When a person injures the region of their spine
immediately below their skull, emergency medical technicians apply what
is known as a cervical collar. The devices first saw use in the Vietnam
War, where medics needed a quick and simple system that could be used to
immobilize the heads and necks of injured soldiers. In the years since,
however, some studies have suggested that by pushing the head up and
away from the body, the collars may cause the vertebrae to separate –
actually making some spinal injuries worse. Fortunately, a team of six
undergraduate engineering students from Houston’s Rice University are
now developing a new type of cervical collar, that keeps the head still
in a safer fashion. Read More
On September 16, 2011, the pilot of a
highly modified WW2 P-51D airplane crashed at the National
Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada. The tragic accident saw the
plane known as the "Galloping Ghost" crash into the box seat spectator
area, killing the pilot and 10 spectators, with 60 others injured. Now
the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has provided an update
on its investigation into the much publicized incident. Read More 
The Terra Strenua Outfitters NYX is an ultralight
multifunctional cot for the outdoors. It is designed to roll up into a
small, portable package, assembles in minutes, and uses some of the
lightest materials available. Read More
In what is being touted as “the world's largest
dream experiment,” a psychologist from Britain’s University of
Hertfordshire is inviting volunteers to try using an iPhone app to
control their dreams. Prof. Richard Wiseman teamed up with the
developers at software company YUZA to create Dream:ON, an app that
plays soundscapes while its user sleeps, intended to shape what sort of
dreams they have. The project comes in response to a UK survey conducted
by Wiseman, in which 15% of respondents claimed that they frequently
suffered from unpleasant dreams. Read More
Anyone who regularly uses a computer for long
periods of time can likely attest to the importance of proper
computer-use posture. Sitting in the wrong position, or having your
keyboard or screen improperly located, can result in strain to the eyes,
hands, wrists, neck or back. While we may try to establish a good pose
when first sitting down at our machine, it’s all too easy to get wrapped
up in what we’re doing, and gradually slip into our old
ergonomically-unfriendly hunches or slouches. That’s where Philips’ new
ErgoSensor display steps in – it actually monitors the user, and lets
them know when they need to correct their posture. Read More
Porsche is to debut another high
performance variant of its Cayenne SUV at the important Auto China Show
in Beijing on April 23. The Cayenne GTS will use a 309 kW V8 engine
with a tauter chassis, lower ride height and more sportiness than the
Cayenne S. Read More 
You've heard of UAVs, unmanned remote controlled
military aircraft; but what about USVs? Standing for Unmanned Surface
Vehicle, a USV is quite simply an unmanned boat, like Zyvex Marine's
Piranha concept. We've looked at USVs before, and the Piranha specifically in early 2010;
but what was then a prototype under development is now a fully-fledged
production craft, having shipped its first unit last November. "Our
production facility is closer to rocket science than traditional boat
building," says Zyvex Marine VP Byron Nutley of his boat - the only one
in the world, it's claimed, that is made out of nanomaterials. But does
the Piranha have the technological bite to match the hyperbole, and what
does this mean for naval warfare? Read More
Akira's iconic motorcycle races through Japan
April 10, 2012
The 1988 film Akira stands as a classic
not just in Japanese animation, but in the entire post-apocalyptic film
genre. As such, fans of the film have been drawn to some of its most
memorable moments and visuals, particularly the futuristic motorcycle
driven by one of the main characters. One fan even went so far as to
devote several years to creating a working replica of the signature
vehicle, which has become the only one officially recognized by Akira's creator, and which recently toured Japan to raise money for charity. Read More
While effective at killing cancer cells,
chemotherapy is currently a shotgun approach that can also harm healthy
cells and cause serious side effects in patients. The ability to deliver
drugs directly into cancer cells would provide a more targeted approach
to more effectively treat the disease with lower doses of drugs and
less side effects. Researchers at Northwestern University are claiming
to be the first to develop gold nanostars that provide a much more
precise approach by delivering a drug directly to a cancer cell’s
nucleus. Read More
The Revolve camping chair is a folding camping
chair with a twist - a literal twist. Unlike the average camping chair,
which is planted in one position, the Revolve gives you 360 degrees of
motion like a desk chair. The camping chair just got a little more
comfortable and convenient. Read More
Lenovo’s IdeaPad
is an interesting little device – it functions as a Windows laptop
computer, but its screen detaches to operate as a stand-alone tablet.
