Phoneblock

It's called Phoneblok. It's genius. For as many reasons as bloks comprising it.

First, Phoneblok's modular nature--a compilation of detachable and swappable parts--lends itself to entirely personal customization based on what the individual values in his or her phone. Into snapping photos ? Do your selfies justice and choose a fancy camera blok. Save all of your info to the Cloud? Downgrade your storage blok in favor of a larger battery blok and longer charges. Then reverse the move a few months later when the Cloud Fs you in the A, and you decide additional drive memory is necessary after all. In essence, use Phoneblok to make your smartphone even smarter by molding it to your needs, and then remolding it down the line when those needs change, without having to buy a whole new apparatus.

Second and third, Phoneblok's replaceable components aspire to significantly reduce cell phone expenditures and environmental waste. Hakkens points out that most electronics are not designed to last over the long term. In addition, the world of smartphone technology is in constant flux, with newer, faster, better ideas materializing almost as soon as the last advancements hit the market. Combined, these conditions encourage people to discard their phones at a rate neither economical nor eco-friendly.

With a Phoneblok, if a single part breaks, it will no longer be necessary to replace the entire phone. Or even pay for expensive repairs, as once the problem is identified, a user need only pop out the affected blok and pop in a new one. Similarly, when cellular advancements hit, existing Phonebloks are game for piecemeal upgrades that will render them just as current and spiffy as the whole-package new releases.

Phoneblok detachable bloks connect to a base that locks all parts together, and a pair of screws secures them into a solid phone. If produced (yes, if), users will have the option to buy a pre-assembled phone, or just purchase the parts they want for DIY assembly. Hakkens further envisions a Blokstore--think app store for hardware--for the acquisition of additional bloks, plus the sale of old ones.

As for the if, Phoneblok does have a road ahead of it. The length of that road is dependent entirely upon investor interest. And not just individual investors--the Phoneblok platform is too big for crowdfunding, and production funds are only one of Hakkens' concerns. The project needs partners and collaborators, companies who are willing to back him with time and knowledge, not just money.

HOLHO

HOLHO gathers selected screen images and projects them onto its 4 walls to generate a hologram floating harmoniously in the center. The HOLHO Phone Pyramid and HOLHO Pad Pyramid function similarly: they divide a selected flat image into 4 parts, and then use the physics of reflection and tomfoolery to generate the appearance of a hovering, three-dimensional object. HOLHO Pyramids for smartphones suit Android and iOS, and those for tablets fit both 7" and 10" devices.

A third and fourth style, the HOLHO Zed and HOLHO 3 Faces Pyramid were each made for 10" tablets. The first is a "Z" shape with a transparent photo frame and holographic modifications for pictures, and the second, which caters to commercial needs and demonstrations, is more of a "C" shape, with a top drawer for tablet housing and the hologram projected in the center.

HOLHOs operate with their complementary (as in symbiotic, not free) apps, which allow users to produce videos for holographic projection. Maker Imagination Farm has also released--and will continue to generate--its own series of image videos for users to beam into the Pyramid.

ANKI Drive

Artificial intelligence and robotics, the virtual reality video game and the actual reality physical game, Anki and iOS: these are the parts of Anki DRIVE that make it a whole new experience in the gaming industry. A simple car racing game in fundamental nature, Anki DRIVE aims to transport the best elements of on-screen speed competitions to a tangible track with tangible cars laid out on your living room floor.

The game's iOS interface connects competitors--up to 4 friends with designated cars, or a lone soul racing 1 to 3 cars controlled by the Anki DRIVE's nifty AI component--for its main contest, Battle, during which players race to win per standoff, as well as to earn cumulative points for their car. Points are redeemable for upgrades in car weapons and capabilities. Upgrades determined and transmitted virtually, but used and felt in real life. (Check out the second video above for further Battle explanation and a demo.)

