Some day, meshes made from nanowires could be
used in devices such as video displays, LEDs, thin-film solar cells, and
touch-screens. According to research performed so far, such meshes
would be very electrically conductive, cost-effective, and easy to
process. What has proven challenging, however, is finding a way of
getting the criss-crossed nanowires to fuse together to form that mesh –
if pressed or heated, the wires can be damaged. Now, engineers from
Stanford University may have found the answer ... just apply light. Read More
Cold plasma used to kill bacteria on raw chicken
February 7, 2012
Judging by the number of folks who fall prey to
food-borne illness each year, food safety is serious business,
especially when you consider that pathogens such as Campylobacter and Salmonella
contaminate over 70 percent of the raw chicken meat tested. Now, recent
research from a food safety team at Pennsylvania's Drexel University
offers proof-of-concept for what may one day be a common approach to
preventing food-borne illness from raw poultry and meat products - the
use of high-energy, low temperature plasma to eliminate unwanted
bacteria while leaving the food basically unchanged. Read More
Chips with collaborating CPU and GPU lead to faster processors
By Ben Coxworth
February 7, 2012
Want to get your computer to run faster? Well,
consider its graphics processing unit (GPU) and central processing unit
(CPU). The two work away at their own tasks, each one rarely helping the
other shoulder its workload. Researchers from North Carolina State
University, however, are in the process of changing that. They have
already developed a technique that allows GPUs and CPUs located on a
single chip to collaborate on tasks, and it has resulted in a processing
speed increase of over 20 percent. Read More
This incredible 4 x 4 meter (13 x 13 foot) family
home pushes architectural boundaries outside of the box. Situated in
the highly dense and populated city of Tokyo, "Small House" is Unemeri
Architects' solution to living functionally on a block of land that is
smaller than the average-sized bedroom. Spread over four levels, this
residential building features two bedrooms, open living and dining room,
bathroom and rooftop terrace. Read More
There's good news for those itching to get their hands on a Raspberry Pi.
After a short delay, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has confirmed that the
first batch of the US$25 computers is due to roll off the production
line February 20. Shifting production eastwards caused some delay, as
the cheapest available quartz crystal package selected when
manufacturing was planned for the UK proved harder to source in China,
where the Pi will now be manufactured. The first batch will be freighted
by air to the UK, where the wee beasties should be available before the
end of the month. Previously, the first batch had been slated for
completion by the end of January. Read More
Neuroscience has ramifications for future
warfare, and the scientific community must be more aware. So says a new
report published by the Royal Society titled Neuroscience, conflict and security,
which cites interest in neuroscience from the military community, and
identifies particular technologies that may arise. Among them is the
potential for "neural interface systems" (NIS) to bring about weapons
controllable by the human mind, though the reports also discusses more
benign military applications of neuroscience, such as fostering a
revolution in prosthetic limbs. Read More
It appears that BRC Imagination Arts, a Southern
California design firm, have a zero gravity roller coaster proposal
that’s waiting for a US$50 million investment. BRC’s proposed theme-park
ride is inspired by NASA’s astronaut training aircraft the KC-135 (aka
“Vomit Comet”) and would give riders the sensation of floating within a
stable chamber. Read More
Wind tunnel office concept pitched at tropical climes
February 7, 2012
By embracing wind "as an architectural element",
architectural practice Betillon/Dorval-Bory believes its anabatic office
concept is ideally suited to hot and humid climes. But rather than
relying on natural air movement, the anabatic office seeks to create its
own wind, so that energy-efficient cooling can occur where little
natural wind occurs. Anabatic is a word that describes an uphill wind
generated by a localized heat source. Read More
While 3D printers build, iModela carves
February 7, 2012
3D printers are certainly hot technology these days, with machines like the Printrbot, MakerBot and Cubify
launching on a regular basis. But while most of these devices focus on
building something from the ground up, Roland DG has unveiled a new
machine that does the exact opposite. Rather than slowly building a
