Author Archives: leo

emo-map

christian nold creates maps of his emotions as he walks around. he carries a gps unit (for location) and a galvanic skin response sensor (to detect stress) and maps the resulting data on an aerial view of the city. nice, but the most ’emotional’ situations involve deciding which way to turn, reading newspaper headlines and […]

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retail games

reactrix has been making interactive installations for retail spaces. they use a ceiling-mounted projector and camera to generate graphics on the ground that respond to people walking by. the games have been shown to increase the appeal of the space and products, even though the projected content is sometimes unrelated to the brand.

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tracking coat

recco makes avalanche detection systems consisting of a rugged chip embedded in snow clothes and a radio detector carried by rescue workers. the north face makes a series of pants and jackets with the devices, which feel like a small lump of rubber. in reality these are probably RFID chips powered by a remote detector […]

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augmented trashcan

flotsam by eric paulos is an augmented trash can that projects its contents onto the street. part of this ‘research’ is a stalk-ography of users and passersby.

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neat freaks

humanbeans are famous for their pizza box laptop case. they also have a series of product concepts to address our obsession with germs: release (a pill that washes you and your clothes from the inside out), mr germy (a germ-impregnated teething toy for boosting the immune system), atomdusta (for dusting between individuals atoms), wash bomb […]

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electronic noses

electronic smell sensors are being developed by the jpl and a company called znose. since smell is made of parts per billion of air, these have the potential to detect physical compounds that no other sensor can. they are in use to check food for spoilage and luggage for explosives. in the works are systems […]

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decoy bum

mark jenkins was the creator of the urban plastic giraffe – this is part of a series call the ’embeds’ series – social commentary and possible technology for sociology? via we-make-money-not-art

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container store

my favorite architects LOT/EK have designed this mobile kiosk for japanese clothing store UNIQLO which i saw at a street fair in new york yesterday – it is made from a small shipping container with slots cut out for windows, a pneumatic entranceway and this ingenious drop-down dressing room (right). it’s a great way to […]

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