There's no air to breathe, it's 400 degrees
Celsius and you are six long years away from home. Welcome to Mercury,
the smallest and perhaps most mysterious planet in the Solar System. The
European Space Agency (ESA) is aiming to increase our knowledge of the
Sun's closest neighbor by launching its BepiColombo spacecraft to the
planet Mercury in 2014. One of the key challenges faced by the mission
is not just getting there, but also how to apply the brakes against the
Sun’s gravitational pull when you do... and that's where QinetiQ's
solar-electric ion propulsion system comes in. The company has just
announced a £23m contract with EADS Astrium for the supply of its system
for the BepiColombo mission. Read More
To celebrate the success of its V12 Vantage Aston Martin has debuted a Carbon Black Edition at this year’s Geneva Auto Show.
Additionally, to commemorate Dr. Ulrich Bez’s 10th year as Chief
Executive of the company, a DBS UB-2010 edition was unveiled along with a
new Works Service Tailored service. The new service offers customers of
both new and existing Aston Martins personal tailored options focusing
on customizing color and materials to customer’s personal tastes. Read More
In a step that could see communication wires
banished from homes and offices researchers have developed a miniature
device capable of converting ultra-fast laser pulses into bursts of
radio-frequency signals. The advance could enable all communications,
from HDTV broadcasts to secure computer connections, to be transmitted
from a single base station. Read More
With the Academy Awards just days away, movie
fans online are increasingly discussing the ten nominees for best
picture along with the five actors and five actresses nominated in a
lead role, according to Nielsen Research. Nielsen spiders, records and
monitors most open-to-web blogs, forums, groups and a whole range of
social media to see which subjects command share-of-voice and makes this
massive database available to companies as part of its suite of
research offerings – interestingly, though the betting odds available from bookmakers doesn’t quite mirror the share-of-voice, there’s clearly a high correlation. Read More
This year's TechFest has brought together
researchers from around the globe to present, experience and discuss
some of the emerging technologies from Microsoft's Research wing.
Highlights include a mobile version of the company's Surface platform, a
voice recognition transcription system with auto-translate and a couple
of projects which use the body as a computer interface. Read More
The Joos Orange personal solar device is an
affordable, durable, and waterproof energy source that can be charged by
a USB, works in low-light conditions and offers up to 20 times more
energy when compared to existing personal solar devices. It delivers
more than two and a half hours of cell phone talk time for every hour it
has been charged and its polycarbonate case has been encapsulated in
urethane ensuring that it is rugged enough to be used outside for many
years. The battery can generate enough power to fully charge six
standard cell phones or four smart phones and the unit is expected to
retail for less than US$100. Read More
It’s a problem as old as the flashlight - or the
automobile, whichever came second ... you know you should keep a
flashlight in your car, but chances are that if you do, its batteries
will be dead by the time you need it. This is especially likely if you
live somewhere that gets cold winters, where just a few hours parked
outside could send your car-flashlight’s batteries into hibernation.
