Despite all its promise, the MagSafe iPhone feature doesn’t get used for anything particularly exciting. MagSafe accessories are mostly limited to chargers, bike mounts, and the occasional wallet. So it’s kind of satisfying that the SnapGrip expands upon this functionality in a way that’s both fun and useful. Take it out of your bag, snap it, on and you’re ready to go.

The grip really does make the phone feel like a real, physical camera, and the wireless shutter button is a lot more convenient than trying to press the button on the screen without getting your thumb in the photo. It’s easy to rotate your phone from landscape to portrait mode, and when you snap it in place, it automatically opens your phone’s camera app. Compatible phones include a wide variety of iPhone models from the iPhone 8 all the way up to the iPhone 14 Pro; the Samsung Galaxy Note, Edge, S22 and more; Google’s Pixel 3 through 6 Pro; and various models from Huawei, LG, and Xiaomi.

It’s true that the SnapGrip itself is a little bulky, though. Is it worth it to carry around just for the ability to hang onto your phone a little tighter on the go? Not really, but thankfully, it does a whole lot more than that. The battery pack of the SnapGrip doubles as a portable charger, and it also works as both a stand and a charging dock. So if you need any of those functions and love to take photos, it has a lot to offer.

If there’s one downside, it might be that the SnapGrip is made of hard plastic, rather than the rubbery grip you might expect from the name. It’s also a little heavy at 4.9 ounces, but that’s standard for portable chargers. The grip is the thickest part at 1.25 inches thick, while the rest of the body is quite thin. It features four LED lights to indicate battery level, as well as lights for power on/off, and Bluetooth pairing. You charge it up via a USB-C port.

In addition to the SnapGrip, ShiftCam makes three other MagSafe accessories: the SnapShoe shoe mount for tripods, the SnapPod selfie stick, and a flippable SnapLight light ring that works in tandem with both the SnapPod and SnapGrip. A recent Kickstarter campaign successfully raised nearly $850,000 to bring the SnapGrip to life, and now it’s available for pre-order on the ShiftCam website alongside the other products.

The post Magnetic SnapGrip Makes Your Smartphone Feel Like an Old-School Camera first appeared on Dornob.

Parking lots are already full of concrete or rubber parking blocks that keep cars from pulling up too far and bumping into each other. The Watt (Wireless Advanced Transportation Charging Tile) concept simply switches them out with a T-shaped wireless charging pad that extends under the front of the vehicle, adding a second function.

What’s even more brilliant about this idea is the fact that it addresses another common complaint of EV drivers: the way electric cars discharge their batteries while they’re parked in colder areas, just like the lithium-ion batteries in our smartphones tend to do. With Watt, the car receives a steady stream of power throughout the time it’s parked, keeping it fully topped off.

Designers Cheolhee Lee, Na Gyeong Lee, Junsik Oh, and Kyoung-Seo Park have also created an accompanying app that lets you turn off the charging if you want, check on its progress, pay, view your charging history, or find Watt stations in the first place. The app also initiates the charging cycle as soon as you park the car, so no worries about remembering to tap anything before you get out.

Currently, electric car drivers have to hunt down charging stations and manually plug in their cars. If the stations are all full, they might have to hover nearby and wait for someone to leave. Soon, that problem will be exacerbated as more people choose EVs over standard gas-powered cars. To make matters worse, existing charging stations are bulky, expensive, and easily vandalized. Clearly, new solutions will be needed to quickly expand the availability of chargers while also making them more affordable, and Watt is a great entry into that collection of innovations.

The fact that it saves space is a big plus, and it’s easy to implement, though obviously each one will have to be connected to a main hub that supplies the electricity. That part of the equation is left for future consideration.

New forms of EV chargers are definitely on the way, including wireless innovations. Those include wireless charging pads developed by Volvo, which are being tested in Sweden, wireless parking places designed by WiTricity, magnetic induction chargers by Qualcomm, and BMW’s own inductive charging systems consisting of a “Groundpad” and a “Carpad” that work together. If you’re looking for something that’s available today for use at home, check out the Plugless Model S, which uses two aligned magnetic coils to send power to your EV over an air gap between your vehicle and its wireless charging station.

The post Watt Wireless Charger Doubles as a Parking Stopper first appeared on Dornob.

Nintendo Switch OLED

You’ll be your gamer’s instant best friend if you can get your hands on the new Nintendo Switch OLED model for them this year. This model’s larger seven-inch OLED screen offers more vivid colors and crisper contrast than previous iterations and comes with a wide adjustable stand for tabletop play mode. It also has higher quality speakers and twice the internal storage (64 GB). These hot Christmas presents have been flying off the shelves though, so if you can find one, grab it immediately.

Get it for $349.99 on Nintendo.com

GEEKERA Wireless Charging Stand for Apple Products

If your friend or family member is a loyal Apple product user, this wireless charging stand will most definitely make their holidays happy. It can recharge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods all at the same time. It’s even smart enough to know when your devices are full and automatically turns off at that point to protect your batteries from overcharging.

