Hi-tech Frontier

Incandescent bulbs making a comeback, GE still launching new LED lights On the eve of Christmas 2007, quite a few obituaries for incandescent light bulbs were penned. News was slow, time was short and Congress had just outlined a new energy plan that would essentially force these energy-wasting bulbs out by 2012. Now, however, legions of scientists are racing the clock to develop new incandescents that will still meet the upcoming guidelines, with a Deposition Sciences technology paving the way for a post-2012 model from Philips. Without drowning you in technobabble, let's just say that said tech has seen 50 percent efficiency gains in the lab, which is more than enough to please even the most outspoken tree hugger in Washington. In related news, GE has issued two more LED light bulbs: the 7-watt Energy Smart LED PAR20 and 10-watt LED PAR30. Both of 'em are aimed more at commercial customers than at actual homes, but you'll be hard pressed to find a better option for lighti...

Motorcycle Helmet USB Aromatherapy Humidifier This USB aroma humidifier, designed to look like a motorcycle helmet, will help you increase the humidity in a room and it can also be used as a fragrance oil burner for aromatherapy. ##CONTINUE## The Motorcycle Helmet USB Humidifier is yours for $34 over.

Illuminated Ice Bucket with Remote Control Can’t get enough of beverage related gadgets and remote controls, like the R/C Cooler and the Remote Control and Drink Holder? You might want to take a closer look at this ice bucket. The multi-color LED ice bucket. It can be used in a single static (fixed) color or simply press the remote control to produce color changing effects. ##CONTINUE## Descripttion: This light weight sturdy plastic gadget is a great “mood” Color Changing Ice Bucket that will compliment any atmosphere. With a simple click of a button you can choose what color you would like to illuminate the entire LED Ice Bucket or you have the option of a multi-color light show. Come with an included remote control that you can set not only the color tone, but also the brightness and the speed of changing. Looks terrific when filled with ice and a bottle of wine and displayed in low light and you can use it indoor or outdoor. Rechargeable via a AC power adapter as well. Dimension: H2...

Drop Macro Lamp for Your Living Room If you are looking for the latest in photography then macro photos is a must. It is the latest entrant in the photography world. It is the kind that is unique and unusual. The idea for the Macro photos came from the waves and the movement of water. This was further made use of in creating an illumination object. The direction and liquidity got in these photos is amazing. When you look at them you feel as though there are drops of water on the photo. Three dimensional effects add to the realistic impact of the photo. It is multi-faceted. You can use it as a bookcase as well as have a lamp with drops on top.

Fukitorimushi cleaning bot is just like a pet -- only cleaner, quieter, better behaved, and more pillow-shaped Panasonic recently unveiled a new kind of cleaning robot at the Tokyo Fiber Senseware Expo in Milan. Called Fukitorimushi, the small service bot is covered in Nanofront, a nanofiber polyester fabric which can absorb oil and pick up small paricles of dust. It moves a bit like an earthworm, crawling about the floor using several light sensors to root out the dirt, and can navigate itself back to its charging station when it needs more juice. Designers of the spiffy little guy seem to think that owners will bond to it as if it were a pet. No word on when these dudes will be commercially available, but we'll let you know as soon as we score one of our very own -- we're thinking about calling it Sal.

The Barista : Portable Espresso Maker The Barista is a handy espresso maker, designed specially for home use to enhance and simplify the user experience both indoor and outdoor. Unlike the usual espresso machines, Barista allows multiple persons to take part in the experience of coffee making and consists of brewing unit, a docking station and five espresso cups. When in docking mode, this machine is attached to the wall outlet and performs like a conventional espresso machine. When in portable mode, the coffee beans remains pre-grounded and the water is kept into a thermos pre-heated in order to enhance the portability of this machine and avoid unnecessary energy consumption.

mypressi TWIST gives espresso addicts an easier way to indulge You know the story -- your daily craving for a shot of espresso hits right around 7:30AM local time, and if you don't have it in your grasp by 0800 hours, you're likely visiting the slammer for at least a day or two for barista battery. In a beautiful effort to keep addicts far away from prisons and ever closer to their productivity machines, Espressi has unveiled the mypressi TWIST, which is described as a truly portable espresso maker that delivers top-notch goods without the wait. The secret to the one-pound device is the pneumatic engine that provides constant pressure throughout the extraction cycle, and we're told that a single CO2 cartridge can provide around eight shots. It'll hit American shores this fall for $129 -- 'til then, it's on you to keep a local shop on retainer.