There’s a nifty new product, however, that addresses this problem. It
called the Spotlight, and it’s a small yet heavy-duty flashlight that
plugs straight into your car’s dashboard power socket, where it will
stay charged constantly. Read More
Over the years, we’ve profiled some pretty fancy video projectors
here on Gizmag, but this one ... well, it ain’t one of them. But that's
the point. The Ultraprojector has no sound, no menu or controls, and a
screen resolution of just 320x240 pixels. On the plus side, though, it
doesn’t need to be hooked up to a video source when projecting, it runs
silently, it’s weather-resistant (not waterproof) and it’s cheap...ish. Read More
If you’ve ever gone down to the seashore and
tried to pull mussels off rocks (and hey, who hasn’t?), then you’ll know
how tenacious their holdfasts can be - although they can be tugged back
and forth, it’s almost impossible to actually remove them. Recently,
scientists at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces
analyzed how the delicious mollusks are able to to achieve such a feat
of natural engineering. What they discovered could find its way into
human technology. Read More
By definition all netbooks are pretty thin and
light to begin with, so the fact that TriGem USA is laying claim to the
thinnest and lightest 10.1-inch netbook on the market with its Averatec
N1200 Series isn’t something to sneeze at. Weighing in at 2.2 lbs (a
smidge under 1kg) and measuring less than one-inch thick the N1200 will
be offered in various configurations based on either the Windows XP or
Windows 7 Starter operating systems. Read More
“In the developing world, more than 1 billion
people cannot get clean drinking water... The United Nations says that
dirty water causes 80 percent of diseases in the developing world, and
kills 10 million people annually.” Those sobering lines are from the
United Nations’ website, and underscore just how urgently needed water
purification is in much of the world. What many people don’t realize,
however, is that there are already naturally-occurring water filtration
supplies available in many of these areas. They come in the form of
seeds from the Moringa oleifera tree, and used properly, they can produce a 90.00 to 99.99% bacterial reduction in previously untreated water. Read More
Everyone knows there’s a lot of pornographic
material on the Internet. It’s easy to find if you’re looking for it but
sometimes it’s just as easy when you’re not looking for it. The use of
tricky or confusing URLs and other misleading descriptions can mean
opening or downloading inappropriate images accidentally. And in some
cases unsuspecting users may be unaware that this material exists on
their computers. Paraben’s Porn Detection Stick (PDS) is a USB stick
loaded with software designed to find and remove illicit images from
your PC to protect your family, business or organization. Read More
It's been a long time coming. While Arthur C.
Clarke's satellites have taken to space, and James Bond's futuristic
mobile technology has become common place, still the legend of Icarus
has captivated us and the dream of sustained personal flight has eluded
us. But the future is here! Finally we can all take flight as Martin
Aircraft in New Zealand releases the first commercially-available jet
pack! Read More
After accidentally releasing details of its new
additions to the Lumix G Micro System earlier in the week, Panasonic has
now officially revealed the G2 and the G10 Micro Four Thirds cameras.
The G2 features a 12.1 megapixel sensor, a rotating touchscreen display
and 720p high definition AVCHD Lite video. The lightweight G10 looks
almost identical but is actually a trimmed down version of the G2. Read More
There’s all sorts of massage chairs
available, but many of them are excessively large and to be honest -
not particularly blessed with good looks. The Foldaway Massage Chair not
only delivers a massage to the legs, feet, back and buttocks – it folds
up into a colorful footstool that can be used as an extra piece of
furniture or stored neatly away. Read More
Hungarian designers Antro are aiming to introduce
a new fuel efficient vehicle to the consumer market by 2012 which will
rely on the muscle-power of driver and passengers as well as a hybrid
fuel/electric engine. The designers are also looking to have the
three-seater SOLO link up to another to make one vehicle capable of
carrying six people. Read More
At the PMA 2010 convention Fujifilm’s theme was
“Expand the World of Imaging”. The company took its theme literally,
announcing 18 different camera models across their digital and film
product lines. From compact digital point-and-shoot models to a folding
medium-format film camera, Fujifilm unveiled a broad array of new and
updated technology including Fujinon optics, HD movie capability, facial
recognition (for humans and pets), and 3D imaging. Read More
The laptops used by mobile gamers have to be
powerful beasts in order to offer the kind of smooth, detailed graphics
and slick gameplay exacting users demand. The latest example to make
claim to the title of fastest laptop in the world is the X8100 from
Taiwan's Clevo. The credentials begin with a choice of three Core i7
processors, either one or two nVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics processors
with SLI technology support, a 18.4in full high definition display, up
to 8Gb DDR3 memory, space for up to three SATA drives and touch
sensitive hot keys. Read More
Always thought your skin was more than just a
device to keep your insides tucked in neatly and out of harms’ way?
