iBike Dash CC turns your iPhone into a cycling computer
By Ben Coxworth
February 23, 2011
It seems like almost everything that once existed
solely as an electronic device is now also available as a smartphone
app, and cycling computers are certainly no exception. Applications such
as Cyclemeter, B.iCycle and PedalBrain – just to name a few – all allow
riders to use their iPhones to keep track of things such as speed,
location, and distance travelled. Now, Florida-based Velocomp has thrown
its hat into the ring with the iBike Dash CC (Cycling Computer) app and
hardware package. Read More
Breville combines two breakfast favorites in one device
By Paul Ridden
February 23, 2011
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal
of the day, and for me a few rounds of toast and a spot of rousing music
on the radio is the perfect way to start off the day. UK kitchen
appliance manufacturer Breville has taken those two kitchen favorites
and merged them into one device – the Radio Toaster. Its smooth lines,
matt black/silver finish and silver circular speaker give it a 1950s
retro feel, but the AM/FM radio's display is digital rather than analog,
and it also includes some modern toasting innovations to help users get
the best bread-browning results. Read More
New system offers more accurate blood pressure measurements
By Ben Coxworth
February 23, 2011
Traditionally, blood pressure is measured using
the familiar inflatable cuff and stethoscope on the upper arm. While
this method has sufficed for over a century, some people maintain that
it is inaccurate – blood pressure in the arm is reportedly higher than
at the heart, and not by a consistent, easily compensated-for amount.
Because high blood pressure can cause the most damage at the heart and
in the nearby brain, it would make sense to monitor it at the heart,
too. That's just what a new device designed at the University of
Leicester does ... in a roundabout way. Read More
Holidaying to far-off destinations generally
involves traveling to an airport at some unfortunate hour of an
otherwise snooze-filled morning. After sorting out the check-in and
passing through the increasingly invasive security checks, you're
understandably tired and in desperate need of a sit-down. With the
WalkinBag, finding an empty seat in an overcrowded departure lounge is
one thing you don't need to worry about – this luggage includes its own
seat. Read More
Practical thought-controlled devices, such as wheelchairs, artificial arms, or even cars,
are perhaps a step closer to reality thanks to research being carried
out at Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
Traditionally, brain-computer interfaces require the user to concentrate
on constantly maintaining a mental command of either turn left, turn
right, or no-command (go straight). According to EPFL, most users can’t
sustain more than about an hour of the necessary mental effort. The
school is developing a new system, however, that allows users to take
breaks and shift their attention to other things while their
thought-controlled device continues to operate on its own. Read More
With over 170 languages spoken in the U.S. alone,
medical personnel attending an emergency or working in a busy hospital
are no doubt often faced with communication problems when trying to
dispense treatment. The Phrazer offers a possible solution to this
problem. It is billed as the world's first multilingual communication
system, where patients provide medical background information, symptoms
or complaints with the help of a virtual onscreen doctor speaking in
their own native tongue. This information is then summarized into a
medical record compatible with all major EMR systems. Read More
Vaccines work by exposing the body to an
infectious agent in order to prime the immune system to respond quickly
when it encounters the pathogen again. Some vaccines, such as the
diphtheria vaccine, consist of a synthetic version of a protein or other
molecule normally made by the pathogen, while others, such as the polio
and smallpox vaccines, use a dead or disabled form of the virus.
However, such an approach cannot be used with HIV because it's difficult
to render the virus harmless. MIT
engineers have now developed a new type of nanoparticle that could
safely and effectively deliver vaccines for infectious diseases such as
HIV and malaria, and could even help scientists develop vaccines against
cancer. Read More
While retractable hardtops have the edge on their
softtop siblings by virtue of reduced road and wind noise, improved
insulation and aerodynamics, they lack the typical cabriolet look. EDAG
is set to show a completely new type of roof system at the Geneva Motor Show which combines the advantages of a soft top and a retractable hardtop. Read More
EGO semi-submarine boat offers underwater exploring for dummies
By Darren Quick
February 22, 2011
Most of the vehicles designed for intimate trips beneath the ocean waves, such as Uboatworx’s line of personal submarines,
are pretty complicated affairs, meaning you’ll have to put in some
study time to get a grip on the controls or rely on the services of a
trained captain to get you around – which can kind of defeat the whole
intimate aspect of the trip. In an effort to give anyone the opportunity
to swim with the fishes without getting their feet wet, Korean-based
company Raonhaje has developed an electric-powered craft that is a
little bit submarine and a little bit regular boat. Read More
The Survivor – Griffin's military grade iPhone 4 case
By Ben Coxworth
February 22, 2011
Put the words "military grade" in front of just
about anything, and people – especially guys – will want to buy it.
Military grade Post-It Notes, military grade burritos, military grade
tube socks, it's all good ... whatever the product, those two words
imply that it has been designed to put up with more crap and abuse than
its wimpy civilian-grade counterparts. So, when it comes to protecting
your precious data-laden iPhone 4, what grade of case do you want?
Griffin Technology is assuming your answer to that question is
"military," which is what it reportedly offers in the form of its
Survivor Extreme Duty Case. Read More
Silver-coated paper could be used for emergency water purification
By Ben Coxworth
February 24, 2011
Silver is well-known for its antibacterial
qualities, which has led to the use of silver nanoparticles in devices
such as an experimental water filtration system
developed by Stanford University. That system is intended as a
relatively permanent setup, and it requires a small electrical current.
Researchers from Montreal’s McGill University, however, have come up
with a silver-based water treatment system that could conceivably be
used instantly, in any place and at any time. While not intended as a
routine method of killing water-borne bacteria, it could be very useful
in emergency situations such as disaster relief. Read More
Eye implant contains 'world's first' millimeter-scale computing system
By Ben Coxworth
February 24, 2011
Researchers from the University of Michigan have
created what they claim is the world’s first millimeter-scale complete
computing system, designed as an implantable eye pressure monitor for
glaucoma patients. Incorporating a microprocessor, pressure sensor,
memory, thin-film battery, solar cell and wireless radio with an antenna
that can transmit data to an external reader device, the device is just
over one cubic millimeter in size. The scientists see it as the next
step in the evolution of ever-smaller and more efficient computers. Read More
Torque vectoring gears for smaller, more efficient wind turbines
By Darren Quick
February 24, 2011
Torque vectoring is a relatively new technology that has been employed in automobile differentials,
most commonly all-wheel-drive vehicles, that allows the amount of power
sent to each wheel to be varied. Scientists at the Technische
Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) have now adapted this technology to wind
turbines, to eliminate the need for converting the alternating current
produced by the turbines into direct current and back again before it is
fed into the grid. Read More
For millennia, philosophers have debated whether
or not the self exists solely in the mind, the body, or both. Well, it’s
unclear whether this will help clear things up or just muddy the waters
further, but Swedish neuroscientists are now claiming that the human
brain can add outside objects such as a third arm to one’s physical
sense of self, and that people can even mentally project their “self”
out of their own body and into someone else’s. If these findings hold
up, the implications for virtual reality, robotics and prostheses could
be substantial. Read More
As predicted,
Apple has today revealed the details of its five new MacBook Pro
updates - although the actual details are a little different to the
rumors preceding the official announcement. The new line is said to be
up to twice as fast as the previous generation thanks to the inclusion
of next generation quad and dual core processors and high performance
graphics. A new FaceTime HD camera with three times the resolution
previously offered and the high performance Thunderbolt (read Light
Peak) I/O technology are also included. Read More
Subaru will be showcasing a 'BOXER Sports Car Architecture' Concept concept vehicle at the Geneva Motor Show
next week and released a darkened image of the vehicle to the media
earlier today. A bit of a play with Adobe Photoshop and … a great deal
more about the shape of the forthcoming vehicle has been revealed. Read More
Smart breaks out Forspeed concept ahead of Geneva Motor Show
By Mike Hanlon
February 24, 2011
A World War I issue flying cap and goggles might be standard equipment if smart's
latest concept offering ever makes it to the showroom floor. The smart
forspeed dispenses with a roof, adds in a bunch of intelligent
electricity-saving features and offers an open-air driving experience
coupled with the silence of a not-so-modest electric drive souped up and
borrowed from the smart fortwo electric drive.
