New Tech Reviews Just another NEW TECH NEWS

Conscientious buyers are protective of their electronic gadgets, literally. I recently went on a friendly tirade about how ugly most protective coverings are. The only alternative as of now are from company’s like BodyGuardz who make scratch-proof resistant skins for all your electronic goodies. I asked to review the skin designed for the Nintendo DSlite. I figure the device’s deceivingly simple geometry would provide a better test subject.

Just like other clear plastic skins on the market, you get a kit; carefully die-cut sheets for every side of the Nintendo DSlite. Installation is a bit scary for the uninitiated because you do use spray glue and any floating particles nearby become mortal enemies. Steady hands are a must and messing up even in the slightest will force you to start all over.

Carefully clean the Nintendo DSlite so it’s free of dust and smudges. Take the glue which comes in a fine mist spray bottle and spray it all over your hands. Carefully peel off one of the sheets and spray both sides. Line it up and apply slowly. Use the supplied squeegee to push all the air bubbles out. Let it set for a few minutes before you start on the next section.

A tip I have is to keep your hands soaked in the liquid. Trust me, it evaporates quickly and will help from trapping dust. The softly rounded corners provid a small challenge. Another tip is to wait a few minutes for the sheet to dry out and become tacky, then carefully roll it over the edges.

The geometry of the Nintendo DSlite is pretty simple up top and sides. It is the bottom where things get tricky. The die-cut sheet looks more like a puzzle with openings for screws, the stylus pen and battery cover. You have to be really carefully and go slow. I must have tried 4 times before I realized my sheet didn’t exactly match the bottom of my DSlite. It was about 1 millimeter off, barely noticeable but definitely enough to annoy me to try again and again and again.

The great thing is you can hardly tell there’s a skin on after it dries crystal clear. You would have to get in pretty close with a macro lens to even see where some of the die-cut work went. The bottom is a differently story. That 1 millimeter offset really makes a difference. You can clearly (no pun) see the bottom is not as seamless as the top. For me the two screens are the most important since they get the most abuse and thankfully the supplied sheets fit them to a tee.

After a week’s use, the skin hasn’t peeled or discolored despite being tossed everywhere from the inside of my pocket to my bag. Tho installation was a bit complicated I’m glad I did it and would recommend this product to anyone looking for basic protection. The last thing I wanted was bulk so BodyGuardz are the perfect solution. They make skins for everything from phones to cameras too. Go check it out and let me know if you buy one.

What we loved:

• Not as messy as other clear skins
• Crystal clear
• Can easily peel off and try again

We could be improved:

• The bottom sheet for the Nintendo DSlite is slightly off around the battery cover
• $24.95 is pricey, especially in this economy

Designer: BodyGuardz [ Buy it here ]

I spent the first sixteen years of my career working for Polaroid Corporation starting out as a design engineer. It was one of the most progressive and technology-aware companies of the time. It was a wonderful place to develop a strong foundation, working with smart people, strong support and plenty of money to do things right. I had access to designers, quality and manufacturing experts, patent attorneys, model shops and market research, not to mention a great brand name and the excellent benefits that provided lots of stability.

When I moved to Silicon Valley and went to work for a number of small startups my first reaction was wondering how these tiny companies had any chance of competing with large companies with resources such as Polaroid. But after working for and as a consultant with dozens of companies large and small, my opinion has changed radically. I now believe an entrepreneur with a small team can often compete successfully against a huge corporation.

Why? In these times where innovation and fast-to-market are paramount, employees in many large companies are still risk-adverse. They value stability, and not rocking the boat. Thats what the companies value and those traits often permeate the company. Those that buck the system are often thought of as troublemakers, not valued for their independence, and wanting to do things in a different way and eventually leave. As a result, there are fewer long time employees at large companies that are highly entrepreneurial.

