A new concept washing machine over on Yanko Design called Mr. Klein promises to save water by reusing the same old water to clean multiple loads. If a washing machine used for cleaning your underwear uses the same water repeatedly, it seems more brown than green to me.

The concept apparently uses some sort of filtration system to remove the contaminants from the water before it reuses it. I hope the thing uses the same sort of filter than NASA uses to filter urine before astronauts drink it. I am also highly disappointed that a concept named Mr. Klein in no way resembles a bald, ripped, pirate.

Designed by RISD student Conor Klein, the Outlet Regulator (aka “Leech Plug”) is thusly named because, just like a real leech, this power adapter actually disconnects itself from its host (power source) when it’s sucked up all the juice it needs. By using a timer circuit along with electromechanics, it’s able to detach itself from the wall once fully charged.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy this mesmerizing video clip of the Leech Plug in action.

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[via No Smarties via Link Drop via Unplggd]

Watch Fame LLC Vice-President of Sales/Husband of CEO/Dentist Robert F. Morrison repeat what I just said on video:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The YoGen weighs a mere 98 grams and is under an inch thick. It charges via mini-USB, but it also has cables or connection tips for various other devices such as iPods, digital cameras and even Bluetooth headsets. An iPhone 3GS-compatible connection tip will soon be available. Just for kicks, let’s watch good ol’ Vice-President of Sales/Husband of CEO/Dentist/Commercial model Robert F. Morrison one more time:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can order the YoGen on its online store for only $40 (USD). And as we always say here on the Web, check out the product’s website for more info. Are there any proud (or enraged) YoGen owners out there? Maybe you could share your impressions with us.

[via AVING]

In an interview with CNN, Horizon co-founder Taras Wankewycz said that they want every home to have a HydroFILL – with increasing capacities every year – so that we can finally free ourselves from non-renewable energy resources. Every home will be a hydrogen station, and we’ll be able to generate hydrogen for our own use, powering everything from our vacuum cleaners to our cars.

But here’s the other problem I have with Horizon’s vision: you still need electricity and water in order to generate hydrogen. Right now early adopters can either plug the device in (which makes no sense as it doesn’t really liberate you from current energy options) or buy an optional solar panel add-on to the HydroFILL, which begs the question – why not just develop a small-scale, cheap and easy to use solar station? No need for water or electricity. I’m just thinking out loud here, and obviously all Horizon has right now is proof-of-concept, something to show everyone that hydrogen can be harnessed in a simple and affordable way. Let’s check back on them in a few years time and see if they’ve secured the support of other electronics companies.

Those of you who already want to have their own hydrogen station and hydrogen-powered gadgets can check out Horizon’s online store.

[via Boing Boing]

The White Goat can make one roll of toilet paper from 40 sheets of A4 paper, saving up to 60 trees a year.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Sure, the toilet paper it produces isn’t exactly top-notch – it actually looks coarse – but wouldn’t it be awesome if you could shred your phone bill/failed exam/your office mate’s documents, turn it into toilet paper and then wipe your ass with it? Seriously though I can’t wait for this thing to be miniaturized. Every house should have a White Goat.

[via Popular Science]

Designed by Elium Studio, the Lexon SAFE line of home goods come encased in environmentally-friendly corn bio-plastic and trimmed off with bamboo.  I think best item in the collection is the little wind-up radio.

In addition to the wind-up radio, the collection includes a solar-powered calculator, alarm clock, and a LED flashlight.

All of these gadgets are made from renewable materials, which makes them good for the planet and great for us, since they look pretty cool.

[via Core77]

I really love the clean aluminum case design of the G001, and they’ve done a great job hiding all the cables behind the removable side panels. The G001 even has 4 hidden power outlets under the cover on the left side of the machine, which let you monitor not just the power usage of your computer, but of your monitor and other peripherals. And that big wheel on the right side of the machine lets you control all of the connected devices with a simple push of the button in the middle.

The system is powered by a Core2 Duo E7500 CPU, and comes with 4GB of DDR2 RAM and a 320GB hard drive in its default configuration. At this point, Moneaul says the system will ship in about 3 months, and will retail for somewhere between $700 and $900 (USD), depending on configuration.

The compact PC comes is a small handcrafted chassis, complete with handmade wooden side panels that come from Italian cypress wood or Canadian rose wood. While Design Hara claims that with this computer “you can simply save the earth!”, I wouldn’t go that far unless you use it to cure cancer or something. That said, it is built using at least some sustainable components and power consumption is rated at only 60 watts per hour, which isn’t bad at all. It looks awesome alongside the less-than-eco-friendly clear acrylic speakers by Ferguson Hill in the photo below, they don’t come with the computer anyway.