Interestingly, it's essentially an electric version of the smart
Crossblade Limited Edition, which singer Robbie Williams championed back
in 2002 (top right). Read More
Last September we covered a story about a pressure-sensitive artificial skin
developed at Stanford University that is so sensitive it can “feel” the
weight of a butterfly. As part of a goal to create what she calls
“super skin,” Stanford researcher Zhenan Bao is now giving the
artificial skin the ability to detect chemical and biological molecules.
Not only that, she has also developed a new, stretchable solar cell
that can be used to power the skin, opening up the possibility of an
artificial skin for robots that can be used to power them and enable
them to detect dangerous chemicals or diagnose medical conditions with a
touch. Read More
There's definitely no shortage of alarm clock apps available for the iPhone,
but a new app, simply called A!arm, offers users a slightly different
way to start the day. Instead of fumbling for their iPhone to shut off
the alarm when roused from your slumber, A!arm allows users to silence
the din by doing something that most of us have done at one time or
another – shouting at the alarm. While it isn't exactly the most
zen-like approach to starting the day, it could be a good way to relieve
some tension first thing in the morning. Read More
The growing popularity of tablet computing
has brought with it another challenge in the ongoing battle to keep
your all your portable devices charged when off the grid. Scosche's
solution – the goBAT II – pairs a 5000mAh rechargeable lithium ion
battery with dual USB outputs, one of which is a 10 Watt (2.1 Amp) port
to meet the power requirements of tablets as well as a standard 5 Watt
(1 Amp) port for practically everything else. Read More
Optimus Pad up for pre-order in Japan on March 15
By Paul Ridden
February 25, 2011
If the 7-inch display on HTC's Flyer is not quite big enough, but Samsung's 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab
is just a little too big, then LG's Optimus Pad could just fit the
bill. Said to offer more comfortable one-handed portability, the Tegra
2-powered tablet with stereoscopic cameras is about to make its public
debut in Japan. Read More
Twentieth Century Fox signs its latest big star – the Sun
By Alan Brandon
February 25, 2011
Twentieth Century Fox is cranking up the star
power at its Century City studios, where Solar Power, Inc. has completed
the installation of a large solar array. The 160 kW photovoltaic (PV)
solar system was mounted on Fox Studio's historic Building 99 using
Solar Power's SkyMount commercial rooftop system, as well as
conventional racking. The new PV system is the movie giant's first
on-site renewable energy system. Read More
With the advent of robust, miniaturized
electronic devices, an increasingly common method of studying wild
animals involves temporarily attaching data-logging sensors directly to
them. Some readers might have seen point-of-view video footage obtained
with National Geographic's "Crittercam," for instance, or heard about the study where the migratory routes of Arctic terns were determined by putting tiny light loggers
on the birds. Now, a consortium of scientists from nine European
research institutions have tagged cod fish with mini-thermometers, to
find out how they will be able to cope with rising ocean temperatures.