Cars themselves were designed by Harald Belker, a Hollywood automotive artist most legendary for envisioning the 1996 Batmobile. Along with the system's 3-1/2' x 8-1/2' track, chargers, and tire cleaner, an Anki DRIVE Starter Kit includes 2 race cars, the BOSON and the KOURAI. BOSON is equipped with speed, handling, and smarts, and has a Gravity Beam upgrade that forces opponents into its line of fire. KOURAI arms itself with a speed-weapons combo, with a shield upgrade that will make it impenetrable to other cars' weapons attacks. Supplemental cars RHO and KATAL will be available for purchase separately.

Additional Anki DRIVE playing requirements: an iPhone 4s or newer, an iPod Touch 5th generation or newer, an iPad 3 or newer, or and iPad Mini; and the Anki DRIVE app.

MYO Telekinetic Armband

MYO armbands transform muscles--specifically the arm, or as I like to call them, the gun muscles--into remote controls that enable the wearer to interact hands-free with his or her digital world. With a MYO band in place at the elbow, users are able to harness the electrical activity of their muscles to wirelessly control devices such as computers, phones, video games, and app-centric toys.

Supporting both Windows and Mac operating systems, the MYO will basically make you the Jedi Master of presentations and Web browsing, zombie eradication gaming and music creation, andQuadricopter flights over Miranda Kerr's house (during which your mad skills will both dazzle her and record her doing hot yoga in the nude.) Once activated, the MYO senses gestures and movements through both muscle activity and motion sensitivity. When a user's arm muscles move, the band detects changes in hand gesture, down to individual fingers. When tracking the positioning in space of the arm and hand, it can detect subtle movements in all directions. Lag time between movement and detection are minimal. According to MYO's creators, the device sometimes even seems to recognize a gesture before your hand makes it, since muscles higher in the arm activate slightly before the wiggle message reaches the fingers.

The MYO functions with Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, and includes on-board, rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries, and an ARM processor. Plans to expand supported platforms to iOS and Android are in the works--APIs will be available to developers once the MYO, currently available for pre-order, is officially released.

Double Barrel Pistol

The AF2011-A1 Double Barrel Pistol is a first on two counts. It's the first ever double barrel semiautomatic pistol manufactured for sale (not available yet, but on deck for Fall 2012). And, after getting a load of the "Twenty Eleven's" sleek aesthetic and technical design, the gun will also represent the first argument the people who really, really want it are going to have with the people who say they can't have it.

Arsenal Firearms created the Double Barrel Pistol as a tribute to the Colt 1911-A1. In both visual splendor, and functionality and upkeep. Anyone able to shoot a .45 ACP will be versed in handling and firing the 2011. Arsenal Firearms maintains it will perform exceptionally in target shooting, bullseying 8 double rounds of single column magazines--16 bullets total--into a target the size of an orange at 15 yards away, and one the size of a watermelon at 25. Two bullets carry 460 grains of power and, when impacting at 1 to 2 inches apart, will knock down a bull. Though a few rounds may be necessary to take down a double-muscled Belgian Blue bull. Or a zombified Charlie Sheen. The entire 18-bullet tag team is expendable in about 3 seconds.

Once officially released, the pistol will come in buyers' choice of 2 independent triggers, and one sear group (left or right, with user-interchangeability for right or left operations), or 2 triggers permanently joined, and 1 or 2 sear groups. Formidable finishes include a mirrored deep blue, or a white ash nitrite coating with a 3400 Vickers surface hardness.

Most of the 2011's internal parts are interchangeable with the Colt 1911's. In term of replacement parts, these include:

• Firing pins
• Firing pin plates
• Sears groups
• Triple springs
• Inner parts of the mainspring housings
• Recoil springs and recoil spring rods
• Magazine bodies and inner parts
• Sights (including after market adjustable sights)
• Grips, and grip screws and bushings

Biomechanical Spinal Armor

JP Rishea of Bionic Concepts has created a bit of a name for himself in the cyber/steampunk gadgetry world. From his exo-gauntlet to his gas-powered LED wings, Rishea's designs always emerge as strangely tasty meals for the eyes. And this full-length biomechanical spinal armor does nothing to stray from the Bionic Concepts style with its glowing vertebrae, neck brace collar, and respirator mask. Wear it to become a slayer of aliens, mutants, and supernatural beasts, or give it to your mama and the next time you step on a crack, her back will stay intact.