Of course there are exceptions. Ive seen a few people in large companies become a strong product champion, put together a team on their own initiative to do what they thought needed to be done without asking for permission – just like working as a small company! Some companies now go out of the way to encourage this, setting up special teams and clear the way for important initiatives. But its uncommon.

Large companies tend to be less successful in creating breakthrough products or even products that might compete with their existing ones. The thinking is that would cannibalize their own line, not thinking that it would be worse for a competitor to do it. That happened with Polaroid and almost with Kodak with the invention of digital imaging.
Large companies often develop silos with members vested in the perpetuation of their products or divisions They dont think of whats best for the company, they think of whats best for their silo and their own career. Ive seen some organizations try to derail others in their company working on a product that competes with theirs. Sometimes they forget who the competition is.

The best type of organization to get a product from concept to the consumer is a small, focused team made up of diverse skills. But most large organizations are organized functionally, making it difficult to move quickly, create a small team, and delegate decision making to it.

Large companies often prefer to not take risks, because failing is embarrassing to them. It creates news, requires a PR effort to counter it, and puts management at risk. The financial market is still focused on quarterly profits and when theres a stumble at a big company it makes big news.

But in fairness, large companies sometimes need to be more careful and methodical in making decisions. Theyre more susceptible to being sued by employees and outsiders, are responsible for the behavior of all of their employees, and are protective of a brand that may have taken decades to build up. Thats why theyve developed policies and procedures, created HR and legal departments. But when someone wants to take on a risky project to bring a product from concept to market quickly, they need to cut through this bureaucracy. Roadblocks suddenly appear everywhere from those parts of the organization that want to take the more methodical approach.

Small companies, on the other hand, are much more flexible. They can turn on a dime, reorganize, hire, fire and make decisions in hours and not require the escalation required in large ones. Small organizations are more likely to think out of the box. If one thing doesnt work theyll try something else. They are not fighting the established ways of doing things that large companies often have institutionalized.

One of the biggest advantages large companies have is access to the sales and distribution channels. That can be huge. But small companies can sometimes tap into these by using the large companies to sell their product. Small companies can also make use of the increasing ability to sell over the Web where they can be nearly as effective as large corporations.
So the bottom line is not to be intimidated by being a lone entrepreneur or a small organization. You may wish you could have the resources of a huge corporation, but be careful what you wish for!

Editorial: Phil Baker

Phil Baker is a product development consultant in Solana Beach, CA. Hes worked for numerous product companies including Polaroid, Apple, and Seiko. Hes an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, holds 30 patents, a technology columnist for the San Diego Transcript and author of From Concept to Consumer: How to turn ideas into money. His blog is www.philbakersblog.com and his email is pbaker@gmail.com.

You will agree with me, when I say that a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice tastes better than the packaged one. Altho I do understand that we get lazy to do manual stuff! However, take a look at the Zest; a practical solution for an everyday squeeze. Its not an electrical one, but the use of a wooden lid (which also doubles up as cutting board) for covering the juicer when not in use, is clever.

Designer: Pierre Schwenke

Timer To Light is this really cute LED light concept that is based on mechanical energy. Rotate the timer base to crank up the mechanism inside, and as it slowly unwinds, the stored energy powers the lamp. I can foresee it becoming a hit with people who adore lighting candles, coz this seems to have a similar ambient effect. It would be safer and economical too. Awesome colors too!

Designer: Jasper Hou

This is no mere cane, all ye adventurers, this is a stick to make the blind see! Utilizing GPS technology, the “Visionplus” interacts with the user through audio and tactile means through the stick. Working with RFID Tag technology, the stick bookmarks specific locations and provides the user critical information. Visionplus is one-hand controlled, improved over its predecessors in mobility, usability, and safety. Sight not guaranteed!

This is VERY similar to the Geo-tagging stick I wrote about on Yanko some weeks ago; the big difference is that this one’s for the sightless. The Visionplus has walking mode and vehicle mode, sound and vibration notifications, adjustable grips and sticks. The Visionplus also uses brail for the hearing impaired!

