Though at this point only computer-rendered
images area available for this audacious project, don't be mistaken.
This is no mere concept. In fact, construction is already underway on
the Shimao Intercontinental Hotel in the Songjiang District of Shanghai -
a five-star, 19-story, 380-room, luxury hotel built into an abandoned,
part-flooded quarry. Read More
Another breakthrough in the ever
accelerating quest to extend human lifespan has seen researchers
identify key genes associated with ageing. By studying these "ageing"
genes, which are switched on or off by external factors such a diet and
lifestyle, it's hoped that the biological mechanisms of ageing can be
better understood. Read More New theory could help clear fusion power hurdle
By Darren Quick
April 24, 2012
While solar power harnesses energy produced by
the Sun, fusion power seeks to harness the very process used by the Sun
to generate a practically limitless supply of clean electricity. Despite
decades of research and numerous breakthroughs,
“net-gain” nuclear fusion is yet to appear. One of the hurdles is the
so-called density, or Greenwald, limit that sees the plasmas within
experimental fusion reactors (called tokamaks) spiraling apart and
disrupting the fusion process. Now scientists have come up with a new
theory as to why this occurs that, if proven, could provide a way to
clear the density limit hurdle. Read More
A new all-electric vehicle unveiled at Auto China 2012
marks the first appearance of the Denza brand at a motor show. Denza, a
joint venture between Daimler and China’s BYD Auto, was officially
launched in March this year and its first concept car is expected to
reach production by 2013, with the first prototypes already being tested
on the roads in China. Read More 
While much work is being done to bring autonomous vehicles
to the roads, the closest most of us have yet got is cruise control,
which has actually been around since the 1950s, appearing as
“Auto-Pilot” in 1958 Chryslers and Imperials. Now Cadillac is looking to
update things with road testing currently underway on a semi-autonomous
technology dubbed “Super Cruise” that offers fully automatic steering,
braking and lane-centering in highway driving – under certain
conditions. Read More
French researchers have produced highly conducive
plastic fibers with a thickness of only a few nanometers that
self-assemble when exposed to a flash of light. The tiny fibers (one
nanometer equals one billionth of a meter) could become a cheaper and
easier-to-handle alternative to carbon nanotubes and play a role in the
development of electronic components on the nanoscale. Read More
The flood of SUV concepts continues
at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show - this time in the form of Peugeot’s
Urban Crossover Concept. Essentially a refinement of the SXC Crossover Concept
that appeared at the 2011 Shanghai Motor Show, the new concept vehicle
is a compact SUV designed primarily for urban driving. Read More 
Garrett Finney has had a fascination with small,
outdoor-connected living spaces since his childhood in the 1970s. He
transformed that passion into a logical career path as a NASA engineer
working on habitation modules for the International Space Station. But,
he later decided that he wanted to apply some of that passion to
something a little closer to home. That something is the Cricket
Trailer. Read More
China has 125 cities with more than a million
people (America has nine) and as the country has become the
manufacturing powerhouse of the world, many people have created
extraordinary wealth in all of these cities. Important people with
new-found wealth need appropriate wheels and for a man-about-town
businessman, Mercedes-Benz has crafted the Mercedes-Benz Viano Vision
Diamond - a chauffeured luxury vehicle. Read More
Scoliosis is a lateral deformity of the spine,
that most often shows up in young children and adolescents. Besides
resulting in disfigurement, in some cases it can also cause breathing
problems. In severe cases, if the child is still growing, telescoping
steel rods are surgically implanted alongside the deformed section of
the spine, in order to straighten it. Unfortunately, repeat surgeries
are necessary every six months, in order to lengthen the rods as the
child grows. Now, however, scientists from the University of Hong Kong
are reporting success in the first human trials of a system that
incorporates rods which can be lengthened using magnets instead of
surgery. Read More
Adult stem cells used to induce the natural hair growth cycle in hairless mice
By Jan Belezina
April 23, 2012
Researchers lead by Professor Takashi Tsuji from
the Tokyo University of Science have successfully induced the natural
hair growth and loss cycle in previously hairless mice. They have
achieved this feat through the implantation of bioengineered hair
follicles recreated from adult-tissue derived stem cells. While these
