Airhead insert increases helmet ventilation, eliminates "helmet hair"

The Airhead is a simple accessory designed to fit inside a helmet and increase air circulation, keeping you cooler. By limiting your head heat and perspiration, Airhead also promises to combat "helmet hair." A lot of time has been spent trying to make the helmet look better when it's on, but not as much time seems to have been put into making you look better when you take the helmet off. We're talking helmet hair - that grungy, wet, matted mess of hair that isn't appropriate much of anywhere that you might be traveling on your motorcycle. Conceived during a road trip on long, lonely stretches of barren Australian asphalt, Airhead tackles the problem head on (pun intended). It is designed to help you maintain the carefully groomed hair that you spent minutes or hours parting and spraying before clamping your dirty helmet on top of it. The device pops inside your helmet and creates a little more room between head and helmet, thereby increasing air circulation. The extra circulation is supposed to decrease perspiration and keep one's hair groomed and vibrant. Helmet hair may not be the most pressing issue facing mankind, but when you roll up to work in your motorcycle using Airhead, at least you won't have to worry about explaining why you look like a Labrador that just dragged a bird out of the bay. The Airhead is made specifically for motorcycle helmets and is designed to be one-size-fits-all. You can pop it in within seconds by simply bending it, springing it into place and adjusting. It features soft, non-allergenic silicone, so it should be comfortable on your head. From the look of it, all those silicone spikes might even massage your scalp. While the Airhead was built for motorcycle helmets, its website says that it works with pretty much any helmet, including ski and snowboard helmets. We've seen some ski helmet designs recently that appear to trade ventilation for increased impact absorption, so something like this could possibly add back a little circulation, assuming it allows for a safe, proper fit. Airheads come in a variety of styles and retail for US$25.

Moby1 expedition trailers take camping off-road

Moby1 is offering a new take on the traditional teardrop trailer, with a range of compact models that are specifically designed for off-road touring. These teardrop trailers are not only lightweight, but also offer campers extra cargo space, a flexible load-carrying platform, a meal preparation area and cooking station, and a standard mattress. Teardrops were most popular during the 30s through to the 50s, but slowly faded out of fashion as campers grew larger and RVs became super-sized. With current fuel prices, however, the teardrop trailer is starting to make more sense for the environmentally-conscious camper. At the top of the range is the XTR, an expedition-capable trailer that is capable of tackling difficult terrain. It comes fully self-contained and includes a rooftop tent, a sink with running hot and cold water, cabin heater, outdoor shower, free standing awning, cabin air conditioning, solar panels, portable toilet and generator. Furthermore, with 4-5 inches (10-13 cm) of coil-suspended travel on independent A-arms with adjustable shocks, the XTR is designed to travel smoothly across rough terrain. The frame also features severe-duty reinforcements for durability, protection and long life in rough service conditions. A tier down is the XC trailer, capable of touring paved roads or driving off the beaten track to explore remote locations. It comes equipped with rubber torsion axles, which help absorb and dampen bumps and vibrations. The XC comes standard with all-terrain tires, high ground clearances, heavy duty fenders and a strengthened frame for rough conditions. Like its sibling the XTR, the XC can be fully equipped for serious back country adventure travel. The XC is also available in a shorter version (81 inches/2.05 meters), which is still big enough to snugly fit a normal-sized mattress. The half galley includes cabinets similar to the other models for storage, and space for meal preparation. At the lower end, the RT (Road Tour) is aimed at touring paved roads and stopping at traditional campgrounds. Similar to the full-sized models, the RT is equipped with a full size galley, and has cabinetry in both the galley and the cabin compartments. It can be modified to include any number of options such as roof racks, roof top tents, sunroof, stereo/DVD players and even running water. The RT also comes with the option of wheels and tires specified to match your vehicle, making the trailer compatible with whatever you choose to drive. Finally, the C2 is a compact trailer that is suitable for towing behind a motorbike or a compact car. With a short body (80 inches/2 meters) it just covers the full length of a mattress. Weighing in less than 300 pounds (136 kg), it offers campers more flexibility and fuel savings. Available in two different widths (40 in/101 cm or 48 in/122 cm), this trailer has a half galley with cabinets, a countertop workspace for cooking, and interior cabinets for storage. All models can be custom-fitted to suit individual needs. Moby1 Expedition trailer prices range from US$15,500 for the XTR, $10,500 for the XC, $8,500 for the RT and $5,500 for the C2.

