Remotely hacking a pacemaker or insulin pump
should be impossible, but sadly it isn't. It puts the millions of people
who use wireless medical implants at potential risk. Researchers at
Rice University believe they have a solution: a touch-based device that
will use a person's own heartbeat as a password to permit or deny access
to their implant. Read More
Industrial designer Tammy Kalinsky
has come up with a simple yet ingenious accessory for the wheelchair
which allows a friend, relative or caregiver to push the chair while
walking beside rather than behind it. Read More 
Here's a bit of fun. Terrafab is a
web app that uses a simple, familiar map interface with which visitors
can select their favorite piece of Norway to 3D print at home (or order a
print of, if they're yet to take the home-3D printing plunge). Read More 
Infiniti’s 2014 Q50
raises the luxury performance sedan stakes with the introduction of
three cutting-edge technologies: Direct Adaptive Steering, Active Lane
Control and Predictive Forward Collision Warning. We recently had the
chance to see how these innovations play out on the road. Read on for
our impressions as we coast through Ontario's cottage country in the
Q50. Read More
Tree Snake Houses by RA
Architectural and Design Studio is the latest in a long line of
innovative treehouses that we've covered at Gizmag. Located at the
Pedras Salgadas Spa and Nature Park in the north of Portugal, the pair
of houses snake their way through the tree tops, offering simple and
private accommodation. Read More 
The UK's Cambridge Audio was at the 2013 Custom
Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo in Denver,
CO, last week and took along an audiophile-pleasing addition to its
Minx range, and a new range of speakers. The high end components found
in the new Minx Xi all-in-one music player promise music streaming and
internet radio lovers top quality sound for a wallet-friendly price. The
company has also brought its great-sounding hybrid Balanced Mode
Radiator (BMR) driver technology to classic-looking speaker design for
its Aero speaker range. Read More
Brewbot lets you control home brewing with your smartphone
By David Szondy
September 30, 2013
Brewing beer in small batches can be difficult,
time consuming, and very daunting for the neophyte. To make things a bit
easier, and let homebrewers have a life away from watching the
temperature of the malt tun, the Brewbot system aims to automate much of
the brewing process. The result is a smartphone-controllable machine
that brews 20 l (5.2 gal) of beer in each batch. Read More
By now, the negative effects of sitting at a desk
for hours each day have been thoroughly documented, and nearly every
office has its prominent figures who swear that standing keeps them
alert and attentive while they're working. It seems as if most people
would benefit from a taller desk, but many are reluctant to make such a
drastic switch. That's why Stir, Inc. is offering a high-tech
middleground with its upcoming Kinetic Desk. Using a built-in processor
and motorized legs, the Stir Kinetic Desk can quietly adjust its own
height throughout the day to help people stay focused and even burn a
few extra calories in the process. Read More
Cygnus docks with International Space Station
By David Szondy
September 29, 2013
Orbital Science Corporation’s unmanned Cygnus
cargo ship has successfully docked with the International Space
Station. The spacecraft made its rendezvous with the station at 8:44 AM
EDT on Sunday, a week behind schedule and 11 days after launching from
NASA’s Wallops Island facility. The delay was due to a software
malfunction and the need to make way for the docking of a manned Soyuz
spacecraft on September 25. Read More
Cota system transmits power wirelessly at up to 30 feet
By Brian Dodson
September 29, 2013
In 2008, Gartner Research released a report in
which it identified the number one IT grand challenge as "Never having
to manually recharge devices." Physicist Hatem Zeine has invented what
he believes to be the answer to this challenge. The Cota wireless power
transmission system uses intelligently steered phased array antennas to
focus a beam of microwaves on a receiver module – and only on that
module. The inherently safe technology can deliver electrical power up
to 30 feet from a central transmitter without any line-of-sight
requirement and without interfering with other devices. The system is
projected to hit the market in 2015. Read More
Industrial designer Tammy Kalinsky
has come up with a simple yet ingenious accessory for the wheelchair
which allows a friend, relative or caregiver to push the chair while
walking beside rather than behind it. Read More
Here's a bit of fun. Terrafab is a
web app that uses a simple, familiar map interface with which visitors
can select their favorite piece of Norway to 3D print at home (or order a
print of, if they're yet to take the home-3D printing plunge). Read More
Tree Snake Houses by RA
Architectural and Design Studio is the latest in a long line of
innovative treehouses that we've covered at Gizmag. Located at the
Pedras Salgadas Spa and Nature Park in the north of Portugal, the pair
