Ever since I was a kid, I loved watching the Jetsons and was always fascinated by that cartoon’s idea of what the future would look like. Personally, I was obsessed with the possibility of a flying car – a concept I’m still waiting very patiently for! And while most of the gadgets on that show might have seemed a bit “spaced out” (pun intended), technology has made some of those far-fetched notions a reality. Here are two for your consideration:
If you visited my house right now, tomorrow, or at any time at all, and you took a quick peek into my bedroom, my bed would not be made. Other than when I change the sheets, making the bed is just something I choose not to do. But thanks to technology, now I don’t have to! Spanish furniture maker OHEA has designed a bed that makes itself. With this “smart bed”, three seconds after the last person gets up, a panel on each side of the bed opens and arms swing out. Rollers attached to the arms grab your blanket and move slowly from the foot to the head of the bed. Another panel moves the pillows out of the way of the rolling arms. As a safety measure, the automatic bed-making function won’t work if someone is in the bed and the entire process takes about 50 seconds.
The only downside I see to this is the fact that it’s not ready yet. The website advertises the smart bed in different sizes along with the bedding (which is required to use the bed effectively), with the message that it will be ‘Soon on Sale’. I guess in the meantime, I’ll have to keep my bedroom door closed when I have guests over.
This next gadget is also coming soon, but I don’t know that I’ll be heading down to The Sharper Image once it hits stores. The Hop suitcase is designed to be hands-free, meaning it will follow you around the airport without you having to push or pull it. Basically, a signal from the suitcase will be synced to a Bluetooth signal in your smartphone, allowing the suitcase to follow you along at a constant distance. Being hands-free in the airport definitely has its advantages, but all I can see when I think of this bag is the image of someone running off with my luggage. The other downside is that you have to be moving fairly slowly for the Hop suitcase to keep up, so if you’re running late you might end up leaving your bag in the dust. Check out the video here.
I think both of these products have the potential to be successful once all of the kinks are worked out and they make it to the marketplace. If they gave the Hop suitcase the ability to emit an electric shock if it’s touched by an unauthorized person, I might actually consider buying one, or at least getting one as a gift.
Will you be putting these futuristic gadgets on your Christmas list? What other Jetsons-style tech would you like to see?
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