new and emerging technology news part 263 ~ NEW GEN TECH LIFE : new generation technology news

Wednesday 2 April 2014

new and emerging technology news part 263

The 2014 Volkswagen Beetle Dune concept at NAIAS
Last week, Volkswagen released a sketch of its 2014 Beetle Dune concept, which it promised to show "in the flesh" at the North American International Auto Show. Well, that event is now in progress, and we did indeed spot the car on the tradeshow floor in Detroit. Here are some more details on VW's one-off dune buggy version of the Beetle.  Read More
The Nest Learning Thermostat learns user habits, offering convenience and reduced energy b...
In a clear statement that it believes the future of the home is a connected one, Google today announced its acquisition of smart device company Nest for US$3.2 billion. Following the success of its Learning Thermostat in 2011, Nest introduced its Protect smoke alarm last year, resulting in a line of products that has caught the eye of Google CEO Larry Page.  Read More
Gizmag compares the features and specs of the Pebble Steel and Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwa...
Last week at CES 2014, we saw one of the most intriguing smartwatches to date. The Pebble Steel takes the guts of the original Pebble and puts them in a snazzy-looking watch that could be right at home sitting next to a Rolex. Read on, as we compare its features and specs to those of the Samsung Galaxy Gear.  Read More
The Versaball grasps a shock absorber
Back in 2010, we first heard about a clever device known as the robotic universal jamming gripper. With its business end composed of a party balloon filled with coffee grounds, it could form a secure grip around objects of varying sizes and shapes. Now, that device has been commercialized – although incorporating higher-tech materials than balloons and coffee.  Read More
1.8 mm-wide windmill on a US Lincoln penny (Photo: U of Texas at Arlington)
Professor J.C. Chiao and his postdoc Dr. Smitha Rao of the University of Texas at Arlington have developed a MEMS-based nickel alloy windmill so small that 10 could be mounted on a single grain of rice. Aimed at very-small-scale energy harvesting applications, these windmills could recharge batteries for smartphones, and directly power ultra-low-power electronic devices.  Read More
Studio Octopi has designed concepts for swimming pools in the River Thames
London architecture firm Studio Octopi has designed concepts for the creation of natural swimming pools in the River Thames. The designs were a response to "London As It Could Be Now," an open call ideas project developed by The Architecture Foundation with Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and the Royal Academy of Arts. Participants were asked explore ideas that raised awareness of the Thames and increased people’s interaction with it.  Read More
The TabPro comes in three sizes
At CES 2014, Samsung introduced three new version of its Galaxy Tab with business users in mind. The Galaxy TabPRO comes in 12.2, 10.1 and 8.4-inch versions with a host of new features and software aimed at boosting how productive a tablet can be.  Read More
The Riide electric bicycle
One of the main advantages that e-bikes have over electric scooters is the fact that you can choose to propel them by human power only, reserving motor power for those times when you really need it. However, if that bike weighs 40 or 50 pounds or so (18 to 23 kg), then you probably won't want to "pedal only" it much. While some significantly lighter models do exist, their prices can range up to several thousand bucks. That's where the Riide e-bike comes in. It weighs 35 lb (16 kg), and has a planned price of US$1,799.  Read More
Including the voice recognition technology will allow users to control the M100 menu syste... Vuzix is looking to add to the functionality of its M100 Smart Glasses, teaming up with Nuance to incorporate voice recognition technology for a 2.0 OS release.  Read More
The Sony FDR-AX100 4K Handycam
Sony has followed the launch of its first 4K Handycam at IFA 2013, with a much handier UHD Handycam, the compact FDR-AX100 camcorder. Reported to be 74 percent smaller and 66 percent lighter than the now available FDR-AX1, and a good deal cheaper to boot, the AX100 features a bigger sensor than many similarly-sized cams, a new 29 mm wide-angle Zeiss lens, a high resolution touch panel, built-in wireless capabilities and NFC.  Read More

The Allroad shooting brake concept is the latest in Audi's e-tron line of concept cars to ...