of houses snake their way through the tree tops, offering simple and
private accommodation. Read More
Remotely hacking a pacemaker or insulin pump
should be impossible, but sadly it isn't. It puts the millions of people
who use wireless medical implants at potential risk. Researchers at
Rice University believe they have a solution: a touch-based device that
will use a person's own heartbeat as a password to permit or deny access
to their implant. Read More
Industrial designer Tammy Kalinsky
has come up with a simple yet ingenious accessory for the wheelchair
which allows a friend, relative or caregiver to push the chair while
walking beside rather than behind it. Read More
Here's a bit of fun. Terrafab is a
web app that uses a simple, familiar map interface with which visitors
can select their favorite piece of Norway to 3D print at home (or order a
print of, if they're yet to take the home-3D printing plunge). Read More
Infiniti’s 2014 Q50
raises the luxury performance sedan stakes with the introduction of
three cutting-edge technologies: Direct Adaptive Steering, Active Lane
Control and Predictive Forward Collision Warning. We recently had the
chance to see how these innovations play out on the road. Read on for
our impressions as we coast through Ontario's cottage country in the
Q50. Read More
Tree Snake Houses by RA
Architectural and Design Studio is the latest in a long line of
innovative treehouses that we've covered at Gizmag. Located at the
Pedras Salgadas Spa and Nature Park in the north of Portugal, the pair
of houses snake their way through the tree tops, offering simple and
private accommodation. Read More
The UK's Cambridge Audio was at the 2013 Custom
Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo in Denver,
CO, last week and took along an audiophile-pleasing addition to its
Minx range, and a new range of speakers. The high end components found
in the new Minx Xi all-in-one music player promise music streaming and
internet radio lovers top quality sound for a wallet-friendly price. The
company has also brought its great-sounding hybrid Balanced Mode
Radiator (BMR) driver technology to classic-looking speaker design for
its Aero speaker range. Read More
Brewbot lets you control home brewing with your smartphone
By David Szondy
September 30, 2013
Brewing beer in small batches can be difficult,
time consuming, and very daunting for the neophyte. To make things a bit
easier, and let homebrewers have a life away from watching the
temperature of the malt tun, the Brewbot system aims to automate much of
the brewing process. The result is a smartphone-controllable machine
that brews 20 l (5.2 gal) of beer in each batch. Read More
By now, the negative effects of sitting at a desk
for hours each day have been thoroughly documented, and nearly every
office has its prominent figures who swear that standing keeps them
alert and attentive while they're working. It seems as if most people
would benefit from a taller desk, but many are reluctant to make such a
drastic switch. That's why Stir, Inc. is offering a high-tech
middleground with its upcoming Kinetic Desk. Using a built-in processor
and motorized legs, the Stir Kinetic Desk can quietly adjust its own
height throughout the day to help people stay focused and even burn a
few extra calories in the process. Read More
Cygnus docks with International Space Station
By David Szondy
September 29, 2013
Orbital Science Corporation’s unmanned Cygnus
cargo ship has successfully docked with the International Space
Station. The spacecraft made its rendezvous with the station at 8:44 AM
EDT on Sunday, a week behind schedule and 11 days after launching from
NASA’s Wallops Island facility. The delay was due to a software
malfunction and the need to make way for the docking of a manned Soyuz
spacecraft on September 25. Read More
Cota system transmits power wirelessly at up to 30 feet
By Brian Dodson
September 29, 2013
In 2008, Gartner Research released a report in
which it identified the number one IT grand challenge as "Never having
to manually recharge devices." Physicist Hatem Zeine has invented what
he believes to be the answer to this challenge. The Cota wireless power
transmission system uses intelligently steered phased array antennas to
focus a beam of microwaves on a receiver module – and only on that
module. The inherently safe technology can deliver electrical power up
to 30 feet from a central transmitter without any line-of-sight
requirement and without interfering with other devices. The system is
projected to hit the market in 2015. Read More
GoPro's drive to make its Hero
actioncams smaller and lighter continues with the release of the new
Hero3+ line. With the Black edition, adventurous videographers can
capture the fun at up to 4K resolution, while the Silver model offers
1080p HD video recording at up to 60 fps. Read More
You're relaxing after a hard day at work, or just
getting ready to cut into a juicy steak at dinner. All seems right with
the world, just for a moment. Then the phone rings, disturbing your
bliss with yet another recorded spiel for some shady deal. You slam the
phone off, and return to your life while muttering vague obscenities.