results offer new hope for curing baldness, the work has broader
implications, demonstrating the potential of using adult somatic stem
cells for the bioengineering of organs for regenerative therapies. Read More
A couple of years ago, camera experts confidently
predicted the megapixel race had come to an end and that no one needed
more than 16 megapixels in a DSLR. Well, 2012 is proving that Nikon
didn't get that memo, because after launching the 36.3-megapixel D800,
it's now announced a 24.2-megapixel entry-level DSLR. The Nikon D3200
HD-SLR has a DX-format CMOS sensor, shoots Full HD (1080p) and is being
released with an optional WiFi unit supporting image upload and remote
viewing/shutter release. Read More
Los Angeles industrial designer Nathan Wills is
an avid cyclist, but he has a gripe about most traditional bike lights –
in order for them to really be noticed at night, they have to be seen
head-on. He decided to create head and tail lights that were highly
visible from the sides as well. While he was at it, he also positioned
them higher than regular bike-mounted lights, and made them much more
difficult to steal. The result is his prototype Torch T1 – a bike helmet
with built-in luminous panels. Read More
Hörbert is a wooden MP3 player designed for kids
By Simon Crisp
April 23, 2012
As any parent knows, there are only so many times
you can listen to your child's favorite song on repeat before you want
to pull your hair out and stuff it in your ears ... and listening to The Wheels on the Bus
on your highly specced hi-fi can feel like overkill, can't it? Well the
hörbert – a wooden MP3 player aimed at kids – promises to give you your
stereo back. Read More
Mercedes-Benz cars are pretty plush, luxurious
vehicles, although even the most optioned-out S Class really can't
compete with the pure comfort and style of a private jet ... but this
Mercedes van can. The JetVan Sprinter was specially outfitted by
Ventura, California-based Becker Automotive Design for display at the
New York Auto Show. It brings a level of luxury that not even the
average limousine can offer. Read More
Samsung has announced three new additions to its
NX Series of compact, mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras. Where
other large sensor cameras might require users to slot in an Eye-Fi
memory card before being able to get online, the 20.3 megapixel NX1000,
NX20 and NX210 cameras all feature built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. Read More
Mercedes-Benz has never been shy of the absurd
(R-class anyone?) and the Affalterbach works – home of the AMG division –
must be a regular giggle-fest. The company is quite happy to indulge
the hooligan in its well-heeled clients without a hint of embarrassment.
It’s not exactly thinking outside the box, more taking a box and
sticking an absurdly massive engine in it. The box in question this time
is the decades-old, ex-military transport Geländewagen or G-class.
Delicious. Read More
German cyberpunk weapons-maker
Patrick Priebe has created another dangerous toy, and this one's a
doozy. Previously, he’s built things such as a laser-sighted wrist-mounted crossbow, and a hand-mounted flamethrower.
His latest creation, the Blade Driver, is a full-size laser-sighted
crossbow ... oh yeah, and instead of shooting arrows, it shoots spinning
rotary saw blades. Read More 
It's taken almost three years and has seen a
number of prototype revisions, but David Levi's Magnetic Cello is
finally getting ready for its first production run. Looking like a
minimalist version of the acoustic instrument on which it is based, the
instrument features a single resistive ribbon on the neck to alter the
pitch of a note and a huge, visible coil at the bridge end. Instead of a
horsehair bow, the player uses a magnetic rod to induce a voltage in
the coil, which is then transformed into a frequency and fed through to
the unit's voltage-controlled amplifier. The bow has a small switch at
the thumb position which allows the player to select virtual strings.
Read More
Researchers at the University of
Exeter have created a transgenic zebrafish which produces highly
targeted green fluorescent signals when exposed to environmental
estrogens. Read More
When you think of a solar cell, you probably
think of something designed to absorb as much sunlight as possible. What
you probably don't think of is something that is also capable
of emitting light. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what a new prototype
device designed more like an LED does, and it recently set an efficiency
record for flat-plate single junction solar cells. Read More
Some beer drinkers prefer the
straightforward taste of a lager or pale ale. But others question what a
little hint of chocolate, citrus or herb might taste like in their
barley bubbly. The Dogfish Head Randall Jr. empowers them to find out.
