GPS-equipped smartphones have slowly been replacing dedicated GPS units because quite frankly, they just do more. But DeLorme is making a strong case for still carrying a separate GPS navigation device, particularly their new inReach which allows you to send SMS messages using the Iridium satellite phone system. From basically anywhere on Earth. Because it’s clearly lacking a keyboard or touchscreen display, the inReach allows you to create three different emergency messages before you head out on your adventure. Then when things go wrong you can send the one that’s most appropriate for your dire situation. When the SOS indicator light on the inReach changes color, you’ll know that your message was received and that help is on the way.
The inReach can also be paired with an Android smartphone, allowing you to send 160 character messages as emails, SMS, or even update Facebook and Twitter with your recent exploits, or a final goodbye if you’re in real trouble. The device also sends your location data back to the DeLorme servers where friends and family can track your location online. The service will start at $9.95 per month for basic safety, and goes up from there if you need the advanced messaging and tracking. As for the price of the hardware and availability? Currently unknown.
No matter what the temperature is outside, I think leaving pets unattended in a parked vehicle is a stupid idea. Denice Pruett, who works for a veterinarian in New Mexico, feels the same way. After seeing and hearing countless stories of pets who succumbed to hyperthermia or heatstroke while left in a locked vehicle, she came up with the ‘Too Hot For Spot?’ decal which lets you know just how hot or cold your vehicle really gets inside. It sticks to the inside of a car window like your standard novelty static cling decal, but includes a working thermometer needle showing you the temperature inside.
Besides letting owners know if it’s ‘safe’ to leave their animals locked inside (again, why even risk it?) the ‘Too Hot For Spot?’ thermometer also educates other people passing by as to how warm a locked and sealed car can get on a sunny day. $12.90 including shipping.
The entries for the 2011 James Dyson Award are starting to appear on their website, and one of the more interesting and practical ideas is this folding motorcycle helmet. It was actually developed by an Australian student named Jessica Dunn who spent 5 months riding a motorcycle in Indonesia and decided there needed to be a better way to haul a helmet around when not riding. Of course the most important reason for using a helmet in the first place is to thoroughly protect your noggin in the event of a crash, so the design had to ensure it didn’t compromise safety for convenience.
The Proteus, as the helmet’s currently known, obviously doesn’t fold down to something you can slip in a shirt pocket. But its collapsing design does make it easier to stash inside a backpack, bag, or even locked away in a larger bike’s storage compartment. To keep riders safe the Proteus features an outer polycarbonate resin shell protecting against abrasion and punctures, while a second layer is made from impact-absorbing polystyrene foam. There’s also a third layer that uses another shock-absorbing material that remains pliable until impact when it hardens, providing extra protection. Even the visor sliding mechanism was redesigned to accomodate the folding nature of the Proteus, and if you’re wondering if it will actually pass crash tests, keep in mind the Australian safety standards for motorcycle helmets even helped inform their design and development decisions.
It’s not as exciting as the prospect of using an incredibly powerful hose to douse the flames of a fire, but this DryShot fire extinguishing gun still has a certain bit of Dirty Harry appeal to it. Instead of awkwardly hauling around a big can of fire retardent, you can keep this DryShot gun clipped to your belt if you happen to live or work in fire prone areas, and then quickly whip it out to blast a shot of dry fire extinguishing powder on a flare up. For $43.65 you get the gun itself plus 3 additional cartridges, and more importantly the opportunity to recite famous movie quotes before saving the day. “Hasta la vista, incredibly burnt brownies because Andrew didn’t read the directions properly.”
Instead of using a flashing set of red LEDs on the front and back of the helmet which really only makes you visible to others from just two sides, the Angel Bike Helmet features 2x5W LEDs that illuminate a strip of fiber optics wrapping all the way around the helmet, providing 360 degrees of high visibility. It also has the added bonus of making you look like you’ve got a saintly halo around your head, adding to your inflated sense of self-worth for choosing such an eco-friendly transportation alternative.
Not surprisingly the helmet’s 100% waterproof including the built-in USB charging port which is protected from the elements by a rubber gasket. And the wrap-around lighting can be switched to a flashing mode to help grab the attention of those you’re sharing the road with. Available from Firebox.com for ~$83.
If your job involves hauling heavy boxes around with a hand cart, I’ve got 2 1/2 words that should make things a little easier on your back: Lift’n Buddy. For the most part it’s your standard hand cart that has to be rolled around manually, but the bed where you stack boxes can automatically raise and lower itself, which means you no longer have to bend over to load and unload it. Watching the video below it appears the Lift’n Buddy has an automated system ensuring the bed is always at the optimal height, even while you’re stacking more and more on it. And depending on the model you buy, which range in price from $2,695 to $3,795, the cart can lift anywhere from 250 to 750 lbs.
The language barrier has unfortunately prevented me from digging up any useful information on how this Sat 119 throwable firefighting pack actually works. As you can see in the video below it’s an easily breakable container filled with a blue chemical liquid that’s quite effective at extinguishing fires in plywood shanties. I’m assuming it creates a chemical reaction of some sort that absorbs enough oxygen in the immediate vicinity to simply suffocate the flames, but if that’s really how it works, as a human who’s also dependent on O2 I’d be leery of being anywhere near it after it was thrown.
Available from Rakuten for ~$70(¥6,090) which also appears to include two condiment packs of the same chemical substance for dealing with smaller, localized kitchen fires.
The next time you run a bath or fill the kitchen sink in order to do dishes, you don’t have to sit there and babysit the process to make sure things don’t spill over.
Go watch TV, make a snack or even take a nap since these Water Leak Alarms will sound an incredibly loud 100db alert if they detect even the tiniest amount of water, and will keep wailing for 24 hours straight. So even if you do doze off there’s a good chance they’ll wake you up before a tiny bit of run-over turns into major flood damage.
Unfortunately the batteries aren’t replaceable, but are good for up to 3 years. And since a set of 3 alarms is just $19.99 it’s not so hard on the pocketbook to have to replace them.
Riding a bike in a big city during the day is dangerous enough, but when the sun goes down at night you better make sure you’re as visible as possible to motorists who are already pretty annoyed at having to share the road with you. And while you probably shouldn’t exclusively rely on these to make yourself stand out while riding, SUCK UK’s reflective gloves and socks are a good start.
The socks feature a reflective patch on the pack that becomes visible once you’ve tucked your pant legs into them, while the gloves, which seem a bit more useful to me, feature a reflective arrow on the back making your hand signals extra visible to vehicular traffic behind you. Both are available in a one-size-fits-all unisex design, with each pair costing ~$24(£15) which is a small price to pay for a bit of extra safety.
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By Andrew Liszewski
