expand new york
Latest
Live from Expand: Moonshots: the Independent Space Race
The next frontier in space travel? All signs point to private enterprise. In fact, this is arguably the most exciting time for the industry since the early days of the space race. We'll be speaking to some of the folks who are re-framing the way we think of outer space, from the president of asteroid-mining company Planetary Resources to an entrepreneur attempting to construct a space elevator. November 9, 2013 10:20:00 AM EST Follow all of Engadget's Expand coverage live from New York City right here!
The NutriSurface is an intelligent food scale with Obamacare beginnings
Obamacare is probably the last (loaded) term you'd expect to read about on a tech site -- no less in conjunction with a nutrition-focused gadget. But Andy Tsai, creator of the NutriSurface, actually credits the controversial healthcare program for redirecting his company ReFlex Wireless away from a focus on nanotech and towards a technological solution for the food and beverage industry. Pulling inspiration from a CNN segment documenting the new challenges and nutrition label requirements for major food chains, Tsai devised an intelligent scale/chopping board that would be able to streamline the information-gathering process for restaurants and grocery chains. The resulting NutriSurface, now its third iteration, has broken away from its modest incarnation as a one-way communication device into two separate models: a coaster and waterproof chopping block that not only transmit nutritional info, but can also be programmed remotely. Neither device is yet on the market and both are still undergoing testing, but Tsai plans to launch an Indiegogo campaign for the product and, if its current market success is any indication, crowdsourcing could help to expand its uses even further. As Tsai put it, the NutriSurface was "built to be a hardware platform where developers can [create] their own applications," thus leaving the modest device open to myriad uses.
Hands-on with Mr. Postman, a smart mailbox that links your inbox to your letterbox
Sometimes, even the oldest cliches can serve as inspiration. Take the dog and the letter carrier, for instance: when Manuel Masri first moved to the United States, he was surprised to find his canine companion obsessed with the mailman. Every delivery became an event, anticipation for a 4pm delivery and an excited pooch -- but the K-9 notification system only worked when he was at home. His solution? Mr. Postman, a mailbox that knows when to expect your mail, notifies you when it arrives and locks after delivery. Masri's smart mailbox falls into that growing category of the "internet of things," something that links typically disconnected physical objects with each other and your digital world. It also happens to be one of Engadget Expand's Insert Coin semi-finalists. We dropped by the company's show booth to see the project's take on the future of mail delivery.
Insert Coin semifinalist: Mr. Postman brings snail mail to your smartphone
As a general rule, we're in favor of any gadgets named for one of our favorite girl group jams. We've also got a soft spot for those projects looking to send a little love in the postal service's direction -- lord knows it can use it. Mr. Postman, naturally, fulfills both of those quotas. The smart mailbox communicates with your handset to let you know when mail has arrived. You can also use the app to lock and unlock your mailbox, to ward off those pesky neighborhood mail thieves. Now if only there were a high-tech way to tell them to get off your lawn. You can see all of the Insert Coin semifinalists here.
Insert Coin semifinalist: Smart Power Strip helps you do home automation yourself
Seems like everyone's trying to get a piece of the home automation action these days. Question is, however, if pricey catchall systems are really the answer. Smart Power Strip offers a simple, affordable solution, letting you control and monitor appliances in real-time using your smartphone. The power strip has outlets that can be managed individual via your handset both at home and remotely. The strip also features two USB ports for charging -- because it's 2013, after all. You can see all of the Insert Coin semifinalists here.
Insert Coin semifinalist: NutriSurface helps you monitor dietary intake
Sure it's no HAPIfork, but the NutriSurface was created to ensure that you're getting the most out of your diet. The nutrition tracking gadget comes in two sizes -- coaster and chop -- letting you manage nutrient levels, portions and the like. NutriSurface's creators are opening up the API for third-party developers to help expand usage, but in the meantime, the product has some interesting potential applications for athletes, people with diabetes, chefs and a slew of other folks with specific dietary requirements. You can see all of the Insert Coin semifinalists here.
Insert Coin semifinalist: DIWire Bender
Desktop 3D printing has exploded as of late, and portable CNC milling seems to be leaving its mark on the maker community. So, what's the next big craze? We could certainly get behind wire bending. Most of the applications we've been dreaming up since we first saw the DIWire Bender have revolved around freestanding sculptures, but give the diversity of materials, strength of objects and huge build platform, we're excited to see what the maker community can cook up with one of these. You can see all of the Insert Coin semifinalists here.
Insert Coin semifinalist: BlinkScan lets you scan multiple objects in a single go
So maybe its "scanning at the speed of light" claims are a bit overstated, but BlinkScan's capabilities are still pretty impressive. The peripheral scans, crops and straightens images in the speed its name implies, pulling out individual files when you can several images at once. After the break, you'll see a YouTube video wherein the BlinkScan does its thing with 47 coins at the same time, giving each its own individual file without ever having to open photo editing software. You can see all of the Insert Coin semifinalists here.
Insert Coin semifinalist: GrowCubes help your produce flourish indoors
This NYC Resistor-designed food system provides just about everything you'll need to grow produce indoors, including rotating shelves that'll assure that plants get the best light possible and an aeroponic spray mist that cuts down on water by 90-percent, eliminates the need for soil and delivers nutrients directly to the plant. All of the above is automated, using a network of sensors and info downloaded from the internet and culled from a network of experts. Check out a video of the stackable cubes after the break, and be sure to watch GrowCubess' presentation at Expand next month. You can see all of the Insert Coin semifinalists here.
Announcing the Insert Coin: New Challengers semi-finalists!
They innovated, you voted, we tallied, and now it's time to announce the Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists who will be joining us at Expand next month. The 10 contenders will be tabling at Javits and will join us on stage to demo their entries, foron by our panel of judges, including Ryan Block, Ben Heck, Hilary Mason and Peter Rojas -- and you at home, of course. Check out the full list after the break and thanks everyone for voting!
Don't miss Wikimedia, OLPC, Leap Motion, Voltaic and more at Expand NY!
We're getting more and more impatient waiting for Expand New York with every subsequent speaker announcement -- and we've got five more names to lay on you right now. This November, we'll be joined by Wikimedia's director of mobile, Tomasz Finc, Leap Motion's director of developer relations, Avinash Dabir, The One Laptop Per Child Association's chairman and CEO, Rodrigo Arboleda, founder / CEO of Voltaic Systems Shayne McQuade and Michael Carroll, a professor of law at American University Washington College of Law and founding member of Creative Commons. And, of course, we've already announced a number of folks who will be joining us on November 9th and 10th, including LeVar Burton, Reggie Watts, Ben Heck, Peter Molyneux, Ben Huh and speakers from companies like Google, Sony, Pebble, Adafruit and The Electronic Frontier Foundation -- and we've still got more to come. Check out the full list below.
