Gearfuse

We can only imagine the incredible leaps and bounds which will be made in the chair business by the time that “the future” rolls around. But if we had a choice of what the future chair would look like, the Transfoarmchair would seem like a safe bet, as long as the future really turned out to be like a science-fiction novel.

The three-dimensional interactive Transfoarmchair alters its wire mesh shape by monitoring electronic fields with a super-intuitive self-serving alloy. Special electro-chrome polymers allow the chair to change its color on your command. But hey, as long as it has a cup holder, I’ll be content.

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There’s a time and place for everything I suppose. But as far as vintage clothing? If it doesn’t have some sort of awesomely geeky retro gaming decal or isn’t reeking of steampunk goodness, it just isn’t our style. If you’re also akin to my anti-vintage chic warrior attitude, the “Screw Vintage, This Shirt Is From the Future” T-shirt ($15) might be right up your alley.

Geeks can be divided into even two further sub-cultures. Those who dwell in the days of 8-bit and retro hardware and those who look to the future for their source of getting their geeky rocks off. I’m more of a futuristic sort of guy. Though I do humbly worship my roots!

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Do you mind that your children and grandchildren might befriend perverted robots into their inner circles? Here is an example what their childhood memories might look like.

Though I always imagined there would be less grandma-sweaters and more jet packs in the future. That’s pretty disappointing.

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OK, the first part might be total wishful thinking, but the touchscreen mirror part is definitly on the upcoming wave of the future. The Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems unveiled their touchscreen mirror system at the Cebit IT trade show this week, and let me tell you, it’s totally going to change the way you brush your teeth and trim your balls.

While the technology behind the mirror’s creation isn’t what you would call “new” or even “new-ish,” the system is still pretty cool sounding. Are you tired of having to remind Grandpa to wash his dentures? That’s the way of the past. In the future, your mirror will remind all of the elders in your life to wipe their own asses and maybe, if we could be so lucky, will guide them through changing their own damn diapers. I mean, really, what could they have possibly eaten?

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The picture above is Microsoft’s new fortress of solitude for Bill Gates. Just kidding, it’s actually a fire station in Mexico City. It was designed by the companies At 103 and BGP Arquitectura.  It’s not much of a looker during the day but at night, light shines through the slits in between the chrome-like plates for an impressive light show you’re guaranteed not to find at any other fire station.

Why such a fancy fire station? Well, it also serves as a recruiting center. As such, you’ve got to have an appealing environment if you want to attract heat-craving lifesavers that are not only crazy enough to wear a fire hose, but also crazy enough to take a job that’s about as dangerous as it gets.

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In respect to 150 years of watch crafting, Timex, in collaboration with Core77, held a global design competition called 2154: the future of time design. OK Timex, you win this one. No one is going to compete watch designs with 150 years of watch experience.

One runner up of the competition, the TX54 concept, is a disposable clock and calender that can be worn on the user’s thumbnail. No one wants an obtrusive monster of a watch around their wrist when they can have a translucent nail clock that makes seeing in the dark as easy as pressing down on the end of your thumbnail. Look, it’s 4:20. You know what that means.

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Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates has a vacant plot of land which will be used to hold “Masdar City,”  the first city to rely entirely on solar energy. The transit system will be much like the robotic taxi-cab in Total Recall, sans self-destruct mechanism. The system consists of a fleet of solar-powered programmable vehicles that seat six which will keep the streets free of congested traffic.

“You program what station you want to go to, and [the vehicle] will directly take you to that station . . . If you look at things like Blade Runner, etc., that we had 15 years ago, it’s really bringing that to the fore now,” says Scott McGuigan of CH2M Hill, the construction firm that’s building Masdar City.

Masdar City is bringing Blade Runner to the fore? No one wants to live in a city full of replicants, even if it’s eco-friendly. Someone better call Deckard to fix this mess before it gets out of hand.

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Combine the urban security suit with the augmented reality mask and you get the future outfit of pro-tennis. A recent Lacoste ad, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the brand, shows a player dressed in a ridiculous garment, playing tennis in a fictional, digitally-enhanced room. The racket has robotic features and assembles itself right out of the bag.

The walls measure the speed of your slice and even returns the ball to the player.  Seems pretty intense for a tennis game but I’d be willing to play if I could ditch the ridiculously queer outfit.

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Toasters aren’t merely an appliance to be used as your own discretion for the sole purpose of toasting your bread. Toasters are more like an introverted roommate who not only makes your breakfast but also has a sleek sense of style.

PC Magazine has written a 10 Tantalizing Toaster Concepts list that features a variety of toasters with bizarre looks; even some with multi-functional use. They even have a wall mounted toaster which looks like a hamburger phone. Click on to scope out some of the other designs and a link to the 10 toasters.

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Victor Vetterlein has designed a vision of what conceptual homes of the future will look like. I am easily reminded of the bizarre looking “arcologies” you could build in SimCity 2000. Dubbed “Reboot,” the futuristic living-space is supposed to be a self-sufficient and environment friendly take on everyday living.

Everything about its interior is digitally controlled and designed to be operated by voice activated sensors, touch pad and remote controls a la mobile phone or computer. Anyone old enough to read this will probably never live to see a house like this in which they could afford, but one can dream.

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