Read More
Probably the vehicle with the most marketplace
impact at next weeks Geneva Show will be the Renault Kangoo Van Maxi
Z.E.. It's a viable electric commercial vehicle with orders being taken now
and will be available before year’s end in short and long (an extra 40
cm) wheelbase in two seat or a clever five seat crew van version
offering four different interior layouts and a rear bench seat that
folds into the floor for a completely flat deck. The 22kWh lithium-ion
battery is located beneath the floor, is leased by the van owner at
GBP59 per month regardless of whether you buy or lease the vehicle, and
drives a 44kW electric motor for a range of 105 miles. A lot of emphasis
has been placed on the Man Machine Interface and there's a range of
connected services for the public and a connected Fleet Asset Management
suite for fleet managers. Every option available for the established
and vast Kangoo petrol model range is available in the electric version
too. Read More
HP breaks new battery life ground with EliteBook notebook
By Paul Ridden
February 25, 2011
Apple's new MacBook Pro
line-up might be grabbing all the headlines with its new Thunderbolt
port, but the claimed battery life pales into insignificance when
compared to that offered by HP. When running on the company's new
Ultra-Capacity Notebook battery, the HP EliteBook 8460p is said to be
capable of running for up to 32 hours between charges. It's one of a
number of business notebook releases announced by HP, so let's take a
closer look... Read More
Shadow Ebike: the world’s first wireless electric bike
By Darren Quick
February 24, 2011
Got a problem with the various gear and brake
cables winding their way around your bike frame? If you're riding a
standard pedal-powered bike, the answer is probably 'no.' But if you're
one of the increasing numbers of people getting around town on an electric bike
than your answer may be different, with faulty wiring one of the most
common sources of failures found in such vehicles. While some hide their
electrical wiring away inside the frame, many e-bikes have wires
running down the outside. Like so many of today's electrical devices,
the new Shadow Ebike does away with this unsightly mess and potential
point of weakness using wireless technology. Read More
Why Thunderbolt is so important for the MacBook Pro
By Tim Hanlon
February 24, 2011
I've had plenty to say about Apple's bizarre, pro
user-hostile MacBook Pro I/O roadmap over the years - like the shock removal of FireWire 400 in late 2008 and the removal of ExpressCard from the 15"
in 2009 - so it's incredibly refreshing to write about the inclusion of
Thunderbolt, a decidedly "Pro" I/O interface with seemingly no
downside, in the latest refresh. Read More
No sooner has Thunderbolt – previously known as Light Peak – hit the market in the form of Apple’s new MacBook Pro lineup, than LaCie
has unveiled the first of what will no doubt be a flood of new
Thunderbolt-capable devices to be announced in the coming months. Thanks
to the new I/O technology, which boasts data transfer speeds of 10Gbps,
LaCie’s Little Big Disk can perform full system backups in minutes and
deliver multiple streams of HD video while offloading content without
compromising performance. Read More
Agave is a very hardy, useful plant. It grows in
hot, arid conditions, and has found use in the production of beverages,
food, and fiber. Now, it looks like it could have yet one more use – a
Mexican botanist believes it could be an excellent biofuel feedstock.
Not only does it grow quickly, but global climate change shouldn’t
adversely affect it, and it doesn’t compete with food crops. Read More
Unmanned K-MAX helicopter achieves airdrop milestones
February 24, 2011
The Unmanned K-MAX helicopter
being developed by Kaman Corporation and Lockheed Martin has further
demonstrated the potential of this type of aircraft in the field by
completing a list of airdrop firsts. The milestones in payload weight
and altitude were reached during a recent series of tests at the Army's
Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona where the KMAX (UAS) made guided airdrops via sling load at an altitude of 10,000 ft above sea level including a payload of 4,400 lbs. Read More
Prodigy jack-of-all-trades media streamer announced
By Paul Ridden
February 28, 2011
As digital media streamers
go, the Prodigy from Xtreamer appears to be something of a
jack-of-all-trades. The budget-friendly box can store its own content in
a wide variety of formats, connect to external drives or wirelessly
hook up with a computer. It has a dedicated internet browser specially
tweaked for TV, can play Flash media and will work with Apple's AirPlay
technology. There's USB 3.0 and HDMI wired connectivity, and
audiophiles will appreciate the lossless audio options, while movie
buffs get treated to full 1080p high definition playback ... but it's
the new Flash GUI that's said to be the real vote winner. Read More
It may have taken a little longer than expected, but last week the inaugural Zero Race
finally wound up with the three remaining competitors returning to the
United Nations Palace in Geneva, Switzerland where the race got underway
in August last year. After 80 driving days, which saw the 100 percent
electric vehicles travel some 28,000 km (17,398 miles) across 16
countries through freezing temperatures, snow, rain and heat, Team
Oerikon Solar’s Zerotracer was the first to cross the finish line, followed by Team Vectrix in second place and Team Trev in third. Read More
The flood of tablet computer releases seen at CES 2011 looks set to continue at this year's CeBIT
trade show in Hannover, Germany with Taiwan's MiTAC first off the
starting line with four new tablets heading for the show. Hoping to
capitalize on the success of last year's award-winning Valinor media
tablet, the company has announced a couple of media tablets, a rugged
model and one featuring two GPS receivers. Read More
On Valentine's day, while we were all cooing over
your loved ones or lamenting the obvious negligence of the postman,
scientists at Denver's NASA station were cooing over something rather
larger. On February 14th this year, NASA's Stardust probe
made its second visit to the comet Tempel 1 at 8.40pm PST, shaving the
comet at a distance of 111 miles (178 km) and traveling at a relative
speed of 24,300 mph (10.9 km per second). This is the first time
scientists have been able to get a second look at a comet, which allows
them to compare data from the first visit in order to learn more about
these icy inhabitants of our solar system. Read More
Recently, devices like LG's Tegra 2-powered Optimus 2X
have blurred the lines between smartphone and mini-computer but they're
still geared towards the former. The Magic W3's primary function is as a
handheld computer that also happens to have telephone functionality.
