True3D Head Up Display keeps drivers focused on the road
By David Szondy
October 25, 2011
Developed by the California-based company Making
Virtual Solid, True3D is billed as "an augmented reality navigational
display engine designed to provide non-distracting, translucent location
guidance." That's another way of saying that True3D takes the head-up display
(HUD) to its logical conclusion - it uses a 3D projector to beam the
display across the entire front window of the car, therefore keeping the
driver's eyes on the road by unobtrusively blending in with the real
world beyond the windscreen. Read More
Researchers trick immune system into turning off peanut allergy
By Darren Quick
October 25, 2011
A few years ago I was rushed to hospital
suffering anaphylaxis after eating a satay in peanut sauce. Although I'd
previously experienced an itchy throat from eating nuts, I didn't
realize at the time that this was an allergic reaction that could
actually kill me. Luckily, friends got me to the hospital where I was
shot full of adrenalin and everything was fine but, unfortunately, this
is not always the result for many allergy sufferers. Now researchers
have managed to rapidly turn off the allergic response to peanuts in
mice by tricking the immune system into thinking the nut proteins aren't
a threat. Read More
London-based Bodymetrics and 3D machine vision
company PrimeSense have developed a full 3D body scanner that is
designed to make finding the perfect pair of jeans a whole lot easier.
Its "Body Mapping" platform uses eight PrimeSense 3D sensors to take all
of a client's necessary measurements and map their body shape. This
data is then accessed by retailers, to find the clothes which best fit
that client. Initially the scanner is going to be used by Bodymetrics
"Fit Stylists" to suggest the best-fitting jeans for female customers.
The next step is to revolutionize the online clothing retail market.
Read More
Pssst, do you wanna buy a satellite? No, really –
do you? Well, Zac Manchester would like to sell you one. Not only that,
but he claims that the thing could be built and launched into orbit for
just a few hundred dollars. For that price, however, you’re not going
to be getting a big satellite. Manchester’s Sprite spacecraft
are actually about the size of a couple of postage stamps, but they have
tiny versions of all the basic equipment that the big ones have. Read More
People learning a new language almost always have
the same complaint – you may temporarily memorize words that you learn
in a classroom, but you soon forget those words unless you actually have
to use the language. Some educators have addressed this
problem through Task-Based Language Learning, in which students have to
complete a task using instructions provided in a foreign language.
Researchers at Britain’s Newcastle University have recently put a
high-tech spin on this approach – they’ve created an interactive kitchen
that keeps track of what its users are doing, as it uses the French
language to guide them in preparing French cuisine. Read More
Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute
(ITRI) has developed a highly flexible electronic paper that's both
re-writable and re-usable, and like the Boogie Board
electronic memo pads, the technology doesn't need electricity to retain
the screen image. The institute is currently in licensing talks with
manufacturers at home and in the U.S., and has taken first prize in the
Materials and Basic Science and Technology category of the Wall Street
Journal's Technology Innovation Awards. Read More
If you’ve ever bought a pet hermit crab, then you
may remember also having to buy several sea shells with it. This is
because the crabs don’t have shells of their own, and instead have to
find empty shells from other creatures and use those. As a hermit crab
grows, it’ll need to upsize to larger shells, hence the need to supply
it with multiple choices. Unfortunately, every empty shell gathered for
the pet trade is one less for the wild hermit crabs to move into. In
places where the beaches have been picked clean, the crabs have
reportedly resorted to using things such as bottles and shotgun shells.
