We've written quite a bit about the first
virtual-to-real racer, Lucas Ordonez, and his continuing exploits as a
successful professional racing driver. The winner of the first
Playstation Nissan GT Academy in 2008, Lucas is now racking up first
class results in the incredibly competitive ILMC series, finishing
second in class in the Le Mans 24 hour last month. Now the legitimacy of
the entire experiment has gained further credibility with the
immediate success of the second Academy (2010) winner Jordan Tresson.
Competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series, Jordan finished fourth at
Monza in his first outing in the series and last Sunday, the RJN
Motorsport GT4-class Nismo Nissan 370Z he shared with Alex Buncombe and
Chris Ward won its class at the 24 hour race at Spa Francorchamps in
Belgium's Ardennes region. The third (2011) GT academy winners are also
shaping up as international class too. Read More
Sitting somewhere between a tablet and a
smartphone – minus the phone – is the ICE Smart Media Player from Latte
Communications. With a 5-inch display and running Android 2.3
(Gingerbread), the device joins the netherworld between smartphones and
larger screen tablets currently occupied by the Dell Streak.
But unlike the Streak, the ICE Smart doesn’t include have the ability
to make calls, making it more like an oversized Android version of the iPod touch. Read More
Northrop Grumman's Block 40 Global Hawk
has new eyes. The unmanned aircraft completed its first full system
flight carrying the production version of the next-gen Multi-Platform
Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) sensor at Edwards Air Force
Base, California, on July 21. Read More
Graphene promises to revolutionize electronics
but we’re still waiting for graphene-based technologies to hit the
market. Rice University researchers have now created transparent,
graphene-based electrodes that they say could be the “killer app” that
finally puts graphene into the commercial spotlight. The graphene-based
electrodes could be used to replace the increasingly expensive indium
tin oxide (ITO) in touch-screen displays, photovoltaic solar cells and
LED lighting. Read More
Nokia 500 - first 1GHz Symbian smartphone announced
By Pawel Piejko
August 1, 2011
Positioned as a "low-cost, full-function smartphone," the freshly announced Nokia 500 is the first Symbian
Anna-based device to utilize a 1GHz-clocked CPU. The handset is
lightweight at 93 grams (3.28 oz) and features a 3.2 inch, 360 x 640
resolution capacitive touchscreen along with a 5 megapixel flash-less
camera at the back. Read More
MIT reports breakthrough in heat-based photovoltaics
By Pawel Piejko
August 1, 2011
MIT researchers have reported a breakthrough in
"wavelength tuning" that promises to boost the efficiency of
thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems and in turn could lead to lighter,
longer-lasting portable power sources. Read More
Serious road cyclists tend to like using cycling
computers (or "cyclometers") to provide them with performance data such
as their speed, cadence, distance traveled and power output. Swimmers
can also get their pruned-up hands on tech that makes keeping tabs on
training sessions much easier and this example from Speedo will appeal
to pool-goers for one reason in particular - it automatically counts
laps. The Speedo Aquacoach watch uses technology developed by UK-based
Swimovate to automatically detect the stroke and - along with counting
laps - calculate distance, speed, number of strokes and calories burned.
Read More
The way we spend our time online is changing
fast. While the browser still reigns supreme, more and more people are
getting their online fix using apps. Mozilla, the folks behind the
popular Firefox browser, has now announced the start of a new project to
develop an app-centric, completely open, web-based phone and tablet
operating system called Boot to Gecko (B2G). Read More
Researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD)
continue to advance the development of their “brain cap” technology that
allows users to turn their thoughts into motion. The team has already
had success in using EEG brain signals captured from the cap’s 64
electrodes attached to users’ scalps to reconstruct 3D hand movements
and to control a computer cursor with their thoughts, and now the team
has successfully reconstructed the complex 3D-movements of the ankle,
knee and hip joints during treadmill walking. The aim is to provide a
non-invasive technology that can return motor function to victims of
paralysis, injury or stroke. Read More
The performance of electric motorcycles may not yet be on par with their fuel-snorting brethren, but our outings on this new breed of two-wheeler
have convinced us that they are well on the way. Now San Francisco
start-up BRD is throwing its hat into this rapidly expanding ring by
announcing plans for battery powered bikes designed to "outperform their
gas equivalents." Called RedShift, the motorcycles are slated for
production in 2012 and will come in "dual-sport" and "urban" variants
with both promising performance that would put them in the same ballpark
