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As the massive baby-boomer generation enters its senior years, a strain on long-term care facilities seems virtually inevitable. Aiming to offer an alternative mode of senior care, Virginia-based N2Care has come up with the MedCottage, a pop-up, medically equipped suite that families can use on their property to care for seniors at home. The 12-by-24-foot MedCottage connects to a single-family house's electrical and water supplies much like an RV and is loaded with technology and amenities for the health, comfort and safety of the elderly or those recovering from illness or injury. The unit's cozy bedroom, bathroom and kitchen offer the comforts of home while also incorporating the latest technology to monitor vital signs, filter the air and communicate with the outside world via video and cell phone text technology. A hospital-caliber bed is included, as is a toilet that measures weight, temperature and urine content, for example. Ankle-level sensors alert caregivers to an occupant's fall, meanwhile, and a computer can even remind the occupant to take medications. A movable lift is built in, as is extra accommodation for a caregiver. Available for purchase or lease at prices that amount to roughly “half the expense of the nationally averaged cost of nursing home care,” N2Care says, the MedCottage is already authorized for use in Virginia and is designed to comply with local zoning ordinances throughout the US. Virginia, in fact, recently signed in a special law to allow the cottages to be used. By the year 2050, there will be more than 1.5 billion people worldwide over the age of 65, according to the US Census Bureau. How about bringing some fresh comfort and dignity to aging consumers in other parts of the world? (Related: Walking cane for seniors, upgraded with style — Home enhancement service focuses on senior citizens — Health and wellness shop focuses on seniors.) Website: www.medcottage.com Spotted by: Vitus Zeller |
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Urban farming kits have appeared on our virtual pages numerous times over the past few years, including offerings targeting herbs, beekeeping and chicken farming. And while we haven't featured kits for growing mushrooms on logs (which are popping up in stores and at markets everywhere), we were intrigued by a new, greener option that doesn't require stumps of wood. California startup Back to the Roots now offers a grow-your-own mushroom garden kit that can be kept inside on a windowsill. Consumers need only moisten their garden twice a day with a provided mister, and within seven days a growing mushroom garden should be apparent. From there the mushrooms typically double in size each day, eventually amounting to a pound of produce per crop, Back to the Roots says; between two and four crops per kit can be expected. Perhaps best of all, though, is that Back to the Roots' mushroom gardens use soil — provided as part of the kit — that's made up entirely of recycled coffee grounds. The Easy-to-Grow Mushroom Garden is priced at USD 19.95. Five percent of sales are donated to support breast cancer research. Back to the Roots first launched its mushroom-growing kit in March at the Whole Foods in Berkeley, Calif.; since then, it's expanded nationwide into nearly 100 other Whole Foods Markets as well as nurseries and science stores. Just last month, it was named an Innovation Award Winner by the Social Venture Network. Eco-minded retailers around the globe: this one's for you! (Related: Triscuit-sponsored site taps urban gardening trend — Compost service for businesses sells the soil it creates — Geotextile bags for urban farming.) Website: www.bttrventures.com |
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Longtime Springwise readers may recall Poptotheshops, the UK firm we covered back in 2007 that lets consumers order online from local stores for free delivery. Adding further evidence that the concept has merit, we recently discovered Beelocal, a new, like-minded venture in the Lake District that offers something very similar. Beelocal is a local food and grocery service that delivers fresh meat boxes, organic fruit and vegetable boxes, wine and other local foods to residents and tourists in Northwest England's Lake District. Consumers begin by registering online and then shopping directly from their favourite local shops and producers. Each shop involved then packs up its portion of the consumer's order for collection by the Beelocal team. Once all the pieces are collected, Beelocal sorts the order into a single shopping basket and delivers it to the consumer's door, though consumers can also pick up the aggregate order from Beelocal's offices if they prefer. For deliveries, consumers pay a fee of GBP 3 on top of the cost of their order. Also available from Beelocal is nationwide mail-order delivery of locally made meat boxes, toffee puddings and more. Demand for anything (still) made here shows no sign of slowing down, particularly when combined with the organic food movement. Next, how about emulating something like this but making deliveries using pedal-power instead...? (Related: More near-instant e-commerce delivery — Organic soups, delivered weekly by bicycle — Connecting buyers and sellers of locally grown food — Farmers use vending machines to sell local produce — Farmers' market targets commuters with $5 bags — Waitrose using bicycles & carts for greener grocery deliveries — Local produce, delivered by bicycle.) Website: www.beelocal.co.uk Spotted by: John Burgess |
