LEDs... is there anything they can’t
do? Well yes, actually, there is. They can’t be something other than a
point light source. That’s not ideal when it comes to flat – and
increasingly thin – displays such as television and cell phone screens.
How does one go about converting that three-dimensional point light
source into a two-dimensional display, without losing much of its
intensity? The answer could be found in a new machine that efficiently
and inexpensively produces fiber optic film sheets. Read More
There are racing simulators
– and then there’s I-WAY World. Taking four years to complete, the
strikingly stylish complex in Lyon, France, features not only a bar,
restaurant, fitness and conference rooms, but also offers enthusiasts 18
fully equipped 6-axis racing simulators with the choice of rally,
endurance and Formula 1 simulation. Read More
We’ve reported on some rather questionable products of gold plating technology before, including a gilded iPhone, Wii gaming system and barbecue. There are
legitimate reasons to coat things in gold, however, such as in the
production of nanoelectronics and semiconductors. The coatings used in
these applications are infinitely thinner than what you would typically
use on an iPhone, so it is of the utmost importance that they be as
smooth and uniform as possible. Recently, researchers at Troy, New
York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute announced that they have devised
a quick and simple method of producing just such coatings. Read More
Gizmag attended this year's Green Aviation Show
in Paris to take a look at some of the eco-friendly aircraft currently
available, as well those which may be just on the horizon. Although
representatives from the airship contingent were out in force at the
event, electrically-powered planes and paragliders also put in a strong
showing, along with some rather interesting ideas for tomorrow's
oil-free aircraft. Read More
Despite ongoing efforts to wean itself off the
teat of foreign oil, the U.S. car market is still almost twice as
polluting as Europe and Japan. This new finding from automotive data
provider, JATO Dynamics, comes despite the Car Allowance Rebate System
(CARS) – better known as “cash for clunkers” – program that replaced
over 690,000 vehicles on the roads with more fuel-efficient models and
the fact that American consumers are significantly more inclined to
adopt Hybrid technology than Europeans. Then why is it so? Read More
Thought there wasn't much you could do with the
design of a pizza box? Wrong. Environmentally Conscious Organization,
Inc., (E. C. O.) has come up with what it calls the "Green Box" – a
pizza box made from recycled cardboard with a perforated lid that you
can easily turn it into four plates and a base that becomes a storage
container for leftovers. Read More
For asthma and allergy sufferers the choice of
carpeting or hard flooring can be a confusing one. Although medical
professionals often advise people with severe allergies to remove
wall-to-wall carpeting, carpet manufacturers defend their product,
saying that carpet fibers actually trap allergy-provoking substances
like dust and pollen and prevent them from circulating in the air where
they can be inhaled. A new carpet from International carpet and
artificial grass manufacturer, DESSO, could mean an end to such
conundrums as it is designed to capture and retain more of the
potentially harmful allergy-producing particles in its fibers and
significantly reduce the amount of such particles floating in the air.
Read More
With the long-awaited Chevrolet Volt
set to hit showrooms later this year, GM has announced that early
adopters (in certain cities) will be eligible for one of 4,400 free home
charging stations. The 240-volt fast-charge station deal is tied to a
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program which aims to assess electric
vehicle charging infrastructure requirements, meaning those who take up
the offer will be required to share data on charging and use of their
vehicle. Read More
By the time you finish reading this, two people
in the U.S. will have suffered a stroke, or brain attack. Strokes are
the third leading cause of death in the United States and claimed over
130,000 lives last year. Of those who survive, hundreds are left
debilitated every day. Ischemic strokes, a blood clot or break in blood
vessels in the brain, are responsible for 80% of all strokes. Fast
treatment is critical; more than a million brain cells die each minute
after onset of a symptoms, and the risk of brain damage increases
rapidly if the clot is not removed within three hours. A new device,
SHELTER, offers hope of extending the time a patient can get help. It
filters and removes clots and can be custom-fit for the specific length
and diameter of a patient's clot. Read More
Are you sick of those cheap and nasty plastic
toys that fill toy shops these days? Well feast your eyes on the
Schaukelwagen – it’s a German vintage child’s play car that transforms
into a rocking chair simply by turning it upside-down. Read More
Viewsonic NexTV VMP75 brings media streaming and web access to HDTVs
By Paul Lester
June 16, 2010
The International Food Machinery and Technology
Exhibition (or Fooma for short) took place last week at Tokyo Big Sight,
where a number of companies were demonstrating more efficient ways of
producing food. Regrettably, not all of them allowed for photography or
video. But for anyone involved in food production, Fooma is definitely a
worthwhile exhibition to visit if you can make the trip to Tokyo. Here
are just a couple of the food production devices from Fooma 2010 that
we found particularly eye-catching... Read More
There’s no doubt that the wonders of modern
technology allow for some pretty special experiences and benefits that
would leave the previous generation wide-eyed with disbelief – just
yesterday I was watching a World Cup match on an iPhone outside a pub in
flawless quality – but do you ever find yourself pining for simpler
times? If so, even if it's more for nostalgia than practical purposes,
the USBTypewriter could be right up your street. Read More
Be careful if you plan to watch this video at
work; the Ducati 1198 is motorcycle lust distilled to its purest form.
It packs 170 horsepower, weighs 171 kilograms and has a top speed in
excess of 300 km/h – more or less standard figures for a road superbike
in these blessed days, but as the king of the V-twins, the 1198 delivers
an enormous wall of low-down grunt that its 4-cylinder competitors
simply can't match. It's an impossibly gorgeous bike to look at,
dripping in exotic sex appeal and high-class performance pedigree... But
is it a highly-strung thoroughbred like Aprilia's brutal RSV4,
a sportsbike your grandma could ride like Honda's Fireblade, or
something in between? From the Ducati WSBK pit garage to the road, Loz
Blain and Noel McKeegan roll up the sleeves and put the flagship Ducati
through its paces for the latest in our series of HD video motorcycle
reviews. Read More
Ever since it was first announced earlier this year the Nintendo 3DS has been the subject of much speculation and rumor – mostly centered on its ability to display games in 3D
without the need for dorky eye-wear. At E3 Nintendo has finally
provided some concrete details for the device and actually shown of some
demonstration units for eager hands to get a hold of. Although details
as to how the 3D effect is actually achieved were still not forthcoming
it was obvious to those who managed to get up close and personal that,
as expected, it was thanks to parallax-barrier technology. Read More
As public consultation starts on ways to reduce
and replace fuel-burning lighting around the globe, Nokero has announced
a solar-powered LED solution aimed squarely at disaster areas and the
developing world. The rugged, rainproof N100 is about the same size as a
standard lightbulb but requires no electricity and offers users around
two hours of bright light in exchange for a day's worth of sun. Read More
Dogs make great pets - they are loyal, playful,
enjoy being outdoors and are fairly easy to care for. But one job most
people would happily give up (apart from poop-scooping!) is cleaning out
and filling up the dog’s drink bowl. That’s why the Doggie Fountain is
instantly appealing – not only does it provide your pet with clean,
fresh water – once installed, you won’t have to lift a finger because it
runs on pooch power. Read More
Not so long ago it seemed that the golden age of
giant lumbering airships had gone down with the Hindenberg, consigned to
less spectacular roles in research, advertising and as a great camera
platform above sporting events... but they're making a comeback.
Lighter-than-air aircraft are returning to passenger carrying roles in tourism and in recent years we've seen a new-generation of airships put forward as a cargo-lifting solution (DARPA's Walrus Project) and even as a corporate air yacht (Aeroscraft ML866).
Now the U.S. Army is moving quickly to build a hybrid airship weapons
system that will act as a long-duration UAV – a very big UAV. The Long
Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) will be longer than a
football field and stay aloft at altitudes of 20,000 feet for more than
three weeks at a time providing an "unblinking eye" for surveillance and
reconnaissance. Read More
Looks like Sony has been saving up announcements
for E3 with the company revealing a number of PlayStation-related
nuggets at the annual computer and video game trade show in Los Angeles.
The announcements included the details of a premium subscription
service for the PlayStation Network (PSN) called PlayStation Plus,
release details for Sony’s motion controller, the PlayStation Move, and a list of upcoming games, including 3D compatible titles, headed for the console. Read More
Ever wonder why your date prefers to dine out
rather than at your house, or your pal suggests watching the game at a
bar? Could it be that your home lighting is just not cutting it in the
atmosphere stakes? The Phillips
LivingColors LED lamp offers an almost infinite number of lighting
colors to reflect your mood or the occasion. With a touch of the color
wheel you can instantly change the color of a room to invoke the
required atmosphere…just remember that the shade that works for your
date may not be what you would choose for your pal! Oh, and if you
don’t think your mood changes enough to warrant 16 million colors,
there’s a mini version that offers a mere 256 colors. Read More
Casio is taking aim at the growing gaming market
with its new GREEN SLIM projectors. Showcased at this year’s E3, the
projectors feature a mercury-free, laser and LED hybrid light source
capable of high-brightness projection of displays 100 inches and larger
for a truly immersive gaming experience. All offerings in the GREEN SLIM
line are lightweight and extremely portable, which, Casio says, makes
them the perfect option for taking some big screen interactive
entertainment on the road. Read More
I’m sure there are some people out there who are
able to take a perfect self-portrait with their mobile phone.
Unfortunately, when most of us attempt to take one, we end up with our
face off-center or blurry. The iSnapMe is a clever mirror attachment
that turns your phone into a front-facing camera and helps you take the
perfect shot. Now don’t stop reading just because you’re waiting on the iPhone 4 – its front-facing camera is only VGA-quality, so with iSnapMe you could make use of the 5-megapixel number on the back. Read More
While technological innovations of the 19th
Century opened up the possibility of rapid circumnavigation of the globe
and inspired Jules Verne to pen his famous novel, Around the World in Eighty Days,
Louis Palmer is hoping a race to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days in
zero emission, electric powered cars will harness public interest and
inspire new ways of thinking about mobility, cars and renewable energy
solutions. When the starting flag drops on August 15, 2010 in Geneva,
contestants in the Zero Race will set off eastwards on a 30,000 km
(18,641 mile) route that will take them through 20 countries, with stops
in around 150 major cities along the way... and not only must the race
teams drive zero emissions vehicles, they must also produce their own
electricity back home using renewable sources. Read More
If you’re excited by the new Ducati 1198,
but are perhaps a little too poor or timid to buy one, here’s the
next-best thing – a top-of-the-line Italian tricycle for your kid. Not
only is Italtrike's oko, well, you know... Italian, but it also
sports some rather clever features that make it safer and more
practical than your average Lilliputian three-wheeler. Read More
Although most fashion changes with the seasons,
there are some that have stood the test of time - denim jeans, the
little black dress, purple crushed velvet bell-bottoms. But there is one
item of clothing whose longevity outshines all of these – the humble
moccasin. In 2008 an international team of archaeologists discovered a
well preserved and complete leather shoe that was dated at around 5,500
years old – that’s one thousand years older than the Great Pyramid of
Giza and around the time evidence suggests the wheel first began to be
used in Mesopotamia. Read More
If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of
people who spend many hours a day in front of computer or TV monitor you
could be suffering from a complaint commonly referred to as eye
fatigue. And while you might think your sight is deteriorating and
you’re losing your 20/20 vision, it could be that your eyes are just
plain tired. Eyewear specialist Gunnar Optiks has a range of glasses
with special lenses that are designed to relax your eyes and help avoid
tiredness, sore eyes and even headaches associated with gazing at
screens all day. Read More
Light beers are often promoted as being
“light-tasting,” but light-tasting beer certainly isn’t to everyone’s
liking. Many people go for light beers only because they’re watching
their weight, but would still prefer a beverage that was dark and full
of flavor. Those people will doubtless be glad to hear that the European
Union is investing 3.4 million Euros (about US$4,183,835) in a yeast
research program, aimed at producing new products for the food industry.
One of the possible outcomes of the research - tastier light beers.
Hurray for science! Read More
If members of the armed forces are going to be
regularly interacting with robots, and it seems likely that such will be
the case, then they had better be comfortable around those
robots. The last thing a soldier, pilot or sailor needs is to be staring
at some creepy-looking humanoid machine, and saying, “Um, listen, I
want you to... ah, screw it, I’ll do it myself.” That’s the thinking
behind an initiative from the US Navy Center for Applied Research in
Artificial Intelligence (NCARAI), which has been working on natural
human-robot interaction. If sailors can communicate with a robot through
human-to-human style speech and gestures, it is thought, then they will
be able to concentrate more on the task at hand, and less on the
interface. NCARAI’s latest attempt at an easy-to-relate-to robot, named
Octavia, was presented to the public for the first time recently in New
York City. Read More
Nokia usually has its finger on the pulse when it
comes to new mobile phone designs that appeal to core markets, but
we’re more than a little intrigued by the angular approach taken by the
new X5-01. The Symbian S60 (3rd gen) device measures 74x66mm and is 17mm
thick, so it certainly isn’t one for those who are shy of pocket. Read More
Waterproofing mobile devices such as phones, MP3
players and cameras is becoming ever more common. But devices sporting
little holes to let the sound out pose a bit of a leakage problem.
Rather than potentially reduce sound quality by covering them up, Murata
has produced a tiny piezoelectric speaker which is itself waterproof.
Read More
Documenting the location and number of rare
animals isn’t an easy task - by definition there just aren’t that many
of them around. That’s why researchers at Auburn University, Alabama,
have turned to man’s best friend to lend a helping hand – or more
accurately, a helping nose. The school’s EcoDogs project trains
detection dogs to find endangered animal species, or rather their sign
(read excrement), in the field to aid researchers in their goals of
ecological research, management, and conservation. Read More
If the US Navy’s sociable Octavia
robot is looking for a little synthetic companionship in the future,
all she may have to do is plug a newly-developed electronic brain into
the nearest vacuum cleaner, floor waxer, or other cleaning appliance.
The CRB100 module, designed by researchers from Spain’s Universitat
Jaume I (UJI), is intended to convert ordinary mobile machines into
robots. Read More
Land mines
are terrifying and indiscriminate weapons, harming soldiers and
civilians alike. Even long after the conflict in which they were
deployed has ceased they end up killing and injuring civilians and
render land impassable and unusable for decades. There are a variety of
methods used to detect mines by both humanitarian and military groups,
but many are dangerous, most are less than 100 percent reliable and some
of the more reliable detection methods are prohibitively expensive.
Physicists have now built a relatively inexpensive land mine detection
system using off-the-shelf components – including some sourced from
online auction sites. Read More
The popularity of 3-D cinema is skyrocketing and 3-D-capable TV sets
are heading for our living rooms, but almost every 3-D ready technology
still requires that you don a set of special glasses. Microsoft has
developed lens which could help change all that. With the ability to
keep track of the position of viewers and send separate images directly
to each eye, the new prototype display eliminates the need for 3-D
glasses. Read More
People may joke about someone having a steel
plate in their head, but in the case of punctures to the skull, that
often ends up actually being the case - the hole in the bone is plugged
with a permanent titanium-based patch. Researchers from Germany’s
Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, however, have just announced
the development of biodegradable patches that stimulate the skull into
healing itself. As the bone grows back in, the patches disappear. Read More
Last year, we told you about a little something cleverly named the RoboCup.
Designed for golfers practicing their putting, it sits inside the hole
on the green, and gently shoots balls up to 14 feet back to the golfer.
It runs on four AA batteries, which should be good for around 15,000
ball-returns – that’s a lot of saved walking over and bending over. Fine
Tune Golf has now announced the launch of “the new generation of
RoboCup”... RoboCup 2, perhaps? Read More
This year's Design Lab competition from Electrolux
has seen 1,300 entries from 17 countries flood in for consideration.
The theme for 2010 is the "2nd Space Age" and the 25 semi-finalists have
just been announced. Soon that number will be further reduced to just
eight, who will then battle it out to try and win a wad of cash and the
chance to work at one of the company's design centers. But before that
happens, let's take a quick look at what's on offer. Read More
Samson Technologies is about to release its
smallest portable recorder to date. The Zoom H1 Handy Recorder is
capable of recording up to 24-bit/96kHz WAV or 320Kbps MP3 using its
built-in or external stereo microphones, and has an easy-to-use
hardware-based user interface, where all of the controls are placed
within easy reach. It weighs just a couple of ounces, runs on one AA
battery and records to microSD. Read More
Recent research suggest that a novel material
called nanosponge could be up to five times more effective at reducing
tumor growth than direct injection. The drug delivery system is likened
to filling virus-sized sponges with an anti-cancer drug and attaching
chemical linkers that bond to a feature of the surface of tumor cell and
then injecting the sponges into the body. When the sponges come into
contact with a tumor cell they either attach to the surface or are
sucked into the cell where they offload their deadly contents in a
predictable and controlled manner. Read More
Sony recently released a couple of interchangeable lens cameras – theNEX-3 and NEX-5.
Although these models are great for boosting the functionality and
flexibility of a compact, being tied down to Sony lenses would probably
end up being a bit frustrating. What if you're a keen photographer who
has already invested in other lenses from the likes of Canon and Nikon?
What if you wanted to be able to take the lighter-weight compact with
you now and again and maybe pop one of your old lenses in your bag?
Japanese manufacturer Rayqual has snapped up this opportunity, releasing
an additional range of adapters available for shipping from July 2010.