as a gas-powered 250cc 4-stroke. Read More
Android app lets you remotely control a DSLR camera
By Pawel Piejko
August 5, 2011
Apps can often expand the capabilities of a
smartphone far beyond its basic use, for instance, enabling the device
to serve as a DSLR
remote controller. While the idea itself is not particularly new, such a
program hasn't been yet available for Android devices. Although still
in the development phase, the DSLR Controller app has already been made
available for download through Android Market, priced at US$8.51. Read More
As the number of Android tablets from lesser
known electronics companies proliferate it’s no surprise to see
companies not exactly known for their electronic device offerings
looking to horn in the market. Fashion label Pierre Cardin has launched a
7-inch tablet computer the company claims is “the UK’s first designer
tablet PC.” What makes a designer tablet you ask? Apparently a “tasteful
case” featuring a metallic Pierre Cardin logo and an “uber-cool black
gift box.” Read More
The mid-term future for fuel efficient vehicles
with useful range is likely a hybrid solution of electric motors powered
by batteries, topped up by a fuel-burning generator. Prof. Norbert
Müller at Michigan State, backed by $2.5 million from the US Government,
aims to make that last part of the equation a much more compact and
efficient proposition with a revolutionary new form of combustion
engine. Read More
DIY gadgets' makers have a new solution for quick
and easy building of custom devices in the form of the .NET Gadgeteer
platform. Utilizing .NET Micro Framework and C# programming language,
.NET Gadgeteer is an open-source toolkit combined of a basic ARM
CPU-equipped mainboard and a choice of easily attachable modules,
including displays, buttons, camera, Ethernet, USB ports, or WiFi. The
idea resembles the Arduino platform or EZ-Builder kit for DIY robotics projects like DJ Sures' WALL-E. Read More
If you want to know exactly what a
substance is, your best bet is to use something like a gas
chromatographer. The problem is, such machines tend to be large,
lab-based and expensive – not the greatest for use in the field, or by
people who aren’t connected with a research institute. Researchers from
Harvard University's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences,
however, have created inexpensive, portable 3D-nanostructured chips,
that can instantly identify any liquid via its surface tension. Read More
Studies have shown that with the right amount of
white noise in the background, peoples’ sight, hearing, balance control
and sense of touch improve. Utilizing stochastic resonance, which is the
principle at work in white noise, researchers at the Georgia Institute
of Technology have discovered that the sense of touch can also
be improved by applying vibrations to a person’s finger. They have been
testing a glove that incorporates a prototype fingertip-buzzing device,
that could ultimately lead to products worn by people with nerve damage,
or whose jobs require exceptional manual dexterity. Read More
Monaco-based yacht builder Wally has become the
best known and most easily recognized luxury yacht brand in the short 17
years since its inception. Its yachts have won the Millennium Design Award,
it is the only yacht builder to twice win the Compasso d’Oro and now
the company's top-selling Wally Tender is to be replaced by the Wally
One. According to Wally founder Luca Bassani Antivari, the EUR580,000
(US$825,000) Wally One offers more performance, technology and comfort
with less overall length, consumption and cost. Read More
Los Altos-based WIMM Labs has unveiled its WIMM
Wearable Platform, an Android-powered computing system designed to
provide a basis for a variety of portable touchscreen portable such as
smartphone-connectible watches, bike computers, or digital assistants.
Read More
Hong Kong-based Mint Urban Technologies has
introduced an aromatic coffee lid for take-away cups which it claims
improves the taste of coffee when drinking through the lid. The aroma is
not "mint," as the company's ill-chosen name suggests, but an aromatic
material formulated to enhance the bouquet of the coffee. The secret of
the new Aroma Lid is in the plastic, according to Mint's Marc Miller.
"Coffee lids block the aroma coming from the coffee," says Miller.
"Because taste is 95 percent smell, the lids are stopping us from
experiencing the full taste of our favorite morning brew." If the Aroma
Lid can indeed enhance the taste of coffee, it could be a significant
product - the take-away coffee industry uses 100 billion lids every
year. Read More
Researchers have created a biologically based
spinal implant they say could someday provide relief for the millions of
people suffering lower back and neck pain. Instead of removing damaged
spinal discs – a surgery known as a discectomy – and fusing the
vertebrate bones to stabilize the spine in patients diagnosed with
severe degenerative disc disease, or herniated discs, the artificial
discs could be used to replace damaged discs, performing better than
current implants that are made from a combination of metal and plastic.