As the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) ramps up, a number of manufacturers are back with subtle variations on previous ideas. Audi’s Allroad shooting brake concept is the latest e-tron concept to make its way to the show circuit, this time in the form of a 408 hp AWD hybrid crossover. Gizmag was there for its debut.  Read More
The Rolls-Royce Ghost V-Specification is available as a limited edition
The Rolls-Royce Ghost has a reputation as a luxury car that's a bit coy. When it first appeared, it was a few vague sketches and a code name of RR4. Even as the lid was lifted off in 2009, things like specifications or even what it looked like were hard to come by. Fast forward to 2014, and last week, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced the launch of its Ghost V-Specification; a limited series of Ghost and Ghost Extended Wheelbase that takes the more, relatively speaking, affordable Rolls-Royce and stirs in a bit more power and styling.  Read More
The Haloband uses NFC technology and a companion app to allow users can control their smar...
From lifestyle monitors to UV detectors, recently we have seen an array of connected wristbands emerge to serve a variety of purposes. In a similar vein, the Haloband is designed to put the convenience of technology within arms reach, but does so by extending the functionality of a smartphone to your wrist.  Read More
Scanning electron microscopy of stem cells (yellow / green) in a scaffold structure (blue)...
European researchers have announced a breakthrough in the development of artificial bone marrow which expands the ability of scientists to reproduce stem cells in the lab and could lead to increased availability of treatment for leukemia sufferers.  Read More
The FLIR ONE is a slide-on attachment that gives iPhones thermal imaging capabilities
FLIR Systems, Inc. announced two new products at CES designed to put thermal imaging into the hands of consumers. The first is a new, consumer-level infrared thermal camera sensor, while the second is a slide-on attachment for Apple iPhone 5 or 5s smartphones that makes use of said sensor. Both could be used to locate lost pets in the dark, look for energy leaking from your house, or to watch for wildlife.  Read More
The Porsche 911 Targa is available as the Targa 4 and Targa 4s (Photo: Gizmag.com)
Porsche brought a dash of retro styling to this week's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit with the world premiere of the new 911 Targa. Echoing back to the first Porsche 911 Targa with its roll bar in place of the B-pillars, wrap-around rear window, and movable roof section, the new edition combines the the classic 60's look with state-of-the-art roof technology.  Read More
Apple’s iCloud Keychain keeps passwords synced across iOS 7 devices and OS X Mavericks
Apple’s iCloud Keychain feature is the company's attempt to make a basic level of password management available in its iOS 7 mobile OS. It’s a convenient feature that keeps your account names, passwords, and credit card numbers stored in iCloud. Here's a look at what it is and how to use it.  Read More
LG HomeChat will allow users to issue commands and receive status updates from their smart...
LG had plenty of eye-catching gadgets at this year's CES, from a massive 105-inch curved 4K display to the bendable G Flex mobile phone, but probably one of the most intriguing new innovations it revealed was the upcoming HomeChat service. LG HomeChat will allow users to issue commands and receive status updates from their smart appliances by texting them and using simple, conversational language. According to the company, you will literally be able to ask your washer "What're you doing?" or your fridge “Do we have beer?” and they will respond just as a person would.  Read More
GM threw the covers off the new Z06 in Detroit at NAIAS 2014 (Photo: CC Weiss/Gizmag.com)
Torque, torque, torque. One of GM’s greatest gifts to man has always been bountiful offerings of torque. Nowhere in its vehicle line-up has torque been more plentiful than in the Z Corvettes. Now with the new 2015 Z06 unveiled at NAIAS 2014 in Detroit, torque junkies are set to truly get their 635 lb-ft (816 Nm) fix on.  Read More
EA is finally going to allow players to enjoy SimCity offline
If you were to take a look at many publications' "Biggest Fail of the 2013" award, it's quite likely that EA's SimCity will be listed near the top. After all, the online-only game made one of the worst launches in video game history with servers that were plagued with problems, and a change to the SimCity formula that, by and large, most players hated. Now, after almost a year after the initial release, the company is finally doing away with one of players' biggest problems, the online requirement.  Read More
 
Rawlemon has designed an aesthetic take on  solar power devices
Despite their noble cause of harnessing clean, renewable energy from the sun, solar panels tend to be aesthetically uninspiring. Solar start-up Rawlemon aims to change all that with a new, and undeniably beautiful, take on concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology.  Read More
Audi's A8 L Security, with AWD, is offered with a choice of a twin-turbocharged 4.0 liter ...
