myris personal iris scanner looks to replace passwords
By Stu Robarts
January 19, 2014
myris is a new iris-scanning identity
authentication device that promises to improve online security for its
users and eliminate the need to remember the myriad of different
passwords required for our different digital accounts. Read More
Following in the footsteps of the Tiny Tack House and Pocket Shelter,
American web designer Alek Lisefski has recently finished building his
very own tiny house on wheels. After becoming tired of paying high
rental costs and with the goal of owning his own home, constructing a
micro and mobile house became the perfect solution for Alek and
girlfriend Anjali. Read More
One of the less practical examples
of wearable technology we've seen of late is the "Joy Jacket" – a
garment designed to convey a visual statement of happiness when the
wearer consumes a certain chocolatier's product. Read More New object recognition algorithm learns on the fly
By Stu Robarts
January 19, 2014
Scientists at Brigham Young University have
developed an algorithm that can accurately identify objects in images or
videos and can learn to recognize new objects on its own. Although
other object recognition systems exist, the Evolution-Constructed
Features algorithm is notable in that it decides for itself what
features of an object are significant for identifying the object and is
able to learn new objects without human intervention. Read More
Lexus has unveiled the 2015 Lexus RC F at the
2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Building on the
sporty image of the RC coupe
unveiled in Tokyo last year, the latest iteration of the four-seater,
rear-wheel drive compact executive coupé features a 2UR-GSE V8 engine
and other refinements to allow for the larger powertrain. Read More
When Sony launched its quirky QX lens-style cameras
last year, they were something of an oddity and very different to
anything else on offer. But now other firms are getting in on the
action, including JK Imaging, which recently announced a pair of
Kodak-branded smart lens cameras that offer 10x and 25x optical zooms.
Read More
Nissan turned some heads with its fiery-orange
Sport Sedan Concept at the North American International Auto Show this
week. Previewing a sporty production sedan largely thought to be the
next-generation Maxima, the concept shows a bolder future for the Nissan
four-door. The SSC was surrounded by several other intriguing concepts
and prototypes on Nissan's podium, including two distinctive small
sedans and an autonomous research vehicle. Read More
FlexFoil aims to seamlessly boost airplanes' fuel efficiency
By Ben Coxworth
January 17, 2014
If there's one thing that needs to be
aerodynamic, it's an airplane wing. Conventional wing designs however,
suffer from a glaring weakness in this respect: the joint where the main
wing meets the trailing flaps. Michigan-based FlexSys has developed a
way to optimize wing aerodynamics with FlexFoil, a seamless variable
geometry airfoil system that could deliver fuel savings of up to 12
percent. Read More
For the last few years, Samsung's tablets have been aimed squarely at the mid-range. But at CES 2014, the company pulled back the curtain on four new Galaxy tablets
that finally put the high-end in their crosshairs. Let's see how one of
those new slates, the Galaxy TabPRO 10.1, compares to Apple's iPad Air.
Read More
After a heart attack has occurred, inflammatory
cells known as monocytes rush to the damaged tissue. This causes the
heart to swell, reducing its ability to pump blood, and further damaging
the tissue – a potentially lethal situation. Now, however, scientists
have discovered that injectable microparticles can help stop that from
happening. Read More
While some expectant parents are
happy to conceal the sex until they see their newborn with their own
eyes, others just can't wait. We'd guess that by offering 3D-printed
figurines modeled on an ultrasound, 3D Babies is targeting the latter
group. Read More
In the field of exotic new materials, we've examined one of the strongest ones and another
declared to be impossible; scientists now report creating "forbidden"
materials, out of ordinary table salt, that violate classical rules of
chemistry. Not only does the development challenge the theoretical
foundation of known chemistry, but it is also expected to lead to the
discovery of new exotic chemical compounds with practical uses and shed
light on the composition of early planetary cores. Read More
Butchers & Bicycles' Mk1 offers a new angle on cargo trikes
By Ben Coxworth
January 20, 2014
Cargo trikes may be very practical, but
unfortunately they can also be pretty slow and dumpy. This is
particularly noticeable when taking corners, as they can can't lean into
the turn like a regular bicycle. The designers at Denmark's Butchers
& Bicycles, however, have decided to change that, with their Mk1
leaning cargo trike. Read More
When you talk about tablets, it's easy to think
of the iPads, Galaxy tablets, and Kindle Fires of the world. But what
about LG? Though the company's mobile devices may not be household
names, we've seen some top-notch hardware from the South Korean
electronics giant. Is the LG G Pad 8.3 part of that club? Read on, as we review LG's answer to the iPad mini. Read More
Tiny aquatic bio-bots swim like sperm and are powered by heart cells
By Ben Coxworth
January 20, 2014
If you were asked to think of something
microscopic that moves quickly, chances are that sperm would be the
first thing to come to mind. The tiny reproductive cells are able to
swim as fast as they do thanks to their long whip-like tails, known as flagella.
