Working in an office comes with its share of ups and downs. On the positive side, we get to work with a variety of people who can fuel our creativity and keep us motivated. The downside to that space-sharing, of course, is that not all of us are on the same mental schedule. This weird-looking helmet might just help you escape the noise of your officemates when you need to remove yourself from the din for a while.

The design comes from the creative minds at Hochu Rayu, who call it the Helmfon. The designers envision this bubble-headed haven as a portable fiberglass and polyethylene foam privacy booth. Inside, not only is the noise from your surroundings eliminated; the interior headphones can also pipe in your favorite music or relaxing sounds.

In fact, there’s even enough space on the inside to keep your smartphone nearby for conducting important Skype conversations or watching videos in peace. Thanks to an integrated system board, there’s even the possibility of adding custom functions to the helmet in the future.

The designers even envision the helmet coming in a variety of colors and special designs. You’d have to work in a very special kind of environment to feel comfortable wearing a giant Minion head to escape your coworkers’ noise all day.

As cool as this idea is for a workplace productivity tool, it could easily be adapted to help those with sensory issues adapt to and thrive in their environments. Shutting out audio and visual stimulation can help the person with sensory processing issues “reset” his or her brain and emerge calmer and ready to return to their day.

The post Business Bobble Head Blocks Unwanted Office Noises first appeared on Gajitz.

The first of its kind, a new hydrogen-powered passenger train is being developed by a French company and slated to be used in Germany starting next year. The ultra-quiet “hydrail” transit system is powered by hydrogen fuel cells that give off steam and water. The train pulls from a hydrogen fuel tank stored on the roof that generates electrical energy.

The aim is to start replacing some of Europe’s diesel-burning trains, many of which still run across the continent. Alstom unveiled the new train at InnoTrans, an annual trade show in Berlin this week. The initial test set will include 14 trains of this design, with testing and approval starting later this year.

Starting at the end of 2017, the train will run on the Buxtehude-Bremervörde-Bremerhaven-Cuxhaven line in the northwestern German state of Lower Saxony. Lower Saxony’s local transportation authority has meanwhile ordered 14 trains of the type. Testing and approval by the German Federal Railway Authority Eisenbahn-Bundesamt will commence in fall 2016 and is expected to be completed by end of 2017.

The Coradia iLint may be the world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger train, but it’s certainly not the first vehicle to run on hydrogen fuel cells. Stan Thompson, former strategic planner at AT&T and long-term advocate of the use of hydrogen for rail transportation, coined the term “hydrail” in 2004 to describe any type of rail vehicle that uses hydrogen fuel cells. There have been prototypes and hybrid trains in the meantime, most notably in Japan.

Meanwhile, Deutsche Bahn, the largest railway operator in Europe, is working Hyperloop Transportation Technologies to bring its futuristic technologies to its train fleet. As green energy initiatives go, Germany continues to lead the pack, seeking out and testing sustainable tech for mass transportation systems and otherwise.

The post World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Train Arriving in Germany first appeared on Gajitz.

A lovely design from concept to execution, these silent-running wind power generators are designed to look like abstract trees, combining elements of sculptural art and sustainable energy creation.

With the rustling of leaves in mind, New Wind has been developing this design to work with low-cost materials and modular parts that can be packed into boxes then shipped to and assembled on sites around the world.

For now, prototypes have gone up in Paris to gauge public reaction but so far opinions are positive: these don’t exhibit the same tacky fakery found in semi-camouflaged cell towers, managing to look nice while remaining clearly artificial. Additionally, the distribution of power generation (described below) makes the entire system run quietly so as not to add to urban noise.

Aesthetics aside, the technology is quite ingenious: tiny blades turn inside each ‘leaf’, in turn feeding power back into the branches, trunk and ultimately nearby lights, wifi stations and/or other things needing electric power (much in the same way a leaf in nature generates energy and feeds it back into the rest of a plant.

The post A Leaf on the Wind: Urban Turbines Look Like Artful Trees first appeared on Gajitz.