Well, you were right. Chris Harrison has developed Skinput, a way in
which your skin can become a touch screen device or your fingers buttons
on a MP3 controller. Harrison says that as electronics get smaller and
smaller they have become more adaptable to being worn on our bodies, but
a couple of drawbacks are that the monitor and keypad/keyboard have to
be big enough for us to operate the equipment. This can defeat the
purpose of small devices but with the clever acoustics and impact
sensing software, Harrison and his team can give your skin the same
functionality as a keypad. Add a pico projector attached to an arm band,
and your wrist becomes a touch screen. Read More
Students at Virginia Tech's Unmanned Systems
Laboratory are perfecting an autonomous helicopter they hope will never
be used for its intended purpose. Roughly six feet long and weighing 200
pounds, the re-engineered aircraft is designed to fly into American
cities blasted by a nuclear weapon or dirty bomb. Its main mission would
be to assist military investigators in detecting radiation levels,
mapping and photographing damage after such an attack. Read More
USB sticks are great for file sharing, apart from
a couple of drawbacks. Sometimes you want to share only some content of
the drive, or the drive just isn’t big enough to hold all the
information you want to share. The Infinitec Infinite USB Memory (IUM)
drive provides you with a way to share absolutely all, or just selected
content, wirelessly to any device with a USB port. You can even use it
to stream movies from your laptop to your TV. And while it is being
marketed as the world's first infinite memory USB memory drive, the
device doesn't actually store information, it's really a wireless
network device with similar "infinite memory" functions to the Eye-fi Pro X2 we featured earlier this year. Read More
Zotac International appears to be amongst the
first to announce a new computer system featuring the next generation
NVIDIA ION graphics processor. The ZBOX HD-ID11 mini-PC has a small
footprint, low power draw but promises to deliver big system performance
with full 1080p video playback, 7.1 digital surround sound and the
facility to easily pop in your own memory and storage medium. Read More
Serious mountain bikers are always looking for a
competitive edge. Often, that can mean extracting every ounce of energy
from their bodies and their equipment. Danish high-end mountain bike
builder Pronghorn has designed a bike frame the company calls its
Anti-Power-Loss-System (APLS) where the rear shock absorber is mounted
on the top tube. This, says the company, better utilizes the rider’s
energy by delivering power more efficiently to the back wheel when the
rider needs it - climbing uphill or negotiating technical courses -
while performing like a full suspension model on the downslope. Read More
Faced with increasingly strict regulations
on public smoking, Japanese smokers are left with few designated
smoking areas where they light one up. In order to help these people
locate assigned smoking areas, Katabami Crafts has created a free
"Smoking Map" iPhone application. Read More
Freeing oneself from the shackles of wired PC
periphery does come at a cost. In order to power such liberation, users
rely on batteries. Even rechargeable ones impede workflow when they run
out of juice. Designer Adele Peters proposes capturing the energy from
moving, clicking and scrolling and using it to power Corky, a kinetic
mouse made from recycled materials. Read More
Sigma Corporation, known primarily for camera
lenses, has re-introduced its top-end SD15 DSLR as well as five new
lenses and two new compact digital cameras. The SD15 features a 14MP
Foveon X3 sensor and boasts a 21 shot RAW buffer (at 3fps). The lenses
feature Sigma’s new “F” low-dispersion glass, fast speeds, and image
stabilization. They will be available for Canon, Nikon, and other
mounts. Sigma’s new DP1x and DP2s compact cams both feature 14MP large
DSLR-size sensors and new autofocus capability. Read More
If you're in the market for a tablet computer but
don't relish parting with a significant wad of cash then the iLet Mini
HAL from Haleron Technologies could just fit the bill. The budget
touchscreen tablet comes with only 2Gb of internal storage but there's
SD card expansion and free online storage. WiFi and 3G and support for
multiple file formats also feature. Read More
Hyundai Motor Company has rolled out the latest