Grab one on Amazon for just $44.98.

PowerPort III Nano

This lightning fast 20W USB-C port can charge an iPhone 12 three times quicker than a standard 5W charger. After charging your phone for just 15 minutes, you’ll have enough battery for eight hours of run time. It’s versatile, too, compatible with most phone types including the Samsung Galaxy, as well as most smartwatches and earbuds. Your loved one will adore you for giving them the gift of fast power this Christmas.

Get one for $13.97 on Anker.

R2-D2 Tamagotchi

Okay, so this might not be the most cutting-edge tech out there, but why not gift some nostalgia to your loved one or share a core part of your childhood with your own little techie? Even better, this updated Tamagotchi allows them to charge, clean, and play with their very own Star Wars droid. In this version, R2 can even learn 19 new skills and unlock seven mini-games.

Get yours for $17.95 on Amazon.

Philips Hue Smart Bulbs (2-Pack)

These smart LED bulbs boast the range of 16 million colors of light, making for an endless array of choices for setting the mood. They’re compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, but they can also be controlled on the Hue app via Bluetooth. That means they can be voice activated when desired or automatically set on permanent schedules. The app lets you program up to 10 bulbs, and Philips offers a two-year warranty on them (though they should keep shining for close to a decade thanks to their efficient LED tech).

Buy a pair for $79.99 on Philips Hue.com.

Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug

Finally, a mug that can keep your hot drink perfectly warm from the first sip to the last. This smart mug from Ember allows you to control the exact temperature (between 120°F to 145°F) of your coffee or cocoa for up to an hour and a half. Using the accompanying smartphone app, you can even program a custom preset default. When you’re done drinking, just place it back on its special charging coaster to recharge it for your next cup.

Pick one up for $99.95 on Amazon.

Aura Mason Luxe 2K Smart Digital Picture Frame

This is perfect for the loved ones who wish they saw you more often. You can preload this stylish 9.7-inch digital frame with photos and videos so your parents or grandparents can see a version of you 24/7. And with the Aura smartphone app, you can instantly upload new photos for them or even allow your loved ones to share their own.

Buy one for $229 on Amazon.

The post 7 Cool Tech Gifts to Get Your Loved Ones This Christmas first appeared on Dornob.

Belkin Boost Up Charge Wireless Charging Stand 10W

For a dad who’s ready to ditch all the cords, this wireless phone charging stand is a great solution. Compatible with both Apple iPhones and Android Qi-enabled smartphones, it provides some of the fastest charging speeds out there. The phone can be placed on the stand in either portrait or landscape mode, too, allowing for continued use while soaking up more battery life.

Apple Airtag or Tile Pro

If your dad is notorious for losing his keys, he might appreciate an Apple Airtag or a Tile Pro (if he’s an Android user). These tracking devices can be attached to a key ring or any other frequently-lost item and pinged from a phone. Accompanying smartphone apps will allow dad to navigate his way to his hidden car keys or even the remote control.

Arlo Video Doorbell

Your dad can get great home protection with this video doorbell. It’s wire-free, battery-powered, and easy to install. This model is especially impressive with its high-resolution HDR video and its ability to pair with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant for voice-control options.

Logitech G502 Lightspeed Gaming Mouse

For all those gamer dads out there, this mouse gets extra high ratings when it comes to low click latency and a wide CPI range (he’ll know what those terms mean). Fully compatible with both Windows and MacOS, the Logitech G502 Lightspeed has an outstanding, consistent sensor and lots of programmable buttons.

Google Nest Learning Thermostat

If you want dad to stop complaining about his electric bill, you might want to get him a smart thermostat to maximize his home’s energy usage. The Google Nest Learning Thermostat uses AI to automatically adjust to the user’s preferred temperature and schedule. Dad can change the heating and cooling settings from anywhere using his phone, and he can check the accompanying app to monitor how much energy is being used and why.

Apple Watch – Series 6

While it is one of the priciest smart watches on the market, the series 6 Apple Watch beats out the competition with a fast new processor, great third-party app selection, and fitness tracking capabilities. It can measure dad’s blood oxygen saturation on demand, track real-time elevation on long runs or hikes, and even keep tabs on his sleep. With a large selection of new colors and band options, there’s sure to be an Apple Watch prefect for your papa.

JBL Flip 5 Portable Speaker

For a dad who likes to spend his time outside, this powerful portable speaker lets him enjoy his tunes anywhere. Packing a strong audio punch, the JBL Flip 5 also has an IPX7 waterproof rating, making it perfect for music by the pool or while floating down the river.

Moment Tele 58mm Lens

If your dad is a photography junkie, he can up his smartphone picture game with the Moment Tele 58 mm lens. It can attach to the latest iPhones, Galaxies, and Pixel devices and provide 2x optical magnification with a single lens phone and up to 4x magnification with the iPhone telephoto lens. That will allow dad to get up close and personal to his subjects without having to digitally zoom and decrease the image quality.

Make your dad’s life easier with one of these smart gadgets and give him the gift of a very happy Father’s Day this year.

