Dekra D-Drive bike trades the chain for direct-drive

SenTAG helps prevent drowning, wirelessly
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wireless


Swimming is fun, but drowning, most certainly, is not. The makers of SenTAG know this, and have developed a system that monitors swimmers' depth and motion, alerting them, with a series of alarms and LEDs, if they might be in danger. The set-up, which is designed mostly for public swimming holes, consists of radio/ultrasound transmitters (worn around swimmers' wrists) and a base station that alerts rescue personnel if someone isn't responding to the alarm. No building modification is required for installation, meaning there won't be any wires running through or around the water and operating cost is kept relatively low. The most exciting part for us, though, is that the whole rescue process is now one step closer to being completely electronic. Eventually, the SenTAG could be used to signal a Strider robot, which could drag the victim back to land where the CPR bot could be applied. But, don't worry lifeguards, that day is still a long way off.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | CommentsBuffalo spices up spacious NAS line
Filed under: Storage
We can always count on Buffalo to keep the updates rolling for their NAS products, and thanks to cheap and expansive hard drives, we're liking where things are going. Their new 2TB TeraStation holds four drives -- we'll leave the math to you here -- and sports Gigabit Ethernet and RAID 5 compatibility. The LinkStation merely houses a single drive, up to 750GB in capacity, but keeps the Gigabit connectivity for high-speed fun. Both devices also support DLNA to keep the media flowing, but we're not so sure on price or availability. Luckily these are the "consumer" line, so the damage shouldn't be too great.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | CommentsDekra D-Drive bike trades the chain for direct-drive
Filed under: Transportation
Anyone who's ever gotten clothing caught in their bicycle gears and been sent tumbling to the ground with a shredded pant leg will surely appreciate a new bike that ditches the derailleur in favor of a safer, cleaner, lower-maintenance direct-drive system. Just introduced Stateside by importer Dynacraft, the Dekra D-Drive bike uses a drive shaft to transfer power from your pedal-pumping legs to the back wheel, and includes a fully enclosed bevel gear system from Shimano to ease your load on those uphill climbs. Of course, with only three gears (changeable through a twist of the handlebar), this model will never be seen cruising victoriously down the cobbled surface of the Champs-Elysées at the end of a Tour de France, but at $300 it seems like a reasonably-priced way to roll around town hassle-free.[Via Gizmag]Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments