The week in gadgets: Facial recognition security, cyclist safety paint and a cheesy 3D printer


6 Apr 2015

The week in gadgets: Facial recognition security, safety paint and an easy cheesy 3D printer

This week in gadget happenings, a home security system that uses facial-recognition tech, cyclist safety paint, and a cheese 3D printer.

Philips Hue Go

The latest addition to Philips’ popular Hue line of smartphone-controlled lighting products, the Hue Go, is a portable, rechargeable lamp that offers plenty of illumination in a pretty small body.

The Hue Go can be controlled by an iOS or Android device via the accompanying app or any compatible third-party app, allowing users to to set timers, notifications, alarms, geo-fencing and more.

In addition, the on-product control allows users to browse through seven preset light settings, including the soothingly named ‘warm white light’ and ‘cool daylight’.

The lamp will last up to three hours on a single charge and, while it technically can be used outdoors, potential buyers should note that it’s not waterproof.

LifePaint 

Volvo Car UK has teamed up with UK creative agency Grey London and Swedish start-up Albedo100 to launch a new product aimed at keeping cyclists safe on the road.

LifePaint is a unique reflective spray that, while invisible during the daytime, reacts to a car’s headlights at night, illuminating the objects it has been applied to.

A washable material, LifePaint doesn’t only keep cyclists safe. It can be applied to pedestrians’ clothes and shoes, even dog leads and collars. The product lasts for approximately one week after application and won’t leave any lasting damage on your threads.

While applying paint (even one as innovative as this) might seen quite low-tech, Volvo is also currently working on the development of Intellisafe, a safety system which combines radar sensors and cameras to identify other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. With Intellisafe, vehicles automatically brake when they are about to come into contact with another entity.

Origibot

Billed as the ‘world’s most affordable telepresence robot with arm and gripper’, Origibot is a fully robotic platform that runs via a user’s Android phone or tablet, which essentially serves as the eyes and ears of the machine.

With the smartphone acting as the robot’s communication hub, Origibot offers a two-way audio-visual experience, with a second connected device acting as the remote control for the robot’s movements.

The product’s Indiegogo page cites opening doors, getting water, and giving Grandma her meds as tasks that Origibot can complete, meaning you’ll never have to get off your sofa again. The company do, however, assert that “this is an experimental robot and cannot be relied upon to provide care to any people or pets”.

Don’t say you weren’t warned.

iCaptura

The iCaptura is a security system that uses facial-recognition technology to identify strangers and unusual movements.

As soon as the hardware – which comes in the form of a pretty weird-looking plastic animal with an in-built camera – locks in on an intruder, its accompanying app sends real-time alerts to your smartphone and connected authorities.

iCaptura is currently seeking backing via Indiegogo. Check out a rather dramatic demonstration of the product below.

Easy Cheese 3D Printer

Looking to add to his five-star canon of inventions, which includes the High Five Camera and the Wu-Tang Tip Jar, inventor Andrew Maxwell-Parish is currently developing a spray-cheese printer he calls the Easy Cheese 3D Printer.

“I’ve been trying to convince students at CCA to build this for over two years,” wrote Maxwell-Parish via his website. “They just laughed. I took matters into my own hands. Results have been… inconclusive.”

Indeed, judging from the video below, the project is not ready to be unleashed on the mainstream, but it’s an important first step for those who believe the brave new world of 3D printing has been severely lacking in dairy products.