We have evolved from hairy apes that walked on all four limbs, to cave dwellers who walked upright and used tools to hunt and gather food, to Homo sapiens who used technology to explore the universe, and finally to men and women who sit all day long in front of computer screens surfing through cyberspace. Virtual is the new real as people spend hours online catching up with friends or creating new ones. Maybe the next evolutionary stage would be termed ‘E sapiens’.
As we have evolved, so have tombs: an important cultural and religious symbol. Tombs have gone from displaying a personal insignia or badge, to a pile of rocks, to a cross, and finally to a tombstone that encapsulates the life of the deceased. With humans spending most of their lives in the digital space, it is only natural for the next stage in ‘tomb technology’ to reflect that.
Designers Huang Jianbo, Zhao Ting, Wang Yushan, Ran Xiangfei, and Mo Ran have taken into account our current digital lifestyle and designed a concept called the E Tomb. For the digitally inclined, it may come as a piece of fortuitous news that family and friends can keep in touch with the dead from beyond the grave as well.
The E Tomb will be used to store the digital footprints of the deceased, which would include web pages, blogs, tweets, and Facebook updates. When relatives and friends come to pay their respects, they can access this e information via the Bluetooth in their phones and relive the memory of the decedent. In the information age, a tombstone that stores your digital life could be an innovative way to keep one’s memory alive.
The digital tombstone uses modern, green technology to store information and power itself. On top of the E Tomb is a solar panel that would absorb the energy from the sun and power the battery. The solar panel is covered with a protective layer to prevent any damage to the panel.
Below the panel lies the information-processing terminal which contains the battery and storage device in a rectangular cavity. The storage device would hold all the digital information of the deceased. On the body of the tombstone is a Bluetooth key in the shape of a cross that would protect this information and restrict access to only family members.
The E Tomb is a concept that combines the modern with the traditional. A concept that has immediate practical applications.
If you found this to be something very innovative, go through Fake Steve Jobs Rest In Peace.
Via: Yanko Design
