Posts by Category: cool tech

Funky stuff, man!

cool tech August 8, 2007 posted by

Backpack Cleaning Laser – world’s first light based hand scourer

The BackPack Laser Cleaner. German designed laser system is the world’s first portable cleaning laser which can destroy whole villages and towns with just a….ah sorry, wrong product. OK, so this puppy cleans walls and buildings. Easier than using a bucket and scrubbing brush we presume.  Announcing the launch of the first real fully mobile cleaning laser unit in the world. The ‘Backpack’ laser is a low cost, portable, battery powered solution for gentle cleaning for restoration, conservation and industry,…Available in…


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cool tech August 6, 2007 posted by

Trulite portable electricity generator – from water to power

The Trulite Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Generator System promises to deliver electricity from water. We’re not, repeat not, holding our breath for this to achieve mass market status. Colour us cynical, but there’s just so many breakthrough technologies that we can report on before our ‘sniffy antenna’ starts waggling uncontrollably. Ah well…maybe one day. [Pic – CNET]  The Trulite power generation system is a lightweight and compact, environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel cell power generation system. The Trulite system uses HydroCell…


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cool tech August 3, 2007 posted by

Globalsat BTT-100 GPS Receiver with TMS – integrated traffic spy makes GPS super useful

The Globalsat BTT-100 GPS Receiver combines Bluetooth GPS with an RDS TMC receiver so you can avoid nasty traffic jams as they develop. TMC (Traffic Message Channel) technology uses vanilla FM radio frequencies for transmission, is subscription free and popular across Europe, so we can expect to see more TMC enabled products launch as people realise that evading snarl ups is a marvelous thing to do.  The Globalsat BTT-100 is Bluetooth GPS receiver with complete RDS receiver for easy integration of TMC…


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cool tech August 2, 2007 posted by

Mainnav MW-705 GPS Watch – never lose sight of your destination again

The Mainnav MW-705 GPS Watch not only tells the time but also acts as a permanent on the wrist GPS receiver so you’ll never get lost again. Unless you stumble into a tunnel of course. The cool thing is that it has in-built Bluetooth, so you can use it as a receiver for an external vehicle satnav system on your phone or whatever. Not sure what the EMF will do to your wrist, but let’s not dwell too long here, eh?  The most distinguish part…


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Bookmark This! August 2, 2007 posted by

Nano Motor Kit – cool electric engine retrofit for your bicycle

The Nano Motor Kit is a neat little add-on brushless electric motor which turns your old pedal pusher bike into a whizzalong electric cruiser. Well OK, perhaps not whizz, but glide is certainly an option. The kit is priced at £575.00 including batteries and offers 15 mph speed, 25 -45 mile range depending on batteries of course, and only adds a pifling 4.8 kg of weight. Looks like a rather nice bit of green technology. Check out the video.  The nano…


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Bookmark This! August 2, 2007 posted by

Joost as a web application – superb use of Flash to recreate Joost in the browser

Paul Yanez has recreated the Joost interface in Flash and it’s superb. Proof indeed that you can deliver great interactive entertainment without forcing people to download applications, limiting it to specific platforms etc etc. It’s all a mock up at the moment, using public video services like YouTube for content, but it just shows what’s possible…nice one.  Joost does not support browser based viewing, to use the application it must be downloaded and installed. In the last several months users…


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cool tech July 28, 2007 posted by

Super Sky Cycle – the flying motorbike

The Super Sky Cycle is a flying trike. That is, you can use it on the road as a form of relatively conventional transport, or you can take off and really beat the jams. You’re going to have to build it yourself, and the kit costs $37,195.00, but just think of the neighborhood envy. Top flight speed 100mph, highway speed 55 mph. Good luck!  # The Motorcycle (driving part) parts are intended to be built and licensed as a homebuilt…


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cool tech July 27, 2007 posted by

Weather Forecasting Umbrella – LED lights indicate storms

The Weather Forecasting Umbrella is almost a genius product. The handle has a built in radio receiver which continually picks up Accuweather reports and displays rain warnings as flashing LED lights. The faster the flash, the more chance of rain. The problem? Well if you’re carrying the thing, it’s pretty clear that you’re expecting a cloudburst anyway, eh? Or are you just a paranoid hydrophobe? $139.95.  This is the only umbrella that illuminates the base of its handle to alert…


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cool tech July 27, 2007 posted by

Fantachrome Paint – mirror like finish out of a spray gun

Fantachrome Coating System Paint comes out of a spray gun all chrome shiny and slippery slick. Just right for bringing the bling back to that shoddy eBay antique. Of course it’s not quite as easy as all that – what is? – but the results certainly speak for themselves. It’s water based, and feels like real chrome plate too because of some kind of ‘chimic’ (chemical?) reaction.    The revolutionary New Fantachrome Coating System produces a mirror-like, chrome finish on almost…


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Bookmark This! July 26, 2007 posted by

Make your own BioDiesel – cheap legal engine power on tap

Etruk offers a home biodiesel processing plant so you can make your own cheap, cleaner burning (60% less CO2) renewable fuel for your vehicles. The company also offers training to make sure you get it right. For those what don’t know, biodiesel is biodegradable and can be made from waste vegetable oil (from restaurant chip fryers for example) or animal fats etc. Apparently Volkswagen cars are able to run on 100% biodiesel as standard, which is probably because Germany is ahead of the game…


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cool tech July 25, 2007 posted by

Calc-Electric – monitor your electricity consumption using your webcam

Calc-Electric. Nick Taube has come up with a clever way to use your webcam and his software to monitor and analyse electricity consumption in your home. Just install his £5.00 program, point your camera at the nearest electricity meter and his code will give you all sorts of cool charts and figures to help you work out what is costing what. It’s also sensitive enough to identify power usage by products on standby, which is pretty bonza. The only issue I can see is that…


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cool tech July 25, 2007 posted by

Greenbox – turning vehicle exhaust fumes into fuel

The Greenbox, developed by three Welshmen, is designed to trap the noxious gases from vehicle exhausts and use them to process a biofuel made from algae. It’s a pretty clever idea although there are some logistical issues which will need to be worked out. For example, each Greenbox needs to be replaced each time you refuel the car, which could add up to quite a lot of boxes for high mileage drivers. Not to mention the logistical nightmare of collecting…


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cool tech July 24, 2007 posted by

Pinqy Fire Extinguisher – tiny but useful anti-fire implement

Pinqy Fire Extinguisher. We’re trying to work out why you’d need a ‘discreet’ tool for putting out fires (is it because you don’t want to scare the neighbours?) but that notwithstanding, we like this product because it just feels right. A quick blast of whatever is in this 14cm tall appliance looks to be enough to smother most early stage flare ups. Which makes it a nice thing to have around for emergencies, eh? £29.95. [Via ILTLI]  With its lightweight…


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Bookmark This! July 24, 2007 posted by

SHPEGS – the open source renewable energy project

The SHPEGS Project. Stands for Solar Heat Pump Electrical Generation System. Basically they’re trying to build a photovoltaics system to store and use solar energy efficiently. The difference here is they’re doing it in the open, no patents, no lawyers, just an open dialogue. Love it.  This is a project to design and build a system that uses a combination of direct and indirect solar collection to generate electricity and store thermal energy in an economical, environmentally friendly, scalable, reliable,…


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