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Twitter and Facebook users are familiar with URL shorteners, the web tools that turn long and unwieldy links into short, shareable ones. Bristol-based shrtn is adding to that concept by helping social media users earn some extra cash while sharing product links. Like other shorteners, shrtn has a simple interface that lets users enter long URLs, which are then shortened to something like http://shrtn.co/hb (linking, in this case, to Steven Johnson's Where Good Ideas Come From). The big difference with other services is that shrtn has signed up with over a hundred online merchants, and adds affiliate identifiers to their URLs. Ever time an item is purchased through a registered user's shortened link, shrtn receives a commission and passes part of that on to the user. So if someone short-links to their favourite perfume on Beauty.com, and one of their friends follows that link and buys from Beauty.com, the user receives a cut of the affiliate earnings (shrtn pays out 70–80% of the total commission). Users receive their earnings through PayPal, or can choose to donate them to charity, in which case shrtn adds an additional 20% on top. By simplifying affiliate marketing for ordinary consumers and keeping the experience unobtrusive for those who click on links (it doesn't add pop-ups or insert elements into the user's browser) shrtn seems like a win-win for all involved. Website: www.shrtn.co |
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Hardly a week goes by without news of some fresh pedal-powered innovation, and this week is no exception. The latest spotting? Oregon-based B-Line, which offers tricycle cargo deliveries for companies serving downtown Portland. Very similar to French La Petite Reine — which we covered back in 2008 — B-line uses a fleet of electric-assisted tricycles with attached trailers to provide a green solution for last-mile deliveries. Clients can either drop off their pallets at B-line's southeast Portland warehouse, or they can opt to have B-line pick up their goods. Either way, the company's trike system can replace or offset the time and cost associated with traditional truck delivery, bearing loads up to 600 pounds and offering savings of 30 percent to 50 percent of the cost per delivery stop. Since its founding in February 2009, B-line has made more than 4,000 deliveries covering 16,000 miles and reduced CO2 emissions by an estimated 37,000 pounds. It's also provided hours of sustainable, eye-catching advertising on the sides of its cargo box panels. Does your city have a sustainable delivery option? If not, what are you waiting for...? ;-) (Related: In Dublin, cargo bikes will ensure business deliveries during construction — Organic soups, delivered weekly by bicycle — Pedaled by two, a cargo bike for hauling furniture — Waitrose using bicycles & carts for greener grocery deliveries — Local produce, delivered by bicycle — Bicycle trailers on loan at IKEA.) Website: www.b-linepdx.com Spotted by: Murray Orange |
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Free love is always a great way to get consumers' attention, but if it can be branded and shared virally, it becomes a killer promotional tool. Enter PhotoBoxi, a device that turns the traditional photo booth into an advertiser's best friend. PhotoBoxi is a sleek, portable and interactive digital photo booth that dispenses free love while capturing consumer data, generating leads and facilitating social network marketing. How it works? Consumers pose for free digital photos using the rented self-serve booth at a venue or event. Those photos then get instantly delivered to their email account, mobile phone and social networking sites along with the advertiser’s logo or message in an accompanying frame. From there, the photos spread virally as they're shared across myriad social networks — as does the brand's message. Advertisers even receive a Proof of Performance report indicating the number of photos taken; they also get users' email data in Microsoft Excel format and social photo analytics tracking where photos have been shared. A basic rental fee of USD 795 includes four hours of rental; local delivery, set-up and on-site tech; unlimited instant photo capture; 90-day online photo storage; and photos sent to customers after the event. Clients so far have included FIJI Water, Saks Fifth Avenue, Madam Tussauds, Procter & Gamble, Chivas, Heineken, Coca-Cola and National Geographic. The PhotoBoxi is now available in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Ohio and Puerto Rico, and it's coming soon to New York, San Francisco and Las Vegas, says Los Angeles-based Boxi, which welcomes inquiries from potential dealers. (Boxi, incidentally, is a sister company to NapAds, which we covered a few years ago.) Future plans include expansion to all major U.S. cities. One to get in on early in a market near you? (Related: Free e-book streaming and sharing with ad support — Free paper cups for office coffee drinkers — Free T-shirt love for targeted consumers — More free love: notebooks for students — Free snail mail, sponsored by advertisers.) Website: www.photoboxi.com Spotted by: Murray Orange
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We've seen a variety of businesses launched to help travellers connect during the course of their journey — KLM and Air France's Bluenity, for example — but relatively little offering similar capabilities for daily commuters. Now, however, there's Bumped.in, an online community for people on the go. Users of Bumped.in begin by signing up with the free service and creating a profile or signing in through Facebook Connect. They can then enter any upcoming travel plans — whether it's the daily commute or a longer trip — and Bumped.in will automatically tell them which other users are travelling in close proximity. From there, users can browse the profiles of those fellow travellers, send messages and connect in person; they can also share tips, photos and recommendations about everything from new routes to new restaurants. California-based Bumped.in explains: “Every time we travel, we cross paths with people who could potentially enrich our lives. But oftentimes, we're missing an outlet that allows us to connect, network and interact.” The site is designed to offer just that; in fact, “why not start a book club on the subway?” it suggests. Ad-supported Bumped.in supports real-time transit alerts for many rail systems as well, including New York City's MTA, Chicago's CTA, Boston's MBTA and Canada's VIA Rail. Meanwhile, a mobile app for Bumped.in is coming soon, as is a developer API. One to help bring to other parts of the world? (Related: Trip-planning site helps find others to travel the world with — Connecting airline travellers for a shared cab — Londoners share lifts to Luton airport — Enhanced networking for business travellers — Sympvertising and secrets for business travellers.) Website: www.bumped.in Spotted by Maria Dahl Jørgensen |
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There's almost no limit to consumers' ability to get products custom-made these days; the trick is finding someone to do it. While we've covered myriad options in numerous product categories, a new site offers to help find a custom-builder for virtually any product a consumer might need. Consumers begin by submitting a request on What Can I Make for You — "book shelf, solid oak, 5ft. high and 2ft. wide, fire engine red finish," for example. Tapping into a proprietary algorithm and a growing database of “customizers,” the Illinois-based site will then find an experienced maker for that type of product. From there, What Can I Make for You acts as an intermediary, emailing price quotes to the consumer for their approval and handling payment via credit card or PayPal. What Can I Make for You is adding “hundreds of makers” to its database every month, it says. It's offering what every mature category needs: a portal connecting buyers and providers. If you're a maker, this is one to sign up with; otherwise, it's one to emulate in your neck of the woods. (Related: Site matches experts' skills with consumers who need them — Online portal connects all those involved in pop-up retail — Design portal for buyers and sellers of sustainable fabrics.) Website: www.whatcanimakeforyou.com Spotted by: Anish Shah |
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We've seen hotels focused on a variety of niches — expectant mothers, for example — but until recently we had never come across one with music at its heart. That, however, is a big part of the concept behind Berlin's Nhow hotel, which is aimed squarely at the musically minded set. Located directly on the banks of the river Spree, the Nhow Berlin bills itself as the only hotel in Europe offering two professional music studios. A dedicated music manager is on staff, as is a team drawing heavily from local music colleges. Regular live events and concerts take place in the hotel's event spaces and terraces, while first-rate DJs are on hand in the bar. The music studios are operated in collaboration with Lautstark Music GmbH/René Rennefeld, which also manage the legendary Berlin Hansa recording studios. The Nhow's 304 rooms, meanwhile, are kitted out with iPod connections and more than 30 TV and 100 music radio stations integrated in a state-of-the-art entertainment system. Wireless Internet and more than 5,000 videos-on-demand are available in every room; Gibson guitars are even available through room service. One wall of the hotel's exterior is also being designed through a collaboration with Berlin graffiti artists. Pricing for a weeklong stay in early December is about EUR 174 per night. A part of Spanish NH Hotels, the Nhow Berlin hints at a world where there's a hotel for every niche. One to emulate for the target audience of your choice?(Related: Hotel offers cultural 'night school' for guests — Hong Kong hotel opens 'His Space' rooms for men — Hotel uses tech perks to draw youthful travellers — Mama Shelter: Parisian hotel puts an iMac in every room — Hotel offers 'reader-in-residence'.) Website: www.nhow-hotels.com/berlin/ Spotted by: Leticia Pérez Prieto |
