New and Emerging Technology News part 260 ~ NEW GEN TECH LIFE : new generation technology news

Tuesday 1 April 2014

New and Emerging Technology News part 260

Ninja Sphere is a one stop intelligent hub, that takes care of all your devices and applia...
Wouldn't it be nice to have a digital house elf that handles the operation of all your various electronic devices? That's what the Ninja Sphere aims to be, a one stop intelligent hub designed to add your various household devices to the Internet of Things. Like other home automation systems, such as Revolv, Ninja Sphere can monitor and allow the remote control of connected devices, but offers expanded capabilities with its gesture control interface and the ability to map the location of devices in the home in real time.  Read More
The Digital Bolex D16 Cinema Camera, sporting its snazzy retro pistol grip
There was a time, not all that long ago, when most independent film-makers shot their projects on relatively-inexpensive 16mm film – it wasn't as pricey as 35mm, but was definitely a step up from Super 8. The cameras shooting that film were quite often made by the venerable Swiss manufacturer, Bolex. Today, in the age of digital video, film-makers wanting to take a step up from consumer-grade camcorders are looking at some pretty expensive gear. LA-based entrepreneurs Joe Rubinstein and Elle Schneider are trying to change that, with the introduction of their Digital Bolex D16 Cinema Camera.  Read More
Gizmag breaks down some of our favorite Android apps of 2013
2013 was a good year for Android. But what would that new HTC One, Moto X, or Galaxy S4 be without some great new apps? Join Gizmag, as we break down some of the top Android apps of 2013.  Read More
Schaft scored 27 points
Leave it to DARPA to turn disaster relief into a competitive sport for robots, and for Google to walk away with the prize. On Saturday, 16 robotics teams from around the world competed in the DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials for 2013, as part of DARPA’s project for developing robots capable of autonomously navigating disaster areas and doing useful work using tools and materials at hand. The two-day event was streamed live on December 20 and 21 from Florida’s Homestead Miami Speedway. Google’s Schaft humanoid robot scored 27 points and won first place as it navigated an obstacle course which was made to simulate a disaster area, while carrying out a series of tasks.  Read More
Renderings of an implanted Carmat artificial heart
Last Wednesday in Paris, a 75 year-old man received an artificial heart. That in itself might not be newsworthy, as such devices have been in use since the early 80s. In this case, however, the gadget in question was the first Carmat bioprosthetic artificial heart to ever be implanted in a human. According to its inventor, cardiac surgeon Alain Carpentier, it's the world's first self-regulating artificial heart.  Read More
Biocrude produced using the new process
Engineers at the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have created a continuous process that produces useful crude oil minutes after harvested algae is introduced. This new process does not require drying out the algae, which grows in water, saving time and energy that would be otherwise wasted. The final product can be refined into aviation fuel, diesel, or gasoline.  Read More
A liquid crystal 'flower' under magnification (Photo: University of Pennsylvania)
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have grown liquid crystal flowers, making it possible to create lenses as complex as the compound eye of a dragonfly. When perfected, the technology could allow the growth of lenses on curved surfaces, and structures to be assembled out of liquid crystals to build new materials, smart surfaces, microlens arrays and advanced sensors.  Read More
Avegant CTO Dr Allan Evans testing the latest Glyph design
What better way to take a trip in a personal virtual reality bubble, or sit down to a private movie screening on a seemingly enormous screen, than donning a head-mounted display? Unless you happen to be dressed as Geordi La Forge at a Star Trek convention though, wearing such technology does kind of label you a bit of a geek. The Glyph headsets are a little different. In non-video mode, the device just looks like some rather bulky headphones. The headband, however, can be pulled down over the eyes for an immersive escape. Rather than looking at an LCD or OLED display (or in some cases using an actual smartphone screen) through lenses, Glyph users have the video and game images projected directly on their retinas courtesy of a combination of special optics and millions of tiny mirrors. The first pre-production prototypes are currently being assembled in readiness for CES in a few weeks, ahead of a launch on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.  Read More

Path of asteroid (872) Holda, as seen by NEOWISE, shown as a dotted red line (Image: NASA)
NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) has sent back the first test images from its 16-in (40-cm) telescope and infrared cameras as it is prepared for its new mission. Intended to seek out potentially dangerous asteroids and help in selecting a near-Earth object as part of the space agency’s asteroid retrieval effort, NASA says NEOWISE will be a powerful tool for discovering, cataloging and understanding the asteroids in the inner Solar System.  Read More
The Golf Skate Caddy has a top speed of 20 kph, weighs 30 kg and can carry a maximum of 11...
