New and Emerging Technology News part 172 ~ NEW GEN TECH LIFE : new generation technology news

Tuesday, 4 February 2014

New and Emerging Technology News part 172

Innovega's dual-focus contact lenses allow the wearer to focus near and far at the same ti...
The iOptik display system, consisting of modified contact lenses and glasses, promises to revolutionize head-mounted display-based augmented reality by allowing the wearer to focus on two planes at the same time. Innovega, the company behind the project, developed their ultra-small form-factor head-up display (HUD) setup in frames of DARPA’s Soldier Centric Imaging via Computational Cameras (SCENICC) program, and has now signed a contract with the agency to deliver a prototype.  Read More
The Style Coupe Concept is a sporty executive four-door coupé with a 211 bhp two-liter, tu... Mercedes Benz is making quite a name for itself in the Chinese market at present. Last week it won its first Formula One race for half a century, and it did so in Shanghai. Next week it shows the Style Coupé Concept at Auto China in Beijing. China has 1.3 billion inhabitants, many of whom are getting wealthy quickly. Though the penetration of cars into the Chinese population is only at the same percentage as America was at during the first World War (about 1917 at this point), China's car market is already the world's largest. Mercedes Benz is clearly targeting the growing middle class wealth with this production-ready executive coupé.  Read More
Garmin S3 GPS touchscreen golf watch The argument that new technology somehow tarnishes sport as a purely human endeavor has created controversy in swimming circles and the like. We average golfers, on the other hand, need all the help we can get. Garmin's latest effort in getting you to the green takes the functionality of its handheld golf GPS units and puts it on your wrist - the S3 touchscreen GPS golf watch.  Read More
The NIRCam that has passed its testing at Lockheed Martin and is being readied for shipmen...
Assembly has been completed on the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) that will be the primary imager on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and will also act as the telescope’s wavefront sensor to allow for control of its primary mirror. NIRCam covers the infrared wavelength range of 0.6 (the edge of visible) to 5 microns (near infrared) and its focal plane assemblies (FPA) consist of 40 million pixels and are designed to operate at 35 degrees Kelvin (-396°F/-238°C).  Read More
Researchers are developing innovative ways to keep smartphones powered-up in the developin... Smart phones are techno wonders, and they are also energy guzzlers, which is not a problem for people living in the developed world. However, their high energy requirements has stymied the adoption of mobile internet services in developing countries where mobile internet can be a real lifeline. In Africa, for example, few people can access the internet from a wired connection but 90 percent of the population lives in areas with mobile phone network coverage. There’s one problem though. Access to the power grid in Africa is limited.  Read More
The DeltaWing Project - half the power, half the weight, twice the aerodynamic efficiency
Gizmag is essentially about new thought - new and better ways of doing things. Hence the DeltaWing Project which we detailed previously, is of greater fascination than most current auto racing projects because the 1.6-liter Nissan DIG-T turbo-powered car is hugely innovative. Racetrack testing is well underway and the car recently had its first serious outing in the wet at the U.K.'s Snetterton circuit.  Read More
The smart ebike has been put through the final tests before its mid-year release Smart has provided some more information on the company’s first foray into transportation of the two-wheeled, pedal-assist variety. With help from the likes of parent company Daimler, the bike’s battery supplier, and GRACE, the Berlin-based e-Bike manufacturer that helped in its design, the smart ebike was put through its paces in February in Majorca to test the bike ahead of its impending release.  Read More
The original Z1 Kawasaki - 82 bhp and 903cc It's forty years since Kawasaki astonished the motorcycling world by showing the 903cc Z1 superbike at the 1972 Cologne Show. Some special activities are being planned for the 2012 Cologne Intermot show to commemorate the event.  Read More
Eolewater's WMS1000 wind-driven water-harvesting system uses on-board cooling units to chi...
