As concerns continue to rise over man-made carbon
dioxide entering the atmosphere, various groups of scientists have
begun developing filters
that could remove some or all of the CO2 content from smokestack
emissions. Many of these sponge-like filters incorporate porous crystals
known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Unfortunately, most MOFs are
derived from crude oil, plus some of them contain toxic heavy metals.
Researchers from Illinois’ Northwestern University, however, recently
announced that their nontoxic MOF sponge – made from sugar,
salt and alcohol – is fully capable of capturing and storing CO2. As an
added bonus, should you be really hungry, you can eat the thing. Read More
Samsung Omnia W Mango-based smartphone to hit the shelves in October
By Pawel Piejko
September 26, 2011
350Green adding 400 new EV charging stations to US network
By Ben Coxworth
September 26, 2011
While it still may be some time before all
American EV drivers can expect to find charging stations located close
to wherever they’re going, things are at least heading more and more in
that direction. Late last week, charging network developer 350Green
announced that it will be adding 400 new stations to its existing U.S.
network, as part of a plan to bring the total number up to 1,000. Read More
SWYP concept aims at reinventing the printer
By Pawel Piejko
September 26, 2011
With a view to promoting innovation in the
desktop printers industry, Artefact design studio has unveiled its See
What You Print (or SWYP) concept printer, operated via a touchscreen
interface. SWYP aims to simplify and accelerate the task of printing by
combining features of simple photo editing and immediate printing in one
unit, which enables users to see exactly what the printed page will
look like. Read More
In a raft of announcements, Honda has developed a
highly fuel-efficient, very torquey 700cc twin cylinder engine with a
second-generation Dual Clutch Transmission which it will show in three
different motorcycle designs at the EICMA 2011 International Motorcycle
Exhibition in November in Milan, Italy. The motor will also be paired
with a manual six-speed transmission in at least one of those bikes and
as it delivers better than 3.7 l/100km and its motor is designed for
on-road usability, it is almost certainly the first bike designed for
western markets to take advantage of the world's coming gas crisis. Also
on display will be Honda's new 125 engine which will be used in its
125cc scooters around the world starting next year and contains an
idle-stop system and delivers 25% better fuel economy than current
generation scooter engines. Both the 700cc and 125cc engines contain
considerable technological wizardry to achieve their goals. Read More
NASA to demonstrate laser beam communications system
By Darren Quick
September 26, 2011
Since the dawn of the space age, NASA has been
relying on radio communications technology to send and receive data to
and from spacecraft. Although it has developed higher data-rate radio
frequency systems, data-compression, and other techniques to boost the
amount of data that its current RF systems can handle, they can't keep
pace with the projected data needs of advanced instruments and further
human exploration. To break this bottleneck, NASA is turning to optical
communications technology that would use lasers to increase data rates
over existing systems by anywhere from 10 to 100 times. Read More
Official delivery of first 787 Dreamliner to take place this week
By Gizmag Team
September 26, 2011
Contracts have been signed, funds have been
transferred and flight testing is complete. All is in readiness for the
hand-over of the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner
destined for commercial use. Boeing will mark the occasion with a
delivery ceremony at its 787 factory in Everett, Washington, this
morning before launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) flies its newest
acquisition to Tokyo on Tuesday at 6:35 a.m. Read More
Rimac Concept_One electric supercar revealed
By Gizmag Team
September 25, 2011
The all new Concept_One EV we previewed ahead of this month's Frankfurt Motor Show
has been revealed. The brainchild of 23-year-old Croatian automotive
designer Mate Rimac, the Concept_One backs its sleek design with a
cracking spec sheet - 1088 hp, 3,800 Nm of torque, 0-62 mph (100 km/h)
in 2.8 seconds, a top speed of 190 mph (305 km/h) and a 370 mile range
(600 km). If those figures translate to the limited-edition production
model due in 2013, Concept_One will definitely have earned its "electric
supercar" tag. Read More
NASA's UARS satellite makes final impact
September 24, 2011
If you've been looking to the skies in the hope of catching a glimpse of the doomed UARS satellite
before it plummeted to the Earth's surface ... you missed it. NASA is
now reporting that the decommissioned satellite fell back to Earth
sometime between 11:23 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 23 and 1:09 a.m. EDT Sept.