I… kinda want one for myself. Seems kinda useful.

Designer: Cenk Aytekin

I want a car thats sporty yet contemporary; elegant yet extravagant, chic yet rugged. I think I want the White Vapor; but then again maybe not. The front fender reminds me of my husbands old shaver, but Oliver says hes rounded it to prevent pedestrians from injuries. Point noted Mr. May. Following a puristic sports car layout expect no doors or roof and a twin cockpit. The choice of a right or left steering wheel setting is possible, making it suitable for US and European roads.

The car tires appear to be slim silhouetted due to a shorter sidewall height, a larger wheel diameter and a fine line between the rim and the tires carcass. The chassis is constructed out of lightweight aluminum and carbon to keep the car light and fuel efficient. Suitable to be equipped with in-wheel drive for each tire, the car design touts the eco-friendly tag by including hybrid/fuel cell propulsion to guarantee zero emissions.

Designer: Oliver May

That’s no artifact you’ve got your eyes fixed on there, that’s a genuine Studio Italia Design lighting fixture! Channeling the fantastic design sense of these elder-peoples Southern-Americans, Studio Italia takes this suspended light fixture and creates a geometric honeycomb shape made with a lacquered metal frame. I wonder what you think of such channelling : are you foe or are you against?

There’s no denying that this particular fixture is a nice work of design. Loads of people will buy it and hang it in their house for many good years chillin in light into the future. What I’d like to know is: all you Mayan descendants out there, how does this jingle your jangle?

I’m thinking about those groups of people who celebrate the ancient tribes of Mayans. If they hang this in their home amongst other celebratory wall decorations, colors, framed works, does it look like it belongs? Or does it look like it’s totally out of place, reaching for what it’s not?

Or does it belong only in homes that otherwise have little or nothing to do with the stair-stepping culture?

Olmec? What wha what would you do?

Designer: Studio Italia Design

Sang-Jang Lee is a dear old friend of YD and we have seen him give us some really great designs in the past. His current offering, the Blob Heater is a quite an eccentric personalized heating system. Kinda meant for a broken-hearted who craves for the body warmth of a partner. Something that Carrie Bradshaw would shy away from! Calling it a hybrid between furniture and electric appliance, this spandex covered blob measures 240 x 25 x 25 and is auditioning for the role of an alien.

Designer: Sang-Jang Lee

Inspired by the Greek komboloi and begleri (worry beads), The Chukka is a kinetic-powered, tactile music player. Better that twiddling your thumbs aimlessly, you can keep shifting the beads and in turn charge up the player. Sourcing energy thru electromagnetic induction, the device uses easy-to-recycle Thermoplastic polyurethane for its outer casing and stainless steel for the innards. A highly flexible data cable links the two sections together, making it easy to dismantle for repairs.

Designer: Thomas Mascall

When you read facts like there are about 10,000,000 bacteria living on a single toothbrush and toothbrushes must be kept at least 6 feet (two meters) away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush; you wanna re-think your oral hygiene options. Sanitizing toothbrushes is a way, and something like the Ultra Violet Sterilized Toothbrush System fits in. It consists of a UV base that sterilizes the brush once placed in the housing.

The base is an expandable one that can host 2-4 UV pods (for each brush) and plugs into the shaver socket commonly found in bathrooms. The brushes have a color coded band and the heads are replaceable, so discard them and use a fresh one after every few months.

Here are some random Toothbrush facts that you may/may not have known:

• Initially the bristles were actually the stiff, coarse hairs taken from the back of a hog’s neck was attached to handles made of bone or bamboo.
• Boar bristles were used until 1938, when nylon bristles were introduced by Dupont de Nemours.
• One of the first electric toothbrushes to hit the American market was in 1960.
• Manual toothbrushes become worn out after about 3 months and are not as effective as they once were.

