New and Emerging Technology News part 207 ~ NEW GEN TECH LIFE : new generation technology news

Thursday 13 March 2014

New and Emerging Technology News part 207

Gizmag reviews the Kindle Fire HD 8.9'
“This is the iPad with Retina Display,” begins the ad. “And this is the new Kindle Fire HD with an 8.9-inch display.” We then see two “stunning HD” screens, with the narrator telling us that we may not be able to tell the difference. Then he drops the bomb: “ ... but your wallet can.” See, the iPad starts at US$500, and this Kindle Fire starts at $270. But is it really the great deal that Amazon says it is? Let’s find out, as we review Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8.9” tablet.  Read More
HAPIfork is a smart fork designed to help you stop eating so much and so quickly The HAPIfork is a "smart fork" designed to monitor your eating habits that gained a great deal of press attention at the beginning of the year when it was one of the stars of CES 2013. Now it's arrived on Kickstarter in an effort to raise US$100,000 to fund the initial product launch.  Read More
Artist's concept of Kepler-62f (Image: NASA)
NASA has announced that the Kepler space probe has discovered two planetary systems that include the smallest planets yet found that lie in the "habitable zone." The systems include three super-Earth size planets, with one of them being a habitable-zone exoplanet that is the closest in size to Earth yet discovered.  Read More
The parrot-inspired Polly voice game is designed to teach poor and illiterate Pakistanis h...
For people without internet access, telephone-based services can still be an invaluable tool for things like finding jobs. Unfortunately, many poor and illiterate citizens of Pakistan simply don’t know how to use such services. In an effort to introduce them to the concepts involved, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Pakistan's Lahore University have launched a “silly phone game” known as Polly.  Read More
The TronicalTune robot tuning system is not limited to Gibson guitars, it's also compatibl...
Where so-called robot tuning was once the exclusive domain of Gibson's higher end models like the gorgeous Firebird X, the introduction of its Min-ETune system at this year's Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany sees the iconic guitar maker widening the field a little. The folks behind the technology were also at the trade fair, showing off a retrofit auto tuning system called TronicalTune. Essentially the same as Gibson's new mechanical tuner, the Tronical kit comes in a number of different configurations to cater for do-it-yourself installation on various guitar makes and models.  Read More
TakkTile is an inexpensive tactile sensor that incorporates a conventional MEMS barometer
A lot of time and energy is currently going into developing technologies that give robots a sense of touch. In particular, scientists are developing things like artificial skin that lets robots know how much pressure they’re exerting on an object – this allows them to firmly grip rugged objects, while being more delicate with fragile items. Although most such technologies are fairly complex and expensive, researchers have now developed a cheap tactile sensor that could bring touch sensitivity to consumer and hobbyist applications.  Read More
Every step counts at the Paris Marathon
While the term "electrifying" can sometimes be used to describe breathtaking performance in sports, it's not often you'll find it used for marathon runners. Yet, that's precisely the word I'd use to describe this year's Paris Marathon, which took place on Sunday April 7. You see, as the feet of almost 40,000 runners hit a 25-meter (82-foot) installation of special tiles at the beginning of the 26-mile (42-km) course, kinetic energy was harvested and turned into usable electricity.  Read More
The Flip alarm clock is turned on and off simply by turning it over We’ve seen alarm clocks that you turn off by chasing them across the room, sticking a toothbrush in them or punching in a code in another room, but Lexon’s new Flip offers yet another alternative – you just turn the thing over.  Read More
The Ricoh GR features a fixed 18.3-mm F2.8 lens (28-mm equivalent in 35-mm-format) and a l...
The Ricoh GR series of cameras has been a cult classic with street photographers since the release of the GR1 in 1996, thanks in part to their understated styling, quality glass and durable build. However, in recent years digital versions of the GR have suffered the curse of relatively small format sensors and their image quality has been surpassed by rival shooters. Now Ricoh is fighting back by re-launching the GR with a large DSLR-like APS-C sensor.  Read More
Ford and GM are developing a new generation of transmissions
Over the course of the past several years, German manufacturer ZF Friedrichshafen has introduced 8- and 9-speed transmissions. Vehicle models from the likes of Chrysler and Land Rover have made use of the new hardware, touting fuel economy gains and other advantages. Now, the other two major Detroit auto manufacturers are teaming up to develop 9-speed transmissions of their own, and they're taking it one step further: 10-speed transmissions.  Read More

