А Room in a Box

From: http://uberhumor.com/

Irvine Man Turns Lawn Chairs into Free Wheelchairs for the Needy

From: http://www.ktla.com/

It all started when Don Schoendorfer witnessed a disabled woman dragging herself across the ground.

Lawn chair wheelchairs (KTLA-TV)

KTLA News

IRVINE, Calif. (KTLA) -- An Irvine man who has made it his mission to turn lawn chairs into wheelchairs for the disabled and underprivileged has helped distribute more than 500,000 chairs to those in need across the globe -- and he says he's not finished yet.

Ten years ago, Don Schoendorfer was on a trip to India when he says he witnessed a disabled woman dragging herself across the dirt in order to get around.

Once back in Southern California, Schoendorfer -- a mechanical engineer and inventor by trade -- came up with a solution that was both effective and affordable: lawn chairs and bicycle wheels.

He made 100 of the low-budget chairs and kept them in his garage for a year and a half.

"I didn't know what to do with them," Schoendorfer said.

Eventually, Schoendorfer walked away from a successful career to found the nonprofit organization "Free Wheelchair Mission."

It costs less than $60 to have each chair made, shipped and delivered to "some of the most remote corners of the globe," according to Schoendorfer's website, freewheelchairmission.org.

Better yet, the recipients don't have to pay a dime for their new mobility.

Schoendorfer says he hopes to distribute 20-million wheelchairs in total.

 

Forget booking a taxi, now you can RIDE your luggage to the airport as firm designs 'scooter suitcase'

By Daily Mail Reporter
From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Ride to check-in: The £250 scooter can be detached from the case and carried onto the plane

Trying to run with a suitcase because you're late for your flight is a nightmare that most of us have had to deal with.

But now a firm has designed a case that could make the desperate dash across Heathrow a breeze - with a bizarre 'commuter scooter'.

The Micro-Luggage case has an in-built scooter so travellers can ride their case to the gate after dropping up to 20kilos of luggage off at check-in.

The new £250 bag consists of a 26-litre case and a lean-and-steer scooter. It is being marketed at frequent business flyers and people making short commutes to work.

The case can be detached from the scooter and wheeled around in the same way as an ordinary suitcase.

It is designed by Micro Scooters UK, a Colchester-based company behind, who produced micro scooters which were popular in the early 2000s.

A spokesman for the company said: 'Micro Scooters UK has already changed the face of the school run with thousands of families having swapped their gas guzzling 4x4s for the Mini and Maxi Micros.

'Now the company is set to do the same for commuting with the Micro Luggage scooter.

'Not only is it a healthier option to a car, it's a great way of reducing your carbon footprint.'

Carry-on: The case and scooter, pictured together right, can be detached. The £250 product is being marketed at frequent flyers

Regular flyer Dave Gardner, 35, said the new case would be a big help when he is at the airport

'I've missed flights because my taxi has been delayed,' he said.

'It's left me running across the terminal with luggage that won't roll straight and turning up red faced to a closed gate.

'If I could whizz across the terminal it might save me a lot on re-booking business flights.'

However, the price is putting some off the product.

'Surely I could just take a micro scooter with me and put in my bag when I get to work rather than forking out for this - I'd look like a fool riding around on that' said Claire Evans, a 35-year-old banker from Dudley, West Midlands.

Kapow! New Batmobile unveiled

Jez Spink
From http://theage.drive.com.au/

“Breathable” carbonfibre body, levitating wheels and environmentally friendly hydrogen power for Batman’s latest wheels.

It seems the Caped Crusader is now fighting pollution as well as crime.

The latest version of the Batmobile has been unveiled for a new theatrical production based on the famous comic-book hero – and it swaps traditional jet power for electric propulsion generated by a hydrogen fuel cell and lithium-ion battery pack.

The new Batmobile, which will star as a prop in the Batman Live World Arena Tour that starts in Manchester, England, next month, was designed by renowned car designer Gordon Murray.

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Murray penned the McLaren F1 in the early ’90s that for a decade was the world’s fastest production car, while he’s currently producing a tiny city car called the T25.

“It was a clean sheet of paper from a design point of view,” says Murray. “I drew on my early experience as a child reading comics and watching the Batmobile grow as a character in the comics.

“I wanted to have a bit of fun with the wheels, so [the car] includes what I call ‘virtual wheels’, which interact with gravity to lift the car off the ground.”

