DARPA is probably the only department within the military I'd be interested in working for. Their latest creation is a robotic hummingbird done that spies better than Cheaters. Mastering flight with such precious is incredibly difficult which is why the prototype isn't as nimble as the real thing but all in due time. Pretty soon that pretty little bird fluttering outside your window may be more than meets the eye.
Social Security cards are one of 3 important documents in the United States you have to hold on to and protect. Identity theft is on the rise so it's about time those all important 9 digit numbers get a huge upgrade. Frog Design's proposal utilizes a number of ink, paper, plastic, and digital tech to keep our identities safe and secure.
"Of the three forms of identification we have in the states--the other two being the passport and driver's license--[the Social Security card is] the one that unlocks your life," says Frog designer Laura Richardson. To that end the design firm presents the Troika, an aluminum SS card with a multifunctional screen.
"By combining the familiarity and proportions of a standard ID card with the durability of a water-resistant, flexible screen and the security of biometrics, [a card like this] could revolutionize the future of identification," says Richardson.
Designed and developed by a Melbourne based team ENESS. The Humble Telescope is an interactive civic sculpture that brings the wonders of space down to earth and encourages us learn more about the universe in a whole new way.
Inside the telescope exists a 3D simulation of our entire known universe. Pointing the telescope in any direction immediately shows us what exists in that area of space, so now we can get a greater understanding of where the planets are and where we live in the Milky Way.
via MoCo LoCo
While NASA is busy redesigning their aging shuttle fleet, Japan's national space agency is well on their way to creating a diaper like space toilet. The Astronaut never takes it off and whenever the urge to go "loo" arises, mechanisms automatically remove waste and clean the "important" parts leaving his/her bum squeaky clean.
via Ubergizmo
The Torus watch concept by Nicolas Meiresonne eschews numeric delineations for colors. In the mornings you'll see blue and green. Yellow and orange are for mid-day (or fast food), and red and purple are for night. You can even set a timer/alarm by tapping the corresponding color on the touchscreen surface. How snazzy!
via Ubergizmo
Once again I need to profess my love to the brainiacs at MIT. Their latest project, "Huggable" is a robotic teddy bear complete with servos, sensors, webcams, speakers, articulated joints, and artificial intelligence. It even acts as a telepresence device mirroring the movements of a remotely controlled Huggable.
The Teddy Bot was designed for early learning and hospital use but lets get to the real deal here. This thing is about as close as we'll get to the lovable "TEDDY" in Spielberg's "A.I." DO WANT!
via Gizmodo
It's common to focus on emotions while ignoring or having any awareness of what that goes on inside our body. This lack of understanding between the two can lead to health problems, for serious. So if we could keep track of how our emotions and bodies relate, what would that look like?
This portable device lets the wearer express emotions with colors by correlating them with biometric data. The idea is to create another way to externalize how we feel in a language anyone can understand. Someone walking down the street with flash red might be upset, in a hurry, or angry. A computer keeps track of your colors, sort of a diary of emotions that can be turned into choreographed motion graphic pieces.
It's an esoteric concept but one grounded in scientifically proven models. We all react to colors and in most cases, can assign specific colors to a range of human emotions. I'd love to see this concept come to fruition.
via Yanko Design