From the street, Audi’s A8 L Security Sedan looks like any other no-nonsense vehicle out of Germany. Professionally serious with sedate, yet luxurious design elements, the A8 L Security is anything but flashy. However, upon closer inspection the new 500-hp luxury bulletproof sedan is anything but your average grocery getter.  Read More
Endangered White Rhinos such as these could soon be getting some protection from an aerial...
Aerial drones, whether they be dropping bombs, books or burritos, have attracted a certain degree of controversy in recent times. While the potential of the technology is plain to see, many aren't convinced that the benefits will outweigh the risks associated with unmanned vehicles zipping about in the sky above. With its recent field testing of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to protect an ailing rhino population, Airware are determined to help the industry shed some of these negative connotations.  Read More
Spermbots created at IFW Dresden approach an egg, and the microtube falls away (Image: IFW...
Hijacking sperm cells to create little robots might seem far out, but that's exactly what researchers from the Dresden Institute for Integrative Nanosciences have done. Their "spermbots" consist of live sperm cells in little tubes, that can be magnetically controlled to move in a desired direction until they reach their destination and do their job – they're currently robust enough to even guide a specific sperm cell to an egg cell. The scientists hope that further development will allow the technology to offer a viable alternative to parents trying to have a child through in-vitro fertilization. When perfected, the spermbots could also be used as a safe means for drug delivery and gene manipulation.  Read More
An inexpensive high capacity organic battery has been developed by Professor Michael Aziz ...
Researchers at Harvard have developed an inexpensive, high capacity, organic battery that uses carbon-based materials as electrolytes rather than metals. The researchers say the technology stands to be a game-changer in renewable energy storage by solving the intermittent generation problems faced by renewable sources, such as wind and solar. The battery offers large volume electricity storage not possible with solid-state batteries and at a fraction of the cost of existing flow battery technology.  Read More
The Golf Bike in its natural habitat Although golfers who use golf carts (or the various powered alternatives) do miss out on a good source of exercise, walking from hole to hole can indeed get monotonous. It was with this paradox in mind that the Golf Bike was created.  Read More
The Pocket Drone, prior to being folded up
The original DJI Phantom quadcopter is now priced below US$500, and it's designed to carry a GoPro camera. However, while the copter could conceivably be stuffed into a backpack, doing so might be a little ... awkward. That's why the guys at San Diego-based AirDroids created the Pocket Drone. It squeaks in under the $500 mark and is made to carry a GoPro, but it also folds down for easy transport. What's more, its battery runtime is about twice that of the Phantom.  Read More
The ThinkPad 8 business tablet from Lenovo
Lenovo's first 8-inch business tablet also happens to be its thinnest and lightest ThinkPad. The new ThinkPad 8 features a high resolution IPS display panel that supports up to 10 simultaneous touch points. It runs Windows 8.1 Professional, is powered by a 2.4 GHz Bay Trail processor from Intel and has a battery that should be good for a full day's work before needing to hit the wall outlet.  Read More
The NotePRO comes only with a 12.2-inch display
At CES 2014, Samsung unveiled a business-centered version of its Galaxy Tabs, the Galaxy TabPRO, which is available in three sizes. But the new slate the company seemed most amped to promote is the companion Galaxy NotePRO, which comes only with a 12.2-inch display. The Samsung S Pen stylus is also included, along with a suite of productivity apps and features designed to take advantage of the combination of a stylus and the NotePRO's 2560x1600 resolution screen.  Read More
A family tries out the TIWAL 3.2 (Photo: Tiwal)
The TIWAL 3.2 is an inflatable sailing dinghy that can be assembled or packed down into two bags in a little under 20 minutes. According to its creators, the dinghy is a "high performance" sailing vessel with a multi-purpose design that not only allows families and first time sailors to experience the joys of sailing in calm weather, but also lets expert sailors test their limits.  Read More