While Apple has no equivalent system of its own, a few companies have
come out with products that come close. One of the latest is the
Notebook Case for iPad, which consists of a keyboard-equipped hinged
shell, that accepts an iPad 2 as its screen. Read More
Studio H:T's Shipping Container
House is, unsurprisingly, a house made from shipping containers - at
least partially. But perhaps most impressive about the design is that it
operates entirely off-grid. Read More
Headphone cords: they're far from
the gravest problem facing mankind today, but much like the common cold,
they persistently annoy with no end in sight. At least we have a new,
non-prescription pill, in the form of CordCrunchers. Read More
He might look like a friendly old Japanese
grandpa with a crazy giggle, but Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima is the
undisputed king of the mountain that matters: Pike's Peak in Colorado.
For the last six years, Monster has dominated one of the world's most
spectacular and death-defying hill climb races in a series of
ever-crazier souped-up Suzuki race cars. This year, it seems he's found
one more mountain to climb: the 62 year-old has announced he'll be
taking a fully electric race car to Pike's Peak in 2012. Could this be
the year that a battery car beats the petrol brigade? Read More
Go into any bicycle store, and pretty much all of
the bikes in there will have frames made from metal tubes or carbon
fiber. A few manufacturers have gotten a bit more adventurous, offering
frames made of bamboo or wood, while some have even experimented with things like aramid panels and nylon.
A trio of San Francisco-based entrepreneurs, however, have created a
prototype bicycle using yet another frame material – hand-folded sheet
metal. They claim that their product is lighter, stronger and cheaper to
produce than an aluminum-tube frame, and they’re hoping to be able to
sell you one. Read More
It may be based on apparently familiar
technology, but Y Combinator startup Matterport reckons it's putting its
3D scanning technology, which it claims can scan real environments into
3D digital representations 20 times faster than the competition, to
innovative use. "We turn reality into 3D models and our scanner is 20
times faster and 18 times cheaper than any other tool on the market,"
Matterport co-founder Michael Beebe claimed at the Y Combinator 2012
demo day at the end of March. And though that claim might be pushing it slightly
- 3D scanners have been around for the better part of two decades - the
technology demonstrated in Matterport's demo video is remarkable. Read More
Initially released in Japan last November,
Epson has now announced Stateside availability for its Moverio BT-100
wearable display. The rather chunky eyewear projects images onto a
virtual floating screen in front of the user that grows in size the
further away the wearer stares into the distance - up to the equivalent
of a 320-inch screen at a distance of 65 feet (20 meters). Read More
After years in development, Sway Motorsports has
unveiled a prototype of its tilting three-wheel electric scooter, one
with a rather sportier bent than the tilting electric three-wheelers
we've seen before, such as Sidam's Xnovo.
And though this is a relatively low-powered machine, judging from the
videos this thing isn't without agility and zip. Clearly the Sway is
pitched squarely at the leisure market. Read More
While remotely controlling a powerful telescope
and viewing the results on your computer screen - as promised by the Gloria
project - certainly has its appeal, it doesn't quite match the sense of
personal gratification gained from snapping a digital image of a
distant nebula with a camera mounted to your own telescope. Standard
digital SLR cameras can provide impressive results but Canon has
announced the release of an optimized version of its prothusiast level EOS 60D that's been specifically retuned for astro-photographers. Read More
The list of add-ons that let you to tinker with
the photo taking capabilities of your iPhone is about to get even bigger
with the launch of Magnifi. Rather than tacking a zoom or fish-eye
lens onto the smartphone, Magnifi integrates an adapter into the case
so that your phone can be hooked-up to most optical instruments with an
eye-piece such as binoculars, microscopes or telescopes. Read More
Piracy on the high seas of the 21st century requires 21st century solutions. As part of the on-going effort
to curb attacks on shipping, the United States Navy will use a UAV
helicopter to test a new sensor system in the waters off California
during the summer of 2012. This new 3D sensor package in combination
with new computer algorithms will allow the Navy to more accurately
identify pirate vessels hiding among innocent shipping on the sea lanes
with much greater speed and much less manpower. Read More
There are a lot of portable grills on the market,
but most are only portable if you happen to be traveling in your car.
Grills light and convenient enough to carry on your person to a
campsite, sports field or other off-the-beaten-path areas are a little
rarer. This example, the Esbit BBQ Box charcoal grill, is designed to be
small and light enough to take pretty much anywhere your feet can carry
you. Read More
Lenovo’s IdeaPad
is an interesting little device – it functions as a Windows laptop
computer, but its screen detaches to operate as a stand-alone tablet.