You could be forgiven for thinking that the only thing surfers and golfers have in common is the amount of time they spend around sand and water. This could well be changing with the development of stand-up boards like the Golf Skate Caddy that aim to liven up golf transport by bringing the joy of those wide sweeping turns to the fairway.  Read More
Artistic rendering of a planet's transmission spectrum (Image: Christine Daniloff/MIT, Jul...
A team of MIT researchers has described a new method for finding the mass of exoplanets by studying the spectra of light passing through the planet's atmosphere. Because a planet's mass can tell us a lot about its potential for harboring life, this development could provide an important tool in solving the puzzle of whether or not we're alone in the universe.  Read More
Gizmag breaks down some basics for new Mac owners So Santa brought you a brand-new Mac for Christmas? Gizmag's got you covered as we run through a few of the basics to get you started.  Read More
Gizmag looks back at the top five drone stories of 2013
Although aerial drones been around in one form or another since World War I, it hasn’t really been until the last decade that they’ve really taken off, so to speak. Where they were once restricted to a spot of battlefield reconnaissance, in addition to military applications, drones are now used for everything from agriculture to oil prospecting and by everyone from rescue workers to real estate agents. Although the technological advances and proliferation of drones has accelerated over the past decade, 2013 was the year that the technology really entered the public consciousness. So let’s have a look back at Gizmag’s pick of the top drone stories of 2013.  Read More
The Ovision underwater housing for iPhones 4 thru 5C
If you want to snap some pics with your iPhone while snorkeling or scuba diving, there are already a number of polycarbonate underwater housings that will let you take your phone to a depth of 30 meters (100 ft) or so. A few others can protect it down to around 57 m (187 ft). According to Montreal-based product designer Pierre-Yves Pépin, however, his Ovision housing is good to at least 91 m (300 ft).  Read More
The sides of the Snow Foldable Helmet pull out to match the width of the user's head Eyewear and helmet manufacturer Carrera got itself noticed last year, when it released an accordion-like bike helmet that can be folded in or out to accommodate different head sizes. Now, the company has brought that same idea to the skiing and snowboarding-oriented Snow Foldable Helmet.  Read More
Maria Leijerstam with her White ICE Cycle
Shortly before Christmas, we heard about 35 year-old British adventurer Maria Leijerstam's planned attempt to ride to the South Pole on a recumbent fat-tired tricycle. On December 27th at 1am GMT, she achieved that goal, becoming the first person to ever successfully cycle from the edge of the Antarctic continent to the Pole.  Read More
The BluAmp Bluetooth amplifier, with BluHifi bookshelf speakers
Earlier in the year, Utah's Aaron Myer launched a Kickstarter campaign to get his BluAmp Bluetooth 50-watt amplifier into the hands of wireless music lovers. Unfortunately, the campaign didn't reach its funding target, but Myer pushed on regardless. The newly revamped BluAmp 50 has been joined by a less powerful sibling, the BluAmp 20, and Myer has hit Kickstarter for a second time.  Read More
Gizmag looks at the top five aeronautical stories of 2013
It’s almost 2014 and time for a bit of aeronautical reflection as we look back at what records were broken, which new prizes were won, and what new technologies promise us a hypersonic, jet-packed future of aviation and innovation. So let’s have a glance at Gizmag’s pick of the top five aeronautical achievements of 2013.  Read More

LG's Pocket Photo 2.0 lets users edit and print photos from mobile devices without a compu...