24, making its final dive eastwards over Canada, Africa and finally
crashing in the Pacific Ocean. The exact location of the crash has not
been officially determined but there are reports that some debris made
landfall near Calgary in Canada. NASA says that it is not aware of any
reports of injury or property damage. Read More
T-Mobile has announced that it will soon offer a
highly spec'd smartphone with its 4G (HSPA+) network support in the
U.S., in the form of the HTC Amaze 4G. Slated for an October 12th
release, the Amaze features a 4.3-inch qHD (540x960) touchscreen, along
with an 8-megapixel camera equipped with several features tailored for
fans of smartphone photography. Read More
Sweden's CF Møller Architects
has just signed off on the new and spectacular Skipark 360°- set to be
the largest indoor ski resort in the world. The winter park will house
the only indoor ski slope to meet the requirements for hosting the World
Cup, measuring 700 meters (2,297 feet) long and with a drop of 160
meters (525 feet). With an impressive height close to 135 meters (443
feet), the sporting facility will create a striking landmark, positioned
in a forest located in Balsta, 45 minutes outside Stockholm. Read More
With the aging of populations in many countries
around the world, particularly Japan, there are ever increasing numbers
of elderly to care for, but relatively fewer younger people to do the
job. Robots have long been seen as a means of filling the gap and
Panasonic is set to unveil its latest technology designed to do just
that. The three robotic devices set to make their debut at the upcoming
38th International Home Care & Rehabilitation Exhibition
(H.C.R.2011) in Tokyo include a communication assistance robot and new
models of the company's Hair-Washing Robot and RoboticBed. Read More
New York's proposed subterranean garden
September 27, 2011
Three New York entrepreneurs have unveiled plans
to turn a long abandoned underground train terminal into a lush and
thriving garden. Conceived by architect James Ramsey, VP of the PopTech
social innovation network Dan Barasch and money manager R. Boykin Curry
IV, the Delancey Underground Project hopes to create New York's first
subterranean green space beneath one of the city's least green zones -
the Lower East Side - in an unused rail space that stretches over two
acres and is nearly the size of Gramercy Park. Read More
In June of last year we reported on the success
by researchers at Duke University in developing a technique capable of producing copper nanowires
at a scale that could make them a potential replacement for rare and
expensive indium tin oxide (ITO) in touch screens and solar panels.
However, the water-based production process resulted in the copper
nanowires clumping, which reduced their transparency and prevented the
copper from oxidizing, which decreases their conductivity. The
researchers have now solved the clumping problem and say that copper
nanowires could be appearing in cheaper touch screens, solar cells and
flexible electronics in the next few years. Read More
Most people like to put their personal stamp on
their PC with their own desktop wallpaper and settings that have been
tweaked just the way they like them. But all that is lost when they log
onto a shared PC on which they don’t have an account set up. All that
changes with Windows 8, which allows users to enjoy their own profile,
settings and Metro style apps on any Windows 8 PC by logging in with
their Windows Live ID. Read More
Wrenches with embedded LEDs make light of dimly lit fixit jobs
By Darren Quick
September 26, 2011
Homer Simpson's advice when his brother Herb
shows him the baby translator he has invented is that Herb "should have
just taken an existing product and put a clock in it or something."
