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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Hypercolor Architecture: Paints React to Light, Heat & Touch

25 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

colorchangingpaint

The 90s are back and better than ever, with Hypercolor-style material science now making its way onto exterior surfaces, robust enough to withstand external weather but with the same color-changing properties you know and love from those once-cool t-shirts.

coloradaptivetouch

Potential applications of Olikrom are many, from tracing air paths across model airplanes wind tunnel simulations to creating buildings that change color, brighten or darken by night or day.

Prefab panels could be installed, or existing buildings repainted to create desired effects in all kinds of different conditions, from wall-touch interactivity to colors optimized around sky conditions or times of day.

Of course, there are many fun possibilities as well, like adding color-sensitive paint to coffee mugs to determine how hot and full they are, or creating a really cool every-changing car paint pattern as show in the video above.

light painting

Taking the playful side a bit further, variants on Neverwet-style, appear-on-demand graffiti are also possible – hidden appear-after-dark messages or stealth art on sidewalks and walls, or more on the practical side: touch-or-temperature-activated warnings when streets are wet.

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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Dubai Commissions Fleet of Jetpacks to Fight Skyscraper Fires

25 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

dubai skyscraper

Well known for its high-tech aspirations as well as architectural exuberance, the city of Dubai has begun ordering jetpacks for use by emergency services personnel in combating elevated blazes in its tall mixed-use towers.

Dubai Civil Defence is making the move in response to fires like the one that recently took place in its unfortunately-named Torch Tower, the world’s tallest residential building when it was completed.

dubai fire

The Martin Aircraft Company is adapting its existing models of commercial jetpacks to better suit the needs of flying firefighters. A standing platform will be added between the propeller engines, to allow pilots to let go of the controls (engaging a default hover mode) and move around more freely, as well as carry equipment.

hover mode

“Dubai is leading the world in high-rises, and sometimes we have challenges or difficulties reaching those buildings,” Dubai’s Civil Defence chief Ali Hassan Almutawa told the Khaleej Times.

“Sometimes we also find it difficult to communicate with people in those high-rises, especially when people are panicking from windows or balconies. With the jetpack we can go there and communicate physically with them and give them instructions.” Authorities in Dubai aim to secure and deploy their new array of flying machines by early next year.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Eff You: Sleek & Superior Bicycle Defies Global Racing Rules

24 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

rule breaking bike

This stunning concept bike breaks from conventions set by international racing authorities to bring riders a vastly improved cycling experience, from enhanced aerodynamics and speed assists to smartphone functionality and storage space.

specialized custom bike

Creative Director at Specialized, Robert Egger, designed fUCI (a jab at the UCI, or: Union Cycliste Internationale) as a functional and physical critique: “The UCI really caters to a very small population, but there’s so many other people out there who couldn’t care less about the UCI,” he explains. “They don’t follow the racing and they don’t even know all the limitations that are put on bikes for the UCI riders. So, my feeling was let’s design a bike for someone who really just wants to go fast on a road bike.”

specialized iphone slot

Wheels are supposed to be the same size, but differently-sized ones in this model help riders get up to high speeds more quickly. An added motor assist works like a turbo on a sports car, something completely accepted in that vehicular realm but unusual on bikes, “so just like when you ride the turbo and you put your foot on the pedal and it lurches forward, the same thing here.”

smart bike powered wheel

“This little motor will get the flywheel up to speed so when you’re stopped at a stop sign, or when you’re starting out of your garage in the morning, this’ll be that burst of power to get the flywheel up and running.”

smart bike seat storage

The shape is dramatic and impressive, but also pragmatic; it facilitates, for example, clever seat storage space for odds and ends (like keys or wallets) or potential essentials like spare tires and tubes.

front slot

A slot in front, protected by an aerodynamic mud and wind guard, lets you put your smart device in place for navigation, too.

e bike full model

e bike helmet protection

The goal of this project is in part to raise awareness of what bikes can be when stripped of the rules people think are common sense but are really tied to the limited and specialized world of racing. The hacks in this case enhance functionality on various fronts and, frankly, produce a much more awesome-looking ride, too.

