BobAverill
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All-weather motorcycle helmet heats and cools your face, protects grey matter (video)
Bob Averill, who introduced us to the world of underwater hamster care, had a couple of other projects to show us during our visit to Portland, Oregon, including the All-Weather Motorcycle Helmet. What, you ask, makes a motorcycle helmet "all-weather?" Why, built-in heating and cooling, of course. Averill started with a standard Vega modular helmet, adding an evaporative cooler powered by a solar panel on top. The cooler pulls air from an intake on the helmet's side, sucking up more air at higher speeds and blowing it through a sponge, across the wearer's face. When things get too cold, there's a heater built into the liner, created from a heated mouse pad and powered by a lithium battery. Averill is looking to get the project mass-produced, but that's easier said than done, when it comes to a safety products like this -- and Kickstarter, apparently, isn't playing ball. Check out a video of the helmet after the break.
Hampture underwater colony established for science, leads the way for future hamster space exploration
Animals have had a rough time of it, when it comes to scientific exploration. Look no further than Laika, the first animal to orbit Earth, soon becoming the first animal to die in orbit, not too long after achieving that earlier distinction. The dwarf hamsters that occupy Hampture seem to be considerably happier in their own scientific explorations than the Soviet mutt, at the moment. Bob Averill brought the project to our attention last week on our visit to Portland, Oregon. According to the official blog, the project is an attempt to "learn firsthand what is involved in designing and constructing a complete underwater habitat capable of sustaining complex organisms." It also may well be a gateway to sending the hamsternauts into space via Skystation Mk1. Averill is also looking to turn Hampture into a salable product, though Kickstarter, for one, has apparently balked at the idea. In the meantime, you can check out a streaming feed of the habitat after the break and read up on the making of the project in the source links below.
