Taking around four seconds to scan an A4-size
document in B&W, this portable wand-type scanner from VuPoint
Solutions is designed for copying images from books or documents with
thick or fragile spines that don’t allow them to be folded back for
placement on a flatbed scanner. It's also useful for scanning pages that
are located a long way from your office. Read More
Following last September's announcement of new 50
megapixel and 60 megapixel H4D medium format cameras, Hasselblad has
now announced the immediate availability of the H4D-40 DSLR camera
system. The 40 of course signifies the number of megapixels, but the
camera also benefits from up to four minute exposure times, faster
capture rates and higher ISO ratings as well as an improved auto focus
mechanism. Read More
Robonaut 2 ready to give astronauts a helping hand
By Darren Quick
February 7, 2010
NASA and General Motors have teamed up to build a
new robot dexterous enough to use the same tools as humans, allowing
them to work safely alongside humans on Earth or in space. The two
organizations aim to develop the next generation of robots and robotic
technologies that use leading edge control, sensor and vision
technologies, to assist astronauts during hazardous space missions and
help GM build safer cars and plants. Read More
The team at the Center for Automotive Research at
Stanford (CARS) are aiming to send a specially-equipped robotic Audi at
break-neck speed up the tight bends that lead to Pikes Peak without a
driver … something that hasn’t been done before. Read More
Schöpfer Yachts has launched its second stunning
design – the Infinitas – and while at this stage it only appears on
paper, we would really love to see this one on the water. Aside from the
glass floored "sky-bridge", on-board elevator and front helipad, the
standout design element is the carved out stern and mid section, which
gives the 300ft (91.5m) yacht its radical dinosaur-skull-like profile.
Read More
Leev's Mantys electric vehicle makes any round of golf fun
By Jeff Salton
February 7, 2010
To some, golf is a good walk ruined. But why walk
when you can ride … get on board the latest mobility offering from Leev
– the Mantys. It’s a bit like a four-wheel version of a Segway that
holds your golf clubs up front and can go for 36 holes before it needs
recharging. Weighing just 88lbs, it folds down to fit in your trunk next
to your golf bag. It steers by transferring your weight either left or
right, has a top speed of 11mph and can climb most inclines found on a
golf course. Read More
Future cars: Auto bodywork composite doubles as a battery
February 7, 2010
The problem is clear. Hybrid cars and EVs rely on
batteries for power, but batteries are bulky and heavy, causing the car
to use up more energy. But what if a car's bodywork was made of a
strong, lightweight material that could store and discharge electrical
energy just as a conventional battery does? In pursuing this goal,
researchers at the Imperial College London are developing a key building
block for the hybrid car of the future, and the implications go way
beyond automobiles - think wafer thin mobile phones and laptops that
don't need a separate battery because they draw power from their casing.
