Printed Food is an edible material that provides a way to convey the nutritious elements of food to consumers in an extremely compact, visually appealing, and information-rich manner. Developed by Chef Homaro Cantu, Printed Food has a number of possible applications, including the delivery of nutritional supplements and ingestible pharmaceuticals, as well as for promotional and advertising uses.
he manufacturing process of Printed Food allows for the incorporation of text and images, such as the food ingredients, directly on digestible food. Instructions for usage, references, and storage information may also be included. Chef Cantu even “serves” a dinner menu as Printed Food. Printed Food’s stability, compact nature, and innovative communication capability make it an ideal food source for people in extreme environments, such as outer space or countries with severely limited resources. [Contact:
Homaro Cantu Designs, Chicago, IL.]
Labels: 11, food, interfacial, paper
The BioHarness system uses patented smart-fabric technology in a diagnostic tool that measures heart rate and respiratory performance. Because the harness is textile based, it provides increased performance and comfort over traditional equipment. The device is small enough that it does not encumber or change the behavior of the monitored subject, and it can either log a week's worth of activity or provide real-time analysis over its built-in radio link.
The BioHarness software offers an array of real-time and trend-analysis tools. These options allow a coach or medical professional to monitor a subject's performance remotely between sessions. The software tools wirelessly connect to the harness and provide real time graphical display, wireless transmission to 100 m, and detailed records for comparisons and further analysis. [Contact:
Zephyr Technology, Auckland, NZ.]
Labels: 11, analysis, fabric, interfacial
The Bubble Screen is a dot-matrix display that uses air bubbles as pixels. Developed by Eyal Burstein at Beta Tank, this display can show images, text, and patterns and may be used as a low-resolution screen. The project required two years of development during which experts in the fields of automation, pneumatics, and academia were employed to solve a fluid dynamics challenge. The Bubble Screen is intended to reveal alternative methods of information display and consumption and is exemplary of Beta Tank's ongoing ambient information-design project. [Contact:
Beta Tank, London, UK.]
Labels: 11, digital, process, repurposed, screen, water
Now that energy consciousness is becoming increasingly widespread, one cannot fail to notice common practices that call for more energy-efficient solutions. One of these practices involves refrigeration within cold climates: a process that involves cooling goods within a heated space, which is highly impractical considering the amount of time that 'free cooling' exists outside.
The Freeaire Refrigeration System is designed to provide such free cooling for walk-in coolers, freezers and cold storage warehouses. The system utilizes an electronic controller to finely tune the operation of standard refrigeration equipment, and this controller simply monitors the outdoor temperature and desired temperature settings and stops refrigerator evaporator fans when not needed, which also reduces the compressor's refrigeration load. Proper airflow is maintained when the evaporator fans switch off by operating one or more energy-efficient circulating fans.
Roughly half the electricity consumed by a typical convenience store is used for refrigeration. The Freeaire System is designed to save energy year-round by allowing refrigeration equipment for a walk-in cooler or freezer to run only as much as it has to. Once the system is installed, evaporator fans typically operate 50 to 75% less often, and reach-in door heaters operate 90% less frequently. Condensing units also usually experience a 10 to 20% reduction in operations. Moreover, a Freeaire System saving 20,000 kilowatt-hours annually can prevent 40,000 pounds of CO2 from being emitted to the atmosphere. [via R. H. Travers; suggested by James Thornburg, Columbus, OH.]
Labels: 11, energy, hvac, intelligent, refrigeration
Bloomframe is a window frame that can be transformed into a balcony. Designed by Amsterdam-based Hofman Dujardin Architects, the Bloomframe balcony offers a flexible living environment by making it possible to extend the domain of one's facade. In this way, the dynamic balcony enables adding outdoor space to compact apartments in urban high-rise areas.
The Bloomframe balcony can be operated automatically in one movement and with one control. The system includes provisions to guarantee collapse safety during opening and closing, and the drive consists of an rpm-controlled electric motor that operates the balcony at two points via an auto-braking reduction (drop safety). The movement is transferred by tie rods from these linear guides. The fully open position is limited mechanically, which guarantees optimum safety of the converted balcony. The application of a combined powered / mechanical movement makes the system user-friendly and easy to open and close for everyone. [via Hofman Dujardin Architecten; suggested by Corrie Messinger, Columbus, OH.]
Labels: 11, balcony, glass, metal, transformational, window
Printed Food is an edible material that provides a way to convey the nutritious elements of food to consumers in an extremely compact, visually appealing, and information-rich manner. Developed by Chef Homaro Cantu, Printed Food has a number of possible applications, including the delivery of nutritional supplements and ingestible pharmaceuticals, as well as for promotional and advertising uses.
