The scale will inform a user of the total calories in the portion being weighed and how many of those come from fat. The display then shows the proportion of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, salt, sugar, dietary fiber, carbs and protein in grams and milligrams. The device can even calculate a percentage of daily intake based on a diet of 2,000 calories. Intake data can be saved for daily totals analysis and monitoring, and a user can program in up to 99 custom food codes for anything that isn’t covered in the food code book.

The Perfect Portions Digital Food Scale shows weights in either grams or ounces, is powered by a couple of user-replaceable AA sized batteries and comes in black, white, silver, red, or blue.

Price: $49.99

Buy from: Sharper Image and Amazon.

via [gizmag]

Although there has been similar designs, nothing I’ve seen more modern and futuristic, whether you think it’s over the top or not is another question. Overall a great concept that I think not only would be used by many, but also a clever way to encourage people to use less water.

via [core77]

Finally GE has revealed their prototype for what the charge stations are going to look like all electric cars. The station not only displays great aesthetics, it also has the power supply to match it. The new GE stations can charge a car in as little as 4 hours, a great improvement over the 12-16 hour “top tier” chargers that have already been introduced.

Today, GE has unveiled its long-awaited scheme for electric-car charging points, complete with a design by Yves Béhar’s Fuseproject. The stations will drop the time required to charge a car down to as little as four hours.

The GE Wattstation charge point resembles the award winning work by FastCompany.com contributor Gadi Amit and NewDeal Design, for Better Place. The design is meant to be seen from the road. A LED indicator around the touchscreen indicates using colors whether the Wattstation is in use or not. The sloping top screen is meant to shed water and snow is rough conditions.

The GE Wattstations will be commercially available sometime in 2011 while a smaller home version will be introduced later on this year.

Together they came up with several example of how they envision 2020 will look. Here are some of the concepts they think will be apart of our every day life.

Everything is indexed

by 2020 nearly everything will be indexed with vital information. We’ve already seen the use of indexing starting to happen with phone applications like Four Square and Layar. In 10 years from now, the data linked to anything visible will be much more advanced. For example, we’ll be able to shop without even stepping foot in a store. If you happen to pass something, whether it’s a car, or a sweater someone is wearing, you’ll be able to identify the object and find where the best place to buy it is. This technology would require a mobile device and an augmented reality device.

On-the-go health monitoring

With a technology that’s being called “Bodynet” we’ll be able monitor our current health condition. Not only that, we’ll also to able to see what happens to our body’s if we make certain decisions. This means next time you walk into Burger King you’ll be fully aware how and where those salty fries will affect you.

No secret social networking

If you thought dating was hard now, you could be in for it in the years to come. With technology termed “Whuffie” we’ll be able to retrieve a social metric system that gathers data on what others think of you. If Whuffie lives up to its hype, socializing will take on a completely different dimension. Good luck trying to cheat on your spouse when everyone can see how many friends you’re linked too and your relationship status.

The term “whuffie,” by the way, is a word coined by author Cory Doctorow in his book Down And Out In the Magic Kingdom. It refers to the measurement of respect or karma a person gains or looses in their lives. In Doctorow’s future, humans have implants in their brains that visually project their whuffie, which has replaced money as currency.

Of course, all this information is on the presumption that we’ll be around in 2020!

Eric Topol explains how our smartphones will monitor our vital signs and chronic conditions. We’ll be able to view our sleep patterns and even know know exactly when we’re dreaming.  We’ll also be able to see reports of our health and track diseases. This technology is revolutionary and lots of it has already been developed. Eric Topol explains how these advances can will be used to keep people out of the hospital bed, and track those who are already there.

It looks like this concept does need som work, and it would be interesting to know what type of material it’s made out of. However, if this can gets picked up by any of the big beverage companies, this could certainly change how cans are produced.

Designers: Jiwoon Park & Kwenyoung Choi

via [yankodesign]

I’m sure it can be hard taking a babies temperature, especially when the baby is in a crazy temper tantrum. The Lunar baby thermometer is an easy way to take one’s temperature and works by simply resting it on a forehead. Once the temperature has a final reading, the compact thermometer will beep, and a LED light will blink.

via [duckyoungkong]

Ok, so I would like everyone to know that not all designs on this site are high tech related, as a matter of fact, some of the most simple designs are the best. Take this design as an example. This clever idea consists of a new mold for the plastic top that fits on top of your coffee cup. Not only would this design be easy to create, it would make be much more convienant to have everything needed on the lid.

via [yankodesign]