New and Emerging Technology News part 250 ~ NEW GEN TECH LIFE : new generation technology news

Sunday 30 March 2014

New and Emerging Technology News part 250

Fimbulvetr snowshoes combine a thermoplastic deck with a patented 'all-direction hinge'
It may look like a big slice of Swiss cheese, but the Fimbulvetr snowshoe is actually a high-end sporting good product from Norway. A series of high-tech components, including a thermoplastic elastomer body and an innovative binding hinge, create a snowshoe that is designed to be light, comfortable and easy to walk in – no matter how nasty the weather.  Read More
Cyberdyne's new industrial cleaning robot
Better known for producing the advanced exoskeletons, Japan's Cyberdyne is expanding its portfolio with a new industrial cleaning robot for large factories and warehouses. The latest model employs a Sony Playstation controller which is used to direct the cleaner around its designated cleaning areas, then it remembers its areas of responsibility and can do the job on its own from that point.  Read More
The Next Gen Bike Rack is claimed to secure all components of a bicycle, using a single U-...
Have you ever noticed how sometimes even if there are slots available in a bike parking rack, some people will instead choose to lock their bike to a parking meter or sign post? This is because those racks aren't really conducive to securing the frame and both wheels, using a single U-lock. Montreal inventor Peter Krantz, however, has designed a rack that is.  Read More
Now this is how it's done – Cornell's Baxter robot, handling a knife safely
If you were buying a kitchen knife in a supermarket, you wouldn't expect the cashier to swing it dangerously close to you as they were ringing it up. If that cashier were a robot, though, it wouldn't know any better – unless it had been taught otherwise. That's just what engineers at Cornell University have done, using a unique new technique.  Read More
The scene at Ontario's Rod and Gun Club, where Garrison Bespoke's new bulletproof three-pi...
In a scene only dreamt of by most people, the employees of Garrison Bespoke, an upscale Toronto tailor, lined up and waited their turn to stab their boss, Michael Nguyen, with a hunting knife. Mr. Nguyen emerged from the experience unscathed, thanks to a remarkable bulletproof business suit that has just been revealed to the public.  Read More
The AgriRover on patrol in a paddock
We tend to think of livestock farmers as "one man and his dog," but if AgResearch of New Zealand has anything to say, that pair may have to move over to include a robot. A team led by Dr. Andrew Manderson is developing AgriRover, an agricultural robot inspired by NASA’s Mars rovers. It’s a proof-of-concept prototype designed to show how robots can make life easier and more productive for livestock farmers.  Read More
Pebble just announced the biggest set of updates to its smartwatch (and its developer tool...
If you own a Pebble smartwatch along with an Android phone, then you can enjoy system-wide notifications. But until today, iPhone users could only get Pebble alerts from a very narrow set of apps. Thanks to a huge update announced today, Pebble owners will soon see every notification from their iPhones on their watches.  Read More
The new Wall of Sound 2 iPod dock
Have your iPod dock speakers ever been found wanting? Perhaps the background noise was a little too loud? Well this should do the trick. The Wall of Sound 2 kicks out at a spritely 8000 watts and 130dB; as loud, apparently, "as an F-15 jet with its afterburners on at 100 meters". Or, in layman’s terms, to permanently damage hearing.  Read More
The Quanta Corvette QHP770 is upgraded with a high-performance hybrid system
Automakers typically use hybrid powertrains to improve fuel economies and kowtow to government relations. Not Quanta. Similar to cars like the McLaren P1 and Toyota Hybrid R concept, the hybrid technology in Quanta's Corvette QHP770 is all about performance. The show car is designed to test the waters for hybrid upgrade kits for Corvettes and other sports cars.  Read More
Gizmag reviews the portable companion to Batman's latest adventure, Batman: Arkham Origins...
This holiday season, Warner Bros. launched the first portable entry in the Batman: Arkham series. Does the franchise survive the leap to the Vita and 3DS unscathed? Or is it better to pass on this pared-down, 2D version of the Caped Crusader? Read on, as Gizmag reviews Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate.  Read More

The avatar monkey used in the research – although the test monkeys saw its arms from a fir...
