Well, the Auto-Mower, Robby Garden XP, Evolution, and Robomow
now have another competitor to content with – last month, Bosch
launched its Indego autonomous lawnmower. Like existing “robo-mowers,”
this one handles the cutting of the grass without human intervention,
while its owner presumably lies nearby in a hammock with an iced tea and says things like “Now this is the life!”. According to Bosch, however, it also has a few features that make it special. Read More
A new brand
of plant-based protein food that promises to look, feel, taste and act
like chicken meat has hit the stores in the US with a promise to offer a
tasty alternative to animal-based food. Beyond Meat is the brainchild
of Ethan Brown, an entrepreneur who was brought up on a dairy farm in Maryland USA,
whose first-hand experience with animal agriculture led him to adopt a
vegan lifestyle. Frustrated with the options available, he decided to
search for a better plant-based, processed vegan option to replace meat.
Read More
First-person video games are all very well and good, but there’s no getting around the fact that the person/vehicle that you’re controlling doesn’t really exist.
If that sort of thing bugs you, then you might like Dive Commander –
it’s a web-based game, in which you control an actual, physical
mini-submarine via your computer. Read More
Apple has chosen WWDC week to announce an update to its MacBook Air line. It may lack the Retina display of its newly upgraded, headline-grabbing cousin, the MacBook Pro, but the 2012 Air sees significant advances too. An upgrade from Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge processors with improved integrated graphics is chief among the upgrades, and onboard memory has also received a boost. Read More
As part of its keynote speech on the opening day of this year's WWDC,
Apple mentioned that Siri will be featured in vehicles from no less
than nine major global automakers. Not only will Siri be making her much anticipated iPad debut, but she'll also be joining you on your daily commute. Apple calls it the "Eyes Free" system. Read More
Having released OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) to developers earlier this year, Apple had already let much of the new features of its Mac operating system out of the bag. At WWDC, Apple has revealed the ninth version of OS X will be available for download from next month. Read More
Although advances in refrigeration technology
means we don’t need to defrost the freezer as often as we used to, many
of us are still forced to carry out the task on a regular basis lest we
find the frosty walls closing in to claim that tub of ice cream. Now a
team from Harvard University has developed ultra smooth slippery
surfaces that prevent ice sheets from developing by allowing even tiny
drops of condensation or frost to simply slide off. As well as keeping
freezers frost-free, the technology could be used to prevent ice build
up on metal surfaces in wind turbines, marine vessels, and aircraft.
Read More
Northrop Grumman has announced that
it will collaborate with Canadian aerospace and defence company L-3 MAS
to send a variant of the Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) into Arctic skies. Read More 
Many people like to listen to tunes when they’re
at the pool or beach, which are both environments where electronic
devices could potentially get wet. While waterproof music players
do exist, lots of folks now use their smartphone as their own little
personal stereo. That’s the reason for the existence of Grace Digital
Audio’s ECOXPRO Waterproof Speaker Case. It houses the user’s smartphone
– along with some other odds and ends – while playing its music library
through a full-range three-inch front speaker. Read More
For over 60 years, electrical engineers have been
trying to minimize the problem of tin whiskers. Growing on tin-plated
electronics, the needle-like structures get up to ten millimeters long,
and can cause short circuits. Instead of trying to eliminate them,
however, Washington State University’s Prof. Grant Norton has been
looking into ways of growing them – albeit in a controlled manner. His
research has led to the creation of a tin battery anode, which he claims
could triple the capacity of lithium-ion batteries. Read More
The "world's most expensive billboard" might bring about thoughts of neon lights lofted high above prime city real estate,
but it probably wouldn't make you think of jetpacks. However, an
interactive billboard with a soaring jetpack is exactly how a Middle
Eastern skydiving outfit and American energy drink company found their
way to what they call the world's priciest billboard. Read More
Griffin Technologies has just
released some new eye- and ear-pleasing earbud-type earphones that come
with a slice of eco-friendliness, too. The outer housing of the
WoodTones Earbuds is made from bits of exotic scrapwoods rescued from
the workshop floors of furniture and cabinet makers, which is said to
add volume without distortion or coloring while also bringing mid-range
frequencies to the fore and delivering even, solid bass. Read More
The options continue to expand for
those of us who'd rather sit on a garden lounge than tackle the task of
cutting copious tracts of lawn. Earlier this week we looked at Bosch's foray
into the robo-mower market, now it's time for a closer look at John
Deere's autonomous offering - the all-weather TANGO E5. Read More
With the age of production electric vehicles
still in its relative infancy, it’s not surprising to see new records
being claimed on a fairly regular basis. The latest company putting its
EV on the world record podium is Renault, which is claiming the world
record for the longest distance traveled in 24 hours by a production EV.
Read More
Researchers from the Laboratory for
Intelligent Systems at Switzerland’s EPFL federal research institute
were inspired by the resilience of flying insects, and set out to
replicate it in a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle. They succeeded,
creating a UAV that can crash into things, fall down, then right itself
and get back in the air. Read More
Have you ever wished that your
computer could answer questions like “What did he mean when he said
that?” or “Should I go to that party?” Well, while that may never
happen, it could conceivably provide you with an answer if you
asked it, “Where did I leave my wallet?” – if it were running the
Kinsight system. Read More
With the first manned mission to an asteroid
planned for 2025, NASA has sent an international group of “aquanauts” to
the ocean floor off the Florida coast
to test concepts for such a mission. The four-person crew will spend 12
days 63 feet (19 m) below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean in the
Aquarius lab located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary as part of the 16th excursion of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) program. Read More
Kytephone app creates child-friendly smartphones
By Dave Parrack
June 12, 2012
Children of all ages are being given their own mobile phones,
the lucky ones being handed smartphones that many adults would love to
own. The problem with this is the capacity for misuse a smartphone
offers kids. They can use the device to access the Web, download apps,
keep in touch with anyone and everyone, or take photographs to send to
others. Kytephone is a free Android app that seeks to turn any Android
handset into a child-friendly smartphone. Read More
The options for those looking to improve the
oft-maligned audio quality of their iOS device have pretty much been
limited to getting a better set of headphones or improving the quality
of the audio files themselves. V-MODA has already come to the party with
its Crossfade LP headphones and now provides another option for audiophiles with VAMP, a case for iPhone 4/4S with an integrated amp, DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) and battery pack. Read More
The "world's most expensive billboard" might bring about thoughts of neon lights lofted high above prime city real estate,
but it probably wouldn't make you think of jetpacks. However, an
interactive billboard with a soaring jetpack is exactly how a Middle
Eastern skydiving outfit and American energy drink company found their
way to what they call the world's priciest billboard. Read More
Thanks to their size, strength and ease of transport, shipping containers have been embraced by architects who have turned them into everything from restaurants and off-grid homes, to school classrooms and modular, portable hotels.
The “Eco-Pak” home doesn’t just renovate the inside of a shipping
container, but uses a shipping container as an integral part of a larger
building, with all the structural components contained within it so it
can be delivered just about anywhere in one convenient package. Read More
So you purchased a DSLR capable of shooting
impressive HD video, thinking it would give your movies a professional
look and feel. But watching back some of your wobbly and uninspiring
shots you realized there was more to it than having the right camera.
The Aviator Travel Jib is looking to solve this dilemma - it's a compact
and lightweight alternative to expensive professional jibs that
promises to take your cinematography to new heights with sweeping camera
shots. Read More
Streetlamps burn all night long, 365 nights a
year, yet they also spend all day soaking up the Sun’s rays. This
combination of regular usage alternating with sunlight exposure would
seem to make them ideal candidates for the solar-power treatment.