With CES 2014 now just a week away, LG continues to preview the products it will be showcasing in Las Vegas. After teasing new 21:9 monitors and a 105-inch curved UHD TV, the Korean electronics company has revealed an updated model of its Pocket Photo mobile printer will also be on display.  Read More
WRX in its native environment, sliding around a corner on a dirt road
The Subaru WRX has always been a touchstone for rally car performance in a street legal car with its fast handling, turbocharged acceleration and hefty hood scoops. Subaru's long-awaited refresh adds a six speed manual or automatic gearbox, new styling, and bids farewell to the five door hatchback version.  Read More
New MRAM technology could revolutionize data storage in electronic devices (Image: Shutter...
Back in 2005, Professor of Physics Johan Ã…kerman touted magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) as a promising candidate for a "universal memory" that could replace the various types of memory commonly found alongside each other in modern electronic devices. A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has now developed a new type of MRAM that could see Ã…kerman's vision become a reality.  Read More
Gizmag runs down the highlights of Apple's very tail-heavy 2013 (original images: Shutters...
Apple's 2013 was, as the old song goes, a very good year. But it was also an unusual year, as CEO Tim Cook saved all of his product announcements for the last seven months, with most of them lumped right before the holidays. Join Gizmag, as we take a look back at the tail-heavy year that was for Apple.  Read More
The Magnic Light iC tail light, in place on a bike
German inventor Dirk Strothmann certainly caught some peoples' attention last year, when he released his Magnic Light touchless dynamo bike light. Instead of slowing the bicycle down by pressing on its tire, engaging magnets in its wheels, or adding friction in its hub, it's able to generate electricity simply by being close to a spinning metallic rim. Now he's about to launch the Magnic Light iC, which will offer some interesting new features.  Read More
The FrogPad2, seen here in basic silver, will come with interchangeable covers
Anyone who uses the keypad of a smartphone is by definition a typist. A great many of those people, however, have never learned touch-typing. Therefore, they don't really need that low, wide QWERTY keyboard, do they? The folks at FrogPad realized that, when they first introduced their compact iFrog one-handed Bluetooth keyboard. Now they're about to release its successor, the FrogPad2.  Read More
Gizmag takes a look back at the biggest and best camera releases from the past 12 months
2013 was a great year for new cameras. There were full frame mirrorless shooters which can rival all but the very best DSLRs, compacts good enough to make you leave your smartphone in your pocket, and DSLRs which can shoot better video than they've ever been able to. Join Gizmag as we take a look back at some of our favorite cameras of 2013.  Read More
The University of Queensland mini-kidney
Instead of having to wait for one of the limited number of available donor kidneys, patients in need of a transplant may eventually be able to have a new kidney custom-grown for them. That possibility recently took one step closer to reality, as scientists at Australia's University of Queensland successfully grew a "mini-kidney" from stem cells.  Read More
Gizmag looks back at instrument innovations highlights of 2013
It's been another bumper year for new musical instruments. Join us as we look back on some of 2013's high points, including inventions that dare you to play out of tune, new takes on familiar designs, and simply stunning 3D-printed creations.  Read More
A prototype of the GPS AdventureBox that sends recipients on mission to unlock its content...
