Challis Hodge’s UXblog

Interesting product! I love the idea of waking at the right point in my sleep cycle. It makes a huge difference for me. What I really love is the test-and-learn capability. Do I sleep better with higher or lower room temperature? On a firm or soft mattress? With or without a warm brandy at bedtime? You get the idea.

The manufacturers should consider bundling this product with the Sleep Number bed. What a great partnership. This would be the perfect tool to aid in objectively fine tuning your sleep number.

Worn like an everyday watch, SLEEPTRACKER® is ideal for anyone who wants to wake up alert and ready to start the day, such as frequent travelers across time zones, business people looking for an extra edge, students with fluctuating schedules, or busy moms who need to wake up easily.

SLEEPTRACKER^® continuously monitors signals from your body that indicate whether you are asleep or awake. Because you wear SLEEPTRACKER^® on your wrist like a watch, its internal sensors can detect even the most subtle physical signals from your body. SLEEPTRACKER^® finds your best waking moments, so that waking up has never been easier.

When you sleep, your body goes through a series of sleep cycles. The average adult experiences 4-5 full sleep cycles over an 8-hour period. Each cycle lasts about 90-110 minutes and comprises five different stages, as illustrated by this chart.

Sometimes an idea just feels right. Maybe I’ve spent too much time in airports!?

Imagine bringing your own shopping cart to the supermarket every time you needed groceries. According to Franco Vairani, driving your own car in the city is just as inconvenient, which is why he, along with MIT’s Smart Cities think tank, developed the Bit Car concept. Ideal for short distances, the compact two-seater features an outer shell that collapses like the legs of a baby carriage and enables the cars to fold into one another when parked. Stored in parking lots or other high-density spots, the vehicles would be available for borrowing, like airport luggage trolleys. Williams pointed out that the option would be especially attractive to drivers who are averse to public transportation. “People love their cars, but this way they can keep a private enclosure without having to own it,” he offered. “It’s proposing a radical new set of behaviors, but it could definitely work.”

Check out the winners and the all of the contenders.

Philips Research has integrated experience research into its innovation pipeline. “Our people-centric research involves understanding what people actually want from technology to improve their daily lives,” continued Rick Harwig. “For this purpose Philips Research has built two new research laboratories in Europe, next to the existing HomeLab. One for personal healthcare technologies (CareLab) and another for atmosphere creation for retail (ShopLab). Here people are confronted with the latest innovations and we are able to research the functionality and acceptability of the concept, as well as the way people experience it.”

Finally, tattoos for my consumer electronics! [Adafruit Industries Laser Etching] Not sure if they do piercings!?

See it in action!!  See galleries here.

Adafruit laser services is an appointment only laser etching service in New York City, NY USA - get your laptop, iPod, cell phone or any other gadget laser etched and learn about high powered lasers in person! You will be the one that presses the GO BUTTON to fire the laser beam! Pricing starts at $100 USD for laptops/powerbooks and $30 USD for smaller devices like iPods and cell phones. We take credit cards, but prefer cash. Your artwork should be in EPS and/or AI (Illustrator) - but don’t worry, we’ll help you prepare it. We also offer bulk rates and services for businesses.

I can’t wait for the reality TV show!!

The Talent Hunt
Desperate to innovate, companies are turning to design schools for nimble, creative thinkers

Designed in China
With more than 400 design programs in Chinese schools, Asian design education is undergoing its own revolution

Tip Sheet: How To Hire a D-School Grad
Headhunter RitaSue Siegel tells you what to ask — and what to listen for

When MBA Meets Designer
A GE manager learns to think creatively: INSEAD graduate Sameer Agrawal shares his story

Inside the Volcano
Carnegie Mellon graduate Maggie Breslin brings her innovative thinking to the Mayo Clinic

Designing to Help
Georgia Tech design grad Janna Kimel works as a design researcher at Intel

Joining J&J
Justine Dube Donnelly’s joint MBA/Master’s of Engineering Management prepared her for her role in strategic marketing at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals

The Hand Hygiene Voice Module mounts on a restroom wall, reminding you in a “non threatening, non-intrusive” male or female voice to wash your hands after using the toilet.It says, “Hand washing reduces the spread of germs. Thank you for washing your hands!”

The manufacturer, Kimberly-Clark, claims it increases hand washing by 12%.

George Orwell would be proud!

Entertaible concept: combination of electronic gaming and traditional board games

The Entertaible concept is a tabletop gaming platform that marries traditional multi-player board and computer games in a uniquely simple and intuitive way. Entertaible comprises a 32-inch horizontal LCD, sophisticated touch screen-based multi-object position detection, and all supporting control electronics. It allows the players to engage in a new class of electronic games which combines the features of computer gaming, such as dynamic playing fields and gaming levels, with the social interaction and tangible playing pieces, such as pawns and dies, of traditional board games.

Initially targeting social gaming away from home in locations such as pubs, bars, hotels or restaurants, Entertaible has the potential to evolve into a gaming platform for the consumer market.