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

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Gadget Gifts: 15 Slick Smartphone Add-Ons & Accessories

24 Nov

[ By Steph in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

smartphone builder case 2
We may as well admit that our smartphones have become permanent extensions of our hands, and accessorize them as such. While these indispensable palm-sized gadgets can already do everything from planning our trips to monitoring our pulses, a world of add-ons make them even more useful. These 13 companion gadgets including instant photo printers, rugged keychain chargers, grip-all tripods and $ 5 stocking stuffer speakers make great “I don’t know you that well” gifts.

Instant Mobile Photo Printer

Missing the instant gratification of Polaroid cameras, but don’t want to give up the convenience and compact profile of your smartphone? The Polaroid Zip Instant Mobile Printer is roughly the same size as most smart phones, and wirelessly prints photos in less than a minute using a special dye paper that requires no ink or toners. Packages of the printer and photo paper start at $ 129.99 at PhotoJoJo.

Universal Retro-Style Device Holder

smartphone stan 2

Designed to mimic the look of classic swing arm desk lamps, the STAN positions your phone, tablet or eReader for hands-free use. Place it on your headboard to hang a tablet over your head for the laziest Netflix marathon of your life. Get it for $ 89.99-$ 109.99 at The Design Industry.

Luma Tiny Lampshade Night Light & Travelamp

Clip this tiny acrylic lampshade onto your phone, turn on your flashlight and you’ve got an instant night light requiring no extra power. The ‘Luma’ version is available for $ 9, or get the larger and more classic lantern-style Travelamp for $ 8.

Hobie Time-Lapse Photo Tool

The Hobie is a little spinning tripod that takes panoramic photos or record moving videos from a 360 degree point of view. It’s portable, adjustable and clips onto a basic kitchen timer at the base. Pre-order the basic version for roughly $ 36.

Gekkopod Adaptable iPhone Tripod

Wrapping its legs around objects so it can grip as well as a gecko, the Gekkopod makes it easy to mount a smartphone or compact camera to tree branches, bike handles, fences or any other convenient vantage points you may find along your travels. it can also be used on its own as a mini tripod. It comes in a variety of colors for $ 19.90.

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Gadget Gifts 15 Slick Smartphone Add Ons Accessories

[ By Steph in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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Power Plants: Scientists Grow Conductive Wires in Living Roses

23 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Drawing & Digital & Technology. ]

wired rose plant

A group of Swedish scientists has developed a successful method for integrating conductive wire systems into plants, naturally soaked up from a gel into leaves and stems to create complete circuits in bionic hybrids. The implications, like the currents, run in two directions: power can be harvested from plants, but the plans can also be changed through the application of external energy.

rose robot

Botanists and mechanical engineers from the Laboratory of Organic Electronics at Linköping University added the gel at the base of test plants, which in turn hardened into flexible wires within the stems and leaves, all without damage to the organic components. They were then able to send electrical impulses through the plants, lightening and darkening flowers and leaves.

rose hybrid bionic plant

“Although many attempts have been made to augment plant function with electroactive materials, [until now] plants’ ‘circuitry’ has never been directly merged with electronics,” write the researchers in their paper Electronic Plants. “With integrated and distributed electronics in plants, one can envisage a range of applications including precision recording and regulation of physiology, energy harvesting from photosynthesis, and alternatives to genetic modification for plant optimization.”

rose hacked

A number of material combinations were tried before the effective solution was discovered. Some hardened and harmed the plants while others proved toxic or provided insufficient connectivity to be effective. The transparent organic polymer they settled on is able to fully wire a living rose, creating a bionic hybrid without compromising its natural functions.

wired rose detail

More from the abstract: “The roots, stems, leaves, and vascular circuitry of higher plants are responsible for conveying the chemical signals that regulate growth and functions. From a certain perspective, these features are analogous to the contacts, interconnections, devices, and wires of discrete and integrated electronic circuits. The four key components of a circuit have been achieved using the xylem, leaves, veins, and signals of the plant as the template and integral part of the circuit elements and functions.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Drawing & Digital & Technology. ]

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Suckers! Japan’s Ubiquitous Octopus Playground Slides

23 Nov

[ By Steve in Culture & History & Travel. ]

japan-octopus-slide-1
Weird anthropomorphic, gaudily painted concrete octopus slides lurk within hundreds of Japanese playgrounds, silently traumatizing generations of kids.

japan-octopus-slide-1b

These playground octopi climbing frame/slide installations are so common and have been around for so long, it’s really no surprise Japanese parents are nonplussed by their ominous presence – doubtless they played on the very same structures when they were kids.

japan-octopus-slide-1d

Visibly showing its age, the pastel pink cephalopod playground set above can be found at Hattori Ryokuchi Park in northern Osaka. It was visited by Akira Nakajima in 2009, David Kawabata (sleepytako) in 2013, and Trout Monroe (troutfactory) on January 1st of 2015.

Two-Toned In Tokyo

japan-octopus-slide-2a

japan-octopus-slide-2b

Nestled into a small playground in the Kitasenju neighborhood of Tokyo’s crowded Adachi ward, this unusually two-toned octopus slide and the manicured grounds surrounding it are pristine enough to be a zen garden… for kids. One wonders if children are even allowed to climb on it.

Reddy Or Not

japan-octopus-slide-3a

japan-octopus-slide-3c

japan-octopus-slide-3b

Unlike many American playgrounds whose old lawsuit-encouraging equipment continues to be updated in the interest of safety, Japan’s vintage octopus slides are, were and will always be perfectly safe… not to mention easy to maintain. Take the venerable installation above, which needed nothing but a new coat of paint to make it good as new. Once sun-bleached as pink as a beached conch in Flickr user sallyhancox’s 2009 photo, it blazes fire engine red in her image snapped two and a half years later.

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[ By Steve in Culture & History & Travel. ]

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Meal of Worms: Kitchen Farm for Growing Edible Insects at Home

22 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

insect meal worms

Helping you grow and harvest edible mealworms right on your kitchen counter, the world’s first desktop-sized insect hive aims to aid a rebranding of an unpopular but nutrient-rich source of protein.

edible insect farm

The Livin Farm by Katharina Unger and Julia Kaisinger is just a few two feet tall and contains eight shelves for housing mealworms at various stages of growth, from egg and pupae to beetle.

meal worm diagram

The pupae mature in the top drawer, turning into egg-laying beetles. The eggs in turn fall through holes in the floor and grow into worms.

insect feeding time

The key to the whole operation is a customized micro-climate within the case as well as a fan, filter and ventilation system. The insects themselves can subsist on vegetable scraps and other kitchen waste.

insect in salad

insect food protien

A button on the box vibrates the operation, separating insects from waste automatically rather than the conventional and less appealing way: sorting by hand. These are chilled in the bottom drawer for storage or can be frozen before being minced and boiled into meals.

meal worm benefits

Each harvest yields a few hundred grams with protein amounts roughly equivalent to similar weights of meat. The inputs are where the real savings is: less space, water and energy are needed for this system to work.

livin kitchen farm

insect kitchen counter

If the ‘yuck factor’ seems tough to overcome, consider for a moment the foods that have become popular over time across cultures, including the rise of sushi (raw fish and seaweed) in the United States and elsewhere.

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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Sea Organ: Concrete Jetty Makes Music with Crashing Waves

21 Nov

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

sea organ 1

The ocean already makes music of its own, but in one Croatian town, its natural sounds are enhanced with the help of an interactive jetty-turned-instrument called ‘Sea Organ.’ Created by architect Nikola Basic in collaboration with engineers, craftspeople and a musical professor who tuned all of the pipes, the 230-foot installation on the coast of Zadar emits a constantly-changing concert of harmonic sounds with the flow of wind and water.

sea organ 3

A system of polyethylene tubes and a resonating cavity are disguised beneath a set of marble steps leading straight into the Adriatic Sea. The channels connect to 35 organ pipes, and each set of steps containing five pipes is tuned to a different musical chord. As waves and the wind push air into the pipes, they create a haunting chorus of sound. The rougher the sea, the louder and faster the music.

sea organ 4

sea organ 2

The Zadar-Morske Orgulje, as it’s known locally, is also topped with an interactive display of LED lights that seem timed to show the movement of the water under the marble. This 22-meter-diameter, disc-shaped solar-powered installation called ‘Sun Salutation,’ also created by Basic, only serves to make the music of the sea even more magical.