Recently there's been increasing hope for people who have lost the use of their arms, as various research institutes have started developing prosthetic arms that can be controlled by thought alone. So far, all of the systems have just allowed users to control a single arm – for many of the tasks that we perform on a daily basis, that's simply not enough. Now, however, scientists at North Carolina's Duke University have succeeded in getting two rhesus monkeys to control both arms of animated digital avatars, using nothing but their mind.  Read More
The HX-1 Rescue Helicopter (Photo: Mike Hanlon/Gizmag)
The Hirobo stand at the International Robotics Exhibition in Tokyo this week was full of surprises. The first was the appearance of the HX-1 unmanned electric helicopter, due to go into production before the end of the year, but an even bigger surprise was in store when you opened the brochure – details of the company's planned personal (manned) BIT electric micro helicopter.  Read More
Battlefield 4 is a strong but flawed entry in the popular series
It's fair to say that the Battlefield franchise is built on its ability to create large-scale, varied conflicts on a much larger scale than the competition. Battlefield 4 promises to up the visual ante of its predecessor while providing a host of new, dynamic maps and an all-new campaign story. Read on to find out whether every component of DICE's new title lives up to the hype.  Read More
Asahi's new robotic draft beer dispenser
Japan's Asahi brewery looks set to steal a march on its competition by developing a robotic draft beer pouring machine for high-volume bars. Connecting to the keg, the machine pours six perfect beers, taking around 12 seconds per glass with zero wastage. The machine was shown for the first time at the International Robotics Expo in Tokyo yesterday, and is expected to be available within two years.  Read More
A 'cocktail boat' is a novel way to serve a drink inspired by natural phenomena (Photo: Mi...
Context is everything. Drinking a cocktail containing an aquatic beetle and a water lily might prove disconcerting, but in the lab of John Bush, a fluid dynamicist at MIT, and the kitchen of José Andrés, a well-known culinary innovator, these natural inspirations give rise to mixed drink magic. The aquatic beetle is transformed into an edible liquor-dispensing boat and the lily into an elegant floral “pipette” which captures and dispenses small amounts of drinks.  Read More
The NOMAD Micro Home measures just 100 sq ft (9.2 sq m)
Canadian company NOMAD Homes has produced a new concept micro-home that measures just 100 sq ft (9.2 sq m), ships as a flat-pack, can operate off-grid, and is said to be easy-to-build. The firm has turned to Indiegogo to raise funds for manufacturing, and eventually intends to sell the base version of the home for under US$25,000.  Read More
The paint of the Celestial Phantom is inspired by the night sky
Rolls-Royce is highlighting its Bespoke program at this week's Dubai International Motor Show, showing two one-of-a-kind Phantom models. One model travels with more diamonds than the entire Kardashian clan on a Saturday night, while the other is an homage to the famed Goodwood Motor Circuit.  Read More
The Samsung SPinpoint M9T from Seagate measures 9.5 mm thick Seagate, which purchased Samsung's HDD division in 2011, has begun shipping the world's thinnest 2 TB hard drive. The Samsung Spinpoint M9T, which comes in a 2.5-inch form factor, measures 9.5 mm thick, giving notebooks a bit more storage space.  Read More
Toyota's JPN Taxi Concept that will premiere at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show
Alongside its FV2 personal transportation vehicle concept, Toyota will also be premiering a next-generation taxi concept at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show. Although it bears more than a passing resemblance to London's iconic black cabs, Toyota says the JPN Taxi Concept has been created with Japanese hospitality in mind.  Read More
SmartLight could direct light from outside (far right), through a building, and to a centr...
