Nomad portable solar lighting system launches during Milan Design Week 2012

Although the 21st Century has seen the dawn of 3D printers, the discovery of new Earth-like planets and seen the rise of the convenient smart phone, approximately 1.5 billion people around the globe remain without access to a stable or safe source of light. Commonly in some of the world's poorest regions, kerosene lanterns are the standard form of night time lighting, which leads to the possibility of fires, explosions, asphyxiation and toxic fumes. Safe and renewable solar lighting presents an obvious solution to this problem and the NOMAD solar lamp has been created for just that.

Developed by the Belgium company O-Sun, the Nomad solar lamp is similar to the Solar Pebble, LuminAID, Sollight and Wakawaka. It has been created primarily to meet the needs of families in developing countries. Gizmag previewed the rechargeable solar lamp during the Salone del Mobile and due to its contemporary design and ecological attributes, we think it could even become a useful accessory around the family home or for camping adventures. The simple lamp design includes a single button for three different lighting settings, offering up to 6 hours of light at full output or 35 hours on the dimmest setting (15-percent output). Protected by a silicon disk, it can easily be placed on the ground without any risk or obstruction of light. Furthermore, the Nomad lamp can easily be suspended above a table or desk, or simply unhooked to transport anywhere just like a classic lantern. The separate solar charger can easily be affixed to walls without requiring tools, or even fastened to the metal frame of a tent by using straps. In addition the lamp can be charged with a USB plug for cloudy days or office use. The solar lamp employs LED technology for a longer lifespan and has been design to resist shocks if dropped or bumped. This is achieved by a shock absorption ring that is placed at the base of the lamp to protect it in the case of an unexpected fall, while also increasing its adherence when placed on a flat surface. The makers chose to use eco-friendly materials such as ABS and recycled packaging with a minimum of ink used, to limit production pollution and offer a better result. The product's green credentials are further boosted with the use of 12 0.18 W high-output LEDs powered by a Li-ion battery . The lamp will be available for the retail market from September 2012 and is estimated to cost €95 (US$125). The O'Sun team is also committed to distributing the lamp to developing countries through true NGO, government support and micro-credit organizations (with a sufficiently reduced price-tag).

USB drive uses voice recognition security

Fingerprint recognition has long been used to protect sensitive data on USB drives - here’s another approach. This 8GB USB storage device uses voice recognition software to detect a password spoken by the user. The Voicelok Voice Authenticating USB Drive claims to provide the world’s first voicecode security USB drive using software that can "accurately detect the specific frequencies and nuances" in its owner’s voice. We can’t vouch for how reliable this software is or whether your enterprising, voice-impersonating work colleagues will be able to get to your files. The $US49.95 device is designed to work on a PC or a Mac and there is no software installation required to set the drive up. It also comes with alternative password entry methods, just in case you come down with a bad case of laryngitis.

Urus concept signals Lamborghini’s (re)entry into luxury SUV segment

When looking for a practical daily driver, Lamborghini probably isn’t the first name that springs to mind. But the company is looking to change all that with the Urus concept car it unveiled at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show. Intended to usher in a whole new product line and capitalize on the continuing popularity of SUVs, the Urus retains the aerodynamic lines for which the company is renowned while aiming to deliver the practicality of a family car.

Lamborghini was one of the pioneers of the super-luxury SUV segment with its LM002 “Rambo-Lambo” that was produced from 1986 until 1992. While that vehicle was a success for the company, it was nothing compared to the more recent successes seen by other sportscar manufacturers in the luxury SUV segment – most notably Porsche with its Cayenne. While the boxy, angular design of the LM002 reflected its military roots – the original LM001 prototype was designed in the hopes of attracting the interest of the U.S. military – the Urus features more aerodynamic lines popularized by more recent designs in to the SUV segment, such as the Maserati Kubang and Lexus LF-Xh hybrid concept. Named after the wide-shouldered wild ancestors of domestic cattle, also known as Aurochs, the change in design from its forebear also reflects the reality that the most demanding terrain the majority of modern SUVs will need to navigate is the speed humps surrounding school zones when dropping off junior. While Lamborghini hasn’t provided details on the permanent all-wheel drive car’s powerplant, it says it is targeting an output of 600 hp (440 kW). Sticking to Lamborghini’s lightweight design philosophy, the Urus includes carbon fiber technologies throughout, allowing for what the company says will be the lowest CO2 emissions in its class.

