Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

Since I occasionally rely on my ability to hear for earning a paycheck, I try to keep my eardrums in good working condition. That usually means keeping my headphones at a reasonable level, avoiding monster truck rallies (it was a one-time thing, I swear) and generally avoiding concerts. And while I don’t carry a set of earplugs with me for emergencies, I might be more inclined to if they fit in my wallet like these RNID plugs from designer Shing Lo. With a design that would make IKEA proud, the flat-pack earplugs even come with a set of rubber gaskets to ensure a tight seal when placed in your ears. They can also be returned to the card for storage allowing them to be used again and again, though if they ever make it to the market at a reasonable price, I’m sure they’ll be more popular as a disposable item.

[ Plug and Play ] VIA [ TechEBlog ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Here’s an interesting approach to dealing with the glare from oncoming headlights while driving at night. This LED panel easily attaches to your sun visor with a set of velcro straps and provides a soft white glow which is bright enough to make your pupils slightly shrink. While it won’t completely eliminate the glare from headlights, it does mean that your pupils won’t have to suddenly adjust when another vehicle passes, and it should help reduce the amount of squinting you have to do. The brightness of the LEDs can be manually adjusted to a level you find comfortable to drive with, but a set of ambient light sensors can also do it automatically. That’s particularly useful if you happen to be driving in the day but enter a dark tunnel and want your pupils to be adjusted for when you re-enter the sunlight at the other end.

The Anti-Glare LED Panel is available from Pro-Idee for about $360.

[ Anti-Glare LED Panel ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Let me preface this post by admitting that I’ve never welded in my life, nor do I foresee a point where I will ever need to. In fact the only time I’ve ever seen someone welding was on American Chopper, so I’m definitely not what you’d call an expert. However, I can see the usefulness of Miller’s Digital Elite Series welding helmets/visors which feature an adjustable LCD shade (I can only assume it uses an LCD) for different jobs. For example, the Grind mode sets the shade to level #3, where as the Cutting mode will apparently self-adjust between level #5 to level #8. The visor uses 4 arc sensors and has a lens speed of 1/20,000 of a second, and is also powered by a replaceable lithium battery that’s good for about 3,000 hours.

The Classic Black version of the Digital Elite welding helmets is $359, while versions with a fancier color or design scheme like the Inferno pictured above run $389.

[ Miller Digital Elite Series ] VIA [ Toolmonger ]

By Andrew Liszewski

In some parts of the world they actually enjoy that time of year when the thermometer drops below the freezing mark with various outdoor activities as well as ice-related sports. Unfortunately though where there’s ice, there’s usually still water underneath it, and when an accident happens in freezing conditions, a fast rescue is all the more important. So that’s what inspired designer Calle Uggla to come up with the iceRESC 4-01 which you can think of as a cross between a life raft and a snowmobile. It’s able to traverse the water thanks to an inflatable hull, but instead of having to navigate around patches of ice, a set of caterpillar tracks on the underside allow it to drive right over them which reduces the amount of time it takes to reach the site of an accident on a partially frozen lake.

The iceRESC 4-01 can also be folded up into a highly portable package and the hard protected shells that add rigidity to the hull also serve as its own protective packaging when it’s collapsed. And while the iceRESC 4-01 might only be a concept at this point, it’s nice to see that some designers are using their talents to create something more useful than another annoying alarm clock.

[ iceRESC 4-01 ] VIA [ The Design Blog ]

By Andrew Liszewski

You probably already have a first aid kit at home, at work or even in your car, but do you really know how to use it effectively? In an emergency situation most people are probably not as calm and collected as they should be, and fumbling around a first aid kit trying to guess how to properly deal with an injury is not exactly an effective treatment. That’s why this first aid kit from IntelligentFirstAid is actually separated into individually labeled ‘kits’ that are color coded depending on the injury. Each kit includes the specific supplies you’ll need for the injury at hand, as well as an easy to follow set of instructions with steps and illustrations that are broken down in order of importance.

The kit even goes one step further by including a simple audio player on each injury card. Squeezing the audio icon button will start the playback of a narrated version of the step-by-step instructions in a calm female voice. The playback even pauses and repeats where necessary, allowing you to accurately follow and keep up with the instructions. At $129.99 the Talking Intelligent First Aid Kit definitely isn’t cheap, but it’s one of those investments you’ll probably be happy you made when you actually need it.

