Israeli designer Ori Levin of Tsor Design Studio created the Adhoc Folding Canoe, a foldable take-away canoe that fits into a normal backpack. The Adhoc Canoe is just 13 x 23 x 70 centimeters and weights a measly 4.1 kilos (about 9 lbs). The canoe’s frame is made from carbon fiber, while the hull is crafted from Aramid, which is a heat resistant fabric commonly used in racing sails and body armors. Because of these materials, the Adhoc Foldable Canoe is not only lightweight, but it can also withstand excessive punishment.

There is a corner lock that keeps the telescopic poles locked and a parasol-like mechanism in the middle that keeps the overall structure maintained.

Unpacking the lightweight canoe is easy. It just takes around five minutes to assemble, and when you have to fold it back, the process might even take you faster. It is very useful as it is a lot quicker to assemble than those rubber inflatable rafts. Though you can use air canisters to inflate them faster, the Adhoc Foldable Canoe is still the better choice if every second of you time is important.

There is no word yet if the canoe will go into production, but with the materials used, we expect it to be a little expensive.

via: Design Boom

Adhoc Foldable Canoe: excellent for water adventures is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Designer Dror Peleg designed a bike that looks like a normal bike made from large chunks of plastic called ‘Frii.’ Peleg made use of the injection molding technology, which are being used in a number of products today. Unlike conventional bikes, the Frii environmentally-friendly, as it is made from recycled materials, and the designer specifically created this bike to keep the surroundings clean and green.

Compared to the construction process of a conventional metal bike, the Frii’s is more accessible and less labor-intensive. It can be customized to whatever the user wants.

The Frii bike has 20-inch wheels that are “flat tire”-proof because the material used for making the bike has been inserted over the wheels. The bike’s bearings have been placed into the mold before plastic is injected, so it will be studier.

Riding a conventional bicycle already helps the environment by not emitting carbon, but a bike made from recycled materials? That’s more than what we asked for.

The designer, Dror Peleg, is a student from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel.

Do you think this plastic bike looks cool?

via: Design Taxi

Colorful bike concept is made from recycled plastics is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Designers Kukil Han and Min-sung Kim have made a concept design for a dog leash that also acts as a dog poop cleaner. The device, called the Poop Picker Leash, is a cleverly designed coffee mug-looking thing that cleans your pet’s poop whenever you take it for a walk.

According to the design’s official age, “The excrement cleaner is used as a leash in normal situations, but it becomes very useful for cleaning puppy’s excrement. The ‘Doggy’ is a product that we can use to take away the excrement. To take a walk with our puppy is not only a pleasant thing, but also cleaning the streets could be worth to do.”

The device is easy to use: you just press the excretion cleaner button for the product to suck in your pet’s poop so you can throw it away on a garbage can nearby. This would be a great product to make other pet owners responsible for their pets when they’re in a public place.

via: Yankodesign

Poop Picker Leash teaches pet owners to be responsible is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The ION WATER ROCKER is a set of portable water speakers for the iPhone or iPod. It consists of a buoyant waterproof speaker and a transmitter for your iPhone, iPod or other portable music devices. Your iPod stays secure inside the transmitter that is placed on dry land, while you float away with the speakers that play music wirelessly transmitted from your device.

The ION WATER ROCKER waterproof speaker system also has a built-in FM radio, so you can listen to you favorite radio stations when you feel like it. It has an elegant design and shape that makes it a great addition to your hot tub.

“WATER ROCKER is the perfect pool, beach or bath companion,” said ION’s Product Manager Wendy Mittelstadt. “Relaxing and listening to music go hand-in-hand, and now people can actually bring their music in the water with them.”

The ION WATER ROCKER waterproof speakers also has a standard 1/8-inch connection that enables other audio sources to be plugged into the transmitter, including CD players, home stereo systems or TVs. One WATER ROCKER transmitter can also support up to nine floating speaker systems at once.

The ION WATER ROCKER will be showcased at the 2011 Summer NAMM show from July 21 to July 23, along with other music-related products.

via: Ubergizmo

Play music as you swim with the ION WATER ROCKER is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Christian Carelberg, a mechanical engineer, designed an open source flashlight called HexBright. The HexBright is a flashlight that is made of solid aircraft grade aluminum and the device features a CREE XM-L LED light.

The flashlight has an 18650 lithium-ion battery that can be charged via its micro-USB port. The flashlight will be shipped with four default modes, including flash, low, medium and high. The flashlight’s light modes can be programmed using a PC.

The HexBright flashlight is now one of Kickstarter’s top 10 most funded projects, having raised $179,688, $148,688 higher than its $31,000 goal. The product has attracted 2,285 backers.

Talking about the product’s success, Carelberg said: “When I told people at the Bay Area Maker Faire I was going to make an open source, programmable flashlight some people called me crazy. Now seven weeks later, my project HexBright FLEX is one of the top ten most funded Kickstarter projects to date, raising over $175,000 and over 2000 backers who think I am not crazy, including MythBuster legend Grant Imahara.”

HexBright is available in two models: the smaller HexBright Prime and the bigger and more powerful HexBright Flex. For additional information about the product, you can check out its Kickstarter page.

HexBright flashlight impresses Mythbusters legend is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The Sandless Beach Mat, initially designed for military use, is made from state of the art material that filters out sand. It was made for the Armed Forces to keep dust off when helicopters take off or land. The mat repels grains of sand or grit, allowing you to enjoy the beach rather than the traditional experience of having it blow in your ice cream or eye.

