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I bet most people will change their wishes of owning a large apartment, after seeing the compact building found in Tokyo. Called as “Reflection of Mineral”, the 44 sqm house looks just like a piece of paper art from the outside, but still features the full functionality, including a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom inside it. And the point I love most is the half-open garage on the ground—that’s really a clever way to make efficient use of space. So you’d like one such house, too? Contact with the Japanese architect Yasuhiro Yamashita then.

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You need an electrical bicycle? You need a lightweight bicycle? You still need an eco-friendly bicycle? Well, what you want is rightly the Carbon Fiber Electric Bike by Ralf Kittmann. The concept bike adopts the carbon fiber—which is highly conductive—to take the place of wires as a power distribution network. So when the electricity is generated from the special electric installation built inside the frame, it will be transferred to power the motors between the rims and the lights. That energy will also be used to drive the system to turn the wheel, by using a counter-turning axel in lieu of gears and chains. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Sad seeing the red light, delighted with the green light, and feel nothing special about the yellow light…

Recently, scientists from South Korea have achieved a transmission rate of up to 10Mbps in an experiment with human arm, rather than the conventional internet connections. The research is based on skin’s high efficiency of transmitting date. Compared with wireless devices that rely on batteries, the device could reduce the energy needs for a monitoring network by 90% or so, and that’s really a significant discovery for us to save the limited energy. Hopefully that will be soon developed into medical devices, which could reduce the needs of messy electrical wires, by monitoring the blood sugar or electrical activity in the heart. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Hey, guys, it’s time to wave goodbye to the airplanes which only offers you confined spaces and boring time, since the New Zealand-based Martin Aircraft Co. has provided us a cleverer alternative, the Martin Jetpack. Unveiled at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s 2008 Air Venture held in the US, the personal helicopter is deemed by the Federal Aviation Administration as “an experimental ultra-light airplane”. Moreover, the Martin Jetpack is also considered as the world’s first practical device. Though still called as a ‘jetpack’, the device actually uses a gasoline (premium) engine with two ducted fans to provide lift. Getting needed power from a full fuel tank, it could fly for about 30minutes, with a theoretical speed of 60 miles per hour. Wearing a price tag of $86,000, the first ten jetpacks will be put on the market this year.

Video after the break. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Aimed at offices and hotels where quite a lot of electrical appliances are needed, the Flexicords Cable could be easily bent into various shapes so as to solve the common problem of messy wires on tables and floors. The Flexicords set includes both short sizes and super long sizes. [Read the rest of this entry...]

I’m not a man good at maintaining stability, so skating and roller skates are just something I couldn’t handle or control. But maybe those people alike I should try skating again, with the innovative Chariot Skates. It features a big wheel and a smaller wheel, compared to conventional roller skates having two rows of wheels. The bigger wheel enables you to gain and maintain momentum with less effort, and the smaller wheel is intended for a good stability. Not only shaped like a bike (without handles or seat), the Chariot Skates are also driven in the same way as you ride on your bike: simply push the pedals and go! [Read the rest of this entry...]

No doubt the development of technology has greatly changed our life, and we wouldn’t agree with that more after we’ve seen the continuous improvement of LED films. Dubbed LightForm, the world’s first flexible LED lighting film measure 254mm long and 12.7mm wide, with an average thickness of less than 1mm. Moreover, it could be easily cut into various shapes, according to your different needs—attaching them onto your car or even sew them onto your clothes. Available in red, amber, green and blue colors, the LED film is priced from $ 26.95 (no battery included) to $29.95 (a battery included). [Read the rest of this entry...]

Everybody knows clearly that daily consumption of water could be recycled by rainwater, which could then be purified and used again to meet our daily needs of pure water. But the problem is: we seldom know how to ‘harvest’ and recycle rainwater effectively. Possibly the ‘Capture The Rain’ skyscraper will show us a new way. The concept building features a special roof to collect as much rainwater as it possible, as well as reservoirs under the roof to store large amounts of water. Apart from meeting its inhabitants’ daily need, rainwater collected by the skyscraper will also be stored in reservoir under the building for other uses. [Read the rest of this entry...]

See what happens when furniture, snacks, daily necessities, and even the humans are adopted as a main element of the chess, the results are incredible and of course remarkable…Designed by a group of contemporary artists, ‘the art of chess’ will be exhibited at project b gallery held in milan next month, but you’ll see them on I New Idea far ahead of that time.

Enjoy more pics after the break. [Read the rest of this entry...]

After lengthy years of research and development, an Austria-based company is ready to launch their first brain-computer interface, the ‘Intendix’. It utilizes an electrical cap worn on the user’s head to capture brainwaves, which will then be transferred to the computer to complete certain commands. Since what you have to do to control your computer is to think, you’ll have your hands and mouth free, and that’s also why the system is believed perfect for hands-impaired people. But at present, it is only being used for writing and playing advanced video games. [Read the rest of this entry...]

No matter what you normally do with your old hoodie, the method here will still interest you a lot. So what are you waiting for? Follow the instructions shown in the pictorial and transform your hoodie into a functional backpack then! [Read the rest of this entry...]

The ExiTool concept has been designed as an essential safety gadget for car drivers, and the users will find it especially practical when they have to break the seat belts and get out of the car quickly. The emergency tool comes with a seat belt cutter, a tungsten carbide window breaker and a LED flashlight. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Coming in a similar outlook as the famous Sydney Opera, the design we’re to argue about is actually a pop-up camper, which is surprisingly luxury than you’ve ever thought！It features everything you can find in a presidential suite or a sumptuous apartment: a teak veranda, ceramic toilet, electrically adjustable beds, water heater, hot air heater and even the low-energy LED floor lighting. Its price? Well, as the old saying goes, if you have to ask, you can’t afford one. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Why is a building famous? The reason is apparently different: some are well-known because of the ingenious architects, or due to the significant locations, but there’re still some buildings that become attractive just because they’re surprisingly ’slim’! So right here are several skinny buildings we’ve collected for you guys, the building above is Haussmann building in Paris, and continue reading for more fun! [Read the rest of this entry...]