Powermoon is a balloon-based lighting system suitable for road & railway infrastructure, outdoor events, entertainment, military, and search & rescue applications. Powermoon is packaged in a small, portable unit which may be quickly assembled on-site.
Powermoon HQI lamps produce five times more light than traditional tungsten halogen lamps for the same power rating, and last from two to fifteen times as long (depending on the model). Powermoon lamps also produce less glare, softer shadows, and a whiter light compared with traditional light sources.
Powermoon comes with a collapsible balloon and stand, a generator, an IP 67 control gear box, and a carrying case. Powermoon does not require an inflation fan and is therefore noise-free and lower in cost compared with other balloon-based lighting systems. [Excerpted from the Powermoon website; suggested by Jeff Miller, Seattle.]
First introduced in Japan and then the United States in 1984, shape memory polymers are polymers whose qualities have been altered to give them dynamic shape "memory" properties. Using thermal stimuli, shape memory polymers can exhibit a radical change from a rigid polymer to a very elastic state, then back to a rigid state again. In its elastic state, the polymer will recover its “memory” shape if left unrestrained. However, while pliable it can be stretched, folded or otherwise conformed to other shapes, tolerating up to 200% elongation.
While manipulated, the shape memory polymer can be cooled and therefore returned to a rigid state, maintaining its manipulated shape indefinitely. This manipulation process can be repeated many times without degradation, and CRG can tailor most polymers with shape memory properties.
Veriflex is a two-part, fully formable thermoset shape memory polymer (SMP) resin system with unique “memory” properties. Heated above its activation temperature, Veriflex changes from a rigid polymer to a very elastic state. In this elastic state, it can be twisted, pulled, bent, and stretched, reaching up to 200% elongation. If cooled while constrained in the new shape, the polymer hardens and can maintain its deformed configuration indefinitely. When heated above its activation temperature again, this polymer returns to the shape in which it was cured. This process can be repeated indefinitely without loss of the memory shape or degradation of the material.
Thermochromic Veriflex allows for easier use and functionality of the cured resin. When the thermochromic version of Veriflex has reached its transition temperature, it changes color to signal its readiness to be molded, shaped, and formed. This eliminates possible problems with heating the material too much or not enough. Both standard and thermochromic Veriflex resins are engineered with a transition temperature (Tg) of 62°C. [Excerpted from the CRG Industries website; suggested by Jennifer Siegal, Los Angeles.]
Image-Mesh is a video wall comprised of a plastic mesh embedded with tiny, pixel-addressable 3-in-1 RGB LEDs. Its panel structure is unobtrusive, lightweight, and may be easily erected and dismantled. It can be bent to a radius of 0.5m. Each 0.9m x 0.9m panel 'module' weighs just 1.5kg and is only 6.5mm deep. There are 1296 LEDs per module with the 25mm pitch product. Each LED has its own chip and can be individually identified and addressed.
A basic Image-Mesh unit consists of 6 x 0.9m square modules, simply clipped together. The basic unit is then controlled with its own driver and DMX splitter. For instance, six basic units will create a 5.4m x 5.4m screen.
The control system consists of the Software Suite and media/video processor connected to a DMX converter. The converter feeds optical cables to the relay boxes and drivers. This setup enables the system to take any video feed that the customer chooses, whether that's live video, web streaming or pre-recorded DVD.
Kapas II is a full color LED display system for outdoor installations. The LED RGB clusters are fixed to a plastic mesh with different pitch options ranging from 62.5mm to 100mm. Kapas II works and is configured in a similar way to Image-Mesh, and can be flexed and bent in the same way. It is designed to be installed outdoors, as a temporary or permanent installation. Its power, luminous intensity, and wide viewing angle make it optimal for cityscape applications or large outdoor concerts and events. It is IP68 rated and can even be installed underwater and in ice. [Excerpted from the Vivid Effect website; suggested by CJ Brockway, Seattle.]
Acousticel is an acoustic insulation material made from 100% recycled rubber. The rubber comes from old car tires and is broken down into small strips to make this non-woven sheet material. The insulation is supplied in 10mm thick rolls for floors and 1 m2 panels for walls. [Excerpted from the rematerialize website.]
Abet Laminati's high-pressure laminates (HPL) stand out for their exceptional properties of strength and resistance to any type of stress, their workability and surface quality. Their digitally-printed laminates represent a direct and immediate link between the designer's computer and the production of laminate surface. The designer's concept can now be transferred digitally and directly using internet technology, to the company plotter, which can produce even just one sheet of any product type.
This printing technique offers countless advantages: it is a simple process; no minimum quantities are required; any decor or optical effect can be created on flat or curved surfaces, the sizes of which are only limited by the supporting structure; there is excellent colour quality: the image that is obtained is practically identical to that requested; production times are reduced; and this printing technique can be used on a variety of product types and finishes, without altering technical characteristics. [Excerpted from the Abet Laminati website; suggested by Daniel O'Neill, San Francisco.]
TileToy is a modular, electronic game prototype for tangible LED game tiles. TileToy brings the flexibility inherent in digital software to a physical tile that people can touch and interact with. By arranging the electronic tiles, players can engage themselves in various kinds of game play, ranging from fast-paced arcade style games to puzzle an learning games.
The tiles are plastic cases approximately 2" square. The main inspiration for the look and feel comes from the heyday of the LED, when plastic hand-held games ruled the gaming world. This retro-look is fused with a more modern minimal design. The minimalism enhances the magic of cordless boxes that simply communicate with each other. In TileToy, technology is sealed within the design. The interaction is based on tactile experience where no user manual is needed.
The flexible architecture of the tiles makes TileToy a versatile platform for development of various applications from several genres. Compared with traditional tile games TileToy can take advantage of such things as changing state, animations and games where the tiles can effect the state of adjoining tiles. Simple word games can be created where each tile displays a random letter and the players organize the letters into the longest word possible. Numbers and arithmetic characters can be displayed with the player having to arrange the tiles into a sum to give a specified result. Matching games are yet another way the tiles could be programmed to act as a learning aid. Applications can be developed also to utilize the tiles purely for display purposes to show patterns, animations or even live information.
The re-programmable and constantly updated graphical information on each tile is displayed with a LED matrix system. The screen displaying the information is an endlessly versatile surface for updated visual communication. Each tile is controlled individually and can be used to transmit information on its own or in groups of several tiles. The assembled tiles transmit wirelessly their individual position in relation to each other and based on that changing information, a central computer, or a dedicated tile runs the different applications.
TileToy is an open project. Both the source code and the hardware will be made available via open licenses. This will allow anyone interested to create their own applications and games and feed these back into the community hopefully to spark innovation further. It may even lead to new projects that branch off to make new version of TileToy based on the original hardware. [Excerpted from the Tiletoy website; suggested by Scott Gustafson, Los Angeles.]
