MEDL Technology recently showed off its fully
functional, multi-purpose 13 inch display at the Spring DEMO conference
in California. With its own power source and a number of connectivity
options, The Panel not only offers extra screen real-estate to business
and consumer laptop users but also to anyone wishing to show off a photo
collection direct from a digital camera or watch a movie on the move or
make gaming less reliant on complicated timeshare schedules being drawn
up for the family TV. Read More
Scheduled to go on sale at Honda
dealers throughout Japan this May, the ENEPO EU9iGB is pretty compact
as far as generators go. It's powered by common butane canisters, which
makes for safe and easy storage in contrast with gasoline-fueled
alternatives. A fold-down handle makes transport dead simple, as the
design is reminiscent of carry-on luggage with two wheels at the base.
Read More
It's not unusual to see some bizarre and
extraordinary creations at the London Fashion Show and this year
Cassette Playa continued this fine tradition with a live augmented
reality catwalk performance. CGI animations on screens behind the models
on the catwalk were triggered by different symbols on the clothing
being shown, transporting the audience into a rich, colorful digital
world where the boundaries separating reality and the virtual are
blurred. Read More
Available in wired and wireless models the Eclipse litetouch Keyboard is a companion to the Eclipse Touch Mouse
we covered earlier this year. Both wired and wireless versions have an
interesting LCD 3-in-1 touch panel alongside the backlit scissor keys
which, with a single press, switches between media mode, numerical pad
and the customizable “MyEclipse” mode. Read More
Following natural disasters such as the Haiti
earthquake and Hurricane Katrina, potable water is often in high demand
and short supply. In both of those instances, the disaster zones were
near the sea, but converting salty seawater to potable fresh water
usually requires a large amount of dependable electrical power and
large-scale desalination plants - neither of which were available in the
disaster areas. A new approach to desalination, called ion
concentration polarization, could lead to small, portable desalination
units that could be powered by solar cells or batteries and could
deliver enough fresh water to supply the needs of a family or small
village. Read More
The Magic Wheel Scooter fits in a niche somewhere
in the middle of a skateboard, a unicycle and in-line skates. While
riders in the promotional video below make riding the scooter look easy,
we reckon it will take some getting used to, as will the stares from
passers-by. However, it looks like a bit of fun, and certainly not as
radical as the Loop-In
concept board. It appears functional, too, especially if you live at
the bottom of a hill and need to get home in a hurry. But with no
handlebars, pedals or brakes, an element of bravado is required to
master this piece of technology. Read More
If you’re looking to boost the off-road
capabilities of the already pretty capable Hummer H2 then look no
further than the Hummer H2 Bomber. This customized vehicle from
Germany’s Geiger Cars replaces the H2’s regular 8.5” x 20” rims and
305/60 tires with Mattracks 88M1-A1 rubber tracks on each wheel. These
massive structures, 40cm wide and 150cm long, guarantee unrivaled
traction on virtually any terrain. Read More
I'm still rocking a launch-era PS3, and it's always felt like an investment rather than a money sink. Since launch, Sony has added DivX/Xvid playback,
improved PSP Remote Play functionality, the affordable PlayTV PVR, and
in Australia, support for the ABC's catch-up TV service called iView. So
it pains me to report on the upcoming firmware update, which removes
the Other OS feature from the non-Slim PS3s which were available until
Q4 2009 - adding nothing in return. Read More
Where was this product when I was growing up?