The post 8 Cool Tech Gifts to Get Your Dad This Father’s Day first appeared on Dornob.

Travel wind turbine kits do exist, like this $168 unit on Amazon, but they’re far from robust, only generating up to 15 watts. The Wind Catcher blows that figure out of the water while weighing just 22 pounds, and it still only takes 15 minutes to set up. The Wind Catcher Lite produces 200 watts of power at a 12 mph wind speed, which is enough to run a small fridge, some lights, your laptop, and a router. The larger Wind Catcher produces 600 watts, reaching full speed at 17 mph. That means you can also juice up your e-bike, power tools, water pumps, sound systems, game consoles, drones, or small cooking appliances.

Unlike solar panels, the Wind Catcher turbine works day and night, even at wind speeds of just 8 mph. Don’t worry, though – it’s still compatible with a host of portable generators usually used with portable solar panels, including those made by Jackery, Goal Zero, Rainier, and Bluletti. Jackery’s Explorer 300, for instance, features multiple outputs, a 293 watt-honor battery pack, a carrying handle, and a DC input, and it’s also lightweight at just 7.1 pounds.

The creators explain that they’ve “taken the best of the ideas from flying turbines and have created a hybrid between a flying system and a more traditional wind turbine. By doing so, we’ve reduced the weight of materials by almost 90 percent. No more big poles supported by concrete or lifting cranes! We’ve made Wind Catcher to be easy and fast to assemble. It’s so simple and easy that you can do it just by yourself. Just set it up, and start charging your devices instantly. Wind Catcher requires no complicated knots. We’re using quick and easy-to-use belts for adjustments where it’s needed. It’s simple, effective, and quick to setup.”

“Wind Catcher Lite will start making usable energy e.g. charging a laptop (50W) at around 4 meters per second [9 mph] wind speed. This means you don’t have to camp in the most windy places to start producing usable power. When you need it, simply unpack it, set it up, and start generating power. Everything can be stored and transported with ease. We made Wind Catcher to have very low noise. It’s not silent like solar panels, but 20 meters away you won’t hear it!”

So what happens when the wind isn’t blowing? Just use solar! The Wind Catcher is a great way to augment a good portable solar panel system that plugs into the same type of portable generator, allowing you to assemble an impressively powerful renewable energy system that takes up very little space. That makes it perfect for extended travel, off-grid tiny houses, and even #vanlifers. The Kickstarter campaign for this handy gadget has already ended, but if you’re hoping to snag one for yourself, you can still sign up for email updates at the KiteX website.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commissions at no cost to you.

The post Wind Catcher: Lightweight Travel Turbine Provides Power on the Go first appeared on Dornob.

Computer science undergraduates Anita Nti and Jacob Buaful, his brother Caleb Buaful (who is studying industrial systems and engineering), and doctoral mechanical engineering student Danny Freudiger teamed up on the project, eventually founding a company called Electrion.

Motivated to combat the pollution created by running generators that power TVs, slow cookers, mini-fridges, and grills, the team developed a rechargeable battery pack with more than enough power to handle the job. They call it “energy storage as a service.”

When they ran a cost analysis, however, they quickly decided it would be cost prohibitive for individuals to buy personal battery packs. Instead, the students created a rental system that allows fans to charge up their tailgate activities sustainably using the rechargeable option.

“We really thought about the user experience. Because you are providing this as an alternative, you want that transition to be smooth. If it’s too hard, they’ll just keep using the generator because it’s easy to use,” Caleb Buaful explains.

Once the battery pack was developed, the students focused on a delivery system and decided on electric bikes that could easily zoom throughout the parking lots, quickly delivering batteries as needed. They then developed a mobile app that allows users to see when their battery is running low and instantly order another for delivery. The system has since found support at Ohio State, itself an eco-minded campus with big goals of its own (primarily to become carbon neutral by 2050).

Nti is president of a student organization called Smart Campus, which was founded by Freudiger. The mission of the group is to develop innovative solutions to improve communities at the university, and it’s safe to say that this project fits that bill pretty well. Mentor to the group BJ Yurkovich also expressed enthusiasm for the work the students are doing, saying: “It’s been exciting to watch this talented team of students not only develop cutting-edge technology, but also navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship and business development.”

The university showed support to the initiative by awarding Electrion an $89,000 Ohio State Sustainability Fund grant. Outside of campus, MegaJoule Ventures, an investment firm focused on sustainability, also invested $250,000 to help get the company off the ground.

While they started small by hoping to motivate their fellow Buckeyes, the team estimates each tailgating day results in about 120,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emitted, which means their system could really be useful in cleaning up sporting venues all across the country.

Nti adds that: “We came back and started talking and thinking, ‘If that’s just from one day, that’s thousands of pounds of CO2 being emitted at just one Ohio State game, how much more would be over a season and then at other schools across the nation as well? We saw that as a very significant impact, so we thought about how we could possibly be a solution.”

The idea for this generator alternative was born during the 2019 football season, and the team founded their company shortly before the pandemic hit. They are currently working up prototypes and hope to have a finished product available by the time tailgating is back in session.