Nomorobo now offers a transparent system for reliably blocking such
robocalls, that is far more effective than Do-Not-Call lists. Best of
all, the service is free. Read More
TomTato plant grows both tomatoes and potatoes
By Ben Coxworth
October 1, 2013
We've seen a number of innovations that allow for gardening in small spaces, including a ferris wheel-like contraption, a mat that shows you where to plant specially-prepared seeds, and a system that lets you grow vertically-stacked veggies
in your window. The TomTato, however, is in a league of its own – it's a
single plant that produces both tomatoes and potatoes at the same time.
Read More
In a development that would seem to bring a whole
new meaning to the term Lightning charger, Nokia and the University of
Southampton claim to have used simulated lightning to charge a Nokia
Lumia 925 mobile phone. A University press release states that a 200,000
V was "sent" across a 30 cm gap with the light and heat generated
supposedly similar to that of a lightning strike. But is there really
any cause for excitement, or are we merely witnessing special effects?
Read More
GoPro's drive to make its Hero
actioncams smaller and lighter continues with the release of the new
Hero3+ line. With the Black edition, adventurous videographers can
capture the fun at up to 4K resolution, while the Silver model offers
1080p HD video recording at up to 60 fps. Read More
Vietnamese architectural firm H&P Architects
has produced a new prototype dwelling constructed from bamboo. Dubbed
Blooming Bamboo, the house is built to withstand heavy flooding, and is
eventually intended to be mass-produced and sold as an affordable and
attractive home. Read More
Forget using tape recorders and smartphones to
play back spoken messages – what if you could simply hear them through a
finger? Disney researcher Ivan Poupyrev has come up with a system that
allows for just that. Using the human body as a sound transmitter, the
technology lets you hear audio messages when someone touches your ear
with their finger. Even more strikingly, it also lets you hear those
spoken messages off the surface of any ordinary object you might touch,
like a knife or a ring. Read More
Mipwr Dynamo puts the squeeze on iPhone charging
September 30, 2013
There are already a number of gadgets
available that are powered through good old-fashioned mechanical
energy, but those usually involve cranks that can be uncomfortable to
use and bulky to carry around. Mipwr Dynamo represents a different
approach: it's an iPhone case with a hidden lever that can be pressed
down repeatedly to charge the battery, but is still slim enough to fit
in your pocket. Read More
If you saw a UFO over South Africa on Sunday, it
was (probably) SpaceX’s improved Falcon 9 going into orbit. The
commercial launch vehicle lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base,
California at 9:00 AM CDT on a demonstration flight of the upgraded
booster and a new engine cluster configuration. Read More
The Galaxy Note doesn't have a lot of peers. Sure, there are other huge phablets like the Optimus G Pro and the Xperia Z Ultra,
but neither of those has a built-in stylus or quite the same degree of
software features to enhance your phablet experience. So while we're
taking a long look at the new Galaxy Note 3,
why not compare it to one of the best smartphones of 2013, the HTC One?
Join Gizmag, as we compare the features and specs of the two popular
handsets. Read More
There are already a wide variety of devices that
can be turned on and off by your smartphone, although they typically
need to be Wi-Fi- or Bluetooth-enabled. The makers of Batthead, however,
have taken another approach. They're creating Bluetooth-controlled batteries, that will allow any ol' device using them to be powered up or down via your phone. Read More
To the east of Hull's city center lies a new
footbridge connecting the English city's Old Town conservation area to
an industrial space currently undergoing redevelopment. While most
footbridges probably wouldn't warrant mention on Gizmag's pages, this
particular footbridge, designed by architects McDowell+Benedetti,
features a novel mechanical system that enables people to "ride" across
the River Hull as the bridge slowly rotates to make way for water-based
traffic. Read More
Limited first edition Seaboard GRAND goes on sale
By Paul Ridden
October 2, 2013
When we first brought you news of a new instrument prototype from London-based ROLI back in March,
there was talk of a limited production run of just 88 instruments
following later in the year. That time has now arrived, but ROLI has
announced not one, but three new Seaboard GRAND instruments. The
flagship 88-key GRAND is joined by a 61-key GRAND Stage, and a 37-key
GRAND Studio. Read More
At first glance, a merry-go-round that generates
electricity appears to be a charming idea. But Empower Playgrounds
President, Ben Markham, came up with the idea in 2006 during an 18-month
stint volunteering in Ghana. There he was struck by the lack of
lighting in rural schools and dwellings, as well as the paucity of
playground equipment. A charming idea it remains, but it's a serious
one, too. Read More
Staying properly hydrated has become easier with a
new high-tech, connected water bottle. BluFit updates the traditional
water bottle to the digital age with the promise of an optimal hydration
experience, including the possibility of customizing it to specific
requirements. Read More
Libratone releases the disc-shaped Loop wireless speaker
By Paul Ridden
October 2, 2013
Gizmag was introduced to the Libratone Beat
wireless speaker at CES 2010, and left mighty impressed. The Danish
company has now raised the bar even further by unveiling a disc-shaped
new addition to its FullRoom family called the Loop, which is claimed by
CEO Tommy Andersen to offer "unparalleled sound quality." Read More
A team from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
is to release details of a seven-year program to monitor a 36-km stretch
of high-speed rail line using a series of special fiber optic sensors .
According to a press release put out by the Optical Society, the system
has detected "anomalous vibrations" on 30 occasions, allowing the early
rectification of emerging problems that could conceivably have gone on
to cause rail accidents. Read More
Undetectable hardware Trojans could compromise cryptography
By Brian Dodson
October 2, 2013
Researchers have shown that it is possible to
compromise the functioning of a cryptographic chip without changing its
physical layout. Based on altering the distribution of dopants in a few
components on the chip during fabrication, this method represents a big
challenge for cyber-security as it is nearly impossible to detect with
any currently practical detection scheme. Read More
"How's the weather?" has just become a topic of
interstellar conversation. Using data from NASA's Kepler and Spitzer
space telescopes, astronomers have mapped the first clouds discovered on
an extrasolar planet. Not only does this technique give us an
interesting bit of pure science, it could also be applied in the search
for more earth-like planets according to NASA. Read More
Given that iPhones can already be used to perform skin exams,
perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that they're now able to do eye
exams, too. Researchers from Harvard Medical School's Massachusetts Eye
and Ear Infirmary have devised a way of using the phones to perform
fundus photography, which is the photographing of the retina. While the
iPhone just requires an app and a lens to perform the task, a complete
fundus camera can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Read More
Despite buying cameras which have been
specifically designed to take and make use of different lenses, a large
number of photographers only ever use the kit lens that their DSLR or
interchangeable lens camera came with. It's really not that surprising,
as picking the right next lens can be a daunting task. That's why we're
going to try to help, with our guide to life after the kit lens. Read More
A Tesla Model S electric automobile,
a model which recently won Consumer Reports' Top Scoring Car award and
aced the NHTSA's crash rating system,
caught fire yesterday in an incident near Seattle. Tesla's shares fell
6.2 percent on the day as a result of the incident. Read More
STMicroelectronics has announced a
new MEMS-based module that integrates a three-axis magnetometer, a
three-axis accelerometer, A/D converters, and control logic on a 2 mm x 2
mm x 1 mm surface mount chip, reportedly making it the smallest
electronic compass available today. Read More
Tablets have steadily infiltrated
our daily lives in recent years, and a new product called SideCar aims
to put them front and center – or actually, just a little over to one
side. It allows users to take their iPad and attach it directly to the
edge of a MacBook. Read More
Although Kia already offers an electric car
to consumers in Korea, those of us living in North America have so far
been unable to buy a Kia EV. That's set to change, however, as the
automaker has just announced that an electric version of the Soul will
be released in the US next year. Read More
Coffee and end tables are often very
utilitarian pieces of furniture. However, RockPaperRobot has combined
some interesting design with a good bit of physics to turn the humble
table into something far more unique, in the form of the Float Table.
Read More
Ultimaker, which was born in 2011 as an outgrowth
of the RepRap project, and which quickly grew to become an important
player in the home consumer 3D printing market, has announced its second
generation 3D printer. Boasting improved reliability,
user-friendliness, and an increased print volume. Read More
A Tesla Model S electric automobile,
a model which recently won Consumer Reports' Top Scoring Car award and
aced the NHTSA's crash rating system,
caught fire yesterday in an incident near Seattle. Tesla's shares fell
6.2 percent on the day as a result of the incident. Read More
Scanning atomic force microscopes, first
introduced into commerce in 1989, are a powerful tool for nanoscale
science and engineering. Capable of seeing individual atoms, commercial
AFM prices range between US$10K and $1M, depending on the unit's
features and capabilities. During the recent LEGO2NANO summer school
held at Tsinghua University in Beijing, a group of Chinese and English
students succeeded in making a Lego-based AFM in five days at a cost
less than $500. Read More
Samsung's Galaxy Note 2
was one of our favorite mobile devices from the last year, but it still
had some room for improvement. What happens when Samsung takes that
already great mobile device, and improves on it in all the right areas?
Well, you get an absolute beast of a mobile device, the Galaxy Note 3.
Join Gizmag, as we review Samsung's latest flagship phablet. Read More
Last year, the University of Strathclyde in
Glasgow put forward the idea of using fleets of laser-toting satellites
to deflect potentially dangerous objects
away from Earth. Now, Dr. Richard Fork, principal investigator for the
Laser Science and Engineering Laboratory at the University of Alabama
and his team have refined the idea, saying that it’s not only feasible,
but could handle anything up to the size of a comet. Read More
Hyundai and co give the Genesis Coupe a 1,000 hp stampede
By C.C. Weiss
October 2, 2013
Preparing for next month's SEMA Show, Hyundai has
revealed an ultra-powerful version of its Genesis Coupe. With some
serious wrenching by Bisimoto Engineering, the show car packs 1,000
horses of raw power – some 650 hp more than the stock Genesis Coupe V6.
We can already see the white smoke. Read More
Finnish shipping company gets floating HQ
October 2, 2013
Finnish icebreaker company Arctia Shipping Ltd
has moved its headquarters closer to the waters, so close in fact that
its new office building floats in the Helsinki harbor. Designed by K2S
Architects, the 950 square meter (10,225 sq ft) floating office was
built in a shipping yard in the west of Finland before being towed to
its new home at Meriksarmi Pier. Read More
When it comes to things that people don't do as
often or as well as they should, tooth-brushing would have to be at the
top of the list. While it usually just comes down to laziness, a lot of
people claim that they don't brush their teeth properly because they
don't have time. Well, with the new Blizzident toothbrush (if it can be
called a toothbrush), a full and complete cleaning of the teeth can
reportedly be accomplished in just six seconds. Read More
According to UNAIDS, a member of the United
Nations Development Group, 58 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS in
sub-Saharan Africa are women. Although preventative drugs and condoms do
block the transmission of HIV, neither are always practical, available
or affordable in developing nations. Help could be on its way, however,
in the form of an anti-HIV intravaginal ring that is worn continuously for up to 30 days. Read More
Remember the mechanical owl from the original version of Clash of the Titans?
