WattBlocks

There are devices in our home that are famous for using energy even when they're not being

put to good use. Inventors in the Greener gadgets competition have fortunately come up with an

idea to stop wasting this energy and even put money back in your pocket that you shouldn't be 

spending on the energy that is being used in idle times. "WattBlocks" is the device that has been

created to easily stop this problem. The product is designed so that with a tap of your foot, it will

disconnect devices in your home that are using standby power. It's been estimated that this standby power accounts for $100 of a home's yearly power cost adding up to $10 billion annually in the United States.

The device is consisted of several WattBlocks, which are plugged in between wall outlets and vampire devices, and a master step switch that plugs into an outlet near the entry/exit of the home. As the user exits, tapping the step switch sends a signal through the home's power lines, telling all WattBlocks to block power to the vampires. The benefits are significant, with potential savings of up to 20,000 Watt-hours every month.

Eco-Chic.

Winners of an honorable mention at this year's Green Dot Awards, 60 Bags is a line of biodegradable bags that can last as long as you like or decompose in approximately 2 months. Each bag is made out of "flax-viscose" a non woven fabric. This material was developed and manufactured in Poland. the material is produced with flax fiber industrial waste, which means it doesn't exploit and natural resources and requires minimal energy during it's production. 

The material allows the bags to naturally decompose approximately 60 days after being discarded, which means they don't require expensive recycling or disposal in landfills.

The New Design: Kinetic Design.

Industrial design is moving in a new direction: Kinetic Design. Kinetic Design entails the aesthetic design of physical movement. By doing this, industrial designers will not just create forms, but design the movement of those forms for their time through space. This new form of design also opens doors for new curriculum in design schools. This new curriculum will be able to help develop new ways of thinking and ways to be innovative for young designers. Most industrial design firms consist of artists with various amounts of skills for their job. There are many that can draw, create foam or CAD (computer aided design) models, and develop color and graphic treatments but currently, there are no designers specifically designated to decide how the products will move. Kinetic designers will soon fill this void.

Kinectic Design can be useful in two main ways: First, as a means of improving the way existing objects perform their functions, and second, as a method of inventing and developing new product concepts.

Examples

Seeing the Future.

Microsoft Office Labs has recently released a video montage allowing us a look at what they predict the future of technology may bring. They've created their predictions with a 5-10 time horizon in mind. The montage ranges from topics such as Health, Manufacturing, Banking, an Retail.

Health-Imagine a future where you can monitor your own health with smart, connected devices, your health team can share data seamlessly, and doctors are empowered with a view of health records across multiple sources--all leading to better, faster, safer, more personalized care.

Manufacturing-Imagine a manufacturing environment of the future where workers collaborate seamlessly across time-zones, predictive, technologies automate processes, and sense and respond systems are connected across organizations, leading to better innovation, improved efficiencies, and more flexibility for customized products.

Banking-Imagine a banking experience where you're always connected to your finances, banks are empowered to anticipate your needs, and transactions are seamless through predictive technologies-whether you're in the branch, at home, or on the go.

Retail-Imagine a store of the future where you can quickly find and purchase everything you need;you have instant access to the product information you want;and the store can anticipate your needs and provide price and product offers in tune with your shopping history.

http://www.officelabs.com/projects/futurevisionmontage/Pages/default.aspx