It's often said that experiences make better gifts than physical products, but the GPS AdventureBox is designed to deliver both. In a merging of geocaching and gift-giving, the GPS-enabled box locks away a physical gift or note until the recipient successfully follows a trail of GPS breadcrumbs to a series of locations specified by the giver.  Read More
 
Gizmag reviews the entire Dromida line of remote-controlled cars and trucks
We do enjoy getting our hands on remote-controlled vehicles here at Gizmag, because what's not to love about driving a miniature car around? Fortunately for us, Hobbico recently released its new Dromida brand of R/C cars and trucks and was kind enough to send over all three models of the line to compare. Read on for a look at how these low cost, high speed R/C vehicles stack up against each other.  Read More
The pool of applicants for the Mars One mission has been reduced to 1,058
And then there were 1,058. Mars One, the nonprofit organization that wants to send colonists on a one-way lifetime trip to Mars, announced on Monday that it has narrowed its applicant pool down from 200,000 people to just over a thousand. The applicants were notified by email and Mars One says that the next selection phase in 2014 will reduce the pool still further in the search for the first settlers to go to the Red Planet in 2025.  Read More
Looking back on a year filled with scientific accomplishment
The close of 2013 gives us an excellent opportunity, though satiated with holiday feasts, to look back on a year that has been filled with scientific accomplishment. So it's time to get comfortable on your Binary Chair, sip your hot cocoa from a phase-change mug while your Foodini prints out a batch of cookies and reflect on science stories of note from the past year.  Read More
Gizmag shares a few more random musings about Google Glass: more connected, less connected...
Face computers like Google Glass have their advantages. But when you start talking about the disadvantages of Glass, one of the big topics that keeps coming up is a general disconnection from your surroundings. Keep an eye out for our full Google Glass review, but in the meantime, we have some more thoughts on the subject from our time beta-testing it.  Read More
Sharks such as great whites may not like being tagged, but it beats being culled (Photo: S...
More shark attacks occur in Western Australia than almost anyplace else on Earth. In order to help protect swimmers and surfers, the state government relies largely on helicopter-based spotters, plus members of the public who report their own sightings. Now, however, the Department of Fisheries has introduced a new system, in which the toothy fishes announce their own presence via Twitter.  Read More
To use the BAM breathalyzer, you just blow into your fist
If there's one thing that people associate with New Year's Eve, it's getting drunk. Some folks may use one of the various new portable breathalyzers to watch that they don't get too hammered, although those typically involve placing your lips against the device every time you use it. Lapka's Breath Alcohol Monitor (BAM), however, simply requires you to blow into your clenched hand.  Read More
The Azur 851E preamp and the Azur 851W power amp from Cambridge Audio
The UK's Cambridge Audio is taking some new products to Las Vegas in January for the Consumer Electronics Show. Its existing Azur 851A Integrated Class XD Amplifier and 851C Upsampling DAC, CD Player & Preamplifier, which were launched at CES 2012, are to be joined by three new Azur 851 Series siblings – the E preamp, W power amp and D digital to analog converter. An Azur 651 power amp, some Minx bookshelf speakers and a concealable ceiling speaker are also set to make their debut.  Read More
Canadian Tire's ice truck was designed as part of an advertising campaign to be aired on N...
With Eastern Canada experiencing one of the worst ice storms in recorded history, the idea of an ice truck might seem overtly ironic to some. The ice sculpting house of Iceculture and Canadian Tire, however, already had their 15,000 lb ice truck planned, built and ready to go before the storm hit.  Read More
The production-ready BI V2.0 prototype
3D printing promises that one day we may be able to print out goods in our own homes rather than popping down to the shops or ordering widgets online. But what happens when the printers are able to print themselves? Boots Industries’ BI V2.0 takes a step down that road with a design aimed at self-replication. Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the open-source printer is capable of printing its own core components.  Read More
Here's some helpful tips for getting the most battery life from your Android device betwee...