The vehicle’s low-weight, coupled with a low center of gravity and variable height bodyshell, are designed to provide impressive handling, while a height-adjustable front spoiler aids in obstacle clearance. These, along with a deflector at the upper edge of the rear windshield that diverts airflow along the rear windshield onto the adjustable spoiler, are designed to allow the aerodynamic balance of the car to be adjusted to suit the driving conditions. Instead of conventional exterior mirrors, the Urus features small, aerodynamically designed cameras, with images displayed on two TFT screens placed on the left and right side of the cockpit. There's also a programmable TFT display located behind the steering wheel, another touchscreen display on the center tunnel for navigation, entertainment and climate controls, and another available for rear seat passengers. With only the shift paddles for the dual-clutch transmission located behind the steering wheel, indicators, lights and windshield wiper controls are incorporated into the multifunction steering wheel or center console. Reflecting the vehicle’s family-friendly aspirations, there are four seats with plenty of room for luggage or shopping bags. It measures 1.99 m (6.53 ft) wide and, sitting atop 24-inch wheels, it is quite a bit lower than its competitors at just 1.66 m (5.45 ft). Although the vehicle on show is just a concept, Lamborghini has provided strong indications the vehicle will enter production. “The Urus is a very concrete idea for the future of Lamborghini – as a third model line and as the perfect complement to our super sports cars,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. Lamborghini says it will target markets in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Russia, the Middle East and China with the Urus ... and given where the launch took place, the latter is clearly seen as an important market for luxury SUVs). While only just over 300 of the LM002 were produced in its seven-year run, the company says the Urus could conceivably see production numbers of around 3,000 per year.

Lamborghini teams with BMC on (very) high-end racing bicycle

While many of us dream of one day owning a supercar, few will ever get the opportunity. The cost of ownership is huge; from the purchase price to the insurance, from the fuel costs to the secure parking. But names such as Lamborghini and Ferrari are revered for a reason. Their automobiles are more like aspirational objets d'art than mere people carriers able to get from A to B. In recent years several of these luxury marques have added their name and design sensibilities to another mode of transport: the humble bicycle. Though these cross-bred beasts are far from humble. We've already seen the likes of Porsche, BMW and McLaren add their expertise to bike manufacturing, and now Italian supercar producer Lamborghini has joined the burgeoning list. The new BMC impec Automobili Lamborghini Edition takes the core of the flagship BMC road bike and adds several expensive bells and whistles. But no literal bells and whistles. Instead we get a suede saddle and handlebars airbrushed in the Argos Orange shade of the Aventador LP 700-4, unbranded carbon fiber rims, the Di2 electronic dérailleur system from Shimano, and the Lamborghini logo plastered on the frame.

This bike will set you back €20,000 (roughly US$26,000), an increase of almost $8,000 over the standard BMC impec (impec, by the way, is short for "impeccable"). So are the improvements made and features added worth that kind of money? I'm not convinced, but then I'm not part of the target audience for this kind of machine. Even if you have got the money, desire, and need to own the BMC impec Automobili Lamborghini Edition, you'll have to fight to get hold of one. Only 30 of these limited-edition racing bikes are being produced in total, all "handmade by machines" at BMC's Swiss factory. To put your name down for one you'll have to head to your nearest Lamborghini dealer, of which there are 120 worldwide. This is expected to be just the first release in a long-term partnership between the two companies. Although I doubt any of the concoctions brought to fruition by this particular alliance will be what us mere mortals consider affordable. Back to dreaming, I guess.