That’s where Miles Lightwood’s Project Shellter comes in – he’s hoping
to design 3D printed shells for use in the pet industry, and is seeking
ideas from interested artists and designers. Read More
Husqvarna demolition robots to help clean up Fukushima
By Paul Ridden
October 25, 2011
Sweden's Husqvarna Construction has announced
that two of its remote-controlled demolition robots are to help with the
massive clean-up operation at the site of the failed fourth reactor at
the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The recently-featured DXR-140
and its bigger brother - the DXR-310 - will be used in heavy demolition
work such as tearing down concrete constructions and dealing with
contaminated materials. Read More
Mazda will roll-out a new midsize sedan concept
at the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show next month. The company will showcase its
first regenerative braking system as part of the world premiere of the
Mazda TAKERI, which is also equipped with a SKYACTIV-D diesel engine and
an i-stop idling stop system. Read More
It was not a good day for 16 year old Craig
Hutto. On June 27, 2005, wading in crystal clear waters off a
near-deserted beach 50 miles south of Panama City, Craig was attacked by
an 8-foot bull shark and lost his right leg from above the knee. Today
Hutto is a 6-foot 4-inch 23 year old studying Nursing at Middle
Tennessee State. Fortunately for him, Nashville is also the home of
Vanderbilt University where its Center for Intelligent Mechatronics has
for seven years been developing an advanced prosthetic limb. They also
happened to need a Lab Assistant to help them test it. Read More
Star Wars fans (like me) will get a vague sense of deja vu
when they see this flying sphere in action. Weighing in at about 12
ounces (350 g), the 16-inch (42 mm) diameter flying ball can launch and
return vertically, maintain a stationary hover and zip along at up to 37
mph (60 km/h). Coupled with the ball camera
we reported on earlier this month, it could become a valuable
reconnaissance platform. Who knows? In time, more advanced autonomous
versions might actually be used to train would-be Jedi knights. Once
again, life imitates art. Read More
As millions of baby boomers approach 65, the
rates of Alzheimer’s sufferers is expected to continue to rise
significantly in the coming decade. Already 5.4 million Americans are
living with the disease with that figure predicted to rise to as many as
16 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. To make
it easier for caregivers and family members to keep track of those
suffering dementia, Personal Location Services company GTX Corp has
partnered with comfort shoe manufacturer Aetrex to produce the GPS Shoe
that allows real-time tracking of the wearer. Read More
Nanoparticles have been a key part of numerous recent technological advances. Biofuels, solar cells, medical imaging systems and even sunscreen
- there's virtually no field of science or technology that they
couldn't potentially transform. There are concerns however, about the risks posed
by the countless tiny particles of materials such as silver, gold and
titanium dioxide that are now entering our environment and our bodies,
but a recent University of Oregon study suggests that if not completely
harmless, nanoparticles are at least nothing new. In fact, it states,
humans have been exposed to them for millennia. Read More
During Nokia World 2011 in London, Nokia has
announced its first Windows Phone 7-based smartphones in the form of the
Lumia 800 and Lumia 710, both featuring 3.7-inch touchscreen displays
and 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm CPUs. Read More
Robots, prosthetic limbs and touchscreen displays
could all end up utilizing technology recently developed at
California’s Stanford University. A team led by Zhenan Bao, an associate
professor of chemical engineering, has created a very stretchy
skin-like pressure-sensitive material that can detect everything from a
finger-pinch to over twice the pressure that would be exerted by an
elephant standing on one foot. The sensitivity of the material is
attained through two layers of carbon nanotubes, that act like a series
of tiny springs. Read More
The phenomenal success of music-related mobile
apps has forced many of us old timers to have a good rethink about the
way we make music in the 21st Century. For many musicians - including
The Gorillaz and Bjork - Apple's iPad is taking center stage in the
production of modern music. Digital instrument innovator Harvey Starr is
also looking at the iconic tablet as a way of giving more people the
chance to experience the power of Starr Labs' custom-built electronic
guitars at a fraction of the cost. Pairing the iPad with his company's
button-based electronic guitar fingerboard, Starr is developing a new
hybrid monster called the iTar. Read More
The 3rd International Holcim Awards for
sustainable construction projects from across Europe were recently
announced at a ceremony in Milan, with the German architectural firm
realities:united taking first prize for its Flussbad proposal. Led by
architect Tim Edler, Flussbad would transform a stretch of the River
Spree in Berlin into a 745 meter (almost 0.5 mile) -long "swimming
pool." That's about the size of 17 Olympic pools! It is hoped that the