What's the difference? The Atom-powered W3 runs on a full version of
Windows 7 Home Premium for multi-tasking productivity and includes 32GB
of onboard solid state storage. Read More
Psammaplin A is a naturally occurring chemical
found in the sea sponge that has been found to block several components
that are involved in the growth and division of cancer cells. Dr Matthew
Fucher and his team at Imperial College London have developed a new,
and inexpensive way of manufacturing psammaplin A, and is using
synthetic variations of the chemical to better understand its
anti-cancer properties, which will help them in future efforts to create
anti-cancer drugs. Read More
The 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R
is new in every sense of the word – it's a brand new model with a brand
new frame, 200hp engine, Showa suspension and a grab bag of the
highest-tech electronics riding aids. Gizmag's Fabian Fitzgerald spoke
to Chris Vermeulan and his team manager, Paul Risbridger, at the opening
round of the 2011 WorldSBK season for an insight into the technology
behind the new superbike. Read More
RoboMara 2011: Autonomous bot wins marathon by a nose
By Rick Martin
February 26, 2011
The 'RoboMara' or robot marathon
has just come to a close in Osaka Japan, with a pair of bipedal bots
battling it out in surprisingly close dash to the finish. After 422 laps
of a 100-meter track, two robots found themselves only inches apart as
coming out of the final turn. Read More
Infinyte Marine hopes its electric i4 will be a quiet success
By Ben Coxworth
February 25, 2011
For many people who own lakefront property, noisy
combustion-engined motorboats that leave clouds of exhaust and oil
slicks in their wakes have pretty much become a given. Hopefully,
however, quiet and clean-running electric watercraft may soon take over a
significant portion of the pleasure-boating market. While consumers can
already pre-order the planned 8-passenger solar-electric Loon
pontoon boat, another option is the smaller Infinyte i4 catamaran,
which began production in 2010. Its maker, Canada’s Infinyte Marine,
also has plans for a larger boat. Read More
Biometric authentication technologies have been
around for a while now and, if truth be told, vary considerably from the
useless Flash drive at the bottom of my drawer that has only ever
recognized my fingerprint once, to something a bit more dependable. NEC
has now developed an identification system that is able to register the
ridges of a fingerprint and the finger vein characteristics without any
sort of physical contact. Read More
Perception Challenge has next-generation robots in its sights
By Darren Quick
February 28, 2011
Despite all the breakthroughs in the world of robotics,
we still seem to be some way off the kind of advanced robots that can
autonomously carry out a variety of tasks in unstructured and cluttered
environments. One of the key bottlenecks holding back the development of
such next-generation robots is how robots perceive the data gathered
from their various sensors. Willow Garage, the Californian robotics
company behind the PR2 open platform robot, has teamed up with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
to launch an international “perception challenge” with the goal of
encouraging improvements to sensing and perception technologies for
next-generation robots. Read More
For many people the problem of Primary Axillary
Hyperhidrosis or excessive underarm sweating is a huge issue affecting
their quality of life. This medical condition occurs when the sweat
glands are overactive in creating more sweat than is needed to cool the
body – sometimes four or five times more sweat than normal. Miramar Labs
has developed a new solution to this problem in the form of the miraDry
system – a treatment that uses microwave energy to deactivate the sweat
glands in the underarm. Read More
Hunting round for batteries to power toys that
come “batteries not included” is a common problem on Christmas morning.