The case is loaded with a Zotac 9300 Mini-ITX motherboard, the base system runs on an Intel Core2Duo CPU and comes with a 1TB hard drive and 4GB of RAM. They also throw in a Blu-ray drive for good measure. Sure, the specs sound completely average by today’s standards, but design is what this baby is all about.

No word on when or where you’ll be able to get one of these, but for now, you can check out more photos and specs over at Design Hara.

[via Yanko Design]

This unassuming looking prototype might not look like much, but it’s actually the EZ-REM-0001, the very first remote control to require no batteries at all. Power to the remote control is generated using the tiny vibrations caused by pressing the buttons on the face of the remote. The device uses a combination of a sound vibration power generation device, an RF remote control, and a specialized power supply that can drive the circuit with very little power. This new technology was developed as a joint-venture between Japan’s NEC Electronics and Soundpower.

While this might not seem like much, the notion of powering your electronic gadgets simply by using the power generated through button presses is pretty groundbreaking. Perhaps someday we’ll see other devices that can convert your physical movements into renewable energy for electronics. While I don’t know if vibrations will ever generate enough power to send radio waves, you might someday juice up simple electronic devices by simply pressing the power button.

Cool stuff, Maynard. Very cool stuff, indeed.

[via Tech-On!]

The Cool Rider isn’t quite as schmancy as a Segway, but it still looks like a fun way to get around. The vehicle features a powerful single-wheel drive system that can pull you along the streets at a zippy clip.

The battery-powered motor can hit a top speed of 12 mph, and can run for about an hour per charge. The battery pack is removable too, and plugs into any wall outlet. The other unique thing about the Cool Rider is that you can detach the standing sled from the back and just use it to pull you on your skates or rollerblades.

While the $1250 (USD) retail price isn’t exactly pocket change, the Cool Rider does sell for about 1/4 the price of a Segway. Sold? Then head on over to Opulent Items and plunk down your credit card. While you mull it over, why not watch this Cool Rider video clip…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Gotcha.

BTW, Did you notice that none of the people in the photos are wearing a helmet or knee pads? I don’t know about you, but the whole thing looks just a little bit dangerous to me.  I’d have to bet these things aren’t street-legal anywhere around here.

[via 7Gadgets]

Macally’s wooden ECOFAN and ECOFANPRO stands keep your laptop nice and cool, and look good doing it . Each stand has a built-in USB powered cooling fan, and can support any laptop up to 17″. They’re made from Bamboo wood, which not only has a warm natural style, it’s eco-friendly.

While the ECOFAN features a fixed-position stand, I greatly prefer the adjustable height stand on the ECOFANPRO (pictured above). Here’s a snapshot of the simpler model:

Both stands are available over on Amazon, with prices around $32 to 33 (USD) for either model. With virtually no price difference, there’s no reason not to go PRO.

Now all I need is one of those Bamboo laptops to go with this, and I’ll be set.

Organic Light Emitting Diodes are starting to emerge not only in flat-panel displays, but numerous prototypes of OLED lighting fixtures are starting to rear their heads. The great thing about OLED is not only that it is self-illuminating and eco-friendly, but that it’s not a point-source of light. Instead, OLED can be built into flexible panels and produced in specialized shapes, sizes and colors – providing a wonderful ambient glow. There are even transparent oled panels that you can see through, but that can still generate bright ambient lighting. Philips has even made some amazing interactive lighting fixtures using their new Lumiblade OLED technology.

Check out the gallery below to see a variety of prototype fixtures that use OLEDs to generate light.

In addition to Philips, there are many companies working on OLED lighting concepts, including GE, OSRAM, Siemens, Visionox, Samsung, and others – and it’s only a matter of time before we start to see mass-produced commercial lighting fixtures that use the technology. I see a bright future ahead of us.

[via OLED Info]

The sit-down electric YikeBike tops out at 20km/hr (appx. 12 MPH). An electric chainless drive powers the bike up to 10 kilometers (appx. 6 miles) on a quick 30 minute charge. While that’s not a ton of range, it’s certainly enough for most urban commuters to get to and from work. It’s also great for short haul travel from public transportation sites like trains and buses.

And thanks to an innovative lightweight folding carbon composite frame, you can carry the YikeBike up to your office during the day for a recharge (and to protect it from theft on the street). The whole thing weighs just 9.8 kg (appx. 21 lbs.) which means it won’t break your back carrying it around either.

If you can get past the annoying song in this commercial, the YikeBike actually looks pretty cool…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Here’s a better (and far less irritating) video that shows off the YikeBike being put through its paces on a variety of challenging terrains. It’s surprisingly agile, given its unassuming looks.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Expect the YikeBike to start shipping sometime in 2010. Final pricing hasn’t been set yet, but it’s likely to run between €3500 and €3900 (appx. $5180 to $5772 USD). You can reserve one now with a €100 (appx. $148 USD) deposit here.

The subcompact AIRpod runs on compressed air instead of traditional automotive fuels. A set of carbon-fiber tanks sit underneath the passenger compartment, loaded up with 2900psi of compressed air. The tanks power a tiny engine capable of cranking out a whopping 5.4 horsepower and 11-foot-pounds of torque. Woo-hoo!

It takes 2 minutes to fill up the tanks, and a single occupant should be able to go somewhere around 90 to 125 miles on a full set of tanks. And with air costing just €1 (appx. $1.40 USD) for a fill-up, fuel costs are pretty much a non-issue. Of course, that all assumes you can find a place to fill up the tanks.

MDI says the production version will transport up to 3 adults and 1 child, with a single front-facing driver’s seat, and a rear-facing bench for the other occupants. This tiny green car looks awfully cramped – not to mention a bit dangerous for the passengers, but maybe that’s just me.

Want to know how it drives? The guys over at Edmunds Inside Line have actually gotten a chance to test drive the prototype and it through its paces.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

While the current prototype car can only hit 30mph, the production model should hit 50mph when it hits at the end of 2009. The 2010 AIRpod is expected to be released by the end of 2009 in France for €6,000 (appx $8380 USD). MDI plans on offering additional compressed-air cars in the not-too-distant-future.

[via WOW-POW via Slashgear]

The ZERO from Italy’s Tazzari Electric is getting set to hit U.S. shores by early 2010, and now there’s a chance for you to be the tooling around in this cute subcompact car before anyone else gets one.

The eco-friendly ZERO runs on lithium batteries, and is made from 100% recyclable aluminum. The ZERO is designed to handle like a sports car – assuming your definition of sports car tops out at 55 mph. At least it can accelerate from 0 to 30 in under 5 seconds. The real wheel drive ZERO features a wide wheelbase, a centrally-located engine, 15-inch wheels, and a low center of gravity in order to keep things feeling sporty.

Driving range is 140km (appx. 87 miles) per charge, and an innovative superfast charging system lets you recharge the car’s batteries to 80% capacity in just 50 minutes – although a full charge takes 9 hours, so an overnight juice-up is best.

Opening bid for the first ZERO is a cool $25,000, and you’ll need to pre-qualify to bid. In addition to the vinyl-skinned green ZERO pictured above, the winner will be flown to New York city to receive their car along with some other special perks. The auction ends on Wednesday, June 3rd, so if you want to bet the first, you’ll need to get over to eBay and get your bids in soon.

[Tazzari ZERO via i drive green]

This clever battery recycling box by Luckies of London looks like a giant cousin to those batteries you were just about to throw in the trash. Just load up the cylindrical metal container with your deceased batteries, and once it’s filled up, head on over to your local electronics recycling center. By recycling your old dead batteries, you’ll be doing something good for the earth, as throwing them out in the regular trash can leak hazardous heavy metals into the soil as the exterior shell corrodes.

You can grab the battery recycling box over at UK gift shop Prezzybox for £6.95 (appx. $10 USD). And wheneve you can, try and use rechargeables – you won’t have to throw them out nearly as often

These Wind Lights measure in at just under 8″ tall, but they work just like their bigger windmill cousins, generating electricity through the power of air. Each tiny light uses a 2.4″ propeller to power a pair of bright red or blue LEDs.

And if you happen to live in London, you can check out a massive installation featuring 1200 of these Wind Lights which illuminate as the winds blow in over the River Thames. The 45-foot tall “Aeolian Tower” was created by Jason Bruges Studio part of the onedotzero: adventures in motion show. The tower will be on display in front of BFI Southbank at the Waterloo Bridge from November 13th through 16th.

Individual Wind Lights should be available for purchase from Mathmos for £12 (appx. $18 USD) just in time for Christmas.