addition to its Blue Drive™ line-up at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show - the
i-flow. Sharing similar lines to the Blue Will Concept shown in Detroit in January, the concept hybrid certainly lives up to its name... flow
it does. The aerodynamic skin, coupled with the use of lightweight
materials, solar panels and innovative design elements like an adaptive
front spoiler and side rocker blades, add up to a claimed fuel
efficiency of 3L/100km and CO2 output of just 85g/km. Read More
Italy-based technology developer Sisvel and
imaging start-up 3DSwitch are promoting a device that gives your TV the
brains to recognize automatically whether you’re watching 2D or 3D. The
technology works by detecting if you’re wearing your 3D stereoscopic
glasses. No glasses, then the TV switches to 2D. Read More
A study at the University of Maryland has the
potential to help movement-impaired people to control the operation of
artificial limbs or computer systems without having to undergo extensive
training or invasive surgery. The researchers have successfully
reconstructed 3D hand movements by decoding electrical brain signals
picked up from sensors placed on the scalps of volunteers. Read More
The commercialization of Online Electric Vehicle (OLEV) technology
developed by researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology (KAIST) has taken another step forward with the introduction
of an OLEV “train” for public transportation in Seoul’s Grand Park in
Gwacheon City. The vehicle picks up electricity from power cables buried
underground through a non-contact magnetic charging method and replaces
a trackless combustion engine train running inside the park. Read More
Many people recognize Macs as being great work
tools, especially for those in the creative sectors. However, if you
like your games, often the PC was your best platform because of the
amount of available content. Some Mac users were forced to deploy
Parallels, Crossover Games, or Boot Camp, to play PC games on their Mac,
but they've all got their drawbacks. So Mac users rejoice – Valve, a
major provider of online gaming through its Steam online distribution
service, is coming to OS X users. From April, Steam and Valve's library
of games that include Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life
series will be available on the Mac. And because the company is
treating Macs as a tier-1 platform, all future games and updates will be
simultaneously released on Windows, Mac and Xbox 360. Read More
PQ Labs showed off its G3 touchscreen technology
at this year's CeBIT by installing it into a coffee table called the
iTable. Sensors around the edge of the display can register up to 32
touch points and determine the different shapes created by placing
fingers, hands or a multitude of other objects directly on the glass
screen. Read More
Many people have come to associate the pops and
crackles heard on vinyl LP’s as an inevitable part of a record’s aging
process - the more it’s played, the more scratches and pockmarks it
develops. According to Australian inventor Cary Stoddard, however, most
of those noises are actually due to minute particles of things like
mould, dust, oils, skin, and smoke that have become embedded in the
grooves. While conventional record brushes can’t remove them, he claims
that his product can, potentially restoring your records to
near-pristine condition. Read More
Mamiya has announced that its DM33 and DM56
professional modular digital SLR systems are to be joined by a 40
megapixel, large sensor version. The DM40 brings together the expertise
of Schneider-Kreuznach, Leaf Phase One and of course Mamiya to offer
users a choice of two shutter systems, a lush 16 bit/channel color
palette, touchscreen display and powerful supporting processing
software. Read More
The humble mobile phone. What started out as a
communication device has quickly evolved to become a take anywhere
entertainment apparatus and essential tool for work and play. So much so
that many people feel panic-stricken if they accidentally leave their
phone at home. Such separation anxiety could be even worse in the future
with a patent filed by Apple suggesting that the company wants the
iPhone to replace your house and car keys and wallet, thereby making it
even more indispensable. Read More
It's ironic that I should be writing this on a 13
hour stopover at an airport doling out foreign notes for endless
coffees in Starbucks to justify my use of their power socket and WiFi.
