Say the word "hybrid" and what comes to mind? For many the most likely reference is to a car, a type made by a variety of manufacturers that combines a gas engine along with an electric motor. In animal terms you might think of a beast that similarly combines elements of two different species, such as a mule being the offspring of a female donkey and a male horse. Or in fruits or flowers it might call to mind a tangelo or a roselily, the first a blend of tangerine and pomelo, the second a blend of, well, you know.
In any of these, the goal is for one plus one to equal three. Doesn't make a difference if it's mattresses, bikes or securities. You try and combine the best traits of two disparate items to create a new superior entity. After all, there's really no point in picking out the worse traits and putting them together unless you're trying to end up with something like Congress.
Sill, in each of the aforementioned examples, the blending takes place using things in the same space. You might try and make create a hybrid of a kiwi and banana, or an equity and bond. You can debate the combo's success or failure based on any number of factors, in the first case taste and shelf life, in the second stability and return. But you hardly ever see thing that are inter-species, like nectarine sandals or gasoline powered giraffes.
With one exception: technology and anything. It's not enough that they can create phones that are also music players, or watches that are also fitness trackers. These days anything can be "smart," anything can have an "i" in front of it, anything can have an app associated with it. That doesn't mean it should, just that it's possible, and someone thinks they can make money on it. And so you wind up with a host of hybrid gadgets that may function fine but have dubious value.
Take Petris, a "pet health technology company," which is developing products and software to help pet owners better respond to their pet's health needs, or as they say, "the tale behind the tail.". To that end they have created the "world's first Smart Pet Bed, Activity Tracker, and pet Health and Nutrition App." The idea is to help you track Fido's weight, activity levels and rest periods, so you can help him live a healthier live style. After all, as they point out, there are over 80 million cat and dog households in the United States, and over 53% of those have overweight pets. It's worth noting that 7 in 10 American humans are overweight, and the Serta Bed Scale has yet to hit the market.
Or consider the Sonomox Robotic Cuddle Pillow. A squishy gray blob resembling a peanut the size of a 2-month old, the device plays soothing sounds and feels like its breathing. It also has sensors in it that could be used to report your sleeping patterns, so you could wake up to a data dump of your nighttime experience. The idea is to comfort you and make you feel relaxed, though speaking for myself, it would more likely creep me out and keep me up all night.
Then there's the Colgate Connect E1. It is best described by two words you wouldn't think would appear together: smart toothbrush. With Artificial Intelligence in the handle and Bluetooth connectivity, it will track how much and how well you scrub in pursuit of the best oral health. It maps your mouth and coaches you to improve your technique to obtain optimal results. And is you are really bored, it has associated smartphone games like "Go Pirate" which turns the brush into the game controller. The more and better you brush, the higher your score. There's even a family mode so you can compete against others in your household, though no word if you can go teeth to teeth.
Unlike all-weather coats, which usually don't keep you particularly warm nor dry, there's no doubt that these things work. But unlike the aforementioned jacket, there is not really a need for the stuff in question. Of course that doesn't stop them from being invented. Automated floss dispenser? Bluetooth Toaster? The iLounge iPod dock and toilet paper dispenser? I only wish I was making this stuff up.
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Marc Wollin of Bedford wants things that do one thing well. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
In any of these, the goal is for one plus one to equal three. Doesn't make a difference if it's mattresses, bikes or securities. You try and combine the best traits of two disparate items to create a new superior entity. After all, there's really no point in picking out the worse traits and putting them together unless you're trying to end up with something like Congress.
Sill, in each of the aforementioned examples, the blending takes place using things in the same space. You might try and make create a hybrid of a kiwi and banana, or an equity and bond. You can debate the combo's success or failure based on any number of factors, in the first case taste and shelf life, in the second stability and return. But you hardly ever see thing that are inter-species, like nectarine sandals or gasoline powered giraffes.
With one exception: technology and anything. It's not enough that they can create phones that are also music players, or watches that are also fitness trackers. These days anything can be "smart," anything can have an "i" in front of it, anything can have an app associated with it. That doesn't mean it should, just that it's possible, and someone thinks they can make money on it. And so you wind up with a host of hybrid gadgets that may function fine but have dubious value.
Take Petris, a "pet health technology company," which is developing products and software to help pet owners better respond to their pet's health needs, or as they say, "the tale behind the tail.". To that end they have created the "world's first Smart Pet Bed, Activity Tracker, and pet Health and Nutrition App." The idea is to help you track Fido's weight, activity levels and rest periods, so you can help him live a healthier live style. After all, as they point out, there are over 80 million cat and dog households in the United States, and over 53% of those have overweight pets. It's worth noting that 7 in 10 American humans are overweight, and the Serta Bed Scale has yet to hit the market.
Or consider the Sonomox Robotic Cuddle Pillow. A squishy gray blob resembling a peanut the size of a 2-month old, the device plays soothing sounds and feels like its breathing. It also has sensors in it that could be used to report your sleeping patterns, so you could wake up to a data dump of your nighttime experience. The idea is to comfort you and make you feel relaxed, though speaking for myself, it would more likely creep me out and keep me up all night.
Then there's the Colgate Connect E1. It is best described by two words you wouldn't think would appear together: smart toothbrush. With Artificial Intelligence in the handle and Bluetooth connectivity, it will track how much and how well you scrub in pursuit of the best oral health. It maps your mouth and coaches you to improve your technique to obtain optimal results. And is you are really bored, it has associated smartphone games like "Go Pirate" which turns the brush into the game controller. The more and better you brush, the higher your score. There's even a family mode so you can compete against others in your household, though no word if you can go teeth to teeth.
Unlike all-weather coats, which usually don't keep you particularly warm nor dry, there's no doubt that these things work. But unlike the aforementioned jacket, there is not really a need for the stuff in question. Of course that doesn't stop them from being invented. Automated floss dispenser? Bluetooth Toaster? The iLounge iPod dock and toilet paper dispenser? I only wish I was making this stuff up.
-END
Marc Wollin of Bedford wants things that do one thing well. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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