Gizmodo: inflatable

Inflatable Dog Collar Keeps Rover Floating Without Swim Lessons

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:15:00 EST

The Float-A-Pet collar is two gadgets in one: a water-sensing inflatable floaty, and an LED locator. The other dogs may make fun of him, but that's a trade-off he's probably willing to make.

The collar illuminates at night, thanks to built in, solar powered LED lights, which could be helpful if your pooch is the wandering type. But the best part is the integrated humidity sensor that triggers a CO2 cartridge to inflate the collar when submerged in water. It's a little bulky, but if for some reason you live in a flood-prone area and your dog is defective and can't swim, it might be a good idea to strap him to one of these collars. Or you could, you know, teach him how to swim. [MAKE via DVICE

Inflatable Mouse is Super Portable, Fun to Squish

Sean Fallon — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:40:40 EST

The Jelly Click mouse concept could make it easy for business travelers to carry around a full-size mouse without taking up a whole lot of space. The device itself is fairly simple: a small flexible board carries all of the circuitry while the body is composed of plastic that can be blown up manually.

When not in use, it can be folded into a compact size or slid between the screen and keyboard of your laptop when closed. It may be a little weird from a tactile perspective, but I can see this idea becoming a reality. Although smokers with weak lungs may have a problem with it. [Yanko Design]

Inflatable Solar Arrays: Up To 25X Cheaper, Feature Cool 'Puffy' Look

Sean Fallon — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:20:01 EDT

Using traditional photovoltaics and a very non-traditional inflatable concentrator and tensegrity truss rigging structure, the folks at Cool Earth Solar have developed a system that could be far cheaper than polished aluminum mirrors. In fact, the inflatable versions are up to 400 times cheaper than regular mirrors and they are so lightweight that they can be suspended on cable lines as opposed to individual base systems —thereby using far less steel in construction. That means faster installation and minimal land use disruption.

Unfortunately, the design does have its drawbacks. For one, the inflatable mirrors would be fragile and less efficient than traditional methods due to the unique shape and the effects of wind on the non-rigid frame. So, in reality, the true cost effectiveness of such a set up is still unknown. Still, Cool Earth hopes to make solar power as cheap as non-renewable power within the next three years. [Cool Earth via Eco-Geek]

Subbuteo Giant Inflatable Pitch: Inflate Your Way to Soccer Fun

blongo3 — Thu, 17 May 2007 14:00:38 EDT

It seems like every week there's some new giant inflatable object for sale. One week it's a bathtub go-kart track, the next it's a human-sized hamster ball. Well, today we found an inflatable soccer field, big enough for you and three buddies.

That's right, for the sporty gadgeteer who has it all, there's an inflatable 12' x 20' soccer field. Now you can shoulder your opponent (or teammate if you're a jerk) into the boards and have him bounce right back. And if that doesn't get you going, it can go from flat-to-inflated in just 30 seconds with the included air pump

The question we have for you, the loyal reader is:

– Ben Longo

Inflatable football pitch big enough for four [Slashgear]

Floating Cabana: The Weekend Starts Here

www.gizmodo.com — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 08:22:54 EDT

This floating cabana is made of heavy-duty PVC and seats up to six people. With a nylon canopy to protect you from the sun and a tethered 16-quart cooler to keep your tinnies and snacks at the right temperature, it goes perfectly with the remote-controlled poolside drink tray you saw earlier this week. Measurements are 82"x102"x76" (HxWxL) and you and your crew can climb on board as long as you don't tip the scales at over 1,020 pounds.

The $300 inflatable has a hole in the middle (may I reiterate that it is NOT THAT KIND OF BLOW-UP THINGY) for easy access to the water, but the porthole looks so tiny that only the Nicole Richies of the world can fit through. May we suggest one design modification: Make the cabaña remote-controlled, so that your butler can bring you home should you drift too far away from the yacht. – Ad Dugdale

Product Page [Hammacher Schlemmer via New Launches]

Ozone Inflatable Lounger; Pimp Your Dorm

blongo3 — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 18:21:37 EST

I remember from my boarding school days, how envious I was of the kids who managed to scramble a chair our couch into their rooms. The only problem was lugging something as big as a love seat all the way from eastern Pennsylvania down to Maryland.

The Ozone Inflatable Lounger is the perfect solution for that problem. Not only is it easy to transport since it's inflatable, but also easy to move, inexpensive ($57), comfortable, and has built in speakers. Best of all the speakers draw their power your DMP of choice or even a TV, so there's no need to use up one of those oh so precious power outlets. – Ben Longo

Ozone Inflatable Lounger [New Launches]

12-Foot Inflatable Home Theatre, Minus The Theatre

Mark Wilson — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 13:59:24 EDT

I've spent so much on my home theatre and video games that I actually feel guilty going outside on a nice day. Still, the 12-Foot Inflatable Home Theatre might not be the solution.

The kit includes an inflatable 12-foot (144 inch) screen, repair kit (bad omen), some ground stakes, PVC, plastic ground sheeting and we're bored. In the end, you're getting a functional screen and 30 feet of RCA cable. The fact that it's unnecessarily inflatable will only lead to its eventual demise by stick. But for some, $1299 is a small price to watch sweet, sweet giant gorilla video by the pool. -Mark Wilson

Product Page [via bornrich]

Inflatable Cloud Meeting Room

Gizloco — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:45:31 EDT

"If you need me, I'll be up in the clouds" is how comedian Brian Regan ends one of his better jokes. It turns out that now everyone can be up in the clouds thanks to designer Monica Forster and her portable inflatable cloud room. It's designed to be a place where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of other, non-cloud rooms in order to have more relaxing meetings or brain storming sessions. Very hippie. A silent fan keeps the rooms inflated for the duration of the meeting, and only takes three minutes to inflate.

Once inflated, the cloud room is 7.6 x 17.6 x 13 feet, enough space for more than a few adults. Peace and serenity comes at a high price, though, since the cloud room costs $5,900. It's imported from Sweden, though, which automatically makes it Eurocool. – Nicholas Deleon

The Cloud [UrbanPeel.com via Popgadget]

Live From CES: Silly Inflatable Thing That Everyone Stops To Ogle

Noah R — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 20:45:18 EST

Tags: Lazy toys, battery powered flotation device, marketed with picture of guy using armrest beer holder.

Technological Innovation: Two motorized propellers on the bottom.

Overhead quote: "I guess if you can't afford a boat..."

Uses: Buy two of these and play chicken in the swimming pool.

Peripheral Device: Remote controlled floating drink tray.

Inflatable Human Beach Ball

Travis Hudson — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 13:02:05 EST

Claustrophobic and have a fear of water? Quick, buy this. This is a six-foot-wide ball that encloses a person and allows him to run around, on the water. You know, like Jesus. These are designed with intentions to battle other ~~morons~~ people in other big inflatable balls on the ocean. This Nuclear Globe inflatable tube is only available in Australia right now. Watch out for that undertow, Aussies!

Nuclear Globe for the Beach [The Cool Hunter]