Latest Inventions

posted by admin on Jun 6

Imagine holding up a box of LEGO to a screen - and seeing a 3D image of the fully assembled model!

That is exactly what you can do right now, not just with that one ‘toy’ brand but with dozens of others - and the technology doesn’t just stop at games and gadgets - this new world of imaging could be appearing right in front of you in the street!

Soon, we won’t have to just guess what things will look like when made, we won’t have to guess where that repair store is on a busy high street - and you won’t even have to take your chances in a new restaurant without seeing the reviews of it’s past customers!

Augmented Reality (AG) - although first invented in 1968 by Ivan Sutherland - was truely brought to life in 1999 with the use of software that detected and reacted to ‘markers’ for image tracking.  Then it was developed the following year as a great way to bring text books to life with 3-dimensional images being more helpful than flat pictures - and basically - why stop there?

AG has been used for years on the TV - and watching the football teams pop up on screen as the players ‘warm up’ is a classic example; and showing the ’finish line’ over the river in a boat race is another ‘everyday’ use.  But we didn’t want an inanimate object - we wanted to be in charge of the images.

Initially driven by sales of merchandise, these AG software packages allowed consumers to ‘play’ with their gadget before buying it so to speak.  They could see images of their preferred product and even turn it around to see it from all angles before spending any money - even comparing the finished product to a similar one.

This is a huge step forward from the AG systems that need head mounted displays (HMD’s) to work.  Think back to when we thought that seeing computer information on the inside of your glasses was amazing - now it looks like you don’t even need the glasses!

The Future:
Well, think about films where computer screens seem to be on a whole table, the wall or even ‘floating’ in mid air and you can use your hands to move sections of it.  This could be coming very soon.

There are currently people working on whole room set-ups (spatial displays) that will allow you to overlay certain images into the space given - say for example looking at a new bathroom suite in your actual bathroom - try before you buy type of thing!  A new kitchen, lounge, office suite - the list is endless once you think about it.  But obviously it will have scientific uses first, like designing new hospitals, spaceships and whole environments maybe?

It is already being used in manufacturing - where the HMD’s contain step by step instructions that are triggered by the component parts and medical breakthroughs are also allowing layers of the human body to be seen simultaneously by surgeons to complete operations faster and safer.

So rather than a virtual reality - where you step into a computer generated world - this new reality is where the computers move into your world, and hopefully improve it!

However, I can imagine a hacker getting in to one of the programs and then a HMD AG fan could find New York City with wild animals or even aliens around every corner!

Source: BBC Focus Magazine.

posted by admin on May 27

Every Olympic Games host seems to think it’s a great idea to have one - so why not the UK?

Infact - they haven’t stopped at just the one - they have created a pair of the little things: Wenlock and Mandeville! 

The story goes (and yes, they have a story) that they were drops of molten metal that fell during a welding activity of one of the stadiums, were welded into ‘toys’ for an appropriately happy family - and then ran off on rainbows to cheer up the whole world!

Apparently, the whole event can’t be televised and promoted by just using the Olympic Games logo or wording - we need these very shiny cycloptic aliens with taxicab lights on their heads to do it instead!

So after nearly 2 years of artistic collaboration and (apparently) 40 focus groups worth of discussion - all in top secret - they were revealed to the nation on a rather slapdash early evening chat show!

As always, the celebrity who has been put in charge of promoting them has plenty to say about the meaning behind this tiny part of one mascot and that tiny part of the other - but to everyone else - they are just 2 cartoon characters!  Whether the bracelets mean so-and-so on the left wrist (heaven forbid they were on the right wrist), or the shape of their feet represent something-or-other, the public probably don’t really mind.

All they care about is the money spent on such a trivial thing when the country is in financial strife as it is.  And they are still reeling after the disastrous and unwelcome original 2012 logo was unveiled - and estimated to have cost around £400,000!

So, the Mascots: Are they fun?  Are they worth the money?  Will they make more people visit the UK and it’s events?

Apparently their main aim is at children - to help the younger generations to relate better to the Games, rather than it being viewed as a more ‘adult’ event - and seeing as millions of kids in the UK will be affected by the Games, the events and the influx of thousands upon thousands of tourists into their towns - I suppose we have got to soften the blow a little bit!

And I suppose as there are 2 of them - you can have a ‘favourite’ one, or just make your parents buy 2 toys instead of just the one!  Great for a pair of novelty slippers!

Well, we need to make some money to pay for the Games, so this wasn’t a bad marketing ploy!

posted by admin on Apr 20

Your Basketball or Football can now be made with eco friendly materials at no extra cost to you!

It does seem that some advances in manufacturing could have taken place years ago, but it was all down to laziness that things stayed the same.

What I’m talking about is a sport equipment supplier that are now making all their sports balls (and more) out of ethically sourced materials.  This hasn’t really been done before as people we always happy (or at least not bothered) to change from the cheap and sometimes environmentally damaging alternatives.

All through history, people have found the easiest way to make something, and no-one ever complained.  If someone did offer up an alternative it may well have been a bit more expensive or a bit difficult to get hold of and as no-one really saw the point of changing - everything remained the same.

However now, things ARE changing.  People have found that previous products were damaging the very planet we live on, and even though the manufacturers were making a huge profit - we; the consumers, were only getting their products a little bit cheaper than the more ethical alternatives.  And so we brought the alternative.

The Brand of Ethletic are one such manufacturer, and have found that they can make sports products from sustainable and eco friendly materials, and sell them for virtually the same cost as ‘normal’ sports products.

