While the ESPN Swimming Challenge device I brought you earlier was clearly designed with the younger set in mind, the Pool-Mate looks like it might actually be a useful tool for those who are serious about swimming.
The streamlined looking watch features a MEMS accelerometer that detects the motion of your wrist during a swim stroke, and using “advanced digital signal processing techniques and software algorithms” the watch is able to calculate both your number of strokes and your number of laps. And it’s compatible with a wide range of swimming techniques including the front crawl, the back crawl, the breast stroke and the butterfly in pools over 10 meters in length.
At the moment the Pool-Mate is still undergoing final testing, but it should be available for sale sometime this Summer.
What better way is there to keep the kids occupied on a warm Summer day than with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry? But what parent wants to spend the afternoon playing official timekeeper while their kids swim laps in the pool? Enter the Swimways ESPN Swimming Challenge which not only comes with an ESPN decal on the side, but a couple of mountable touch pads that can be used by two swimmers to start and stop the timers on the waterproof (hopefully) clock. There’s also a set of LED displays that show the current time, winning time and number of laps if you’re just in it for the exercise. $43.95 at SwimOutlet.com.
I don’t know enough about hydrokinetodynamics (or whatever) to be able to hazard a guess about just how conceptual this concept is, but it sure seems like it could be nifty… The Blu Bottle water bottle contains some kind of refrigeration unit that’s powered by your kinetic energy. As you move, a pump cools air inside the bottle, creating condensation which collects at the bottom as drinkable water. So, as you walk around, the bottle magically refills itself.
Like I said, this seems like one of those concepts that can’t possibly work in real life, despite the fact that it has been “intricately researched and designed” by a guy named Yuri Teodorowych. We’ll be sure and keep you updated if anything ever comes of this idea.
Heart rate monitoring is an important part of training for any athlete, and while there are plenty of compact devices for those who stay dry during a workout, the Aqua Pulse is the first heart rate monitor designed specifically for swimmers. Besides being waterproof, the Aqua Pulse also features an infrared sensor that clips to the earlobe and measures the light pulses from the capillary blood flow in the skin, which can then be used to calculate the heart’s beats per minute. But it’s also important for a swimmer to be aware of their heart rate while training, so that they can stay in their ideal heart-rate-zone. So the Aqua Pulse cleverly uses bone-conduction technology allowing the swimmer to ‘hear’ their hear rate even while they’re under water.
The Aqua Pulse will supposedly be available sometime in May of this year for $139.99 from the FINIS website.
The dragon-like structure you see under construction in these photos is the ‘World Games Stadium’ in Taiwan, which is being built for the upcoming World Games. And what looks like dragon’s scales from afar are actually 8,844 solar panels which is enough to satisfy all of the stadium’s energy needs, and then some. The 14,155m2 roof has the potential to generate 1.14 gigawatt hours of electricity every year, which is actually enough to power 80% of the stadium’s surrounding neighborhood when it’s not in use. It was designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, cost around $150 million to build and can hold 55,000 spectators.
And in case you were wondering, the World Games is kind of like the Olympics, except that the 30 different competitions include diverse sports like sky diving, billiards, frisbee, sumo and tug of war. In other words, events I’d actually like to see.
“Vitrik.” That’s the name of the patented coating that allows the Nottage G-1 pool table to be a pool table. Made of toughened glass, the table’s surface with the Vitrik coating on it mimics the rolling resistance of felt, meaning that although it looks like you’re just playing on glass, the balls behave as though they’re on a regular felt surface with slate underneath. The rest of the table looks slick but is built entirely to competition specs, with the possible exception of a rather creative ball return system.
The G-1 pool table is also available with a frosted top that can be lit from below to make the entire surface softly glow. The base price of the table is about $25,000 which, while it seems like a lot, is apparently not too terribly expensive compared to other high quality pool tables. Video showing the ball return system, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
While Wii Fit is probably a more affordable way to simulate some skiing or snowboarding action in the off-season, I’m pretty sure it’s not the most effective way to train for a real competition. But the Olymp most definitely is. You’re not going to be squeezing one of these in your living room, since the platform is almost 23 feet wide, but it’s capable of simulating different slope characteristics and really gives you the feeling of carving your way down a mountain, whether on skis or a snowboard. In fact the pictures don’t really do the Olymp justice, so you’ll want to check out the video included below to see this thing in action. It definitely looks like a real workout.
Having watched Caddy Shack countless times, I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to hire one of the caddies at their local golf course, what with all their hilarious misadventures. But if you’re the type who takes their game seriously while not carrying your own clubs, you’ll be happy to know you can finally hire a wisecrack-free robot to do it. The Shadow Caddy can carry your clubs, balls and even beverages and automatically follows you around the course thanks to a wireless transmitter you wear clipped to your belt. And in order to avoid obstacles like other golfers, sand traps or water hazards, it uses a sophisticated object detection system. Apparently the Shadow Caddy will only be sold to golf courses instead of individuals, but they should start appearing on links around the world sometime this year.
Side Note: I love how that product shot makes it look like the Shadow Caddy is hiding in the tall grasses, waiting for the perfect opportunity to take down a golfer that’s been singled out from the herd.
Ok, forget what I said the other day about the virtues of practicing your putting on a real green. That was before I learned about the Putt Up or Shut Up Rug Kit that uses a combination of different carpet types to create a miniature golf course in your living room. Each rug is composed of 8 modular tiles that can be combined to create different putting challenges ranging from a par 3 configuration up to a par 5. A 3-foot by 6-foot tile area will set you back just $139.99, and if you’re like me and blow tens of thousands of dollars on mini golf every year, having this installed wall-to-wall is a far more economical solution.
By Andrew Liszewski
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