These days the "or something" could easily be a light or, more
specifically, an LED as their tiny size, low cost and low power needs
has seen them wedged inside a plethora of devices ... and not because it
necessarily provides any real benefit. However, in the world of
LED-embedded devices, this wrench set is far from the worst idea we've
seen and could actually come in very handy. Read More
Australia's first LTE mobile broadband network launched
By Gizmag Team
September 26, 2011
Australians are getting their first taste of LTE
(long-term evolution) mobile network speed. Telecommunications provider
Telstra launched its USB 4G mobile broadband modem today with the
promise of coverage in capital city CBDs and 30 regional and
metropolitan centers with download speeds ranging from 2Mbps to 40Mbps
and upload speeds of 1Mbps to 10Mbps. Read More
Drink-mixing typewriter lets you taste your words
By Ben Coxworth
September 26, 2011
Hoo boy, you just know Hunter S. Thompson would have loved this.
A Russian tinkerer going by the name of morskoiboy has created a
typewriter (?) that squirts a different type of syrup or liqueur into a
glass with every keystroke. That same liquid is used in a big
single-character LCD-like display, that shows users what letter they’re
typing. This means that different cocktails can be created, simply by
typing in different words. Read More
KU:RIN sets speed record for compressed air cars
By Ben Coxworth
September 26, 2011
Although battery-powered cars may no longer be
considered quirky and weird, automobiles propelled by compressed air are
still perhaps thoughts of as a little ... fringy. The MDI Air Car
looked promising, although development of the vehicle seems to have
been at least temporarily suspended. Toyota Industries Corporation,
however, recently brought some attention to the technology. On September
9th, its one-off KU:RIN set a new speed record for compressed air cars,
at 129.2 km/h (80.3 mph). Read More
iTree could be the world's largest iPhone dock
By Paul Ridden
September 28, 2011
While you might be tempted to think the Wall of Sound
is one of the biggest music player docks you've ever seen, it doesn't
quite live up to the huge proportional potential of the iTree iPhone and
iPod docking station from Austrian design house KMKG STUDIO. The dock
is carved from a simple tree trunk, its rear-mounted speakers are
pointed towards a wall to reflect the audio and the wood serves to
resonate the sound in a similar fashion to a piano or violin. Read More
9-string Kelstone guitar plays like a piano
By Paul Ridden
September 28, 2011
It has the look of a lap steel and can certainly
be used for playing slide guitar compositions but the relatively low
action on the Kelstone 9-string guitar opens up many more opportunities
over its 26 frets. Developed by Belgium's Jan Van Kelst, players can
strum, pick, hammer-on and pull-off, slide, bend, use both hands like a
piano player - or combinations of all such techniques. Read More
Yacht tenders are generally open top boats that
leave their passengers exposed to the elements, but Alex Pirard Yacht
Design has created a more civilized option. Laying claim to the title of
the the first yacht tender in the world to feature a convertible and
completely automatized hard-top, Pirard's Oronero is designed to ferry
its passengers in style regardless of weather conditions. Read More
Researchers at Purdue University are developing a
new type of computer memory that they claim could be faster than SRAM
and use 99 percent less energy than flash memory. Called FeTRAM, for
ferroelectric transistor random access memory, the new technology
fulfills the three basic functions of computer memory; writing, reading
and storing information for a long time. It is also a nonvolatile form
of memory, meaning that it retains its data after the computer has been
turned off. Its creators claim it has the potential to replace
conventional memory systems. Read More
SeaTwirl puts a new spin on offshore wind turbines
By Ben Coxworth
September 27, 2011
One of the main drawbacks of wind turbines is the
fact that for maximum efficiency, the power that they generate must be
fed into the grid right as the wind is blowing and their blades are
spinning. While that power can be stored in batteries for later
use, some of it will always be lost in the process. Sweden's
experimental new SeaTwirl system, however, is designed to kinetically
store wind energy until it's required - it's basically a seagoing
flywheel. Read More
PadPivot tablet stand designed for flat desks and rounded thighs
By Darren Quick
September 27, 2011
While there are plenty of stands for tablets that are designed to sit on a flat surface, such as the TabGrip,
what happens when you’re on the bus or reclining on the couch? You’ll
have to hold the device in one hand and do all your touching and swiping
with the other, right? Well, those days could be over thanks to an
innovative multi-purpose tablet stand called the PadPivot. With a curved
base that sits as comfortably on a desktop as it does on the tablet
user’s thigh, the PadPivot is designed to provide hands-free support to a
tablet so users can devote both their hands to the important touchy
tasks at hand. Read More
iPhone 5 to be unveiled on October 4, voice control a killer feature?