In addition to the LED-illuminated wheels, the Batman Live levitating Batmobile features laser-beam generators in the nose, a carbonfibre body that “breathes” and a carbon-ceramic afterburner – which presumably produces zero emissions.

The jetfighter-meets-F1-car creation has more in common with Batmobiles from the 1990s Batman films, starring Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight, rather than the 1960s TV series version, which was based on a 1950s Ford concept car called the Lincoln Futura.

Murray’s Batmobile includes room for both members of the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin, with the cockpit accessed via a sliding split canopy.

Green Spray Cleaner is Empty Bottle that Lasts 3 Years

By Jonathan Bardelline
From: http://www.greenbiz.com/

OAKLAND, CA — What Method did for rethinking laundry detergent and how it's used, Replenish wants to do the same for household spray cleaners.

Born from an idea company founder Jason Foster had while ironing more than four years ago, Replenish is introducing a line of cleaners, but is selling only empty spray bottles - which will last at least three years - and concentrated cleaner mix.

Although Replenish isn't the first to make concentrated cleaners, it has developed a wholly unique bottle design and system, just as Method rethought how laundry detergent should be used with its 8x concentrated detergent that's dispensed by pumping instead of pouring.

"We had a great opportunity with a blank canvas to say, 'How should you build a bottle?'" Foster said.

Replenish's bottle is made so that the pods of cleaner concentrate screw into the bottom of it. To make the cleaner, you turn the bottle upside down, squeeze the concentrate pod to fill up a measuring cup built into the inside of the bottle, and add water.

Other concentrated cleaner brands like IQ, Ecodiscoveries and a no-longer-produced line from Arm & Hammer rely on using small bottles of concentrate, one per bottle of cleaner. Replenish's pods hold enough concentrate for four bottles and can stay attached to the bottle as long as needed. Ecodiscoveries' system involves pouring bottles of concentrate into the main bottle, and IQ's includes placing the cartidges of concentrate inside the bottle before inserting the spray nozzle.

Benefits for All

On the environmental side, Replenish's products result in 90 percent less plastic, oil and carbon dioxide emissions compared to using other cleaners over the course of a year. By shipping empty bottles, truckloads are lighter. And since the idea is for consumers to reuse one bottle over and over while buying only pods, the smaller physical footprint of the pods would lead to fewer trucks trips and other storage savings. Foster said it would take 1 semi-truck of pods to equal the amount of product in 15 semi-trucks of typical cleaners.

The bottle and pods are made of PET, the commonly-recycled plastic identified by the #1 resin code, although the spray nozzle, which is also entirely plastic, is not.

Since the spray nozzle doesn't contain any metal, it has a longer lifespan than ones that have metal coils, which can rust and fail. Foster estimates the life of the bottle at around three years. "Can it last longer? Absolutely," he said. "There is no designed obsolescence in this bottle."

The actual length of the nozzle's life is fuzzy because when it went through a test to see how many trigger pulls it takes before the trigger fails, it lasted all the way through the test, which maxes out at 10,000 pulls. The downside to an all-plastic spray trigger is that is costs twice as much as typical spray triggers.

The actual cleaner was developed with the environment in mind as well. The ingredients are 98 percent plant-derived and modified seed-oil-based cleaning agents, sugar fermented ethanol, deionized water, food grade colorants, fragrance and natural essential oil.

The cleaners, Foster said, are non-toxic, readily biodegradable (meaning the majority of the product breaks down within 28 days) and pH neutral, giving them the same profile as water.

As for the cost, the bottle and one pod will be sold together for $7.99 and the individual pods will sell for $3.99. Due to the concentrating that has been happening with laundry detergents, Foster doesn't expects customers to be thrown off by the $8 price tag for mostly air. He's also hoping to attract customers with the environmental aspects, as well as the convenience the bottle provides.

Replenish is initially launching online at Alice.com, which creates storefronts for companies, but Foster is in negotiations to sell Replenish through some natural-focused retailers. He also received interest from bigger retailers that he wasn't expecting, he said. But for the launch, he's focusing on getting people to use the product and hoping they spread the word. "This is about building advocates and wanting to be with people who think through the products they buy," he said.

An Idea Born From Ironing

Before developing Replenish, Foster was an equity research analyst, but left the field in 2004. One day while ironing, he thought about how useful it would be to have a cleaner that you can use in an iron. Then he imagined it would be a concentrated cleaner, but realized an ironing board wouldn't have enough space for a bottle of concentrate and something to mix it in.

Then, he wondered what it would look like to stack the concentrate and the mixing bottle on top of one another.