Well, even if you don't, here's your chance to own something kind of
like it. It's called ixi-play, and it's an interactive robotic owl
that's designed to both entertain and educate your children. Read More
Self-propelled robotic cubes can form into structures
By Ben Coxworth
October 3, 2013
Imagine if an army of completely flat-faced cubes
could roll around and even jump on their own, joining with one another
to form a variety of large-scale structures. Well, that's exactly what a
team of robotics researchers at MIT are trying to turn into a reality –
and they've already developed the cubes that could do it. Read More
STMicroelectronics has announced a
new MEMS-based module that integrates a three-axis magnetometer, a
three-axis accelerometer, A/D converters, and control logic on a 2 mm x 2
mm x 1 mm surface mount chip, reportedly making it the smallest
electronic compass available today. Read More
In 2012, a one-molecule thick layer of silica
glass was accidently made in the laboratory of Cornell professor David
Muller, allowing the atoms in a glass to be seen individually for the
first time. Now, Guinness World Records has identified this ultimately
thin glass as a 2014 World Record. Read More
Tablets have steadily infiltrated
our daily lives in recent years, and a new product called SideCar aims
to put them front and center – or actually, just a little over to one
side. It allows users to take their iPad and attach it directly to the
edge of a MacBook. Read More
Nothing keeps the mosquitoes away quite as well
as DEET, but it's not the most innocuous of substances – besides
stinking, it also melts plastic and synthetic fabrics, plus it's even
been linked to problems in users' central nervous systems. It can also
be prohibitively expensive for use in developing nations. Thanks to
research being conducted at the University of California, Riverside,
however, a new generation of non-toxic but highly-effective repellants
may be on its way. Read More
Although Kia already offers an electric car
to consumers in Korea, those of us living in North America have so far
been unable to buy a Kia EV. That's set to change, however, as the
automaker has just announced that an electric version of the Soul will
be released in the US next year. Read More
Coffee and end tables are often very
utilitarian pieces of furniture. However, RockPaperRobot has combined
some interesting design with a good bit of physics to turn the humble
table into something far more unique, in the form of the Float Table.
Read More Students set world electric vehicle acceleration record
By C.C. Weiss
October 3, 2013
Most students are happy to graduate college with a
degree and a few work contacts, but students from The Netherlands'
Delft University of Technology have a good shot at graduating with a
world record. Just days after a group of Delft students grabbed the human powered speed record, another group set a world acceleration record for electric vehicles. Read More
It's not unusual to see a project that straddles
the worlds of art and architecture, but this piece by Alex Chinneck,
wonderfully titled From the knees of my nose to the belly of my toes,
is surely a stand-out. I'm not sure which is the most eye-catching
feature of this bizarre refurbishing of a four-story house: the curving
brick facade that seems to have slipped down onto the ground, or the
gaping cavity exposing the innards of the top floor as the notional
result of said slide. Read More
Rubber band gatling gun fires 800 "rounds" per minute
October 3, 2013
With its Rubber Band Machine Gun, or RBmG for
short, XYZbot hopes to bring a new level of firepower to living room
warfare. The wooden, battery-powered gatling gun is capable of
unleashing devastation at a rate of 800 rounds (well, rubber bands) per
minute and, should its crowd funding campaign prove successful, it'll
ship as a build-it-yourself kit you can put together in half an hour.