Aqua Antics’ Water Bomb Factory is a child’s dream come true. Just
watching the video (below) conjures up (slightly evil) thoughts of
saturating family, friends and foe. Overton’s – basically a watersport
enthusiast’s supermarket – says the Water Bomb Factory lets children (of
all ages) tie up to ten balloons a minute, which could arm kids with a
sizable stockpile in no time at all. Read More
Sure, LED tattoos
might look cool, but now scientists have found an even better use for
flexible silicon technology. In what represents the first use of such
technology for a medical application a team of cardiologists, materials
scientists, and bioengineers has created and tested a new type of
implantable device for measuring the heart’s electrical output that the
team says is a vast improvement over current devices and could also mark
the beginning of a new wave of surgical electronics. Read More
The first NVIDIA GeForce 400 series GPUs have
broken cover in the shape of the GTX470 and the GTX480. Representing the
first of the Fermi line of consumer products, the gaming graphics units
offer dense geometric and photo-realistic image rendering, full high
definition 3D performance and the ability to expand screen real-estate
across three displays. Read More
One of the key challenges when designing nuclear
reactors is finding materials that can withstand the massive
temperatures, radiation, physical stress and corrosive conditions of
these extreme environments. Exposure to high radiation alone produces
significant damage at the nanoscale, so scientists at Los Alamos
National Laboratory, New Mexico, have been working on a mechanism that
allows nanocrystalline materials to heal themselves after suffering
radiation-induced damage. This gives hope for materials that will
improve the reliability, safety and lifespan of nuclear energy systems.
Read More
When most of us are surfing the Web we generally
do it in much the same way we read a newspaper. We scan the entire page
looking for information that interests us before focusing our attention
on that area. But imagine if your computer display only allowed you to
see one line at a time. Finding that relevant nugget of information
suddenly changes from a simple exercise to a time consuming chore.
That’s the problem facing blind computer users today who are forced to
rely on expensive electronic Braille displays that only show one line of
text at a time. Researchers have now developed a concept that could
enable a full-page, refreshable Braille display that would allow the
blind to take full advantage of the Web and other computer applications.
Read More
If you've ever felt a little queasy watching your
plane's wings flex under the strain of being at 10,000 feet, rest
assured that they can bend a lot further. Just how much pressure modern
airliner wings can take is demonstrated by the latest 787 Dreamliner
news from Boeing. During a recent "ultimate-load wing up-bending test,"
the 787 was subjected to loads 150 percent greater than it can expect
to endure during service with the wings flexed upward by approximately
25 feet (7.6 meters) over a period of two hours. Read More
We’ve looked at the problem of orbiting space junk
before and the threat it poses to the future of space exploration and
the use of satellites. Now scientists have devised a miniature
“nanosatellite” fitted with a “solar sail”
that can be used on satellites or upper stage launch vehicles. Once the
equipment that has reached the end of its mission, the solar sails can
be deployed to successfully achieve de-orbit. While it won’t cut the
amount of debris already whizzing around above our heads, it will help
stop future missions adding to the problem. Read More
It seems that hailing a fuel-cell powered black cab
won't be the only option for Londoners looking to grab a green fare.
Now ready for trials, this plug-in electric conversion of the Mercedes
Vito can carry up to six people and has a range of 120 kilometers on a
single six hour charge. Read More
Currently robots need to be precisely programmed
for each step of a given task, but the move towards autonomous systems
will see robots reacting intelligently to their surroundings and
performing tasks largely independently. To do this they will need to
rely on their own sensory perceptions. However, in harsh environments,
laid low by fumes, dust, water, high temperatures or low visibility, new
senses are called for – perhaps even sensory organs that humans lack.
Researchers have fitted an underwater robot with an artificial sensory
organ inspired by the so-called lateral line system found in fish and
some amphibians that lets it orient itself in murky waters. Read More
If you're looking for an easy way to make your
contribution to saving the planet, then it could be as simple as
switching your font to 'Century Gothic'. University of Wisconsin - Green
Bay (UWGB) has rolled out the change this semester, saying it uses 30%
less ink than its default font Arial when printed. Read More
Looking more like a futuristic stretch limo than a
bus, the Superbus is a 15-meter long vehicle that provides seating for
23 passengers who can embark and disembark via its 16 gull-wing doors
(eight on each side). The electric bus runs on four E2M
electric motors powered by rechargeable batteries with its highly
streamlined shape and lightweight construction designed to keep energy
consumption down as it hurtles along at 155 mph. Read More
A British company believes it has come up with a
revolutionary seat upgrade for racetrack riders. The Chicane saddle unit
ditches the traditional foam butt-pad for a series of rollers and gears
to allow riders to slide smoothly from knee-down left to knee-down
right in a tight series of corners without having to lift their entire
bodyweight off the seat to do so. It's a fascinating idea, particularly
for those of us that find track riding physically demanding on the legs -
and the inventors believe it could help dampen the bowel-loosening
sideways flick of a highside as well. Read More
Lower cost solar panels using plastic electronics
By Jeff Salton
March 30, 2010
It seems that half the world’s R&D is
involved in solar energy, which isn’t a bad thing considering the mess
our reliance on traditional energy generation has got us into.