We've all seen ice cold glasses and bottles dripping with condensation after cooling water vapor in the air, and though grabbing water out of thin air is not new, it took French inventor and Eolewater founder Marc Parent's umpteenth emptying of his air conditioner's condensate to envision harvesting atmospheric moisture on a commercial scale using wind turbines. After years of designs and prototypes, his proof-of-concept device, essentially a wind-powered refrigeration/condensation/filtration unit, was put in operation in the dry desert air of Abu Dhabi last October where it's been reliably extracting 130-200 gal (approx. 500-800L) of clean, fresh water a day ever since.  Read More
Manfrotto has just launched its SYMPLA modular camera rig, which can be customized for a w...
It’s April, which means that once again, the National Association of Broadcasters trade show has taken over Las Vegas. Amongst the various other film, video and photography-related gizmos that have been unveiled this week is an interesting new product from Manfrotto. Known as SYMPLA (for SYstem Moving PLatform), the modular camera rigging system can be configured in seconds, without tools, to accommodate a wide range of of DSLRs, camcorders and accompanying lenses.  Read More

Samsung America has unveiled two new Galaxy Tab Android tablets, that will shortly be avai...
Samsung has announced U.S. availability for new versions of its Galaxy Tab Android tablet computer and two new portable media players. Both Galaxy Tab 2 devices run on Google's Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating platform with full access to Google Play (formerly Android Market), are powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor, have built-in GPS, and both front- and rear-facing cameras. The Galaxy Players also run on Android, but it's the Gingerbread (2.3) flavor instead of ICS.  Read More
A new technique known as mechanical tissue resuscitation has been shown to reduce the cell... When the brain receives a traumatic injury, irreversible damage occurs as the cells at the point of impact die. Injured cells surrounding the area then release toxic substances, which cause the brain to swell. This decreases blood flow within the brain, leading to lower oxygen levels, which in turn leads to more cell deaths. Recently, however, scientists from North Carolina’s Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have developed a new technique, that has greatly reduced the secondary cell deaths in brain-injured lab rats.  Read More
Cheaper, non-enzymatic detergents can be used with enzyme-enhanced cleaning utensils for g...
Enzymes are catalysts that boost chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy required for the reactions to occur. Added to detergents, they help break down the dirt into smaller pieces that can be more easily removed with water. While enzymatic detergents do work better than non-enzymatic ones, they are also more expensive. But what if the enzymes could be reused? A recent study by C.S. Pundir and Nidhi Chauhan, members of The American Chemical Society, may lead to cheaper laundry days and less in the way of valuable enzymes going down the drain.  Read More
A Hong Kong company is selling 100% biodegradable fast food containers, made from waste st... Not only are polystyrene fast food containers usually not recyclable, but they also take eons to break down in a landfill, can emit harmful compounds, and require petroleum to create. Using paper is one alternative, but Hong Kong-based company Innovasians is now offering another – 100% biodegradable containers made from waste straw left over after wheat harvesting.  Read More
Charles Lushear has designed and built a coffee table that resembles a Nintendo Entertainm...
Being lovers of style, comfort and technology, you've doubtless already decked your living room out with a multimedia sofa and a recliner with a built-in sound system. Perhaps you've even gone to the trouble of hiding your plasma TV behind a nice art print or surrounding it in a home-theater-like frame. If you're now a tad underwhelmed by that functional, but otherwise rather dull, coffee table, then we may have something to bring a smile to your face. Furniture maker Charles Lushear has supersized the brick-like controller from Nintendo's iconic 8-bit gaming system launched in the mid-1980s, swapped the cold plastic for the elegance of wood and positioned some mid 20th century legs underneath to make a fully operational Nintendo Controller Coffee Table.  Read More
The Babalung Apnea Monitor is a student-designed device that could save the lives of infan...