There's a spider in my guitar: Olaf Diegel's beautifully detailed 3D printed guitars

Gizmag has featured many guitars over the years that have veered well away from slight design variations on the ubiquitous Les Paul or Strat body shapes. There have been those which are just stunning (Di Donato/Stereo Acoustic/Tesla Prodigy), others have a look that's both familiar and strange (Ministar/Jetson/Sonic Wind), and others still that are quite frankly bizarre (gAtari 2600/iTar). I think it's fair to say, though, that none have ever looked quite as extraordinarily beautiful as Olaf Diegel's 3D-printed Scarab and Spider electric guitars. A Professor of Mechtronics at Massey University's School of Engineering & Advanced Technology in Auckland, New Zealand, Diegel told Gizmag that his wonderfully elaborate designs are in the final stages of prototyping ahead of anticipated June availability. He explained that the models featured in the gallery "have their core made out of solid nylon, or aluminum-filled nylon, but the latest (and I think final) design iteration has a core made out of wood, which allows us to better control the resonance and tone of the guitar, which will allow us to do more customization, not just on how the guitar looks, but also on how it sounds." The Polyamide 2200 or Alumide body of both the prototypes has been created in one piece using an EOS Formiga P100 selective laser sintering system. The Spider has a number of fearsome-looking ODD arachnids positioned throughout its web-like lattice, while there are numerous flowers and insects hanging from the vines of the Scarab. The body shape is rather reminiscent of a Steinberger P-Series headless guitar, with the size being determined by limitations imposed by the current printer. Diegel told us that there are other designs waiting patiently in the wings for the move to a bigger machine, including the wonderful Les Paul-shaped Atom guitar with electrons that actually spin around the nucleus within the open body. "What makes the technology so great is that we can print all the insects, and intricate detail, inside the guitar bodies all in one piece together with the body," said Diegel. "No assembly needed!" The designer described the tone offered by the 3D-printed plastic (or plastic/aluminum) instruments as not being quite as bright as guitars with bodies fashioned from wood but the production models should take care of that. These will feature a CNC-machined wood core body surrounded by the 3D-printed plastic open body shape. It's described as being essentially a sleeve that completely envelops the wooden core so that the wood isn't visible, although there is always room to include a stripped away effect to let the stained or natural wood show through strategically-positioned gaps. Each production model will be uniquely designed for the customer, with some customization possible for the remainder of non-3D-printed hardware (such as neck, pickups, and bridge) and also the chance to replace the ODD branding on the back of the body with a name or logo. A new website will go live closer to the launch date, when the guitars will be made available to international buyers. Prices are likely to be in the US$3,000 to US$5,000 range.

Samsung Series 9 900X3B

Perhaps the first ultra slim notebooks to really catch our eye, Samsung announced at its CES press conference the new Series 9 900X3B ultra portable notebook range. Announced model specs: Model Screen Size Thickness (maximum) Weight Price NP900X4B-A02XX 15.6 inch 14.9 mm 1.59 KG $1,499 NP900X3B-A01XX 13.3 inch 12.9 mm 1.16 KG $1,399 Samsung claims that 24,000 hours of R&D and a further 33,000 hours of craftsmanship went into the production of this new range, seeing the firm redesign many of the stock components to achieve the exceptional thinness as well as squeezing a 15 inch panel into a 14 inch, compact form factor, with the overall result 37 per cent thinner and 0.18KG lighter than the previous generation. It appears as though the claims of the Acer Aspire S5 as the world's thinnest Ultrabook were short lived. Though not technically dubbed an Ultrabook, the specifications are not too dissimilar, with the devices likely featuring a CULV Core i5 CPU or above, up to 8GB RAM and also up to 256GB SSD storage. According to Samsung, the devices boot in mere 9.8 seconds and wake from sleep in just 1.4 seconds. What's more is that the firm claims up to 10 hours of battery life, despite the light weight and small form factor of the notebooks. The refreshed line-up will also feature a backlit keyboard and an improved HD+ SuperBright Plus display, claiming to be 180 per cent brighter than the previous generation, with a 160 degree viewing angle and will sport a resolution of 1,600x900 in both models. Though sitting at a very premium price, the new notebook range certainly appears premium in every way and will be released out into the market on February 27th, with more details and UK pricing hopefully cropping up over the coming weeks.

