Engadget

Concrete USB drives are worth their weight in gigabytes

Donald Melanson — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:49:00 EST

Sure, a USB drive made of concrete might be a good enough idea on its own, but designer Shu-Chun Hsiao apparently doesn't settle for merely "good ideas," hence this so-called Memory Weights concept. Yes, it is indeed a USB drive made of concrete, but Shu-Chun takes things one step further by actually having the weight of the drive indicate its capacity -- 128g equals 128GB, and so on. Unfortunately, it is still just a concept, but reality is just a concrete mold away. Remember that, kids.

Concrete USB drives are worth their weight in gigabytes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Horus coffee table/iPod dock will make friends question your sanity

Tim Stevens — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:48:00 EST

Hey, you know that whole Silent Hill design theme you've been aiming for, with the faceless nurse mannequins scattered about and the constantly running fog machine? We think we've found a coffee table for you. It's (naturally) called the Horus and its made of "ultra-high performance concrete," offering a spot for you to dock your iPod or iPhone on top, a pair of speakers down below, and an illuminated glass plane bisecting the thing. It's the creation of designer Stephane Thivend and, while it doesn't appear to be available in red nor does it come with a giant sword, it would certainly serve as a visual symbol of your guilt over spending so much on high-concept furniture.

Gallery: Horus coffee table

Horus coffee table/iPod dock will make friends question your sanity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Madrid gets in on the pollution-cutting asphalt action

Donald Melanson — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:36:00 EST

It looks like the Dutch aren't the only ones looking to snag some car pollution before it gets too far from the source, with Madrid now also paving at least one of streets with a special asphalt of its own that promises to capture up to 90 percent of the pollutants on a sunny day. Unlike the special mix of concrete used in the Dutch town of Hengelo, however, this method apparently uses a layer of a product called "noxer" that's affixed to regular asphalt which, again, produces a reaction that turns the captured nitrogen oxide into a more harmless material that can be washed away whenever it rains. What's more, Madrid is also rolling out another type of pavement that contains recycled tires in other parts of the city, which it hopes will cut down on the city's noise pollution. No word on any plans to combine the two just yet though.

[Via Autoblog Green]

Filed under: Transportation

Madrid gets in on the pollution-cutting asphalt action originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dutch town looks to cut pollution with air-purifying concrete

Donald Melanson — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:37:00 EST

The Dutch town of Hengelo looks to be taking a rather unique approach to cleaning the air, with it now testing out a new type of "air-purifying concrete" developed by the University of Twente that promises to soak up the nitrogen oxide particles emitted by car exhausts. That's done with the aid of a titanium dioxide-based additive which, with the help of some sunlight, binds with the nitrogen oxide particles and turns them into harmless nitrates, which can apparently just wash away with the next rain shower. The town isn't fully sold on the idea just yet, however, with it only paving half of a road now under construction with the so-called "green bricks" (pictured above), while the other half is getting paved with plain old concrete. They'll then take some air measurements from each section early next year and decide whether to continue paving the town green or not.

[Via Physorg]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Dutch town looks to cut pollution with air-purifying concrete originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ericsson's Tower Tube concept radio mast ain't ugly

Conrad Quilty-Harper — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:18:00 EST

After all this time, and after all these complaints, could the solution to ugly cellphone masts have been as simple as a concrete radome? That is essentially all Ericsson's Tower Tube concept is: a glorified case for the ugly antennae that connect your daily calls. Apparently, construction of the radome releases 20% less CO2 than traditional steel structures, and the concrete is secure enough to not require extra site fencing, and will therefore occupy significantly less space than the masts we currently live alongside. Sounds like a win-win to us. Let's get 'em built!

[Via Just Amp]

Filed under: Cellphones

Ericsson's Tower Tube concept radio mast ain't ugly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Austrians build concrete cast 5.1 speaker set

Darren Murph — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 21:39:00 EST

We've seen a bevy of interestingly designed speaker systems come our way, and we've even caught a few glimpses of concrete-based gizmos, but a few crafty Austrians decided to create their own nearly immovable 5.1 surround set by casting each speaker in pure cement. By measuring out the dimensions and constructing molds using wood and wax, the speaker enclosures were then placed in a wire cage and doused with concrete. After solidifying, the internal molds were removed and a custom etched logo was carved on the side, only to be further decorated with a few dashes of paint. Eventually, the electronics and drivers were all installed and sealed up, leaving a surround system that would be quite a burden if any thieves tried to relocate them. While there's no specific step-be-step guide available, the entire process was fairly well captured in photographs, so be sure and hit the read link if you're interesting in killing gobs of time creating a very bizarre set of speakers, or click on through for a few more snapshots.

[Via HackADay]

Continue reading Austrians build concrete cast 5.1 speaker set

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

Austrians build concrete cast 5.1 speaker set originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Jan 2007 21:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cyber-concrete gives walls a voice

Conrad Quilty-Harper — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 09:55:00 EST

Technology makes for strange bedfellows: that's the lesson to be learnt from the partnership of YRP Ubiquitous Networking Laboratory with the Sumitomo Osaka Cement company. The two groups have developed what they call "cyber-concrete," which is basically a lumpy soup of regular cement and RFID tags with durable coatings. The tags hold basic information about when, where, and how each part of the concrete was manufactured, allowing safety inspection teams and concerned residents alike to check how stable their building is. To aid this process, the researchers have developed a special reader that can convert this information into speech when placed on a correctly tagged wall -- so much for "the walls have ears," now they eat pollution, display images, and speak. Sumitomo is to start testing the RFID concrete soup this month, and is aiming to make it available to large construction companies in the spring of 2007. What with a recent scandal rocking the Japanese construction scene, it sounds as if this clever concrete can't come soon enough. Just as long as it's not too clever -- lets just say that we know we're bad at darts, and that we don't need no screaming walls to tell us.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household

Cyber-concrete gives walls a voice originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Dec 2006 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Innovation Lab busts out pixel-infused concrete display

Darren Murph — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 12:29:00 EST

Companies have been lighting up (and drawing attention to) simple brick walls for some time now, and while hitting up a game of Tetris is indeed novel, we're thinking the real profit resides in lightweight screens we use in front projection. This rock-hard display consists of not-so-average concrete with "embedded optical fibers, arranged as pixels, capable of transmitting natural as well as artificial light." When light is projected from the rear, the pixels illuminate to display imagery, which could certainly transform a vanilla office building into an ad-filled poster board. While we're not sure when we can expect these things to start popping up around here, Innovation Lab claims that orders are already backing up, and of course, there's always the live action video after the break to tide you over for now....

[Via We Make Money Not Art, thanks Naser A]

Continue reading Innovation Lab busts out pixel-infused concrete display

Filed under: Displays

Innovation Lab busts out pixel-infused concrete display originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Nov 2006 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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