The post Students Create Rechargeable Battery System to Replace Gas Generators at Tailgating Events first appeared on Dornob.

While there may not be any actual science-fictiony teleportation involved here, the concept of melding technology and design to further third-world education is very forward-thinking. Called “Solar Cow,” the initiative has been making formal learning possible for children in the most poverty-stricken regions of Africa since 2018.

Developed by Korean designer Sung Un Chang and her solar firm Yolk, the aim of the program is to decrease child labor rates around the globe by incentivizing poor parents to send their kids to school. According to data from the United Nations education body UNESCO, roughly 262 million children worldwide between the ages of 6 and 17 do not attend school. That works out to one in every five children on the planet.

After looking into the issue, Chang found that most of those children are kept home to help with chores and support the family income. In places like rural Kenya and Tanzania, for example, parents need their children’s help to tend cattle during the day.

“The kids could not come to school because of the cows, and now they can come to school because of a cow — but it’s a solar cow,” she says.

First installed in Pokot, Kenya, where between 40 and 60 percent of residents never complete a single level of education, the Solar Cow is a charging station artfully crafted in bovine shape. Each student attending the school is given a 2,900-mA power Solar Milk battery that plugs into the station’s udder slots and extracts power from the sun. Students then retrieve the fully-charged batteries (holding about $1 worth of electricity) at the end of the instruction day. The charger is then brought home, where it can be used to charge 2G cell phones (adults often have to travel long distances to charge their devices at expensive electronics shops) and also have enough power left to be used as an LED flashlight, providing up to six hours of light each night for the family. As 15 percent of the average Kenyan family’s budget goes to energy costs, these batteries can free up resources, reducing the need for child labor.

Chang realized getting parents on board was the key. “All of this is about how we persuade parents to send their kids to school,” she explains, noting that creating a “tangible” benefit of education was of paramount importance here. “If the value is similar or more, then they’re willing to send their children to school rather than the workplace.”

The idea worked well enough that two more Solar Cows have since been installed: another in Kenya and one in Tanzania. This latest campaign is aimed at putting more in the Zanzibar and Kigoma regions of Tanzania, some of the poorest and least educated parts of the world.

Yolk plans to make the program sustainable by requiring each family to pay $1 a month to allow their kids to charge the batteries at school. That money will make sure the parents have “skin in the game” while also providing funds for system maintenance and the replacement of Solar Milk batteries every two to three years. Additionally, they will generate salaries for local solar technicians to operate and maintain the cows.

Here’s how the new Kickstarter campaign works: Backers can pledge $28 to buy a solar/USB battery that doubles as a cute flashlight. Each purchase will also buy a Solar Milk charger for one child in Africa. Those who choose the Give+data option will get a unique code that corresponds to one of those African chargers. Backers can then log on to Solar Cow’s data site to track how often that battery gets plugged into a Solar Cow, and by extension, how often that specific child attends school. The tracking feature helps provide accountability, allowing backers to see the good their charitable dollars are doing.

At the time of writing this article, the campaign is more than 228 percent funded with about a month left to go.

Chang, whose previous Solar Paper campaign raised more than $1 million, hopes that the success of the Solar Cow initiative will encourage more designers to team up with other industries to solve the world’s problems. She notes that “the synergy of diverse fields such as science, politics, and anthropology when confronted with the intuition and creative perspectives of designers will be very surprising.”

The post These Solar-Powered Flashlights Will Teleport African Children to School first appeared on Dornob.

Scientists at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Engineering (Empa) and ETH Zurich have been developing a type of energy-generating polymer that can be fused with textile fibers. The result is wearable solar collectors that can provide electricity anywhere. Led by head researcher Luciano Boesel of Empa’s Laboratory for Biomimetic Membranes and Textiles, the team hopes to put its polymer-fiber combo into everything from t-shirts to jackets, freeing people everywhere from the tether of electrical outlets.

The Empa team is not the first to think of using sun power in apparel. Many have tried to incorporate tiny solar array panels in the shoulders and backs of coats and shirts, concocting clothing that ends up looking like something Marty McFly wore in the Back to the Future sequel. What’s more, the inflexible nature of most panels makes them uncomfortable and prone to damage with movement.

The kilowatt-creating materials used in these designs are called luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs). They have fluorescent dyes and other substances embedded in them that store the light from sunrays and artificial sources to a solar cell. The cell then converts the light into electrical power.

As great as these LSCs are at making electricity out of indirect or ambient light, they are limited by both an unbending structure and an inability to let air or water vapor pass through them. That means no tossing them in the washing machine ever. Boesel and his team recognize this and understand that to make LSCs a practical solution for portable energy production, they would need to revolutionize their stiff molecular arrangement into more something flexible that could also be air and water-permeable.