Read More
Researchers at the Ningpo, China campus of the
University of Nottingham (UNNC) have created a new heat-regulating
material that could be used to cut the heating and cooling costs of
buildings. The non-deformed storage phase change material (PCM) can be
fixed so that it starts absorbing any excess heat above a pre-determined
temperature and releasing stored heat when the ambient temperature
drops below the set point. The researchers say the material can be
manufactured in a variety of shapes and sizes, even small enough so that
it can be sprayed as a microscopic film to surfaces in existing
buildings. Read More
If you think working as an air traffic controller
at an airport sounds stressful, imagine doing the same kind of work in
the close confines of an aircraft carrier. Up to 60 aircraft can be
continually taking off and landing, on a 4.5-acre (1.82-hectare) strip
of deck that’s also occupied by numerous people and vehicles. For
decades, a deck handling system that consists of plane-shaped cut-outs
and color-coded thumbtacks has been used, but it’s only as reliable as
the people placing those objects. An associate professor of aeronautics
and astronautics from MIT has now devised a computer system, Deck
operations Course of Action Planner (DCAP), that she believes could make
things safer and more efficient. Read More
Nissan has unveiled a new power supply system
that allows electricity stored in the lithium-ion batteries of the
all-electric Nissan LEAF
to be supplied to a house. With the LEAF’s batteries able to store up
to 24 kWh of electricity, Nissan says the system could supply the
average Japanese household with electricity for about two days. This
would be enough to provide a stable electricity supply in the event of
power outages or to allow consumers to store cheaper off-peak power for
use in high demand periods. Read More
Car parks can be a hassle – you have to roll down
your car window and reach out to get a ticket from the dispenser on the
way in, and then have to reach over and pay the cashier on the way out.
The engineers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and
Logistics, however, have come up with something easier. They’ve
developed an RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag system that
allows drivers to pass unimpeded in and out of car parks, with parking
fees being automatically deducted from an online account. Read More
NeinGrenze 5000T is a dedicated tilt-shift camera
By Ben Coxworth
August 2, 2011
Tilt-shift photography is one of those things
that you’ve probably seen already, even if you don’t know what it is. It
involves taking high-angle photographs of large-scale scenes in which
the top and bottom of the shot are out of focus, creating the shallow
depth of field that people usually associate with photos of small
objects. The result is photographs of things such as city streets, in
which all the people, cars and buildings look like tiny models. The
effect can be achieved using custom lenses or software ... or now, the
tilt-shift-dedicated NeinGrenze 5000T camera. Read More
Feeling reluctant to hand that shiny new iPad
over to junior? The VINCI Tab might be the answer - it's an Android
2.3-based 7-inch tablet with a tempered-glass display and soft edges
that's been designed specifically for children of up to four years. The
device is relatively well spec'd with a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU and 512MB
of RAM, offers a range of built-in apps and games for kids and is fully
wireless-disabled, with no 3G and WiFi on-board ... which will help
keep kids safe from inappropriate content and your wallet safe from
unexpected data charges. Read More
Electromagnetic fish hook reduces accidental shark catches
By Ben Coxworth
August 2, 2011
In fisheries all over the world, many fish are
caught using a process known as pelagic longlining. This consists of
fishing crews traveling out into the open ocean and deploying a series
of baited hooks that are all attached to one horizontal main line, that
can range from 20 to 40 miles (32 to 64 km) in length. After being left
to sit in the water for a period of time, the line is hauled abroad a
fishing vessel, where the fishes that took the bait are removed from the
hooks. Unfortunately, even though they're not usually one of the
targeted species, sometimes sharks will be among the fish captured. A
new type of fish hook, however, is said to reduce unintended shark
catches by up to 94 percent. Read More
As envisioned by the Italian architectural firm
Giancarlo Zema Design Group (GZDG), Amphibious 1000 is a US$500 million
semi-submerged resort project planned for a protected marine area on the
coast of Qatar. Reflecting its name, the resort is like a large aquatic
creature stretching out into the sea. Divided into two sections of land
and sea, the project includes residential buildings, offices, a central
marine park, floating walkways and underwater marine galleries that all
form a semi-circle around the central tower, which hosts a panoramic
restaurant. Read More
The first of the major vehicle announcements from
the 64th Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA aka Frankfurt Motor
Show) has broken cover with Mazda announcing that it will debut an
all-new CX-5 crossover SUV. The new beastie will be the first to fully
adopt Mazda's SKYACTIV technology and to be styled with the company's
latest "KODO - Soul of Motion" design theme first seen in the SHINARI
and MINAGI concept cars. Read More
Google partners with NASA to sponsor Green Flight Challenge
By Darren Quick
August 2, 2011
Whether you view Google as a benevolent Internet
overlord or the new 'Evil Empire', there’s no arguing that the search
giant at least devotes some of its squazillions towards environmentally
beneficial causes. Earlier this year the company invested US$168 million in what will be the world’s largest solar power tower plant and now it has partnered with NASA to sponsor the Green Flight Challenge that offers a prize purse of $1.65 million for the design of quiet, practical and energy-efficient aircraft. Read More
The U.S. military is currently able to operate
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in far away countries from the U.S.,
while ground robotic systems such as the TALON can be remotely operated
at distances of up to 1,000 m (3,280 ft). Now U.S. Army engineers have
provided unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) with the long distance
tele-operation capabilities of a UAS to allow them to be controlled from
anywhere in the world and keep soldiers even further out of harm’s way.