Approximately 5,000 bees are receiving RFID tags like this one
Bees are integral to the pollination of major crops around the world, so the more that we understand how they go about their business, the better we can facilitate the process and thereby boost yields. With this in mind, scientists from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) are taking the unprecedented step of equipping up to 5,000 honeybees with RFID (radio frequency identification) tags.  Read More
Puppy is designed to allow users to locate a pet, should it go missing
The Guardian device was announced last year, as a method of allowing parents to track their children or for locating them in the tragic event of a kidnapping. Now, Taipei-based BeLuvv is launching a sister product called Puppy, which allows pet owners to keep track of their pets.  Read More
Boeing is seeking approval to fly aircraft on green diesel Over the past few years, we've heard about "green" airliners running on a mixture of jet fuel and biofuels made from things like plants and recycled cooking oil. Now, Boeing is looking at blending jet fuel with green diesel, which is already used to fuel trucks.  Read More
The MegaFon pavilion for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia features a façade that ...
London architect Asif Khan's 2,000 square-meter (21,500 sq ft) pavilion has been called the “Mount Rushmore of the digital age,” and its aim is to “make people the face of the Olympics.” The façade of the pavilion, sponsored by MegaFon, contains 10,000 actuators (or giant pins), which will create a changing display of three-dimensional portraits.  Read More
ModCubes can be reconfigured to form different pieces of furniture, such as this crib/cupb...
Modular furniture – that is, furniture than can be adapted to suit changing needs – is becoming an increasingly common concept. One company has gone right back to basics, and designed building blocks for an extensive range of modular furniture. These building blocks are called ModCubes, and when combined together they form pieces of furniture known as ModRoomz. The word LEGO is nowhere to be seen, but the Danish toy company deserves at least a small nod of appreciation.  Read More
Nendo's cubic rubber bands Japanese design studio Nendo has launched a range of stationery with innovative twists on traditional ideas for its "by | n" brand. The range was conceived by Nendo founder Oki Sato, and includes a pen that becomes a tablet stylus, a ruler with graded markings for visibility on dark or light surfaces, and a rethought "cubic" rubber band that's easier to pick up and maintains a better grip on rolled documents.  Read More
Scientists have created piglets that glow green under a black-light (see the video below)
Scientists in Guangdong Province, Southern China, have created piglets that glow green under a black-light. The glow is caused by a fluorescent protein from jellyfish DNA that was transferred into the embryos within the sow, as a marker to show that the transfer of genetic material had been successful.  Read More
DriveSafe uses the eyewear's built-in sensors to detect when the driver is falling asleep,...
A pertinent question regarding Google Glass that is so far unanswered is whether it will be legal to use while driving. The prospect of having the distraction of email, messaging and social media apps in your line of vision when behind the wheel has raised concerns over the safety of the eyewear for drivers. Poised to play some sort of role in this debate is DriveSafe, an app for Google Glass that alerts drivers to when they are getting sleepy.  Read More
Researchers are claiming a record efficiency of 15.6 percent for a new graphene-based sola...
In 2012, researchers from the University of Florida reported a record efficiency of 8.6 percent for a prototype solar cell consisting of a wafer of silicon coated with a layer of graphene doped with trifluoromethanesulfonyl-amide (TFSA). Now another team is claiming a new record efficiency of 15.6 percent for a graphene-based solar cell by ditching the silicon all together.  Read More
The GT4 Stinger has track wheels
To be honest, when somebody says “sports car,” the word “Kia” doesn’t leap first to mind. However, the South Korean car maker wants to rectify that and after dropping a trail of hints, Kia’s GT4 Stinger concept got its world première on Monday at the 2014 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).  Read More

Researchers at the Institute for Molecules and Materials at Radboud University Nijmegen us...
