MIT and Rana el Kaliouby at the University of Cambridge, and their glasses have a tiny camera as well. The difference is that this camera has a tiny computer that will “read” someone’s expressions. It will even tell if someone is responding negatively or positively by a flash of a green or red light that only the user can see.
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Home Plus creates virtual grocery store at a subway station
According to Home Plus (also known as Tesco), the Koreans are the second hardest working people in the world. I don’t know who is the first, but according to my Source, the Koreans think shopping is a real chore in their busy schedules.
Home Plus has made grocery shopping easier by putting virtual grocery store aisles in subway stations. While subway riders are waiting for the next train, they can peruse the pictures of food that are made to look just like grocery store aisles.
The only difference is that pictures of food have QR codes. A smartphone user takes picture of the product, and then pay for the items. I am guessing that payment is done through some online service. I know for sure that the actual items will be delivered to the home.
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Red Cross sets up donation points via vending machines
Japan is one country where you will be able to see vending machines for just about anything and everything imaginable – within reasonable limits, of course. Forget about just food and drink being dispensed, now there are more vending machines set up in that part of the world that will require you to put in money, but nothing comes out in return save for that warm, fuzzy feeling deep down inside.
What are we talking about? Well, Coca-Cola and the Japanese Red Cross have come up with a new vending machine which allows one to donate money straight to the vending machine. The introduction of the “charity button” will make it easier for folks who want to send some cash to the Red Cross without having to flip out their credit card or send a cheque. All funds collected will be used to rebuild areas which were hardest hit by the recent disasters in the Land of the Rising Sun.
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