Designer: Chris Anderson

There were rumors floating once that Michael Jackson used to sleep in an oxygen chamber to de-tox himself. Alas, he is no more but the quest for pure, unpolluted air continues. Knowing his quirky personality, this CAIR Air Helmet would have been the ideal gift for him. Its this helmet kinda device that sucks in the air from the filter at the back; purifies it and vents it directly to the face-end. A protective visor ensures that purified draft doesnt escape without hitting you first.

My question: would you use the CAIR incognito or flaunt it? Im sure MJ would flaunt it.

Designers: Herald Tremmel, Szilveszter Buzasi & Milica Balubdzic

That’s what’s going on with this future car, future AMERICAN car I should say, by designer Colin Pan; long, wide, and fat. Aiming to emphasize the richness of the American automotive design legacy, the “Nebula” is bigtime. Enlarged wheels to reduce vibration and improve fuel efficiency, trunk in the front, and LCD viewscreens along the interior. Works like a starship, runs smooth like one too.

Future starships, I mean, of course. Not the bumpy shuttles we’re still tin-canned in this day in age. The Nebula has what’s very obviously a low, wide windshield. Low visibility right? To make up for the aesthetic choice on the outside, the cabin of the car is surrounded by LCD augmented-reality screens.

Technology aimed directly at making aesthetic coolness safe for use. If this becomes the trend, crazed whacko* automotive concept designers may feel feel to rejoice!

*What I mean of course is genius, brilliant!

Designer: Colin Pan

Who here loves magnets? Raise your hand. Oh that was pretty rough. Too bad you don’t have magnets on your arms and sides to make that hand raising a little easier. Here you are using muscles and such like a sucker! Designer Denis Santachiara at Studio Italia has a desk lamp that’s held up with magnetic forces. Magnetic forces are nothing less than pure black magic!

Ok maybe white magic. No race involved here, I’m talking about voodoo. That’s what seems to be going on with this design entitled “Magnetita.”

It’s got high efficiency, eco-friendly LED light emanating from its head via 2×3W Citizen LED bulbs. It’s finish is basically chrome. Made for direct and indirect light. And most importantly, it makes use of a balancing system that uses multiple magnets making for a totally perfect, precise, and smooth ride.

Designer: Denis Santachiara at Studio Italia Design

Daisys bicycle was built for two, but somehow the future foresees her traveling alone in metropolitan Los Angeles in the year 2015. Im specific to the date thanks to the Metro Cell Vehicle Concept which is designed specifically for Metro Los Angeles. The infrastructure is thus: Single person semi-private vehicle system called PDD (pickup-drive-drop) will be implemented. With the PDD system, a driver finds a cellular-mobile stack, engages a car and uses it within that limited area. Once the commute is done, they simply disembark and the pod goes back to the nearest mobile stack. Kind of like a hop-on hop-off system.

Designer: Eric Seung Hun Beak

What is Pho? Pho is food. Pho is: “Ph (fuh) n.Traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup. Enjoy it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.” Find out more from, where else, Pho Fever! Now that you know what’s up, you’ve also got to know that our head editor Long Tran is master of Pho. Pho master Long has allowed his approval of this particular Pho design befo’ it’s even in his hands! That means it’s Photastic.

Omid sadri has designed a Pho tableware set just for the making and serving of Pho. Inspired by the form of a classical Vietnamese lantern, the bowl set here is designed to “simplify and enrich” the experience of the famous Vietnamese dish.

The bowl set makes the entire Pho dish easy to carry, then creates a unique experience by revealing the dish layer by layer.

My stomach agrees with this design.

Designer: Omid Sadri

No tools or instructions required and it won’t break me into sweat to assemble it? Sign me up! Way Basics is a company that produces these module furniture pieces made from, wait for it… paper! zBoards as they call it, is a revolutionary material that is sustainably made and 100% recyclable. It’s super strong yet weights 62% less than particle board. They sent me their basic cube and in less than 10 minutes, I had a new shelving unit all with the magic of 3M tape. I’m serious!