Foster started patent work on the system about four years ago and founded Replenish in 2008. Since the inception of the idea, he spent over $1 million in engineering the bottle. Some of that was his own savings, some came from his family and some came from angel investors.

While shopping the idea around, he also ran into plenty of resistance to the idea of completely changing how cleaning products are packaged. "You couldn't ask for a better business than selling 95 percent water in bottles that people will keep buying," Foster said.

He also made a number of allies, though, that helped the product along: Eastman Chemical, which supplied the PET resin and provided advice; designers who helped flesh out his idea through freelance work; Radius Product Development, the design arm of precision injection molding company Nypro; and McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), which helped Foster look at every aspect of the product through the lens of Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) design.

Hooking up with MBDC also helped with attracting angel investors, and Foster said Replenish is in the process of having its products evaluated for C2C certification.

The actual engineering of the bottle provided the most hurdles. First off, Foster wanted to make the bottle with PET. Due to the intricate and specific design of the threading that the pods screw into, the two valves in the bottle and the built-in measuring cup, it couldn't be blow-molded like the common cleaning bottle.

The parts had to be precision molded, and the base of the bottle had to be ultrasonically welded to the main part, something that hadn't been done before, Foster said. "There were all these unknowns before, and now we've worked through them," he said.

Due to that, though, the bottle doesn't contain any recycled content. Foster said that due to concerns about the quality of plastic in the recycling stream, and since it was already a technological leap to do what they did with PET, Replenish is sticking with the PET resins it knows will work for now, but will be doing trials with recycled content.

_{Images courtesy of Replenish}

First 3D-Printed Car Hits The Road

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto
from: http://www.treehugger.com/

Credit: Stratasys

The Urbee has been an Automotive X Prize candidate and will be on The Discovery Channel's Canadian flagship Daily Planet. The car, designed by Kor Ecologic of Winnipeg, Canada, is an electric / liquid-fuel hybrid that will get the equivalent of over 200 mpg on the highway and 100 MPG in the city.

But it is also the first car ever to have its entire body printed out on a giant 3D printer.

Credit: Stratasys

According to a press release from Stratasys:

Urbee is the first prototype car ever to have its entire body 3D printed with an additive process. All exterior components - including the glass panel prototypes - were created using Dimension 3D Printers and Fortus 3D Production Systems at Stratasys' digital manufacturing service - RedEye on Demand.

The designers at Kor point out the benefits of Fused Deposition Modelling:

"Our goal in designing it was to be as 'green' as possible throughout the design and manufacturing processes. FDM technology from Stratasys has been central to meeting that objective. FDM lets us eliminate tooling, machining, and handwork, and it brings incredible efficiency when a design change is needed. If you can get to a pilot run without any tooling, you have advantages."

The implications for building prototypes are obvious; you go straight from computer to finished part in a lot less time. But imagine a few years down the road, when everyone might order up the car body of their choice from a catalogue and just bolt it on a standard chassis. Ding the side? Just print up a replacement.

Motive Industries Reveals Design For Hemp-Bodied Kestrel

Antony Ingram
From: http://www.allcarselectric.com/

September 16th, 2010 Sit back, relax, and take in the official design and specifications for the Kestrel, the hemp-bodied EV engineered by Canadian firm Motive Industries. We looked at the benefits of the environmentally friendly hemp construction last month, an avenue Lotus have also explored with their 2008 Eco Elise concept. Now we can see what the lightweight EV will look like. The swooping arches and modern features hide a 16 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack offering a range of 100 miles and a top speed around 84 miles per hour. Both these figures better the 2011 Smart Electric Drive we tested a few weeks back (on paper, at least) though Motive will only have running production prototypes in 2011. The light weight of 850 kilograms (1874 lb) no doubt helps the range and performance though, one of the benefits of the lightweight hemp bio-fiber body panels. The car should seat four passengers, though the interior design is yet to be revealed. Also yet to be revealed are Motive Industries' technology and manufacturing partners, though the consortium of 11 companies, coming under the banner of 'Project Eve', aims to 'bring together Canadian skills for the purpose of producing and supporting Canadian electric vehicles and components'. The project aims to take a holistic approach, designing technology that gives information back to the grid when the cars are recharged. As well as the Kestrel, the consortium is already testing a two-passenger EV, and intend to release a one-passenger three wheel vehicle, a small SUV and a delivery van. There's no word on whether the Kestrel has a future in the United States as of yet - the first sales will be to corporate or government fleets in Canada for beta testing, and public sales will depend on the success of these tests. If all goes to plan, production should begin in 2012. The company plans to seek foreign partners with whom they can licence the technology, so the Kestrel could become an international EV. [Motive Industries via Green Car Reports]

Motive Industries Kestrel EVGallery

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Sit back, relax, and take in the official design and specifications for the Kestrel, the hemp-bodied EV engineered by Canadian firm Motive Industries.

