Why buy an entirely new computer along with your drone when you already carry a powerful device with a built-in camera right in your pocket?

The PhoneDrone lets you insert your smart device right into a quadcopter shell, then fly the resulting hybrid via defined flight plans, in ‘follow’ modes or remote-control (via a tablet, computer or another smartphone). The PhoneDrone will also automatically return to you when it is running low on batteries, then folds up for easy portability.

Beyond the obvious benefits, there are some subtle ones as well – no more need to transfer photos or videos back to your device, since they will be taken with that device to begin with.

And upgrades are much easier when you are already regularly upgrading your own personal portable computing gadgets and can just insert the next one in the same drone body. The interface, of course, will be familiar as well – you can use iPhone or Android devices.

From its makers: “The PhoneDrone returns when the batteries are running low, the integrated flight management tool in the app means that you can control altitude and location for your flight path, and you can even tether the phone on-board with another phone.”

The post Phone Drone: Turn Your Mobile Device into a Flying Robot first appeared on Gajitz.

When you are operating on The Level, you can sit or stand but, either way, will be passively encouraged to stay in motion and make those 8-hour days a bit healthier and perhaps even more enjoyable.

Most Americans spend close to a full working day sitting, which is not only frustrating but also unhealthy – this inventor took lessons from his time at Teva (both regarding ergonomics and his own desk-bound experience) and put them to work in this novel (and frankly quite beautiful) device.

The Level by FluidStance “is a work platform that elicits subtle, constant movement below your feet to increase your range of motion and heart rate. Developed primarily as a tool for your immediate workspace, it can be used in common areas of both the home and office, or as a complement to a stand-up desk. The patent-pending design allows you to change the overall aesthetics via interchangeable top decks, floating bumpers, and base plates.”

This is about more than just keeping the blood flowing – excessive sitting has been linked to heart disease, cancer and depression. Many design solutions already attempt to resolve this, from spring-like seats to active health balls used as chairs. FluidStance claims extensive testing behind their work and many people have already queued up to reserve on on IndieGoGo by way of pre-ordering. A healthy mind and healthy body are linked, but whether this is the solution to reconnect both in our everyday work lives will remain to be seen.

The post FluidStance: Desk Device Blends Best of Sitting & Standing first appeared on Gajitz.

Paying tribute to vintage characteristics of old Macintosh desktop computers as well as contemporary streamlined Apple designs, this sleek combination features elements of iPhone, iPads and the Apple Air.

Developed by Curved Labs in Germany, the design features the best of all worlds: stylistic elements referencing classic computers but the complete touchscreen functionality and streamlined construction of newer models.

Iconic elements like the vintage floppy disk drive slot are reintroduced with twists, in this case: the opening becomes a port for portable flash drives.

Shown in gray, gold and silver and set face to face with the original sources of inspiration it is easy to see how the concept was derived but also where it departs from its predecessors.

The design is intended, in part, to be a statement about change over time, with an interested in preserving some kind of aesthetic integrity over generations of development.

The post Retro Hybrid: Remixing Classic Mac & Classy Apple Designs first appeared on Gajitz.

The Volvo V60 is the world’s first diesel hybrid plug-in car. To celebrate this, the company held an architecture competition called “Switch to Pure Volvo.” The winners have been re-tooling their design and have finally unveiled an interesting, not to mention cool-looking, portable car charging station.

Synthesis Design + Architecture, the winners of the competition, built what they call the ‘Pure Tension’ pavilion. It’s a beautiful awning with a shape like a warped circle and the ability to generate enough solar power to charge the car. The original goal of the minimum amount needed to charge the car was 300 watts; the current model produces 450.

Flexible photovoltaic vinyl tiles, 252 of them to be exact, cover the surface of the mesh for optimal sun exposure. Since the flaw behind solar absorption is that it’s only as powerful as its weakest link, Pure Tension disables the parts of the pavilion that don’t receive enough energy, thus providing maximum efficiency.

Only slightly more impressive than the design is the Pure Tension’s portability. It was built from 24 parts, and along with the CNC bent aluminum frame, the skin folds into ‘B-cases’ that are a tidy 65″ x 15″ x 15″. The membrane, which does the absorbing, comes in two sections that zip together. The pavilion weighs a totals of 150 lbs.

The post You Can Take it With You: New Volvo Charger Fits In Trunk first appeared on Gajitz.

500 years later, Leonardo Da Vinci’s repertoire continues to produce things that amaze. The latest is a musical instrument he dubbed the ‘viola organista,’ and a Polish concert pianist has reproduced one that’s both completely functional and absolutely beautiful.

Slawomir Zubrzycki reportedly put in an estimated 5,000 hours of work over three years, pouring $10,000 into the instrument, a true labor of love. What emerged from this creative endeavor was a beautiful contraption that’s a combination piano (or harpsichord) and bowed string instrument. This Da Vinci replica’s beauty is found in both its aesthetics and engineering.

It essentially takes the key work one would do on a piano, and instead of hammers hitting the strings to produce sound, four spinning wheels covered in horse hair do the work. It’s meant to mimic the technique one uses on a bowed string instrument. Zubrzycki pumps a pedal to make the wheels turn and when the keys are played, the strings press onto the wheels “emitting rich, sonorous tones reminiscent of a cello, an organ and even an accordion,” according to the Hindustan Times. The schematics were found among the flying machines and anatomical sketches of one of Da Vinci’s 15th century notebooks. Zubrzycki showed off his impressive sound machine at the 5th International Royal Krakow Piano Festival last month. It’s hard to decide which is more beautiful – the organista’s sound or design.

The post Da Vinci’s Dream: 15th Century Musical Device Comes to Life first appeared on Gajitz.