Inventions

1.The Webble by is a great under the desk exercise device to keep your bored stems movin’ and groovin’. Made of a flexible mesh membrane floating on ultra smooth casters, you can either elevate your tired feet or pretend to be swooshing down the slopes of the Swiss Alps free styling the whole way down. Available in August for about $139.95. Not a bad price for happy feet.

2.Have you ever run from a fire extinguisher? I haven’t. They don’t scare me. But they scare you.

They seem so important, so untouchable. Why is that? Get above the fright! Make it cool to extinguish fires. That’s what designer Sigrun Vik is all about. Keep deadly fire unfashionable with Vik’s “ACT” fire extinguisher.

White and red, wirelessly connected to your smoke detectors, and flashing lights. “A perfect balance between intuitive functions and a discreet appearance,” says Vik. I say again: make fire safety fashionable! Let’s get some basketball players in here to promote fire extinguishers.

Can you imagine people lining up for hours to purchase the ACT so they can get it signed by Kobe Bryant at the local “Streetwize Fire Safety” store? It’s the 2009 ACT Fire Extinguisher Release Party! Be there.

3.Exitpoint is a sonar based dive navigation and early warning system designed to reduce incidences of divers becoming separated and assist inexperienced divers when navigating in unfamiliar and challenging environments. It allows divers to access real time information on the location of their dive buddy(ies), supervisor and boat quickly. It also features a proximity warning alerting divers who are in danger of swimming out of range, a.k.a. me.

This system, unlike commonly used dive navigation aids, is able to function regardless of environmental conditions i.e. strong currents and low visibility. It is also smarter and technologically superior to existing sonar based dive navigation systems offering advanced features and functions which are not only more reliable and accurate but better suited to the needs of recreational divers. For example rather than using signal strength alone to estimate distance and direction, this system triangulates the position of everyone and the boat.

The build is even innovative featuring a bezel which, when rotated, actuates a magnetic switch, allowing users to switch between modes (i.e. buddy, supervisor and exitpoint). It’s designed to be worn on the back of the hand instead of the wrist to accommodate the larger interface required when underwater. The whole thing is finished off in titanium and just for sex, has a gun metal finish with stainless steel accents.

Designer: Tom Fraser

4.Water to address the issue of irresponsible water bottlers and consumers. Their “KORONE” bottled water is made from Eastman Tritan™ a ground-breaking new plastic that is made without Bisphenol-A (BPA). A chemical found in the polycarbonate widely used to make reusable water bottles, BPA is a hormone disrupter that has been linked to diabetes, cancer, and obesity. The design itself is innovative with its intuitive, one-handed operation bottle cap with a thumb release and kung fu grip.