Activeion Spray Bottle

Being Earth Day and all, I thought it might be a good idea to talk about an emerging technology that is earth-friendly. The Activeion spray bottle takes everyday tap water and transforms it into ionized water that is germ-destroying. Unlike normal cleaning sprays, the Activeion spray bottle does not emit harmful chemicals into the atmosphere, that can destroy the ozone. These everyday cleaners are also often bad to inhale. Ionized water has been used in restaurants and hotels for years, but has never been available commerically. I think the Activeion spray bottle could revolutionize the way we clean. It could replace all cleaning chemicals that we spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on a year. This product could replace brands that we have known for years, such as Windex or Comet. I wonder what other forms of ionized water could be developed. I know that personally, as a person with allergies, cleaning agents often bother me. Using a product, such as the Activeion spray bottle could completely change the way I clean. http://www.gizmag.com/activeion-ionator-water-as-disinfectant/14865/

Car2go

This week's blog is not so much about an emerging technology, but more of an emerging program. The Car2go is a program that was tested in Austin, Texas. It is pretty much a fleet of cars are placed throughout the city and available for immediate rent from Car2go members. A member can go outside, find a Car2go parked in public parking, swipe their card in the scanner placed on the rear of the car, and then hop in and drive away. The driver can then park the car in either a public parking spot or a designated Car2go spot and go on with their life. The car is then available for another Car2go member. The trial went very well in Austin and the full program will be implemented in the near future. When I first read about this program, I can think of several possible problems with the program. However, the trial went well and the program is developed to be like one in Germany that has been very successful. This really promotes the idea of sharing a car and cooperating with other community members. It could potentially cut down on the number of cars on the road, help with traffic, and just be convenient for busy people. It would be so convenient to be able to just find a car on the street, hop in it, drive it, and not have to worry about gas, maintenance, and paying for parking. I can only imagine what other similar programs will be developed and implemented in larger cities in the near future.http://www.car2go.com/

Smartphones saving lives?

Today, I read on gizmag.com about a new technology that would be embedded into a smartphone and could possibly detect toxic chemicals. This technology is being developed by America's Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate. The article says that the chip would cost less than a dollar and could detect toxic chemicals in its' direct vicinity. It would then alert its user to the chemical. It absolutely amazes me how we are becoming more and more reliant on our mobile devices. It is hard for me to even grasp the idea that all of this technology has emerged over the past decade. When I was little we did not even have cell phones for everyday use and now they may be able to save your life by detecting a toxic chemical. My first thought of this was carbon monoxide poisoning. While growing up, my friend's family barely escaped their house when there was a carbon monoxide leak. Due to the gas being odorless, families must rely on detectors to warn them. Although their detector was faulty, they luckily heard the hiss of the leak and contacted the fire department. Now, just by having my Blackberry sitting in my home could alert me to an emergency that I was unaware of. I cannot even imagine what other kinds of smartphone detectors this could open the door for. http://www.gizmag.com/homeland-security-cell-all-initiative/14773/

Fully-Compostable Chip Bag

Yesteryday, SunChips introduced the world's first fully-compostable chip bag. The bag will completely compose in just 14 weeks. It took SunChips four years to develop this bag. I think that SunChips is a great company with a lot of corporate responsibility. First of all, they use solar energy to help produce their product. I think this is something that other companies should be looking into. I also think it is something that SunChips should advertise more. I do not think that people realize this is why they are called SunChips. Now, they have come up with this compostable chip bag. I am curious as to how long it will take for this bag to be seen on the market. I think it may increase the price consumers are willing to pay for their product. Knowing that the product you are buying does not hurt the environment is definitely a plus. http://www.sunchips.com/healthier_planet.shtml