Although some wheelchair users could conceivably make use of devices like the GoPad,
a researcher at Purdue University has developed a motorized wheelchair
tray that looks to be a better option for giving wheelchair users
convenient access to mobile devices. Employing a motorized arm, the
“RoboDesk” can deploy or retract a tablet or lightweight laptop computer
as needed. Read More
NASA abandons Kepler repairs, looks to the future
By David Szondy
August 16, 2013
If NASA has anything to say about it, Kepler
is down, but not out. At a press teleconference on Thursday it
announced that it has abandoned efforts to repair the damaged unmanned
probe, which was designed to search for extrasolar planets and is no
longer steady enough to continue its hunt. But the space agency is
looking into alternative missions for the spacecraft based on its
remaining capabilities. Read More
American conceptual artist Matthew Mazzotta has
joined forces with the Coleman Center for the Arts and local residents
from York, Alabama to convert an old abandoned house into a
transformable open-air theater. Dubbed, Open House, the structure which
looks like a simple wooden home, actually features separate sections
that fold open to create a unique outdoor space, catering for 100
patrons. Read More
An obvious improvement on the retractable
semaphore devices used on some cars in the first half of last century,
turn signals have remained largely unchanged since being patented in
1938 and subsequently adopted by automotive manufacturers. But Audi is
claiming to have improved the humble turn signal by using a sequence of
lights to indicate the intended turn direction. Read More
A passcode or pattern lock is a
great way to keep your phone secure, but they can be a bit of a hassle.
Motorola Skip is a new accessory that uses NFC to bypass the pesky part
of securing your phone. Read More 
Folding bicycles can be a convenient option for
those with limited storage space or whose trips partially involve
another form of transport. Of course, a folding bike frame usually comes
with some performance compromises but Taiwanese folding bike
manufacturer Tern has a new bike that it believes can "redefine the
folding bicycle category" with no compromise to performance. The Eclipse
S18 also offers a number of integrated technologies, including a
self-powered lighting system and seat post pump. Read More
Pen-shaped gStick mouse promises extra precision
By Dave Parrack
August 15, 2013
A normal computer mouse is an innovation many of
us take for granted, especially those of us who use one all day, every
day. This also means we may ignore the limitations of this device which
has been with us for more than 40 years.
That is until the dreaded carpal tunnel strikes or we come up against a
task that requires an extra degree of precision difficult to attain
using a conventional mouse. Mimicking a pen in shape and size, gStick is
looking to join the ranks of alternative mouse designs that aim to address these problems. Read More
Even if you don’t know any golfers,
you probably know that they’re obsessed with perfecting their swing. As a
result, it’s now possible to buy swing-improving gear such as special cameras, gyroscopic clubs, and sensor-equipped gloves. One of the latest such aids is a device/app combo known as Swingbyte2. Read More 
For long-term hospital patients or people who are
otherwise bedridden, bedsores can be a major problem. Technically known
as decubitus ulcers, they form when one area of the skin is subjected
to too much prolonged pressure. In order to keep them from occurring,
hospital staff regularly turn patients over in their beds. The MAP
System is designed to aid those caregivers, by providing them with
real-time imagery of the pressure points on the patient’s body. Read More
Audi A3 gets augmented reality owner's manual app
By C.C. Weiss
August 15, 2013
You're sitting at the side of the road on a
blazing summer day watching your Audi's dashboard blink like a casino
floor. The last thing you want to do is thumb frantically through the
grease-covered manual in your glove compartment to try and figure out
what's wrong. Instead, you could pull out your smartphone and use the
new Audi eKurzinfo augmented reality app to get more information. Read More
A green paper published by
University College London (UCL) argues that it is entirely feasible for
Australia to replace its aging fleet of diesel submarines with
nuclear-powered craft. Read More
The Swiss watchmaking firm Jaquet
Droz has short-circuited the 18th and 21st centuries with the Charming
Bird. It's a wristwatch that includes a tiny automaton bird inside the
crystal, that sings and dances at the press of a button. Read More
Sony has announced a release date
for the PlayStation 4, new games and a price drop for the PlayStation
Vita, a Gran Turismo 6 release date and more at its gamescom 2013
presser. Read More
It's been a full two weeks since I got Motorola's
Moto X home with me and integrated into my daily life. The first few
days of my interactions with the 4G smartphone coming to AT&T next
week (with other carriers to follow) were covered in my initial Moto X review
for Gizmag. Now it's time to share some deeper reflections on this
much-hyped device and cover some of the ground that didn't make it into
the review. Read More
After showing the Concept GLA
a few months ago, Mercedes is ready to drive the real thing to market.
It has detailed its newest SUV ahead of its official world premiere at
next month's Frankfurt Motor Show. The GLA-Class benefits from some of
Mercedes' latest SUV tech, earning its place as the fifth SUV model line
in the Mercedes stables. Read More
Geneva-based Hyetis is reaching out to tech
lovers with a new timepiece that brings Switzerland’s tradition in
watch-making together with digital technology. The company’s upcoming
“smartwatch” is a combo of traditional and techie features that strikes a
balance between nostalgia and the contemporary taste for connectivity.
Read More
Microsoft has unveiled a new Sculpt range of
keyboards and mice with ergonomic features designed to improve comfort
over long periods. The new accessories offer a number of useful
features, such as dedicated Windows buttons and a split spacebar design,
and are the result of a global survey carried out by the company. Read More
Wearable computing has supposedly been the next
big thing for a while now, but what wearables can you actually walk into
a store and buy today? Sure, you have Pebble, fitness trackers and a few other
smaller projects, but we're still waiting for the big guns from the
Apples, Samsungs, and Googles of the world. That may soon change,
though, as Samsung is reportedly going to pull back the curtain on its smartwatch, the so-called Galaxy Gear, next month. Read More
Using Moto Maker to design a Moto X: A walk-through
By Eric Mack
August 16, 2013
Earlier this month, Motorola introduced the Moto X, the company's first smartphone designed and delivered as a Google subsidiary (see my full Moto X review
here). From the beginning of its marketing push for the new phone in
July, Motorola has touted the Moto X as the first customizable
smartphone. This week, Gizmag was given special access to create our own
Moto X through the beta version of Moto Maker, Motorola's online
software that will allow consumers to order, design and customize their
own look for the phone. Read More
With the launch of the original Sphero,
Orbotix gave the humble ball a technological upgrade. It was a
smartphone-controllable robotic toy which could be driven around like an
RC car via Bluetooth, or even used to play augmented reality games. Now
the Sphero 2.0 has been revealed, which is capable of rolling faster,
shining brighter, and is generally said to be much smarter. Read More
We've seen some interesting waterproof music players before from companies like Sony and Finis,
but Apple hasn't created its own iPod aimed at swimmers just yet.
That's why Underwater Audio developed its own process for waterproofing
the iPod Shuffle, turning an already sleek gadget into a more durable
MP3 player. As someone who's been forced to retire an iPod Nano in the
past after a mishap involving a kitchen sink, I was certainly curious to
see if the upgraded iPod could live up to its claims. Read More
By 2050, the UN expects that there will be almost
10 billion people on the Earth. This poses some serious practical
questions, not least among which is how we'll put food into 2.5 billion
or so extra tummies (especially given that we don't adequately fill all
of the 7-plus billion we already have). If you're yet to hear alarming
phrases like "food security" and "sustainable intensification" you've
probably been living under a rock. Which is apt, actually, because
that's exactly where you might find one of the proposed answers:
insects. A pop-up kitchen in London on Thursday served up a variety of
bug-based bites to passers by, and Gizmag arrived soon after it opened
to sample the wares on offer. Read More
Multitouch and the tablet were made for each
other, but there are times when you wish your hands were transparent so
you could see what's hidden beneath them. Waving digits in mid-air would
appear to offer some hope of liberating your hands from the
touchscreen, and certainly wins points for coolness, but hitting a
precise area of nothing to activate an icon or confirm an action may
well seem like way too much effort when you could just reach for a
trusty mouse. The Haptix system from Ractiv combines elements of both to
make any flat surface multitouch, freeing your hands from the
touchscreen and making the mouse obsolete. Read More
Sometimes it seems as though the Voyager 1 space
probe is like a dog that can’t decide if it wants to be inside or out. A
team of scientists led by the University of Maryland claim that the
Voyager 1 space probe, which is now 11 billion miles (18 billion km)
from Earth left the Solar System’s boundary last year and is not, as
NASA claims, passing through a transition zone. The controversial theory
is based on models of the solar magnetic field on the edge of the
system and how it interacts with interstellar space. Read More
Astronauts on the International Space Station are
testing a new propulsion system ... inside the station. While this
might seem like the height of recklessness, this particular system
doesn't use rockets or propellants. Developed in the University of
Maryland's Space Power and Propulsion Laboratory, this new
electromagnetic propulsion technology called the Resonant Inductive
Near-field Generation System (RINGS) uses magnetic fields to move
spacecraft as a way to increase service life and make satellite formation flying more practical. Read More
Although 3D printing technology has progressed in
leaps and bounds in recent years, most printers are still only capable
of printing a solid object out of a single material. That's fine if you
want to produce a plastic object with the same density throughout, but
what if you want to use multiple materials in the one object or alter
its internal architecture to vary its density and therefore its
flexibility? A team at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial
Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) has developed a new software pipeline that
makes both these things possible. Read More
A green paper published by
University College London (UCL) argues that it is entirely feasible for
Australia to replace its aging fleet of diesel submarines with
nuclear-powered craft. Read More
If you're on a quest for a new mini tablet, the
brands "Nexus" and "Galaxy" might have caught your attention. Or, more
specifically, the new 2013 Nexus 7
and the Galaxy Note 8.0 might have made the cut for your shortlist.
Join Gizmag, as we break down the specs and compare the features of the
two 2013 Android tablets. Read More
Boeing solid-state laser weapon system outshines expectations
By David Szondy
August 18, 2013
The likelihood of lasers appearing on the
battlefield was boosted last week when Boeing announced that its Thin
Disk Laser system had achieved unexpected levels of power and
efficiency. In a recent demonstration for the US Department of Defense,
the laser’s output was 30 percent higher than project requirements and
had greater beam quality, a result which paves the way toward a
practical tactical laser weapon. Read More
There was a ray of hope recently for those who are looking forward to a car that’s a bit more Blade Runnery as Terrafugia's Transition flying car
made its first public flights at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
There, the Terrafugia team conducted two 20-minute flight demonstrations
and also showed off the capability for the Transition's wings to be
folded up so it can be driven about like a car. Read More
A recent experiment by researchers at the
University of Rochester has managed to suspend a nano-sized diamond in
free space with a laser and measure light emitted from it. Like the
scientists who recently managed to freeze light in a crystal for up to a minute, these scholars believe their work has applications in the field of quantum computing. Read More
While the future of the human–computer interaction is looking more promising by the day, for every Leap Motion or Oculus Rift
in the wild, there's still millions of people who rely on a mouse to do
their job – a device that by its very nature forces their forearm and
wrist into a variety of unnatural positions, inevitably causing varying
levels of discomfort and/or pain. Gizmag's Tim Hanlon has been testing
the VerticalMouse for over a month, and is shocked at the difference it
made to his life. Read More
Singapore to try out driverless shuttle on public roads
By Ben Coxworth
August 16, 2013
Should you be at Singapore’s Nanyang
Technological University (NTU) sometime soon, and wish to take the
shuttle bus to JTC Corporation's CleanTech Park, you might find yourself
in a vehicle that drives itself. Plans call for just such an autonomous
shuttle to start running the 2-km (1.2-mile) route, as a real-world
test of driverless public transportation. Read More
Architects have revised the design
of the biodomes for Amazon's new Seattle headquarters. The curves of old
have been replaced with irregular pentagons, resulting in something
that looks less futuristic and more like a mating of a football and a
robot plankton from outer space. Read More
Having already given us a new take on the humble lunch bag with its Compleat FoodBag, Norwegian company Unikia set out to redesign the lunch box for its latest offering, the Compleat FoodSkin. Read More
An ordinary sofa might hide a pull-out bed or
some drink holders, but a new piece of furniture from Heracles Research
Corporation is designed to store an arsenal that John McClane would
envy. Besides offering a comfy place to sit and watch TV, the
CouchBunker conceals a large gun safe and provides some handheld shields
with bullet-resistant cushions, just in case you find your living room
under siege. Read More
Architects have revised the design
of the biodomes for Amazon's new Seattle headquarters. The curves of old
have been replaced with irregular pentagons, resulting in something
that looks less futuristic and more like a mating of a football and a
robot plankton from outer space. Read More
If you’re someone who does a lot of presentations
in front of images projected onto a wall, do you ever wish that you
could manipulate those images with your fingers? If so, well, now you
can. Ubi is a new piece of software that works with a video projector, a
Kinect for Windows depth sensor and a PC running Windows 8, to turn any
projection surface into a touchscreen. Read More
Autonomous quadcopter uses a smartphone as its brains
By Ben Coxworth
August 19, 2013
With one possible exception,
autonomous quadcopters are not something that you would expect to be
inexpensive. A relatively cheap model may indeed be on its way, however.
Designed by the Vienna University of Technology’s Virtual Reality Team,
the tiny aircraft utilizes the processor and camera of an off-the-shelf
smartphone. Read More
Selk'bag wearable sleeping bag gets removable booties
By C.C. Weiss
August 19, 2013
The Selk'bag wearable sleeping bag
just got a little cooler. The newly introduced Patagon version includes
a set of removable booties. You can zip them off and then wear your
usual hiking boots or camp sandals while enjoying the warmth and freedom
of the Selk'bag suit. Read More
Mobiserv robot designed to keep tabs on seniors
By Ben Coxworth
August 19, 2013
Of the various potential uses for robots, there’s
one that many people often forget about – in-home helpers for the
elderly. A number of such robots are currently in the works, including
the Twendy-One and GiraffPlus.
Now, a consortium of European research institutes and companies has
created another such electronic assistant, as one component of the
larger Mobiserv Project. Read More
Chinese startup Tagtal is looking to bring an
interesting new stylus to market. The tStylus, as it's called, is able
to copy data from the screen it's touching and bring that data to
another device. While in use, the stylus functions like a physical
version of the selection tool in Photoshop. Instead of moving from image
to image, you are moving from device to device. It is able to move
images, video, and other various forms of media between the two devices,
as long as each of them is running the software that allows it to
receive input from the tStylus. Read More
Apple recently updated its MacBook Air line to
include Intel's new much-touted Haswell processor. We decided to give
the 11-inch model a whirl to see how the new processor affects its
performance, and how well the laptop stacks up against previous
iterations of the Air. Read More