project will provide Berlin residents with a new way to use the city's
historic center, whilst taking advantage of a currently unused section
of Berlin's inner city river. Read More
While programmable thermostats are nothing
uncommon these days, many users adjust the temperature manually
utilizing the thermostat's basic feature only. On the other hand, it's
certainly difficult to develop an appropriate program corresponding to
the volatility of daily life. Designed by a team led by ex-Apple
engineer Tony Fadell, the Nest Learning Thermostat offers a new take on
automatic temperature adjustment. Featuring a simple knob-based design,
the unit is capable of self-programming itself via a combination of its
user's habits, activity sensors and Internet-gathered weather
information, thus increasing energy savings without much effort on the
user's part. Read More
We've written a lot about the potential of using graphene
in electronics and materials science, but there are challenges when it
comes to producing and utilizing these one-atom-thick sheets of carbon
on a large scale. While a lack of an internal structure provides
graphene with an abundance of surface area, sheets of the material tend
to stick together like a stack of paper, resulting in a reduction in
surface area and effectiveness. Now, taking inspiration from a trashcan
of crumpled-up papers, Northwestern University researchers have
developed a new form of graphene that can't be stacked. Read More
IRIS 9000 iPhone 4S dock provides Siri control at a distance
By Darren Quick
October 25, 2011
Following the recent release of the iPhone 4S,
ThinkGeek has unveiled its IRIS 9000 iPhone voice control module for
iPhone and Siri. The dock brings a somewhat sinister feel to the latest
iDevice's Siri feature thanks to a red glowing light that mimics the HAL
9000's iconic camera eye from 2001: A Space Odyssey. While the
dock won't provide much help in opening the pod bay doors, it will
allow users to dock their iPhone 4S and control Siri from across the
room. Read More
Crossbow Snow Launcher goes one up in 'cold war' arms race
By Darren Quick
October 27, 2011
With winter fast approaching in the northern
hemisphere and snowbound hostilities due to recommence in neighborhoods
across the globe it might be worth updating your arsenal with this
Crossbow Snow Launcher from The Sharper Image. With the ability to shoot
snowballs distances of up to 60 feet (18 m) the device is sure to give
you the upper hand in any Hoth-like conflict without the risk of tearing
a rotator cuff. Read More
Food Finish - edible food coloring in a spray can
By Pawel Piejko
October 27, 2011
German-based company The Deli Garage has
introduced a new addition to its lineup of edible products. Perfect for
when you're expecting a Bond villain for dinner or just want to give
that roast chicken a truly golden finish, the company is now selling
Food Finish coloring spray that lets you coat your meal in a varnish of
gold, silver, red or blue. Read More
Robotic system designed to perform delicate eye surgery
By Ben Coxworth
October 27, 2011
By now, many readers are probably familiar with the da Vinci
robotic surgery system. It allows a seated surgeon, using a 3D display
and hand controls, to operate on a patient using robotic arms equipped
with surgical instruments. Not only does the system allow for more
laparoscopic surgery (in which surgical instruments access the inside of
the patient’s body through small incisions, instead of one large
opening), but it even makes it possible for the surgeon and the patient
to be in separate geographical locations. Now, a researcher at the
Netherlands’ Eindhoven University of Technology has developed a similar
system, designed specifically for operations on the eye. Read More
For touch-typists like myself, tablets such as
the iPad present a bit of a problem. I still need a little more tactile
feedback to my fingertips than the virtual keyboard can offer, if I'm
going to speed through my messages without making errors. When veteran
computer designer Steve Isaac was left similarly wanting, he decided to
get creative. Along with Seattle product designer and mechanical
engineer Brad Melmon, Isaac has designed a transparent, flexible faux
keyboard that lays on top of the iPad's virtual keyboard to give users
the familiar feel of notebook-like raised keys. Read More
With incandescent light bulbs in the process of
being phased out around the world, LEDs are one of the most promising
technologies for taking over our day-to-day lighting needs – they use
less energy, provide more light, contain less toxic substances, and are
tougher than incandescents. That said, they may not be the one and only
best choice. Lasers are even more efficient than LEDs at high amperages,
although scientists have long believed that the quality of white light
produced by diode lasers would be unpleasing to the human eye. According
to a study recently carried out by Sandia National Laboratories,
however, the human eye appears to like their light just fine. Read More
Corning unveils Lotus Glass for high-performance displays
By Ben Coxworth
October 27, 2011
Corning's tough-but-light Gorilla Glass has become a common feature on smartphone displays, along with those of other consumer electronics such as TVs and computers.
