Fashion Meets Fitness

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Fitness bands are increasing in popularity. More and more people are using them to track wellness routines and sleep patterns. What stops people from getting these devices to assist their healthy lifestyle? Simply, their clunky nature. FitBit has solved this problem by introducing a new collection of designer jewelry in partnership with Tory Burch.

Tory Burch released multiple bracelets and a pendant to make the Fitbit a true fashion accessory. With a versatile design, you can wear it to an import meeting or even a cocktail party. This is the breakthrough many women have been waiting for in order to wear fitness devices like the Fitbit.

Fitbit is the first to partner with a designer. But, we can be sure to see other competitors make the same shift in the near future. Apple has already signed a few watch designers and when their assumed iWatch is released, everyone knows it will be fashion forward.

What Sparks our Fire: Seeing a crossover between fitness and fashion that makes a product accessible to more people.

What features are you looking for in fitness bands?

High Tech Parking

Ray

When we think about advances in technology and robotics we normally think about really revolutionary innovations, but in Germany robots are helping with something a little different – parking.

Düsseldorf Airport recently launched a new robotic airport parking system. The system saves customers a lot of time by providing the premium parking service. Customers park their car at the ParkingPlus station which scans the car for size and then you pay and receive a QR code for your car that shares your flight information through the associated app. The robot, Ray, then comes on over and picks up your car to park in one of the spots. The best part of the system is that it tracks your flight and will have your car ready and waiting for you once you land.

A robot moving a car into a parking space may not be as cool as a driverless car, but it is a really cool way to help save time at the airport.

What Sparks our Fire: Advances in robotics that help us save time at the airport?

What do you see as having a greater impact – self-driving cars or robotically parked cars?

Project Everything

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Today it seems like everyone is trying to “cut the cord” and get away from traditional television. With more and more internet TV providers, it’s becoming a much more viable option. But, the issue many people face is that they still need a TV to fill their big screen needs – because who wants to stare at their phone or laptop to binge watch a season of HBO’s Game of Thrones?

ODIN, a innovative projector that fits in your pocket and comes loaded with features, is currently fundraising on Kickstarter. It runs on the Android operating system, so it has easy access to many apps. It can also connect to your computer or phone to broadcast. Add in high quality speakers and this is truly a killer device.

Uses for this span beyond just broadcasting your TV shows, but it can also be used at work to project presentations onto any wall or screen. It operates with wi-fi connectivity and runs on a long lasting battery.

Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon FireTV all offer similar features, but must run through a TV. ODIN has developed a solution for those who want access to their internet shows without having to purchase an expensive large screen.

What Sparks our Fire: Another product that gives us even more of a reason to finally cut the cord with cable companies.

Is this the product you’ve been waiting for to help you cut the cord?

At a Glance

Today everyone is making a smartwatch. The tech gods have deemed the smartwatch as the new technology frontier all big companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Samsung are going to tackle. But, what if you don’t want to turn in your expensive traditional watch, but want the benefits of a smartwatch?

Glance, a Kickstarter project, allows you to combine your own watch with smart features. It fits right under the wristband of your watch and can do some amazing things. Watch the video to see all of the features; from being able to call your phone when you’ve misplaced it (oops, it happens to the best of us), to being able to respond to texts with a motion.

What Sparks our Fire: A creative way to add smartphone features to my current watch without investing in a new one.

Is this the solution you were looking for to the smartwatch/dumbwatch debate?

Shockingly creative

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There are shocking new developments in neurological creative stimulation. Dr. Sharon Thompson-Schill, director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, has concluded that sending very low doses of electric current into our brain’s prefrontal cortex can actually increase our creativity.  As an example, Dr Thompson-Schill shows people tennis balls and asks their first thought. Those participants not hooked up to electrodes typically answer, playing tennis, but those hooked up to electrodes might be more creative, proposing to cut the tennis balls in half and put them on the ends of chairs to make the chairs slide easier. The boost in creativity lasted the length of time someone was hooked up to the electrodes, and did not last more than an hour after.

What sparked our fire: Physical stimulation used to fire creative neurons.

Does this discovery shock you?

Enjoy!

-Canopy Team