PHOTOS: 7 Great Green Gadgets Seen at Engadget Expand NY

This weekend, the North Hall of Manhattan's <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tag/jacob-javits-center/">Jacob Javits Center</a> was transformed into <a href="http://www.engadget.com/expand/">Engadget Expand</a>, a showcase of some of the hottest emerging technology on the market (and not yet on the market) today. While most of the buzz at the event was focused on HD screens and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=3&amp;cad=rja&amp;ved=0CEYQFjAC&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Flevarburton&amp;ei=L1iAUsu6Fdb-4AO4-IDwAg&amp;usg=AFQjCNFCwzSIAj5vxhe0V8wp_JiUFCfxEQ&amp;sig2=R6FiZvgRSmsdBkMlQHMxuw&amp;bvm=bv.56146854,d.dmg">LeVar Burton</a>’s “You Are the Generation” speech, there were also plenty of green gadgets to check out. Inhabitat was on the showfloor, and saw some fascinating new electronics to help make the world greener including a giant robotic foot, an <a href="http://inhabitat.com/zboard-electric-skateboard-is-propelled-by-your-body-weight/">electric skateboard</a> and an inventive <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/aeroponics/">aeroponics system</a>. So come with us as we check out some of our favorite green technologies from Engadget Expand!

At first glance <a href="http://eatart.org/">eatART</a>’s (Energy Awareness Through Art) <a href="http://eatart.org/projects/prothesis/">Prosthesis</a> might not look like it has a single green idea behind it - but it’s actually a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/zero-emissions/">zero-emissions</a> robot completely powered by hydraulics and electricity. The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/video-see-the-50-foot-long-titanoboa-mechanical-robot-snake-chase-a-giant-spider/">Vancouver-based group</a> normally creates projects promoting <a href="http://inhabitat.com/igloo-made-from-300-refrigerators-springs-up-in-germany/">energy awareness</a> through art and its latest robot leg is no different. Although its already much taller that the average person, this just a 2/3 scale prototype. The final robot will have four much bigger legs to stand 16-feet tall, 25 feet wide, and weigh 7,500 pounds. Despite its massive size, it’s an entirely zero-emissions machine that uses an electric battery to charge a <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;ved=0CCwQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Finhabitat.com%2Ftag%2Fhydraulics%2F&amp;ei=CVmAUtmIMeq2sASvg4Bw&amp;usg=AFQjCNGduRlCGN3TUFb7IhyjswRBLj3rEg&amp;sig2=sPKEnhXzFvrPUUo-WI6wDw&amp;bvm=bv.56146854,d.cWc">hydraulic</a>, on-demand pressurization system. The machine is designed to be an “Anti-<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/robots/">Robot</a>” - meaning there isn’t actually any software – only a person can make this machine move by strapping themselves into a mechanical control system. So yes, it’s basically a real-life Jaeger out of Pacific Rim – in action, it also resembles a very angry stomping robot. To help make the robot a reality, eatART is looking for $100,000 in <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/prosthesis-the-anti-robot">funding through Indiegogo</a>.

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/home-automation-systems/">Home automation</a> is still a tricky thing but Roger Yiu is trying to make it simpler by eliminating the need for smart devices and individual voltage devices with one simple <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thesmartdevices">Smart Power Strip</a>. You can monitor and remotely control anything you plug into this power strip with the help of a smartphone app. From your phone you can switch on or off the power and even program the strip to shut off devices automatically once they've used up too much juice. Yiu says he plans on launching a Kickstarter campaign soon and the final version will have four automation-enabled outlets and two USB ports for charging for $100.

We’ve already have <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/electric-car/">electric cars</a>, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/embry-riddle-students-make-history-with-eco-eagle-hybrid-propulsion-aircraft/">planes</a>, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/why-is-riding-an-electric-bike-illegal-in-new-york-city/">bikes</a>, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/dramatic-solar-powered-boathouse-charges-electric-boats-in-the-netherlands/">boats</a>, and even <a href="http://inhabitat.com/100-self-driving-ultra-personal-electric-transportation-pods-to-be-installed-near-london/">trains</a> but one major thing that’s been left out is <a href="http://inhabitat.com/zboard-electric-skateboard-is-propelled-by-your-body-weight/">skateboards</a>. Luckily for you, <a href="http://www.zboardshop.com/">ZBoard</a> has stepped forward to fix this mistake, and they even have one for Marty McFly impersonators.

The <em>Back to the Future</em>-inspired Zboard Hoverboard is currently up for <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/zboard-hoverboard-for-charity">$1,500 preorders on Indiegogo</a> as part of a charity to support the Michael J. Fox Parkinson's Foundation. Meanwhile, for a little less style you can also nab an $800 Hoverboard Classic. Both boards come equipped with a 400-watt electric motor that tops out at 18 miles per hour and a range of 20 miles.

