Cycling in Sweden, where it is cold and snowy for nearly half of the year, is not an easy feat, but this new bike makes it possible to do so in comfort and (a strange kind of) style.

Swedish design engineer Mikael Kjellman developed the PodRide, a velomobile or bicycle-car that can travel across tough terrain, including snow- or ice-covered roads and hills.

The four-wheeled, human-powered vehicle is covered in waterproof fabric and looks like a compact European car, but narrow enough to work either on a street or a bicycle path. Instead of doors, the whole hood lifts up to let the driver (or: biker) in and out.

The bike corners and steers remarkably well and comes equipped with studded tires, a small trunk, a heated windshield, an adjustable back-supporting seat and front and rear lights powered by a battery. Basically a car, but no gas needed, but a power assist is available for those who want it. It even has a hookup so you can tow a trailer with extra belongings or small children.

“Bicycle Cars are practical, good for your health, cheap to run, good for the environment, and fun to drive,” said Kjellman. “They require no new and advanced technology to work and they would not cost much if they were mass-produced.”

The post Car-Shaped Shell Conceals Awesome All-Weather Bicycle first appeared on Gajitz.

The upwardly mobile Scalevo wheelchair is like the electric wheelchair’s badass cousin. Looking a little like a motorcycle and inspired by Segway technology, Scalevo balances on two wheels. When it approaches a set of stairs, a pair of tank treads extend to let the chair easily ascend or descend with no outside help.

The Scavelo rolls around nimbly on its two wheels; when the rider needs to climb a staircase, he backs the seat up to the stairs. The seat lifts up a bit to keep him level at all times, at the same time exposing the tank treads. The treads slowly roll up one step at a time. At the top of the stairs, a tiny set of wheels pop down to make a smooth transition from stair-climbing configuration to the regular riding configuration.

Even when not traversing staircases, the Scavelo is pretty impressive. It’s equipped with headlights and taillights and a body that is far more attractive than we’re used to seeing on a wheelchair. The current iteration of the Scavelo doesn’t move very quickly and the climbing modes have to be set manually, but those issues will be resolved as the technology is refined further.

Created by a team of ten electrical engineering and industrial design students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Zurich University of the Arts, the Scalevo seen here is a prototype. The students behind it plan to enter it in Cybathlon, an athletic event for physically disabled people using assistive technology.

The post Upwardly Mobile Wheelchair Climbs Staircases With Ease first appeared on Gajitz.

Losing a set of keys or a wallet is almost a daily occurrence for some, but luckily we live in a time when electronics can protect us from ourselves and our tendencies to walk off without important stuff.

Where’s Wallet from designer Daniel Eckler is a simple, attractive wallet that contains a secret: an integrated sensor that, when synced with an app on the user’s phone, keeps track of the wallet’s whereabouts.

Users can set a distance range they feel comfortable with; if their wallet travels outside of this perimeter, the app will send a notification along with Where’s Wallet’s last known location.

Even more helpful for the incredibly forgetful among us is an audio tracking function that guides you to wherever you put down your wallet (like in the pocket of the jacket you wore last night instead of on your dresser). Activate the search function from the app and the wallet lets out an audible ping to guide you right to it. Handy for those mornings when you just can’t seem to open your eyes enough to gather all of your stuff.

Where’s Wallet comes in an ultra-streamlined slip style to hold just a few cards; bi-fold design for carrying a bit more; and clutch style for even more space. All styles are made from a beautiful vegetable-tanned leather that develops a distinctive and lovely distressed look as it ages.

The post Where’s Wallet? Tracking Device Billfold for the Forgetful first appeared on Gajitz.

If you start the video below and then go browse in another tab, leaving the audio running, you’ll probably swear you’re listening to some weird but beautiful electronic music. But the sounds are actually produced by the Yaybahar, an acoustic stringed instrument invented by Turkish musician Görkem Şen.

The bonkers instrument is completely electricity-free and made of springs, strings, and frame drums. Vibrations from the strings travel down the coiled springs to the frame drums, where they are turned into sounds that bounce back and forth on the springs. Şen plays the Yaybahar by drumming on the frame drums, smacking the horizontal springs, and strumming or plucking the vertical strings.

The sounds it makes are otherworldly. They range from light and melodic to deep and ominous; thanks to the nature of the instrument the sounds resonate for sustained periods and create layers upon layers of sound. The performance in the video was filmed in real time with no special effects or post processing. Watch the video until the end and you’ll hear the musician sneak in a bit of “Ode to Joy” just to make music nerds squeal with delight.

The post This Acoustic Instrument Sounds Like it Comes From Space first appeared on Gajitz.

It’s hard enough for us to remember to take our keys every time we leave the house, but also remembering the numeric combinations for combo locks? Out of the question. We usually end up either putting the combination on the back of the lock or eventually breaking the thing when we can’t remember whether that was supposed to be an 11 or a 17.

The Image Lock is a quirky way to secure your stuff without the pressure of memorizing combinations (which are basically just more passwords on top of all of the digital ones you already have to remember). Instead of using numbers to unlock, the Image Lock uses – you probably guessed this already – images. So instead of remembering random strings of numbers, the combination for your tool shed is Star-Monkey-Chicken, and the one to open your bike is Heart-Umbrella-Heart.

Ali Nawaz is the former US Marine who invented the Image Lock. On the front lines in Afghanistan, he saw a need to physically secure items but noticed how hard it was to remember multiple numeric codes. He figured the Image Lock could make life a little simpler since you could even make up a little story to go along with the pictures in your combination. The Image Lock hit up Kickstarter for initial funding and just barely met its goal, meaning that the cool low-tech password-overload solution should be available for purchase soon.

The post Storage Story: Combo Lock Opens With Pics, not Numbers first appeared on Gajitz.