Interestingly, engineers at Princeton University have developed a new
technique for producing electricity-conducting plastics that could
dramatically lower the cost of manufacturing solar panels, making
alternative power within reach of more consumers and industry. Read More
Limited edition Nürburgring package for Lexus LFA
By Jeff Salton
March 30, 2010
The Lexus LFA supercar
was a long time coming, but little time has been wasted in bringing a
mod-kit aimed at hardcore track driving enthusiasts to market. The
Nürburgring package offers new aerodynamics including a fixed rear wing
which delivers greater downforce, a power increase to more than 562bhp,
gearshift times cut to just 0.15 seconds, 0-62mph acceleration in 3.7
seconds and the top speed of 202mph is maintained in spite of higher
downforce. Read More
Trying to get to your phone whilst it’s buried at
the bottom of your bag is not the way to make friends with your local
librarian. If researchers at Deutsche Telekom (DT) in Berlin, Germany
get their way though, soon a magnet and a simple hand gesture could be
all you need to silence any phone... provided it has a compass sensor.
Read More
The UK is getting a new £40 million (US$60
million) International Space Innovation Center (ISIC) as part of the
Government’s plans to support Britain’s growing space sector. The
announcement came at the launch of the UK's new Space Agency. Read More
Mazda has struck a deal with Toyota to license the hybrid technology used in the Toyota Prius. Mazda plans to incorporate the technology into the SKY1 engines it is currently developing with the aim of having a hybrid vehicle on the road in Japan by 2013. Read More
Remember when the simple paddle game Pong
generated a world-wide buzz of excitement? Those days may just have
returned with the announcement that students from Imperial College
London have created an interface using off-the-shelf components which
tracks eye movement and enables a bespectacled user to play the game
hands-free. Read More
Next week at the 2010 New York Auto Show,
Chevrolet will be unveiling the compact 2011 Cruze Eco. Visually, this
car isn’t going to be big news – it’s OK, but nothing you haven’t seen
before. With a six-speed manual transmission, however, it should achieve
an estimated 40mpg on the highway – what Chevrolet calls “hybrid-like”
fuel efficiency. With that kind of mileage, but without a hybrid’s
complexity or price tag, the Eco could prove pretty popular. By
comparison, the hybrid Toyota Prius and Honda Insight get 49 and 43mpg
highway, respectively, while the non-hybrid Honda Civic sedan gets 34. Read More
Google
has launched a new open-source project for its Chrome browser that will
enhance 3D graphics rendering capabilities without the need for users
to download additional drivers. Dubbed ANGLE (Almost Native Graphics
Layer Engine), the project aims to allow Windows users to run WebGL
content without having the traditionally necessary OpenGL drivers
installed. Read More
The world of superconductors
just became a much smaller place. Scientists taking part in an Ohio
University led study have discovered the world’s smallest superconductor
– a sheet of four pairs of molecules measuring less than one nanometer
(that's 0.000001 millimeter) wide, potentially paving the way for next –
generation nanoscale electronics. Read More
Japanese manufacturer Landport has created an ingenious variation on the wind-up flashlight
with the BunBun - a compact torch that can be charged simply by
swinging it about in front of you. Once you extend the handle and bend
it at the hinge, you can charge the built-in rechargeable battery by
cranking the BunBun for 30 seconds. Just this short amount of charging
will give you about 5 minutes of juice. Read More
AMD goes 12-core with Opteron 6000 server platform
By Paul Ridden
March 31, 2010
AMD says that it has redefined the server market
with the release of its Opteron 6000 series server platform. The
company's gauntlet (of the throwing down variety) consists of eight and
12 core x86 processors giving twice the performance of the previous
generation, significant improvements in memory bandwidth, better power
management and attractive price points. Read More
Ostara reactors harvest phosphorus from raw sewage
By Ben Coxworth
March 31, 2010
Here’s something rather important that you might
not know: there may be a worldwide phosphorus shortage within the next
few decades. The majority of the world’s phosphorus is currently mined
from non-renewable phosphate rock deposits, and widely used in crop
fertilizers. Scientists have begun to question just how much more
phosphorus is left, and what the agriculture industry will do once it
runs out. The answer – or some of it, at least – could be bobbing in a
pool of raw sewage. Ostara, a Canadian nutrient recovery company, has
developed a method for harvesting phosphorus from municipal wastewater
and converting it to fertilizer. Read More
TomTom Start2 puts a savvy co-driver in your satnav
By Jeff Salton
March 31, 2010
It’s a jungle out there – an urban jungle. And if
you have to negotiate a vehicle through it you’ll know how tough that
can be, especially in an unfamiliar city or town. Take a wrong turn and
it could be many miles before you regain your bearings and much wasted
time before you reach your destination (don’t mention the wasted fuel).