model by adding layers of material, the iModela iM-01 3D Modeling
Machine carves its creations down from a larger block of material, like a
small, automated sculptor. Read More
Metabolic “breathalyzer” could diagnose disease from our breath
By Darren Quick
February 6, 2012
Scientists – and dogs
– have known for some time that our breath can reveal much more about
us than our estimated blood alcohol content. Researchers at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison believe that “breathalyzer”-like
technology they currently have under development could be used to
diagnose a wide range of diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and
infections. Such technology, which relies on the fact that many diseases
alter the body’s metabolism in distinctive ways, would provide a
non-invasive method of detecting disease even before typical symptoms
appear. Read More
Ducati recently finished its first
series of official MotoGP testing at Sepang International Circuit in
Malaysia, beset by the typically hot and humid conditions and rain that
interrupted track time. Nicky Hayden had a painful shoulder injury that
limited valuable time on the bike, but Valentino Rossi continued until
the rain arrived, finishing the session with the fifth-best time. Read More
After receiving European market approval for its Argus II Retinal Prosthesis
in 2011, Second Sight has published interim results of an international
clinical trial showing encouraging results in blind patients suffering
degenerative eye conditions that lead to incurable blindness. Read More
A report from RepairLabs
based on what are said to be leaked iPad 3 casings suggest that the next
iteration of Apple's tablet will have a larger battery, an updated
camera and a Retina display, all in the same form-factor as the iPad 2.
Read More
General Motors is joining the
sub-compact SUV B-segment with an all new car - the Mokka. While it's to
be shown as the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka Concept at the Geneva Show
in March, GM has announced that it will be available before the end of
this year with a pick of three engines and a host of new technologies.
Read More
Luxury yacht designers Ardoin Yacht
Design and U-Boat Worx submarines have collaborated on the perfect
companion for U-Boat's one, two or three person submarines. The Deep
Blue catamaran can carry the submarine and 12 passengers to your diving
spot at up to 30 knot speeds, then hydraulically lower and raise the
submarine for launching and docking. Read More
Current world F1 champion Red Bull
Racing has unveiled the car with which it will defend the title in 2012 -
the Renault-powered RB8. With No. 1 driver Sebastian Vettel looking for
a hat-trick this year, Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey OBE is
taking no chances with the design, which traces it roots back to the RB5
of 2009. Read More
It's a reality that we come to
realize as small children: certain wonderful indulgences of childhood
like snow days, mud fights and sled jumps are entirely at the mercy of
Mother Nature. You only get to enjoy them for a few months out of the
year, and if the weather doesn't cooperate, you may miss a whole year or
two. If only we'd had the Hanczar snowless sled when we were kids. Read More
The Burj Khalifa,
which has held the title of world’s tallest building with a height of
2,717 ft (828 m) since its completion in 2010, may have its crown stolen
by a new 3,445 ft (1,050 m) high building proposed for construction in
Azerbaijan. Read More
The beautiful REK bookcase by
Rotterdam-based designer and architect Reiner de Jong is an elegantly
designed unit that can be configured to accommodate a book collection of
any size with a minimum of wasted space. Read More
Suzuki and IE to commercialize FC cars and bikes
By Gizmag Team
February 8, 2012
Intelligent Energy and Suzuki are to establish a
joint venture company, SMILE FC System Corporation (SMILE FC), for
developing and manufacturing fuel cell systems. Suzuki has already been
working with Intelligent Energy for six years in the development and
testing of the CrosscageFuel Cell motorcycle and Burgman Fuel Cell
Maxiscooter, the latter already being approved for European roads. An
extensive display of the two-wheeled FC technology in cutaway form was
one of the highlights of December's 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. The press
release states that the JV will produce at least one car and one
motorcycle. Read More
The ability to create your own replacement
curtain rings, door knobs or even a custom chess set at home using a 3D
printer like the Replicator or the Cubify 3D printer
has the potential to knock global production models on their heads.
