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Once Around the Web – Like Whoa!

Here are a few noteworthy items from the news this week  to amaze and delight you!

Burglar-proof Bike Lock – It Takes Safety to a Whole New Level!

If this bike lock becomes popular, it’s going to bring a new dimension to the question – “Where the heck did I park?”

The video is in German but you’ll get the gist. Skip ahead to 1:15 if you just want to see the bike lock in action.

Like Dorothy, You May Soon Be Able to Click Your Heels Together and Travel Home

True they’re not quite as dazzling as the famed ruby slippers, but these prototype GPS-enabled shoes will guide you home with technology rather than magic. And,  let’s face it, magic’s coverage is pretty spotty outside of Oz. Made by London designer Dominic Wilcox for an exhibition at the London Design Festival, the shoes are currently only in the prototype stage.  However, they’ve certainly caught the eye and captured the imagination of lots of folks who would love to have a pair of their own to click three times.

 

MIT Uses Kinect and Lasers to Make Maps In Real Time

MIT researchers have built a wearable sensor system that automatically creates a digital map of the environment through which the wearer is moving. The sensor (pictured below) works by scanning a building in a 270 degree arc with a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) laser and combining this information with depth and visual data generated by a Kinect. This information is sent to a processing unit — in the prototype, a laptop — in the user’s backpack, which then builds the map.

(Monday – Friday SDOT sends out a compilation of local and national transportation news links. If you’d like to subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the list, just send an email to allie.gerlach@seattle.gov and I’ll take care of it for you. )