No assembly required for Cubify 3D printer

Since becoming more widely available to the public, people have found a myriad of uses for 3D printers, whether it's recreating bone, constructing replacement shells for hermit crabs, or simply customizing mini robot figurines. Unfortunately, most 3D printers still have one drawback over other types of printers, in that they typically need to be put together like a hobby kit. Seeing as most electronics are purchased fully intact, the idea of having to build a device piece by piece can be off-putting to consumers. 3D Systems is hoping to rectify the problem with its own 3D printer that actually works right out of the box, along with a new Cubify platform for designing and distributing printed creations. The 3D printer, called simply The Cube, offers an alternative to other printers on the market like the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic, which need to be pieced together like an Erector Set before they can start churning out your creations. The device was designed by 3D Systems to be ready to print the moment it's unpacked and connected to the Cubify platform. Artists can design models for the printer using apps that work on smartphones and tablets, which the company claims are simple enough for children to use. At CES 2012, 3D Systems is even demonstrating a new app that designs 3D models using the Kinect, and has announced the launch of a Cubify website that allows users to upload and sell their models or creations online.

The impressive new Mercedes A-Class launched at Geneva

The original A-Class was a strange thing. An attempt to bring the Mercedes magic to the masses its tall boxy styling, though practical, was not a thing of beauty. Unfortunately the high center of gravity meant that it infamously failed the Swedish "moose test" and had to have its suspension modified. This caused the ride to be unacceptably hard for its target market of middle-class mums and the poor quality of the interior finish did nothing for MB's reputation. My parents had one and it was not the auto maker's finest hour. The new A-Class launched at the Geneva show could not be more different. It's as if Mercedes took on board everything that used to be said about the A-Class and embraced it with a vengeance. Rather than a tall and skinny MPV the A-Class is now a low and wide hot-hatch. MB seems quite proud of the fact that it rides a full 180 mm (7 inches) closer to the ground than its predecessor. The need for enjoyable and "sporty" handling was built into the project with the engineers from AMG being on-board from the start - indeed the influence of the AMG division seems to be an increasingly important factor across the auto-maker's entire portfolio. The exterior styling is quite aggressive at the front with the current MB house style snout and splitter/air intake combination. The body curves over smoothly to a more generic and "Mazda-esque" rear hatch but the upward slashes over the rear wheel-arches are much more successful here than on the taller B-Class. It's a handsome car with greater visual "weight" than class competitors whilst still boasting a very slippery Cd (Coefficient of drag) of only 0.26. Great care has clearly been taken to make the interior feel like a "real" Mercedes and while you won't find actual machined aluminum and carbon-fiber there are the best approximations that MB could come up with for look and feel without becoming pastiche. The layout is exactly like the vehicle's bigger and more expensive brothers and the A-Class features the fullest integration of it's systems with the iPhone available in any vehicle at this time. The wide appeal that Mercedes is aiming for is clear from the range of the engine choice. There are three turbo-charged petrol 4 cylinder engines at 115 hp (86 kW), 156 hp (116 kW) and 211 hp (157 kW), and three turbo-diesel 4's at 109 hp (81 kW), 136 hp (101 kW) and 170 hp (127 kW). As is the case these days the options lists are long and varied but standard packages named "Urban" (i.e. base) and "Style" (i.e. regular) are offered. A new six-speed manual box is standard - a interesting development for MB, or the 7-speed dual-clutch auto can be specified. One thing that is standard and unique at this vehicle level is a radar-assisted collision warning system as well as PRE-SAFE seat-belt pre-tensioning in the event of a crash. The most powerful petrol and diesel variants are available as the 250 Sport and 220CDI Sport, an "Engineered by AMG" version that is designated by 18" alloy wheels, a trick "diamond effect" front grill, a special front axle and suspension set-up and red accenting on the front apron, brake calipers and in the interior. The 350 Nm (258 ft/lbs) torque of the top diesel suggests that it might be the most entertaining drive of the lot. There is also the inevitable whisper of a properly crazy full AMG model with 300-350 hp in the works. This is a desirable vehicle with wide appeal - families, young professionals, household second cars etc. It should particularly appeal to women for the simple fact that it provides comfort, cachet and connectivity without lacking in the performance and handling department - things that women enjoy just as much as men (that's probably a completely redundant sentence these days but I'll take my chances!).

New Technology: Wrist "piano" puts music at your fingertips

New Technology: Wrist "piano" puts music at your fingertips: We've all drummed our fingers when impatient or bored, but the arrival of a wrist-mounted finger "piano" from Japan could change all that ...