More recently, the Empa researchers have engineered a new substance based on Amphiphilic Polymer Co-Networks (APCNs), which have been used commonly in silicone-hydrogel contact lenses. APCN already has the ability to let water vapor and air pass through — one reason it’s so well suited to being put on the human eye. “The reason we chose exactly this polymer is the fact that we are capable of incorporating two immiscible luminescent materials at the nano scale and letting them interact with each other,” Boesel adds. “There are, of course, other polymers in which these materials could be integrated; but this would lead to aggregation, and the production of energy would thus not be possible.”

Additionally, these newer LSCs aren’t susceptible to cracking or becoming brittle, allowing them to be applied seamlessly to any clothing fibers, maintaining comfort and practicality. And because they’re incorporated right into the fabric, solar apparel can even keep up with today’s fashions.

While the Empa polymer is not yet ready for mass production, its potential means that we could soon be using the sun and heat around us to manufacture our own personal power sources. In the near future, we may be charging devices like our smartphones, laptops, headphones, and tablets as we walk from the office to lunch, sit on the subway, or go for a bike ride.

The post This Swiss Lab Wants to Weave Solar Chargers Right Into Our Clothes first appeared on Dornob.

While getting an allergy barrier to seal your mattress and pillows definitely helps, as does washing your bed sheets at least once a week, germophobes and those with lowered immune system responses might want to consider taking even more extra steps.

A new offering among robotic home gadgets will automatically sterilize your bed for you. The ROCKUBOT is basically like a Roomba for your bed, except it uses UV light and ultrasonic vibrations to eliminate the germs, bacteria, mites, and more that lurk in the space where you spend nearly a third of your life.

Ultrasonic waves prevent mites, bed bugs, and other pests from sleeping, feeding, and reproducing, and they’re completely inaudible to humans and pets. The ROCKUBOT’s creators say they’ve tested their product against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans, as well as 900 living mites. When disinfection was complete, all of the mites were dead, and 99.99 percent of the other contaminants were eliminated.

The bot’s Kickstarter page reads: “UV-C light has been used successfully as a germicide and bactericide for decades. It can kill or disable the growth of micro-organisms like bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, and it provides a chemical-free alternative to other disinfection methods, like using chlorine. Due to its effectiveness and advantages, UV-C is being used for an increasing range of applications.”

“It is used, for example, for disinfection in wastewater treatment plants, laboratories, air-conditioning systems, and even pools and aquariums, as well as in various stages of food and beverage industrial processes. UV-C is also used in medical and hospital settings to sterilize instruments, work surfaces, and the air.”

The bot features 24 smart sensors and a navigation system to keep it from falling off the edge of the bed, and it can even roam around underneath the blankets with ease. You can use it to clean toys, phones, and other objects in manual mode, too. To top it all off, the ROCKUBOT also plays music with Bluetooth 5.0, and doubles as a power bank so you can charge your devices as it works its magic.

No matter how many stars a hotel might have, or how fancy their bedding, they’re probably not deep-sanitizing the beds after each guest checks out (wouldn’t that be nice, though?). The ROCKUBOT offers peace of mind, and who knows, it might just improve your health, too. If you get sick often or suffer from allergies, it would be interesting to see whether you started feeling better after regular use. Would you be tempted to take one along the next time you travel, or use it daily in your own home?

The ROCKUBOT is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, with early bird rewards offering a complete kit for $119, 54 percent off the expected MSRP of $259.

The post This Music-Playing Cleaning Robot is Basically a Roomba for Your Bed first appeared on Dornob.

The Magic Desk was created by 37° C Smart Home designer Wu Junfeng, who readily acknowledges that his simple initial idea quickly grew into a more far-reaching design.

“Actually, my first thought was only about designing a desk whose height could be controlled by gestures,” he explains. “Then the idea evolved into a comprehensive workplace solution: how could the desk help maximize your work performance? Could it also play a role in caring for your health, to deliver messages for you actively?”

The easy-to-adjust desk moves from standing to a sitting height when you hold your hand close to its built-in sensor. Placing your hand beneath the sensor raises the platform, while hovering over the top of the sensor lowers it. Varying height options from 25 to 51 inches allow you to choose the best settings for you, placing the desk surface at the perfect height whether you’re standing or sitting. The distance to your monitor is also “monitored” for ideal ergonomic placement.

Although it’s a pretty simple design, it factors in the needs of the modern consumer like few other sit-stand models, with built-in USB ports and a wireless charging port you can use by simply setting your phone on it. Beneath the desktop, a net neatly wrangles in cords and cables to keep your space neat and hazard free.

Having the option to stand while you work is proven to improve posture and reduce lower back pain, contributing to overall better health, but the Magic Desk smart technology goes beyond this convenience with a built-in lamp that also monitors your activity. This LED desk lamp automatically turns off after you’ve been away for 10 minutes, and brightens the space up again once you return by monitoring your movement as you get closer. The lamp offers three brightness modes: Full brightness for efficient reading; screen mode, which is dimmer and reduces blue light; and focus mode, which provides bright light and automatically turns off notifications from the desktop unit to reduce distractions while you concentrate. Even better, the entire system charges on the port built into the desk and can be moved around to personalize your workspace in a way that always works best for you.

