Compact, lightweight and highly portable, this mobile charging unit by Nils Ferber weighs around a pound and can provide power day and night, particularly on windy hills for remote hikers.

The Swiss designer made the unit fold up into something about the size of a hiking pole (indeed, if he can make it more robust, perhaps it could even double as one!), after he continued to run out of juice on long treks.

For mountaineers, climbers or expedition leaders, the choice makes a lot of sense: solar power depends on access to the sun, which can be intermittent, but wind is often present on high exposed ground. It is designed to be robust, withstanding strong winds and storms, while generating as much power as possible.

The Micro Wind Turbine is lighter than most of its competitors and can capture a relatively high volume of wind thanks to how far it unfolds. A simple adapter jack lets users plug in smartphones, flashlights, cameras and other devices one might want to keep handy on a long hike.

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Computers keep getting smaller, but our need to type still demands space, be it a cramped screen keyboard of clunky peripheral. Thus the Tap Strap, a flexible plastic gadget that slots onto you fingers.

The operation is simple: tap your thumb on a surface to turn it on, then begin tapping away on that same surface and let a micro-controller unit relay your typing via Bluetooth to phones, tablets, TVs or computers. That surface can be just about anything, from your own forearm to a tabletop or even the top of your head.

Of course, there is a learning curve, but the makers also made Tap Genius, which helps teach users the required gestures. Supposedly it only takes an hour to learn the basics (but presumably not to get to normal typing speed, special characters, numbers and all). The battery lasts for up to three days of idle time or four hours of continuous use, then recharges via micro-USB.

This may or may not be the next quantum leap in input methods, but it does suggest there is room for other configurations than QWERTY, particularly as predictive tech takes off in parallel. It could also be a great game input device and way to interact with virtual reality simulations where you are up and moving.

The post Tap Strap: Wearable Device Turns Anything into a Keyboard first appeared on Gajitz.

When Hyperkin teased an Android phone accessory that would let users play their old favorite Game Boy games, it was more serious than the viral press realized. The old images, shown above, have been replaced by new press releases, tied to upcoming sales of the actual device enhancer below:

The company is now offering the device add-on for pre-orders in the form of the Smart Boy Development Kit, available for $60.

When it was first published, it was intended as an April Fool’s joke, but so many fans expressed interest the company went ahead and got to work on the physical device.

So far, they have not announced an iPhone version, but that was the original idea so it may well be in the works, too. For now, “The Smartboy Development Kit attaches to Android smartphones, turning the phone into a handheld gaming device. It will be compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges. Included in the kit is an open source serial app and firmware, which will enable developers of all kinds to advance Hyperkin’s current build toward a retail-ready model. Hyperkin is offering a royalty percentage – of retail-ready Smartboy units sold – to anyone that can improve the Smartboy’s serial app and firmware. Updates and builds of the serial app and firmware can be uploaded to a dedicated Hyperkin Lab forum. Hyperkin Lab is dedicated to product testing and development.”

The post Smart Boy: Android Add-On Plays Vintage Game Boy Cartridges first appeared on Gajitz.

Each little ‘match’ features a stick-mounted LED that comes in a variety of colors and illuminates when pressed and can be left on for hands-free activity.

In total, a single little pack of these matches can provide 64 hours of emergency lighting, each individual stick ‘burning’ for 8 hours before flickering out.

Designed by Matchbox Instruments, the design is currently a prototype and its components disposable, but they hope to bring it to market with rechargeable or replaceable battery options.

Sure, you could also carry a flashlight, but this is small and handy, something you could toss in a purse or pocket or bug-out bag.

The post 64 Hours of Light: Pack of 8-Hour Emergency LED ‘Matches’ 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.