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have developed technology that could help cut lighting energy costs by brightening up rooms with natural light. The SmartLight system is designed to direct sunlight into dark, dingy rooms located within the bowels of buildings without requiring the installation of new wiring, ducts, tubes or cables. It also allows excess light to be harnessed and centrally stored to provide energy for electric lighting on cloudy days.  Read More
 

The fully assembled 3D-printed Model 1911 45ACP (Image: Solid Concepts)
In a prime example of past meets future, a Texas-based company has used a century-old classic firearm as the blueprint for the world’s first 3D printed metal gun. Solid Concepts' use of a laser sintering method to create a fully functional Model 1911 automatic pistol is the latest demonstration of the potential of 3D printing techniques in industrial processing.  Read More
Schematic of the ionic liquid-gated SmNiO3 synaptic transistor (Photo: Harvard Univ.)
In a development that may enable a wholly new approach to artificial intelligence, researchers at Harvard University's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have invented a type of transistor that can learn in ways similar to a neural synapse. Called a synaptic transistor, the new device self-optimizes its properties for the functions it has carried out in the past.  Read More
Glass has been in a closed beta for 'Explorers' since 2012, but will they cross over into ...
One of the perks of writing about technology and innovation is the opportunity to get your hands on all sorts of new products, usually made by folks with a vision of how their new gadget will change the world. The downside of this privilege, however, is the knowledge that many perfectly fantastic products will never become household names, no matter how deserving they might be. With that in mind, I wanted to pay tribute to five products that, unfortunately, I fear only total nerds like myself will ever truly fall in love with.  Read More
A new study has found a link between higher chocolate consumption and lower body fat level...
In what may be the best news for chocoholics since scientists at the University of Cambridge found that higher chocolate consumption was associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke, researchers at the University of Granada are reporting that it's also associated with lower levels of total fat deposits – in the bodies of adolescents at least.  Read More
The five-cell metamaterial array developed by Duke engineers that converts stray microwave...
Joining the ranks of devices designed to harvest energy from ambient electromagnetic radiation comes an electrical circuit from researchers at Duke University that can be tuned to capture microwave energy from various sources, including satellite, sound or Wi-Fi signals. The researchers say the device converts otherwise lost energy into direct current voltage with efficiencies similar to that of current solar cells.  Read More
BearTek Motorcycle glove with reinforced carbon fiber knuckles and fingers
Since the explosion of touchscreen-based smartphones, glove manufacturers have developed touchscreen-optimized gloves and treatments that allow wearers to maintain touchscreen capabilties while keeping their gloves on. The new BearTek Gloves play even nicer with portable electronics, syncing wirelessly and taking control of functions like call answering and music play.  Read More
Gizmag's Mike Hanlon trying out the ARM-1 Osaka-based Kubota Corporation has built a robust brand for its agricultural machinery over the last three decades, and hence it was no surprise to see the company showing an unpowered exoskeleton at the International Robotics Exhibition.  Read More
The winner of the 2013 Dyson Award competition, the Titan Arm
A US team from the University of Pennsylvania has taken out the 2013 James Dyson Award with the Titan Arm, an upper body exoskeleton that augments human strength. The team will receive the £30,000 (US$48,260) first prize, with an additional £10,000 (US$16,100) going to the University Of Pennsylvania Engineering department. Competing against 650 international entries, which were whittled down to 20 finalists, the Titan Arm shared the limelight with two runners up, who will each take home £10,000.  Read More
The Let's Go Moto Tundra took home first place in Toyota's Dream Build Challenge
Instead of limiting its SEMA fleet to specialty vehicles it built itself, Toyota opened up the garage to professional Toyota Team athletes. The athletes worked with sponsors and aftermarket specialists to develop dream vehicles for their sports, with Toyota picking the winner this week. The tailgate-ready, portable bike repair center known as the Let's Go Moto Tundra proved victorious.  Read More
Jake Merrell field-testing his Xonano smart foam
As any coach or sports medicine expert will tell you, when an athlete receives a blow to the head, their saying that they feel OK doesn't mean that they don't have a concussion. Particularly in sports like football, it's important to have an objective method of measuring just how much of a hit a player's noggin has taken. While some people have developed impact sensors that can be attached to players' helmets, a student at Utah's Brigham Young University has devised something less obtrusive – impact-sensing helmet-lining foam.  Read More

Nissan's Bladeglider Concept is not your traditional sportscar - for starters, it has thre...