Indeed, companies such as Sharp
and several others currently offer solar-powered streetlamps. Spain’s
University of Seville, however, has developed a streetlamp that
harnesses the power not only of sunlight, but also of wind. Read More
Eco Wave Power has reported the completion of a
medium-scale version of its Wind Clapper and Power Wing wave energy
generation system. The company has released a video showing the system
in action and is currently undertaking testing and evaluation before
work begins on the construction of the first commercial scale EWP wave
power plant. Read More
Columbia has introduced what it claims to be a
new revolution in sports clothing. A special fabric called Omni-Freeze
Zero uses your sweat as a cooling agent. When mixed with the fabric,
your sweat actually makes it cooler to the touch. Read More
Griffin Technologies has just
released some new eye- and ear-pleasing earbud-type earphones that come
with a slice of eco-friendliness, too. The outer housing of the
WoodTones Earbuds is made from bits of exotic scrapwoods rescued from
the workshop floors of furniture and cabinet makers, which is said to
add volume without distortion or coloring while also bringing mid-range
frequencies to the fore and delivering even, solid bass. Read More
Backing up data
is a simple and yet forgettable part of modern life. If files are
important, they need to be stored in multiple places. A desktop or
laptop hard drive is the first, and an external drive, disc or the cloud
is generally the second. But even if you're diligent - and more than
three quarters of us aren't according to data collected by Parks
Associates - pictures, videos and other files uploaded to social
networking sites might miss that crucial backup. Backup Plus, a new line
of storage devices from Seagate, offers to save those photos and videos
you posted on Facebook, Flickr and elsewhere with the click of an icon.
Read More
Last year, Prof. Anthony James announced that he and his colleagues had genetically altered Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
in a fashion that could drastically reduce their populations. In a
nutshell, the altered genes cause the female mosquitoes to be born
without wings – this makes it rather difficult for them to go foraging
for blood, and turns them into easy prey for almost any predator. The
non-biting males are born with wings, and subsequently go off and mate with unmodified females, passing the modified genes along to their offspring. Now, James has done some more genetic engineering, to create mosquitoes that can’t spread malaria. Read More
For a company that was created at the command of the most notorious, brutal figures in modern history, Volkswagen and its historical stable of cute cars
like the Beetle has developed the cuddliest, feel goodiest persona. You
could literally hug cars like the Beetle or Golf and not look
(completely) strange. But not the new Amarok M. This military-grade
truck decked out in heavy-duty accoutrements shows another side of VW, a
side that can give children nightmares with its full name alone:
Rheinmetall Amarok M Light Multi-Purpose Vehicle. Read More
At Gizmag we have covered a range of modular housing prefabs, from the living-in-nature LEAP house, to the modern Loftcube and even the futuristic tree-hotel
concept ... but it isn’t often that we come across a design that
doesn’t leave you yearning for more space, an extra living zone or
outdoor flexibility. However, Slovenian architectural studio Coodo may have come up with a solution that not only suits a variety of purposes but can house the entire family. Read More
There's no denying that tablet computers have
carved out quite a substantial niche over the past couple of years, but
they're not exactly an ideal productivity solution for those of us who
spend much of our lives tapping away on a keyboard. Lenovo generated a
flutter of excitement at CES 2010 when the company revealed its
intention to combine tablet convenience with the power of a notebook in
the form of the U1.
Sadly, this concept hasn't yet made it beyond prototyping, but ASUS
actually delivered somewhat similar functionality with its Eee Pad Transformer
series. Now, the company has revealed a new ultrabook that also has a
multi-touch tablet on the outer face of the lid. Full specs for the
TAICHI are a little thin at the moment, but here's what we do know. Read More
ESO approves European Extremely Large Telescope
June 13, 2012
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) council
met on Monday in Garching, Germany and approved the European Extremely
Large Telescope (E-ELT) program, pending the confirmation of ad
referendum votes from the authorities of four member states before the
next council meeting. Assuming all goes according to plan, the E-ELT is
expected to begin operation early in the next decade. Read More
The soft, collagen-rich shock absorbers in our
backs, known as intervertebral discs, both add to our height (a full
quarter of the spinal column's total length) and cushion our vertebrae
from contacting one another. Unfortunately, aging, accidents and overuse
can damage them and lead to the costly phenomenon of chronic back pain –
roughly US$100 billion is spent annually on treatment in the U.S.
