Airbus looked ahead forty years and designed the perfect plane for its future customers. More »
Everyone’s got at least one digital camera these days. But how well do you use it? Welcome to The Gizmodo Shooting Challenge, where Giz readers get to pit their photographic skills against each other for the admiration of their editors on a dedicated theme each week. This week’s challenge? Relaxation. More »
The credit crunch and the hectic pace of modern life has inspired Professor Richard Wiseman to create what he believes is “the world’s most relaxing room” at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, just north of London. His research led him to invite visitors to lie down on soft matting with lavender scented pillows in a darkened room lit only with “a calming glade-like green light.” A simulated blue sky is projected onto the ceiling above while a soundtrack specifically composed for the project by resident Professor of Music, Tim Blinko plays softly in the background.
I’ll be the first to admit that having someone massage your hands is relaxing, especially after a long day of typing away on a computer. If you agree, a finger massage from this DanBall device may be just the thing to help melt away your stress. According to the manufacturer, it can give you up to 50 one minute shiatsu finger massages on a single charge, help grow your fingernails with infrared rays and keep you relaxed with a soothing melody and LED light show. Sounds like a great way to keep the typing fingers limbered up or keep you on your bowling game, but for US$2000 I’m pretty sure that I can find some better ways to unwind. [Japan Trend Shop via OhGizmo via Ubergizmo]
Bless Skymall and its world of wonderful and strangely fascinating gizmos for bringing us this: the portable neck traction device, supposed to help relieve tight muscles and “joint and nerve pressure.” Simply place around your neck (that’s a worrying start, if you ask me) and “pump the inflation bulb until you feel a comfortable stretch.” That’ll be somewhere short of popping your head off like an unfortunate Legoman, I guess. Available now, for all you crick-necked blog readers who don’t sit at your PC properly, in three neck sizes for US$69.98. [Skymall via Random Good Stuff]
Last year we came across the Rotoflexion massaging backpack, but alas it was only a concept device. However, someone out there was enterprising enough to turn the idea into reality with the Airo—a backpack that can apply massage, vibration, and relaxing heat to sore shoulder and back muscles. Unfortunately, it appears that they failed to make the device into a functional backpack, which seems like a missed opportunity to me. After all, if I am going to walk around looking like a freakin’ turtle, I should at least be able to store my books in the thing. [Discovery via BookofJoe via DVICE]
Sure, there’re plenty of gadgets to soothe your troubled soul with smells, lights and sounds— but why buy a bunch of these, when the LTK2000 does it all in one? Once the Therapy Station has calmed your ears with 24 relaxing sound options, a pop-up ring of bright LEDs tries to banish those SAD blues. Aromatherapy scents will waft around you from its built-in heater, while an anion generator cleans up the air. Strangely its designers missed tackling all five senses by omitting a massager and chocolate dispenser, but hey ho. Available for around US$395 in Korea at first, we guess it’ll be over here soon enough. [Technabob]