TomTom GPS watches will hit the market soon
TomTom is a name that sometimes gets lost in the GPS market amidst the Garmins and Magellans. The company is hoping that it will stand out against those names in a new segment of the market: fitness watches. Its new range of GPS-powered fitness monitors is designed to provide a sleeker look and fit while giving athletes all the information they need to perfect their training.  Read More
Archos has launched three new low to mid-end smartphones
Archos is a company known primarily for its range of wallet-friendly tablets, and its first entries into the smartphone market are aimed firmly at the low to mid-end of the spectrum. Though the 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum and 53 Platinum might not stand up to market-leading devices from the likes of HTC, Samsung and Apple, they do boast some nice features for their price category.  Read More
Level-5's Ni no Kuni: The Wrath of the White Witch successfully recreates the hand-drawn l...
In a rare and brilliant move, Akihiro Hino (president of Japanese game developer Level-5) somehow convinced Studio Ghibli – Japan's most respected animation studio – to collaborate on a new video game. Even if Studio Ghibli's Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki has been a vocal critic of the medium (nixing the possibility of his films being adapted to game consoles), and was not directly involved with Level-5's Ni no Kuni, it seems some of his magic still managed to rub off on it.  Read More
CompuLab's uSVR fanless server, front and back
Israel's CompuLab, makers of small form factor fanless desktop computer systems such as the Intense PC, is now pushing its way into the industrial server market with the launch of the uSVR. Available in configurations packing Intel's 3rd generation Core i7 processors and 32 GB of system memory, the high performance, ruggedized, fanless server is capable of modular expansion, too, courtesy of the company's Function And Connectivity Extension Module (FACE) system.  Read More
A petri dish of the sulfur-based polymer next to a (very small) stockpile of sulfur powder...
Whether sulfur is a by-product or a waste product of oil refinement and coal combustion depends on how you slice it. Certainly, some of that sulfur can be put to use producing sulfuric acid, fertilizer and other chemicals, but much of it is accumulating into stockpiles that are expensive to maintain (due to the need to neutralize acidic run-off). Researchers at the University of Arizona think more of that sulfur could be put to use thanks to a new chemical process that uses sulfur to make plastics that may one day be used to make a new generation of lighter, more efficient lithium-sulfur batteries.  Read More
Doodle3D lets users draw simple 2D sketches on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, and then...
3D printers have been a hit with consumers for several years now, but designing anything for them still requires some basic knowledge of 3D modeling software. Otherwise, you're stuck just building whatever designs you can find online. With Doodle3D, you can draw simple 2D sketches on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, and then send them to a 3D printer to turn them into physical objects.  Read More
The Rolls-Royce Alpine Trial Centenary Collection Ghost will appear with one of the origin... Rolls-Royce has designed a bespoke special edition Ghost to commemorate its successful completion of the Austrian Alpine Trials 100 years ago. At the Shanghai Auto Show, the company will pull the silken cloth off the Alpine Trial Centenary Collection.  Read More
New VLC rolling-chassis on display at The Henry Ford Museum
The team at Edison2 has not been idle since winning the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize with its Very Light Car (VLC) back in 2010. An electric version of the VLC was unveiled in 2011 and this month saw the new architecture that will form the basis of the company's consumer prototype unveiled at the The Henry Ford museum.  Read More
The five-micron LWIR camera being developed by DARPA to provide individual soldiers with t...
With their ability to pick out humans by their heat signatures, long-wave infrared (LWIR) thermal imaging cameras are a valuable asset for soldiers – and alien predators. Unfortunately, non-alien built ones are expensive and so large that they need to be mounted on vehicles. In an effort to make a LWIR camera cheap and small enough for an individual soldier to carry, DARPA is working on a five-micron camera that offers a reduced size without sacrificing performance.  Read More
Lockheed Martin and Reignwood Group plan to develop a 10 MW prototype OTEC pilot plant off...
Lockheed Martin has been getting its feet wet in the renewable energy game for some time. In the 1970s it helped build the world’s first successful floating Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) system that generated net power, and in 2009 it was awarded a contract to develop an OTEC pilot plant in Hawaii. That project has apparently been canceled but the company has now shifted its OTEC sights westward by teaming up with Hong Kong-based Reignwood Group to co-develop a pilot plant that will be built off the coast of southern China.  Read More