Read More
Bio-synthetic material could replace soft tissue
By Ben Coxworth
August 3, 2011
Soldiers whose faces have been marred by
explosions could be among the recipients of a new biomedical material,
designed to permanently replace soft tissue. Developed at the Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, PEG-HA is a
composite consisting of synthetic and biological materials. Lab tests
have indicated that it doesn’t break down like pure biologicals, or get
rejected like some synthetics. Read More
'Blackfish' robotic jet-ski to bolster port security
August 3, 2011
Currently being developed by defense contractor
QinetiQ in collaboration with the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR),
"Blackfish" is a robotic jet-ski designed specifically to patrol harbors
and search for underwater intruders. The remote-controlled craft
carries an array of sensors that allow it to "see" under water and can
travel at speeds of 40 mph (64 km/h) as well as tracking at lower speeds
than conventional jet-skis. Read More
When studying wild animals such as gorillas and
chimpanzees, it's not uncommon to use photo or video traps - unmanned
cameras that are triggered to capture images when creatures pass in
front of them. Scientists can then retrieve the cameras and review the
footage, to get an estimate of the numbers of a certain species within a
given area, and to see what those animals have been up to. One of the
problems with this approach, however, is that it's often hard to tell
one animal from another - are you looking at several shots of several
different apes, or is it the same individual every time? German
scientists are developing wild primate-devoted facial recognition
software, in order to answer such questions. Read More
There are few things as maddening as being in the
middle of a task on a computer, and having the software freeze up on
you. This can be particularly enraging if you haven’t backed up your
work recently, and you know that the only way of “thawing out” the
program will be to execute a force quit – your work will be lost, all
because the (insert word of your choice here) computer didn’t know what
to do next. Fortunately, however, researchers from MIT’s Computer
Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have developed a tool
that jolts stalled programs back into action. Read More
PC-Aero's composite-construction, single-seat
Elektra One electric Ultralight is one of the most efficient
transportation devices ever conceived. It can fly for three hours,
cruise at 160 km/h and has a 500 km range. The Elektra One's
“SunAirport” hangar incorporates photovoltaic cells, providing zero
emissions power for both the aircraft and hangar which will be sold
together for less than EUR100,000 (US$145,000) from 2012. Significantly,
the company's grand vision for taking recreational flying off-the-grid
has just won it the Lindbergh Prize for Electric Aircraft. Read More
The IEEE
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) has announced the
completion of the IEEE 802.22 wireless network standard, which has been
in the works since 2004. Utilizing unused white spaces between channels
in the TV frequency spectrum, the 802.22 standard will serve Wireless
Regional Area Networks (WRANs), which are meant to bring broadband
access to sparsely populated rural areas, as well as to developing
countries. Read More
Spanish efforts to find an electronic alternative
to the tried and tested expertise of a human sommelier have now
resulted in a system that can tell the difference between varieties of
sparkling wine. The new development combines advanced mathematical
processing tools with chemical measurement systems and an artificial
neural network to create an electronic tongue currently capable of
identifying the characteristics of just three cava wines, but with the
potential to learn all types available on the market. Read More
The ultimate air duo of keyboards and guitar
has now taken a step closer to becoming a full band with the creation
of the Air Drums by Israeli electronics tinkerer Maayan Migdal. His
system is comprised of a couple of modified hand rakes, a pair of
sandals, the ever-useful Arduino Uno and some custom circuitry which
feeds through to a laptop via a standard MIDI interface. Read More
A Skype app has been available for the iPhone
since early 2009, meaning iPad users have been able to use the app in
pixel doubling mode since the iPad's release in April, 2010 - albeit
without the ability to make video calls since the first iPad lacks a
camera. But iPad users have long been calling for a native Skype app for
the iPad and things only intensified following the release of the iPad 2
with its front and rear-facing cameras. Now those calls have been
answered with the first iPad-optimized Skype app now available as a free
download from the iTunes App Store. Read More
Some people who spent their youth in the 80s miss
that era, and wish that things now were like they were then. Well,
those people might be interested in the University of California at
Irvine’s OutRun Project. With the ultimate aim of developing gaming
therapy systems for people such as quadriplegics, scientists involved in