Tape? Yes TAPE. One of the company’s mottos is “no tools, no rules” and they mean it. All you do is pull the boards out of the packaging, align them to form a box, peel off the 3M tape and stick them together. The instructions say to let things set for about 24 hours but in under 10 minutes, the whole thing was as strong as wood and nails. Color me impressed!

You’re only bound by your imagination. The zBoards are drillable, nailable, and paintable. I think I just made up a few words but I’m going with their “no rules” motto here. You start with a basic cube and can create anything from that simple geometry. It’s great for kids too. I mean how easy is it just to buy a bunch of modular kits, send them to their rooms and let them have at it?

The kits come in various colors and sizes but as I said, you’re only limited by imagination. The basic cube (the one I was sent) retails for $20. If you’re looking to build a full on shelving system, things can get costly. I will attest to the strength and durability. Trust me, I was very skeptical at first but I’m a 165 lb man and the cube didn’t waver at all with me sitting on it.

If you’re into it, go nuts. They’re having a summer sale right now (as of 07/29/09) and some kits are half off. Please let me know if you decide to purchase a kit. Let me know what you think.

Product dimensions
Length 11.34″ | Width 13.39″ | Height 12.60″

What we loved:

• Easy to assemble, no tools required
• Paint and decorate them like real wood
• Half the weight of particle board
• Durable and strong
• Mountable too

What could be improved:

• Drop the retail price by $5

Designer: Way Basics [Buy it here]

How about a light thats all white and prim when you want it as a spot, but goes psychedelic on a whim? The ELS-magnetic is an acrylic smart LED lamp that conforms to this. Now I did say it was smart; its got no visible switches to work it, but instead relies on two special zones on the surface where you can touch it to make the changes.Smartness personified; you can create your own modes with the software that comes along and transfer the new settings to the lamp without hooking it to a PC. Simply play the generated sound file near the lamp with any MP3 player to register the changes.

BTW, it’s got a magnetic base on the back of the lamp; that’s why the “Magnetic Lamp” tag!

Designer: Dmitry Agurkov

I wonder what else we will be seeing in futuristic kitchens, but for the moment lets stick to what Nelly has for us. Since my French is no-good Im going to do my best to explain what she is trying to convey. Oniris is the kitchen for the future that integrates technology to its advantage. The central working unit doubles up as a dining, washing, cooking and storage area. There is a chandelier on top of the unit that houses LED lights, a motion-sensor camera and a projector as well. You guessed it, the projector displays recipes/images on the countertop.

The graphic visuals can be programmed and pre-set for special occasion like birthdays etc. It can also be used to announce the meal courses in a very animate way.

An induction cooking plate, storage cabinet and sensor-controlled faucet complete the concept.

Now that I have conveyed the basics, my two-cents on this: Im all for technology in the kitchen, but practical solutions for spills, heavy-duty cooking like we Indians do (read oily fried foods) need more tougher terrains. Overall verdict-Thumbs Up!

Designer: Nelly De Macedo

Here are two creative individuals who have decided to DO something instead of offering lip-service to the term RECYCLE. They use their imagination to craft out the most amazing Recycled Plastic PET Bottle Lights. In case you picture sea-creatures in some of their art, then thats coz Lisa, an architect, fancies them. Landscape designer, Su Sim takes inspiration from natural landforms instead. Hop around Malaysia to catch the duo showcase their eco-artworks. Take a bow designers!

Designers: Lisa Foo & Su Sim

From the innately elegant design sensations of fuseproject comes this technologically and aesthetically candy-coated little device. It is a hands-free bluetooth device for your ear. Telephone and etcetera. With colorway names like this, how can one resist? Yello, Drop me a Lime, Lilac You Mean it, and Frankly Scarlett. These are the next level earbone pieces after the one we reviewed last year.

