This week’s awesome projects from around the web include Schneider Electric’s kinetic tiles for the Paris Marathon, Syfy’s immersive TV app and Heineken’s interactive bottle Heineken
Number 5) Paris’ kinetic powered marathon
This year’s Paris marathon had 82 feet of energy harvesting tiles so runners’ could help power their own marathon. Each runner’s step yielded about 8 watts of energy and a total of 7 kilowatt hours of electricity was collected during the entire race. Schneider Energy, the event sponsor, used the Pavegen energy-harvesting tiles to help promote their smart ways of harvesting kinetic energy. It’s a lovely example of a sponsor bringing something unique to an event rather than just lamely adding their badge to it.
Via PSFK
Number 4) Real time weather report billboard
This idea from New Zealand doesn’t require a lot of explanation. What better way of promoting real-time weather reports than to have a hollow billboard displaying the, er, real-time weather? Apart from the fact that you might just question why you shouldn’t look outside rather than at the internet…
Via Adverblog
Number 3) Syfy’s Access Granted Immersive TV concept
US cable channel Syfy is set to create immersive second-screen TV experiences for a number of its shows within a concept called Access Granted. Within the thriller, Helix, viewers will be able to explore the disease outbreak’s research lab using the Syfy synch app. For a Forthcoming Jamie Foxx show, viewers will be able to select alternative endings. Whilst they’re not the first broadcaster to try this (sounds very to Hawaii Five-O’s stunt reported back in February, the fact that this appears a deliberate strategy and not just a bolt-on idea to existing content could actually make it work?
Via IPG MediaLab
Number 2) Google Street View Hyperlapse
Ever wished you scroll effortlessly through Google’s Street View rather than plodding along one lick at a time? Canada-based digital designers Teehan+Lax have developed a brilliant app that lets you do just that. Select Point A and B via Google Maps, click Create, and Hyperlapse will stitch together Google Street View images into a continuous, video loop. The results are magical.
Via PCMag.com
Number 1) Heineken Ignite
In Number 1 this week is Heineken’s smart beer bottle. Introduced at Milan Design Week, sensors detect when people are clinking the bottles together or taking a sip and a light visualisation triggered within the bottle itself. The 8 bright LED lights can also be triggered remotely so each bottle becomes a light source controlled by specially developed software, allowing them to be synchronized to the music. Very cool.
That’s it for this week. As ever, if anything screamingly awesome has been missed out, let us know in the comments below. Or feel free to ping any recommendations for next week to @jamescfilmer.
James Filmer
Chief Innovation Officer
UM