Back in January, we were suitably impressed by the viewing experience offered by the 55-inch curved OLED TVs debuted by LG and Samsung at CES 2013. Since then, LG has been leading the race to consumer release, beating its rival to both the South Korean and US
markets. Samsung's TV has now landed on US shores, and is considerably
more affordable than LG's similarly-sized goggle-box. Read More
Having already given us a new take on the humble lunch bag with its Compleat FoodBag, Norwegian company Unikia set out to redesign the lunch box for its latest offering, the Compleat FoodSkin. Read More
Johannesburg-based design studio, Architecture
For A Change (AFAC) has recently completed the construction of an
off-the-grid prefabricated unit located in the informal settlement of
Mamelodi, South-Africa. Dubbed Mamelodi Pod, the tiny prototype is
designed with the aim of raising local living conditions while also
providing an affordable housing solution for settlement districts. Read More
The Swiss watchmaking firm Jaquet
Droz has short-circuited the 18th and 21st centuries with the Charming
Bird. It's a wristwatch that includes a tiny automaton bird inside the
crystal, that sings and dances at the press of a button. Read More Armadillo-T electric car rolls up like its namesake
By Ben Coxworth
August 20, 2013
It’s time for the Hiriko and Casple-Podadera
to fold themselves up and make room, as yet another folding electric
car has been created. This one, known as the Armadillo-T, comes from the
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). As with the
other two cars, it’s designed to "fold" (sort of) when not in use, in
order to minimize the amount of parking space that it occupies. Read More
If you need a drone aircraft that can hover in
one spot or perform vertical take-offs and landings (VTOL), then a
multi-rotor contraption such as a quadcopter is the way to go. Should
you be looking for something that can cover long distances as quickly
and efficiently as possible, however, then a more traditional
propellor-driven fixed-wing airplane will serve you better. So, what if
you want both? Well, that’s where Latitude Engineering’s Hybrid
Quadrotor UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) comes in. Putting it simply,
it’s a quadcopter/fixed-wing combo. Read More
US architectural firm Studio RMA recently
completed the Hi’ilani EcoHouse: a two-family, low-energy property
located on an attractive plot on Hawaii's Big Island. The building draws
much of its required energy from renewable sources, and Studio RMA
strove to offset the CO2 produced during construction by planting
extensive forestry. Read More
Amazon gets a lot of credit for starting the budget tablet craze with the original Kindle Fire. But it was actually Barnes & Noble that released the first subsidized, affordable, 7-inch slate, in the form of 2010's Nook Color.
The three generations of B&N's Nook tablets may have been limited
by their software, but they also delivered solid hardware and good
overall bang for your buck. So we weren't complaining today, when
B&N announced that it won't be discontinuing its color Nook tablets
after all. Read More
Sony has announced a release date
for the PlayStation 4, new games and a price drop for the PlayStation
Vita, a Gran Turismo 6 release date and more at its gamescom 2013
presser. Read More New drug mimics the beneficial effects of exercise
By Brian Dodson
August 20, 2013
A drug known as SR9009, which is currently under
development at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), increases the
level of metabolic activity in skeletal muscles of mice. Treated mice
become lean, develop larger muscles and can run much longer distances
simply by taking SR9009, which mimics the effects of aerobic exercise.
If similar effects can be obtained in people, the reversal of obesity,
metabolic syndrome, and perhaps Type-II diabetes might be the very
welcome result. Read More
Noah Watenmaker and Thao Pham from We Anything
Build (WAB) are putting the finishing touches to a new stringed
instrument that will allow a player to change neck or body
configurations whenever the mood, or the song, dictates. Where the
bizarre-looking Ministar from Bob Wiley
dispensed with the body altogether, the kitar's through-neck will slot
into a body section housing effects and controls. This gives the player
the potential to change from lead to bass on the fly, or from one shape
to another, or select different tones and onboard effects. Read More
Noomad transforms bicycle into three-wheeled cargo bike
By C.C. Weiss
August 20, 2013
The Noomad, from Spanish outfit Polo De
Innovacion Garaia, is designed to transform a traditional bicycle into a
stable, three-wheeled workhorse equipped for hauling groceries,
luggage, babies and more. The Noomad is essentially a simple metal panel
connected to dual 18- or 20-inch wheels that swap in for your front
bicycle wheel. To ensure a nimbler ride, the Noomad's wheels are
connected to a tilting system that allows the rider to lean through
corners. Read More
The Swiss watchmaking firm Jaquet
Droz has short-circuited the 18th and 21st centuries with the Charming
Bird. It's a wristwatch that includes a tiny automaton bird inside the
crystal, that sings and dances at the press of a button. Read More
Sony has announced a release date
for the PlayStation 4, new games and a price drop for the PlayStation
Vita, a Gran Turismo 6 release date and more at its gamescom 2013
presser. Read More
Johannesburg-based design studio, Architecture
For A Change (AFAC) has recently completed the construction of an
off-the-grid prefabricated unit located in the informal settlement of
Mamelodi, South-Africa. Dubbed Mamelodi Pod, the tiny prototype is
designed with the aim of raising local living conditions while also
providing an affordable housing solution for settlement districts. Read More
The Swiss watchmaking firm Jaquet
Droz has short-circuited the 18th and 21st centuries with the Charming
Bird. It's a wristwatch that includes a tiny automaton bird inside the
crystal, that sings and dances at the press of a button. Read More Armadillo-T electric car rolls up like its namesake
By Ben Coxworth
August 20, 2013
It’s time for the Hiriko and Casple-Podadera
to fold themselves up and make room, as yet another folding electric
car has been created. This one, known as the Armadillo-T, comes from the
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). As with the
other two cars, it’s designed to "fold" (sort of) when not in use, in
order to minimize the amount of parking space that it occupies. Read More
If you need a drone aircraft that can hover in
one spot or perform vertical take-offs and landings (VTOL), then a
multi-rotor contraption such as a quadcopter is the way to go. Should
you be looking for something that can cover long distances as quickly
and efficiently as possible, however, then a more traditional
propellor-driven fixed-wing airplane will serve you better. So, what if
you want both? Well, that’s where Latitude Engineering’s Hybrid
Quadrotor UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) comes in. Putting it simply,
it’s a quadcopter/fixed-wing combo. Read More
US architectural firm Studio RMA recently
completed the Hi’ilani EcoHouse: a two-family, low-energy property
located on an attractive plot on Hawaii's Big Island. The building draws
much of its required energy from renewable sources, and Studio RMA
strove to offset the CO2 produced during construction by planting
extensive forestry. Read More
Amazon gets a lot of credit for starting the budget tablet craze with the original Kindle Fire. But it was actually Barnes & Noble that released the first subsidized, affordable, 7-inch slate, in the form of 2010's Nook Color.
The three generations of B&N's Nook tablets may have been limited
by their software, but they also delivered solid hardware and good
overall bang for your buck. So we weren't complaining today, when
B&N announced that it won't be discontinuing its color Nook tablets
after all. Read More
Sony has announced a release date
for the PlayStation 4, new games and a price drop for the PlayStation
Vita, a Gran Turismo 6 release date and more at its gamescom 2013
presser. Read More New drug mimics the beneficial effects of exercise
By Brian Dodson
August 20, 2013
A drug known as SR9009, which is currently under
development at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), increases the
level of metabolic activity in skeletal muscles of mice. Treated mice
become lean, develop larger muscles and can run much longer distances
simply by taking SR9009, which mimics the effects of aerobic exercise.
If similar effects can be obtained in people, the reversal of obesity,
metabolic syndrome, and perhaps Type-II diabetes might be the very
welcome result. Read More
Noah Watenmaker and Thao Pham from We Anything
Build (WAB) are putting the finishing touches to a new stringed
instrument that will allow a player to change neck or body
configurations whenever the mood, or the song, dictates. Where the
bizarre-looking Ministar from Bob Wiley
dispensed with the body altogether, the kitar's through-neck will slot
into a body section housing effects and controls. This gives the player
the potential to change from lead to bass on the fly, or from one shape
to another, or select different tones and onboard effects. Read More
Noomad transforms bicycle into three-wheeled cargo bike
By C.C. Weiss
August 20, 2013
The Noomad, from Spanish outfit Polo De
Innovacion Garaia, is designed to transform a traditional bicycle into a
stable, three-wheeled workhorse equipped for hauling groceries,
luggage, babies and more. The Noomad is essentially a simple metal panel
connected to dual 18- or 20-inch wheels that swap in for your front
bicycle wheel. To ensure a nimbler ride, the Noomad's wheels are
connected to a tilting system that allows the rider to lean through
corners. Read More
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