Nissan V2G takes out 2009 LA Auto Show Design Challenge
December 6, 2009
The Nissan V2G concept was has taken out the Los Angeles Auto Show's 2009 Design Challenge.
Entitled "Youthmobile 2030", this year's Challenge asked designers to
encapsulate what tech-savvy young Gen Z drivers will be looking to take
to the freeway 21 years from now. The result was six fascinating design concepts
from the Californian studios of major companies, with the Nissan entry
given the nod for its "holistic approach in answering the future's
design questions." Read More
Blunt Umbrellas boast non-eye-catching design
By Darren Quick
December 6, 2009
Umbrellas have been around for thousands of years
but, aside from the introduction of the collapsible umbrella in 1935,
their design has remained largely unchanged - despite the well known
design flaws that see them flip inside out in strong winds or threaten
to take out an eye with their pointy rib tips. It was this threat to his
eyeballs as he negotiated busy London streets in wet weather that set
1.9 m tall New Zealand designer Greig Brebner on a mission to design a
better umbrella – a goal he believes he has achieved with the Blunt
Umbrella. Read More
For time-poor Gmail-ers, or serious users sick of
maneuvering a mouse, here is the plug-in Gboard shortcuts keypad. To
get going, it’s as easy as one, two … well, there’s really only two
steps. First step, connect to your computer’s USB port, secondly, enable
Keyboard Shortcuts within the Gmail settings, and that’s it. The makers
say in an hour or two you’ll be fully at home with the Gboard and won’t
even have to look away from the screen. Read More
Micron claims its recently-created RealSSD C300
is the industry’s fastest for notebook and desktop PCs, delivering
faster operating system boot and hibernate times, speedier application
loads, and quicker data transfer and file copying. Micron says benchmark
tests have shown that the C300 SSD is the fastest PC SSD leveraging the
industry standard SATA 3Gbps interface, while the Solid State Drive
(SSD) performance is further boosted by natively supporting the next
generation high-speed interface – SATA 6Gbps. Read More
The versatile humanoid robot Nao caught Gizmag's
attention at the 2009 International Robot Exhibition (iREX 2009). What
Nao lacks in size, he makes up for in features and capabilities. Nao can
see (via two cameras), will react to touch, can surf the Web and can
interact with other Naos. He can speak (in English or French, so far) by
reading out any file stored locally in his storage space or captured
from a website RSS flow. The bot is fitted with an accelerometer and
gyrometer so he won't fall down, he's also equipped with two pairs of
ultra-sound senders/receivers on his torso that give feedback on several
echoes so Nao is aware of obstacles close by and can avoid them. Read More
Touchscreens have almost become standard on point and shoot digital compact cameras. The same can’t be said for more enthusiast/professional oriented DSLRs,
mainly because of the different ways both types of cameras are used.