VW E-Bugster Cabriolet a glimpse of the future

The lineage the e-bugster electric vehicle goes all the way back to the noble aspirations of the peoples' car, and Volkswagen's very name, so it is very fitting that the E-Bugster looks likely to form the basis of a range of E-Bugster electric vehicles. Appropriately being shown in the the only market that has embraced electric mobility on any scale, we first saw the E-Bugster as a coupe in Detroit in January, but this time the hard-top has been removed, previewing a future Beetle Cabriolet.

We'll get a first look at the car other than pictures tomorrow at the press preview in Beijing, so stay tuned.

The drive-train is the same as the previous E-Bugster with 85 kWh (115 PS), 0 to 60 mph in 10.9 seconds, and a range of at least 110 miles from the 28.3 kWh lithium-ion batteries.

A fast-charging function allows complete recharging in just 35 minutes from a specialist DC source, or slower charging from an AC source such as a 230-volt domestic outlet.

This fast-charge capability comes courtesy of the Combined Charging System we discussed back in October, which makes possible charging from single-phase AC sources (i.e. your domestic mains), provided an industry standard for plugs and sockets can be nailed down. "Ultra-fast" charging would be possible at dedicated DC charging stations.

Acoustic wind pavilion makes music out of thin air

Aeolus, a fascinating acoustic wind sculpture made by prolific Bristol artist Luke Jerram, is as much a feast for the ears as it is for the eyes. Named after the mythical Greek ruler of the four winds and built in conjunction with the University of Southampton's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research and the University of Salford's Acoustics Research Center, the giant aeolian wind harp is intended to inspire the public to learn more about the amazing things that can happen when engineering, acoustics and aerodynamics are blended together. "The Aeolian harp is a quite mysterious sound, really," said Jerram. "I think the Victorians were very excited by it just because it sounds quite unearthly - it almost sounds like the aliens landing. It's quite mysterious and quite beautiful. And it's also quite hard to predict - it's hard to predict the sound that's going to be produced from our string. It's just created by the string vibrating in the wind." Jerram got the idea for the wind harp after speaking with desert well (qanat) diggers while on a visit to Iran several years ago. "They basically go out into the desert with an axe and they draw a circle in the sand and then they dig straight down into the sand and into the rock," he said. "When they hit the water table, they then dig across and create these incredibly long tunnels transferring the water out of the desert into the town. They might then dig air vents sort of maybe every 50 meters."

The diggers described how when conditions are just right, the wind can make those vents "sing" and make noises. This gave Jerram the impetus to explore other structures that might use the wind in a similar manner, and eventually, his version of this ancient musical instrument was born. The Aeolus and other wind harps make their music through a phenomenon known as the von Kármán Vortex Street effect in which wind blowing across a string or other thin, rigid object creates an alternating series of vortices downstream that sets up a vibration in the object. The pitch and volume of the sound generated by the effect is random and is determined by the strength and speed of the wind as well as the length and thickness of the string.

Jerram's harp is composed of 310 stainless steel tubes that terminate in a double-curved arch (picture a section taken from a sphere) which visitors can enter for a unique audio-visual experience. Polished to a mirror finish internally that reflects the changing weather conditions, in musical mode, many of the tubes are connected to strings attached to a membrane or "skin" on their outer end that transmits wind-generated sound into the arch and to listening posts situated nearby. Even on windless days, the tubes without strings hum at low frequencies, enhanced by an acoustic lens effect that focuses the sound directly at observers in a specific point under the arch. Until May 10, 2012, the Aeolus, which has been traveling about the UK since its completion last year, can be experienced at its location in Canary Wharf, London. Eventually, Jerram hopes to sell Aeolus and find it a permanent home where it can continue to delight the public for many years to come.

