Volvo is continuing its work on autonomous
vehicle technology with a research project that involves the use of
magnets to keep self-driving cars
on the road. As well as preventing cars from running off the road, the
Swedish automaker says the technology could help improve road
maintenance and allow for lanes to be narrowed. Read More
London to trial "intelligent" pedestrian crossings
By David Szondy
March 11, 2014
Ever walk halfway across a road only to have the
light change and force you to make an undignified rush to the other
side? The answer is almost certainly yes. If you’re in London, that may
soon be a thing of the past however, with Transport for London
announcing upcoming trials of an "intelligent" pedestrian crossing.
Called the Pedestrian Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique (SCOOT),
it’s part of a £2 billion to £4 billion program to improve roads over
the next ten years and decrease traffic fatalities in the capital by 40
percent by the year 2020. Read More
In January, Gizmag traveled around Germany to the Boot Dusseldorf and ISPO Munich
shows to take a look at the latest in everything from monolithic yachts
to tiny sports sensors. We've already covered many of our finds, but
both shows were so filled with new gear and innovation, we've combined
some of the remaining ones into one big gallery. Here is some of the
latest, most interesting hardware for enjoying water and land. Read More
We've seen plenty of smartphone mounts for bikes, along with a lot of handlebar-mounted speakers. The Allo speaker/case, however, is claimed to be the first device to combine the two in one unit. Read More
Braven has announced the immediate availability
of an adventure-proof high definition wireless speaker system that could
be deserving of a place in the rugged section of our recent round-up of Bluetooth speakers. First announced at CES back in January, the BRV-X outdoor speaker is the bigger brother of the BRV-1
that impressed us back in January 2013, has a built-in battery that can
be used to charge other portable devices, and is described by the
company as "the tank of mobile speakers." Read More
Landmarks don't come much more
iconic than the Eiffel Tower, but if you've ever visited it in person
you may have found the first floor mildly underwhelming. Architectural
firm Moatti-Rivière aims to change this, and add some sustainable
technology to the mix, during a redevelopment of the tower's first floor
that's currently underway. Read More Folding paper microscope could reduce deaths from malaria
By Ben Coxworth
March 11, 2014
According to the World Health Organization, there
were approximately 207 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2012,
627,000 of which proved fatal. Unfortunately, the disease most often
occurs in developing nations, where diagnostic equipment may not be
available. This means that doctors can't determine the particular strain
of malaria from which a patient is suffering, and thus don't know which
medication will work best. Manu Prakash, an assistant professor of
bioengineering at the Stanford School of Medicine, hopes to change that
... using his disposable folding paper microscope. Read More
Part of being a kid is playing outside and
exploring, so it's impossible to keep an eye on your children at all
times. With this in mind, GPS tracking for kids has become increasingly
popular. The hereO watch is the latest GPS tracking device aimed at
providing parents with peace of mind. Read More
When it comes to thoroughly assessing the
condition of someone's eyes, it's usually necessary to utilize large,
expensive contraptions such as those found in an ophthalmologist's
office. While that's OK in some situations, physicians in rural areas or
developing nations might not have access to such technology.
Additionally, emergency room personnel typically need information
on-the-spot, ASAP. That's why two scientists from Stanford University
have created the EyeGo system, which allows smartphones to do the job.
Read More
The BBC's online TV catch-up
platform, iPlayer, was launched on Christmas Day 2007. Since then it has
been through a number of iterations and now serves 10 million program
requests daily. Today, the Beeb has announced the latest update to the
iPlayer. Read More
Of the many new gadgets to help you go green that
were on offer at London's Ecobuild 2014 last week, one of the standout
innovations was from Petwalk. The company's new, highly-insulated,
automated pet door lets pets move in and out of the house at will,
without squeezing through small openings or knocking on a plastic flap.
It opens and closes electronically without being pushed open by a dog or
cat, or by anyone else. Once closed, the doors form a draught-free seal
that conforms to Passive House standards for thermal exclusion. Petwalk
also offers a range of sophisticated extras. Read More
The top motor-only speed of an electric bike can
be limited by law to 20 mph (32 km/h), but those taking their rides
off-road or to the streets of more lenient jurisdictions may push their
vehicles that little bit further. Looking to allow even more scope for
performance are Milwaukee-based inventors Dustin Herte and Ryan Bass,
whose Odyssey electric trike, fitted with a 4 kW motor, can reach speeds
of up to 50 mph (80 km/h). Read More
Smartphone manufacturers have yet to begin
including wireless charging functionality in their handsets as a matter
of course. There are, however, a number of devices available that can
add wireless charging functionality. The Fonesalesman iQi Mobile is one
such device – let's take a look at how it performs. Read More
While most of Canada seems content to let the
rest of the world worry about designing exotic vehicles, some in Quebec
see things slightly differently. Recently the francophone province has
brought us such automotive morsels as the Felino cb7 and the MK5 track racer,
and now Dubuc SLC’s Tomahawk, a multi-talented 2-seater kit-car,
capable of supporting an electric drive train, or one pilfered from a
gas-powered car or motorcycle, can be added to the list of boutique
Quebecois offerings. Read More
Graphene, the two-dimensional lattice of carbon
atoms, may be the wonder material du jour, but ultrathin layers of other
elements are also proving to be an exciting area of research.
One-atom-thick sheets of germanium and tin have shown potential as semiconductors and a topological insulators
respectively, and now ultrathin layers of tungsten and selenium have
been used to create a diode that could be used in ultrathin, flexible,
semi-transparent solar cells. Read More
You can never be too careful, and if you have a
upwards of £200,000 (US$330,000) laying around, you could sleep a little
easier as the new owner of a nuclear bunker. Built by the British
government during the Cold War to ride out a Soviet attack, the
decommissioned Cultybraggan Camp bunker is being put on the block as
part of a plan to preserve and redevelop the former British Army camp.
Read More
As you might expect, acquiring a signal from a
satellite traveling at speeds of over 17,400 mph can be a tricky
business. A new system called SARAS, which is a Spanish acronym for
"Fast Acquisition of Satellites and Launchers," more than doubles the
effective area of the receiving dish antenna, allowing the signal to be
acquired much faster. Read More
X-ray observations shed new light on dark matter
By Brian Dodson
March 10, 2014
New analyses of the x-ray and gamma-ray emissions
from the center of the Milky Way galaxy, the Andromeda galaxy, and the
Perseus galaxy cluster have detected significant signs of two possible
dark matter particles. One is likely a 7.1 keV sterile neutrino, and the
other appears to be a 35 GeV WIMP (Weakly Interacting Massive
Particle). Read More
When people have nerve problems such as those
caused by spinal injuries, they can lose the ability to feel when their
bladder is full. This means that they don't know when it needs to be
emptied, resulting in a build-up of pressure that can damage both the
bladder and their kidneys. Now, a tiny sensor may offer a better way of
assessing their condition, to see if surgery is required or if
medication will suffice. Read More
Bringing together form and functionality in
harmony is the holy grail for design of any type. The newly opened
Emerson College Los Angeles (ELA) achieves just that. The building
needed to be sustainable and provide spaces for education, accommodation
and administration whilst at the same time fostering social activity
and creativity. Read More
0 comments:
Post a Comment