Compacts are generally held out in front of the photographer who checks
the framing via the camera’s LCD screen. DSLRs, on the other hand, are
often still used with the photographer’s face mashed up against the rear
of the camera to frame a shot using the optical viewfinder. This would
wreak havoc with a touchscreen as the photographer’s nose goes about
changing all those carefully nurtured manual settings. But a new patent
application from Canon could solve the problem and see touchscreens
appearing on DSLRs as well. Read More
SuperSpeed USB devices may have started to trickle onto
the market, but it will still be a while before their use becomes
widespread. That's simply because most people won't have the USB 3.0
ports required to take advantage of the speed boost
the next generation offers. But StarTek.com come up with a low cost way
to ensure your current laptop can enjoy the latest and greatest USB 3.0
devices - provided it has a spare ExpressCard 34 slot. Read More
While studying the possibilities of waste
recycling, researchers at a Swedish university have come up with an
unlikely suspect for an alternative fuel source - the orange. Citrus
waste is usually a complete write-off in the compost game because it
contains an antibacterial substance which slows its breakdown, but the
research team has discovered that these acidic skins have more uses than
they receive credit for. Read More
As art museums go, the Micropolitan Museum has a
very small collection. Literally. Presented by the Institute for the
Promotion of the Less than One Millimetre, the Micropolitan Museum of
Microscopic Art Forms is an online “portrait” collection of mini- and
micro-organisms photographed through a microscope. Inside the virtual
museum’s halls you can find a zooplankton family portrait next to the
glowing image of a mother copepod
posing with her children (Okay, her children are actually egg
packages). Down the hall, a postmodern bloom of diatoms shares exhibit
space with a Rubenesque polysiphonia cystocarps. Read More
Multimedia on the move - the JVC Kenwood AVENUE MDV-313 navigation system
By Mick Webb
December 6, 2009
JVC and Kenwood has produced its first in-car
navigation system since last years merger and it certainly offers more
than directions for getting from A to B. As well as boasting virtual 3D
maps and fast response times, the AVENUE MDV-313 features a 6.1”
touchscreen LED backlit display, integrated DVD player and TV tuner, as
well as USB and SD card slots and optional iPod connectivity. Read More
Anyone with a serious fondness for the moon landings
and the craft that got us there, or even just those with a penchant for
big toys, will be sure to sit up and take notice at Space Toys built to
order full scale lunar modules. Offering “amazing details and fantastic
authenticity”, the fully customizable replicas can be matched to
specific landing missions and crafted with or without an interior. Just
make sure you have the US$89,000 and a 20 X 30ft spare room ready. Read More
Italian EV maker Tazzari has finally released its
long-awaited US$30,000 ZERO electric vehicle at the Bologna Motor Show.
The tiny ZERO weighs in at just 540 kg (1195 pounds), has a range of 88
miles, a top speed of 56mph, four different driving modes and requires
almost no upkeep. Read More
Apart from adding tiny LCD screens to the
headrests in airplanes, not much has changed in seating comfort in the
airline industry for many years, though a couple of ideas have appeared
but are yet to bear fruit. Now, with the advent of A380s and the
retention of bulk people carriers like 747s, long haul flight prices
might have dropped but they’re still tortuous for ‘cattle class’ fliers
subjected to endless hours of boredom and contortionist-like sleeping
conditions. But Jacob Innovations has developed the conceptual
Flex-Seat, which can be configured in a number of ways to make the most
of the vertical space often wasted inside airline cabins and putting the
possibility of a good night’s sleep (or rest) within reach of most
fliers. Read More
A key factor is determining the eco-friendliness
of any biofuel is how much energy is required to produce it. If the
energy expended in producing it, which more often than not comes from
fossil fuels, is too high then the environmental benefits of the fuel
can be questionable. Researchers have now developed a process that
removes a key obstacle to producing lower-cost, renewable biofuels by
programming a photosynthetic microbe to self-destruct. Read More
We’ve seen the mothership from which the world’s first manned commercial spaceship will be air launched and we’ve even seen design images of the craft itself.
Now Virgin Galactic has unveiled the actual spaceship that will take
private astronauts into space - SpaceshipTwo (SS2). The unveiling at
Mojave Air and Spaceport today marks the first time the craft has been
revealed to the public since construction began in 2007 and brings
Virgin Galactic another step closer to realizing its goal of becoming
the world’s first commercial space line providing private sector access
to space. Read More
F1 inspired Factor 001 bicycle on sale (NEW IMAGES)
December 7, 2009
It weighs just 7.4kg, it's custom-built to the
exact dimensions of the buyer and boasts the most advanced design and
electronics system ever seen on a bicycle... and it's yours for a cool
£21,995 (approx US$36K). Beru f1 systems Factor 001 bicycle
is definitely at the high-end of high-end when it comes to two-wheeled
transport. The company has turned its expertise in motorsport to the
humble bicycle and produced a finely tuned machine that includes 8-spoke
monocoque carbon composite wheels and a lightweight composite frame
designed using modeling software borrowed from Formula One. Read More
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