Future Sights!  Top 10 Displays at Today's “NEXT” Exhibit

THE COUNTDOWN (from cool to coolest!)

10        ECO-CARS

9          ECO-ENERGY PRODUCTS

8          AWESOME DIGITAL GRAPHICS

7          THE CLIMATE TIME MACHINE

6          PERSONAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT DISPLAY

5          THE CHICAGO 100-YEAR ECO-PROJECT

4          “BRAIN BALL”

3          THE IMMERSE-A-DOME

2          MODULAR SNAKE ROBOTS

1          SELF-GATHERING NEWS!

DETAILS:

10        ECO-CARS:

Hybrids, plug-ins,

Very low center of gravity cars:

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/10/11/wired-nextfest-imagine-ps-roadster/

Very light cars, Re. the light ones:

Q “What about crashes?”

A “The crumple zones and chassis are designed to channel the crash energy around the passengers and not to get into the cabin.”

The Personal Car:  ONE-PERSON ELECTRIC CAR –

“Personal Mobility” – the 2005 Toyota iSwing – can ride it with a top/windshield on or off-- looks like a glorified wheelchair – can use it with 3 wheels or with 2.

VIDEO OF IT: http://cnettv.cnet.com/?type=externalVideoId&value=6459325

VIDEO OF THE SIMILAR iReal: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/notag/video-of-toyota-i+real-vehicle-shows-future-of-lazy-geek-transportation-315392.php

9          ECO-ENERGY PRODUCTS:

“Xtreme” concentrated photo-voltaic cells; plastic made from CO2; the “peri” -- personal environment impact report patched into a nationwide databank and display; biofuel from rapidly-reproducing microalgae; reusable paper from Xerox.

A lounge chair had the seat suspended on invisible magnetic fields, all from natural magnets.

Also indelible printing.  Personalized event  tickets showing your name. They say typical paper usage results in 40% waste; new methods would give 5% waste. Uses UV light; regular light bleaches the paper clean

http://www.xerox.com/innovation/exp_paper.shtml 

From their Palo Alto Research Center Park.  “Cleantech” http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2008/03/xerox_and_parc.php

8          AWESOME DIGITAL GRAPHICS:

Giga-pan:  software that pulls together into giant panoramic shots any number of component pictures you give it.

“Flower”:  the fields of barley meet the city – video game interfaces with very believable wavy forms mixed with hi-tech,  urbanistic  elements in video game environments.  Lovely!

7          THE CLIMATE TIME MACHINE: educational display. Pull a little slider below the display and the whole world map changes by time value showing the eco-facts of the planet at that time.

6          PERSONAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT DISPLAY: this database tracks the individual’s energy use footprint and plots it on a national map, attempting to understand sustainability behavior at the micro-level.

5          THE CHICAGO 100-YEAR PROJECT:  The Chinese have a 50-year economics plan.   There is now an effort to make Chicago sustainable and green.  This is a continuation of the Daniel Burnham “make no small plans” philosophy about our future.  This is an attempt to coordinate efforts from many sources into a commonly-desired result.

4          “BRAIN BALL”: Two players sit across from each other at a table and control where the ball between the goes using only their minds.  A headband picks up their brain waves.

3          THE IMMERS-A-DOME: multi-sensory, immersive movies. You get into a seat and over you is lowered a spherical windshield that is an iMax-like immersive screen. As the show plays, these things happen:

–you feel strong vibrations in your neck through the frame

--a kid catches a fish and holds it up – you smell the fish

--bees go after pollen in flowers – you smell the flowers

--someone takes an apple pie out of an oven – you smell it

2          MODULAR SNAKE ROBOTS: these allow very precise manipulation at a distance.  Could help with emergency rescues.

1          SELF-GATHERING NEWS:

“Every Block” –site lists lost items found, crimes, real estate listings, news – all about your specific block!

“News at Seven” – brainchild of a team at Northwestern. This is a rich-content self-generating nightly news report, all pulled for the web.

Here are all the exhibits to judge for yourself!  Each one links to much more detailed information and, often, to videos and demos.

http://www.wirednextfest.com/inform/2008/exhibits.php

Thank you all!  A super event!

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What is “NEXT” in our club?

Sign up and join us!

http://science.meetup.com/77/calendar/8815989/

--Robb Murray