Such advances are certainly impressive but not quite in the same league
as those being made in the field of medicine. We've already seen small bone-like objects
printed by Washington State University researchers, and now an 83-year
old patient with a serious jaw infection has become the first person to
receive a full 3D-printed titanium lower jaw implant. Amazingly, the
combined effort by researchers and engineers from Belgium and the
Netherlands is said to have allowed the patient unrestricted mandibular
movement within a day of surgery. Read More
With a growing focus on powder and backcountry
riding, some of the snowboard designs that have come out over the past
few seasons look more like original designs from the 60s and 70s than
modern day equipment. They have swallowtails, pointy noses and odd
profiles. Some - like the Rome Hammerhead - just look downright strange
and otherworldly. With the launch of its new experimental division known
as Shape Shack, Colorado-based Venture Snowboards plans to take this
trend a step further in designing all kinds of Franken-boards. It may
just come up with odd yet functional board designs that big companies
just aren't developing. Read More
We've previously featured a number of devices
that give players a low latency interface to the world of device-based
digital tone manipulation, but each one poses something of a risk for
those who like to rock out. To reduce the chances of a connected tablet
or laptop flying across the room as you twirl the guitar around your
body Malmsteen-style, Ion Audio has developed a wireless system called
Guitarlink Air that severs the physical link between device and
instrument common to products like Apogee's JAM or the AcousticLink from Alesis. Read More
U.S. Navy set to test first industry railgun prototype
By Darren Quick
February 7, 2012
Two years after BAE Systems was awarded a US$21
million contract from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop an advanced Electromagnetic (EM) Railgun
for the U.S. Navy, the company has delivered the first industry-built
prototype demonstrator to the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC)
Dahlgren. The prototype launcher is now being prepared for testing which
is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. Read More
Non-surgical procedure repairs severed nerves in minutes
By Brian Dodson
February 7, 2012
Professor George Bittner and his colleagues at
the University of Texas at Austin Center for Neuroscience have developed
a simple and inexpensive procedure to quickly repair severed peripheral
nerves. The team took advantage of a mechanism similar to that which
permits many invertebrates to regenerate and repair nerve damage. The
new procedure, based on timely application of common chemicals to the
severed nerve ends, could help patients to recover nearly full function
in days or weeks. Read More
Anyone who has done a bit of traveling in the
rear seat of older model cars will likely have encountered the case of
the missing buckle, where the seat-belt buckle has wormed its way down
in the gap between the upholstery. While that may not be so much of a
problem nowadays, Mercedes-Benz has developed an active seat-belt buckle
that not only emerges from the upholstery when the rear doors are
opened to make finding the buckle easier, but also improves safety by
reducing the belt slack once the passenger is strapped in. Read More
Ducati recently finished its first
series of official MotoGP testing at Sepang International Circuit in
Malaysia, beset by the typically hot and humid conditions and rain that
interrupted track time. Nicky Hayden had a painful shoulder injury that
limited valuable time on the bike, but Valentino Rossi continued until
the rain arrived, finishing the session with the fifth-best time. Read More
After receiving European market approval for its Argus II Retinal Prosthesis
in 2011, Second Sight has published interim results of an international
clinical trial showing encouraging results in blind patients suffering
degenerative eye conditions that lead to incurable blindness. Read More
When data is transmitted as pulses of light along
a fiber optic cable, chips at either end of that cable must convert the
data from and back into an electronic signal - this is what allows an
outgoing video image to be converted into light pulses, then back into
video at the receiving end, for instance. There are a number of
technical challenges in coupling chips to fibers, however. Now, an
international team of scientists are developing an alternative ... fiber
optics with the electronics built right into the fiber. Read More
Further evidence that Mars once had oceans emerges
By Darren Quick
February 8, 2012
The European Space Agency (ESA) has provided more
evidence that suggests the surface of Mars was once home to an ocean.
Featuring ground-penetrating radar capabilities, the MARSIS (Mars
Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding) radar aboard the
ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft has detected sediments like that seen on
an ocean floor. Read More
A report from RepairLabs
based on what are said to be leaked iPad 3 casings suggest that the next
iteration of Apple's tablet will have a larger battery, an updated
camera and a Retina display, all in the same form-factor as the iPad 2.