The product is made from two layers of patented polyurethane, which ensures the surface is always clean by getting rid of dirt, dust and water. The filters are one way only, so those annoying grains of sand that land on the mat is sucked underneath and supposedly will never be able to get back up again. The mat is made from high-quality material so it cannot be torn easily.

Each corner of the mat has a metal ring so you can easily secure it to the ground. It can also be folded into a travel bag.

The Sandless Beach Mat is available from online store Hammacher Schlemmer for £40. It is available in either orange or blue colours – we’d stump for blue.

Hammacher Schlemmer spokeswoman Trish Hammond, said: “The bound edges will remain flat and the mat won’t absorb moisture, preventing mould and mildew.”

via: Metro

Sandless Beach Mat keeps Sand on the Beach is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The Samurai Umbrella was designed by the artists from materious as part of its Umbrellas for the Civil but Discontent Man series. The designers said that the product’s concept was inspired by Sigmund Freud’s writing about how men “must check their natural aggressive tendencies” if they wanted to live in civilized communities.

On the product’s website, it says: “Umbrellas for the Civil but Discontent Man combines a symbol of gentlemanly refinement — the full-sized, dark umbrella — with an element of more manly sword-bearing times. The umbrellas offer brief psychological respite from the dictates of social amiability; aggressive fantasies are allowed and encouraged on the daily commute to the office. The effete civilian’s grasp of the handle takes him into the world of the masterful samurai, the medieval barbarian, or the triumphant cavalryman.”

The Samurai Umbrella replaces your normal umbrella handle with a Japanese sword grip, so you can go on to be a waterproof road warrior. A shoulder case is included so you can free your hands and carry it bandolier style.

The Samurai Sword Handle Umbrella is available in full Katana size and travel Tanto size. It will keep you dry while being the envy of your friends.

Is this cool, or too geeky?

via: Firebox

Samurai Umbrella lets you fight the rain ninja style is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival Kits are compact kits that include a number of survival tools. You can choose between the Basic Kit, which includes 8 tools, and the Ultimate kit, which includes 16 tools for the more advanced adventurer.

The contents of the Bear Grylls Basic Kit are a waterproof bag, a Gerber Mini Paraframe knife, an emergency whistle, a fire starter, waterproof matches, a snare wire, an emergency cord, a cotton ball that can be used to create fire, a lightweight nylon bag with a waterproof zipper, land to air rescue instructions and the Bear Grylls’ Priorities of Survival guide. The Ultimate Kit includes the basic kit plus a Gerber Miniature Multi-tool that houses a collection of knives, screwdrivers, and wire cutters (like a Swiss Army knife), a miniature light, a hand saw, signaling mirror, blanket, waxed thread, fishing and sewing kits, and a lanyard.

At 23 years old, Bear Grylls climbed Mount Everest and became the youngest Briton to clime the world’s highest mountain. He was a member of the British Special Air Service (SAS) and is now the star of survival TV shows Man Vs. Wild and Worst Case Scenario.

via: Red5

Bear Grylls Survival Kits brings out the adventurer in you is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The-Swing is made and designed in Munich, Germany by a company called die-schaukel, which translates into English as “The-Swing.” The company’s motto is “swinging brings joy,” which does not only apply to children but to adults as well. The company said that swinging helps us relax by stimulating out senses. Swinging is also said to produce serotonin, more commonly known as the “happiness hormone.”

Now available in the UK market, The-Swing is suitable for both children and adults. You can use it as a hammock, a playplace for kids, or as a tool for your well-being.

The Outdoor Company’s Paul Jameson said, “There are many emotional and physical benefits associated with swinging whether it is to help a child from as early as six months with eye development, focus, coordination and balance, or whether it is to increase concentration, ease neck and back pain, help with meditation, burn calories or engage muscle groups in adults, swinging really can be beneficial for anyone.”

The-Swing can be attached to a standard swing frame, or you can order the special mounting frame that can be easily assembled and disassembled.

You can visit The Outdoor Toy Company’s website for more information.

The Outdoor Toy Company brings The-Swing in the UK is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The SpokeLit is a LED bicycle light that can be easily attached to your bike’s spokes using the clips. Take your wheels for a spin and see the light glow. SpokeLit is not to be used as a substitute for regular bike reflectors, it just adds visibility on the road and it can be used to complement these existing installations.

The device has a glow mode, which emits a steady light, and a flash mode. Both modes have differences when used, which can be fun to watch.

Bike riders can find the product to be dependable and very secure. The SpokeLit comes with a set of 2 CR2016 3V batteries that seems to have a long life. When the batteries die, riders can rest assured that spare batteries are available and they won’t have any problems taking on the road again.

The Nite Ize SpokeLit uses LED lights that gives high-visibility to your bike spokes at night, giving added protection. Bikers who use the product will definitely be the envy of their fellow riders once they light up their wheels with this device.

The Nite Ize SpokeLit is available at an affordable price of £6.95. With the holiday season just around the corner, you might want to give these as gifts to your biker friends and do them a favor of increasing their protection when they ride at night.

Anyone else see this as an interim answer to the Tron Lightcycle?

SpokeLit Provides Protection and Tron Lightcycle Looks is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos