At one small seed we believe in the power of unique ideas and novel concepts. Ranging from technology, design, art and music, we’ve compiled a collection of crazy, fascinating, funny and bizarre findings that we think would be of interest to you. Here are some of our favourite finds this past week. Stay tuned for weekly material…
Kinetic Floor Produces Electricity from Dancers
Image: sustainabledanceclub.com
Image: sustainabledanceclub.com
Sustainable Dance Floor is a modular dance floor system that traps the kinetic energy of dancers and converts it into electricity. The tiles of the dance floor are embedded with small generators that collect and store energy before transforming it into electricity that can be used to power nearby appliances or the LED lights that light up the dance floor. Created by Energy Floors, the design is an attempt to harness wasted energy and resources, and redistribute them to where they are needed. The mechanism works through the unique tiles. Whenever a tile is stepped on it dips 10mm to trigger the internal generator that captures dancers’ energy. The system aims to find alternative energy resources and cut back costs on more expensive energy products.
Image: hml.queensu.ca
Image: hml.queensu.ca
Many smartphones use blinking lights to notify their users about texts, calls, and emails. In a time where the ‘silent’ profile is a office, class, and cinema staple, visual notifications are becoming increasingly useful. Canadian Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab has taken this concept one step further with MorePhone – a cellphone that changes it shape to let its owner know of any incoming interactions. If the phone rings its body will curl inwards, and if a text message is received the corner of the mobile bend forward. While it’s easy to feel a cellphone vibrate in your hands or pockets, it’s harder to catch notifications when your phone is on a couch or table and you can’t feel the vibration. MorePhone answers this dilemma by using shape-morphing visual cues to notify its user.
The tech behind MorePhone differs greatly from traditional smartphones. The phone is made from a thin, flexible electrophoretic display manufactured by Plastic Logic –- a world leader in plastic electronics. Sandwiched beneath the display are a number of shape memory alloy wires that contract when the phone notifies the user. This allows the phone to either curl either its entire body, or up to three individual corners. Each corner can be set to convey a particular message: users can set the top right corner of the MorePhone to bend when receiving a text message, and the bottom right corner when receiving an email. Corners can also repeatedly bend up and down to convey messages of greater urgency. The nifty device is still in its prototype phase and has yet to be released for mass manufacture and retail. Once the research is dusted, MorePhone could be one of the smartest phones around.
AUSTERITY – Edible furniture for times of crisis from Lanzavecchia + Wai on Vimeo.
Image: lanzavecchia-wai.com
Image: lanzavecchia-wai.com
Design studio Lanzavecchia + Wai has swanked up minimalistic metal furniture with edible decorations. The sweet tooth fixtures come in a range of different candy-flavoured furniture including a chocolate chair, grains sofa, and hard candy table. The collection — named Austerity — was displayed at the Padiglione Italia’s Foodmade exhibition in Milan, and introduced audiences to a conceptual design where bitten off bits leave new furniture forms until all that exists is a plain metal framework. The edible furniture features a coffee table topped with a hard boiled sweet for a tabletop and a chocolate chair made from 24kg of white chocolate. Yum!
LIT- Full Indiegogo Campaign Video from NZN Labs, Inc. on Vimeo.
Image: indiegogo.com
Image: indiegogo.com
LIT is a unique device that tracks your activities. From running to swimminging and sport-specific movements in surfing and BMXing, LIT carries the technology to keep track of your fun. While most activity trackers keep wearers posted on the calories they’ve burned, LIT is bringing the fun back into exercise and adventure sports by measuring exactly what your body does as it moves. The modular device can be worn anywhere on your body and conveniently photographs and videos your movements so you can update your social networks. LIT also provides stats on everything its wearer does, making training that much easier. The mobile app is now available for iOS devices that run Bluetooth 4.0, while an Android version will be released in January 2014.
A Boy and His Atom (world’s tiniest animation)
Image: gizmag.com
IBM has created the world’s smallest animation and it’s made from atoms. Atoms are one of the tiniest particles in the universe, and in order to see one you would need to magnify it 100 million times. Scientists at IBM’s research lab have decided to test their artistic capabilities by putting together a film that was made by moving thousands of atoms to their exact placements. The frames were then combined into a short animation called A Boy and His Atom which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival and is now the proud holder of the Guinness World RecordsTM for World’s Smallest Stop-Motion Film. The animation narrates the story of a boy who meets and befriends a wayward atom.
Image: mantis-mantis.blogspot.com
Image: mantis-mantis.blogspot.com
Everyday an inconceivable amount of cigarette butts are tossed from car windows, outside clubs and onto pavements. The eco damaging litter is often a contentious source of anger among environmental activists. Cigarettes are difficult to recycle namely because they are manufactured for human consumption, and once they have been consumed all that is left is a dingy bud of burnt paper, filter and tabacco. Chilean designer, Alexandra Guerrero, has found a way to clear the streets of cigarette butts by re-using the litter to produce clothing. Mantis is a collection of retro, wearable, bright fashions that retains an eco-friendly ethos to challenge the damaging effects caused by cigarette dirt. Ultimately the brand aims to encourage people to recycle more and litter less. While many would find wearing cigarette butts to be decidedly unhygienic, Guerrero teamed up with environmental engineer Carolina Leiva to formulate a purification process that would prevent cigarettes from harming wearers’ skin. At the end of the process the cigarette butts are converted into the wool-like material Guerrero uses to make clothes.
Image: miguelcaballero.com
Image: miguelcaballero.com
Bulletproof clothing isn’t always the most stylish form of protective gear, but Miguel Caballero is changing that. Hailed as the Giorgio Armani of bulletproof fashion, the designer has crafted protective suits for celebrities and dignitaries alike. His client list includes the likes of Middle Eastern princes, Latin American presidents, and Hollywood action star Steven Seagal to name a few. With stores available in Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico and the UK, Caballero has built his brand into a successful global supplier of one of the most sought after bulletproof garments, and he has expanded his vision into the world of kids’ wear.
The Colombian-based experts have designed colourful outfits and accessories that every child would look normal wearing, but the materials are made from heavy layers of synthetic fabrics that provide maximum protection. From backpacks to vests and overalls, Miguel Caballero has finely stitched his bulletproof tech into the multicoloured lining of children’s fashion so parents no longer have to worry about the safety of their kids. To any criminal, children wearing Caballero’s outfits might seem like easy targets, but the protective design of their clothing could save their lives.
Images: mantis-mantis.blogspot.com, miguelcaballero.com, gizmag.com, indiegogo.com, hml.queensu.ca, lanzavecchia-wai.com, sustainabledanceclub.com
Words: Ra’eesa Pather