Read More
General Motors is joining the
sub-compact SUV B-segment with an all new car - the Mokka. While it's to
be shown as the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka Concept at the Geneva Show
in March, GM has announced that it will be available before the end of
this year with a pick of three engines and a host of new technologies.
Read More Folding skis help snowboarders hike into the backcountry
By C.C. Weiss
February 8, 2012
Pretty much every ski manufacturer in the history
of skiing has made skis for skiers. But not MTN Approach. The company,
which launched a small beta batch of its unique skis this season, builds
skis for snowboarders. The skis are designed to ascend (not descend)
the mountain and fold up into a backpack-sized package for the ride
down. Read More
For those unfamiliar with the term, a “whispering
gallery” is a round room designed in such a way that sound is carried
around its perimeter – this allows a person standing on one side to hear
words whispered by a person on the other. Now, scientists from Stanford
University have developed a new type of photovoltaic material, that
essentially does for sunlight what whispering galleries do for sound.
Not only does the material have a structure that circulates light
entering it, but it could also result in cheaper, less fragile, and less
angle-sensitive solar panels. Read More
For the past several decades, it has been assumed
that in order to store data on a magnetic medium, a magnetic field must
be applied. Recently, however, an international team of scientists
discovered that heat can be used instead of a magnetic field.
Not only is this method reportedly more energy efficient, but it also
theoretically allows for ten times the storage capacity and 300 times
the performance of current hard drive technology. Read More
Squid fitness monitoring shirt keeps track of your gym progress
By Jan Belezina
February 8, 2012
Unless you have a personal fitness instructor
following you around with a notepad, keeping track of your progress at
the gym can be a real nuisance. Luckily, thanks to a group of students
from from Northeastern University in Boston, you can now count on your
squid-equipped shirt to do the statistical heavy lifting for you. Squid
is essentially a set of electromyography (EMG) sensors attached to a
box that pushes your workout data to a smartphone app. This is
synchronized with a web-based management panel, to give you a detailed
overview of your progress. Read More
The folks at Detroit’s Gibbs Technologies are no
strangers to aquatic vehicles. In the past several years, they have
brought us the zippy Aquada sports car, the Quadski ATV/personal watercraft hybrid, and the four-wheel-drive Humdinga
SUV concept. Yesterday, they announced the addition of another two
vehicles to their fleet – the Phibian and Humdinga II high-speed
Amphitrucks. Read More
SonicNotify: The inaudible QR codes your smartphone can hear
February 8, 2012
A new startup called SonicNotify has developed a
technology that will enable smartphone apps to receive data via high
frequency sound inaudible to the human ear. Though limited, the signals
would be sufficient to transmit, say, a web address that could be
automatically opened by your smartphone. These frequencies could be
embedded into any audio being played through a speaker, and provide
contextual information to the user. So, museums and art galleries could
effectively transmit detailed information on their exhibits via their
apparently silent PA systems. The cliche applies, I'm afraid: the
possibilities are unending. Read More
Hotel Endemico is a new eco-retreat set on 94
hectares (232 acres) of wilderness, and features a collection of 20 low
impact "Eco-Lofts" that blend into the surrounding environment. The
romantic hideaway is located in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California,
Mexico, and is just a little over an hour's drive from the San
Diego/Tijuana border. Designed by San Diego-based architects Gracia
Studio, each cabin is set privately along the sloping hillside and is
intended to offer simplistic luxury. Read More
Mother Nature is a cruel vixen, and man needs
every advantage he can get when attempting to ward off her fury.