Read More
Anyone who subscribes to the view that good
things come in small packages would no doubt be impressed by the winners
of this year’s design contest held at Sandia Labs for novel and
educational microelectromechanical systems
(MEMs). The big, or should I say exceedingly small, winners were the
world’s smallest chessboard, which is about the diameter of four human
hairs, and a pea-sized microbarbershop that is intended to service a
single hair. Read More
A couple of years ago, we told you about an eco-friendly resort in the U.S.
that was planning on using solar-diesel hybrid houseboats designed by
Solarsailor. The boats would feature large, moving photovoltaic “wings”
that would not only track the sun to gather energy, but also serve as
rigid sails – so the boats could move via solar, diesel or wind power.
When docked, the boats’ panels would still gather solar energy, which
they would feed into the resort’s power grid. The technology has now
been implemented on a passenger ferry, the Suntech-Guosheng, that will
take up to 180 sightseers on cruises of the Huangpu River as part of the
Shanghai World Expo. Read More
Who would have thought television could be good
for you? Researchers at the University of York in the U.K. have
transformed a chemical compound found in LCD television sets into an
anti-microbial substance that destroys infections such as Escherichia
coli and some strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The treated
polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) could potentially also be used in tissue
scaffolds to help parts of the body regenerate, pills and dressings that
deliver drugs, and hospital cleaning products to prevent infection.
Read More
Here's a clever stencil kit that will help iPad
developers sketch out their application ideas on paper. UI Stencils'
iPad Stencil Kit features all the standard buttons and menu items that
you would see on an iPad, and lets you trace them out on your paper with
ease. Read More
Once the realm of science fiction, implantable
devices able to take on the work of the heart - pacemakers - are now
commonplace, but what might the future hold for equipment that monitors
our vital signs? A Finnish researcher believes tomorrow's tech-savvy
generation will be more than comfortable with implantable
electrocardiogram (EKG) devices that constantly monitor and provide
instant feedback on their health, and can also provide instant access to
medical data in emergencies. Read More
Submarine crews could be breathing much healthier
air thanks to miniscule devices based on 62 year-old technology.
Currently, carbon dioxide is removed from the air in submarines through a
reaction with chemicals such as calcium hydroxide. Chemical engineers
from England’s University of Bath are collaborating with mechanical
engineers from Duke University in the US, to develop a chemical-free
filtration system. It utilizes seawater and tiny folded wire mesh rings
known as Dixon rings. Read More
Do you know your quarks from your leptons? Need
to brush up on wave-particle duality? CERN, the European Organization
for Nuclear Research, has announced that it will open a permanent
“Universe of Particles” exhibition on the ground floor of its incredible
conference center - the Globe of Science and Innovation. The exhibition
is designed to provide visitors with a fascinating insight into the
world of particles and will feature a display on the Large Hadron Collider
(LHC), the world’s largest accelerator – or as CERN describes it, “one
of the most sophisticated scientific tools ever built to explore new
territories of knowledge.” Read More
By now must of us are aware of the benefits of electric vehicles
(EVs). They’re better for the environment, they’re quiet, they have
less moving parts and are therefore more reliable and cheaper to operate
and maintain than their combustion-powered counterparts. But it’s
obviously not all upside or EVs would be the rule on our roads rather
than the exception. One of the major hurdles holding EVs back is the
time it takes for them to recharge their batteries. One solution is
swapping a dead battery for a fully charged one. That’s just what a
project in Tokyo is doing with the launch the world’s first
switchable-battery electric taxi. Read More
Windows that change their tint are not new,
but this window by RavenBrick does so without any energy use required.
The RavenWindow changes its transparency depending on the temperature,
so basically if it's hot outside less heat passes through it and if it's
cold outside then it becomes more transparent, allowing in more heat
from the sun. The implications are obvious – savings on your energy bill
as a result of reduced use of your heater or air conditioner. With
"America's Greenest Building" commissioning the first commercial
installation of the product, it's bound to have a bright future. Read More
So you’ve got a junior wannabe rock star on your
hands but you’re not convinced of their musical talent? Before you start
forking out big bucks for that electric guitar or drum kit they have
their eye on, how about testing their musical prowess on an interactive
rock t-shirt? The kids’ rock guitar shirt and drum kit shirt can
actually be played – just like real instruments – so junior can happily
bang out a drum solo or guitar riff and you can hang on to your
hard-earned bucks…for now. Read More
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