By Pawel Piejko
September 27, 2011
The wait will soon be over. Apple has sent out
press invitations for an event on October 4th in which it's expected to
introduce iPhone 5. Apple's new CEO Tim Cook, who succeeded Steve Jobs
last month, is likely to preside over the "Let's talk iPhone"
gathering and indications are that the killer feature of the new
smartphone will be an extensive voice control system called the
Assistant. Read More
Prototype remote control is a twisted channel-changer
By Ben Coxworth
September 27, 2011
Why change channels by clicking on buttons, when
you could do the same thing by twisting your remote? Japan's Murata
Manufacturing Company obviously sees advantages in this approach and has
created a prototype dubbed the "Leaf Grip Remote Controller" to
showcase the idea. Flexing the battery-less device not only changes TV
channels, but it also switches inputs, controls the volume, and turns
the power on and off. Read More
Gold nanowires used in promising new heart patches
By Ben Coxworth
September 27, 2011
Around the world, scientists have been working on
ways of replacing the heart tissue that dies when a heart attack
occurs. These efforts have resulted in heart "patches" that are made
from actual cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells), or that encourage surrounding heart cells to grow into them.
One problem with some such patches, however, lies in the fact that that
they consist of cardiomyocytes set within a scaffolding of
poorly-conductive materials. This means that they are insulated from the
electrical signals sent out by the heart, so they don't expand and
contract as the heart beats. Scientists at MIT, however, may be on the
way to a solution. Read More
Acoustic Alarm clock replaces buzzer with strings
By Ben Coxworth
September 27, 2011
We’ve heard about alarm clocks that jolt you awake with 113 decibels of sound while shaking your bed, that won’t stop ringing until you’ve done your exercises, or that you have to chase across the room.
If you want to be woken in a more civilized, serene fashion, however,
you might like the Acoustic Alarm – should it ever become commercially
available, that is. Instead of an annoying beep, buzz or radio DJ, the
one-off design exercise uses a motorized pic to strum four guitar
strings, in order to gently rouse its user. Read More
Soundmatters upgrades foxLv2 portable Bluetooth speaker
By Darren Quick
September 29, 2011
Those not willing to compromise on sound quality
when out and about have been enjoying the impressive sound and compact
form factor of Soundmatters' foxLv2 and foxLv2 Bluetooth
portable speakers for over a year. Now the company founded by physicist
and former NASA engineer Dr Godehard Guenther has updated foxLv2 line
with the upcoming release of the foxLv2 PLATIMUM unit. Along with a new
platinum-look finish, the PLATINUM model boasts improved battery life,
new audiophile cabling and the inclusion of apt-X audio coding to
provide CD quality audio over Bluetooth. Read More
Lonely Planet Publications published its first
travel guide in 1973 and has been giving travelers a helping hand on
their journeys ever since, growing to become the largest travel guide
book company in the world. In 2009, the company dropped the
“Publications” from its name to reflect the move to digital products,
including its website and smartphone apps. Now the company’s wide
selection of city guide
and phrasebook apps have been joined by a family of translator apps
that allow users to obtain written and – thanks to speech recognition
technology – spoken translations offline. Read More
When it comes to toxic gases, what you can’t see
can most definitely hurt you. To improve the safety of military
personnel, firefighters, police and emergency medical personnel who are
often called into situations where they may be exposed to toxic gases,
Morphix Technologies has developed the Chameleon chemical detection
device. Designed to be worn on the forearm, the device can hold up to
ten disposable cassettes, each of which detects a different toxic gas.