This model Jawbone, titled “Jawbone Prime,” is the third iteration. As you’ll read from Long Tran’s review up there, massive changes had been made from the first to the second, and now on the third, the PRIME that is, comes big improvements again.

I can’t speak for the actual working nature of the device as I don’t have one plugged in my ear, but take a little read for judgement: Size reduced again, plastics, no earhook, and four freshtastic flavors.

EARCANDY is a summer color burst, bringing self-expression and a smile to the Jawbone line-up. We are treating our colors and textures like others are treating fabrics, bringing together material richness and personal expression.

Yummy in my tummy. Er… in my ear.

I want all of you Industrial Designers out there to take note of this project because THIS is what happens when a multidisciplinary design group like fuseproject gets ahold of your design: magic!

Designer: fuseproject

It’s not the newest kid on the block but the Olympus E-3 still produces amazing pictures. The 2008 flagship model faces stiff competition but fans are loyal because of the amazing Zuiko optics, splash-proof magnesium body, and the world’s fastest autofocus. I took the E-3 and the Zuiko 12-60mm SWD lens to the San Diego Zoo for a test run. The results are impressive.

The E-3 was one of the first SLRs to embrace Live View and tho pros may poo-poo the feature, it’s incredibly useful when shooting at odd angles. The screen flips out and swivels 360 revealing Olympus’ most high contrast LCD screen ever. Compared to the E-volt line, it’s like night and day.

I’m not sure if newer SLRs have taken the title but in 2008 the Zuiko Digital SWD 12-60mm coupled with the E-3 had the world’s faster AF system system. The latest SWD (Supersonic Wave Drive) focuses twice as fast as previous Zuiko lenses and the speed is highly appreciated with shy animals at the zoo.

I’m totally smitten with the high shutter speed too, 1/8000-second! Even the fastest animal was no match. You can even set the camera to shoot at the highest quality setting at 5 frames per second. The 10 megapixel sense delivers some amazing prints. Day or night, noise levels were at a minimum and photos never looked soft. Everything is tack sharp with no chromatic aberration.

Being a pro camera, there are no automatic settings. You can choose between shutter and aperture priority modes or go full manual. Navigating the menus is pretty easy tho a bit awkward since at times you have to press two buttons at once.

As an avid Nikon user, nothing comes close to their VR (vibration reduction) technology but the E-3’s optical stabilization is no slouch either. It compensates for camera movement up to 5 steps EV. In fact, every SWD class Zuiko lens has built-in optical stabilization so even those most action oriented photographers will love it.

The E-3 is priced at $1,399 body only. Olympus’ flagship SLR is a little long in the tooth but advance and pro photographers will find it has more than enough power. Toting around the magnesium body was a little tiresome but that’s what Olympus is known for – durability in conditions other SLRs would fail in. Some of the world’s best nature photographers use Olympus glass and now I understand why. With very little muss and fuss I was able to take some amazing captures. Little benefits like ISO 100 made shooting in bright sunlight a non issue. I won’t give up my Nikon anytime soon but Olympus is quickly becoming my second favorite choice.

What we loved:

• High-performance 10.1-megapixel Live MOS Sensor
• RAW capture is exceptional
• Amazing metering for HDRI
• The World’s Fastest Auto Focus
• All controls are easily accessible
• 1/8000-second high-speed, high-precision shutter
• Exclusive Supersonic Wave Drive Image Stabilization System
• Four-Thirds lens mount with Digital Specific Lenses
• Live View shooting
• 2.5-inch swivel Live View LCD
• Supersonic Wave Filter Dust Reduction System
• 100% accurate optical viewfinder
• Rugged magnesium-alloy construction
• Supports CompactFlash Type I/II, Microdrive, xD-Picture Card (Dual-Slot)
• 11 point full-twin cross AF sensor
• ISO 100 – 3200
• 7 Picture modes

What could be improved:

• Can’t delete photo after you take it. You have to go into preview mode
• Long lithium ion battery charge time
• LCD screen is an improvement but still lackluster compared to Nikon
• No HD movie mode like current flagship competitors

Company: Olympus [Buy it here]

And when I say Chest, I of course mean the cupboard-type, because these lovely multi-vases are made for land-lubbers. Inside-lubbers too, since they’re vases made of dip-moulded vinyl. Studio Laurens Van Wieringen makes the flower-field, usually only inside for greenhouse growing, to the home environment! How pretty.

