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DribbleUp’s ‘smart’ soccer ball helps you train with an app
We live in a time when even the most conventional things around us, like balls to play sports, are becoming smart in some way. Over the past few years, brands such as Adidas and Wilson have introduced sensor-laden balls designed to track performance data, including shot accuracy and trajectory. But those products have been far from perfect: they're not always precise and, in the case of Adidas' miCoach Smart Ball, having to charge it is a tedious process. Here's where DribbleUp, a startup based in Brooklyn, hopes to shine with its new app-enabled soccer ball.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: a US team wins the Solar Decathlon!
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us. This week Inhabitat reported live from the scene of the Solar Decathlon in Madrid as 17 stunning solar-powered houses competed for the title of the world's most energy-efficient prefabricated house. The winner was just announced this evening and we're thrilled to see that an American team won: Virginia Tech's shape-shifting Lumenhaus. Considering that German teams have won the American Solar Decathlon for three years running now, we're really proud of the Virginia Tech team for their big win! We're also happy to see that several of our favorite solar houses from the show made it to the top ranks, including Germany's elegant IKAROS house, the ultra-efficient Armadillo Box, and Finland's beautiful wooden Luukku house. We also watched sustainable transportation soar to new heights this week as the world's first solar-powered blimp prepares to fly across the English Channel. Not to be outdone, the US Army unveiled plans for an ultra-long range hybrid airship that is capable of flying for three weeks at a time. In other news, renewable energy is heating up around the globe as the EU recently announced that it will import solar energy from the Sahara Desert within 5 years. We also saw a beautiful solar powered flower sprout in Southern California and looked at the worlds first solar-powered soccer ball, which could help the blind play soccer. Finally, we caught wind of an innovative breathing mask that filters CO2 from the air, converts it into energy, and stores it to power a cellphone or portable music player.
Bluetooth SoundBall makes a racket when kicked
Although we're sure you've had your fill of soccer thanks to the recent onslaught at RoboCup 2007, Aleksei Stevens' SoundBall was just too good to let roll by. This Bluetooth-enabled, sensor-laden soccer ball may not look all that paranormal, but giving it a swift boot triggers communication between the ball and a nearby computer, which then converts the signals into beeps, boops, and other far out katzenjammer. As expected, different blows, rolls, and turns send out varying notes, and while talking about sound can only convey so much of the story, why not take a listen for yourself after the jump?[Via CNET]
Can-cooling soccer ball conceals your secret stash
While it might not as, um, USB-powered as another snazzy can cooler, this soccer ball chiller keeps a six "holiday five pack" on ice without anyone knowing what contents reside within the sphere. Joining the growing array of cooling apparatuses designed to keep the heat out of our lives (and chairs), this silver and white conversation piece stands vigilant as your average "soccer ball on a stand" table decoration -- that is, until someone pops the top pentagon down and releases the lid from the base. The insulated ball can hold up to five canned beverages, plugs straight into your AC outlet, and even works in the car via a cigarette lighter adapter. Moreover, now would be a pretty good time to pick one up for next year's Super Bowl bash, especially consider the significantly discounted ¥8,980 ($74) pricetag.[Via TokyoMango]
Matsunichi's MF228 Football MP3 Player
Ah yes, that most convenient, ergonomic, and yet elusive of all MP3 player shapes: the soccer ball. Preceded by the Shiro AS, Matsunichi's new MF228 Football MP3 Player has managed to land a bit nearer the World Cup, but still we're not quite sure we're going to put up with the pocket bulge for six whole weeks. That said, the player features a 80 x 48 pixel display, supports MP3, WMA and WAV files, has FM and voice recording, 10 hours of battery life off of a built-in rechargeable battery, and an epic 256MB or 512MB memory capacity. The player also outsizes the 37.4mm diameter Shiro AS at 45.2mm. Reportedly, the MF228 is due "worldwide" on May 1st, and if that means us soccer-phobic Americans then more power to it.[Via The MP3 Players]