Alpha Dominche’s Steampunk Coffee and Tea Brewer
With baristas able to draw masterpieces in a macchiato, the days when going out for a coffee meant a cup of something scorched in an urn seem long gone. Unfortunately, if your tastes run more toward brewed coffee rather than a double decaf or skinny latte, you’re still likely to be pointed to a vacuum-flask at the end of the counter. Alpha Dominche’s Steampunk Coffee and Tea Brewer aims to redress the balance of power by asking the espresso machine to make room for a computerized coffee maker that gives baristas the power to replicate a wide variety of brewing methods.  Read More
The Chery Ant 2.0 (Photo: Gizmag) Chinese auto maker Chery likes to keep things local. It chose last year's Beijing Auto Show as the place to unveil its original (in more than one sense) Ant concept, and it's taken to Shanghai to show off the iAuto Ant 2.0.  Read More
The Detroit Electric SP:01, publicly unveiled for the first time at  the Shanghai Auto Sho...
Detroit Electric clearly isn't coy when it comes to its SP:01, the world's fastest production electric car, publicly revealed for the first time at the Shanghai Auto Show today. The company made no attempt to cover up its high-performance EV ahead of its press conference, and our man on the ground didn't hesitate in wiring these pictures in to Fortress Gizmag. The SP:01 tops out at 249 km/h (155 mph) and can hit 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in a fleet 3.7 seconds.  Read More
A stopwatch design and Tetris-like game (Pebblis) developed using Pebble's recently releas...
The makers of the Pebble smartwatch have released a "proof-of-concept" watchface SDK that allows third party developers to create custom watch faces and very basic apps. Shortly after the release there was already various watchface designs, a stopwatch app and a Tetris game (Pebblis) available for download in the Pebble forums.  Read More
The Buick Riviera concept debuts at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show
The fourth global concept car developed by the Shanghai GM and Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) joint ventures, the Buick Riviera emulates the form of moving water. The concept designed for the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show is powered by a plug-in hybrid system that can be recharged wirelessly.  Read More
The i-limb is controlled by a smartphone app
Whichever marketing genius came up with the Apple catchphrase, "There's an app for that," has a lot to answer for – or brag about. It's heard so often these days that it’s become a cliché. Touch Bionic’s i-limb ultra revolution robotic artificial hand gives yet another reason to repeat the phrase. It’s linked to a smartphone app, which allows for greater control of the hand, including the ability to program it to suit the wearer’s personal needs.  Read More
The AKA-DM1 is a dog harness which, when paired with a Sony Action Cam, allows you to view... With integrated Wi-Fi, various slo-mo modes and a waterproof casing, the Sony Action Cam is a worthy opponent to the GoPro. What's clearly lacking, however, is a harness allowing owners to mount the Action Cam to their dogs. Until now.  Read More
The social networking giant's new live dashboard lets you monitor the efficiency of its da...
Data center efficiency is quite the hot topic these days, and companies are keen to emphasize their green credentials. Rather than releasing their stats on a quarterly basis like most other companies, Facebook has launched a new live dashboard showing the efficiency of its Oregon and North Carolina facilities, and the numbers speak for themselves.  Read More
Brigham Young University's Team Med Vault, with their painkiller-dispensing device
It’s an unfortunate fact that prescription painkiller abuse is on the rise. In some cases people are taking the drugs to get high, while in others, patients simply want more relief than their prescription allows. In either scenario, the results are often fatal. That’s why a group of engineering students from Brigham Young University have created a lockable medication-dispensing device known as the Med Vault.  Read More
Virginia Tech associate professor Percival Zhang is leading the research on the bioprocess...
Although the causes of world hunger are numerous, it certainly doesn’t help that factors such as arid conditions and limited land space make it difficult to grow food crops in certain places. If people in those areas could eat foods derived from plants that are hardy to the region, but that aren’t considered nutritious, it would go a long way towards addressing the problem. Well, that may soon be a reality, thanks to a newly-developed process that allows cellulose to be converted into starch.  Read More