Read More 
Ruggedizing your portable
electronics makes sense and Lifedge has a new option for the 40
million-odd iPad owners in the world. Lifedge's case will protect an
iPad for 30 minutes in one meter (3 feet) of water, or if it is dropped
onto a concrete floor from a height of one meter. Read More 
While the Moon may or may not contain life forms,
precious metals or even green cheese, recent satellite missions have
indicated that it does nonetheless contain something that could prove
quite valuable – water ice.
NASA has estimated that at least 650 million tons (600 million tonnes)
of the stuff could be deposited in craters near the Moon’s north pole
alone. If mined, it could conceivably serve as a source of life support
for future lunar bases, or it could be used to produce fuel for
spacecraft stopping at a “lunar gas station.” Before any mining can happen, however, we need to learn more about the ice. That’s why NASA has contracted Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology to determine if its Polaris rover robot could be used for ice prospecting. Read More
Several years ago, Utah-based Kahuna Creations
innovated a sport it calls "land paddling." With the simple addition of a
balled paddle, longboard skaters have been able to paddle their way
around asphalt and concrete, bringing the burgeoning sport of stand-up
paddleboarding onto dry land. Kahuna is now updating its land paddling
line with a purpose-built longboard modeled after one of its surfboards.
The new Bombora Longboard uses a big, surf-style design to make for
what is reportedly a smooth, intuitive ride. Read More
Of the world's nearly 45,000 cargo ships, many
burn a low-grade bunker fuel in their engines and produce pollution
equivalent to millions of automobiles. To help reduce that toxic load
and keep the price of shipping freight reasonable, engineers at the
University of Tokyo (UT) and a group of collaborators have designed a
system of large, retractable sails measuring 64 feet (20 m) wide by 164
feet (50 m) high, which studies indicate can reduce annual fuel use on
ships equipped with them by up to 30%. Read More
Probably the simplest way to describe an
artificial hip would be to say that it’s a ball attached to a stem. The
stem is often fastened to the open end of the femur using a glass-like
polymer known as bone cement, while the ball takes the place of the
original hip bone’s ball joint, rotating within a corresponding implant
in the socket of the pelvis. Although problems can occur
at that ball-and-socket interface, they can also result when the bone
cement cracks, causing the stem to detach from the femur. Scientists at
MIT, however, have developed a new type of nanoscale film coating,
designed to keep that from happening. Read More
In addition to recently showing off its brand new F12 Berlinetta
in Beijing, Ferrari brought along the latest version of its HY-KERS
hybrid system. The system has been tweaked for a mid-rear engine layout.
Read More
Asleep on the job to beat London Olympic gridlock
By Paul Ridden
April 24, 2012
Two things are certain for the 2012 Olympic Games
– London is going to be virtually impossible to travel through, and the
internet is going to play a central role in event news coverage. A data
center in the UK's capital is making plans to ensure that neither of
these potential issues present a problem for its workforce, or hinder
the provision of round-the-clock services to its customers. Interxion
has announced the installation of sleeping pods at its London campus to
allow engineers to remain on site in the event of citywide gridlock.