Read More
STMicroelectronics has announced a
new MEMS-based module that integrates a three-axis magnetometer, a
three-axis accelerometer, A/D converters, and control logic on a 2 mm x 2
mm x 1 mm surface mount chip, reportedly making it the smallest
electronic compass available today. Read More
Tablets have steadily infiltrated
our daily lives in recent years, and a new product called SideCar aims
to put them front and center – or actually, just a little over to one
side. It allows users to take their iPad and attach it directly to the
edge of a MacBook. Read More
Although Kia already offers an electric car
to consumers in Korea, those of us living in North America have so far
been unable to buy a Kia EV. That's set to change, however, as the
automaker has just announced that an electric version of the Soul will
be released in the US next year. Read More
Coffee and end tables are often very
utilitarian pieces of furniture. However, RockPaperRobot has combined
some interesting design with a good bit of physics to turn the humble
table into something far more unique, in the form of the Float Table.
Read More
Self-propelled robotic cubes can form into structures
By Ben Coxworth
October 3, 2013
Imagine if an army of completely flat-faced cubes
could roll around and even jump on their own, joining with one another
to form a variety of large-scale structures. Well, that's exactly what a
team of robotics researchers at MIT are trying to turn into a reality –
and they've already developed the cubes that could do it. Read More
STMicroelectronics has announced a
new MEMS-based module that integrates a three-axis magnetometer, a
three-axis accelerometer, A/D converters, and control logic on a 2 mm x 2
mm x 1 mm surface mount chip, reportedly making it the smallest
electronic compass available today. Read More
In 2012, a one-molecule thick layer of silica
glass was accidently made in the laboratory of Cornell professor David
Muller, allowing the atoms in a glass to be seen individually for the
first time. Now, Guinness World Records has identified this ultimately
thin glass as a 2014 World Record. Read More
Tablets have steadily infiltrated
our daily lives in recent years, and a new product called SideCar aims
to put them front and center – or actually, just a little over to one
side. It allows users to take their iPad and attach it directly to the
edge of a MacBook. Read More
Nothing keeps the mosquitoes away quite as well
as DEET, but it's not the most innocuous of substances – besides
stinking, it also melts plastic and synthetic fabrics, plus it's even
been linked to problems in users' central nervous systems. It can also
be prohibitively expensive for use in developing nations. Thanks to
research being conducted at the University of California, Riverside,
however, a new generation of non-toxic but highly-effective repellants
may be on its way. Read More
Although Kia already offers an electric car
to consumers in Korea, those of us living in North America have so far
been unable to buy a Kia EV. That's set to change, however, as the
automaker has just announced that an electric version of the Soul will
be released in the US next year. Read More
Coffee and end tables are often very
utilitarian pieces of furniture. However, RockPaperRobot has combined
some interesting design with a good bit of physics to turn the humble
table into something far more unique, in the form of the Float Table.
Read More Students set world electric vehicle acceleration record
By C.C. Weiss
October 3, 2013
Most students are happy to graduate college with a
degree and a few work contacts, but students from The Netherlands'
Delft University of Technology have a good shot at graduating with a
world record. Just days after a group of Delft students grabbed the human powered speed record, another group set a world acceleration record for electric vehicles. Read More
It's not unusual to see a project that straddles
the worlds of art and architecture, but this piece by Alex Chinneck,
wonderfully titled From the knees of my nose to the belly of my toes,
is surely a stand-out. I'm not sure which is the most eye-catching
feature of this bizarre refurbishing of a four-story house: the curving
brick facade that seems to have slipped down onto the ground, or the
gaping cavity exposing the innards of the top floor as the notional
result of said slide. Read More
Rubber band gatling gun fires 800 "rounds" per minute
October 3, 2013
With its Rubber Band Machine Gun, or RBmG for
short, XYZbot hopes to bring a new level of firepower to living room
warfare. The wooden, battery-powered gatling gun is capable of
unleashing devastation at a rate of 800 rounds (well, rubber bands) per
minute and, should its crowd funding campaign prove successful, it'll
ship as a build-it-yourself kit you can put together in half an hour.