Read More
Mason bees fly to the rescue of failing orchards
By Ben Coxworth
February 7, 2010
Many readers would already be familiar with
Colony Collapse Disorder and the mysterious worldwide disappearance of
honeybees. Everything from mites to viruses to electromagnetic radiation
are suspected as its cause and it is potentially disastrous for crops
that rely on the bees for pollination. Well, on a small scale at least,
help is on the way - some fruit growers in North America are now turning
to the indigenous mason bee as an orchard-pollinator. Not only are
mason bees not affected by CCD, but they're better at pollinating than
honeybees, you need less of them, and they have a more laidback
personality, meaning less of those nasty stings. Read More
Most times when budding rockstars pick up a
guitar and start to play for the first time, it sounds like they’re
stepping on a cat – well, to everyone else in the room, anyway. If you
are the parent of one of these musicians you might want to introduce
them to Paper Jamz, an affordable and innovative play instrument that
provides an instant rock star experience and open-ended play, say its
makers, WowWee Toys. The one-inch thick stringless guitars (slightly
thicker drums) are touch-sensitive, which means you only have to the
strum or tap the special circuit-embedded paper on the surface to get a
professional sound. Rock on! Read More
It's a universal problem - one you may be
surprised to hear we still face in today's technological age: you send
me an invoice with your software, my software can't read it so I waste
time and money interpreting it. iSOCO promises to change all that with
its new prototype i20nt. This system aspires to become the first to
exchange electronic invoices between companies transparently and
regardless of their originating format and system, saving up to 30% of
the total invoice processing costs. Read More
TREXA announces pricing details for DIY electric car
By Gizmag Team
February 9, 2010
When we first looked at TREXA's open-source electric vehicle
development platform late last month we were impressed by the concept,
but one big question remained - how much will it cost? The answer has
come sooner than expected with TREXA announcing a base price of
US$15,999 for the lithium-powered, modular platform which is designed to
facilitate the creation of custom "vehicle apps". Read More
Imagine if every time someone wanted to develop a
new piece of software, they first had to design and build a computer to
run it. Not only would this greatly add to the time and expense
required for software development, but it would also mean that all of us
consumers would have to own multiple computers. Well, that’s what it’s
like in the field of robotics. Because there is no robot-equivalent of
the PC or Mac, every time someone wants a robot that can do something
new, a new robot has to be built from scratch. Wouldn’t it be easier if
there were one standard robotic platform, for which people just designed
new hardware or software? Californian robotics company Willow Garage
seems to think so, which is why they’re giving ten of their PR2 robots
to deserving research organizations. Read More
zoomIt gives access to SD card content on an iPhone
By Darren Quick
February 8, 2010
The zoomIt is an SD card reader for an iPhone or
iPod Touch that, in conjunction with the zoomIt app, lets users access
all iPhone OS 3.0 file types contained on an SD card including photos,
music, video and miscellaneous files such as PowerPoint, Excel, Word and
PDF files. It also lets users copy files stored on the iPhone or iPod
Touch to an SD card without needing to connect to a camera, Mac or PC.
Read More
Wildfire is one of the few natural disasters that
we are at all equipped to combat, but when it takes a ferocious hold we
are often able to do little more than limit the spread. Responding to a
need for better equipment at the front line, AMATOYA is a concept fire
reconnaissance buggy designed to improve vehicle and crew safety while
maintaining off road capabilities and delivering better fire suppression
technology in the critical initial response phase Read More
What kid doesn’t like kicking around a soccer
ball? Imagine if this fun activity could also provide enough energy to
power something useful in a modest off-grid African village, like a
reliable light to cook by or an emergency mobile phone. The sOccket is a
prototype soccer ball that captures kinetic energy when it is kicked or
thrown, stores it in an internal battery and makes that energy
available for a myriad of small but useful purposes. In other words,
it’s a fun, portable energy-harvesting power source that is designed to
take a kicking. Read More
Product designer Matteo Cibic has come up with a
very distinctive desktop speaker in the aptly named Hi-Fido. Shaped like
a headless dog wearing an Elizabethan collar, Hi-Fido sports a
150-watt speaker that “uses the acoustic properties of ceramic to
diffuse the high quality sound with a bass reflex system”. Read More
Wouldn’t you love a dollar for every time you
heard the phrase “paperless office” being bandied about during the 90s?
Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen, did it? On the contrary - as
computer and printer technology continued to evolve and printing emails
or web pages became quicker and easier - paper use rapidly increased.