Previously, chemists have managed to create artificial cell walls and developed synthetic DNA to produce self-replicating, synthetic bacterial cells. Now, for the first time, researchers have used polymers to produce an artificial eukaryotic cell capable of undertaking multiple chemical reactions through working organelles.  Read More
This near-infrared photo shows the invisible IR LED's on the Leddar in action
Leddar, short for LED Detection and Ranging, is a new type of detection and ranging sensor that uses LEDs to detect objects and determine their distance. While the Leddar is low resolution, it is also low cost, and it may find new applications in vehicles, traffic management, robotics and safety. Read on for our hands-on review.  Read More
A rendering of the GE Chandelier as it will be mounted high above PlayhouseSquare in Cleve...
PlayhouseSquare in Cleveland's historic theater district is erecting what is claimed as the world's largest outdoor crystal chandelier. With a height of 20 ft (6 m) and comprising some 4,200 crystal pieces, the biggest surprise is that General Electric, which is designing the chandelier, believes it will stand up to Cleveland's extreme weather.  Read More
Firefighters testing the shoe-based digital positioning system 25 m below ground (Photo: E...
Disorientation inside smoke-filled and unfamiliar buildings can be a major obstacle for firefighters – and it's not as if they don't have enough to worry about already. Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm have addressed this problem by developing fancy footwear that allows firefighters to be tracked in places where GPS fails, including up to 25 m below ground.  Read More
The Toyota FT-1 premieres at the 2014 North American International Auto Show
Easily one of the wildest concept cars at the North American International Auto Show, the Toyota FT-1 bridges Toyota's sporty past with what the company promises will be a daring and aggressive future. The "spiritual pace car for a changing, evolving Toyota" previews what Toyota hopes is its most exciting generation of vehicles ever. Put simply, the FT-1 is the Future of Toyota, example Number 1.  Read More
Egg is a plastic toy that replicates the movement and sounds of a small animal
The challenge of keeping an indoor cat occupied while its owners are away during the day has certainly produced some interesting efforts. The Solar Chaser uses the power of the sun to form a perpetually bobbing kitty toy, while the Cat DJ Scratching Deck serves as a potential launching pad for your feline's highly anticipated music career. The team behind Egg, a "cat companion" that mimics a small animal's movements, has hatched a different sort of plan.  Read More
The addition of a planted facade to the building is expect to increase its thermal insulat...
A vertical garden covering 1492m2 has been created in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. The garden, which adorns the the Palacio de Congresos Europa (Palace of Congresses Europe) and incorporates over 33,000 individual plants, was designed by Alicante-based sustainable architecture firm Urbanarbolismo.  Read More
With data privacy becoming a bigger concern, Blackphone presents itself as a secure option...
While news of smartphone hacks, data sniffing, and government intrusion has regrettably become commonplace, it’s also had the consequence of raising public awareness of privacy risks which used to be solely the domain of security geeks. In this climate of readiness, Blackphone is launching a smartphone it says will be both secure and user-friendly, developed as a partnership between founders of the encryption firm Silent Circle and phone manufacturer Geeksphone.  Read More
A modifier protein that can be used to interfere with the plant's growth repression protei...
Researchers have discovered a new way to increase plant growth by suppressing the natural response to environmental stress. The scientists have found a modifier protein that can be used to interfere with the plant's growth repression proteins independently of the previously identified hormone Gibberellin. They believe this will lead to higher crop yields, even in unfavorable conditions.  Read More
The meMINI records video in a continuous loop
They say that nothing takes you out of a fun situation quite like filming it – you stop being a participant, and start being an observer. That said, people still like their home videos. Small wearable camcorders are one solution to the problem, although users are left with a ton of raw footage to sift through. The meMINI offers an alternative. It "rewrites" a continuous loop of video, but will save the previous few minutes of footage whenever the user presses its one button.  Read More

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