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/aeroponics/">Aeroponic systems</a> are cropping up left and right as of late and <a href="http://info.growcu.be/">GrowCubes</a> might be the most mobile of systems. Instead a simple <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-spinach-growing-greenhouse-wins-nasas-international-space-apps-challenge/">closed off planter box</a> to grow food at home, Chris Beauvois and Christian “Joy” Holter designed GrowCubes to put vegetables on a rotating pinwheel of planting trays. Basically each tray has a set of holes to receive growing beds, which are lined with polypropylene, an extremely inert material that even pathogens or bugs can’t live in. However, plants take root in this plastic material especially well.

<p>The GrowCubes themselves are also setup as a closed off aeroponic environment that uses no soil and 90-percent less water. A misting system spritzes the plants in the box, infusing their roots with the necessary moisture and nutrients. Each <a href="http://inhabitat.com/farmedhere-the-nations-largest-indoor-organic-farm-now-growing-in-chicago/">indoor farm</a> system can be automated and remotely controlled using a network of sensors. </p> <p>The pair of inventors has been working on the system for three years at a Brooklyn hackerspace called <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/domestar-is-a-dazzling-led-party-pavilion-that-invites-guests-to-dance-their-blinkin-faces-off/">NYC Resistor</a> as well as two other sites in the New York Area. At the beginning of next year GrowCubes hope to launch a crowd funding campaign next year.</p>

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/makerbot/">MakerBot</a> may have been the first to put an affordable <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/makerbot-to-reveal-finalized-digitizer-3d-scanner-at-brooklyn-headquarters/">3D digitizer</a> into the world, but <a href="http://www.3dsystems.com/">3D Systems</a> is out to its claim of the world’s first affordable <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/3d-scanner/">3D scanner</a> called the Sense. It’s just like a handheld scanner, except, instead of just photocopying book pages, this $400 device can scan your face. The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/3D-printing/">3D printing</a> company better known making professional 3D printers created this handheld device by combining infrared sensors and regular video recording using technology that’s known as a RGBD camera.

It has an IR blaster and receiver to map textures as well as depth to create a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/matterforms-desktop-3d-scanner-is-cheaper-than-a-tablet/">monochromatic 3D model</a>. By adding in HD video recording, the device can also scan the color of the subject.

<p>3D Systems’ accompanying software renders the scan into a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/man-has-75-percent-of-his-skull-replaced-with-a-3d-printed-implant/">watertight 3D model</a> that you can send directly to the 3D printer or upload it on the Internet.</p>

<p><a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/arduino/">Arduino</a> made its big splash in the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/microcontroller/">microcontroller world</a>, it seems like everyones been trying to get into the market with his or her own quirky <a href="http://inhabitat.com/diy/">DIY</a> electronics board. <a href="http://www.bitalino.com/">BITalino</a>, created by Hugo Silva, is perhaps the most unorthodox thing we’ve ever seen. For starters it’s meant to be broken down into tinnier bits.</p> <p>Just about every piece splits apart into its own sensor including an accelerometer, heart-rate sensor, muscle activity sensor, and a sensor to measure sympathetic nervous system activity. The idea behind this health oriented technology is you can use BITalino to build yourself a much more affordable, self-made smart watch or <a href="http://inhabitat.com/diy-cyborg-biohacks-his-arm-with-the-circadia-1-0-implant/">electronic medical device</a>, which are normally only provided by hospitals for up to $5,000, for just $200.</p>

It can also help you remotely monitor your plants' moisture, temperature, and sun levels.

<p>The <a href="http://nutriplus.reflexwireless.com/content/nutrisurface">NutriSurface</a> is a smart, Internet connected food scale that can help you <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/healthy-food/">eat better</a>. It might look like a simple chopping board, but the Andy Tsai’s NutriSurface is a wireless scale that <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nutrima-analyzes-your-food-for-nutrition-freshness-and-toxicity/">tells you the exact nutritional value of a meal</a>. So if you wanted to know how healthy your apple was, you would pull up the accompanying smartphone app (iOS and Andorid) to pick out the apple and then set your fruit on the scale. From there it would show you its exact weight, vitamins, and caloric value.</p>

<p>Although most foods come with <a href="http://inhabitat.com/veganism-and-the-environment-infographic-shows-the-environmental-impact-of-raising-animals-for-food/">nutrition labels</a>, Tsai’s NutriSurface could provide people with a much more centralized tool and useful tool for those people that want to see exactly how <a href="http://inhabitat.com/former-mcdonalds-ceo-opens-a-sustainable-and-healthy-fast-food-restaurant-to-rival-the-giant/">unhealthy a pound of ground beef really is</a>. Tsai plans on selling his Nutrisurface system on retail next March at $150 for the chopping board and $100 for the smaller coaster. He also has plans to launch an Indiegogo campaign for the product sometime before then.</p>