What I really need right now is a comfortable fold-out rocking chair
that converts my languorous rocking movement into electrical energy to
power my laptop. If only such a thing existed! Well, it might not be too
far away. The Empower chair won second prize out of 18 shortlisted
designs showcased at the Greener Gadgets 2010 Conference... Read More
Keeping a steady hand is vitally important for
many professions where the use of a static or purely mechanical handrest
just isn’t practical or possible. A new computer-controlled, motorized
hand and arm support will let doctors, artists, machinists and others
precisely control scalpels, brushes and tools over a wider area than
otherwise possible, and with less fatigue. Read More
MIT scientists have discovered that a moving
pulse of heat traveling along the miniscule wires known as carbon
nanotubes can cause powerful waves of energy. These "thermopower waves"
can drive electrons along like a collection of flotsam propelled along
the surface of ocean waves, creating an electrical current. The
previously unknown phenomenon opens up a new area of energy research and
could lead to a new way of producing electricity. Read More
Having spent around five hours with the single
player campaign and around 15 hours on multiplayer, I still feel I've
only scratched the surface of what's on offer in Bad Company 2, so I'm
not going to call this a full review. My impressions focus on the
multiplayer aspect of the game. In short, it's the new high-water mark
of multiplayer gaming on the Xbox 360. Read More
Seashells have done an exemplary job of
protecting their inhabitants for around a hundred million years, so
perhaps it isn’t surprising that scientists and chemists have now
replicated their unique structure in a manmade material. Taking
inspiration from shells, researchers from the University of Manchester
and the University of Leeds have successfully reinforced calcium
carbonate, or chalk, with polystyrene particles such as those used in
disposable drinking cups. Their achievement could lead to stronger
building and bone replacement materials, or other practical
applications. Read More
When you first see the Lace-amatic shoelace-tying
device you could be forgiven for wondering who would need, use or even
want this product – after all, isn’t that why we have Velcro shoes? But
for people who struggle with dexterity, flexibility or strength or for
those who just want to get their shoes on and off quickly, the
Lace-amatic makes a lot of sense. It allows you to tighten and loosen
tied shoelaces and lets you get knotted shoes on and off in an
instant…it’s simple, ergonomically sound and could make a job that many
people find difficult, just that little bit easier. Read More
If you were wondering why Acer has been
relatively quiet of late, the answer probably lies in the number of new
products the company chose to unveil at this year's CeBIT show in
Germany recently. Almost hidden amongst the raft of new desktops and
notebooks was a monitor that has its own media player and WiFi
capabilities, a powerful gaming machine and a pocket-sized projector.
Read More
After all the hype prompted by the success of Avatar
in cinemas and the flood of 3D technology unveiled at trade shows like
CES 2010, 3D TV is finally becoming a reality in living rooms. All the
major players are well and truly on the 3D bandwagon and they’re set to
make a lot of noise to try and entice consumers on board too. To help
you navigate the 3D waters as various companies spruik their particular
brand of 3D technology we’ve taken a look at what's on offer, when it
will hit shelves and how much it will cost. Read More
Netbooks and laptops are convenient for
travelers, students and mobile workers, but with portability comes the
drawbacks of a small keyboard and viewing monitor, which means it’s not
the ideal setting for long computer sessions at home or in the office.
The Warpia Easy Dock allows users to wirelessly connect their
netbook/notebook/MacBook to any traditional desktop setting – easier on
the eyes, ears and hands. Read More
A boat that flies. Now there's a vehicle Phileas
Fogg could really have used. Zep'lin is a blue-sky concept developed by
industrial designer Damien Grossemy during a five month internship at
Renault which imagines the use of solar panel sails and electric
propulsion to liberate the yacht-like vehicle from terra firma. Read More
The all-electric Tesla Roadster
is indeed a fine-looking, high-performance automobile, but its
projected $US109,000 price tag will likely put it out of reach of the
much sought-after Generation Y demographic. Tesla’s less-pricey Model S
four-door sedan is more of a refined, subtly-classy car – again, not
something the fun-loving twenty-somethings will be flocking to. So, how
does an electric car company come up a vehicle that the young folks will
like? Easy, they get some of those kids to design the car for them. In Tesla’s case, the result is a stunning concept vehicle called the Eye. Read More
PS3 owners will soon be able to watch digital
versions of new release HD movies via their gaming consoles. Sony has
signed an agreement with 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures,
Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution to provide high definition (HD)
movies for purchase and rental on the PlayStation Network video delivery
service in the US. Read More
Ricoh has announced two new lens units for its unique modular GXR
digital camera platform. The P10 28-300mm wide zoom and A12 28mm fast
prime lens units each include the sensor and image processor built into
the module. These modules slide onto the GXR body, allowing the
photographer to change both the lens and sensor to accommodate different
photographic situations. Read More
This year's Geneva Motor Show
has seen a deluge of delectable concepts unveiled and one of the finest
pieces of eye-candy presented must surely be the Pandion. Created to
celebrate Alfa Romeo’s one hundred year anniversary and also marking 75
years of collaboration with Italy’s legendary styling house Bertone
(think Lamborghini Countach among many others), the Pandion hides a 4.7
liter, 450 CV 8-cylinder Alfa Romeo engine beneath some very well honed
curves and a narrow T-shaped grill at the front that would make this the
perfect ride for a Cylon. Read More
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