Although it’s normal for infants to have some disruptions in their breathing while sleeping, prolonged periods of sleep apnea can cause their blood oxygen levels to fall dangerously low, sometimes even resulting in death – this is a particular risk for babies born prematurely. Usually, when an infant does stop breathing while asleep, all that’s required to get them started again is a gentle nudge or some other kind of disturbance. Unfortunately, however, neonatal wards in developing nations are often understaffed, so nurses might not notice a non-breathing infant until it’s too late. That’s why a group of five bioengineering students from Houston’s Rice University invented the Babalung Apnea Monitor.  Read More
SKIN is Calligaris’ first product made by molding Liquid Wood During Milan Design Week 2012, Italian furniture maker Calligaris has introduced the use of liquid wood, a composite biomaterial consisting of polymer and wood. Producing its first range of chairs, liquid wood is 100% recyclable and produced with raw materials that are easily available and renewable.  Read More
Audi buys Ducati ... time to celebrate Audi has purchased Ducati Motorcycles. Not Volkswagen Group (Audi's parent) , but Audi, which is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group. It seems a very good fit. It's early days and the announcement has just been made, but as a fan of motorcycles in general and Ducati in particular, we'rew all running around here like rats with a gold tooth in reaction to the announcement. Audi has the enthusiast spirit in its DNA to appreciate the magic of the Ducati Brand and empower it. It will ensure the resources are there to enable the brand to prosper. The Supervisory Boards of AUDI AG and Volkswagen AG approved the acquisition today in Hamburg. Hang in there Valentino, the cavalry are coming.  Read More
Described by its creator as 'a secret treehouse hiding in the woods of Whistler,' the stor...
Described by its creator as "a secret treehouse hiding in the woods of Whistler," in the Canadian province of British Columbia, the HemLoft is, unlike many buildings that describe themselves such, a treehouse in the truest sense: the entire weight of the egg-shaped structure is supported by the tree around which it is built. Though welcome to visitors - the right sort of visitors, at least - one first has to find it. And the ongoing story of the HemLoft's ever-widening profile is as compelling as the story of its construction - and it's a story with an uncertain ending.  Read More
Belgium is Design, Milan Design Week 2012
Salone Internazionale del Mobile has been showcasing the latest in home-furnishing design from Italy and around the globe since 1961. This week we were lucky enough to be in Milan to preview the best the show has to offer and also meet with talented graduates at the Salone Satellite - a parallel exhibition which brings together the brightest young designers under 35. Stay tuned for more details on some of the exciting new projects we encountered, but in the meantime we hope this photo journal will give you a taste of the fascinating designs gracing the Milan Fairgrounds this week.  Read More
 
The Remote Mars Yard project would allow internet users to control a physical Mars rover r...
It’s fairly safe to say that almost no one reading this article has ever or will ever operate a Mars rover. If a project being spearheaded by two Polish space enthusiasts gets the funding it needs, however, a lot of people may get to do the next-best thing ... they could remotely operate an actual physical replica rover – via the internet – located in a large room that’s been made up to look like the surface of Mars. That’s the idea behind the Remote Mars Yard project, or ReMY.  Read More
SmartShell is a wooden structure that uses hydraulic drives to compensate for structural l...
When things like bridges or stadium roofs are built, they’re designed to withstand not just the stress that they will experience on a frequent basis, but also the maximum stress loads that they’ll only be subjected to once in a while – these could take the form of things like snowfalls or wind storms. This means that much of the heavy, costly materials that the structures are made of will only occasionally prove necessary. Researchers from the University of Stuttgart, however, have come up with an alternative. They’ve designed a lightweight structure that actively adapts to increased loads via built-in hydraulics.  Read More
Vela is a striking concept that turns your home workout bike into a work of art when not i...