Check out the videos below to learn how the Aeolus' tubes were made and see an interview with the artist:

Baby jacuzzi launched by BluBleu

Babies have a pretty charmed existence, they get food whenever they want, they're pushed around in strollers which resemble arm-chairs on wheels and enjoy relaxing stints in jacuzzis ... wait, what? The MagicBath from Italian design firm BluBleu is a specially designed baby bath featuring an air massage system for your little one's derriere. While most parents are content with bathing their baby in their own bath or a $30 mini tub from the local kids store (or even the kitchen sink), BluBleu clearly believes there is an untapped luxury market out there. Hence the €1655 (around US$2,185) MagicBath, which also features "relaxing" underwater LEDs. The MagicBath is designed to stand at waist height for a parent and is supported on four curved and stable legs. The acrylic tub is shaped to support a newborn in the correct position at one end, and allow them to sit at the other end from six months to one-year-old … yes, despite the price-tag, it will only fit a baby for the first 12 months.

The jacuzzi function - controlled from a digital display also showing the water temperature - sees thousands of air bubbles pumped out by 10 air jets to caress your baby in what the makers (and their PR people) insist is an "immersive" and "exclusive" whirlpool which begins "a fabulous journey of sensory experiences." And there we were thinking a baby bath was for cleaning grubby little children. Completing the spa effect, there are also six underwater LEDs which can be set to beam out blue, green, red or pink light under the bubbles, or cycle through a blue-indigo-violet color sequence in a "magic relax" chromatherapy setting. On a more practical side, the MagicBath is said to conform with the safety standards on products used for the bathing of infants. There are also wheels positioned under the legs to make it easier to move as well as the ability to connect a flexible hose to drain the tub after the bathing/spa session.

Snoozebox is a portable hotel made from shipping containers

Doesn’t anyone just use shipping containers for shipping anymore? Lately, we’ve seen the tough, stackable, easy-to-transport steel containers used for everything from a traveling restaurant to a mobile classroom to an off-grid house. Now, British company Snoozebox has come up with yet another clever use for them – a modular, scalable portable hotel system made up of multiple tiered containers, that can be set up anywhere within 48 hours. Each climate-controlled Snoozebox room features a double bed, wet room, flat screen TV, free Wi-Fi, two power outlets, a safe, and key card entry. Maid service and a continental breakfast are also provided. Currently, there are four rooms in each container, although a couple of other options should be available soon – the company plans on offering larger Luxury rooms that each occupy half a container, along with cheaper five-per-container Budget rooms. The containers themselves are standard ISO (International Organization for Standardization) size, meaning that they can be stacked and shipped anywhere by road, rail, air or water. The system includes its own infrastructure, so no electricity, water or sewage access is necessary. It can also be leveled by its installation crew, so absolutely flat terrain isn’t a requirement.

A complete staff is provided, so clients don’t need to run the hotel themselves. The smallest configuration of the system offers 40 rooms, while over 400 are possible. The company suggests that clients could include festival organizers, car race teams (or other large groups that are constantly on the road), or even existing hotels that want to extend their capacity during peak season.

A virtual “fly-through” of the system can be seen in the video below.

New exercise bikes offer aesthetic appeal

Following in the footsteps of the Ciclotte design, it looks like exercise equipment continues to get a makeover. Moving away from clunky equipment that often folds away to stay out-of-sight, two new pieces are designed to adorn a living room. TECHNOGYM presented their latest range of exercise equipment during Milan Design Week 2012, while LUNAR's striking Vela concept turns your home workout bike into a work of art when not in use.

“Our goal was to create highly functional fitness equipment which, besides its sporting uses, will adorn any living room in the same way as an aesthetic sculpture,” says Matthis Hamann, one of LUNAR Europe’s two managing partners. The Vela bike has a number of fancy features, including projectors built into the frame to create a “Tron-like” effect when the cycle is in use. The projectors emit different colored lights that change as the training levels do. While the bike was expected to be revealed during Milan Design Week, it has yet to make an appearance. Technogym on the other hand launched its CROSS Personal trainer, the latest addition to a line that already includes KINESIS, RUN and RECLINE (recently awarded with the Red Dot “Best of the Best”). The new CROSS personal trainer comes equipped with an integrated VISIOweb display, which allows users to surf the internet when working out. The screen can also be used to watch TV, access your iPod or follow a wide range of training programs.