Launch of the Antares rocket from NASA”s Wallops Flight Facility (Image: NASA/Bill Ingalls...
Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Antares rocket lifted off Sunday at 5:00 PM EDT (21:00 GMT) from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad-0A at NASA”s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The launch was the first from the pad at Wallops and also the first flight of Antares, which carried a "mass simulated payload" equivalent to the mass of a spacecraft into Earth orbit.  Read More
Northrop Grumman's CUTLASS UGV is designed to provide remote handling and surveillance of ...
The arrest of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was carried out, in part, with the help of a remote controlled robot. Such an operation highlights the growing uses of unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) in anti-terrorist and other operations. Northrop Grumman Corporation’s CUTLASS robot, developed by its division in Coventry, U.K. is designed to provide remote handling and surveillance of hazardous threats and is intended to replace British Army’s Wheelbarrow robot for bomb disposal.  Read More
StopRotor Technology's Hybrid RotorWing technology allows for in-flight transition from fi...
Attempts to combine the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities of a helicopter with the high-speed flight and long range capabilities of a fixed-wing aircraft have been tackled in a number of different ways – from tiltrotor designs, such as the V-280 Valor and Project Zero, to fixed rotor aircraft that transition from vertical to horizontal flight, such as the SkyTote and Flexrotor. Australian company StopRotor Technology has taken a different approach with its Hybrid RotorWing design concept which features a main rotor that switches from fixed rotor to fixed wing in mid air.  Read More
The SkySweeper robot that inches along a cable using a motorized pivoting 'elbow'
If you look up at a power line in a few years and see something skittering along the wires, it (hopefully) won't be a mutant crab monster, but a powerline inspection robot costing less than US$1,000. A prototype of such a robot, called SkySweeper, was presented this month at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Jacobs School of Engineering's Research Expo. The robot was built with off-the-shelf electronics and plastic parts printed on an inexpensive 3D printer.  Read More
 ProNav PNN420 with the ProNav HGV Cyclist Alert software
With government encouragement, London is seeing more cyclists taking to the road, which is great for the environment and public health. Unfortunately, London’s roads were built for oxcarts, not bicycles, and certainly not cyclists and lorries at the same time. Sat nav company Navevo, in association with Transport for London (TLC), is trying to make this combination a bit safer with Navevo’s ProNav HGV Cyclist Alert software, which provides visual and audible warnings of junctions and stretches of road with heavy cycle traffic.  Read More
The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art is the world's first F1.8 constant aperture zoom lens
Third-party lenses are sometimes looked down upon by the sort of photographers who insist you can only take a good photo if your lens says Canon or Nikon on it. But, not only do some outperform their branded counterparts, others do something which mean they don't even have first-party rivals. The new Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art, for example, is the world's only zoom lens to achieve a maximum aperture F1.8 throughout the entire range.  Read More
Aventador LP 720-4 50° Anniversario is a limited edition offering with only 100 numbered u...
As part of Lamborghini’s 50th Anniversary celebrations the company has set aside some special editions for a select few. First off came the outrageous, fire spitting Veneno. Given only three Venenos were made at US$4 million a piece, your disappointment in not acquiring one is understandable. But with the release of the Aventador LP 720-4 50° Anniversario, the company from Sant’Agata hopes to change your odds. Gizmag's Mike Hanlon was on hand to lay eyes and pixels upon the limited edition beast as revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show.  Read More
The galaxies M81 and M82 as photographed in a 12-inch telescope (Photo: NASA/Robert Gendle...
The spring has come, and the onset of mild weather in most of the northern hemisphere brings forth a hunger for new celestial objects to observe. Following on from our top picks for winter stargazing, here's our selection of the best targets for spring viewing.  Read More
The Honda Concept M on display at Auto Shanghai 2013 Honda is determined to secure a slice of the growing Chinese motoring market with no less than three concept vehicles set to go into production in the near future. While details are scant, the company used Auto Shanghai 2013 to showcase its “Concept M” Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV), which is due to go on sale in China starting next year.  Read More
Nissan Friend-ME concept at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show (Photo: Gizmag)
China's already huge automotive market is predicted to triple in size by the end of the decade and it's a scenario that has the world's car makers scrambling for a foothold. Nissan is among those, and its efforts to appeal to the youthful Chinese market were revealed in Shanghai this weekend in the shape of the Friend-ME concept car.  Read More