Following in the footsteps of the Ciclotte design, it looks like exercise equipment continues to get a makeover. Moving away from clunky equipment that often folds away to stay out-of-sight, two new pieces are designed to adorn a living room. TECHNOGYM presented their latest range of exercise equipment during Milan Design Week 2012, while LUNAR's striking Vela concept turns your home workout bike into a work of art when not in use.  Read More
Altaeros Energies has been in touch to show Gizmag a video of its Airborne Wind Turbine in... Remember the Airborne Wind Turbine covered by Gizmag towards the end of March? The creator of the prototype, Altaeros Energies, has been in touch to show us a video of the prototype in operation and we can confirm that a) it flies and b) the turbine goes round.  Read More
Researchers have developed a neuroprosthesis that restores hand movement in paralyzed monk...
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a neuroprosthesis that restores complex movement in the paralyzed hands of monkeys. By implanting a multi-electrode array directly into the brain of the monkeys, they were able to detect the signals that generate arm and hand movements. These signals were deciphered by a computer and relayed to a functional electrical stimulation (FES) device, bypassing the spinal cord to deliver an electrical current to the paralyzed muscles. With a lag time of just 40 milliseconds, the system enabled voluntary and complex movement of a paralyzed hand.  Read More
Siemens' full-surface induction cooktop allows up to four pieces of cookware to be placed ... Earlier this year at CES 2012, Siemens subsidiary Thermador unveiled its Freedom Induction Cooktop that allows pots and pans of various sizes to be placed anywhere on its surface instead of being constrained to fixed cooking zones. Now Siemens has shown its own full-surface induction cooktop that provides the same freedom of cookware placement.  Read More
The initial Mercedes Benz Style Furniture Collection comprises one sofa, chaise longue, si...
The Mercedes-Benz brand name holds up well in any company, so it's not surprising that is being extended into other luxury markets. This time last year we were writing about Mercedes' first luxury helicopter, and the big news from the Milan Furniture Fair is that Mercedes-Benz Style has presented a furniture collection and it will be sold worldwide via exclusive furniture stores, showrooms and interior design stores from October 2012.  Read More
Brammo has released specs of its new Empulse R electric motorcycle
Brammo has released specs of its new Empulse R electric motorcycle ahead of a scheduled launch event in Los Angeles on May 8. Staking a claim as the fastest and longest range production electric motorcycle in the world, the Empulse R boasts a top speed of over 100 mph (160 km/h) and a range of up to 121 miles (195 km) for city driving.  Read More
Planetary Resources may be looking to start mining asteroids (Image: NASA) Planetary Resources, a new player in the commercial space industry, is backed by a host of tech and aerospace luminaries with an integrated personal net worth on the far side of US$30 billion. A press release from the company hints that it will look to establish asteroid mining operations in space.  Read More
Audi Q3 RS concept
Audi makes well-engineered conservatively-designed vehicles. It is seen as the German luxury make for those who don’t want the overt aggression of BMW or the extravagance of Mercedes-Benz. The cars suit a great many people down to the ground and the “soft-roader” Q5 and lately the compact Q3 have been very successful. They are not cars for driving enthusiasts however - the Q3 was recently called “unremittingly dull” in a well respected UK auto magazine (Evo) and every now and then Audi feels the need to prove that it has a wilder side. For the upcoming Beijing Motor Show it was the Q3’s turn for some conceptual wildness.  Read More

'X-ray' vision may soon be possible on cell phones by tapping into the terahertz band of t...