If there are none to be found then you’d better hope junior likes
playing with the box because that new whizz-bang gadget can be decidedly
underwhelming without any juice. The Solar Pegasus Flying Horse solves
this problem by incorporating a solar panel in the mythological winged
horse’s carriage to harness energy from the sun, or nearest available
lamp, to power its batteries and keep the kids entertained long after
traditional batteries have run flat. Read More
AQUASUN system puts floating solar panels on bodies of water
By Ben Coxworth
February 28, 2011
One of the potentially limiting characteristics
of solar power is the fact that it takes up a lot of space. Solar panels
obviously aren’t going to be of much use if they’re stacked one on top
of the other, so instead must be spread out side-by-side, so each one
can soak up the sun. Although they’re generally not in the way when
mounted on top of buildings, large arrays of solar panels could
start to become a hindrance when located on the ground. Tech companies
from Israel and France, however, are developing what could be a way of
avoiding that situation – floating solar panels that are installed on
the surface of existing bodies of water. Read More
Increasing processor efficiency by matching power with demand
By Darren Quick
February 28, 2011
For decades, chipmakers strove to develop the
fastest and most powerful chips possible and damn the amount of
electricity needed to power them, but these days raw grunt isn't the
only consideration. As more and more devices go mobile and these devices
become more and more powerful, chipmakers must also take the energy
efficiency into account. Harvard
graduate student Wonyoung Kim has developed and demonstrated an
on-chip, multi-core voltage regulator (MCVR) that he says could allow
the creation of "smarter" smartphones, slimmer laptops and more energy
efficient data centers by more closely matching the power supply to the
demand of the chip. Read More
Mice ... they may nibble our food, poop in our
cupboards, and make us go "eek," but they may also someday keep us from
getting blown up. Before they can do that, however, Israeli tech company
BioExplorers has to get its mouse-based explosives detection system out
of the prototype stage and into production. If it ever does see the
light of day, then people at airports, arenas, and other high
terrorism-risk areas may routinely be getting a sniff-down by containers
of live rodents. Read More
For the first time ever, scientists from the
University of Montreal and Mount Sinai Hospital have generated
pluripotent stem cells
from horses. Pluripotency refers to a cell's ability to become any of
the various other types of cells found within the body, and the ability
to be able to grow such cells in a laboratory setting has great
implications for the field of regenerative medicine.
Not only does this latest accomplishment potentially mean big things
for sick or injured horses, but it could also pave the way for lab-based
human stem cell treatments. Read More
A first-of-its-kind biomass-fueled, heat and
power generation system has been developed by a partnership between
Nexterra Systems and General Electric, and is heading to the campus of
the University of British Columbia (UBC) next year. The Bioenergy
Research and Demonstration Project will meet around six percent of the
total annual demand for electricity and up to 25 percent of the
university's campus requirements for steam. UBC has just announced that
the project has secured a substantial federal and provincial cash
injection. Read More
Cargill ship will be largest ever to utilize kite power
By Ben Coxworth
February 28, 2011
For the past ten years, Hamburg-based SkySails has been engineering and producing what are essentially giant kites,
designed to help ships reduce their fuel use by catching the wind and
pulling them across the surface of the ocean. The system was put into
regular shipping use for the first time in 2008, when one of the kites
was attached to the 132-meter (433-foot) multi purpose heavy lift
carrier MS Beluga SkySails.
Now, Cargill Ocean Transportation has announced that it plans to use
the technology on one of its long-term charter ships, a vessel of
between 25,000 and 30,000 deadweight tonnes (27,558 to 33,069 US tons).
It will be the largest kite-assisted ship in the world. Read More
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