Read More
Mercedes serves up van campers in three flavors
By C.C. Weiss
October 5, 2013
Mercedes-Benz may not have as timeless a name in van camping as Volkswagen,
but it does offer several popular platforms for van camper conversions.
In fact, it claims that its Sprinter van is the number one base vehicle
for luxury campers. The German manufacturer recently showcased three
camper conversions of its own using both the Sprinter and Viano
platforms. Read More
With all the fuss over the recent influx of do-everything smartwatches,
you would think that a new wristwatch that simply displays the time on
an analog face wouldn't cause much of a stir. However, when that watch
is described as "atomic" and is claimed to be "the world's most accurate
wristwatch," people perk up and take notice. Kauai-based Bathys Hawaii
Watch Company has just revealed its first prototype of such a watch,
known as the Cesium 133. Read More
We're constantly seeing inventors attempt to create new and interesting ways to charge our cell phones. VOTO is one product we've seen that uses fire
to charge our smart devices, and now a new take on the idea is hitting
the scene. Called FlameStower, it utilizes very similar technology, but
with a few twists. Read More
Demeter creates the Mighty Minnie pedal board amp
By Paul Ridden
October 4, 2013
There are times when packing a full rig for a
small venue tour is just not practical and sacrifices have to be made.
When the topic of being forced to use awful-sounding back line amp
rentals came up in a conversation between slide guitar master Sonny
Landreth and veteran amp maker James Demeter, an idea for an amp small
enough to mount on a pedal board began to take shape in the latter's
mind. The Mighty Minnie hybrid single channel guitar amp that resulted
is now being made available through Demeter's Custom Shop. Read More
When a new tech product launches, reviewers
usually come to some sort of consensus. Often something just clicks, and
you see raves across the board. Other times, the product has obvious
flaws, and critics are all equally quick to point those out. The early
consensus for the Samsung Galaxy Gear,
however, isn't quite jiving with us. Though it's been almost
universally panned, we had a very different take on it. Why? Read on, as
Gizmag gives you a different perspective on the new Samsung Galaxy Gear
smartwatch. Read More
"It became readily apparent that many of the
problems my patients were experiencing had been created by the lack of a
suitable chair," says Simon Freedman, an osteopath of 20 years. "But as
hard as I looked, I just couldn't find a chair to recommend to them. I
decided to see if I could make one myself." After a claimed 15 years of
development, Simon has announced his FreedMan Chair, which he says is
the only chair that allows the spine and pelvis posture that we
experience standing up. Read More
Boston Dynamics, the company behind DARPA's most
advanced legged robots such as PETMAN, BigDog, and Atlas, has unveiled
the free-roaming version of their sprinting robot Cheetah. The new robot
is called WildCat, and it's already galloping at speeds up to 16 mph
(25.7 km/h) on flat ground. You don't want to miss the video tucked
after the break. Read More
The Dutch are known for their ingenuity in taming
it and using it to their advantage, but their systems for keeping water
at bay are now being rethought by architect Koen Olthuis and his team
at Waterstudio. While rising sea and river levels have inspired
governments around the world to invest in better flood defenses, with
the Citadel, Olthuis is embracing water-borne housing with particular
vigor. Read More
Stand-alone earbud player puts the bite on music
By David Szondy
October 4, 2013
Want to listen to music in public but not be
obvious about it? Until someone figures out how to make music play in
your head, the next best thing might be Split. Developed by Greenwing
Audio in Miami Beach. Florida, Split is a music player set in a pair of
wireless, synchronized earbuds that are controlled by biting. Still
under development, its the focus of a Kickstarter campaign running until
October 31 to bring the player to market. Read More
The drive-in movie theater may be a thing of the
past, but German camper manufacturer Dethleffs recently made a play to
bring it back ... with a twist. You could call it the drive-up movie
theater. Dethleffs calls it the Mini Movie Campy, a home theater packed
neatly into a small camping trailer. Read More
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