Those of us who envy Superman for his X-ray vision may soon get that ability - on our cell phones. Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have reported a new approach to harnessing the potential of the terahertz band in portable devices.  Read More
An Interorbital Systems TubeSat in low Earth orbit
Interorbital Systems (IOS), a rocket and spacecraft construction company founded in 1996, has announced the age of the Personal Satellite. For US$8,000, IOS provides the TubeSat Personal Satellite (PS) Kit, complete with launch to low Earth orbit (LEO). A TubeSat is a (very) low-cost alternative to the CubeSat - for comparison, by the time you have assembled a CubeSat and had it placed in orbit, your cost will be well north of US$100K.  Read More
BMC impec Automobili Lamborghini Edition
In recent years several luxury marques have added their name and design sensibilities to another mode of transport: the humble bicycle. Though these cross-bred beasts are far from humble. We've already seen the likes of Porsche, BMW and McLaren add their expertise to bike manufacturing, and now Italian supercar producer Lamborghini has joined the burgeoning list.  Read More
Teckell's designer foosball coffee table For a coffee table with attitude, look no further than Adriano Designs' Intervallo by Teckell. If you like the idea of having your coffee table do double-duty as a foosball machine, the intervallo is for you. If you just want the most beautiful foosball machine available, then might we suggest the limited edition, crystal and aluminium Cristallino Gold LE, the gold-plated star of a range of designer foosball machines that are exquisite office and den amusements but not for the feint of wallet.  Read More
The E-Bugster cabriolet The lineage of the e-bugster electric vehicle goes all the way back to the noble aspirations of the peoples' car, and Volkswagen's very name, so it is very fitting that the E-Bugster looks likely to form the basis of a range of E-Bugster electric vehicles. Appropriately being shown in the the only market that has embraced electric mobility on any scale, we first saw the E-Bugster as a coupé at Detroit in January, but this time in Beijing, the hard-top has been removed, previewing a future Beetle Cabriolet  Read More
LG Optimus Elite LG and Sprint are using Earth Day (April 22) to launch the green-credentialed LG Optimus Elite smartphone. The successor to the LG Optimus S, the new handset features Android 2.3, a 3.5-inch capacitive touch-screen, 800 MHz processor, plus a 5 MP rear-facing camera and camcorder with flash.  Read More
The Aeolus Acoustic Wind Pavilion
Aeolus, a fascinating acoustic wind sculpture made by prolific Bristol artist Luke Jerram, is as much a feast for the ears as it is for the eyes. Named after the mythical Greek ruler of the four winds and built in conjunction with the University of Southampton's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research and the University of Salford's Acoustics Research Center, the giant aeolian wind harp is intended to inspire the public to learn more about the amazing things that can happen when engineering, acoustics and aerodynamics are blended together.  Read More
The BluBleu MagicBath features a 10 jet air massage system and underwater LEDs
Babies have a pretty charmed existence, they get food whenever they want, they're pushed around in strollers which resemble arm-chairs on wheels and enjoy relaxing stints in jacuzzis ... wait, what? The MagicBath from Italian design firm BluBleu is a specially designed baby bath featuring an air massage system for your little one's derriere.  Read More
Astronaut Shannon Lucid's spacesuit is a Sokol KV-2 (Photo: Bonhams)
A rare piece of space history will be up for grabs when record-setting US astronaut Shannon Lucid’s spacesuit goes on the block at Bonhams auction house in New York City on April 26. The Russian-made Sokol KV-2 “Falcon” pressure suit was worn by Lucid while training for her mission aboard the Russian Mir space station where she set a new space endurance record. It is expected to fetch up to US$50,000.  Read More
Snoozebox can be configured to offer from 40 to over 400 rooms
Doesn’t anyone just use shipping containers for shipping anymore? Lately, we’ve seen the tough, stackable, easy-to-transport steel containers used for everything from a traveling restaurant to a mobile classroom to an off-grid house. Now, British company Snoozebox has come up with yet another clever use for them – a modular, scalable portable hotel system made up of multiple tiered containers, that can be set up anywhere within 48 hours.  Read More

The 16,000 m2 building, which is due to be completed in 2015, is comprised of a theater an...