While Apple has no equivalent system of its own, a few companies have
come out with products that come close. One of the latest is the
Notebook Case for iPad, which consists of a keyboard-equipped hinged
shell, that accepts an iPad 2 as its screen. Read More
Research currently underway at MIT’s Distributed
Robotic Laboratory (DRL) could lead to an innovative replicative
manufacturing technique with the disruptive potential equal to that of
3D printing. Imagine a sand-like material that could autonomously
assemble itself into a replica of any object encased within. Incredible
though this may sound, the DRL researchers have already managed to build
a large scale proof-of-concept, with 10-mm cubes acting as the grains.
Read More
Studio H:T's Shipping Container
House is, unsurprisingly, a house made from shipping containers - at
least partially. But perhaps most impressive about the design is that it
operates entirely off-grid. Read More
We've eagerly followed the evolution of the
wireless charging technology for mobile devices here at Gizmag, from its
very early incarnations right through to the very latest developments.
Even though you can't really argue with the potential usefulness of
such solutions, they've almost universally been restricted to home or
office use and not where most of our device batteries actually let us
down - out on the road. Chrysler's Mopar Division has developed a
wireless charging system that sits in the central console of a car,
which juices up the battery of any mobile device placed on the mat. The
technology is to make its debut in the forthcoming 2013 Dodge Dart. Read More
Mercedes-Benz debuted its 2013 G-Class off-roader
this week. The vehicle receives some updates for the 2013 model year,
but keeps its tough, rugged look and drive. Hard-nosed off-roader
outside, Mercedes inside. Read More
Biometric technology has been boosting the
security of a greater array of electronic devices in recent years,
including homes, businesses, schools and even wallets.
The technology has also made its way into ATMs as a way to beat card
skimmers, but these machines still require customers to insert a card.
Now a Japanese bank has announced that it will introduce ATMs that allow
customers to carry out transactions with a scan of their palm. Read More
If you’re in Monte Carlo on May 12, you’ll have a
chance to purchase a bit of of history when design legend Raymond
Loewy’s 1972 Avanti II Coupé goes on sale as part of Bonhams auction
house’s Les Grandes Marques à Monaco. Not only is this one of only a
handful of Avanti IIs in France and one that was owned by a celebrated
designer, but it’s also distinguished by the fact that its original
owner was the man who created it. Read More
Headphone cords: they're far from
the gravest problem facing mankind today, but much like the common cold,
they persistently annoy with no end in sight. At least we have a new,
non-prescription pill, in the form of CordCrunchers. Read More
As the world’s appetite for oil and gas continues
to increase while access to easily accessible reserves decreases,
deep-sea oil and gas wells are being positioned in ever-deeper waters.
The dangers and difficulties faced in such operations were highlighted
in 2010 with the Deepwater Horizon
oil spill. While placing a containment dome over a leak and piping the
oil to a surface storage vessel had worked on leaks in shallower water,
the attempt to do the same on the Deepwater Horizon’s largest leak
failed when the formation of methane hydrate crystals blocked the
opening at the top of the dome. Now researchers at MIT have developed
surface coatings that can inhibit the buildup of these methane hydrates
and keep the gas and oil flowing. Read More
When it comes to implantable electronic devices such as pacemakers, biosensors or drug-delivery devices, there are a few options regarding power sources. While batteries could be used in some applications, doing so would require surgically replacing the implant when its battery runs out. Radio wave-based and inductive
systems are instead often used, in which power is “beamed” to the
device from a source outside the body. According to researchers from
Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems,
however, such systems often have a limited range, and are easily
affected by factors such as location, position and movement. Instead,
they’ve developed what they claim is a better, more versatile system.
Read More
The monitoring of air quality can be a tricky
business. Gases may be blown into the sampling site from another area,
they may leak out of an air sample before it can be analyzed, or the
sampling container itself may introduce compounds, emitted
through off-gassing. If samples are being gathered in remote areas, it
can also be difficult getting bulky equipment to and from the sampling
site. Now, scientists from Sandia National Laboratories have announced a
tiny new type of air sampler, that addresses these and other
challenges. Read More
As much as we love reading a spec
sheet spouting figures such as 1,200-hp, nought to 62 mph (100 km/h) in
2.6 seconds, and a top speed of 255 mph (410 km/h), what we really want
to see is the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse in action. Bugatti has
granted that wish with the release of a new promo video. Read More
For some time now – whether by using
computers or clay – forensic scientists have been able to make
three-dimensional reconstructions of the faces of the deceased, based on
the contours of their skulls. More recently, however, software has been
developed that can determine the sex and precise ancestral background
of a person no longer with us, via a set of skull measurements. Read More
When people are building things such
as decks or fences, they often use lumber that has been
pressure-treated with preservatives. While this does indeed help the
wood last longer, the chemicals will gradually leach out into the
ground, harming organisms within it. Now, however, researchers have
found a way of using nanotechnology to keep the preservatives in the
wood. Read More
Last July, we provided readers with specs and renderings of the Adastra superyacht,
which was being constructed in China by boat builder John Shuttleworth.