A small monitor also alerts you if you need to adjust your posture as you begin to slouch in your chair or while standing. Additionally, the system will remind you to make a change if you’ve been in the same position for too long.

Beginning as a fully funded Kickstarter campaign, the Magic Desk is now in production and can be found in the three classic colors of black, white, and walnut. It’s also available in two length sizes of 47 and 58 inches. The design was even recognized in the A’ Design Award competition with a golden award in the category of Furniture, Decorative Items, and Homeware Design.

The post This Gesture-Controlled Smart Desk is Magic first appeared on Dornob.

A Bronx, New York-based company called Chassie is here to fill that niche. Its new lineup of locally made desks come in a fun variety of surface designs by contemporary artists. With their simple shapes and clean lines, the desks appear pretty basic at first glance despite the decorative tops, but each one includes advanced features like invisible charging, “remarkable wood” that wipes clean after doodling with any whiteboard marker, and clear Lucite shelves that pull out whenever you need them.

The designs available from artists like Stephani Stilwell, Ivy Tai, Jordan Rosenberg, and Michael Hamlett Jr. all have something fresh and unusual to offer, so there’s plenty to choose from. Some are available in limited edition form, like the “Fleur de Subway” by Diana Regal and the “Art Deco” by famed artist Milton Glaser, the creator of “I Heart NY” and founder of New York magazine.

But if you’re artistically inclined, you should check out Chassie’s custom option, which allows you to print just about any design you can dream up onto a desk of your own. Plus, since you can scribble all over them with whiteboard markers, you can make your designs interactive, creating fun things like coloring books, mazes, and daily planners.

The company states: “We make radical desks in the Bronx. They’re made of art and tech, designed to last forever. We hope you see something you like. Each one is designed to help you bring greater passion and creativity to your life’s work through a wonderful workspace. Chassie products are primarily made out of aerospace grade aluminum and FSC certified baltic birch plywood.”

“We operate a full-fledged design studio and advanced manufacturing space in the South Bronx. We’ve worked with dozens of designers and artists to build unusual things. We have taken on projects as simple as altering the size, shape, or powder coat finish of an item in one of our collections. We’ve turned these works into occasional use, dining, or coffee tables, [working] with artists and designers on completely original works. We focus on and have mastered fabrication techniques and supply chains around UV prints on baltic birch plywood to create unusual and inspiring furniture.”

The company also explains that “Chassie is a revised spelling of the French word chassis, which usually means the frame or foundation of a machine. Just like a car chassie that can have various options, our job is to create the frame — the basic structure — upon which artists can produce inspired designs and you can do your life’s work.”

The designs are also available in the form of square side tables, play tables for kids, coffee tables, and a range of accessories like notebooks. The desktops can also be purchased separately from the stands, if you already have some legs or trestles you’d like to keep. Best of all, orders ship for free to anywhere inside the continental United States.

The post Customize Your Own Artistic Desk With Chassie first appeared on Dornob.

Led by Chemical Engineering Professor Zhenan Bao and Materials Science Engineering Professor Yi Cui, the Stanford researchers first published their work in the Nature Communications journal, highlighting their prototype battery’s use of a special plastic polymer electrolyte characterized by “unprecedented toughness and high ionic conductivity.” Implementing a supramolecular ion conductor, this prototype’s binding material allowed for more elasticity. Hence, the research team’s thumbnail-sized battery proved extremely effective as a solid, malleable, and highly capable conveyor of electric charge. On top of that, laboratory tests revealed that the battery’s experimental design delivered a consistent power output, no matter what shape or size it was squeezed, folded, or stretched into.

By contrast, conventional lithium-ion batteries — which power electric cars, grid-level storage, and personal electronics — tend to utilize combustible liquid electrolytes, or flowable gels. Their highly flammable nature commonly leads them to leak or catch fire, making them “culpable for the majority of recent catastrophic battery fires.” These disadvantages have to be addressed to meet the performance demands of today’s wearable technology, and to ensure the safety of its many users.

The Stanford team’s thumbnail-sized prototype overcomes these challenges and is already expected to transform the wearable electronics experience, especially when it comes to products that interface directly with the human body. As the team notes in their Nature Communications piece, “The method reported here of decoupling ionic conductivity form mechanical properties opens a promising route to create high-toughness ion transport materials for energy storage applications.”

As Bao explained further: “Until now, we haven’t had a power source that could stretch and bend the way our bodies do, so that we can design electronics that people can comfortably wear.”

Another anticipated application of Stanford’s stretchable battery is its future development as a power source for health-monitoring sensors. Such sensors are designed to stickily cling to the skin as a means of tracking heart rate, respiration, temperature, and other vital signs. Bao’s own BodyNet wearable technology, for instance, makes extensive use of adhesive sensors to pick up physiological indicators or signals emanating from the wearer’s dermal and epidermal skin layers. These signals are then wirelessly transmitted as health readings to a receiver.

Ultimately, it’s hoped this new stretchable battery can power wearables without interfering with a person’s normal behavior, making them more unobtrusive, safer, and a lot more comfortable.

