It has to be frustrating being an engineer who designs Formula 1 racing components given all the restrictions and limitations imposed by the ’sport’s’ governing body. So it’s not surprising that they occasionally have the desire to throw off the shackles of their F1 overlords and design something that’s all about performance, and not about conforming to regulations. And in this case it’s the Factor 001 road bike designed by BERU f1systems, which is quite possibly the most technologically advanced bicycle ever created. Here’s just a few snippets about what’s gone into the making of the bike, and why you might want one.
Factor 001 has a lightweight and highly rigid carbon fibre monocoque structure. Its unique twin-vein architecture can be adjusted to within a millimetre to suit the rider’s measurements and typical riding position. In keeping with the frame’s robust design, the bike’s eight-spoke carbon composite wheels are capable of reliably negotiating tough road conditions. The bike also features the world class Shimano Di2 electronic gear shift, and customers can opt for carbon ceramic disc brakes.
Packed with BERU f1systems’ patented technology, the bike’s frame contains highly sophisticated load sensors, wiring, batteries, control cables and lines for its hydraulic braking system, all of which are fully integrated into the composite during construction to give unparalleled efficiency with a clean, uncluttered appearance.
Physical structure aside, the multi-channel electronics package available with the bike has unique ergonometric data collection, logging and analysis capabilities. It can simultaneously correlate biometric data from the ride, physical force data from the bike and environmental data to offer a level of analysis previously only available under laboratory conditions. Riders can record everything from skin temperature and respiration rate to atmospheric pressure and humidity and individual leg power output. The individual channels of data can be displayed on the LCD touch screen, all of which are logged and can be downloaded for post-ride analysis. The rider can configure each screen to display his/her preferred parameters, and the system allows the rider to easily switch between screens whilst riding.
But what’s an impressive technological masterpiece without an equally impressive price tag? Well thankfully the Factor 001 doesn’t disappoint there either. The fully tricked out version of the bike will be available in April to a select number of buyers for about $42,000. (£27,000)
It’s sad when a gadget won’t embrace it’s techy side, like the Hercules Golf-Master watch from Reconvilier which uses an overly-complicated ‘Rotar’ mechanism to flip the classic analog watch face over, revealing a digital range finder display underneath. In addition to a digital time display, so you don’t have to keep flipping the watch face over, the LCD also shows you the exact distance to the green or the flag. A base station called the ‘Caddie’ attached to your golf bag is used to obtain data about the course you’re playing before you start your round, as well as your location via GPS, and during play the distance information is automatically sent to the watch as you move about.
I don’t think anyone’s ever lamented the lack of physical activity required for playing a game of Pong, that’s what tennis is for, but someone, somewhere, felt that the classic video game could use a bit more physical interaction, and hence Sportpong was born. Setup appears to be a little complicated since the game requires overhead projectors to be mounted and a decent sized area (the minimal dimensions are 4 meters wide by 7 meters long) but playing Sportpong looks to be as easy as it was with the original Pong.
Virtual paddles appear to be connected to each player’s foot thanks to a simple reflector they attach to their shoe, and the goal, as always, is to bounce the ‘dot’ past your opponents’ goal line. While Sportpong isn’t available for sale, the system can be rented out for special events by contacting the creators in Switzerland, and while it’s not posted on their site, the cost is probably mostly dependent on where they need to bring it.
If you have dreams of one day making it big in the NBA/WNBA, you can’t stop playing basketball just because the sun’s gone down… and the streetlights have all burned out… and the moon has disappeared. Not at all! You have to keep practicing until the wee hours of the morning, and the only feasible way you could do that is with this glow-in-the-dark basketball net.
After a day in the sun the Nite Hoop will glow for a good 8 hours, so the only thing stopping you from honing your skills all night long is your neighbors getting angry at you for playing basketball at 3 in the morning. $32.98 from Things You Never Knew Existed.
Bicycle helmets are a useless inconvenience every single moment of their existence except for that one super important one when they protect you from death (or such less punishment). Part of the problem is their shape, which (while a predefined inevitability) is not an efficient use of space. The Tatoo helmet (that comes from the french ‘tatou’ which means armadillo) is made out of flexible (and recyclable!) interconnected polypropylene that unsnaps from itself and packs flat for storage.
The problem here is that the convenience of having a bendy helmet kinda means that the helmet is, uh, bendy. As in not rigid. And last time I checked, rigidity was a rather important part of the whole “protecting your brain from impacts” thing. Good thing it looks like it’s still a concept at this stage.
In addition to new 135 degree wide angle lens models and a 720P ‘HD’ version of their camera-equipped scuba masks, Liquid Image has also unveiled snow and swim goggle versions of their products just in time for CES 2010. The Summit Series Snow Camera Goggle model 335 has a 5MP still camera that can also capture D1 resolution video (720×480) to its 16MB of built-in flash memory. (Which can mercifully be expanded to 16GB thanks to a microSD/SDHC card slot.) It’s also got oversized glove-friendly mode and shutter buttons on the side of the frame as well as a set of LED lights inside the goggles to indicate when it’s recording. (Available late Summer 2010.)
What’s even more impressive is the company’s new Freestyle Series Swim Camera Goggle model 330. While it’s only got a 1.3MP camera that can also capture VGA resolution videos (640×480) the whole unit is barely larger than a regular pair of swim goggles. And unlike the Snow Camera Goggles, the swim model has a healthy 4GB of built-in memory which is good for about 90 minutes of video, while the rechargeable lithium battery that should last just as long. (Available April 2010.)
Winter is here, so golf might not be the first thing on your mind. If you’re like me, then you probably don’t think about the sport too much anyway. I’ve played a few rounds and haven’t the patience to actually get good at it. Then again, if you have a Golf Ball Launcher you don’t really need to do too much practicing.
The Golf Ball Launcher is exactly what you’d expect it to be. It’s a device that launches your ball (up to around 300 yards) so you don’t have to mess with those silly clubs (though you may still need a putter for the green). The launcher is powered by an air compressor, which will give you another reason to take a cart instead of hoofing it across the entire course. If you want to feel like you’re actually putting some effort into things, you can opt to use a hand pump instead.
I’m pretty sure we aren’t born with wheels on our feet for a reason, but that hasn’t stopped man from ignoring that subtle safety hint and strapping all kinds of wheeled contraptions to his feet. And next up in the long line of inventions that look kind of fun, but maybe aren’t the best idea, are the Chariot Skates.
For lack of a better description, they look like a wheelchair that’s been split in two, and each half attaches to your lower legs and feet providing an inline-like skating experience that also feels a lot like skiing. The large wheels can accommodate riding on rougher terrain, and since the ’skates’ are made of mostly carbon fiber, they only weigh about 5.5 pounds each. Right now the Chariot Skates appear to be in the final stages of design, and I hope the optional handbrake accessory mentioned on their site becomes a standard feature, but they should be available sometime in June if all goes well.
So it turns out, according to Fisher-Price’s marketing team at least, that learning to play baseball with a tee isn’t the best way since kids tend to keep their eye on the tee instead of the ball. But what’s a parent with dreams of their children eventually making the big leagues to do?! Well thankfully Fisher-Price has come to the rescue with the ESPN Better Batter Baseball setup. Instead of a tee, the ball dangles from a flexible arm making it easier for kids to keep their eyes on the prize when swinging, and loading the next ball is all done automagically when you step on a button on the plate. $50 from Fisher-Price.
Related Tags: automotive, Sports
Permalink
By Andrew Liszewski
