The future of wallpaper is: glowing? That’s Philips’ vision for the future it seems, as the company is teaming with Kvadrat Soft Cells to create a kind of luminous textile for the consumer market that will essentially embed adjustable LEDs in an acoustic panel that can be hung on the wall to provide ambient lighting like an active piece of artwork, or even be used as a wallpaper to bathe entire rooms in soft tones of the user’s choosing.

The acoustic panels will do a lot to muffle sound and reduce echo in large spaces, but ostensibly they could also respond visually to sounds–that is, the ambient color of the room might be programmed to respond to the music playing at any given time or integrated into other entertainment experiences (kind of like those televisions that framed their screens in ambient color, but on a larger scale).

They could also be used for a room’s primary lighting, reducing reliance on overhead fixtures and windows. That could go a long way toward creating a less sterile feel than fluorescent bulbs in the windowless interior spaces of large buildings. Currently Philips isn’t saying when its ambient panels might hit the market or at what cost, but for now the company is aiming its creation at businesses and hotel chains. Make your own price-per-square-foot determination of what this technology might eventually retail for accordingly.

For those who’d rather be woken by a gentle breeze or the smell of coffee than a shrill alarm, Royal College of Art graduate Ki Hyun Kim has designed a clock that wakes users with the electrical appliance of their choice.

Alternative Alarm Clock is a combination of an alarm and an electric outlet which are common things in daily life and have a simple single function. It goes off on time users set and also supplies electric power through double sockets.

By putting together other products with it, this simple function does not gives opportunities to rebuild up fresh sorts of alarm to users but also allow many potential options stimulating different senses with ordinary electronic products around us.

Pawz boots are like Wellingtons for dogs

Pawz, one of the latest fashion statements for dogs, are designed to give Fido some serious paw protection. More like a sock than a shoe, they are made from biodegradable natural rubber and fit securely without fasteners or straps. Available in a range of colors and sizes, they promise comfort and safety for a much loved pooch.

Pawz rubber boots are waterproof, washable and reusable, and are reportedly suitable for all types of terrain. A barrier against rough dirt, mud, ice and snow, they also protect against hazards such as chemicals and fire ants. Importantly, the boots do not have any padding inside, giving the dog a sense of security in being able to feel the ground beneath its feet. Made from flexible rubber, they are also said to allow dog paws a full range of motion, for maximum comfort.

Pawz are available in packs of 12, and each set of boots may be worn a number of times. A range of sizes cater for all breeds of dog, from green boots for Great Danes to bright yellow Wellingtons for Chihuahuas. They are priced from GBP 12.99 to 15.99 (US$20.81 to $25.62) at Anything Dogz.

While advocates proclaim the superior immersive qualities of 3D, the current crop of 3D TVs can actually have the opposite effect on many people by giving the impression of peering into a box filled with tiny – albeit 3D – people. Design and advertising firm NAU proposes a different solution with its latest concept dubbed the Immersive Cocoon that looks to provide the sense of immersion without the 3D.

We’ve seen a number of devices that attempt to immerse a user in a virtual space using wearable displays, such as the Vuzix’s iWear VR920 video visor and the VirtuSphere, which also offer the option of 3D. NAU’s concept instead does away with the 3D altogether to place users inside a four meter (13 ft) diameter carbon fiber sphere featuring a 360 degree interior dome-display.

To transport the user into a ‘virtual’ world, the dome features sophisticated motion-sensing software including motion capture cameras, motion-sensing floor panels, surround sound and even air conditioning. Navigation through a recreated Pompeii, sunken Egyptian tombs or floating under the ocean with jellyfish, is accomplished with Minority Report-like hand gestures and body movements.

NAU says the Immersive Cocoons could be used for educational purposes, as a tele-work device or for immersive gaming with other Cocoon users across the globe.

NAU hopes that its concept will be picked up for corporate leasing or executive airport lounges where users will be able to purchase time in a public Cocoon.

