A wonderful way to keep kids interested in the outside world rather than glued to a small screen on road trips, this interactive window design lets riders zoom into passing landscapes, test vocabulary skills and make video games out of scenic surroundings. But you really need to see it to understand its potential, so take a look at the short video below:

The core concept is simple: let windows appear simply transparent, then overlay a series of custom functions that can be adjusted to suit different needs and moods. A child (or adult, for that matter) can opt to label passing phenomena, or draw around animals, trees, houses and more while stopped (then let their work slide off the screen when the car starts up again). Video games can also be designed to incorporate elements creating all kinds of augmented reality possibilities.

It can also be turned to purely functional purposes, making that ‘zoom and enhance’ trick we are often fooled by on CSI shows into a real technique for looking closer at things around us. Screenshots can be captured, too — no more fumbling around for a camera while a cool sight passes you by.

Companies like Taptl are adapting the same technologies for boats and other luxury vehicles, but as with anything: what starts out expensive will only get cheaper and more accessible with time. And as vehicles go driverless, these could end up transforming how we view and use front windows, too.

The post Touchscreen Car Windows Turn Back Back-Seat Views into Interactive Games first appeared on Gajitz.

A pair of New York designers have made a sweet bag that appears to turn its holder’s hands into a set of grippers instantly recognizable as being the claws of a little human LEGO figure.

Junho Lee and Hyun Chul Choi designed the bag to feature the LEGO logo as well as the iconic raised bumps found on the tops of interlocking LEGO toys.

The claws rise above the sides of the bag while the user holds onto fabric handles within it so their wrists match up and it looks like their LEGO hands are doing all the work.

The post LEGO Geek Shopping Bag Turns Hands into Figurine Claws first appeared on Gajitz.

A growing company called Precious Plastic is developing a line of tools to let anyone convert waste plastic into usable objects, turning trash, as they say, into treasure.

Started by Dave Hakkens, a 27 year old Dutch designer, their system of modular machines are being made available with free plans anyone can download then construct with basic tools and local materials. These machines let you spin plastic into cord or even use it to 3D-print complex objects.

Last year the world produced nearly 311 million tons of plastic, but less than 10% of that was recycled. Most of it ends up in landfills, oceans and even animals.

The goal of Precious Plastic is to make recycling open-source and universally-available, ultimately as cheap and easy as throwing something away, and a way not only to help the environment but for people to save money, too

The post Precious Plastic: DIY Recycling + 3D Printing Machines first appeared on Gajitz.

A bit like zipping up a coat, this “zipper truck” assembles tunnels and arches by fitting together concrete blocks from both sides, eliminating the need for mortar while also cutting down construction time by up to 90 percent.

The truck component is backed by a system of rollers around a metal core. The locking blocks slide into place as the truck rolls slowly forward, like closing an interlocking zipper. No special joinery is needed, plenty of strength and seismic resistance are achieved and, maybe best of all, the blocks can always be uncoupled later and reused elsewhere.

Used for everything from tunnels and shelters to archways and overpasses, the system is exceedingly fast: 24 hours for a quarter mile of tunnel. Most of the heavy lifting is done by the machine, with workers simply feeding blocks into the system and moving the truck forward.

The post ‘Zipper Truck’ Turns ‘Lego’ Blocks into Tunnel in 24 Hours first appeared on Gajitz.

The Archelis is a ‘wearable chair’ designed for professionals who cannot afford to take a seat, unless they take it along with them, like surgeons working around an operating table.

Consider any job that involves a lot of standing or walking, like a barista at a coffee shop or bartender at the pub or painter at his easel. Even an everyday commuter on the busy subway could benefit.

The device wraps around a user’s legs, looking like an integrated pair of braces, but locking into position to provide support on demand, even while the user is effectively half-standing.

There are a lot of potential other applications as well, for elderly or infirm persons, but also perhaps, as they are further refined (less bulky), simply for everyday use, letting us all walk around and ‘sit’ whenever we want.

The post Wearable Chair: Exoskeleton Lets You Walk & Sit Anywhere first appeared on Gajitz.