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The umbrella that forecasts the weather
The definition of Rose’s imagined world with charmed objects is a piece of furniture that speaks to us. A set of patterned blue lights on the Ambient umbrella communicate with its owner by showing whether or not it is expected to rain. A wireless receiver at the umbrella’s handle connects to AccuWeather using your ZIP code after which, if it appears gloomy outside, it lights and pulses a soft blue light. This battery-operated umbrella is available, but it costs far more than the $3 type you see on every corner. The cost of this one is $125.
The house that changes at your request
Even by New York standards, 200 square feet seems absurdly little. Nevertheless, a new MIT-designed micro-apartment called CityHome, which can convert a 15 by 15 room into an exercise area, lounge, study, kitchen, and sleeping area, wants to change all that. Devices that are installed on the wall and resemble clocks are used to operate the dwelling. Simply select a time of day, and the environment transforms into the area you like. For instance, “Once out of bed, his room switches to workout mode: The bed lifts away into the ceiling, the floor area clears, and a full-wall, live video projection of a yoga class begins. “A desk falls from the ceiling, the lights turn on, and the curtains are drawn when he wants to study. The room makes room for chairs and a cocktail table if he invites guests over. In the evening, the bed appears. Despite not being on the market yet, CityHome is looking for money and intends to do so shortly, according to its website.
The garbage can that places grocery orders
This “ambient furniture” is another prototype created by Rose and colleagues, and it produces some wonderful junk. Every item you discard, from household cleaning products to milk cartons, is recorded by the Amazon Trash can’s tiny camera and bar code scanner, which sends the information to Amazon.com, where it is quickly reordered and dispatched to you. The grocery list is over. A second prototype that is in development makes snide remarks about your dietary preferences and supermarket purchases with phrases like, “Third box of Oreos this week?” or “Microbew, no problem!” alternatively, “Blueberry juice, rich in antioxidants.”
Recognize when someone is viewing your photo.
The LumiTouch picture frame, a prime example of “reciprocal presence,” makes people feel close even when they are in different countries. It features two linked frames and was inspired by long-distance relationships. The background light of the matching frame flashes when one person is close to it. The part of the frame that the other user touched when they both touched it lights up. Depending on how firmly and for how long you hold the frame, the color will change. The Like-a-Hug jacket, invented by Melissa Chow of MIT, is a comparable item. Every time someone ‘likes’ us on Facebook, whether we post a photo of our infants or a status update about what we’re eating right now, this puffy vest expands. This enables us to “experience the warmth, encouragement, support or love that we feel when we receive hugs,” according to the creator. The Like-A-Hug jacket is not for sale, but Rose thinks that other examples of this touch-based or haptic technology could one day be: a phone that gets heavier as your voicemails mount, a shoe that prods your feet to walk in a certain direction or a wallet that becomes more difficult to open as you get close to a spending cap.
The device that captures every moment of your existence
“A new form of photographic memory,” the tagline, says it all. The Narrative Clip is a pedometer-sized camera that can be worn on a necklace, a jacket, or even as a camera strap. It automatically records high-resolution geo-tagged photographs every 30 seconds. Your entire day can now be tracked. Imagine what you’ll discover and what you’ll keep in mind, Rose urges. “Who was that guy I spoke to at the Singapore airport? What was the mouthwatering dish we shared in September 2013? A visual record of the remainder of your life will be created if you record for a sufficient amount of time. But continuous self-monitoring has a price. There is a monthly subscription fee of $279 for The Narrative Clip.
The onesie that keeps an eye on your child
Infant respiration, skin temperature, body position, sleep cycles, and activity levels are all monitored by the Mimo Baby Shirt. The machine-washable sensors on the organic (of course) cotton onesie may be tracked in real-time via the Wi-Fi network in your home. Also, it has a microphone so you can stream your baby’s voice to your smartphone, and the companion app lets you analyze data about your baby’s sleeping habits. When parents started contacting them about using their sensors, the company that had initially targeted medical device development businesses “had a direct-to-consumer eureka moment” and “hasn’t looked back since,” according to its website.
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