alone. Replacement
of damaged discs, rather than spinal fusion, is an option that's
growing in popularity, especially because it helps maintain mobility in
the spine. Now, a team from Brigham Young University (BYU) has unveiled
their new artificial disc, a compliant mechanism that they believe has
the potential to restore quality of life to millions of those with
injured spines. Read More
The propagation of new thought in any global
arena doesn't take long these days and with rapid development teams
capable of building and testing prototypes in just a few months, entire
markets can seemingly spring from nowhere. In 2009, JetLev showed its
US$100,000 Jetlev (top left). Within months of production starting,
French PWC legend Franky Zapata recognized that most of the hardware
required for such a device was already contained in a PWC and created
the Flyboard (top right) - a US$7500 accessory that attaches to any
existing PWC with 150 plus horsepower. Now the people who brought you
the Sea Breacher (bottom left) have completed a long-standing project to
build the Jetovator (bottom right), a jet bike with a motorcycle
seating position and controls. Three competitors makes a market - and
all inside three short years. Read More
Despite increasing numbers of smartphones sporting near field communication (NFC)
functionality, the technology hasn’t really set the world on fire just
yet. The simple fact is that, apart from the limited rollout of cashless
transaction systems from the likes of Visa, Google and Orange,
there’s still not a hell of a lot that these NFC capabilities can be
used for. Samsung is looking to change this with the introduction of NFC
stickers called TecTiles that can be programmed to automate various
smartphone functions. Read More
Antimatter propulsion is the Holy Grail of
spaceflight. When matter and antimatter react, the energy produced is
several billion times larger than the thermomechanical energy resulting
from burning a kilogram of a hydrocarbon fuel. Now a high school student
has developed a new magnetic exhaust nozzle that would double the
velocity of an antimatter-powered rocket. Read More
Much of today's modern workforce has been touched by the helping hand of ergonomic science. In a former professional life, I remember colleagues regularly disappearing on day trips to specialist furniture suppliers arranged by the Health and Safety
department to be measured and fitted for a new office chair.
Professional musicians, on the other hand, are often required to make do
with whatever seating is provided by the concert hall or theater, as if
all instruments and players had exactly the same requirements. After
spending 18 months studying the needs of various players, David Brothers
has now designed an adjustable three-legged seating solution to help
promote good playing posture and correct breathing techniques. Read More
House hunters could soon have a useful tool to turn to when seeking out a potential new pad. Researchers from the University of Granada have developed software
that they claim can accurately predict future noise levels in a street.
The system not only predicts the frequency of noise, but the type of
noise that potential residents would have to put up with. Read More
The options continue to expand for
those of us who'd rather sit on a garden lounge than tackle the task of
cutting copious tracts of lawn. Earlier this week we looked at Bosch's foray
into the robo-mower market, now it's time for a closer look at John
Deere's autonomous offering - the all-weather TANGO E5. Read More
With the age of production electric vehicles
still in its relative infancy, it’s not surprising to see new records
being claimed on a fairly regular basis. The latest company putting its
EV on the world record podium is Renault, which is claiming the world
record for the longest distance traveled in 24 hours by a production EV.
Read More
Boil-in-a-bag takes on a whole new meaning thanks
to Eades Appliance Technology's (EAT) SousVide Supreme Demi. Using a
cooking technique that was once the reserve of laboratories and upmarket
restaurants, the SousVide Supreme Demi aims to provide home chefs
with the means to create perfectly cooked dishes with laboratory
precision in a compact, affordable, countertop “water oven” that’s as
easy to operate as a slow cooker and only consumes as much power as a
60-watt incandescent bulb. Read More
The Codemasters crew have long been known for some great gravel grinding off-road racers, but Dirt Showdown marks a move in a fresh direction for the company.
The new game is still based on off-road racing and features the
stunning looking Ford Fiesta piloted by American legend Ken Block as the
centerpiece. However this time around the game eschews a more serious
professional rallying approach and instead aims to deliver easier to
access and often more spectacular arcade thrills. Read More
If listening to Eye of The Tiger at full
bore isn’t enough to get you off your backside to blast those glutes
and pump those biceps anymore, then drugs might be the answer. A team of
Swiss researchers has discovered that raising the levels of the hormone
erythropoietin (Epo) in the brains of mice resulted in the rodents
being more motivated to exercise. The discovery provides the possibility
of developing a pill that can motivate people to want to exercise. Read More
The latest Toyota concept isn't debuting at the
Tokyo Motor Show; it's debuting at the International Tokyo Toy Show.
Without the benefit of a background reference, the Camatte concept looks
like it could be a new subcompact car. In a way, it is, but it's not
designed for the average commuter. It's a working car designed for kids.
