Double Telepresence Robot

This technology is for the work-class people who are not able to be there for the meeting or those who work at home and etc. It could be that you have an errand to run, for example you have to get your boss’s dry cleaning, but you have a meeting with him/her in 5 minutes, this is where Double Telepresence Robot can help you.

What is the Double Telepresent Robot?  To best describe it, it is like an iPad on a Segway. The Double Robotics invented this telepresence bot gives you a presence in the office without you being there. And, No it does not comes with an iPad in it so you have to get one for yourself. The current estimation price for this product is USD 2,499.95.

            You can imagine the possibilities with this robot, from being at an office party when you are sick at home to attending a meeting while you are in another country. This robot helps you to be there, at the same not being there.

Well there are also a few disadvantages to everything and so does this robot.  First, if you are a boss that has a huge ego and has created a ‘serious’ image for yourself, then this may not be the one for you. The reason why is because this technology looks ‘cute’ and it is hard for the people to take you seriously. Unless they respect you well enough? Second, sometimes when they are bumps on the carpet or sharp turns and such, the robot may not be able to surpass it and it may take time. So, you may need to call out for help so people can assist you.  Last, but not least, with bad connection the audio may not be clear or the video feed may not appear but mostly related to technical problems. For example you want to conduct a meeting but everyone is waiting for you to “appear” in terms of the video because of the bad connection.

            All these disadvantages require patience, creativity and mastery to use the full potential of the robot. For working class people this is a very useful product with few minor disadvantages.  I highly recommend using this product for work related purposes.

For more information go to: Double Robotics

Reference : Double Robotics (2015) Double: The Ultimate Tool for Telecommuting,Available at: http://www.doublerobotics.com/ (Accessed: 30th May 2015).

The fold-able bike

Back in the days, getting transportation and finding parking slots was easy, so easy that you can still choose where to sit and park unlike in today’s world, if you are able to find a seat in a public transport and a parking slot, call it your lucky day. Over a period of time, the growth of number of vehicles found on the road has risen tremendously and it is still growing! Based on the list of countries by the number of road motor vehicles per 1000 inhabitants in 2010, Malaysia is ranked number 47 out of 192 with 361 vehicle for every thousand citizens (World Bank, 2011).

Not only that, it has become common for people to be late for an occasion due traffic and lack of parking spaces. No matter what time of the day it is, finding parking is still difficult. Based on my experience, even if let’s say my classes does not start till 12.30pm, I still have to leave my house by 10am just so I can get a slot and there are days where I do not even want to drive around because all I can think is “it is impossible to find parking now”, “where shall I park” “which highway should I use to avoid traffic?” and so on.

Therefore, it is time to introduce the Urb-E bike. 

This is the latest invention by Urban Mobility. This is a fold-able bike that consist of a seat, two freely rolling wheels about 15 centimeters in diameter, handle bars, 20 to 25 centimeters front drive wheel with an electric hub motor and a folding triangular frame holding the batteries. The Urb-E has a 20 mile range just from a single charge and it can go up to a speed of 15 mph. This amazing invention can be folded to the size of a carry on luggage and you can bring it everywhere with you for instance, having it placed next to you in class or work without having to worry about it getting stolen. Moreover, it has a smart phone holder that works for both IOS and Andriod devices. With this, it enables you to charge your devices while riding.

source: IndieGoGo

Source: IndieGoGo

Source: IndieGoGo

With the introduction of the Urb-E bike, this will make a difference in our society. Since it is fold-able and portable, individuals now, do not have to worry about looking for parking slots. Not only that, more and more people be more on time. This invention not only will help many struggling individuals but this will also help the environment as well since it does not run on any sort of fuel by instead, lithium ion batteries. 

Source: IndieGoGo

Unfortunately, this invention cost about $700 USD and if you’re planning on investing this one of a kind creation to travel everywhere, think again. This is because it only travels to a maximum of 15 mph. I believed that if this bike cost way lesser and can travel at least more than 50 mph, this will bike might just be the answer to most if not, everyone’s struggles of finding transportation and parking spaces. "Felt like the kind of vehicle an enlightened citizen of 2030 would own. It’s fast, maneuverable, and lightweight. With a 20-mile range on a full battery charge, it could work well for most city dwellers’ daily commutes" (The Verge). 

For more information about the Urb-E bikes, visit IndieGoGo.com to learn more.

Thermomix

I have learned that our world has been so advanced in technology. These days people around us have been so busy with their work, assignments, college, basically almost everything.  Sometimes, people can be so busy that they won’t be able to have a decent meal or even have the time to cook a meal for their own family or themselves. Mostly they would just call for delivery or they live on takeaways and there's this amazing invention that will help them to cook their own meal by just adding the ingredients into the machine. This machine is called the Thermomix, it will cook for you anything ranging from juices, pasta or soups. . The concept of this Thermomix is to help remove the hassle from cooking and prepare nutritious meal for the family or yourself. It provides 12 services, from chopping, to blending, to boiling and to cooking and all of these is done in one device. When it is so easy and fast to cook, family can spend quality time and food at home.This will help to save money from spending on takeaways and enjoy real quality food. besides that, Thermomix also helps to expand your ability to make something you never knew that you will be able to. Although Thermomix brings so much benefit there is also a bad side of it. What I feel if people are so dependent on Thermomix this will cause them to not be able to experience the real way of cooking and they will just fully depend on the machine. 

For more information regarding the Thermomix, visit their website.

Virtual Grocery Shopping: QR-Code shopping

With the ever growing economy of the countries around the world, people are working as hard as they could to keep up with society's living standards. People have grown busier these days and most of them are unable to fork out time to even buy their own groceries.

Tesco has set up virtual grocery stores in subways and trains commuters for the busy working people to do their grocery while walking to work. According to Tesco, Korea has one of the busiest and hardworking people, therefore, taking an hour for a week for grocery shopping can be a real drag.

Tesco has set up plastered walls along the walkways of subways, and these walls are lined up with products containing a special QR code specifically for each product. All the shopped has to do is download an application to scan the QR code and will be directed a payment section and once he/she had paid, the groceries will be sent to their home. It is a big advantage to have your groceries delivered to your door in big cities where driving isn't a good option. It also saves the shopper's time for needing to go to a shopping market to single-handedly pick out their grocery items.

However, a downside for this virtual shopping is that shoppers are unable to see the product's information, shoppers can turn the product around to see it's nutritional facts. The consumers are also unable to tell the expiry date of a product, they can only take what the shop has given them. It is a small price to pay for the convenience.

http://www.geek.com/mobile/koreas-tesco-reinvents-grocery-shopping-with-qr-code-stores-1396025/