This Wednesday, however, the company announced the commercial launch of
its new Lotus Glass. The material is designed specifically for organic
light-emitting diode (OLED) displays and next generation LCD screens.
Read More
One of the stars of the Chinese automotive
industry is Shenzen-based BYD, which although only sixth largest of the
Chinese manufacturers, had the country's top selling individual vehicle
last year in the form of the BYD F3 (a Toyota Corolla E120 clone). Now,
after substantive testing of its e6 all-electric model in taxi and
company fleets, the five-seater 75 kW, 87 mph crossover has gone on sale
to the Chinese public, with a (claimed) range of 300 km (186 miles),
which would give it the longest range of any EV in the world at present.
It also has a smartphone-based information system which seems at least
as advanced as anything currently available anywhere. Read More
Earlier this month, we reported on the Scosche RDTX-Pro
that connects via a dock connector to turn an iPhone or iPod touch into
a radiation detector. That device is set to go on sale in Japan from
next month but if you’re not in Japan or just don’t want to shell out
extra cash on any peripheral hardware, then the WikiSensor app might be
worth a look – it won't be as accurate, but the only extra bit of kit
you’ll need is some opaque black tape. Read More
LED by LITE aims to brighten up night-time cycling
By Ben Coxworth
October 26, 2011
The arrival of high-intensity LEDs has certainly
made a huge difference to the brightness of bicycle headlights. Some
people, however, are now looking at using the bulbs not just as a means
of lighting the cyclist’s way, but of making their bicycles more visible
to motorists. A couple of examples include the Aura and Revolights systems,
both of which incorporate LEDs into a bike’s wheel rims. Another
system, that looks like it might be considerably less involved yet still
effective, is called LED by LITE. Read More
Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes first passenger flight
By Gizmag Team
October 26, 2011
The 787 Dreamliner
has entered commercial service. The mid-size airliner's first
passenger-carrying outing took place earlier today when Boeing's launch
customer All Nippon Airways flew 240 passengers on a four and a half
hour charter flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong. Two hour-long "domestic
excursion flights" out of Tokyo are planned for October 28 and 29 before
regular domestic flights commence on November 1. Read More
AZiO Levetron Mech4 water-resistant modular gaming keyboard
By Pawel Piejko
October 28, 2011
Aimed at heavy combat gaming, AZiO's new Levetron
Mech4 is a modular keyboard design that enables the numeric keypad and
macro D-pad with six programmable keys to be configured to suit your
style. Mech4 also has comes special seals and drainage gutters that
prevent spills from ending your virtual battle and the keyboard's life.
Read More
If you were impressed by LG being able to squeeze an optical drive into its super-thin Blade P430
notebook, then you may need to sit down for Dell's upcoming XPS 14z.
The slot-loading DVD burner on the right of Dell's new thin and powerful
mobile business solution sits in a frame that's just 0.9-inch (23 mm)
thin - allowing Michael Dell's company to claim the title of world's
thinnest, fully-featured 14-inch laptop that includes an optical drive.
Read More
If James Bond ever went on a cook-out, it
probably wouldn’t be too surprising if he were to open up an aluminum
briefcase, to reveal a miniature fully-functioning rotisserie inside –
that Q is so clever! Well, if you want to exercise your own “license to
grill,” you can actually buy such a device. The Carson Portable
Rotisserie Grill automatically rotates up to seven skewers of meat or
veggies over a charcoal fire, but folds into a compact case when not in
use. Eat your heart out, Blofeld! Read More
CF and SD card readers put your pix on your iPad
By Ben Coxworth
October 28, 2011
Although the LCD screens on most cameras are
sufficient for reviewing your shots, wouldn’t it be even better to be
able to check them out on the larger screen of an iPad? You can
already do so, but it involves running a USB cable from the camera to
the computer (via an adapter), then transferring the photos across. It
would be a lot quicker and simpler if you could just slip the camera’s
memory card into the tablet, but unfortunately iPads don’t have built-in
card readers. You can, however, buy the next-best thing: a plug-in CF
or SD card reader, designed specifically for the iPad. Read More
Bike mechanic pedals his workshop to clients' homes
By Ben Coxworth
October 28, 2011
For many people, commuting by bicycle is a fun,
economical and healthy way of getting around. When their bike breaks
down, they throw it in their car, drive it to the shop, then drive for
several days until it’s fixed. Some bicycle commuters, however, don’t
own cars. These people can’t drive their bike to the shop, and
have no independent means of transportation as long as their two-wheeler
is gone. It is for people like these – and others – that Wyse Cycles
exists. As far as its owner Ben Wyse knows, it’s America’s only
self-propelled mobile bicycle repair service. Read More
One of the world's most valuable motorcycles will
go under the hammer early next year. Built by Sylvester H. Roper, one
of two people with legitimate claims of having invented the motorcycle.