Gizmag reviews the Volta Racer solar-powered toy car
While there are already a number of solar-powered model cars on the market, Toylabs’ new Volta Racer is unique in a couple of ways – you put it together yourself, and it incorporates a flexible polycrystalline silicon solar panel. Although my days of playing with toy cars are behind me (sort of), my days of tinkering with things aren’t, so I decided to check out one of the sun-powered autos for myself.  Read More
The H6 is claimed to be the world's first portable recorder with interchangeable microphon... Japan's Zoom has released a few details about a new addition to its excellent handy recorder line. The H6 is claimed to be the world's first portable recorder with interchangeable microphone heads, giving it a versatility lacking in its closest competitors. There's not too much by way of available information, but here's what we do know.  Read More
Google Earth on desktops was just updated with support for Leap Motion gesture control
It seems like the last few years were all about watching smartphones and tablets get better and faster. But how much of that was really new? 2013, though, could give us some truly breakthrough products. Google Glass, Apple’s rumored iWatch, and Leap Motion could all be big-time game-changers. One of those just teamed up with another big partner, as the new version of Google Earth plays nicely with Leap Motion.  Read More
Ford's new concept Escort (Photo: Gizmag) Ford's new Escort concept, unveiled over the weekend at the Shanghai Auto Show, may be intended to demonstrate Ford's dedication to China's flourishing compact car market, but it's likely to spark a glimmer of nostalgia in the West, especially in those parts that remember the iconic mark Is and IIs of the late 60s and 70s.  Read More
Porsche unveils the new Panamera S E-Hybrid (Photo: Gizmag)
Making its debut at the Shanghai Auto Show, Porsche's new Panamera S E-Hybrid stood front and center, metaphorically at least, among its Panamera siblings: a now nine-strong lineup, refreshed for 2014. The Panamera S E-Hybrid differentiates itself from its predecessor, the plain 'ol Panamera S Hybrid, with a much-improved battery and electric motor. Performance-wise, the S E-Hybrid is no slouch, hitting 60 mph (97 km/h) from a standstill in 5.2 seconds, and nudging 167 mph (269 km/h) at top speed.  Read More
Pixit is a reusable rubber stamp kit that lets you create your own design, and then change...
If you've ever perused the rubber stamp section of a crafts store, then you know how pricey it would be to purchase just a handful of stamps, which could only print a limited number of images. That's why some intrepid designers at Quirky developed the Pixit, a reusable rubber stamp kit that allows you to create your own design and then change it to a completely different one whenever you want.  Read More
Designed by Wesley Chau, Drop The Beat is an electronic drum kit fashioned into a vest, wi...
Over the years, we've seen a number of worthy attempts at turning our clothes into electronic instruments, from drum kits built into shirts and pants to a motion-activated MIDI controller concealed in a jacket. The latest addition to the wearable instrument ensemble is "Drop The Beat" from industrial design student Wesley Chau, a vest outfitted with pads for a drum kit that musicians can rearrange and reprogram to their liking.  Read More
Toyota FT-HT Yuejia on show at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show (Photo: Gizmag.com) Toyota is certainly looking to make an impact at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show. More than 50 production models and concept cars are on display in the company's massive 4,600 square meter booth and among them is the FT-HT Yuejia, a six-seater concept aimed at young Chinese consumers that's making its world premiere at the show.  Read More
Hubble's stunning near-infrared image of the Horsehead Nebula (Image: NASA)
New near-infrared and far-infrared views captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's Herschel space telescope have provided a spectacular new look at the famous Horsehead Nebula.  Read More
MG CS headlights have a multi-faceted ‘shard’ structure which refracts light in various co...
Since the 1920s, British auto manufacturer MG has provided the world with some quirky, yet iconic sports cars. MG (Morris Garages) fell on hard times in the 80s and 90s and has struggled to remain relevant ever since. Now under the ownership of China's largest car-maker SAIC, the firm is working to re-establish itself as a competitive marque. To this end, the company rolled-out its latest offerings at the Shanghai Auto Show this weekend including the MG3 hatchback and the MG CS Crossover concept.  Read More
 
 
 
 

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