Tag Archives: technology

Coffee As Unique As Your Handprint

Memory-by-Wenyao-Cai-Electrolux-Design-Lab-2012-finalistA small but important part of many people’s lives is the intimacy of having a barista who remembers who you are and more importantly how you have your coffee. Memory is a coffee maker that uses hand print recognition to act as your personal barista and make the right cup of coffee for the right person. Set it to your preference of weak, medium or strong coffee or even an espresso to a ristretto. When you’re ready for your perfect cup of coffee, Memory will scan your hand and get it right every time. The machine was designed by WenYao Cai from China, an Electrolux Design Lab 2012 finalist.

No matter how hard we wished it wasn’t, Memory is still in the concept phase and isn’t ready to be on the market just yet.

What Sparks Our Fire: An innovative gadget that allows you to get your perfect cup of coffee with a simple scan of the hand.

Do you wish Memory was out on the market? Let us know your thoughts.

Food Without The Fuss

photo-main (1)Our kitchen has drastically changed over the last 30 years to make our lives easier when preparing meals. Now, there could be a new addition to our existing high tech equipment: a smart microwave/oven that can learn your habits and help you stay fit. It’s called the MAID oven (that stands for Make All Incredible Dishes), and it learns your tastes and habits.

MAID Oven is a Kickstarter project that met its $50,000 goal in just five days. The advanced oven has a list of recipes, and users can upload their own into the database. Once you’re ready to bake, the oven has settings to automatically set the temperature and cooking time for whatever dish you might be whipping up. The coolest feature the device offers is that MAID Oven can act as a pseudo health-conscious dietitian. Depending on your eating and fitness habits (it can sync with your smartphone or smart watch), the oven will make suggestions for meals that factor in your calorie intake and taste preferences. It has access to an unlimited number of recipes from the web so you don’t have to worry.

Another feature of the sophisticated oven is you can control it with your voice. You can actually tell the oven what’s for dinner — it’s got built-in voice recognition. It doesn’t end here. MAID Oven also comes with an accompanying smartphone app. This means you can get push alerts when your food is done cooking, adjust cook time and temperature settings from afar, or remotely activate/deactivate the oven while you’re away from home. Isn’t it magical? Feel free to check out MAID Oven baking pizza, pasta, and even cake in the Kickstarter’s demo video below.

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MAID should be ready to go to market by Thanksgiving 2015. Hopefully you can deactivate the dietary suggestions for the holidays!

What Sparks Our Fire: A useful device with smart features and functionality that could truly make cooking easier, healthier, and more fun.

Will you be making some space in your kitchen for the MAID Oven?

The Invisible Umbrella

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If you dream of a world where people use air-powered umbrellas to fight the rain, you can wake up. The future is now. To be honest, the umbrella is one of those gadgets that hasn’t really been updated much in the last 200 years. Sure, technological advancements have allowed them to become easier to handle and more durable, but overall, it’s pretty much the same deal. But a new Kickstarter campaign has launched an idea that changes the umbrella game completely. It is called the Air Umbrella and it makes use of the airflow to form an umbrella without a visible cover.

Put simply, the gadget releases air that pushes the rain away. Currently, there are three sizes of the Air Umbrella available: small, medium and large. You can also fit two people under the Air Umbrella. The air umbrella will be ready to launch by December 2015. Head over to the Air Umbrella Kickstarter page to find out more.

What Sparks Our Fire: Engineers that strive to bring innovation to the most basic objects.

Would you consider investing in an invisible umbrella once it becomes available?

The Reverse Commute

equs-cargo-motorcycle-winner-of-the-red-dot-design-award-2014We all know the advantages of motorcycles over cars. There are easy to park, take up less space in the garage, require less gas, and tend to be much cheaper. One major downfall is the number of passengers or belongings a bike can carry each ride. Since we are in the age of high-tech design innovation, it is no surprise someone had the excellent idea of how to tackle one of the issues…

Meet EQUS, an electric cargo motorcycle created by three designers that allows you to bring along a variety of goods on your commute, while running errands or just out for a spin. The bike’s structure was built in reverse with a remote steering designed around a convenient cargo area between the rider’s seat and the front fork. The cargo section can carry objects of different shapes, volume and weight. And you know what’s even better? It’s environment-friendly.

The team wanted to develop a vehicle that would contribute to better mobility in large cities while allowing riders to bring everything of importance with them. Get all details about the unique EQUS design, colors available for purchase and different features here.

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What Sparks Our Fire:  A bike that maximizes convenience and functionality while reducing your carbon footprint.

What do you think of EQUS and if you could add an additional function, what would it be?

Ultimate Gadget For Designers And Artists

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We’ve witnessed a lot of innovation in the tech space over the past few years from mobile devices to computers. In most cases, the hype surrounds around Apple and Samsung. But, today, HP is gearing up with innovation from the future and, they call it HP Sprout.

The HP Sprout is an intriguing 23 inch Windows 8 desktop computer with a projector that scans physical items and turns them into digital in a few seconds and allows you to manipulate the images using your fingers on a touch-sensitive mat. Think of like placing an object on front of your computer and in just few seconds, you have the object in the screen ready to be used for design purpose. How cool? This exactely what the Sprout lets you do. Beyond that, there’s also a wireless keyboard and mouse for more traditional navigation if needed. Get to know the Sprout beyond words by watching this amazing video below.

Sprout debuted November 9th and can be ordered on the HP website.

What Sparks Our Fire: A device that has the power to change the way people create.

Are you excited about the possibilities Sprout holds for creators?