We looked at the benefits of the environmentally friendly hemp construction last month, an avenue Lotus have also explored with their 2008 Eco Elise concept. Now we can see what the lightweight EV will look like.

The swooping arches and modern features hide a 16 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack offering a range of 100 miles and a top speed around 84 miles per hour. Both these figures better the 2011 Smart Electric Drive we tested a few weeks back (on paper, at least) though Motive will only have running production prototypes in 2011.

The light weight of 850 kilograms (1874 lb) no doubt helps the range and performance though, one of the benefits of the lightweight hemp bio-fiber body panels. The car should seat four passengers, though the interior design is yet to be revealed.

Also yet to be revealed are Motive Industries' technology and manufacturing partners, though the consortium of 11 companies, coming under the banner of 'Project Eve', aims to 'bring together Canadian skills for the purpose of producing and supporting Canadian electric vehicles and components'.

The project aims to take a holistic approach, designing technology that gives information back to the grid when the cars

are recharged. As well as the Kestrel, the consortium is already testing a two-passenger EV, and intend to release a one-passenger three wheel vehicle, a small SUV and a delivery van.

There's no word on whether the Kestrel has a future in the United States as of yet - the first sales will be to corporate or government fleets in Canada for beta testing, and public sales will depend on the success of these tests.

If all goes to plan, production should begin in 2012. The company plans to seek foreign partners with whom they can licence the technology, so the Kestrel could become an international EV.

[Motive Industries via Green Car Reports]

This Bendable Bike Can Tie Itself to Any Post

by Brit Liggett
from: http://inhabitat.com/

We Inhabitat writers have had our fair share of bicycles and bicycle parts stolen on the mean streets of New York City. It seems these days you’ve got to lock everything down (even the brakes!) in order to keep your cycle intact. That often means buying more than one lock and disassembling your bike every time you leave it unguarded. Kevin Scott hopes to change all of that. He just unveiled his revolutionary bendable bike. That’s right, with the push of a lever the cycle becomes bike-Houdini and can wrap around any post making it easy to secure all its parts with just one lock. No more clunky chains? Sign us up!

Scott is a 21 year old graduate of The De Montfort University in the UK and was runner-up in the Business Design Centre New Designer of the Year Award. The bicycle he created uses a ratchet mechanism to allow it to be both rigid and bendable — but not all at once. Once you hop off the bike, you simply push a lever on the frame and the bike becomes flexible, so you can wrap it around your nearest pole or bike rack.

Scott decided to create the bike specifically so that all of its pieces could be secured easily with one lock. Scott’s bike is a prototype at this point but he’s looking to parlay this technology into a business venture. “I am now going to take this forward to produce a fully resolved solution and hopefully this will be a stepping stone into a career in the bike designing industry,” he says. Anyone looking for a new bike-genius might want to give this chap a call.

Via Gizmodo

16 Epic Homemade Batmobile Remakes for Batman Fans

By Dan
From: http://www.walyou.com/

Batman has always been known for all his wonderful gadgets (or toys), but his Batmobile still strikes a chord among fans as one of the coolest and most amazing vehicles that has ever surfaced. With that, it seems that many of those die-hard fans have also made it a personal mission to resurrect the Batmobile in different ways and designs that are extraordinary for fans and others.

So here we gathered the best from all the Batman fans with an awesome collection of 16 Epic Batmobile Remakes that are perfect for Batman fans and also include some extras such as the newest Batpod. There are many different looks that include the different Batmobiles throughout the years.

Batmobile Go-Kart Vehicle

Go-Kart enthusiasts would get a huge kick out of this amazing Batmobile Kart that is created out of a Go-Kart shell. The actual batmobile is not for sale, but the creator does offer the plans for anyone willing to take on such a feat and build their own Go Kart Batmobile.

Batmobile Tumbler Mod

This has to be one of the most amazing Batmobile creations that has ever surfaced. It is a homemade Batmobile Tumbler that is outstanding from the ground up and Bob Dullam really stuck to the look of the Batmobile from Batman Begins and the Dark Knight. Best part yet…it is up to scale and is completely functional.