Bionic Concepts also makes the biomechanical spinal armor in a heartbeat reactive model with LEDs or flat panel lights. This twist senses the wearer's heartbeat and syncs the lights to it, pulsing them in real time.

Lazareth Wazuma

Lazareth's Wazuma V8F Matte Edition combines the best of the Germans with the best of the Italians: it's simple, efficient, and knows the most awesome rides in life are experienced at varying degrees approaching horizontal. The actualized Bat toy, currently still a prototype for advertisers and trade show exhibition, gets its power from a 3.0L Ferrari V8 mated with a sequential gear box BMW M3, and modified to include 2 injection Yamaha R1 ramps. Oh yeah, I guess the best of the Japanese gets in on the motor vehicular melting pot too.

Wazuma V8F total horsepower: 250. Wazuma V8F total weight: 1,400 pounds. The Wazuma V8F represents a progression of the Wazuma R1, also built motor trike-style with a 3-wheel geometry of 2 largely spaced wheels in the front and 2 attached wheels heading up the back.

TRON Light Cycle

Replica of the computer-animated cycle from the 2010 film TRON: Legacy will earn you the awe and admiration of every pulse-possessing male aged 8 to 44. Plus after-hours access to pretty much every drive-thru espresso stand barista you ever meet. Good thing the Light Cycle requires riders to lie almost horizontal astride its black leather seat, because horizontal is a position any owner of this ticket to eternal ass is going to have to get used to.
The Light Cycle's aesthetic splendor begins with a steel frame, which is covered by a fiberglass cowling to replicate the sleek look of its computer-generated counterpart. Electroluminescent strips embedded in the wheels and body puppeteer laser-esque displays of awesomeness during casual cruises and gamer's convention tailgates. A fuel-injected Suzuki 996cc, 4-stroke engine, and 6-speed constant mesh manual transmission

Gunbus 410

A Texas-sized hog made in southwest Germany. Leonhardt Manufacturing's Gunbus 410 owns the current title of World's Biggest (Running) Motorcycle. That means you can really own and operate the steel-and-aluminum behemoth, whose meticulously handmade body and operational parts set it at 11.3' long and 1,433 pounds. Men under 5'6", forget about the monster truck. Your first-class ticket to Alpha masculinity is straddling the seat of Gunbus 410. Let's just hope the Baby Jesus hears your prayers for your arms to reach the throttle.

Additional supersized Gunbus motorcycle specs include:

• Wheel Base Dimension: 7.9'.
• Total Height: 4.9'.
• Sitting Height: 2.6'.
• Engine: 2-cylinder; V-type arrangement.
• Maximum engine torque: 710 Nm at 1900 RPM.
• Transmission: 3-gear sequential with reverse gear.
• Clutch: 3-disk, sintered metal dry clutch, 5.5" diameter, hydraulic operation.
• Tires: RIGDON. Front, 38" diameter; 11" width. Rear: 42" diameter; 15" width.

3001 AD Trimersion

For the most immersive gaming experience, strap on this serious eyegear from 3001 AD. The Trimersion is a head-mounted, first-person shooter visor with a gun controller and programmable triggers. The device operates via a wireless base station, which is connected to your PC or game console. What's unique about this virtual reality system is its Head Mounted Display (HMD) technology, which is capable of monitoring a player's "head movements and updates the onscreen view to match, giving FPS gamers complete tactile control" for a full 360-degree view. I had the chance to try out the Trimersion at an event last year and had the best time ever! It's a bit heavier than other tech eyewear at 1.2 pounds, but it provides a virtual 40-inch screen from 6.5 feet away, and since it's wireless, I wasn't getting tangled up. The Trimersion is available now for $395, while the Tracked Gun Controller is coming soon. Currently, it's compatible with the Xbox, PS/PS2, GameCube, PCs and Macs.