Though built in 1894, 27 years after the first Roper Steam Motorcycle,
the machine is one of a very small number of motorcycles built by Roper
(around nine), and was ridden by him regularly before his death in 1896.
The Roper Steam Cycle hence has a provenance of massive historical
importance, and is expected to establish a new world record for a
motorcycle sold at auction in Las Vegas on January 12 – 14. Read More
Complex organic matter discovered throughout the Universe
By Darren Quick
October 28, 2011
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU)
claim to have solved the mystery of “Unidentified Infrared Emission
features” that have been detected in stars, interstellar space, and
galaxies. For over two decades, the most commonly accepted theory
regarding this phenomenon was that these signatures come from polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules - simple organic molecules made of
carbon and hydrogen atoms. Now HKU researchers say the substances
generating these signatures are actually complex organic compounds that
are made naturally by stars and ejected into interstellar space. Read More
Fuso unveils 'Super Great' heavy-duty hybrid truck concept
By Darren Quick
October 27, 2011
With the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show just a month away,
commercial vehicle manufacturer Mitsubishi Fuso has provided a preview
of its new heavy-duty hybrid truck concept that will be on display. With
the recognizably Japanese moniker of the "Super Great HEV" (Hybrid
Electric Vehicle), the truck features a conventional diesel engine, an
electric motor/generator, lithium-ion battery and related control
software that come together to provide what Fuso claims is an increase
in fuel efficiency of as much as 10 percent over conventional
diesel-only powered vehicles. Read More
Research unveils extensive U.S. geothermal resources
October 27, 2011
As a green energy source, geothermal heat is
tough to beat, but until recently, it was believed to be economically
feasible only in areas with shallow tectonic (volcanic) activity. Now,
with a generous grant from Google.org, the search engine giant's
philanthropic arm, two scientists from Southern Methodist University
(SMU) have pooled together the results from more than 35,000 data sites
to paint a very different, almost rosy, energy picture for the United
States and, indeed, the world. Read More
Actually it's two US$5,000 amps because these
rather spectacular looking beasts are mono-blocks. They are two
completely separate, but matched, mono amplifiers. Now it's no secret
that the world of audiophile hi-fi sound systems can be a place of
strange voodoo and esoterica - where the Law of Diminishing Returns
becomes a way of life for deluded males of a certain age (never women it
seems) but let's check our cynicism at the door for the moment. There
is something interesting going on here and it may just turn out that at
$10,000 for the pair, these amps are a (relative) bargain. Read More
The future of the International Space Station
(ISS) became more secure today when the Russian space agency, Rosocosmos
carried out a successful launch of an unmanned Progress spacecraft. The
15,718 lb (7,130 kg) cargo ship carried its three tons of supplies into
orbit and successfully deployed its solar arrays without incident. This
launch confirms that the Soyuz-U launch vehicle is once again safe to
carry the manned spacecraft needed to ferry crews to the ISS. Read More
FIA Formula E Championship for EVs looking likely for 2013
By Jack Martin
October 30, 2011
The FIA, governing body of
internal-combustion-engined motorsport, appears to have finally
recognized the bleeding obvious (that electric vehicles will become
mainstream) and is planning a high profile electric racing championship
series beginning in 2013. The FIA Formula E Championship series has not
been publicly framed as yet so it is not known if the series will be run
at the same venues as the Formula One series but it can be expected to
be held at a range of international venues and will logically serve as
the first official championship for electric vehicles. Whether the
series will have world championship status ... Read More
New paper-based explosives sensor is made with an ink jet printer
By David Szondy
October 30, 2011
Detecting explosives is a vital task both on the
battlefield and off, but it requires equipment that, if sensitive enough
to detect explosives traces in small quantities, is often expensive,
delicate and difficult to construct. Researchers at the Georgia Tech
Research Institute have developed a method of manufacturing highly
sensitive explosives detectors incorporating RF components using Ink-jet
printers. This holds the promise of producing large numbers of
detectors at lower cost using local resources. Read More
MINI has unveiled the final production version of
its MINI Roadster which is set to join the company's rapidly-expanding
lineup next year. Looking pretty similar to the Roadster concept
unveiled alongside the MINI Coupe concept
at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the sixth model to join the current
MINI line-up is the first open-top two-seater in the company's history.