So that is what they have done.

Their Products:
Ranging from basketballs, footballs, childrens sneakers, sporting accessories, brightly-colored baseball boots and even personalised balloons - all their products have an ethical claim and certification.

Whether it is FSC certified forestry for their 100% compostable latex, Fair Trade certification for their rubber and cotton networks, recyclable or biodegradable packaging or their use of only organic cotton - their products are certainly in a niche of their own.

And you can bulk buy products for your school, college or sports group so you get a fair deal too!  And you can choose the color, logo and other wording on them too!

Now there is no need to NOT buy the Fair Trade version of anything really, as these products are becoming more and more available thanks to new manufacturing and retail developments.

posted by admin on Apr 6

What’s With All The New Shoes?

My friend found a website for a weird looking shoe - it’s got 5 toes instead of the normal rounded look we are so used to!

Now, I found out that they have been around for several years, but are making a push again after the success of those funny curved-sole shoes that are in adverts everywhere.

Why have we suddenly found the need for different shaped footwear?

Toe Fingers! 
My mum always used to have a pair of thick knitted socks that had toe fingers and she said they were great - but it felt weird to wear them. 

However these shoes are designed for ‘active’ feet and the argument is that you have a better ‘grip’ if all your toes can spread out as though you were bare-feet.  Many of their ad photos are in water and their shoes are designed to be light-weight foot covers rather than work-shoes.

There are all sorts of medical claims - for example that wearers will display a better posture when wearing these shoes, and that it gives better balance for active wearers. They also claim that ultimately it will reduce back pain - however you need to ‘train’ your feet to get used to the shoes and they do not really work well for those people with low arches (or ‘flat feet’).

The company behind them have been making ‘normal’ active footwear since 1935 and this is just a natural step (excuse the pun) for them and apparently they are very popular with sports enthusiasts!

You will however, need to be between a size 40-47 for men and female feet need to be between 36-42 for starters (there is a very good guide available to check your exact size based on their shoes as opposed to an average of all you other shoe sizes!), but they plan to make more sizes available shortly!

They even make active shoes for dogs too!!!

The Curvy Shoes.
The alternative shoe-remedy to relieve your back pain is the MBT trainers - The Anti Shoe, apparently!

MBT trainers have been regularly cited as the modern-day answer for almost everything including to reduce cellulite!  They currently sell around one million pairs a year - but of course that doesn’t mean their claims are true - it could just mean that their advertising is really good - as they look like platform shoes of a sort….

The initials MBT stand for ‘Masai Barefoot Technology’ according to the website - when the designer noticed a trend in Masai tribespeople of great posture and little back pain - so he found a way to represent the actions of their feet on their local soils and voila: the anti shoe was born!

The claims are that these odd-shaped shoes will (with correct usage) activate neglected muscles, improve your posture and gait, tone and shape your body, ease back, hip, leg and foot problems and help with joint, muscle, ligament and tendon injuries.  Quite a lot then… Are modern day shoes so bad that they don’t do this?

Many specialists and several wearers have claimed both positive and negative results.  Some say that they felt better while wearing them and they toned up nicely, but others moan that it aggravated existing hip and knee pain.

You also need to be trained to walk in them properly otherwise they could do more harm than good!  However, they do look so odd that many may think that’s good enough reason not to try them - and the price tag can be scary as well!

You can’t buy these shoes online or by mail order - they have to be fitted by trained specialists to make sure that they work properly and that you can actually walk in them!!

Conclusion:
If you suffer from back pain, or any other posture related issues - then you may well want to try one of these products.  If so make sure that you do get them fitted correctly; ask lots of questions and try loads of different sizes and styles on to get the best effects out of them.

If you are going to use them to improve something - make sure you do it right otherwise the cost and the effort would have been for nothing.  All their technology will be wasted if the shoes don’t fit as they designed them!

However, these shoes have been so successful that other shoe makers are exploring the idea for themselves! Look out for some more weird designs coming soon………
 

posted by admin on Mar 12

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It seems that medical advances are taking us around in circles! Scientists have recently discovered that injecting athletes with their own blood can speed recovery for a whole range of injuries.

Trials have used 2 high profile American Footballers as examples of how effective this treatment can be - their team then went on to win the SuperBowl!

What Is it All About?
The treatment - dating back from the ’70’s - is basically re-injecting the athlete or persons own body with their plasma - a component of blood.

Known as PRPT - Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy - this treatment has been used in orthopaedic surgery to help repair bones of patients for decades but is failing to make it into the mainstream for athletes in the UK as it is still illegal. It counts as a type of blood doping and there is currently no way around it.

The process involves the removal of blood from the patient. This is spun to collect the body-healing platelets in the plasma, which is them injected straight into the damaged tissues. Reports are that there is generally function recovery in half the normal time.

What’s The Problem?
Even though the results are extremely positive, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee are still not sure about whether it should be allowed.

Their argument is that it is increasing the red blood cell count and so will lead to better performance - basically ‘cheating’. Defenders say that it is only the plasma being injected - not the oxygen-giving red blood cells, but this has yet to convince anyone.

Bearing in mind that many sporting bodies follow the advice of the WADA, it is very difficult for sports people in the UK to use this apparently amazing treatment which works so well for ordinary people. Not only does it shorten recovery time and prevent painful and expensive surgeries - this doesn’t hold any weight.

Professional athletes for now will have to suffer their injuries the old way.