Manufacturers are coming up with some very clever ideas to reduce ink
and paper costs. We’ve seen portable printers that use zero-ink technology and now there’s PrePeat – an innovative office printer that not only uses no ink or toner, it reuses paper. Read More
Porsche announces 530hp 911 Turbo S - 0-200kmh in 10.8sec
By Jeff Salton
February 8, 2010
The timeless beauty of the Porsche 911 range
continues with the upcoming release of the new top-of-the-line 911 Turbo
S at the Geneva Motor Show (4-14 March). But don’t be deceived by its
good looks alone – this new model (the first in five years) has a 30hp
increase over the 911 Turbo
(up from 500hp to 530hp or 390kW) and maximum torque is rated at 700Nm
(516lb-ft). This impressive set of figures are delivered via a
six-cylinder “boxer” engine boosted by two turbochargers with variable
turbine geometry. The 911 Turbo S reaches 100kmh (62mph) in 3.3 seconds
and hits 200kmh (124mph) in 10.8 seconds with a top speed of 315kmh
(196mph). Even with its power upgrade, the 911 Turbo S achieves the
identical fuel consumption as the regular Porsche 911 Turbo – 24.8mpg
(11.4l/100km) which, Porsche says, makes it by far the most efficient in its class. Read More
iPhone app 'Pollen Radar' gives you the pollen forecast
By Rick Martin
February 8, 2010
Japanese company Up-Frontier has developed an
iPhone application that will provide a pollen forecast for individuals
prone to allergies and hay fever. Through working with the Japan Weather
Association and their Weather API, the application can access the latest pollen count on their iPhone. Read More
Cat owners are smarter than dog owners
February 8, 2010
It's been a while since there was a dog and cat
census in the UK - about three cat years or twenty human years in fact.
They've gone undetected, hidden behind the sofa, curled up in the
laundry, and therefore not considered much of a subject for scientific
peer-reviewed journals. So for all this time it's escaped our notice
that numbers of domestic dogs and cats are increasing, and while cats
and dogs are owned by people with similar characteristics, cat owners
are more likely to be qualified to degree level. Read More
Canon has turned up the heat in the "somewhere
between entry level and professional photographer" market with the
announcement of its new addition to the EOS family, the Rebel T2i. As
well as a new 18 megapixel sensor, the feature and function heavy T2i
also includes improved ISO control and better metering, the facility to
shoot full HD movies, a brighter 3:2 aspect LCD display and support for
SDXC cards. Read More
The Autonomous Saucier provides an extra hand in the kitchen
By Jude Garvey
February 9, 2010
If I had to choose a job in a restaurant kitchen,
then the saucier or sauce chef would be my last choice. Considered
inferior to the sous-chef and head-chef, the saucier is responsible for
preparing all the accompanying sauces for meals…making sure they aren’t
lumpy, they don’t stick to the pan or worse, burn. I’ve seen enough TV
celebrity chefs abusing their kitchen staff to know this is one job I
would refuse. However, if I had the Autonomous Saucier at hand - all
would be fine. This clever kitchen device automatically stirs your sauce
whilst you get on with other food preparation. Pure genius… Read More
Wireless data transfer speeds in excess of 1Gbps
now seem positively slow compared to Sony's recent achievement of
11Gbps, even if the distance is quite, erm, short, at just 14mm. So
before you go getting excited about a home network with blistering
speeds you should know the technology is actually intended for high
speed wireless data transfer inside electronic products to replace
complicated wires and internal circuitry. Read More
Anyone who's ever had to drum up the courage to
visit a male fertility center will agree that today's process for sperm
counting is at best awkward, and at worst embarrassing, messy and
intimidating. So if you'll pardon the pun, it will come as a relief to
many that a "lab on a chip" device is being developed that can let guys
do their own sperm counts at home - avoiding the embarrassment and
inconvenience, if not the mess. That's gonna be fun at parties. Warning:
uncomfortable anecdote after the jump. Read More
Researchers have developed a solar-powered sensor
system that is just nine cubic millimeters in size. It is 1,000 times
smaller than comparable commercial counterparts and can harvest energy
from its surroundings to operate nearly perpetually. The system could