An international design competition has been won by architectural firm Henning Larson in collaboration with the Van den Berg Groep to create a unique entrance building at Emmen Zoo in the Netherlands. The theater and zoo entrance incorporates a number of innovative features within its passive solar design including floating walls that allow the spaces within it to be reconfigured according to their required use.  Read More
Chery's Ant Concept at Auto China in Shanghai Chinese carmaker Chery has shown an interesting new concept named the Ant at the Auto China Show in Beijing today. The Ant appears aimed directly at utilizing the intelligent infrastructure proposed by General Motors China in its EN-V concept.  Read More
The Bentley EXP 9 F all-wheel drive luxury Sport Utility Vehicle concept You could be excused for having missed the birth of a new class of automobile - the super SUV. Eterniti coined the term for its 620 hp supercar based on the Porsche Cayenne, but in short order a number of other contenders with massive horsepower have emerged. The 600hp Lamborghini Urus, Maserati Kubang and Bentley EXP 9 have emerged. The Bentley EXP 9 gets three-quarters of a Bugatti Veyron engine in the form of a twin-turbo 6.0 liter W12 (with 800 Nm of torque) while the Kubang is odds-on to contain a Ferrari 450 bhp V8.  Read More
The Nomad solar lamp has been created primarily to meet the needs of families in developin...
Although the 21st Century has seen the dawn of 3D printers, the discovery of new Earth-like planets and seen the rise of the convenient smart phone, approximately 1.5 billion people around the globe remain without access to a stable or safe source of light. Commonly in some of the world's poorest regions, kerosene lanterns are the standard form of night time lighting, which leads to the possibility of fires, explosions, asphyxiation and toxic fumes. Safe and renewable solar lighting presents an obvious solution to this problem and the NOMAD solar lamp has been created for just that.  Read More
Incunabulum of the Nurenberg Chronicle (1483), edited by Hartmann Schedel (Photo: I. Pilon...
Scholars, priests, historians, and followers of the da Vinci Files can now look toward the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (the Vatican library) with anticipation. In a five-year joint project with the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford, the Vatican Library will work to digitize and post online some 1.5 million pages from Greek manuscripts, 15th-century printed books (incunabula), Hebrew manuscripts and early printed books.  Read More
University of Sydney researchers have developed a “photochemical upconversion” technique t...
While the overall efficiency of conventional silicon solar cells has continued to improve in recent years, the technology faces a natural theoretical limit at around 33%. This is because the laws of physics prevent the cells from absorbing photons below a certain energy level, meaning that this low-energy light cannot be converted into electricity is simply lost. Now researchers have found a way join two energy-poor red photons to form a single energy-rich yellow photon, allowing the harvesting of this part of the spectrum currently unused by single p-n junction crystalline silicon solar cells, and potentially enabling a record-breaking efficiency of 40%.  Read More
Voicelok Voice Authenticating USB Drive claims to provide the world’s first voicecode secu... Fingerprint recognition has long been used to protect sensitive data on USB drives - here’s another approach. This 8GB USB storage device uses voice recognition software to detect a password spoken by the user.  Read More
The Urus concept SUV signals a third product line for Lamborghini
When looking for a practical daily driver, Lamborghini probably isn’t the first name that springs to mind. But the company is looking to change all that with the Urus concept car it unveiled at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show. Intended to usher in a whole new product line and capitalize on the continuing popularity of SUVs, the Urus retains the aerodynamic lines for which the company is renowned while aiming to deliver the practicality of a family car  Read More
A recent study French has shown that a diet of  buckyballs dissolved in olive extends life...
Sometimes I (almost) envy mice, rats, and yeast - it seems that almost any aging research we carry out on them doubles their lifespan and returns semi-senescent (say, a human equivalent of about 60 years of age - not thinking of anyone in particular, of course) to youthful vigor. It now appears that dramatic anti-aging results are associated with dietary ingestion of buckyballs, more properly known as C-60 fullerene.  Read More
The 2012 Infiniti Artemis Boutique luxury carmaker Eterniti Motors is a London-based manufacturer of prestige performance automobiles. The company's first offering is named the Eterniti Artemis - a remanufactured Porsche Cayenne that will compete against the new SUVs from Bentley, Lamborghini and Maserati in the luxury SUV segment. The engineering prototype went on display today at the Auto China 2012 international motor show in Beijing.  Read More

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