The Keyport consolidates six keys or a mix of keys and USB flash drive, mini-torch and bottle opener in one streamlined device

Keychains also attracting non-key items such as USB flash drives, mini-torches and the all-important bottle opener, they can quickly reach pocket bulging, Kramer-esque proportions. The Keyport is a pocket friendly, Swiss Army knife-like solution that can consolidate all these aforementioned items in one streamlined device and provides access to them with a flick of a thumb.

At about the same size as a traditional auto key fob, the Keyport holds up to six keys within its stainless steel exterior with each identified by differently colored sliding knobs. The device is fitted with key blanks which then need to be taken to a locksmith for cutting. The company also offers options for auto keys fitted with transponder chips in the head, however not all keys are compatible.

For some non-key functionality, the Keyport can also be fitted with a variety of different blade inserts, including RFID, USB flash drive (4 or 8 GB), bottle opener and LED torch. Blades can also be removed and inserted so users can switch them around to suit different situations.

Such key carrying convenience doesn’t come cheap, however, with the Keyport starting at US$79 for a standard six blade bundle, while a chipped auto bundle starts at $94.

Coffee Joulies incorporate a phase change material to quickly cool your hot coffee to the ‘perfect’ temperature, and then keep it there

Unless you’re someone who drinks their coffee fast, you likely face a bit of a conundrum when it comes to temperature – either you start with it at the perfect temperature but end up with it getting too cold, or you end up with it cooling down to the perfect temperature by starting with it too hot. Two young entrepreneurs, however, have created a product that they claim quickly cools your hot coffee to the right temperature, but then holds it at that temperature twice as long as it would stay there otherwise. Their product is called Coffee Joulies.

Mechanical engineers Dave Petrillo and Dave Jackson grew up together in New Jersey, but have since ended up on opposite sides of the U.S. That hasn’t stopped them from collaborating on the design of Coffee Joulies over the past nine months.

Each Joulie contains a proprietary non-toxic phase change material, sealed inside of a polished stainless steel shell. The product is placed in the bottom a coffee mug (or other container), to which the hot java is then added. The secret interior material is designed to melt at 140F (60C), absorbing heat energy from the coffee as it does so. This reportedly allows it to cool coffee three times faster than normal.

Once the Joulie has cooled down past 140 degrees, however, it starts to solidify again, thus releasing the energy it stored while melting. This is what keeps the coffee warm for twice the time of a non-Joulified beverage.

Best results are obtained with a covered, insulated container, while heat-absorbing ceramic mugs offer the poorest performance. Users will have to experiment with different amounts of Joulies and/or with pre-heating them, depending on the size of container and whether or not they cool their coffee by adding cream.

Needless to say, the product does take up room that would otherwise be occupied by liquid – it pretty much comes down to a question of coffee quantity versus coffee temperature.

The two Daves have been making limited numbers of Coffee Joulies by hand, but are currently trying to raise funds to start automated production at an existing silverware plant. They are doing so by offering Joulies in exchange for pledges on the Kickstarter fund-raising website – US$40 will get you five, $100 will get you five and a custom Thermos travel mug, and the $500 Coffee Shop Pack will score you 20 sets of five.

The Burglar Blaster is a home security system that uses pepper spray to incapacitate intruders

This is one home security alarm you won’t want to trigger by mistake! Burglar Blaster mounts on a wall inside the home, and once armed, uses an infrared beam to detect when an intruder has entered the house. It then emits a cloud of pepper spray, that will severely inconvenience anyone within 2,000 square feet (186 square meters).

The Burglar Blaster runs for up to four years on a set of eight C cell batteries, so it requires no electrical skills to install. Its 4-ounce (118-ml) pepper spray canister has a shelf life of three years, and can be replaced without tools.

As with other types of home security systems, users arm the Blaster, then have a set amount of time in which to leave their home before it kicks in. When it detects an intruder, the device will first emit a warning tone. This gives homeowners who accidentally trigger the Blaster a chance to disarm it before the spray is released. Its creators claim that because of the high frequency of the tone, intruders won’t be able to trace the sound to its source.

If it should go off, the oleoresin capsicum aerosol (pepper spray) should dissipate within three to four hours. Hopefully the burglar will be gone by that time, and not waiting around to exact revenge on the person responsible for their dousing.