enable new biomedical implants as well as building and bridge-monitoring
devices. It could also vastly improve the efficiency and cost of
current environmental sensor networks designed to detect movement or
track air and water quality. Read More
The superfast computers of tomorrow will likely
be able to manipulate individual electrons, harnessing their charge and
magnetism to achieve massive data storage and outstanding processing
speeds at very low power requirements. But how exactly do you go about
manipulating single electrons independently, without affecting the ones
nearby? Princeton University's Jason Petta has recently demonstrated a way to do just that in a breakthrough for the field of spintronics that brings faster and low-power number-crunching closer to reality. Read More
Ever been too slow to capture that perfect
photographic moment? Well, with the Camera Waist Block lock – you’ll
have instant access to your camera, giving you ample time to make
photographic history. Or … you could make like you’re the sheriff in a
wild west town and spend all day telling people to “hold it or I’ll
shoot!” Read More
An artificial pancreas system being developed by
scientists at Cambridge in the UK could help safely manage type 1
diabetes in children.The artificial pancreas combines a commercially
available continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump, and uses a
sophisticated algorithm which calculates the correct amount of insulin
to deliver based on real-time glucose readings. Read More
Wondering why your mutt is gaining weight and
your pet food bill is going through the roof – even though you’re
regularly feeding the dog what you always have? Could it be that someone
else in your household is feeding your pet, too, or forgetting to walk
your canine pal. And when was the last time your dog had its flea or
heart medication? A new, easy-to-use three-button device called the
Dog-e-Minder should help solve some of these problems. It attaches to
your pet’s collar and shows the last time your dog was fed, walked or
had its medication. When idle, the Dog-e-Minder works as a backlit
identification tag. Read More
The Electronic Key Impressioner (EKI) is a
portable device that can reproduce practically any car key. It uses a
sensor that goes into the lock and sends information back to a computer
via USB about the location of the lock's tumblers - a corresponding
computer program searches for the code and a key-cutting machine can use
it to grind out a key. Read More
Google Maps gets slope view in time for the Winter Olympics
By Darren Quick
February 10, 2010
Google has ripped the camera rig off one of its Street View
cars and slung it on a snowmobile to bring slope view to Google Maps.
Now web skiers will be able to experience some of the runs the world’s
best skiers will be racing down when the Winter Olympics kicks off this
week. The slope-level imagery complements new aerial imagery of the
Vancouver-Whistler area to give sports fans a different perspective of
competition venues and courses. Read More
Scientists create sensors for subs based on fish anatomy
By Ben Coxworth
February 10, 2010
When you think about it, fish can do some pretty
remarkable things. They can find prey in murky water, travel in
tightly-packed schools without colliding, they always know what depth
they’re at, and they manage to avoid being swept away by invisible
underwater currents. They’re able to do all of these things and more
thanks to their lateral lines - rows of tiny hair cell
clusters that run down each side of their bodies. These clusters, known
as neuromasts, pick up on changes in water pressure and transmit that
information to the brain. Now, researchers in Illinois have created an artificial lateral line, that could someday be used to keep man-made submersibles out of harm’s way. Read More
If you’ve been a sports car enthusiast for any
period of time, this article may well make you feel old. The Z car has
turned 40, middle aged for a human, but positively geriatric in
automotive terms. The Datsun 240Z arrived in North America on October
22, 1969. Sports cars had previously been usually English, could be
relied upon to break down regularly enough to become an integral part of
your lifestyle and if you could afford to keep one, (accounting for the
inflated price and an upkeep cost akin to a heroin habit), wealthy. The
240z sold at a ridiculously proletarian US$3,626, ran as hard as a
Porsche and refused to break down, even when used as daily transport. It
was a landmark car and did much to democratize sports car ownership.