"Revolutionary" is not too strong a word for the Nissan BladeGlider concept, and it just might be a landmark in automotive history. Ben Bowlby conceived the vehicle in December 2008, and since then, it has gone from idea to racetrack to concept car and now mass production and a Nissan sub-brand look certain. Why? Read on ...  Read More
Italian design studio Lazzarini recently presented its first 'mini yacht' during the 2013 ...
Italian design studio Lazzarini recently presented its first "mini yacht" during the 2013 Monaco Yacht Show. The Jet Capsule is a compact water craft measuring 7.5 meters (24.6 ft) long and 3.5 meters (11.5ft) wide. The futuristic looking vessel can be customized to suit a myriad of purposes including a water taxi, emergency water vehicle, patrol boat, scuba diving vessel or recreational cruiser.  Read More
Caterham’s Classic e-bike draws design inspiration from the track-board racers of the 1920...
For over fifty years Caterham has been known for its purpose-built sports cars and motorsports activities. This week, however, the company announced that it will be expanding its product offerings from four-wheeled machinery to that of the two-wheeled variety. Starting in 2014 Caterham Bikes will introduce three products: the Brutus 750, the Classic E-Bike and the Carbon E-Bike.  Read More
The SESTO system being trialed in Singapore Being both long and heavy, wheeled hospital beds aren't known for being easy to move around. It typically takes at least two people to push and guide one down the corridors, and two people aren't always available in a busy hospital. Using the new SESTO system, however, one person should be able to wrangle a bed without difficulty.  Read More
SociBot-Mini, on display in Tokyo
Full-bodied humanoid robots are undeniably fascinating, but why pay for the lower part of the body if you don't need it? For that matter, why pay for the arms if you don't need them, either? That's the thinking behind the SociBot and SociBot-Mini interactive robots, which we just "met" at the International Robotics Exhibition.  Read More
The Egg Minder sends egg status alerts to your smartphone
Sometimes the key to creativity is a fresh perspective. That seems to have been General Electric’s motivation when it opened its patent vault to the crowdsourcing company Quirky in April. On Monday, the fruits of that partnership were apparent as the first four products under the joint Wink brand were unveiled.  Read More
The DC Tacoma concept plows, hauls, sleeps and parties
The DC Shoes Toyota Tacoma SEMA concept may not have been eligible for the Dream Build Challenge, but it's as fully equipped as any of the actual participants. This truck is like a rolling ski lodge, packing a road-clearing plow, gear racks, snowmobile carrier and rooftop tent. If every truck looked like this, there would be little need for ski resorts.  Read More
Realityworks' RealCare Baby 3 is an electronic stand-in for the real thing
There's a popular educational exercise in which teens are required to take care of a bag of flour for several days, as if it's a baby. The idea is that by having to lug that bag around with them everywhere they go, while keeping it from getting damaged, the kids will realize how much responsibility is involved in raising an infant. As any parent will tell you, however, there's a lot more to baby-raising than just safely lugging them around. That's why products like Realityworks' RealCare Baby were created.  Read More
The noise of urban environments may help boost the efficiency of solar cells (Image: Shutt...
Increasing the efficiency of a hybrid solar cell simply by placing it near a source of ambient noise or vibration would be a boon for photovoltaics in urban areas, in the military, or on machinery or transportation. Hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells are already a tempting option over silicon because of their lower cost, but they suffer from their own drawbacks of efficiency. However, new research demonstrates that the piezoelectric qualities of the cells' inorganic layer can be used to boost the overall efficiency of hybrid systems, which is promising for wherever sound and sun are together.  Read More
Gizmag stopped by the Xbox One Tour to get some hands-on time with a few games releasing o...