So, imagine how helpful it might be if sperm-like machines could be
used for applications such as delivering medication to targeted areas of
the body. Well, that's what scientists at the University of Illinois
are in the process of making possible, with the creation of their heart
cell-powered "bio-bots." Read More
Cimagine introduces true markerless augmented reality system
By Paul Ridden
January 20, 2014
When you want to augment a digital image creation
onto the real world, you'll likely need to point your smart device's
camera at the kind of markers found in Sony's TV Size Guide tool or on the front cover of magazines like Esquire. IKEA took this idea a step further by making its 2014 catalog
the marker, but a new system from Israel's Cimagine Media uses a tablet
or smartphone camera and sensors to position the virtual object in a
room without the need for physical markers. Read More
Lack of progress toward an "Internet of Things"
has been attributed to a variety of factors. Indeed, enabling devices
from different manufacturers to communicate in an effective and useful
manner is no simple task. European start-up Relayr believes that its
WunderBar, a hardware kit comprised of seven smart modules, could
provide app developers with the toolbox to bring networks of
interoperating gadgets closer to reality. Read More
Eyes-on with Tobii's eye-tracking technology
January 20, 2014
We've been following the development of Tobii's impressive eye-tracking technology
for several years now, but it looks like consumers may actually get a
chance to try it out for themselves in the not too distant future.
Thanks to a partnership with SteelSeries,
an eye tracker specifically for gamers is set to hit the market later
this year, but that still leaves the question of what the technology can
actually bring to video games. Fortunately, we were able to catch up
with Tobii CEO Henrik Eskilsson on the CES show floor and try it out for
ourselves. Read More
ION launches the 200 W Road Warrior Bluetooth speaker
By Paul Ridden
January 20, 2014
When it comes to streaming music from a
smartphone or music player at the beach or patio party, Bluetooth is
probably going to be the wireless way to go. Take your source device
more than a few feet from the speaker, however, and the grooves start to
quickly break up and fade away. ION Audio's forthcoming Road Warrior
200 W Bluetooth speaker boasts over three times the wireless range,
giving the party's mobile DJ more room to mingle and mix. Read More
A new type of carbon nanotube (CNT) sponge that
contains sulfur and iron has been developed and is proving to be more
effective at soaking up water contaminants, such as oil, fertilizers,
pesticides and pharmaceuticals, than previously seen. The magnetic
properties of these nanosponges also make them easier to retrieve from
the environment once the clean-up job is done. Read More
ESA awaiting signal from Rosetta comet probe
By David Szondy
January 19, 2014
Like nervous parents, scientists and engineers at
ESA are pacing the floor of mission control as they await word of
whether or not the Rosetta spacecraft has survived 31 months of
hibernation. The unmanned comet chaser was scheduled to reactivate
itself today at 10:00 GMT, but the time required to complete the
operation and the distance a radio signal must travel back to Earth
means that the space agency will not know until at least 17:30 GMT if
the probe is operating again or has become deep space scrap. Read More
Researchers use arm sensors to improve robot control
By Stu Robarts
January 21, 2014
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of
Technology have created a system that makes a human-controlled robot
more "intelligent," and improves the amount of control that a human user
has over it. It incorporates a number of sensors that are placed on the
user's arm to read muscle information, and help the robot to anticipate
the user's intentions. The system has been developed to improve safety
and efficiency in manufacturing plants. Read More
goBin smart textile-recycling bin makes donating a snap
January 21, 2014
Goodwill of San Francisco has launched a smart
donation bin called goBin that aims to make donating old clothes and
other textiles a snap. Instead of having to make a regular trip to a
Goodwill store, the bin will allow residents of apartment towers to
donate their stuff from the comfort of their buildings. Developed in
collaboration with the global product strategy firm, Frog Design, the
high-tech textile-recycling bin is expected to help the city's
environmental department reach its goal of making San Francisco a zero
waste city by 2020. Read More
Bezalel, an LA-based design and manufacturing
team, has created a portable wireless phone charger called the ARK
that's claimed to be faster and more energy efficient than its
competitors. Read More
While some expectant parents are
happy to conceal the sex until they see their newborn with their own
eyes, others just can't wait. We'd guess that by offering 3D-printed
figurines modeled on an ultrasound, 3D Babies is targeting the latter
group. Read More
Many claim that talking to plants helps them grow
faster. But what if the plants could talk back? That’s what the
EU-funded PLants Employed As SEnsing Devices (PLEASED) project is hoping
to achieve by creating plant cyborgs, or "plant-borgs." While this
technology won't allow green thumbs to carry on a conversation with
their plants, it will provide feedback on their environment by enabling
the plants to act as biosensors. Read More