Its elliptical movement trajectory offers users a smooth and impact-free workout, while the upper and lower limbs' coordinated movement provides for high calorie expenditure. Technogym’s KINESIS features a patented “fullgravity” design, with a minimalist form, mirror backdrop and three hand grips that offer over 200 variant exercises. These stylish exercise pieces might be kind on the eye, but they likely aren’t going to be kind on the wallet. While prices for the CROSS personal trainer and Vela have yet to be announced, the RECLINE exercise bike will set you back close to US$8,750 and the KINESIS workout wall comes with a $12,230 price tag!

Video: Airborne Wind Turbine in flight

Remember the Airborne Wind Turbine covered by Gizmag towards the end of March? The creators of the prototype, Altaeros Energies, has been in touch to show us a video of the prototype in operation and we can confirm that a) it flies and b) the turbine goes round. Though we wouldn't typically post an update with relatively scant new information, the combination of this product's uniqueness and the interest the original story garnered among Gizmag readers means we thought this was worth letting you know about. Also, it's nice to have a video without unnecessarily distracting and incongruous music suddenly blasting out of your cans, but perhaps that's just me. Judge for yourself...

Mercedes Benz enters the furniture business

The Mercedes-Benz brand name holds up well in any company, so it's not surprising that is being extended into other luxury markets. This time last year we were writing about Mercedes' first luxury helicopter, and the big news from the Milan Furniture Fair (Salone Internazionale del Mobile) is that Mercedes-Benz Style has presented a furniture collection and it will be sold worldwide via exclusive furniture stores, showrooms and interior design stores from October 2012. The initial Mercedes-Benz Style furniture collection comprises one sofa, chaise lounge, sideboard, dining room table with chairs, shelf unit with integrated home theater system, bed and chest of drawers The collection is a collaboration with the Formitalia Luxury Group, one of the leading Italian manufacturers of designer furniture.

The designs have an unmistakable automotive identity, and a subtle Mercedes-Benz Style logo. The captions for the images below are from Mercedes-Benz Style.

Chair MBS 003: The futuristic-looking chairs set new standards in terms of shape and material. Through the exciting interplay of convex and concave lines, a dynamic shape is created which gives the chairs a particular air of lightness. A seat shell made of laminated wood ensures for perfect, long-lasting seating comfort. Dimensions: 58 x 57 x H 75 cm.

Sofa Class (three-seater) MBS 001: Elegant and graceful lines, comfortable upholstery as well as lovingly created seam details and great workmanship: the "Class" leather sofa spreads a timeless and incomparable charm. An offset area in the backrest with rolling lines and artistic stitching accentuates the sofa's particular dynamism and elegance. Dimensions: 240 x 100 x H 70 cm.

Dining table MBS 002: The four legs extend from the central aluminium beam like elegantly sculptured spokes. The optical lightness of this construction culminates in a grey-shaded transparent glass plate. Dimensions: 248 x 90 x H 73 cm

Chair MBS 003: The futuristic-looking chairs set new standards in terms of shape and material. Through the exciting interplay of convex and concave lines, a dynamic shape is created which gives the chairs a particular air of lightness. A seat shell made of laminated wood ensures for perfect, long-lasting seating comfort. Dimensions: 58 x 57 x H 75 cm

Chaise Longue MBS 006: The three dimensional formed wooden frame makes for an elegant and sleek silhouette, whilst at the same time, ensures the utmost level of lounge relaxation. The Aluminium pedestal and the cover, available in either material or leather, provide an optical contrast to the wood. Dimensions: 171 x 80 x H 68 cm

Sofa Class (three-seater) MBS 001: Elegant and graceful lines, comfortable upholstery as well as lovingly created seam details and great workmanship: the "Class" leather sofa spreads a timeless and incomparable charm. An offset area in the backrest with rolling lines and artistic stitching accentuates the sofa's particular dynamism and elegance. Dimensions: 240 x 100 x H 70 cm

Dining table MBS 002: The four legs extend from the central aluminium beam like elegantly sculptured spokes. The optical lightness of this construction culminates in a grey-shaded transparent glass plate. Dimensions: 248 x 90 x H 73 cm