Sometimes, an idea or invention can seem a bit silly during its testing and introduction phase. We wonder, for instance, how many funny looks the wheel garnered while it was in its infancy. Oftentimes however, these innovations prove to be winners- far outliving the initial expectation that the premise indicated. Today’s inventions are no different. In the year 2015 many forward-thinking inventors concentrate on securing technology that can be harnessed in many different ways. Here are a couple of recent news-making innovations that are setting the precedent for future applications.
HUMAN GPS
Imagine this. It’s lunchtime and you’ve only got one hour to complete a few highly important errands. You use your phone’s GPS to direct you to the first location, but while you’re busy looking down at your phone for instruction, you’ve missed your turn and are forced to turn back. Frustrating, right?
Well, a German team from the University of Hannover certainly thinks so. That’s what has lead them to create the design for an ‘actuated navigation’ system that can use electrodes attached to your legs to physically guide your path.
According to the team’s research paper on the subject, the system works by gently contracting your muscles away from the body to indicate direction.
So far, the mechanism has been successful in eighteen test subjects and while it’s far-fetched to imagine walking around with electrodes and wires hanging around your legs, it’s certainly possible to imagine the application if it can be harnessed into a less obtrusive design.
Besides GPS guidance, the research team has cited numerous possible future functions, including helping seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s find their way home if they’ve wandered off or as crowd control in the event of a natural disaster.
ROBOT SHEF
By now we’ve all seen a myriad of robots on display from tech companies. Everything from grill cleaners to Japan’s creepy humanoids have been conceptualized and presented at tech conventions.
Robot Chef is another generation and type of, well, robot chef that is meant to help with meal preparation. What makes this robot so special however is that it comes preprogrammed with 2,000 recipes, can make the entire meal on its own and its creators say Robot Chef will be ready for sale in 2017.
Using 20 different motors, 24 total joints and 129 sensors, Robot Chef is already automated to grasp and utilize kitchen utensils and can adjust the temperature settings on an oven and stovetop.
Creator Moley Robotics claims that the robot has been built with the intention of making day-to-day life easier and there are plans for introducing an app store where buyers can download new recipes. Mark, Oleynik, founder of Moley Robotics says “Whether you love food and want to explore different cuisines, or fancy saving a favorite family recipe for everyone to enjoy for years to come, the Automated Kitchen can do this.”
If all of this is true, then Robot Chef may be the first robot of its kind to find commercial success. As of today, the most common type robot found in a typical household is a Roomba, and maybe a drone. Hopefully, the design released in 2017 will be realistic enough to add on-demand Chef to the list. Goodness knows there’s a huge market of people who hate coming home everyday and making dinner. And while the uses of a Robot ‘Chef’ seem pretty self explanatory, Moley Robotics, along with other tech companies can mirror the complex technology and design to create other timesaving robots that assist with various tasks in consumer or retail settings.
The Human GPS System and Robot Chef are great examples of technology that may seem a bit out-there at first, but upon further examination, promises a world of possibility after they’ve been streamlined and tweaked in a way that is easy for consumers to envision in their own lives.
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