Source 1

Batman’s Batpod Motorcycle

When Batman’s Batpod showed up on the big screen, every fan’s heart stopped in complete awe and excitement. So when we see a real one was modded and brought to life, it simply makes our Geeky life have meaning.

Batmobile Smart Car

With rising Gas prices, it is no wonder someone has thought that the Batmobile should respect the situation and find ways to cut back. It may not look like the Batmobile we have grown to love, but no one can deny that it is still just as cool. It is a miniature Batmobile Smart Car that has the looks, the shape and the Batman factor which will make fans interested, but it will also save money on Gas and have an easier time finding a parking spot.

Batman Batmobile Superbus

Created by a team of students at UT Delft, Netherlands, this Batmobile Superbus just takes the looks of the Batmobile and streteches it. This Superbus does not include any fancy Batman gadgets and such but sure beats riding the Big yellow bus to school.

Lego Batmobile

So you want to have your own Batmobile but really do not want the expense and other nonsense that would come with such a popular vehicle? Well, your best bet would be to build your very own Lego Batmobile, which is much smaller but then again…it would be easier to carry, cheaper to make and is a great reminder of the Caped Crusader without the baggage.

Lego 1966 Batmobile BoxCar

This is another great Lego Batmobile but in a completely different style. Here we have a Lego 1966 Batmobile BoxCar which is detailed, cute and even presents the awesome Caped Crusader. A beautiful remake!

Batmobile Corvette

Throughout the Batman movies and shows, there have been various Batmobile versions, but this Batmobile Corvette is one of the best…taking after the 1989 Batmobile that was in the Michael Keaton days. It was created by Randy Hecht using custom Fiberglass/marglass and is also street legal. It does mention that many Corvette fans are just appalled by such mistreatment of the Corvette, but I am sure Geeks will disagree, for the Batmobile is an exquisite find.

Source 1

Batmobile Tumbler PC Case Mod

There have been numerous amounts of Computer Mods created, but this Batmobile Tumbler one is just extraordinary. Not only does it house an actual computer for your daily Web surfing, but it looks exactly like the cool Batmobile Tumbler Batman fans are crazy over.

Source 1

Batman Forever Batmobile

This specific Batmobile is the actual one from Batman Forever. Unfortunately, similar to the let down of the movie, this Batmobile was auctioned off and comes with fine details that specify that it cannot be driven publically. This means that it could sit in your driveway and collect dust, just like this specific Batman movie probably does.

The second one is an actual homemade Batmobile replica from the same movie and although the finish is awesome, the movie is still a let down.

Lastly, here is another Batman Forever Batmobile that was developed from a Bugatti replica on a ‘77 VW pan and was then added the sculpt and method to make it all 22 feet long. It is a monster, but bad movie or not…the Batmobile still looks awesome.

Source 1, 2, 3

VW Beetle Batmobile

Here are two cool versions of an oldie Batmobile created out of VW Beetle vehicles. They may not be as sleek as the ones above, but I am certain Batman fans would still love to own one.

Source 1

Bonus: Simple Batmobile Remakes

Batmobile Car Mod

This specific Batmobile does not have the cool Batman factor as we would expect, but it provides another solution for die-hard Batman fans who want to mod their regular vehicle. Of course, it is not as flashy, innovative or cool, but it is still a Batmobile and probably would still make a geek just as happy.

Worst Batmobile Remake

This final one is probably the World’s Worst Batmobile Remake! I guess it is better than nothing, but then again…it seems like someone got happy with the paint and glue, without a care for absolutely nothing else that is Batman. For example: cool, sleek, and exciting!

Source 1

Undersea Yacht Submerges When Your Sunburn Starts Hurting

It's like something from a James Bond film. You can just see Daniel Craig jumping effortlessly from the land-dock onto the deck of a yacht gliding away slowly, and as he hurries into the cabin the yacht submerges, bubbles rising.

While firmly in the concept stage, the undersea yacht (or U-010 to give it its pretend-real model number) was dreamed up by the type of people who probably think the DUKW is the perfect way to get around a city.

Should the U-010 actually be made, its designers would make it 66.5m long, and styled just like any normal yacht—except for its unique ability to run on diesel and then electric propulsion. I can't help but want one, after seeing the photos below. [Seatec via Born Rich]

Send an email to Kat Hannaford, the author of this post, at khannaford@gizmodo.com.