GoCycle, a light electric bicycle

Three hours of pedaling is quite exhausting for someone who hadn’t had the chance to ride a bicycle for a very long period of time. It’s not like I forgot to ride the bicycle, as I heard some people saying, but it was quite an experience to become comfortable, just like I used to be when such activities were on my daily program.

It’s a very nice feeling to have a walk in the city riding the bicycle, even if you will certainly be hit by affirmations like “What in earth is wrong with these guys and their bicycles?” (at least, this is what happens here in my country, where people are four-wheeled, if I may say so, and tend to be violent when it comes to such means of transportation).

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You don’t have to be one of the followers of the eco-friendly movement in order to opt for a healthier alternative of spending your free time, even if, in fact, an increase in the number of those who ride a bicycle on a regular basis instead riding a car would do good for the environment.

The GoCycle is a light electric bicycle that can be used by those who have to do intra-city travel. Presented as the world’s lightest production electric bicycle, the GoCycle weighs no more than 16.2 kilograms. The small size shouldn’t worry you, because it can move you from one place to another for approximately 20 miles at a top speed of 15 miles per hour. The recharge time is of 3 hours and a half.

Equipped with a sealed for life chain, with a pretty nice suspension system and a three-speed gearing, this light electric bicycle will cost you approximately £1,158.

(Source: coolest-gadgets.com)

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Vertical wind turbines from Optiwind

Traditional wind turbines that we all know very well, with three blades and everything, are created by their designers to work in wide-open areas where there is plenty of wind to help them function just like should. They are great when it comes to plains, for example, but in other parts they are a little bit difficult to adjust.

But here we have some brand new vertical wind turbines, coming from Optiwind, called the Optiwind Compact Wind Accelerating Turbines, which are perfect for areas where the density is very high and the wind is quite low.

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The turbines in discussion are provided with five small bladed fans that are able to funnel in wind. This way, the wind is accelerated, the speeds are cranked up and more power is generated. On one hand, the turbine is smaller than others, measuring only six meters in diameter, so the blades are shorter than those of a traditional wind turbine (these usually go for 80 meters or so). And do you what this means? Well, you can use these vertical wind turbines in those places where you lack space. Think of schools, for example, think of hospitals, or hotels.

There are two different models: the 150 kilowatt, which is aimed at buildings that use electricity of approximately $35,000 per year, while the 300 kilowatt one is expected to work for those places where the energy consumption is higher than $75,000.

(Source: Dvice)

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Fancy Electrolux dishwasher

I thank God I have a washing machine in my house. This is something I couldn’t live without, that’s for certain. But a dishwasher? Come on, I can’t say my entire life, up until this moment, was a genuine nightmare just because I have never has a dishwasher, even though some people would say it’s a must in each and every house.

However, I can say I had a pretty nice life without one, so the fact that there’s a brand new Electrolux dishwasher concept here for us doesn’t make me feel a whole lot happier than I was before.

If I think about it, a dishwasher would be nothing but another device to waste more energy which would lead to greater amounts of money spent every month. Not to mention the fact that many people complain about the fact that they use too much water between the cycles.

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The Electrolux dishwasher is said to be working with air and UV rays in order to have your dishes all cleaned up, so that the water consumption is diminished. But it has enough room for only two dishes, which is not only impractical, but also quite pathetic.

This is just a concept for the moment, but I don’t see any reason for someone to impatiently wait for it to come true. This is my humble opinion.

(Source: coolest-gadgets.com)

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K-Light, a Pisat solar lantern

There are never enough solar gadgets available in the market, so a solar lantern is probably the best thing that could ever happen, especially when it comes to those who are eager to help and save the environment.

Not to mention the fact that the situations when you go camping, for example, you’d really need such a device, because it was designed to face the toughest environment ever. The K-Light is very innovative, being powered by the sun, which turns the lantern into an eco-friendly one. It’s not bigger than a can o soda, and it’s the perfect mixture between a battery that charges from the sun and bright light-emitting diodes (LEDs, to be more precise), which are efficient in terms of energy.

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Due to the fact that it’s lightweight, the solar lantern is perfect for outdoor activities, but you can also use it as an emergency light. On the other hand, is resistant to water and can be used as a flashlight or as a lantern, it’s your pick!

As for the features, the device comes with two different power settings, low and high, handles that are not only safe, but also durable, and that you can rotate 360 degrees, 16 bright white LEDs, a 7.2 volt and 1.6 Ahr NiMH battery that is rechargeable, a lifespan of 10 years (if used daily) and a 1.5 Watt solar panel.

The solar panel is available at Pisat Solar for about $49.95.

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How the best toilet would look like?

When it comes to toilets, people are not very pretentious. They don’t really care about the way their toilet looks like, about the color or things like that. Actually, if you think about it, that would be the last straw, for people to start complaining about the toilet and the fact that it doesn’t suit to their needs or preferences. As far as I’m concerned, a toilet should be clean! It should be the cleanest thing ever, I might add, but no more than that.

However, it seems that people are more interested in the design of such a fixture, which leads to all sorts of weird models that you wouldn’t have think of in a million years.

As a consequence, a team of students of the ASU College of Design was given the ultimate recognition during this spring for a unique toilet design concept by the NDI (also known as Northwest Design Invitational). Called Go With the Flo, the toilet was designed by a team led by John Takamura and Dosun Shin, who are members of the College of Design faculty, and Tamara Christensen, respective Dean Bacalzo, who are both students of the Master of Science in Design.

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At first glance, you might think that the toilet is similar with the squat toilets that are so uncomfortable, but, according to the designers, this one is based on yoga principles, helping those who use to work their abdominal and back muscles.

“The Flo toilet is an ergonomic, sustainable design concept for baby boomers that functions like a squat toilet. Designers maintain that using the Flo toilet is akin to yoga – by building and strengthening abdominal and back muscles. Only one-half to one gallon of water is used for flushing and The Flo reuses water from hand washing. To flush water from the tanks to the toilet, the Flo employs an electromagnetic ball valve.”

The best thing about the Flo is that is entirely eco-friendly, as it not depends on electric power whatsoever. I don’t really know if this is how the best toilet would/will look like, but it would be nice for the Flo to hit the mass production someday.

(Source: ASU via coolest-gadgets.com)

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