E39
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Electric Motor Werks hands-on at Maker Faire (video)
Have a BMW 3-Series that requires major engine work? Want to convert it to electric and improve performance, ActiveE style? The folks at Electric Motor Werks have you covered. Instead of making purpose-built electric cars, the company -- which showed a converted 3-Series sedan and coupé at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012 -- provides affordable and environmentally responsible electric conversion kits for the BMW E46. These are available directly to consumers but Electric Motor Werks is also building a network of installers (via tuner / speed shops) and setting up its own facilities. We chatted with founder Val Miftakhov who gave us a tour of the prototype kit in the vehicles on display, so head past the break for more information and for our hands-on video.%Gallery-155864%
Under Armour's E39 performance shirt is electric (video)
If athletic events were accessorized with coffee, comfy pajamas, and a particular knack for sedentariness, well, we'd be champs. Alas, sports are more typically characterized by movement which, we're told, increases the participant's pulse, breathing, and likelihood of turning an arm into a tattooed sleeve. Nevertheless, we can't help but be intrigued by the Under Armour E39 ("E" for electric) compression shirt. The performance tee features a removable "bug" sensor equipped with a triaxial accelerometer, processor, and 2GB of storage flanked by additional monitors that measure the wearer's heart rate and breathing. A system provided by Zephyr can then analyze the athlete's individual movements and biometric data to help identify performance issues like when the body is moving out of sync thereby slowing down an athlete's linear speed. Scouts, coaches, and trainers can collect the data over Bluetooth from smartphones, tablets, or PCs to measure and potentially improve performance. An athlete measuring a low G-force for their particular sport could, for example, be put on a strength training regimen to help improve explosiveness. In the future, Under Armour sees the data being collected and analyzed in real-time allowing coaches to replace under performing players right on the field. The NFL has already equipped a handful of players with the E39 shirts during its annual Scouting Combine event -- the results of which you can see in the video after the break.