Headplay Personal Cinema System

Headplay is the 21st-century version of the visor. Using LCOS display technology to deliver separate but identical images to each eye, users can view 2-D and 3-D media with stereo sound on a virtual 52-inch screen. Aimed at gaming and movie enthusiasts, this wearable, mobile cinema system is comprised of three components: the Visor, the Liberator and the Navigator. The Visor supports various resolution levels up to 1024 by 768 and provides a field of view of 34 degrees. The Liberator is a box that accepts composite video, component video and S-video, and can be connected directly to game consoles, DVD players, select iPods, Macs and PCs for the ultimate movie theatre-like experience. The Navigator is a connected remote control that lets the user select and control audio and video settings, such as volume or brightness. 

MYVU Personal Media Viewer

With the MYVU Personal Media Viewer, users can watch video on a bigger screen by strapping on these high-tech, 1-ounce glasses. Just plug the included connector into the dock connector of your iPod with video (30 GB, 60 GB, or 80 GB 5th generation only), queue up your favorite movie or TV show, put the glasses on, and enter the ultimate, virtual environment. myvu works by projecting a floating video image on the built-in screen, using SolidOptex optical technology. A small pendant connected to the glasses serves as the remote control to perform audio and video functions. Noise-reducing in-ear earbuds are included. Choose from three models: myvu iPod solo edition, myvu fully loaded edition, includes protective case, battery, travel case, USB charger, and AC and car adapter, or the new myvu universal edition, works with most media players with video-out.

Vuzix's iWear VR920

Vuzix's iWear VR920 is virtual reality video eyewear for PC gamers. The 3.2-ounce VR920 is compatible with Windows XP/Vista apps and supports game titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator X, World of Warcraft, and the upcoming Bio-Shock. The glasses are packed with features, including twin VGA progressive scan LCD screens (up to 1024-by-768 resolution), 32-degree field of view, built-in microphone for VoIP communication, adjustable headphones, 3-degree head tracker, and a switch to toggle between 2-D and 3-D. And the coolest feature of all: It provides a 62-inch virtual screen from 9 feet away.One of the features on the glasses is the ability to show a stereoscopic effect using both screens for true 3D. Unfortunately, this only works with NVIDIA 3D Stereo drivers.

Kinect

Kinect is Microsoft’s motion sensor add-on for the Xbox 360 gaming console. The device provides a natural user interface (NUI) that allows users to interact intuitively and without any intermediary device, such as a controller.

The Kinect system identifies individual players through face recognition and voice recognition. A depth camera, which “sees” in 3-D, creates a skeleton image of a player and a motion sensor detects their movements. Speech recognition software allows the system to understand spoken commands and gesture recognition enables the tracking of player movements. 

Although Kinect was developed for playing games, the technology has been applied to real-world applications as diverse as digital signage, virtual shopping, education, telehealthservice delivery and other areas of health IT. 

Kinect’s development codename was Project Natal. Microsoft chose the name Kinect as a portmanteau of the words kinetic (meaning related to or producing movement) and connect, which the company considers the two key purposes of the system.

Oculus Rift

Oculus Rift is a new virtual reality (VR) headset designed specifically for video games that will change the way you think about gaming forever. With an incredibly wide field of view, high resolution display, and ultra-low latency head tracking, the Rift provides a truly immersive experience that allows you to step inside your favorite game and explore new worlds like never before.

The Rift takes 3D gaming to the next level. There are a number of VR headsets out there, but none that deliver a truly immersive gaming experience. Most products either lack the technical features required for believable immersion or sit at a very high price-point ($20,000+) reserved for the military or scientific community.