Blizzard Survival improves upon the traditional emergency blanket with a
honeycomb-like build that both reflects and traps heat to keep you
warm. It's a technology called Reflexcell. Read More
At first glance, you might think that you've seen
the new E-M5 from Olympus before, and you'd be right. Kind of. The new
Micro Four Thirds camera is based on the classic lines of the OM series
film SLR cameras first introduced in 1972, and becomes the first of the
company's OM-D Series. Olympus trumpets its arrival as the beginning of a
new era in digital imaging and has included a number of breaking
technologies to support its claims. Read More
Yumemiru app aims to let you control your dreams
February 9, 2012
We all wish we could control what our dreams are
at night, whether it's to pretend we have powers like Superman or simply
to enjoy a relaxing stroll through a mansion on the Moon that happens
to have a talking lion for a butler, complete with monocle. Sadly, we're
still a long way away from programming our sleeping moments like a
Netflix queue, but one Japanese app may have a quick solution. The
Yumemiru app for iOS can detect when you enter dream sleep and then
plays a soundtrack to influence what happens in your dreams. Read More
Graphics researcher Jorge Jimenez has cracked the
problem of rendering what he calls "ultra realistic skin" in real-time
with consumer-level computer and graphics hardware. It's a breakthrough
made possible by the process of separable subsurface scattering (SSS)
which quickly renders the translucent properties of skin and its effect
on light in two post-processing passes. The code is based wholly on
original research using DirectX 10. Jimenez describes the achievement as
the result of hours of "research, desperation, excitement, happiness,
pride, sadness and extreme dedication." Read More
Luxury yacht designers Ardoin Yacht
Design and U-Boat Worx submarines have collaborated on the perfect
companion for U-Boat's one, two or three person submarines. The Deep
Blue catamaran can carry the submarine and 12 passengers to your diving
spot at up to 30 knot speeds, then hydraulically lower and raise the
submarine for launching and docking. Read More
NASA has put out the call for greener propellant
fuel for use on the spacecraft of the future. Though it does not appear
that NASA has stipulated that alternative propellants must match
the performance of current mainstay hydrazine, it's clear that only
high-performance substances need apply. Environmental credentials are
where the new fuel must demonstrate an edge over hydrazine, which is a
corrosive, toxic pollutant. As well as the environmental benefits, use
of greener propellants should prove more economical, reducing the need
for involved safety procedures that can lengthen launch times. Read More
Kia presents the bulldog-like 4WD Track'ster concept
By C.C. Weiss
February 9, 2012
The Chicago Auto Show got underway on Wednesday,
and Kia had one of the noteworthy debuts of day one. The company's
Track'ster concept is essentially a race-inspired hot hatch version of
its popular Soul. The car gets a potent powertrain and aggressive look.
Kia is clearly empowered by its recent success. Once essentially the
baby brother of Hyundai, a brand that itself has a historical reputation
as a cheap, entry-level automaker, Kia is really starting to come into
its own. According to the company's numbers, it launched more new models
in the US between 2009 and 2010 than any other automaker and was one of
the world's fastest growing auto brands. Read More
iRobot, the company behind household helpers, such as the Roomba and Scooba, and military and police robots, such as the PackBot and Negotiator, has released an updated version of its Warrior 700
robot. Like its predecessor, the newly launched 710 Warrior is designed
for EOD (explosive ordnance disposal), reconnaissance and surveillance
missions and can lift loads of up to 220 lbs (100 kg) and carry payloads
of more than 150 pounds (68 kg) over rough terrain. Read More
Current world F1 champion Red Bull
Racing has unveiled the car with which it will defend the title in 2012 -
the Renault-powered RB8. With No. 1 driver Sebastian Vettel looking for
a hat-trick this year, Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey OBE is
taking no chances with the design, which traces it roots back to the RB5
of 2009. Read More
Ahh kids. They grow up so fast - much to the
consternation of parents faced with continually having to buy larger
shoes and clothes. As much as any kid loves their first bike, they
quickly outgrow these as well. But what if there was a way to save the
hip-pocket nerve for a couple more birthdays without having the little
dears look like they should be riding around with the clowns on
miniature bikes at the circus? Well, there is and it comes from Spanish
bike manufacturer Orbea, which has come up with its line of Grow bikes