Read More
Researchers from the Laboratory for
Intelligent Systems at Switzerland’s EPFL federal research institute
were inspired by the resilience of flying insects, and set out to
replicate it in a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle. They succeeded,
creating a UAV that can crash into things, fall down, then right itself
and get back in the air. Read More
Skype announced today that Windows users of its
popular voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service who do not possess
Skype Credit or subscriptions will be subjected to silent visual
advertisements dubbed “Conversation Ads” when making one-to-one audio
calls. The move follows last year’s buyout of Skype by Microsoft for a
reported US$8.5 billion. Read More
Although they’ve been around for decades, the all-in-one form factor has really been embraced by PC manufacturers in recent years. On the back of recent releases from the likes of HP, Dell and Sony, Vizio, a company better known for producing TVs, has joined the party with a couple of all-in-one units in 24- and 27-inch screen sizes that mark the company's entry into the PC market. Read More
If you don't happen to have upwards of half a
million dollars burning a hole in your investment portfolio, Nissan has
another high performance Juke besides the Juke-R.
The Juke Nismo isn't nearly as extreme as its big brother, but it does
have a variety of enhancements over the stock Juke. And with its red
mirror caps and aggressive body kit, it doesn't look half bad either.
Nissan is revealing the production version of the hot-hatch crossover
for the first time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Read More
We know there’s an ongoing quest to build a better mousetrap,
but what about a better insect trap? That’s just what Acase, working
with design house inadays, believes it has done with the creation of the
InaTrap. With an appearance not dissimilar to a designer lamp, the InaTrap attracts, traps and kills insects so you can ditch the swatter and insect spray. Read More
If you’ve ever worn a knee brace,
then you may have noticed what a large change in angle your knee goes
through with every step you take, and how quickly it does so. A team of
scientists from the U.K.’s Cranfield University, University of Liverpool
and University of Salford certainly noticed, and decided that all that
movement should be put to use. The result is a wearable piezoelectric
device that converts knee movement into electricity, which could in turn
be used to power gadgets such as heart rate monitors, pedometers and
accelerometers. Read More
Have you ever wished that your
computer could answer questions like “What did he mean when he said
that?” or “Should I go to that party?” Well, while that may never
happen, it could conceivably provide you with an answer if you
asked it, “Where did I leave my wallet?” – if it were running the
Kinsight system. Read More
With the introduction of smartphone apps like Triggertrap and ioShutter,
which allow you to control your DSLR from your phone, you might wonder
why anyone would still buy a dedicated remote unit ... until that is,
you miss a once-in-a-lifetime shot because you needed the phone for
something else at the crucial moment. Sometimes simple is better. The
Satechi WTR-A is a budget wireless timer remote for Canon DSLRs. Read More
Firefighters face many dangers, including burns,
smoke inhalation and structure collapses. Because they're required to
wear all that heavy gear while performing strenuous activities, however,
they also risk heat stroke. That’s why firefighter Michael Robinson
invented the HeatSeeker – a device that attaches to a fire truck’s
existing hose port, creating a cooling mist. Read More
Remember how people reacted when McDonalds
announced that it was going to start selling pizzas? Well, if buying
pies from a chain best known for cheap hamburgers might have been
difficult for some folks to get their heads around, they will likely
find this even stranger – buying them from a vending machine.
Nonetheless, that’s exactly what Dutch company A1 Concepts is hoping
Americans will do, when its Let’s Pizza machines arrive in the U.S. Read More
BMW has further strengthened its commitment to an
electric mobility future by announcing the opening of its first i Store
on July 25. To celebrate the event, the German auto giant has developed
a new folding pedal-electric bike called the i Pedelec. Like the Voltitude,
the new bike can be rolled along when folded to make getting on and off
trains or buses, or in and out of elevators, a little less troublesome,
and benefits from a geared electric hub motor, high performance
batteries and disc braking at the front and rear. BMW also says that two
folded i Pedelec bikes can be comfortably squeezed into the trunk space
of its forthcoming i3 EV, and that their batteries can be charged while
in there. Read More
A team of scientists from the UCSF School of
Pharmacy, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR) and
SeaChange Pharmaceuticals has developed a set of computer models that
can predict negative side effects associated with existing drugs. By
speeding up the process and increasing accuracy, the software could
potentially save billions in research and decrease the number of animals
used in toxicity tests. Read More
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