Nissan has created a limited (1000 units only) production 370Z 40th
Anniversary Edition, available later this month at US$38,860. Read More
Fujifilm has announced a host of upcoming digital
camera releases, the most notable among them being the FinePix HS10
which packs 30X optical zoom and HD 1080p video at 30fps. The
sophisticated bridge camera features a 10MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor
with Triple Image Stabilization, can capture up to 10fps at full
resolution and offers an impressive choice of shooting modes. Read More
Ferrari's new 458 selling for US$39,000 above list price
By Gizmag Team
February 10, 2010
Some of us might have done it tough financially
over the last year or so, but you’ll be pleased to know that not
everyone is struggling with the mortgage. U.K.’s Glasses Dealer Guide
reports that the very pretty new Ferrari 458 Italia is in such demand
that fashion-conscious aficionados are competing to bypass the
three-year waiting list by paying more than GBP25,000 (US$39,000) above
the GBP170,000 (US$265,000) list price. Read More
Once upon a time, golfers had to be content with
tossing a few blades of grass in the air and squinting at a distant
green, muttering: "it looks like an easy four iron". Fairway distance
markers help, but the arrival of pocket-sized rangefinders and GPS equipped golf watches has been another nail in the coffin of what some purists would call the art
of golfing. On the other hand - it's a game that would drive a Zen
master raving mad at times, so why not make the most of what technology
has to offer ... and why not do it in style? Which brings us to the
elegant Reconvilier Hercules Golf Master. This rotating timepiece has
two functions - on one side it shows a classic analogue display but when
tee-off time comes around, it flips over to show digital measurements
of the distance to the front edge or center of the green. Read More
Gizmag has followed the progress of the all-new Volvo S60 from concept
stage and now the production version is finally here ... well, just
about. The new four-door coupe which features ground-breaking Pedestrian Detection
safety technology (including full auto brake) and a choice of two
diesel engines (2.4L 205bhp D5 and a 2.0L 163bhp D3) and one petrol
engine (an uprated high-performance 3.0L T6 petrol version with 304bhp)
will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show from 2 March. Click through
for a look at the technology packed S60 in detail. Read More
Nanopool says the case is clear for spray-on glass
By Ben Coxworth
February 10, 2010
Yep, you read it right, spray-on glass. It could
revolutionize the fields of agriculture, medicine, fashion,
transportation - really, it would be easier to list where it might not
be applicable. The remarkable product, called Liquid Glass, was
developed by the German nano-tech firm Nanopool GmbH. Their patented
process, known as “SiO2 ultra thin layering” involves extracting silica
molecules from quartz sand, adding them to water or ethanol, and then...
well, they won’t tell us what they do next, but the end result is a 100
nanometer-thick, clear, flexible, breathable coating that can be
applied to almost any surface. We’re told that there are no added
nano-particles, resins or additives - the coating is formed using
quantum forces.
The possible uses are endless. Read More
Britain's first amphibious bus nearly becomes a submarine
By Loz Blain
February 10, 2010
Great Britain's first amphibious bus service has
hit a slight snag in testing - a component failure halting the
Stagecoach Amphibious Bus in its third crossing of the river Clyde
between Renfrew and Yoker in Scotland. Proposed as a replacement for a
ferry service that's set to close down next month, the "amfibus" is
designed to deliver a 'seamless' trip across the Clyde with minimal
transition time between its regular coach mode and jet-powered water
crossing mode. Read More
Using a skin graft to give city eyesores an eco-friendly face-lift
By Darren Quick
February 11, 2010
There’s no doubt fashion is fleeting. What might
be the height of fashion today is almost certainly the fashion faux pas
of tomorrow. Thankfully, clothes and hairstyles are easy to change and
we’re not getting around in leg warmers and new romantic bouffants
anymore – well most of us aren’t. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to
change the look of a building. What was the pinnacle of architectural
design in the '60s is often the eyesore of the skyline today. The
Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) proposes a simple, cost
effective, easily constructed skin that promises to transform dated
structures into sustainable and stunning buildings. Read More
Love your music but can’t understand why it sends
your cat or dog flying out of the room? Well, apparently it’s because