Images via Flickr Creative Commons: linssimato, J We, Suzanne Hamilton, EyeofJ

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Hobart Rivulet: Doll Heads Adorn Pillars in Tasmanian Tunnels

20 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Travel & Urban Exploration. ]

tasmania baby face dolls

Below the streets of Hobart, Tasmania’s capital and most populated city, lie a network of centuries-old runoff tunnels that are slowly being turned into the backdrop for a growing body of collaborative (and sometimes creepy) art.

tasmania sewer tunnel exploration

rivulet tasmania

Urbexography (previously featured in a tale of Grimm Abandonments) has gone underground this time to capture the current state of the tunnel system and the strangely fascinating works that populate it at the present time.

tasmania underground doll pillars

tasmania doll wall detail

One series in particular may be best avoided after dark: an array of plaster-cast doll heads, a tribute to catacombs lined with human skulls found elsewhere in the world.

tasmania light from above

tasmania runoff system

Artist Shaun McGowan is behind much of the work. “I’d love to keep doing this project for years to come,” he told The Mercury. “It’s the opposite of gallery and studio work. There’s no barrier around it saying that other people can’t contribute or break it or do whatever they like. I love that collaborative nature.”

tasmania hobart underground

tasmanian tunnel art

Remarkably, many of his interventions have so far remained intact, drawing tourists and thrill seekers by day and night to these once-forgotten waterways. McGowan does not expect any particular piece to last, however, and accepts that change is inevitable and the place will always be a series of works in progress. Meanwhile, see more photographs of this amazing and evolving set of spaces on Facebook.

[ By WebUrbanist in Travel & Urban Exploration. ]

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Robotic Delivery: 6-Wheeled Drones Set to Roll Out in London

20 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

drone bots streets london

With all the focus on flying drones, grounded versions can fly under the radar, like the bot driving this latest business from the co-founders of Skype. Facilitating robotic deliveries in London, Starship Technologies aims to advance driverless automation in smaller steps, beating autonomous car companies to getting driver-free wheels on the ground in England.

drone real street delivery

The little driverless electric vehicles that will be making the rounds are six-wheeled rovers just over 20 inches tall and able to be packed with a sizable load of goods for short shipments.

drone on sidewalk

Customers simply select items online, pick from delivery windows, then track progress on an app and tap on their logged-in device to open the lid when their shipment of stuff arrives.

drone open hatch

Cruising at just four miles per hour, it remains to be seen how they will handle even sidewalk foot traffic, let alone road crossings. Its creators also presumably anticipate that a watchful public (and CCTV cameras) will help keep the little drones safe on their journeys. However, the bots can also directly relay distress signals to the police in an emergency or be remotely operated by human pilots as needed.

drone london open

They also come with an antennae that both helps with wireless connectivity but also provides visibility beyond each drone’s natural height.

drone neighborhood deliveries

“Our vision revolves around three zeroes – zero cost, zero waiting time and zero environmental impact,” say the founders. “We want to do to local deliveries what Skype did to telecommunications.”

drone bot delivery vehicle

So far the robots have only been tested indoors (interoffice experiments), but the company aims to hit the streets (or at least sidewalks) next year.

drone remote delivery street

It is in many ways an attempt to solve the ever-vexing ‘last mile’ problem: “The last few miles often amounts to the majority of the total delivery cost.”

drone robot delivery service

“Our robots are purposely designed using the technologies made affordable by mobile phones and tablets – it’s fit for purpose, and allows for the cost savings to be passed on to the customer.”

360Photography

Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Hypercolor Architecture: Paints React to Light, Heat & Touch

Dubai Commissions Fleet of Jetpacks to Fight Skyscraper Fires

Eff You: Sleek & Superior Bicycle Defies Global Racing Rules

Gadget Gifts: 15 Slick Smartphone Add-Ons & Accessories

Instant Mobile Photo Printer

Universal Retro-Style Device Holder

Luma Tiny Lampshade Night Light & Travelamp

Hobie Time-Lapse Photo Tool

Gekkopod Adaptable iPhone Tripod

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Gadget Gifts 15 Slick Smartphone Add Ons Accessories

Power Plants: Scientists Grow Conductive Wires in Living Roses

Suckers! Japan’s Ubiquitous Octopus Playground Slides

Two-Toned In Tokyo

Reddy Or Not

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Suckers Japans Ubiquitous Octopus Playground Slides

Meal of Worms: Kitchen Farm for Growing Edible Insects at Home

Sea Organ: Concrete Jetty Makes Music with Crashing Waves

Hobart Rivulet: Doll Heads Adorn Pillars in Tasmanian Tunnels

Robotic Delivery: 6-Wheeled Drones Set to Roll Out in London

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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

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