Sat-nav “institution”, TomTom, has launched TomTom Start2, a new entry
level unit featuring advanced lane guidance, spoken street names and
compatibility with the RDS-TMC traffic information system. Read More
Designer Yang Yongchang is proposing a fold-away
solution to the keyboard envy sometimes exhibited by netbook users. For
the iWEB design, a full-size QWERTY keyboard is jointed in two places
and folded inwards so that when not in use it sits within the frame of a
6.5in display portable device. Open up the netbook, fold out the side
flaps and enjoy the ease of use and comfort of those nice big keys. Read More
Sometimes even the travel-weary budget flier
would pay just about anything for a couple of hours sleep after a long
haul flight in “cattle class” - which is where the Sleepbox concept
comes in. Imagine your joy at spotting one of these comfy cocoons at the
airport lounge while you’ve got a few hours between connecting flights.
Or if you’ve arrived late at night in a strange land and don’t want to
risk finding a hotel room in the dark – or the lone cab driver parked in
the shadows of the airport or train station. Check into the Sleepbox
and you could be on cloud nine before your head hits the pillow. Read More
Researchers at Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) have produced a prototype version of a bionic eye implant
that could be ready to start restoring rudimentary vision to blind
people as soon as 2013. The system consists of a pair of glasses with a
camera built in, a processor that fits in your pocket, and an ocular
implant that sits against the retina at the back of the eye and
electronically stimulates the retinal neurons that send visual
information to the brain. The resulting visual picture is blocky and
low-res at this point, but the technology is bound to improve, and even
in its current form it's going to be a major life-changer for those with
no vision at all. And the future potential - even for sighted people -
is fascinating. Read More
Think about it. Where else would you unveil the
world’s most expensive golf cart than Monaco? For a mere US$52,000, you
can own the Garia Soleil de Minuit – the world’s most costly production
luxury golf cart complete with double-wishbone front suspension, fridge
and painted in the color of your choice. Driven out of the same factory
as the Porsche Cayman and Boxter, the Garia Soleil de Minuit is designed
to deliver the ultimate on-course driving experience. Whether it lowers
your golf handicap is beside the point. Read More
Setting droplets on a one-way street has huge implications
By Darren Quick
March 31, 2010
By creating specific kinds of tiny structures on a
material’s surface MIT researchers have made a liquid spread only in a
single direction. While this may not appear to be a momentous
breakthrough it has important implications for a wide variety of
technologies, including micro-arrays for medical research, inkjet
printers and digital lab-on-a-chip systems. Up until now the designers
of such devices could only control how much the liquid would spread out
over a surface, not which way it would go. This new system changes that.
Read More
Nissan is to start taking reservations from US consumers later this month for its LEAF electric vehicle.