If your Android device is powered on all of the time, you may well find that you run out of juice before the end of the day. Though batteries in such devices are getting more powerful, so are the features and apps that run on them. Since some of these features aren't needed all the time, they can be turned off until you need them. Here's a look at how to get more up time out of your battery by changing basic settings manually, and a look at a couple of battery saving apps.  Read More
Gizmag reviews the entire Dromida line of remote-controlled cars and trucks
We do enjoy getting our hands on remote-controlled vehicles here at Gizmag, because what's not to love about driving a miniature car around? Fortunately for us, Hobbico recently released its new Dromida brand of R/C cars and trucks and was kind enough to send over all three models of the line to compare. Read on for a look at how these low cost, high speed R/C vehicles stack up against each other.  Read More
The pool of applicants for the Mars One mission has been reduced to 1,058
And then there were 1,058. Mars One, the nonprofit organization that wants to send colonists on a one-way lifetime trip to Mars, announced on Monday that it has narrowed its applicant pool down from 200,000 people to just over a thousand. The applicants were notified by email and Mars One says that the next selection phase in 2014 will reduce the pool still further in the search for the first settlers to go to the Red Planet in 2025.  Read More
Looking back on a year filled with scientific accomplishment
The close of 2013 gives us an excellent opportunity, though satiated with holiday feasts, to look back on a year that has been filled with scientific accomplishment. So it's time to get comfortable on your Binary Chair, sip your hot cocoa from a phase-change mug while your Foodini prints out a batch of cookies and reflect on science stories of note from the past year.  Read More
Gizmag shares a few more random musings about Google Glass: more connected, less connected...
Face computers like Google Glass have their advantages. But when you start talking about the disadvantages of Glass, one of the big topics that keeps coming up is a general disconnection from your surroundings. Keep an eye out for our full Google Glass review, but in the meantime, we have some more thoughts on the subject from our time beta-testing it.  Read More
Sharks such as great whites may not like being tagged, but it beats being culled (Photo: S...
More shark attacks occur in Western Australia than almost anyplace else on Earth. In order to help protect swimmers and surfers, the state government relies largely on helicopter-based spotters, plus members of the public who report their own sightings. Now, however, the Department of Fisheries has introduced a new system, in which the toothy fishes announce their own presence via Twitter.  Read More
To use the BAM breathalyzer, you just blow into your fist
If there's one thing that people associate with New Year's Eve, it's getting drunk. Some folks may use one of the various new portable breathalyzers to watch that they don't get too hammered, although those typically involve placing your lips against the device every time you use it. Lapka's Breath Alcohol Monitor (BAM), however, simply requires you to blow into your clenched hand.  Read More
The Azur 851E preamp and the Azur 851W power amp from Cambridge Audio
The UK's Cambridge Audio is taking some new products to Las Vegas in January for the Consumer Electronics Show. Its existing Azur 851A Integrated Class XD Amplifier and 851C Upsampling DAC, CD Player & Preamplifier, which were launched at CES 2012, are to be joined by three new Azur 851 Series siblings – the E preamp, W power amp and D digital to analog converter. An Azur 651 power amp, some Minx bookshelf speakers and a concealable ceiling speaker are also set to make their debut.  Read More
Canadian Tire's ice truck was designed as part of an advertising campaign to be aired on N...
With Eastern Canada experiencing one of the worst ice storms in recorded history, the idea of an ice truck might seem overtly ironic to some. The ice sculpting house of Iceculture and Canadian Tire, however, already had their 15,000 lb ice truck planned, built and ready to go before the storm hit.  Read More
The production-ready BI V2.0 prototype
3D printing promises that one day we may be able to print out goods in our own homes rather than popping down to the shops or ordering widgets online. But what happens when the printers are able to print themselves? Boots Industries’ BI V2.0 takes a step down that road with a design aimed at self-replication. Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the open-source printer is capable of printing its own core components.  Read More
Here's some helpful tips for getting the most battery life from your Android device betwee...