The post Stanford Unveils New Stretchable Battery to Power Wearable Electronics first appeared on Dornob.

LumiCharge not only lights up our lives brilliantly and without fail, it also understands our desire to reduce the size of our ecological footprint. The company’s newest line was introduced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, and we were lucky enough to get a closer look at all the new features.

This newest batch of LumiCharge products takes all the charging capabilities we could ever need and packs them into compact fixtures and gadgets that solve multiple solutions while occupying minimal space. These are just a few of our favorites:

LumiCharge LD

If you’ve ever gazed at a big display of LumiCharge’s multi-use desk fixtures and wished they could be combined to meet all your needs in a smaller space, you’re in luck: that vision has finally come to fruition. The LumiCharge LD has an amazing LED lamp as its base of operations and offers a host of enchanting colors and brightness levels. As you enjoy the light show, you’ll also discover the fixture’s built-in charging station, which includes everything you need to keep all your personal electronics ready to perform at optimum levels 24/7: a USB-C, Micro USB, and Lightning charging dock, as well as a 10 W wireless charger. A clock display with a backlight that adjusts to your needs and a Bluetooth speaker pack the lamp with even more of a punch, with voice control capabilities through Google Assistant of Alexa sealing the deal. And all for under $100!

LumiCharge T2W

Before you venture out into this brave new decade, you have to be sure you know all the details. The LumiCharge T2W not only guides the way with a quality LED desk lamp, it also gives you all the details of your day including the date, time, and temperature settings. Even better, it adjusts for daylight savings time all on its own. The lamp gives you a choice of how you see your surroundings, too, with options for Soft White, Bright White, and Soft Yellow (each of which can be adjusted to your preferred level of brightness). There’s also a built-in Bluetooth speaker to surround you with sound to fit your mood, and you can use Alexa or Google voice features to find your favorite tunes instantaneously. Usually $89.99, the T2W is currently on sale for $79.99 through CES.

Lumi/UniDock

Nothing is more frustrating than a dead phone. Even though you know it needs to be charged, the task is often overlooked as the daily challenges of life pop up one after another — but the updated version of the Lumi/UniDock makes it easier than ever before. First of all, you don’t ever have to remove the case for charging. A simple dial lets you choose the type of cable you need to charge, be it iPhone, Samsung, Google, Type C, or Micro USB. For that reason, smaller tablets can also be charged with the Lumi/UniDock. There’s even an extra USB port here so you can charge more than one device at a time, including your smartwatch, MP3 player, iPad, and more. The Lumi/UniDock is also wonderfully compact and complements any decor scheme, so you can use it at work or at home with confidence and ease. And all this peace of mind you’ll enjoy by always being charged is only $49.99.

The post LumiCharge LED Lamps Light Up CES 2020 first appeared on Dornob.

Ultimately, designs like that just make cities more unfriendly. Not only do they make life harder for people who are already suffering, they discourage all citizens of the city from coming together in public spaces to connect with each other and their environment. Design alone can’t solve social and economic problems like homelessness, but it can help promote compassion and the kind of face-to-face interactions that give us windows into each others’ lives.

A more humane approach to street furniture serves the needs of as many people as possible. Because who are cities for if not their residents? Two cool examples come from HELLO WOOD, a Budapest-based design studio specializing in creating custom-made, temporary, and site-specific installations that everyone can use and enjoy.

“City Snake” is a long, sinuous wooden bench featuring body-cradling curves, integrated shock-resistant solar panels, and built-in USB outlets. Measuring 7.5 meters (about 25 feet) long, the bench invites passersby to congregate, hang out for a while, interact with it from a variety of angles, and make use of renewable energy. It even has integrated Wi-Fi hotspots, a sure-fire way to draw people in.

“Fluid Cube” is a wooden block with built-in seating and lighting that creates a small, private shelter from the elements. It too has solar panels built in, and its curved entrances and exits are large enough to maintain visual contact with the city all around it. It also has a tempered glass roof. Thanks to their wooden construction and fluid shapes, both designs offer a bit of organic softness and warmth to the typically cold, concrete nature of city squares.

HELLO WOOD designed City Snake and Fluid Cube for a Hungarian public school campaign by MVM (Magyar Villamos Müvek Zrt). They’ll be used by students in this instance, but it’s easy to imagine similar designs placed in cities all around the world. The structures are also modular, so they’re easy to transport and install. Made of solid sustainably-sourced wood, they were cut from sawn blocks of wood using CNC technology to minimize waste.

The studio’s official website reads: “HELLO WOOD started out as an art camp in 2010, and over the years, [it] has grown into a global hub for architects, designers, and woodworkers looking to new ways of sharing and producing knowledge. Today we exist both as a creative architecture and design studio and an educational platform for architectural dialogue and experimentation.”

“Our studio projects are driven by innovation, social responsibility, and an unwavering passion for great design. We work with wood and other sustainable materials to create large-scale installations that are not only artistic, but also eco-friendly and socially relevant. Through our work, we aim to raise awareness, encourage community building, and bring architecture closer to the general public.”