While it might have seemed like a fanciful concept at the time,
yesterday the completed yacht was launched in China’s Pearl River. Read More
Japan’s Tokyoflash
has made a name for itself with numerous weird and wonderful – or maybe
baffling - ways to tell the time. Now, bringing to mind Homer Simpson’s
quote of, “From now on Honey, we'll be spelling everything with
letters,” when Marge is impressed by a house that has its street number
spelled out with letters, German design agency Biegert & Funk is set
to release a wristwatch that fancies things up by telling the time in
words. Read More
As much as we love reading a spec
sheet spouting figures such as 1,200-hp, nought to 62 mph (100 km/h) in
2.6 seconds, and a top speed of 255 mph (410 km/h), what we really want
to see is the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse in action. Bugatti has
granted that wish with the release of a new promo video. Read More
Motor racing in the premier categories has always
attracted not only the bravest and most skilled performers in the
physical sense, but also the best and brightest thinkers – engineers and
technicians who are responsible for what those elite athletes are
riding on, in every sense of the term. Pirelli's job as the chosen
control tire manufacturer for WSBK is one of finding a motorcycle racing
tire that will perform in a far broader range of conditions, and one
that any sportsbike owner can then buy off the shelf. We recently spoke
to Pirelli Moto Racing Director Giorgio Barbier and racing compound
development engineer, Fabio Meni, about how the company meets this
formidable challenge. Read More
Attention, BEAR, MABEL, and SAFFiR:
You may be able to win your makers two million bucks! That’s the amount
that DARPA is offering to the victorious team in its recently-announced
Robotics Challenge. The winning robot will be the one that best meets a
series of challenges, designed to test its ability to provide
assistance in disaster scenarios. Read More
A fool's paradise: Was Instagram too free to last?
April 12, 2012
Following Facebook's astonishing US$1 billion
acqusition of mobile photo-sharing app Instagram, Gizmag asks whether a
take-over of the service, which is free to download and use and which
eschews in-app advertising, was inevitable; and ponders whether free
services are a fool's paradise. Read More
For some time now – whether by using
computers or clay – forensic scientists have been able to make
three-dimensional reconstructions of the faces of the deceased, based on
the contours of their skulls. More recently, however, software has been
developed that can determine the sex and precise ancestral background
of a person no longer with us, via a set of skull measurements. Read More
When people are building things such
as decks or fences, they often use lumber that has been
pressure-treated with preservatives. While this does indeed help the
wood last longer, the chemicals will gradually leach out into the
ground, harming organisms within it. Now, however, researchers have
found a way of using nanotechnology to keep the preservatives in the
wood. Read More
U.S. Publications Inc says that a study by the
U.S. Department of Justice has revealed that sex offenders are four
times more likely to re-offend than other convicted criminals, and that
60% of convicted sex offenders are out on parole or probation. Playing
on the fear that there could well be just such a person living secretly
in your neighborhood, the company has announced a new app that's said to
be capable of pointing out the location of such undesirables within a
40 mile (64 km) radius of a given area. The Criminal Tracker app doesn't
limit its results to sex offenders, however, as the company's database
is claimed to be the most comprehensive National Criminal Index
available. Read More
Sony Europe has unveiled a new addition to its E Series
VAIO laptop range which allows users to flick through web pages, play
music and adjust volume by waving a hand in front of the unit's webcam.
The 14-inch VAIO 14P also features a backlit keyboard for twilight hours
typing, a USB charging port to keep mobile devices topped up, and both
discrete and integrated HD graphics. Read More
Last July, we provided readers with specs and renderings of the Adastra superyacht,
which was being constructed in China by boat builder John Shuttleworth.
While it might have seemed like a fanciful concept at the time,
yesterday the completed yacht was launched in China’s Pearl River. Read More 
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