Hello Kitty cleans up her act with RoboMop

By now, it should be crystal clear to the world that there's nothing Sanrio's feline export can't or won't do. So no surprises that the cat is now mopping up the competition with a handsfree, cutesy floor cleaner called the RoboMop. At a glance, the strange-looking contraption doesn't quite look up to the challenge of heavy-duty grime-busting. But hey, at a mere US$99, let's be clear that this shouldn't be categorized in the same league as the artificially intelligent iRobot.

To use, just set the timer on the robotic ball to 30, 60 or 90 minutes. Set this ball within the frame, add a dust sheet, and let it rip. According to the literature, the Robo Mop can clean a 12 mat-size Japanese room in 30 minutes, even hitting areas like below the bed. Once done, just toss the dust sheet into the bin. It's that easy. Oddly, this comes only in a fire engine red and not pink.
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High Heeler helps prevent klutzy moments

Shoe news, it turns out, begets more shoe news. After posting a blog on the Goodie 2 Shoes adjustable-heeled shoes earlier Monday, I got word of a product called the SoleMates High Heeler.

It's a discreet little attachment that promises to prevent most stiletto and kitten heels from sinking into the grass or falling in sidewalk cracks.

As anyone who's been there knows, getting your heels stuck in grass, uneven pavement, brick walk crevices, or sewer grates can detract from your stylish strut. Well aware of that peril, heel wearers Rebecca Brown and Monica Murphy, business school classmates at Columbia and colleagues at Goldman Sachs, conceived of the gadget to put other fashionistas on more solid ground.

The flexible attachment hooks onto the base of the heel, increasing the surface area and reducing the pressure on this often narrow segment of shoe. On its way to retailers, SoleMates currently sells the High Heeler for US$19.95 online in clear. A black version is in the works.

Via CNET Crave

US track team gets Nike's aerodynamic Swift apparel

It's simply amazing how much cutting-edge technology is being put into sportswear design these days. Take Nike's recently announced Swift System of Dress. Rather than just have the usual one-piece body-fitting track suit, the new apparel will feature a complete package that also includes the arm coverings, long gloves and socks.

The rationale behind the Swift System of Dress is to cut the drag on the hands and feet of the sprinter when running. According to Nike, the dimpled fabric on the gloves and arm coverings helps to minimize wind resistance, thereby allowing the arms to slice through the air faster. Its design team believes the gloves and arm coverings can reduce drag by 19 percent and the socks by 12.5 percent.

Together with the Nike Swift Suit and Flywire track shoes, the Nike Swift System of Dress will be worn by the US Track and Field team at the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.

Nike super-light Flywire track shoes to make Olympics debut

Major sportswear maker Nike looks set to steal the limelight at this year's summer Olympics with its latest innovation, the Flywire track shoes. The company will supply the US track and field team with two Flywire footwear, the Zoom Victory Spikes (top left image) and Zoom Matumbo (bottom left).

Already creating quite a buzz in the industry with its revolutionary lightweight construction, the Flywire design is said to be inspired by the cables from a suspension bridge. It basically makes use of a strong Vectran thread arranged in a fan-shaped pattern at anchor points around the shoe. The result is a shoe that is extremely light, yet reportedly cheap and easy to manufacture.

But, just how light are the new Flywire track shoes? The Zoom Matumbo will be Nike's lightest distance track shoes at about 96.3g per pair, while the Zoom Victory Spikes for middle distance events like the 800m and 5,000m will weigh just 90.7g. For the record, Michael Johnson's famed pair of golden track shoes at the 1996 Atlanta Games tipped the scales at about 112g, which is lightweight even by today's standards.

Nike has made the Flywire technology available commercially with the recent launch of its Flywire series of running shoes in the US. The company also plans to release the track shoes to consumers later in October.

High heels turn more comfy--in a snap

You know how women commuters sometimes trade their heels for "sensible shoes" on their way to and from work? Utilitarian, to be sure, but not always the best look, especially when said sensible shoes are paired with a skirt and the likes of thick white socks.

Yanko Design informs us that designer Natalie Cosette Thorne has come up with a possible solution: Goodie 2 Shoes--or G2S for the cool kids. The adjustable-heel footwear can go from 3 1/2 inches to 1 1/2 inches via a peg system secured by strong magnets and a hidden hinge. What's more, the shoe's design can be customized using plastic snap-on parts with different shapes, colors, and styles.
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