A revolutionary Kickstarter project – carbonized coffee fused into futuristic socks – promises to spell the end to stinky feet as it filters and adsorbs sweat and odor.
UK’s Ministry of Supply (MoS), who designed the garment, hope for £20,000 ($30,000) of funding but with more than two weeks to go until the opportunity to back them ends, they have already surpassed their goal four times over.
MoS’ previous inventions include the £65 ($100) Apollo 2 dress shirt, a revolutionary garment that got widespread recognition.
The shirt is made using anti-microbial fabric with moisture wicking qualities and NASA heat-regulation technology.
The high-tech firm has now turned their hands to socks for their latest sartorial innovation.
Named Atlas, MoS once again evoke ancient Greece for the name of their invention. The garment comes with a promise of cool and comfortable feet thanks in part to coffee.
The socks are made from a mix of cotton, recycled polyester and carbonized coffee which filters and absorbs sweat and odor to keep feet cool. MoS say that this is exactly how a Brita water filter works.
MoS Atlas socks infused with coffee promise to spell the end to smelly feet
Carbonized coffee “attracts molecules” (composed mostly of carbon) with its spongy structure. The trapped molecules are released in the wash, ready for a whole new dose of smells the next time they’re worn.
The coffee is reclaimed from coffee roasting factories and shops and then subjected to a pharmaceutical process to remove oils and that coffee smell. It is then infused into the company’s recycled polyester yarns.
Atlas has undergone lab tests that MoS claims showed it to be three times more effective at absorbing smells than regular cotton.
The firm used 3D strain analysis to visualize how the skin stretches in 3D and adjusts, so that the sock doesn’t have to bend and stretch to accommodate foot movements as conventional socks do.
They also used pressure mapping to locate points that require extra support, a similar to technology used in the production of customized orthotics. This technique combined with thermal imaging identified hot spots and help improve ventilation.
They “hope to provide new levels of comfort that were not previously possible”.
MoS says the socks are durable, easily passing the eight month stress-test.
Manufacturing will be outsourced to specialist textile mills that use techniques such as robotic knitting, which MoS says is like 3D printing but for knitwear.
MoS has poured as much clothing technology into ATLAS as it can, even down to the robotic knitting machines it uses to make the coffee socks.
Robotic knitting machines are like 3D printers for clothing, and offers the same level of precision and customization industry 3D printers provide.
The sock project is now fully funded on Kickstarter four times over, so the MoS team’s goal to product the garment in a variety of colors other than black is most likely to become a reality.
The Atlas performance dress socks, a “Brita filter for your feet”, will come in medium and large and will cost £18 ($28) for two pairs. The project is still open for funding on Kickstarter for another 15 days.
Longboardstroller, the coolest invention for adventurous new mothers is here.
Parents could soon be able to take their toddlers out on skateboarding trips with them – as a pushchair has been invented that combines the two.
The wacky contraption consists of an elongated skateboard, known as a longboard, which has the seat section of a child’s buggy attached to the front of it.
Children between the ages of nine months and 4-and-a-half years old can comfortably sit in the buggy while their parents can hop on the back and propel it along.
The bizarre product dubbed the Longboardstroller has also been enhanced with a brake at the back and handlebars for steering behind the seat section.
The baby buggy will also mean parents will be able to take their children out on much longer “walks” they can with a normal stroller.
The product has been created by design studio Studio Peter Van Riet in Antwerp, Belgium, for buggy brand Quinny.
Longboardstroller, the coolest invention for adventurous new mothers is here
Inventors behind the Longboardstroller hope it will be an environmentally friendly alternative to travelling in cities and that parents will choose it over a car or bus.
Around eight prototypes of the product have been invented and it is currently being tested and evaluated for health and safety measures.
Peter Van Riet, 42, owner of Studio Peter Van Riet, said: “Last year we were approached by Quinny and they had an idea to make a stroller you could stand on.
“We met with parents o talk about it and came up with the idea of a stroller combined with a long board.
“With just a stroller alone you can travel maybe half a mile and this offers a solution to go further without having to use a car or another form of transport.
“It’s also environmentally friendly which is one of the main points behind it.
“To make the prototype we used part of an existing stroller and had a longboard made out of wood and fibreglass to make it stronger.
“It can hold children from about nine-months-old up to four-and-a-half years, with a maximum weight of around 35 lbs.
“Adults stand on the back and use the handles to steer or they can lean from side to side which also changes the direction.
“We are currently thinking about safety features such as what kind of brake it needs, how to attach the children and board sizes.
“It is difficult to say how much it will cost as it is not for sale yet but a good longboard costs up to £300 [$500] so it will be a bit more than that with the extra parts.”
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A new strange invention, Deo Perfume Candy, the edible deodorant, promises to keep you “sweet smelling” for hours.
An American company called Deo Perfume Candy has created a type of sweet that releases a lingering rose scent through the pores of your skin.
Already launched in the US and due to be released in the UK early next year, one mouthful of the tangerine-flavored sweets will apparently keep you smelling of roses for up to six hours.
Deo Perfume Candy has already been a great success in America, despite their price – a small bag costs $10.
The sweets contain chemical compounds that cannot be broken down by the body and so are excreted through the skin.
Deo Perfume Candy contains chemical compounds that cannot be broken down by the body and so are excreted through the skin
The main ingredient of Deo Perfume Candy, which provides the floral scent, is geraniol – a naturally occurring compound that us found in roses, lavender and vanilla.
Garlic also contains similar chemicals that cannot be broken down by the body- but mercifully the candy will leave you smelling rather sweeter than if you’d chomped down on a clove or three.