If your Android device is powered on all of the time, you may well find that you run out of juice before the end of the day. Though batteries in such devices are getting more powerful, so are the features and apps that run on them. Since some of these features aren't needed all the time, they can be turned off until you need them. Here's a look at how to get more up time out of your battery by changing basic settings manually, and a look at a couple of battery saving apps.  Read More


Kia teases the GT4 Stinger
Not known as the sportiest marque in the industry, Kia has been using auto-show concepts to experiment with more playful designs. We saw it last year with the Niro and Provo concepts, and the automaker is starting 2014 off with the GT4 Stinger. As that name implies, the 2+2 concept shows a little more aggression than the average Optima.  Read More
Two astrophysicists from Michigan Technological University are using Twitter to search for...
At this juncture in time, humanity does not know how to travel into the past, or even if such a concept has any meaning. So if you are an astrophysicist who wants to uncover evidence of time travel, what do you do? If you're Michigan Technological University astrophysics professor Robert Nemeroff and his PhD student Teresa Wilson, you look for time travelers on Twitter.  Read More
Imprint Bicycle Grips are designed to ensure a custom fit
If you've ever been thundering along on your mountain bike and suddenly had one of your hands slip off the handlebar, you'll know just how "unsettling" it can be. The guys at UK-based TMR Designs certainly know, which is why they developed Imprint Bicycle Grips. Utilizing a proprietary material, they can be custom-molded to the size and shape of each of your hands.  Read More
The new connected objects from Archos
Archos has unveiled a new range of connected objects ahead of CES in Las Vegas next week. Capable of wirelessly working with each other, and synchronizing with iOS and Android smart devices, the new products fall into either Connected Home and Connected Self lines, and include a new tablet, a tiny home security camera, motion sensors, weather monitors, a personal activity tracker and a blood pressure monitor.  Read More
The LightSpur in use  Anyone who runs or cycles after the sun goes down will tell ya, it's vitally important to make sure that you're visible to motorists. Nathan's LightSpur is one of the latest products designed to provide you with that visibility, and it looks like it draws equal inspiration from Tron and A Fistful of Dollars.  Read More
Ideum has announced 4K versions of its Platform, Pro, Presenter, Drafting and Pano multito...
In September last year, Finland's MultiTouch revealed an Ultra High Definition 84-inch MultiTaction display at its annual developer conference. Though made available for pre-order a few weeks later, the high resolution, monster cells won't actually go into production until later this year. Meanwhile New Mexico's Ideum has announced that 4K versions of its 55-, 65- and 100-inch multitouch tables and interactive walls will start to ship from later this month.  Read More
Designer Stephen Pakbaz, who worked on the NASA Rover, saw his concept become a reality th... Since 2012, NASA’s Curiosity Rover has been marking up the Martian landscape and burrowing about like a six-wheeled prairie dog. Earth-bound mortals envious of Curiosity’s extra-terrestrial exploits can now experience their own backyard adventures thanks to Lego’s new Curiosity Rover kit.  Read More
The AudioOrb packs a clear plastic sphere with 18 speakers As evidenced by its Wall of Sound and Wall of Sound 2 iPod docks, Studio Total (ST) doesn't do things by halves. The agency has now taken its speaker creations and crammed them into a Cocoon 1 to create the AudioOrb, a speaker you can actually get inside.  Read More
The Ultra PC weighs in at 980 g (2.2 lb) and measures 13.6 mm (0.53 in) at its thickest po...
LG continues to attempt to beat the usual avalanche of announcements at CES by getting in early. After recently announcing a 105-in curved UHD TV and some UltraWide monitors, the company has revealed it will also have a new Ultra PC laptop, a couple of second-generation Tab-Book2 hybrid devices, and a new 27-in all-in-one (AIO) PC at next week's show.  Read More
The Revolution JD is a humanoid robot with two-fingered grippers
Ez-Robot, a small company based in Calgary, Canada, is aiming to start a new "revolution" in robotics. The company's new Revolution line is a series of small, hobby-sized robots with modular parts, easy-to-use features, and snap-together mechanics. The line consists of three new robot kits: a humanoid two legged walker, a rover with tracks, and a hexapod, or six-legged spider-bot.  Read More

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