[ Talking Intelligent First Aid Kit ] VIA [ Cool Hunting ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m sure these noise canceling ear plugs from Sensear would provide plenty of peace and quiet on your next flight, particularly if you get stuck next to this kid. But they seem to be geared towards people who are stuck in even noisier environments, like say the ground crew working outside the plane. And instead of simply eliminating all the noises around you, they actually just reduce them to the point where they won’t damage your hearing. That way you can still hear the jet engine revving up even while having a conversation with someone.

The microphones are embedded in the ear plugs themselves, and feature binaural functionality which basically lets you tell which direction a particular sound is coming from. The ruggedized device also features large buttons that can even be used while wearing gloves, as well as inputs for an MP3 player or a two-way radio. The only downside is that it will set you back $445. So if you’re just looking to get a little shut eye while traveling, there are far more affordable solutions. But if you’re worried about wandering into the path of a jet engine, they just might be worth the investment.

[ Sensear SP1 ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Is it irresponsible to spend $180 on an umbrella? Normally I’d say yes, but my opinion has changed since discovering the Unbreakable Umbrella. While you might think its ‘unbreakable’ design is to prevent it from getting damaged in strong winds, it’s actually been engineered so that it can survive a good beating, if you know what I mean. (”Whacks just as strong as a steel pipe…” as the website puts it.) And because it looks like your run-of-the-mill umbrella, you won’t be questioned if you carry it through security checkpoints.

Our Unbreakable Umbrella has no unusual parts, no more metal than an average umbrella, it does not arouse suspicion, can be carried legally everywhere where any weapons are prohibited, unlike a walking stick it does not cause strange looks if carried by an able-bodied person, and it does protect from rain. Anyone who can use a stick for defense can use this umbrella.

Do you know how to swing a baseball bat? Do you know how to strike with a sturdy stick? If you do, you know all you need to know…

But if you’re still not convinced it’s worth $179.95, I’ve included a video after the jump showing the Unbreakable Umbrella going through various tests. Needless to say, you won’t ever consider watermelons to be a threat again.

[ The Unbreakable Walking-Stick Umbrella ] VIA [ Likecool ]

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By Andrew Liszewski

We all remember how cool it was when Chief Brody literally blew up Bruce the shark at the end of Jaws. (Oops, that should probably have had a spoiler alert.) But what if you happen to find yourself in a similar situation without a sinking ship and a tank of compressed air? I’m sure that same thought was going through the head of whoever invented the WASP diver’s knife. The knife features a small tank that “injects a frozen ball of compressed gas approximately the size of a basketball at 850psi nearly instantly.”

While it’s able to bring down a large land predator, it seems even more effective while diving, where a shark or other underwater attacker will be immediately carried to the surface before any blood is released into the water. And when the blood is released, other predators will be drawn to the surface instead of towards the diver in peril. The WASP knife is rumored to have a price tag of about $400, but there’s a pretty good chance it won’t be sold to civilians.

Also, is it just me, or does that cutaway diagram have a weird, optical-illusion thing happening? Looking at the butt of the knife and the top of the small gas canister, I can’t really tell which way the knife is supposed to be pointing.

[ WASP Diving Knife ] VIA [ Boing Boing Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

At the 2008 Automotive Engineering Exposition that was held in Yokohama, Japan, Toshiba showed off a new use for their Visconti technology which is already being used in Honda’s Intelligent Night Vision System. But instead of making the road and other objects easier to see at night, this application makes it easier for drivers to see other vehicles around them, and gives them a better idea of how close or far they actually are.

The vehicle’s side mirrors are replaced with cameras, while a couple of LCD monitors mounted inside show the live video feed. While replacing mirrors with cameras is nothing new, the Visconti software goes one step further by calculating the distance to the cars in other lanes around you. A series of lines are then superimposed on the LCDs to indicate the other vehicles, and will change color from green to yellow to red to make it easy to tell how close they are at a glance. While I doubt we’ll be seeing this technology included in cars anytime soon, it’s nice to know that automotive manufacturers are always looking for new ways to distract us while we’re driving.

[ Toshiba Uses Monitors as Side Mirrors ] VIA [ Gearlog ]

By Luke Anderson

I can’t recall doing many activities lately that involve the use of very sharp knives. Sure, I’ll use a steak knife with my food sometimes, but you won’t find me cleaning fish or performing any task that requires something sharp in my hand for extended periods. However, if you’re doing something that makes you worry about the safety of your digits, you might want to invest in a pair of these gloves.

These gloves are made from a lightweight 7-gauge Kevlar, which will save you from small scrapes and deep cuts. After all, if it’s good enough for bulletproof vests, I think it can stop a few slices on your hand. You can pick up a pair for just $20.

[ Skymall ] VIA [ RGS ]