Read More
Festo, a German automation technology company that brought us, among other things, the smartbird robotic seagull and bionic flying penguins,
has built a flying object unlike any we have seen. Despite the
impressive biomimicry track record, this time its engineers decided to
look for inspiration in the inanimate world of geometry. Based on a
geometrical band first created by Swiss artist and inventor Paul Schatz,
the SmartInversion is filled with helium and propels itself through the
air by constantly turning itself inside out. By investigating this
pulsating, rhythmical movement, called inversion, the company hopes to
identify possible uses for it in technology. Read More
EALTH AND WELLBEING
Forget cycling to work, with WeBike you can pedal while you work
By Paul Ridden
April 25, 2012
Whether dozing in front of the big screen TV or
being stuck in front of a computer all day at work, our tech-filled
lives are not exactly conducive to the kind of physical exercise our
bodies need to stay healthy. Belgium's We-Watt has come up with a
stylish way to get some sweat-free, easy-going exercise while at work,
rest or play. The WeBike is a round table with three seats positioned at
thirds. Those seated at the table generate electricity by pedaling away
at an easy pace, simultaneously getting some much-needed light exercise
and juicing up mobile gadgetry in the process. Read More
The 2013 Cadillac XTS, which will hit dealerships
in a few weeks, is a hotbed of new technology and features for GM. The
car is the launch vessel for everything from the CUE infotainment system
to vibrating alert seats. This week, Cadillac has detailed a smaller but perhaps equally useful feature. Read More
Many people view urban areas as hostile for
plants – concrete stifles root growth, and pollution from vehicles makes
it difficult to gain nutrients. A study conducted by The Earth
Institute at Columbia University not only discredits those theories,
however, but suggests that urban environments have a lot to offer plants
to promote growth. Read More
China just can't seem to get enough SUVs. The world's largest car market has inspired unlikely suspects like Bentley and Lamborghini
to proceed full speed ahead with SUV designs, and it's even gotten some
smaller firms all SUV-crazy – British sports car maker MG has debuted
an SUV concept at the Beijing Motor Show. Read More
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory wants to
find a better way for airmen to scale tall structures or rock faces, so
it did what just about anyone seeking new ideas does these days – it
held a contest. Its 2012 Service Academy and University Engineering
Challenge saw teams from 17 universities and three service academies
showing off their wall-scaling systems, earlier this month at Wright
State University’s Calamityville tactical laboratory in Fairborn, Ohio.
One of the teams, from Utah’s Brigham Young University, devised an
impressive system that was inspired directly by Batman’s grappling
hook-shooting, power winch-equipped gun. Read More
Whether it's from injury, infection or
malfunctioning genes, millions of children suffer from bone deformities
at any given time. To help remedy the situation, doctors often resort to
the painful practice of breaking the target bone and then repeatedly
moving the ends apart as they attempt to grow together – a procedure
known as distraction osteogenesis (DO), that has its share of
risks and problems. Now, a team of undergrad students from Rice
University (RU) in Texas has come up with a device they hope will make
the lengthy process of bone-stretching both easier and safer for the
young patients who have to endure it. Read More
Cast your mind back, if you will, to January, when we previewed a very unusual electric vehicle called the SIM-LEI.
It was unusual in two respects. First, its love-it-or-hate-it
appearance, which admittedly resembled a hand-held vacuum cleaner,
refused to be ignored. But more crucially, it boasted some very
impressive capabilities - foremost among them a 305-km (190-mile) range.
Now SIM-Drive, the Japanese consortium behind the SIM-LEI, has
announced the SIM-WIL, and though it's somewhat reined in the, ahem,
progressive appearance, it's further stretched the bounds of EV
performance, claiming a 351-km (218-mile) range. Read More
Like many computer users of my generation, I've
notched up many hours of virtual flight time in a number of fairly
realistic simulation programs. There are those who are simply not
satisfied with keyboard, mouse and joystick
control of jet fighters and passenger airplanes on a desktop computer
system, though. Air traffic controller and pilot James Price is one such
simulation-junkie who has taken his desire for realism to dizzy new
heights by having the nose lopped off a veteran Boeing 737, fitting out
the gutted cockpit with working controls, dials and monitors and then
interfacing the hardware with flight simulation software. It's been a
labor of love but we think the result is well worth the enormous amount
of time and effort that's gone into the build. Read More
We all know that using a stainless steel or
polycarbonate water bottle is much more eco than using (and tossing) a
disposable water bottle. It's kind of the trendy thing right now. But do
you really know just how much garbage and energy that you're saving the
Earth from? With the 999Bottle, it's easy to find out. Read More
IKEA is moving into "hybrid furniture" with its
new all-in-one UPPLEVA range. Integrating a home entertainment unit with
AV equipment from Chinese manufacturer TCL, the UPPLEVA comes with a
full-HD, smart LED TV, a combined Blu-ray, DVD, and CD player, and a 2.1
sound system featuring a wireless subwoofer - all operated by a single
remote control. Read More
Passive House Bulgaria recently announced the
winner of its international competition to design a low-energy domicile
to be built in Lozen, a village very close to Sofia. The winning entry,
from Bulgarian outfit dontDIY, is not only eye-catching, but also fully
compliant with the rigorous, though voluntary, Passive house standard.