the project have created a kind of combination electric golf cart and
arcade-style video game console. Players can actually drive the cart
down the road, while an augmented reality feature displays the real-life
road on the screen in front of them, but in the form of Sega’s classic
8-bit road racing game, OutRun. Read More
We were intrigued by the Amphibious 1000's
proposed floating suites and private underwater lounges, however The
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort hosts the real deal! Situated in
the tropical gardens on Rangalifinolhu Island, access to the resort is
only by seaplane and while it may sound like any other exclusive get
away, the Conrad Rangali will have you dining with stingrays and on
special occasions, sleeping with the sharks. Read More
If the US$6,000 price tag of the BugE
trike is still beyond your price range, then you may be interested in
the sub-US$600 Solaron three-wheeler designed by Pakistan's Farrukh
Khan. The DIY project is not (yet) available commercially, but the young
inventor has posted detailed build instructions online for those who
want to knock up their own variants. Read More
Sosia is a compact multifunctional sofa bed
August 4, 2011
It's called Sosia (meaning Doppelganger) and it's
the latest creation from Italian designer Emanuele Magini. This
multifunctional sofa bed allows you to change appearances, style, size
and functionality in as little space as possible. Comprised of soft and
flexible external fabric, a big central hinge and an industrial zipper,
Sosia can change shape depending on your mood or hospitality needs. With
a few adjustments you can create an L-shaped conversation nook, a
face-to-face sitting area, a cozy single bed, or raise the side panels
to create a secret cubby or dressing room. Read More
Mobile music-making apps like Amplitube
and GarageBand have proven themselves to be popular, powerful and
versatile additions to the digital toolbox of both bedroom enthusiast
and professional alike. Dedicated computer software is by no means dead
in the water yet, though, as evidenced by the new releases from Native
Instruments. The computer-based music production and performance
specialist has announced new versions of its Guitar Rig amp and effects
package and Kontakt sampler, and the multi-product Komplete bundle. Read More
BMW has fully committed itself to the battery-electric driving revolution by setting up a whole new sub-brand - BMW i
- devoted to emission-free motoring. Now, the i group has released
details of two concept cars that look set to become production models
within a few years. The i3 concept is a fully-electric city car with an
everyday driving range of around 160 km (100 miles) per charge, and the
i8 is a sporty 4-seater plug-in hybrid that combines electric and petrol
drive to give a good compromise between emission-free commuting and
petrol-powered range and performance. Both cars make widespread use of
carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) to keep weight down, and both
offer a raft of fascinating new driver assist and efficiency initiatives
that seem likely to make it through to the real world. Read More
Research In Motion has announced three new
smartphones that utilize its updated operating system, BlackBerry 7 OS.
The BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 (UMTS/CDMA), the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and
Torch 9860/9850 (UMTS/CDMA) all come with touchscreen-based input, and
are equal in terms of their Qualcomm 8655 Snapdragon 1.2GHz CPU, 768 MB
RAM and NFC support. Read More
Bite Counter keeps track of every bite you take
By Darren Quick
August 4, 2011
Pedometers can be a great motivational tool for
people looking to shed a few pounds by getting active. But since cutting
the calorie intake is also an important factor in trimming down
researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina have created a
device that acts like a pedometer for eating. The Bite Counter is worn
like a watch and tracks how many mouthfuls the wearer takes to sound an
alarm when they reach for one handful of chips too many. Read More
Facial recognition software, social networking
and cloud computing ... they're all technological advances that alone
have thrown up questions regarding privacy. According to a recent
Carnegie Mellon University study, however, the three technologies can be
combined to learn peoples' identities and other personal information
about them, starting with just a photograph of their face. Read More
Chicago-based firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill
(AS+GG) has officially been announced as the design architects for the
Kingdom Tower that is to be built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Initially
planned to stand one mile (1.6 km) high and be called the Mile-High
Tower, the building was scaled down after soil testing in the area in
2008 cast doubt over whether the location could support a building of
that height. Now the building will stand over 0.62 miles (one kilometer)
tall, which will still allow it to overshadow the 2,717 ft. (828 m) Burj Khalifa to claim the title of the world’s tallest building. Read More
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