that - as the name suggests - grow along with your child. Read More
UK-based bargain airline easyJet has thrown its
weight behind the development of an electric taxiing system in a bid to
cut its fuel consumption and enhance its environmental credibility. The
"electric green taxiing system" (EGTS) is a joint venture by engineering
and aerospace conglomerates Honeywell and Safran. Safran claims that
four percent of easyJet's fuel consumption is used taxiing aircraft
before take off and after landing from and to gates. Read More
Tesla unveils Model X crossover electric car
By Darren Quick
February 9, 2012
Tesla has unveiled its latest electric car, the
Model X, at its California Design Studios. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the
prototype crossover vehicle on display was the company's most advanced
to appear at a launch so is unlikely to differ significantly from the
vehicle that will be put into production. The vehicle will be available
in both rear- and four-wheel-drive versions. The latter packs two
independent electric motors - one on the rear axle and the other in the
"engine bay" - with a "Perfromance" all-wheel drive model able to
accelerate from 0 - 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in under five seconds. Read More
It's a reality that we come to
realize as small children: certain wonderful indulgences of childhood
like snow days, mud fights and sled jumps are entirely at the mercy of
Mother Nature. You only get to enjoy them for a few months out of the
year, and if the weather doesn't cooperate, you may miss a whole year or
two. If only we'd had the Hanczar snowless sled when we were kids. Read More
The Burj Khalifa,
which has held the title of world’s tallest building with a height of
2,717 ft (828 m) since its completion in 2010, may have its crown stolen
by a new 3,445 ft (1,050 m) high building proposed for construction in
Azerbaijan. Read More
Some readers might remember the Mr. Fusion unit in Back to the Future
that Doc Brown fills with household garbage, including a banana peel
and some beer, to power the iconic time-traveling DeLorean. While we're
still some way from such direct means of running our cars on table
scraps, researchers at Fraunhofer have developed a pilot plant that
ferments the waste from wholesale fruit and veg markets, cafeterias and
canteens to make methane, which can be used to power vehicles. Read More
Honda's main rival for the 2012 MotoGP title is
Yamaha, so lets take a quick look at how the team fared in pre-season
testing at Sepang in Malaysia. Team riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies
spent the three track days allocated working to arrive at the base
settings for the new 1000cc YZR-M1 before serious testing begins next
month. The final session saw Lorenzo the second fastest rider, 0.59
seconds behind Casey Stoner (Honda RC213V). Team mate Spies ended up in
fourth position, some 0.88 seconds behind Stoner. Read More
By now, probably just about everyone has seen
amazing footage of single- or double-amputee runners, using Össur's
Flex-Run carbon fiber running blades. The springy substitutes for legs
allow their users to run so fast and naturally, that there is currently a
debate over whether or not it would be fair to allow athletes using
them to compete against non-amputees. Carbon fiber isn't exactly known
for its grippy qualities, however, so Nike has been working with
one-legged triathlete Sarah Reinertsen, to create the equivalent of a
shoe that could be used with the blades. The result is the Nike Sole.
Read More
Anyone who has ever broken a bone knows that
while receiving the injury itself is quite unpleasant, being laid up for
several weeks to even a few months afterwards is also no picnic. Help
may be on the way, however. The U.S. Department of Defense is funding a
study, to develop fast bone-healing treatments that could be used on
soldiers, along with civilians and even animals. Already, scientists
have gotten promising results in laboratory tests, using something they
call “fracture putty.” Read More
The beautiful REK bookcase by
Rotterdam-based designer and architect Reiner de Jong is an elegantly
designed unit that can be configured to accommodate a book collection of
any size with a minimum of wasted space. Read More DoubleBack adds a sliding pod to VW's Transporter van
By Ben Coxworth
February 9, 2012
It was over thirty years ago that Volkswagen
first started offering “pop tops” on its camper vans. In the years
since, the soft-sided interior height-extenders have become a common
sight on VW vans parked in campgrounds all over the world. Now, Welsh
company Overlander Motorhomes is offering what it sees as the logical
compliment to the pop top – it’s the DoubleBack, a sliding insulated pod
that extends the interior length of Volkwagen’s T5 Transporter van.
Read More
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