Read More
NASA to demonstrate largest-ever solar sail in space
By Ben Coxworth
September 28, 2011
NASA's upcoming Technology Demonstration Missions
are intended to "transform its space communications, deep space
navigation and in-space propulsion capabilities." Three project
proposals have been selected for these missions, which should be
launching in 2015 and 2016. One of those projects, the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, we've told you about already. Another, however, will be demonstrating a mission-capable solar sail. While NASA has recently tested
a solar sail measuring 100 square feet (9.29 square meters), this one
will be the largest ever flown, spanning a whopping 15,543 square feet,
or 1,444 square meters. Read More
Researchers reverse the aging process for human adult stem cells
By Ben Coxworth
September 28, 2011
By now, most people are probably aware of the
therapeutic value of stem cells, as they can become any other type of
cell in the human body. One of their main duties, in fact, is to replace
those other cells as they degrade. Once people reach an advanced age,
however, even the stem cells themselves start to get old and
nonfunctional - when the cells that are supposed to replace the other
cells can't do their job anymore, age-related tissue problems start
occurring. A team of researchers from the Buck Institute for Research on
Aging in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology,
however, may be on the way to solving that problem. They have succeeded
in reversing the aging process in human adult stem cells. Read More
Amazon today unveiled its new 7-inch, color
touchscreen tablet - the Kindle Fire. The new tablet's display has been
chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than
plastic, features iPad-like IPS (in-plane switching) technology for wide
viewing angles, and delivers 16 million colors in high resolution.
Amazon's huge digital content coffers are available to users and the
Wi-Fi-only, sub-$200 tablet also includes a browser that shares some of
the processing power needed to deliver complex web pages with Amazon's
Cloud servers. Read More
Rat receives functioning artificial cerebellum
By Ben Coxworth
September 28, 2011
Two years ago, the director of Switzerland’s Blue Brain Project predicted that an artificial human brain would be possible within ten years. Since then, we have seen examples of artificial synapses and neural networks.
In the latest step towards man-made brains, however, scientists from
Israel’s Tel Aviv University have restored brain function to a rat by
replacing its disabled cerebellum with one that they created. Read More
Disappointing battery life was one of the flaws indicated in Gizmag's review
of the Nintendo 3DS, back in June. Encased in a gamepad-shaped silicone
housing, the Nintendo 3DS Deluxe Power Grip from New York-based
manufacturer CTA Digital aims at overcoming the battery life issue by
offering an extra power supply, while doubling as a stand. Read More
Spanish scientists trial promising HIV vaccine
September 28, 2011
Researchers at the Spanish Superior Scientific
Research Council (CSIC) have successfully completed Phase I human
clinical trials of a HIV vaccine that came out with top marks after 90%
of volunteers developed an immunological response against the virus. The
MVA-B vaccine draws on the natural capabilities of the human immune
system and “has proven to be as powerful as any other vaccine currently
being studied, or even more", says Mariano Esteban, head researcher from
CSIC's National Biotech Centre. Read More
Organic waste-powered 'Coffee Car' breaks speed record
By Jan Belezina
September 30, 2011
Martin Bacon and his team of Teesdale
Conservation Vounteers from Durham, England, must have drank copious
amounts of coffee when developing this project. It was definitely a
sacrifice worth making though. Their aptly named Coffee Car rose to the
challenge and broke the world land speed record for cars powered by
organic waste, hitting an average speed of 66.5 mph over two runs on
September 14. Read More
Chemical-etching technique could lead to diamond micro-machines
By Ben Coxworth
September 29, 2011
With sizes typically measured in micrometers, Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) devices are already being used in applications such as super-accurate sensors, energy-harvesting devices, and electronic signal amplifiers.
Given how difficult it would be to replace such systems' moving parts
as they wear out, it would be ideal if those parts could be made from as
hard a material as possible. Well, while most MEMS are presently made
chiefly of silicon, researchers from the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) are now on their way to making them from
diamonds. Read More
New entry into social media market makes Real Business Future 50
By Grant Banks
September 29, 2011
The team at Floxx Media Group are attempting the
unenviable task of trying to crack into the social media market.