A fully refundable down payment of just US$99 will ensure customers are
given first crack of the whip when ordering starts for real in August,
with nationwide rollout expected early 2011. Read More
The 71-story Pearl River Tower, described as one
of the most energy-efficient skyscrapers in the world, has reached its
topping out milestone on the way to its planned completion later this
year. (For those not in the architectural know, topping out or topping
off is a ceremony held when the last beam is placed at the top of a
building.) With a height of 309.6 meters the 2.3-million square-foot
Pearl River Tower incorporates the latest green technology and
engineering advancements, the most immediately obvious of which will be a
pair of openings in the tower’s facade which feed wind turbines to
generate energy for the building. Read More
Saturday April 3 is almost upon us, but even though the iPad
isn't officially out, the first reviews are starting to flood in. So
what's the early verdict on of Apple's sleek new tablet device from
those who've already spent quality time on its 9.7-inch multi-touch
screen? Read on for a review round-up. Read More
Halden-Caviglia has a designed a series of Flat
Screen Showcases for home-owners who prefer to steer clear of the
minimalist approach to home decorating. For some, that large, sleek and
modern-looking TV just doesn’t go with the rest of the furniture. For
others, it’s a cheaper option for turning their large screen TV into
something more akin to a home theater. Whatever the motivation, the
company is attempting to create an entirely new product segment that
makes the most of the ubiquitous flat panel TV. Read More
While there are fuel consumption standards for
passenger cars, there is no such regulation of medium- and heavy-duty
vehicles in the U.S. With such vehicles accounting for about 26 percent
of the transportation fuel used in the U.S. regulators are looking to
establish fuel economy standards for these vehicles in the next few
years. Now a new U.S. report has been released recommending the best
ways to measure and regulate fuel economy for these vehicles, and assess
technologies that could improve it. Amongst its findings, the report
says that some vehicles could cut their fuel use by about 50 percent
through the use of a combination of technologies. Read More
What a shock! Victor builds a better mouse trap
By Jeff Salton
March 31, 2010
There are two types of mice in the world.
Firstly, there’s the Mickey, Speedy Gonzales, Stuart Little and
Despereaux type of mouse, which are mostly harmless and a bit of fun.
Then there’s the filthy rodent type that causes much damage and spreads
disease. Pest control specialist Victor is hoping the saying “Build a
better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door” rings true
as it releases its "Multi-Kill Electronic Mouse Trap", a device that
zaps mice dead in less than three seconds and reloads almost instantly
to execute the next victim. Read More
If you spent last weekend camping at the beach or
in the desert dunes, chances are you'll be spending a good chunk of
next weekend removing sand from tents, sleeping bags and pretty much
every bit of gear you own. Take it from someone who did go
camping last weekend - you just can't seem to get rid of the stuff. One
solution would be to avoid bringing so much sand back in the first
place, and the CGear Multimat provides a clever way to help you do just
that. Its dual-layer design creates a one-way-street for sand, dirt and
dust, so particles fall through from above, but don't come back-up
through the mat. The result - a clean area to plonk your chair on or
spread in front of your tent to help keep sand at bay. Read More
Patients forgetting, bungling or just plain
refusing to take their medication is a big problem for health care
professionals and patients alike. It can exacerbate medical problems,
spurring hospitalizations or expensive medical procedures and undercut
clinical trials of new drugs. In seeking a way to confirm that patients
have taken their medication a team of researchers have added a tiny
microchip and digestible antenna to a standard pill capsule that
automatically alerts doctors when the pill has actually been ingested.
Read More
Microsoft and Ford team-up on EV energy management
By Jeff Salton
March 31, 2010
A couple of the drawbacks of owning an electric
vehicle (EV) will be remembering to recharge it daily and knowing what
time of day or night is best to take advantage of the most
cost-effective electricity tariff. According to some figures, a
household’s energy consumption could double while an EV is charging. To
help overcome these conundrums, Ford and Microsoft have joined forces to
implement the Microsoft Hohm energy management application for Ford’s EVs, starting with the Focus Electric next year. Read More
Renewable biofuel oozes from reprogrammed microbes
By Ben Coxworth
March 31, 2010
It seems like every day, a new way of producing
biofuel is being discovered. Within the past few years, we’ve reported
on technology that harvests biofuel from garbage, booze, crop waste, carbon dioxide and wood-munching marine isopods.
Now, Arizona State University has announced a new development in the
harvesting of biofuel from cyanobacteria microbes - ASU researchers
Xinyao Liu and Roy Curtiss have genetically engineered bacteria that
literally ooze the stuff out of their skins. Read More
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