The Burglar Blaster is made by Heracles Research Corporation, and costs US$600.

The iClooly Handset and Sync Stand lets you use your smartphone as if it were a desktop landline

Last year we told you about a product called the Phone x Phone, which is an iPhone dock that essentially turns your mobile into a desktop phone. Well, while it has a decidedly 70s retro appeal, the Phone x Phone now has some competition in the form of the sleek and modern-looking iClooly Handset and Sync Stand. You just lay your iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G, or Android phone with a 3.5 mm headphone jack into the stand, plug in the landline-style handset, and pretend that cell phones were never invented.

Actually, all kidding aside, set-ups like this one do serve a practical purpose. By attaching a separate handset to the phone, you can access the functions on its screen while still being able to carry on a conversation with the person on the other end of the line. This means you could do things like checking your email or poking around on the internet while chatting. By propping the handset between your ear and shoulder, you can also free up both of your hands for activities like eating lunch or shuffling papers.

The stand is made of anodized aluminum, with four non-slip silicone pads on the bottom. Smartphones can sit in it vertically or horizontally, with the handset plugged into their headphone jack and using their battery power. The Sync Stand is not set up as a charging station, so if you wish to juice your phone up, you will have to run your own cable to a nearby wall outlet or computer.

The H2O Power radio generates its own operating power via the force of the running water from your shower

For all the people out there who like listening to the radio while they’re in the shower, various companies offer waterproof battery-operated "shower radios." There’s nothing particularly wrong with these radios, but … why change or recharge the batteries if you don’t have to? No, we’re not suggesting running a power cord into the shower. Instead, you might be interested in getting an H2O Power water-powered radio.

The H2O is intended for showers where an external hose runs from the taps up to the head, and screws into place between the taps and the hose. If your shower is the type where the taps and the head just stick out of the wall, it’s not clear whether or not the radio could be installed – presumably the shower head could be attached directly to it, although the radio controls might be hard to reach in that location.

Power is generated by the force of the running water, which flows through the otherwise-waterproof radio and spins a micro turbine inside of it. You can even keep listening to it while you’re toweling off, without leaving the shower going, as an integrated Ni-Mh rechargeable battery stores and releases excess power generated by the water.

H2O also makes devices such as calculators and clocks that are powered by the chemical reaction between water and a dash of lemon juice. Using the radio’s micro turbine technology, the company is also working on a product called the Showerindicator. The water- and power-saving device uses water pressure power to illuminate an LED light, which changes color once it’s time to get out of the shower.

A list of retailers for the radio is available on the H2O Power radio website. It’s on sale as of this month, for a suggested retail price of GBP 34.99 (about US$56).

Aikiuo interactive bowl for dogs

Long before before the days of canned food and canine coffee, dogs had to work for their supper. Stimulating these natural hunting and foraging instincts is an important part of keeping your pet healthy and happy – as well as preventing your Chesterfield lounge from being torn to shreds – and this "interactive dog food dish" is designed to do just that. The paw-shaped Aikiou (pronounced "IQ") bowl is made up of a series of compartments with sliding covers where food can be concealed, turning mealtime from a slobbering free-for-all into an entertaining and challenging exercise that will help keep Fido’s mind and body fit.

The central compartment of the bowl has a revolving lid that only lets your pet access one of the six compartments at a time. There’s also sliding covers on each of the four "toes" so there’s plenty of problem solving involved to boost your pets mental stimulation.

Because your dog can’t just scoff down an entire meal in one foul swoop, the Aikiou bowl (like the DogPause Bowl) makes eating slower and therefore helps prevent digestive and weight problems.

The Aikiou bowl is made from recyclable food grade plastic and has rubber grips on the base to ensure it doesn’t end up in the neighbors front yard as your dog forages for food. It is also dishwasher safe – which could come in handy given that all those compartments make the bowl more difficult to clean.

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Aikiou also produces a version for cats – the Stimulo. This design sports a series of tubes which require the cat to use its paws to access the food.