your furry friend hears the high and low frequencies in sounds that the
human ear can’t detect – so playing your favorite tunes can really
irritate, disturb or even scare your pet. Here’s a clever solution that
could soon have you both in auditory heaven - the My Pet Speaker. It
reduces the unsettling frequencies of music - so it’s gentle on your
pet’s ears - and lets you still enjoy the music you love. Read More
Radical DeltaWing rocket-shaped car proposed to revitalise IndyCar
By Loz Blain
February 11, 2010
Two of four submissions have now been unveiled by
the companies wishing to produce the next generation of IndyCar
open-wheel racers, and the most recent one is one of the most
fascinating looking racecars we've ever seen. The DeltaWing is a radical
departure from traditional open-wheeler design - in fact, the only
thing you could really compare it to is the bizarre lovechild of a drag
racer and a Batmobile. With its comically narrow rocketship front end,
broad rear end and narrow tyres, the DeltaWing aims to outperform the
current crop of IndyCars for significantly less money, while delivering
extraordinary efficiency gains and leaving a clear airstream for
following cars, in order to promote close racing and overtaking. But is
the public ready for a car that looks... so little like a car? Read More
Google to launch experimental 1Gbps fiber-to-the-home network
By Jeff Salton
February 11, 2010
Google plans to roll-out an experimental trial of
an ultra high-speed 1 gigabit per second (1Gbps) fiber-to-the-home
(FFTH) broadband service that is around 100 times faster than most
Americans experience today. Google says the service will be delivered to
a number of cities or communities – 50,000 to 500,000 residents -
somewhere of its choosing in the USA in a effort to investigate new ways
of making Internet access better and faster for everyone. Read More
In what would have to be one of the craftiest
marketing ploys seen in recent times, UK company X2 Computing has
announced the release of its new tablet PC named – you guessed it - the
iTablet. Aiming to give the Apple iPad a run for its money, it features
a 1.6GHz Intel processor, 250GB of memory and a 1.3MP webcam, the
conveniently named tablet also offers support for Flash and the choice
of Windows 7 and Linux operating systems. Read More
The pace of change in the last two decades is
lost on no-one, but a birthday later this week might serve to remind
everyone of the magnitude of the digital renaissance. On February 19,
1990, Adobe sent out its initial batch of 200 copies of Photoshop 1.0.
In two decades since, it has transformed the imaging and graphics world
and sits on the desktop of than 90% of creative professionals. There are
2,500 English language books with Photoshop in the title, more than
50,000 blogs with Photoshop in the name and almost every computer
training facility in the world teaches courses on the subject. Photoshop
1.0 launched into and helped catalyse the DTP revolution and it’s
birthday serves as a timely reminder that just word publishing meant
“printing on paper” just two decades ago. Happy birthday Adobe! Read More
Porsche to show 911 GT3 R Mechanical Hybrid race car
By Mike Hanlon
February 11, 2010
Ferdinand Porsche developed the world’s first
hybrid car in 1900 and showed the car, the Lohner Mixte, to the public
at the Paris Auto Show of 1901. Hence, it is entirely appropriate that
Porsche should introduce the hybrid drive to production-based GT racing.
One hundred and nine years after that Paris debut, the Porsche 911 GT3 R
with hybrid drive will debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Remarkably, the
two 60 kW electric motors on the front axle drive are not supplied their
energy by conventional chemical batteries, but by an electrical
flywheel power generator originally developed the AT&T Williams F1
team.
Read More
The ErgoMotion keyboard doesn't look that
different to a few other ergonomically designed models out there, but it
is. The keyboard is powered to change the angle, up and down, which
prevents the user from typing at the one angle for hours on end and is
designed to reduce repetition injuries to the arm, shoulder, wrist and
hands. If you're one of those people who never remembers to alter their
typing position, the keyboard is pre-programmed to alter its angle so
you don't have to. SmartFish recently spoke to Gizmag about the powered
keyboard and its other ergonomic offering - the tilting mouse. Read More
While folding bicycles have been around for a
while now, this new variation can be folded with a swiftness and
elegance never seen before. The 2-second slide-folding bicycle was
designed to be folded quickly while you are walking. Once folded, the
rider can push the bicycle along with ease much like one would push a
wheel-barrow. Read More
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