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If kids can skip the formalwear in favour of Fat Tie t-shirts, isn't it only fair that there should be a like-minded option for adults? Well, it just so happens there is thanks to Idaho-based startup Formalitees. A member of 1% for the Planet, Formalitees recently launched the Tie Tee, an organic t-shirt with an actual tie permanently attached at the neck. The shirt is crafted in the US from 100 percent organic cotton that's grown in Texas and custom-sewn in California; six colours are available, as are cuts for both men and women. On each Tie Tee, a fake attached knot is removable for easier ironing. Pricing on the shirts is USD 49. This isn't just about comfort — Formalitees is taking a stand against business as usual, and aims to reclaim the necktie and infuse it with worthy ideals: "a healthy environment, a just economy, and open-minded leadership." Part rebellion, part humor and part a pursuit of comfort, Formalitees' Tie Tees could become de rigeur in enterprises around the globe — at least on casual Fridays. Let it never be said that there are no new ideas in the world of fashion! ;-) Website: www.formalitees.com P.S. Wearing Formalitees in the picture above are Kim Karlsrud and Daniel Phillips of Commonstudio, whose Greenaid project we featured in April — Guerrilla gardeners use candy machines to sell seed bombs. |
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We've seen all kinds of airport innovations designed to make travelling less of a chore, but Delta Air Lines and airport restaurant operator OTG Management have just launched an initiative sure to please weary passengers at New York’s JFK and LaGuardia airports. Specifically, travellers can use Apple iPad kiosks stationed near their departure gates to order meals from participating airport restaurants, with delivery to the gate guaranteed within 10 minutes. As of just a few weeks ago, the new food ordering stations have been installed at gates 21 and 22 in JFK Terminal 2 and at gate 15 in JFK Terminal 3; stations are planned for gates 1 and 2 of LaGuardia’s Terminal D later this year. Upon placing their order using a custom iPad application, customers are informed of their meal delivery time to ensure the food is received before their flight takes off, though it can also be taken to go; either way, orders are delivered by OTG servers within 10 minutes. Also available on the iPads are reportedly a variety of other applications that let travellers check flights and play games, for example. The newly designed gate dining areas, meanwhile, accommodate both single and group travelers, and most seats are outfitted with power outlets for charging electronics. The new initiative is part of a series of investments Delta is making in the New York market, including a recently announced USD 1.2 billion plan to enhance and expand JFK Terminal 4. Security regulations have taken such a toll on passenger convenience at airports today, it's nice to see an airline doing something to make up for it. This one needs to be emulated as soon as possible at airports around the globe! (Related: Free spray tans at Gatwick Airport — Portland airport installs bike assembly station for travellers — Singapore airport's four-storey slide rewards duty-free spending — De Botton's airport diary launched at Heathrow today — Heineken offers first class airport lounge for all — Free dance lessons at Paris airports — Suitcases & pad thai.) Website: www.delta.com — www.otgmanagement.com Spotted by: airlinetrends.com and Justin Blatstein |
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If literary tastes can be used as a basis for matchmaking, it stands to reason that musical tastes could be equally instructive in that respect. Enter Tastebuds, a UK-based matchmaking site that creates instant connections based on shared musical passions. Users of Last.fm can connect directly into Tastebuds using their account and associated preferences on that site. All others simply enter at least three of their favourite bands or artists into Tastebuds and indicate what type of match they're looking for, and in what country. From there they're shown the photos and basic stats of potential candidates, with the option to refine their search by age, location or musical artist. They can then zoom in on any potential matches that interest them and add those that look promising to their favourites; when that happens, the potential match receives an email telling them so. The rest is up to the users in question. Using Tastebuds is completely free. Hundreds of people are signing up with Tastebuds each week, the company says, and it's not hard to see why. Given the endless forms and often unilluminating personality tests favoured by many traditional dating companies, cutting right to the chase online — whether via musical tastes, literary tastes or another relevant dimension — is a lot more efficient and makes much more sense for those whose social lives are increasingly lived on social networks. Tastebuds currently accepts users from anywhere on the globe, but this is an area where a local touch could go a long way. One to bring to musically minded lonelyhearts in your part of the world...? Website: www.tastebuds.fm Spotted by: Julian Keenaghan |
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