It features a manually-opening soft-top roof and will be offered in four
different engine variants. Read More
Mitsubishi starts production of North American i-MiEV
By Gizmag Team
October 30, 2011
Mitsubishi has kicked-off production of the North American version of its i-MiEV
electric vehicle (EV). Slightly larger than Japanese and European
models, the North American i-Miev will be launched in Hawaii,
California, Washington and Oregon from late November before being
rolled-out in other parts of the United States and Canada next year.
Read More
The charge toward glasses-free 3D
displays hasn't left the iPad out in the cold, as we pointed out a few
months back. Now, using a bit of smoke and mirrors (well, mirrors at
least) a team from Japan's Ochanomizu Women's University (OWU) has
developed a novel approach that incorporates a centuries-old artist's
trick to bring "tangible" depth to the iPad's 2D display. Read More
HyQ - robotic Lipizzaner does more than just prance
By Jan Belezina
October 29, 2011
HyQ is the Italian cousin of Boston Dynamics' DARPA-funded BigDog.
Under development at Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia (IIT) by a group
of researchers led by Professor Darwin Caldwell, this Hydraulically
actuated Quadruped robot is being groomed to navigate rough terrain,
jump and run at speeds up to 15 km/h (9 mph). Unlike Boston Dynamics'
quadrupeds, HyQ is not a heavy-payload machine designed strictly for
military applications. Instead, the robot could be used in rescue
missions, on construction sites, for forestry applications and whenever
there is a need to access areas not easily accessible to ordinary
machines. However, before HyQ becomes part of the everyday landscape, it
has another important role to play as an open source research platform.
Read More
The annual SEMA show is a place where the
mechanically remarkable is average, the unexpected isn't and where
you'll find look-at-me engineering solutions well beyond the
preposterous. Hence Toyota's decision to focus its SEMA display around
tuning and pimping its iQ luxury city car was always going to create
interest. Three iQs have been created for the show's Tuner Challenge,
with a fourth custom special displaying a radical chop-top that can be
controlled by iPad and serves as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot and power
charging station. Read More
Madrid-based A-Cero architects are a big deal in
Spain with public and residential projects across the country plus South
America and the Middle East. Lead architect and principal Joaquin
Torres is bit of a celebrity and recently appeared on Spanish TV's
equivalent of "The Secret Millionaire" (giving away money of course, not
receiving it). Unashamedly modernist, the A-Cero house style generally
involves sweeping curved gestures in gleaming white. With the latest
residential project however, Joaquin seems to have embraced the dark
side and produced a dwelling of such stunning brutality and "otherness"
that it could easily be an alien fortress on a distant planet. We love
it. It's also one of the few buildings that actually looks good
illuminated by multi-colored LEDs. Read More
Cash register receipts identified as a source of BPA contamination
By Ben Coxworth
October 28, 2011
Remember not so long ago, when everyone was
getting rid of their plastic water bottles and replacing them with metal
ones? That's because they contained bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used
in the production of polycarbonate plastic. Several recent studies had
linked BPA to a number of health problems, including breast cancer,
heart disease, diabetes, and behavioral difficulties. The chemical was
also found to be present in baby bottles
and tin can linings, but a more recent study has exposed a source of
BPA exposure that many people might not expect - thermal cash register
receipts. Read More
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