BacVac Fuel Cell Vacuum Cleaner with Backpack-Style Vacuum cleaners are an unavoidable appliance for those who would like to keep their households neat and clean. There are many available vacuum cleaners over the market but not many of them are as effective as BacVac, a fuel cell concept vacuum cleaner. This smart backpack-style vacuum cleaner is powered by an integrated fuel cell which allows the user to enjoy a cable free cleaning experience. The main goal of this vacuum cleaner is to meet the residential cleaning needs and is hanged over the users shoulder like a passenger bag. When recharging needed, the fuel cell can be reloaded with instantly available ethanol.

SteriShoe is A Remedy for Stinky Shoes In order to pursue the busy and hectic daily life, most of us have to run all through the day, which results stains, bad smells and bacterial objects all over our body, especially inside our shoes. We are using various products for cleaning our body but Steri Shoe is a great product concept that we may consider as the world’s first ultraviolet shoe sanitizer. This product can fit inside almost any size of shoes and kill fungi and bad odor in your shoes by using ultra violate lights. With the innovative idea and superb look, Steri Shoe is an effective and environment friendly approach of your shoe sterilization.

Balloon Lamp: Elegant and Stylish Were it not for the $63 price tag from the Japan Trend Shop, I’d be tempted to call these clever balloon lamps a cheap way to add some stylish lighting to your crib. They use a high-intensity LED light will run for about 100 hours on the included set of lithium-ion batteries, and instead of a traditional lamp shade, they’re designed to be stuck inside an inflated balloon. Not only does it produce a soft diffuse glow, but you can use any color balloon you like, and the lack of power cord means they can be easily hung anywhere.

Shower Pod It’s nice being clean. It’s a shame, then, that being clean is just so much damn work. Like, you get in the shower, and then you’re supposed to STAND there. Stand! And you have to be rubbing soap on your body and shampoo in your hair, and if you try and do that in opposite directions at the same time, it’ll make you fall over and you’ll crack your head open and die. And that would be bad. The automatic human washing machine takes most of the dying out of showers by not only giving you the chance to lie down while getting clean, but also by doing all of the actual cleaning for you. You stick yourself inside the washing pod and command it to go, and it will wash you with soap and water, use infrared light to steam heat you, pamper you with sound and aromatherapy, and then finish up with a seaweed wrap and some body lotion. Then you get out, and the machine sterilizes itself to get rid of all the nastiness you left behind. I have no idea how, or how well, the automatic human wa...

Rubik’s Cube Salt & Pepper Mills It might have brought you years of frustration as a child, but as a grown-up you can now use the power of the Rubik’s Cube for good. Or at least good taste. This set of salt and pepper mills are made to look like the iconic twisting puzzle cubes from the 80’s, but instead of messing up the colored grid pattern, the twisting motion is actually used to grind out your choice of salt or pepper. They’re available for about $16.55 each. Yeah, you have to buy them separately.

Bosch 360 Washer and Dryer The Bosch 360 is a washer and dryer concept that utilizes a spherical drum which allows the clothes to be washed in all direction for maximum cleaning. The designers found that front loading machines clean better than top loading machines. But for rinsing, top loading are better because they work with centrifugal force and are more balanced. This is why their design solves both issues in washing. The Bosch 360 also utilizes a spherical shell that flows into a base. This creates a real eye catcher in the store. Once someone sees this round washer they will almost be forced to go look at it. Then they will notice the spherical drum which is the best part. After all if the spherical drum were in a “box” not half as many people would notice it right off.