These vase-fields are 24 by 17 by 17 centimeters. The vase appears porcelain but is, in reality, flexible vinyl. These are made specifically for those rainy days when you’ve got just a hefty need to see the flower fields of summertime.

And just for fun, here’s a plug of my own! Last time I helped plant a veritable field of flowers was at the public gardens in Saint Cloud Minnesota, USA! Munsinger and Clemens gardens they are called, and they are wonderful and they are totally free! Take a peek when you are in the area.

Designer: Studio Laurens Van Wieringen

If spinning music is your hobby (or job), then the DJ Machine is quite an intriguing prospect for you. The system features seven, 360 rotatable joysticks similar to a synthesizer that modify music in a haptic and playful way. Each of the joysticks can be personalized with individual sound effects and can transmit the sound to a receiver via Bluetooth. Sporting bright LED displays, the entire unit looks pretty jazzed up, but the honest confession of Sony-PS-controllers-inspired-tech-for-joysticks is quite heartening!

For more information on this or other James Dyson Award entries click here.

Designer: Christian Peetz

Just twist on up! The cap above the pedal, that is. It’s like a volume knob, opening the flower or closing it, bringing the light to a broader world or directing it to a sharper area. 32 warm and cold LEDs spread across four adjustable pedals on a pivot and twist head joint.

Take a peek at the black border image down there while I explain up here to see what I’m chatting at you about! Down from the light head there’s a twist joint that twists 300degrees (weird?) and a counter-weight on the bottom to hold the light up. There’s a couple of dimmers in here too- one for cold light, one for warm!

Fifteen vold D.C socket under the bottom base, 4 watts power consumed total. Kind of a small amount you might think. Are you all up into this?

Designer: Will Earl

You wait till youre legit enuf to drive and then you wish you didnt have to! Truth is traffic snarls, parking woes, speedster and drunk drivers are out there to get you. So how about a future where cars no longer line the streets, they move magnetically, come in two modes and give you freedom from traffic jams. How about a future with the Speedway Concept Car? A future where we revolutionize the infrastructure facility by embedding the highways and streets with linear motors.

The idea is to enhance the current limited range and speed of the electric vehicles by putting in a linear motor into the highways. This external propulsion is embedded beneath the pavement and drives the vehicle by a drifting magnetic field. Due to the transfer of the propulsion power for long range drives into the infrastructure, the futuristic car can be lighter and nifty.

Frg says that the “contact-free operating linear motor can be installed beneath existing roads and therefore offer the possibility to implement the new system step-by-step, without derailing the existing system. During the ride, the infrastructure can be used to charge the onboard batteries.”

Speedways interiors transcend between two different shapes and modes effortlessly. In the City-mode, the car becomes compact thus saving space and resolving parking issues. In this mode the seats of the car are upright and elevated to give a better overview.

In the Speedway-mode, the aerodynamics of the car optimizes. The front seat turns around and switches to a more comfortable communicative position.

Frg also proposes that we build parking towers where the cars can speed away to (automatically) once you disembark from it.

I know many of you are going to shake your head and goheres another one of those sci-fi-movies-inspired thang, but I tell you something like this is quite needed. I mean, have you seen the traffic jams at peak hours? Once passionate, now I dread driving me car!

For more information on this or other James Dyson Award entries click here.

Designer: Christian Frg