Read More
Recently in New York City, Ford invited a handful
of journalists to take a brand new Ford Focus Electric for a spin
around the west side of Manhattan. I spent a half-hour in the latest
version, which claims to get more range per charge than the Nissan Leaf,
while also re-charging in half the time. Read More
Scientists at the University of Southern
California (USC) have developed technology to cheaply produce stable
liquid solar cells that can be painted or printed onto clear surfaces.
The technology relies on solar nanocrystals that are around four
nanometers in size - meaning you could fit more than 250 billion on the
head of a pin. Their size allows them to be suspended in a liquid
solution so they could be printed like a newspaper. The downside,
commercialization of this technology is still years away. Read More
Brydge aims to turn Apple iPad into MacBook Air
By Dave Parrack
April 26, 2012
Brydge is a keyboard cover for the iPad that
attempts to turn the Apple tablet into something very close in style and
weight, if not grunt, to the MacBook Air. Currently a Kickstarter
project, Brydge aims to join the growing number of accessories tailored
for those who produce as well as consume content on their iPad. Read More
Anyone who has been through earthquake drills in
school knows the standard defense against falling debris is for students
to crawl under their desks. Unfortunately, while this might block a few
pieces of stray drywall and glass, a wooden desk isn't going to
withstand the crushing weight from large chunks of concrete or steel. In
fact, people hiding under their desks could very likely become trapped
with no way out. That's why two designers have developed an
"earthquake-proof" desk that can absorb the impact of up to a ton of
weight and even provide emergency routes for rescue crews to reach
trapped students. Read More
Audi has added to its e-tron series of electric
and hybrid concept cars with the unveiling of the A6 L e-tron concept at
2012 Beijing Motor Show. Joining the Frankfurt, Detroit, A1, Spyder and A3
e-tron models, the A6 L e-tron concept is the company’s first
luxury-class e-tron concept vehicle. Based on the new A6 L, it is a
plug-in hybrid that boasts an electric-only driving range of 80 km
(49.71 miles). Read More
Researchers at Purdue University in the U.S. have
developed a new method of harvesting vast amounts of energy from waste
heat. Using glass fibers dipped in a solution containing nanocrystals of
lead telluride, the team led by Dr. Yue Wu is engineering a highly
flexible thermoelectric system that generates electricity by gathering
heat from water pipes and engine components. Read More
KeepCup, which claims to be “the
world’s first barista standard reusable coffee cup,” has arrived on the
shores of Italy, bringing to 32 the number of countries where the cup is
now available. Developed in 2009 in response to the large global waste
generated from disposable coffee cups, KeepCup attempts to blend the
best elements of disposable and reusable cups. Read More 
“I’m Chris Lewicki, and I’m an asteroid miner!”
These were the opening words spoken by the President and Chief Engineer
of Planetary Resources Inc., as the asteroid mining company emerged from
three years of silent running to outline its plans to mine Near-Earth
Asteroids (NEAs) within the decade. Read More
Installing photovoltaic panels is certainly the
most common method of generating solar power on a rooftop, and in fact
many people might think it’s the only method. There is, however, an
alternative – photovoltaic shingles. It makes sense, when you think
about it ... why install weatherproof shingles and solar panels
separately, if you could get one thing that combined both? Although
there aren’t many manufacturers offering such products just yet, this
month Dow Solar made its POWERHOUSE Solar Shingles available to
consumers in northern California and central Texas. Read More
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Lucile Ellis