Techno-Gadget Show Open at Shopping Center

Sometime in the not-too-distant future, you or your neighbors may cruise home in a sleek aluminum-clad electric vehicle, pet your robotic dog as he demonstrates mechanized pet tricks and then work up a virtual sweat in a virtual workout.

If you can’t wait, you can get a glimpse of the future at Burbank’s Media City Center. Now through Sept. 5, the shopping center will host Innovations ‘99, a “festival of technology,” designed to give technophobes and technophiles a peek at some cutting-edge gadgets for the home.

Featured items include EV1, the battery-powered coupe from General Motors; Aibo, a robotic dog from Sony; and the Trazer Virtual Workout by Ohio-based Arena Inc.

In addition, visitors can stop by the Cyber Cafe, featuring rows of Internet-ready iMacs from Apple Computer Inc., or view the latest in home theater equipment.

In addition to the displays, the event will feature lectures on such topics as animation and advances in health care.

Media Center Manager Daniel Millman said that, despite their futuristic feel, 95% of the items on display are currently on the market.

The event is open during regular mall hours.