The post HELLO WOOD: Smart Outdoor Furniture with Sinuous Style first appeared on Dornob.

The question is whether it’s a coffee table, refrigerator, smart home hub, or a charging station. The answer is yes. Coosno is an all-in-one piece of living room furniture that will entertain guests, provide refreshments, and listen when you talk.

Refrigerator

Sleek and modern by every definition, the Coosno hides a big surprise inside. With a simple voice command or the push of a button, the upper portion of the coffee table lifts to reveal a built-in refrigerator section, whose rounded interior can fit a wide assortment of beverages and snacks. Even better, the table’s Lazy Susan-style design allows you to rotate the selection within to deliver your drink to you without having to get up and walk around it.

As a matter of fact, a coffee table with a built-in fridge just might keep you from having to get up at all. Especially one that holds up to 68 cans of beer.

Stereo System

You can also connect your favorite Spotify playlist to Coosno via Bluetooth and hear your tunes through an impressive six-speaker system. Plus, the tempered-glass tabletop lights up to the beat for an eye-catching club-like vibe.

LED Tabletop

The Coosno app actually controls all types of lighting effects to create the ambiance of your choosing. Colored LED lights can be set to flash, ripple, or remain solid or slow moving. You decide. Just open the app and drag the settings to fit your mood. The app also controls the refrigerator, so you can turn the temperature up or down from anywhere in the house.

Charging Station

There’s no need to fuss with wall chargers and charging cords any longer. Coosno has a built-in charging chip that keeps your phone or computer at full power whenever its placed on one of the tabletop’s two charging stations. Of course, there are also outlets tucked inside the table for your additional electrical needs.

Voice Control

Coosno connects to Google Home so it’s always ready to recite a cocktail recipe, share the weather, or give you a sports update. It can even solve the debate you’re having with your friends by running a quick internet search for you.

Along with the Google Home features, Coosno is also ready to listen whenever you tell it to open or close the fridge or turn up the music.

Storage

Like any good piece of furniture, the Coosno also offers some storage in the form of a pull-out drawer located below the refrigerator section. The drawer is compartmentalized for easy organization, too, so you can decide whether it’s the best place for the remote, the dog treats, or your cocktail straws.

Coosno is currently trending on Indiegogo, with a campaign that’s open until the third week in August. It’s currently in the prototype phase, but the company hopes to move into production with the funds raised from the campaign. The final product is expected to be available in two sizes and two color options with a ship date of February 2020.

The Coosno Home is 19.7 inches and can be used as a coffee table or small office assistant and snack bar. The Coosno Bar measures 27.6 inches. Both models come complete with no assembly required. Simply plug them in and set up the app to get the party started.

The post Coosno: The Smart Coffee Table That Does It All first appeared on Dornob.

The Archon Wireless Charger crowns itself “the future of charging,” with a virtually invisible design that clings to the underside of tables and other surfaces so you can simply set your phone on top and watch that green progress bar creep toward 100 percent. Making its debut on Kickstarter and Indiegogo to raise funds for production, the Archon claims that it will be capable of charging a long list of compatible devices through wood, plastic, glass, quartz, and even granite.

As with any other charger, it won’t work through metal or magnets, so phone cases designed to work in tandem with magnetic car mounts are really the only ones that aren’t compatible with it. Just remember that ordinary wireless charging pads can’t do any of that — plus they almost always have cords of their own and bright blinking lights that can be irritating in dark rooms.

This potentially game-changing wireless charger comes in two models: one that can charge through tables as thick as 25 mm, and a “long-range” option that works with surfaces measuring up to 35-mm thick. It’s compatible with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Max, and XR, as well as a host of Android-based phones like the Samsung S6 and Galaxy Note 9, Google’s Nexus 4, 5, and 6, and over a dozen LG phones. Any device that works with Qi wireless charging should also work with the Archon, which supports fast charging output up to 10 watts on everything but Google Pixel 3 phones (though the company says it’s working on getting Google certification to enable faster charging on that model, too).

Measuring less than five inches at its widest point and weighing just 12 ounces, the charger tucks away almost imperceptibly beneath tabletops, though it’s not clear exactly how it adheres. Some sort of adhesive seems likely, given that the list of appropriate table surfaces includes materials that can’t be easily drilled into. In any case, it’s a far more minimalist option than most, and at a $59 preorder price tag ($69 retail) for the 25mm and $79 ($89 retail) for the 35mm, it’s probably well worth a bit of experimentation. Orders are expected to officially begin shipping in May 2019.

The company website reads: “It doesn’t matter if you have a pop-socket or the thickest case on the planet, Archon can wirelessly charge your phone through it. Not only that, but with our ultra long range 35-mm version, you can charge your phone wirelessly through a tabletop and a case. Archon is everything that you love about wireless charging minus the annoying drawbacks. No more table clutter. No more bright lights. No more case compatibility issues.“

The post Archon: The Invisible Wireless Charger That Works Right Through Tabletops first appeared on Dornob.