Environment Friendly Indoor Drying Rack made from renewable materials Adult women will understand that most of our underwear and lingerie made from fine fabric that is not supposedly dried by machine. However, most of us live in suburban residences like apartment where clotheslines often not allowed. In the other hand, Laundromats service will spend a lot of money and should be considered that it consumes high energy. There is a gadget from Greener Gadget Design Competition nominees that seems to be dedicated to us. This device is Indoor Drying Rack. Made from laminate bamboo that is known as hypoallergenic materials, it ensures that your clothes will keep hygienically. Combined with recycled aluminum center shaft, this device is designed to attach to the wall. It folds easily and need no storage. This device is shaped as selectable spines. Yet it allows variable surface area and variable air circulation. You will need no electricity power to run this device. It allows your clothes dri...

Lighting Iron: You can 'see' how hot the iron is When you are using a conventional iron, is there any way to exactly know how hot your iron is? How do you know if your iron is hot enough to apply or enough cool to touch after using it? Lighting Iron is a conceptual iron design by Gowoon Jeong that can indicate how hot the iron exactly is. For example, when ironing some silk, the iron should be at a lower temperature and Lighting Iron can indicate this by showing pink light. On the other hand, cotton may require a higher temperature and in this situation, the iron will show dark red color which means it’s hot enough. Gowoon Jeong is a graduate student at SADI (Samsung Art & Design Institute) who is currently looking for full-time job and freelance projects. His specialties are industrial design, exhibition design, and interior design.

FIRO concept for Unique Cooking Experience The main goal of FIRO concept is cooking healthily and safely on open burning fire with innovation. The main ingredient of this small portable oven is technical ceramics and can be dragged in or out of the fire in a convenient and safe manner. The pots inside the rail serve the purpose of both cooking and eating with the swiveling support that can maintain food level. Finally, the hot pots are taken out of the mini oven with the help of a cutlery construction and put into a temperature insulation bag. With all these features, FIRO is being considered as the ultimate solution for your simple but interesting cooking experience.

Korean carrier KTF launches mobile phone-controlled vacuum cleaner South Korean telecom firm KTF has just announced a cleaning robot which can be controlled by a 3G cellphone. The robot -- called the CW100 -- was built in collaboration with Microbot, and is a "smart" vacuum (much like a Roomba). The CW100 uses an onboard video camera to send live images of what it's "seeing" to the mobile phone, and the user can then remotely control it using the keypad. The bot will be sold for KRW 500,000 (about $370) in conjunction with a data plan that runs KRW 5,000 (about $3.70) per month. Sounds pretty affordable and awesome to us -- as long as it doesn't run over the family cat.

USB-powered heated lunch bag keeps your meal warm Features: USB powered or by AC adapter Embedded two heaters inside the bag, incorporated into the top and bottom Warms your meal to 50 degrees C (122 deg. F) Dimensions: 140 x 200 x 90mm (5.5" x 7.9" x 3.5") (W x D x H) Price: US$ 32.00

Litter Box Odor Eliminator If you are a pet lover, you must understand the odor problems caused by you pets. It is widely understood by cat lover since the cat produce stronger odor from their digestion. This could be bigger if you are living in a flat or condo with limited space and fresh air access. Don let your friends hesitate coming to your place because of that olfactory intimidation. Find the solution from Litter Box Odor Eliminator. You can train your cat to drop their poops inside this litter box. Thanks to its state of the art technology, this litter box use electricity power to diminish all odors and keep the air fresh and healthy. This device only needs little electricity consumption. It needs no filter replacement. It doesn’t contain any chemical material and yet, make it environmental friendly. Litter Box Odor Eliminator made from high quality and recyclable materials. It guarantees that this device will not hazardous for your furry friends. Using Litter Box Odor Eliminat...

The Laundry POD -- Portable Washing Machine Most housewives or even anybody will always complaint about laundry works. It spend many times and energy, and off course never be fun. If you take any concern, laundry is one of the highest energy and water consumption. When we only need to wash small laundry such as underwear and lingerie, it would be more energy wasting if we use washing machine. Green Gadgets Design Competition nominees are always surprises us with many unthinkable gadgets. Laundry POD is the answer for small and easy laundry. This gadgets inspiration comes from a salad spinner. Come on, be honest! How many of us misused salad spinner to wash our unmentioned? The designer team use salad spinner idea to create a portable hand operated washing machine. Using this device, you can put small laundry inside the POD along with water and soap (preferably natural low suds). Spinning work is operated by pumping hand lever. To drain the laundry, you only need to release the drain l...