The Xbox One is fast approaching its Nov. 22 release date, and Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to convince gamers to make the switch to the next generation of console gaming. As part of its promotion, the company is hosting several special events around the world and inviting anyone to get a taste of the new console's lineup firsthand. Gizmag caught up with the Xbox One Tour in Dallas, Texas where some of the most hyped-up, exclusive titles for the console were available to try out, such as Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct, and Ryse: Son of Rome.  Read More
 
iStrategyLabs has created the PiePal, a large button that connects to a Raspberry Pi and a...
Have you ever craved pizza so strongly that you wished you could press a button and have one show up automatically? Clearly the creative minds at iStrategyLabs have run into this problem more than once, since that's exactly what they made recently. Rather than wading through options on a pizza shop's website, the PiePal allows users to push a single button to immediately order one or more pizzas to be delivered ASAP.  Read More
VSS Enterprise during its recent supersonic test flight NBCUniversal has signed an exclusive partnership with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic to televise the space tourism company's first commercial passenger flight next August. Aboard the VSS Enterprise, will be Sir Richard, age 63, and his children, Holly, 31, and Sam, 28. The other passengers and crew have not yet been named.  Read More
Georgia Tech's printed circuit technique could make it cheaper and faster for professional...
Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a new technique to print advanced, ink-based electrical circuitry on a desktop printer. After about US$300 in equipment costs, the researchers were able to print arbitrary-shaped circuits on resin-coated paper, PET film, and glossy photo paper with silver nanoparticle ink.  Read More
As you can see, Shovelhead creates insects, fish and animals that look like they are alive...
If you are a geek-at-heart, there's likely no more loved artist than Yasuhito Udagawa (AKA Shovelhead). I photographed one of his exhibitions two years ago and it caused an avalanche of interest in his techno-mutant life-forms, so when he emailed me to let me know there was another exhibition on the last day of the International Robotics Expo, I was there!  Read More
Rendering of the Urbee 2 overlooking a city at sunset (Photo: Kor EcoLogic)
Urbee 2, the first road-ready, fuel-efficient car built using 3D printing, is the subject of a collaboration between design firm KOR EcoLogic, direct digital manufacturers RedEye On Demand, and 3D-printing manufacturer Stratsys. Their aim is to put the 7 hp (5 kW) three-wheeled, rear-steering eco-hybrid on the roads by 2015, and then demonstrate its capabilities by crossing the US using only ten gallons (38 L) of fuel.  Read More
The upgrade allows the B-52 to carry 50 percent more smart weapons (Image: USAF)
The B-52 heavy bomber is a bit like the Queen of England – sometimes it seems as though both of them are going to go on forever. Last week, Boeing announced a new program to extend the life of the US Air Force B-52 fleet by expanding its capacity to carry smart weapons by 50 percent as part of a new US$24.6 million contract.  Read More
Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov waves the Olympic torch outside the International Space Station... The torch for next year's Winter Olympics in Russia took a detour into orbit yesterday as two Russian cosmonauts working outside the International Space Station (ISS) conducted the first ever torch handover in the vacuum of space.  Read More
The Polaroid Kids Tablet 2 features a 1024 x 600 resolution display and a 1.6 GHz dual-cor...
There are plenty of child-focused tablets out there vying for your little one's attention, as we saw in our recent guide to choosing the best kids tablet. Now Polaroid has added the latest version of its Kids Tablet 2 into the fray, packed with content from the likes of Disney, Marvel and Cartoon Network.  Read More
Stealth LCD monitor showing a Rubik's cube through polarizing sunglasses (Photo: Brusspup) An additional layer of security (and fun) can be added to your computer's LCD display by following the lead of Brusspup, a well-known online illusionist and computer artist. Just remove your display's outer polarizing filter, and use polarizing sunglasses instead.  Read More
Gizmag compares the features and specs of some of the best tablets of 2013
Planning on putting a new tablet on your holiday wish list? Or maybe you're trying to find the perfect slate for a loved one? There are a lot of tablets out there, but Gizmag is here to help you sort through the mess. Join us, as we compare the features and specs of the year's most popular tablets.  Read More


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