Recently named in the Real Business Future 50, the young and ambitious
company from London's Silicon Roundabout have two apps in the market,
its namesake application - Floxx (aka the new FitFinder) and the more
recently released MapChat. Does Floxx Media Group have what it takes to
crack the seeming impervious social media market held so dominantly by
Facebook and the fresh competition of heavyweight Google? Here's a look
at what the Group has to offer. Read More
What next for the International Space Station?
By David Szondy
September 29, 2011
It's a challenging time for the International
Space Station (ISS). The single most expensive engineering project in
human history and one of the most complex pieces of machinery ever
assembled, the future of the ISS remains uncertain after the ending of the Space Shuttle program
and the grounding of Russia's Soyuz fleet following an accident last
month. While the recently announced resumption of manned Soyuz flights
means the danger of the station being evacuated and mothballed has
receded ... it hasn’t ended. Read More
Griffin's Multidock charges and syncs up to 30 iDevices at once
By Darren Quick
September 29, 2011
For hospitals, businesses and schools that have
kitted their workforces and classrooms out with iPhones, iPads or iPods,
keeping the various devices charged and up to date can be a time
consuming chore. Griffin Technology has made the task a whole lot easier
with the release of its Multidock that charges, syncs and stores up to
ten iDevices at once. And if that still isn’t enough, up to three
Multidocks can be linked to accommodate up to 30 iDevices. Read More
Morgan and Zytek team up to build high performance EV
By Ben Coxworth
September 29, 2011
The Morgan Aero SuperSports is a pretty
impressive automobile, even in its standard form. It has a lightweight
aluminum body, a hardwood and leather cockpit and a top speed of 170 mph
(273 km/h). It also has a 4.8 liter BMW V8 engine, although in a
project currently being undertaken by the British automaker
and Zytek Automotive, that power plant will be replaced with a 70kW
electric motor. The result will be known as the Electric Morgan +E.
Although only two of them will be made, the company says that if the
experience proves favorable, "further developments" could result. Read More
Toshiba has announced that its 10.1-inch Thrive
tablet will soon receive a smaller and lighter sibling in the form of
Thrive 7''. Weighing in at 399 grams (0.88 lbs) and 11.94 mm (0.47 in)
thick, the Android 3.2-based Thrive 7'' tablet is powered by NVIDIA
Tegra 2 platform with a dual-core CPU and 1GB of RAM, has a 1280×800
resolution LED backlit screen and will be offered in 16 and 32GB models.
Read More
Researchers from the National University of
Singapore’s Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative (NUSNNI) have
created what they claim is the world’s first energy-storage membrane.
Not only is the material soft and foldable, but it doesn’t incorporate
liquid electrolytes that can spill out if it’s damaged, it's more
cost-effective than capacitors or traditional batteries, and it's reportedly capable of storing more energy. Read More
Flammability of wooden decks to be tested by fire-breathing 'Dragon'
By Ben Coxworth
September 29, 2011
Thousands of people were left homeless this May,
when over 40 percent of the town of Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada was
destroyed by a wildfire that started in the adjacent forest. This is
just one example of the devastation that can result when fires occur in
what is known as the wildland-urban interface. While some buildings are
destroyed when the wildfire itself reaches them, others can catch fire
due to wind-borne embers from that fire. In an effort to test
how well wooden decks are able to resist such embers, America's National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) created something known as
the Dragon - it's a device that sucks in tree mulch, and "breathes" it
out as firebrands. Read More
Ducati's new generation v-twin 1200cc sports bike
will be announced at the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan
this November. What we know for sure is that it will be named the
"Ducati 1199 Panigale" and that it will not use the traditional Ducati
trellis frame but a roadgoing version of the frameless design which has
been raced and evaluated rather unsuccessfully by the world's best rider
- Valentino Rossi. It seems like a massive gamble for a company that
has traditionally attracted customers with its race-winning superbikes.
Rumours suggest that the new road bike will weigh in at 176 kg wet and
produce 195 bhp. How well it will handle will be the issue. Read More
