Here’s a great piece for all you road warriors out there–the travel alarm clock is a great invention, especially when you don’t trust that cheap clock radio the hotel leaves by your bedside any farther than you can throw it.
But chances are you’ve run out of batteries for your travel alarm clock before. And what do you do about that? Hope you can find a store before you go to bed? Try and recharge those batteries via any of a hundred methods?
How about just using a travel alarm clock that runs on water, like this one? That’s right–water. You fill up the reservoir with water, and an electrode inside converts the water into power for the alarm clock. Best part? This nearly completely self-powered clock runs a meager thirty dollars, if you’re interested in getting one.
The last thing I associate with clean water is charcoal, but what do I know anyway. Apparently not much. This eco-friendly charcoal water pitcher must be the first of it’s kind to use Japanese Iouseki stones and Binchotan charcoal to purify and deodorize the water, making it mineral-rich and odor free. Crazy!
The stones and charcoal should last up to 6 months under normal use and the pitcher itself is constructed from glass. Looks like a stellar gift idea for the budding wellness freak no doubt. The whole thing should cost around $94 with replacement stones and charcoal running at $21. On sale now.
I don’t know how much I believe in the claims of iHouse’s SmartFaucet, but if they’re true then we might just be looking at the most technologically advanced faucet on the market. In the past we’ve seen faucets with LCD touchscreens, user defined presets and LED lights that indicate water temperature. The SmartFaucet brings those three technologies together and adds a fourth component to achieve that all important wow factor: facial recognition technology. So instead of manually selecting your user preset the SmartFaucet recognizes you and automatically implements your desired temperature and water flow. And while you scrub your pearly whites you can access your email, calendar and other Web based apps right from the built-in touchscreen LCD.
At some point a backpack can be a bit annoying, especially on long treks. And hence the CamelBak Men’s Racebak Hydration Jersey. It’s a flat seam shirt which cuts back on chafing (that’s the worst), holds 2.1L in its reservoir and features an Air Mesh insulated back panel that apparently keeps your back and water cool.
Move over parasailing and say hello to the Water Powered Jet Pack! Ok, so its altitude is limited based on the hose length, and you’re pretty much dragging a pump around with you which might not make it ideal for an Ocean. But still, it’s pretty bad ass!
Daily I take for granted my access to clean water. It may not be the best tasting, but it’s clean nonetheless. Many countries, which constitutes 1.1 billion people, struggle everyday to acquire clean drinking water simply because they don’t have the means necessary to filter it. Enter the Aquaduct bike. Fill up the 8 liter tank, pedal, and your sweat equity powers a pump that pushes the water through on an onboard filtration system to create clean and drinkable water.
The Aquaduct concept bike is the brain child of IDEO, and was winner at this years ‘08 Innovate or Die competition sponsored by Google.
September 30th, 2008 4:33 PM | by Christen da Costa
The Watermill literally sucks up the air’s humidity and eventually converts it to drinking water. It performs its own filtering and purification by exposing the water to an ultraviolet sterilizer, making it safe for cooking and drinking. The Watermill can produce up to 12 liters of water a day. Currently, the system runs off the grid, but expect a solar or wind powered version in the future.
Strikes me as the perfect ship wreck companion or South East house warming present.