GameBuddy promises PC game streaming with no discernable lag
By Dave LeClair
January 20, 2014
We've seen quite a few products with the ability
to stream games from one screen to another on a local network – the NVIDIA Shield
is one of the devices at the forefront, as is the PlayStation 4 along
with a Vita. However, the weakness of all of these is latency, an issue
that the creators of the GameBuddy streamer promise to address. Read More
3D-printed prostheses give hope to amputees in war-torn Sudan
By Nick Lavars
January 20, 2014
While 3D printing technology has emerged to serve
a wide variety of purposes, few appear more worthwhile than that of
US-based company Not Impossible Labs. Through its Daniel Project, the
company has not only provided 3D-printed prosthetic arms for amputees in
war-torn Sudan, but empowered the local community to continue the
initiative in its absence. Read More
You may think that your 4 x 4 with its lugged
tires is pretty good in the snow, but it's never going to match the
traction and flotation offered by a tracked vehicle. While systems such
as those made by Mattracks allow users to replace their vehicle's wheels with tracks, AD Boivin Inc's Track N Go lets you simply add tracks onto your wheels when needed. Read More
While most compact cameras have made
the switch from CCD to CMOS image sensors in recent years, medium
format cameras have been a hold out – until now, that is. Hasselblad has
announced its new H5D-50c will be the world's first medium format
camera to pack a 50-megapixel CMOS sensor. Read More
Some people sure like their Keurig
coffee brewers, although the things are a major steps backwards,
environmentally-speaking – for every cup of java that's made, another
coffee mix-containing "K-Cup" is used and disposed of. Ekobrew's
Stainless Steel Elite K-Cup, however, can be refilled with ground coffee
and used over and over. Read More
American supercars flex their muscle in Detroit
By C.C. Weiss
January 21, 2014
One of the themes of this year's North American
International Auto Show that we noticed enough to call it a small trend
was the prominence of the American super sports car. From established
icons, to luxury muscle cars and from muscled-up green cars to radical
boutiques, there were a lot of big V8s and curvy American bodies in
Detroit. Read More
While most compact cameras have made
the switch from CCD to CMOS image sensors in recent years, medium
format cameras have been a hold out – until now, that is. Hasselblad has
announced its new H5D-50c will be the world's first medium format
camera to pack a 50-megapixel CMOS sensor. Read More
Some people sure like their Keurig
coffee brewers, although the things are a major steps backwards,
environmentally-speaking – for every cup of java that's made, another
coffee mix-containing "K-Cup" is used and disposed of. Ekobrew's
Stainless Steel Elite K-Cup, however, can be refilled with ground coffee
and used over and over. Read More
Even today's best rechargeable lithium batteries
do lose their ability to hold a charge after a while, and are considered
toxic waste once discarded. In just a few years, however, they may be
replaced by batteries that are refillable and biodegradable, and that
will also have a higher energy density yet a lower price ... and they'll
run on sugar. Read More
It’s not a new idea to improve upon traditional
solar cells by first converting light into heat, then reemitting the
energy at specific wavelengths optimally tuned to the requirements of
the solar cell, but this method has suffered from low efficiencies.
However, new research at MIT using nanoscale materials finally shows how
thermophotovoltaics could become competitive with their traditional
cousins, and grant benefits such as storing solar energy in the form of
heat to postpone conversion into electricity. Read More
Soft pneumatic exoskeleton could be perfect for use in rehab
By Ben Coxworth
January 21, 2014
We've recently been hearing a lot about how
exoskeletons can be used in rehabilitation, guiding patients' disabled
limbs through a normal range of motion in order to develop muscle
memory. The problem is, most exoskeletons are rigid, limiting their
degrees of freedom to less than those of the body part they're moving. A
team of scientists are looking at changing that, with a partial "soft
exoskeleton" that replicates the body's own muscles, tendons and
ligaments. Read More
Sony's new console has enjoyed one of the most
successful launches ever. Having already shifted more than four million
units, the company will have to keep plying the fledgling system with
quality titles to carry the momentum well into 2014 and beyond, and
exclusive games are key to this. Luckily, we're already aware of a
number of promising AAA titles that you can only play on Sony's next-gen
console in 2014. Read More
Seattle-based visual designer Sam Matson has
created a headset aimed at helping gamers learn to control "gamer rage."
The Immersion headset monitors the user's heart rate and increases the
difficulty of a game, the less calm they become. Read More
If you needed any further evidence that wearable
technology is becoming mainstream, electronic learning toys manufacturer
VTech has unveiled a smartwatch for kids at the London Toy Fair. The
watch will be part of VTech's Kidizoom range and will be aimed at 6-12
year-olds. Read More
It's not just for packaging: Innovative uses of cardboard
January 21, 2014
Cardboard has long been proven a very flexible
material, used to create products as wide-ranging as bicycles, helmets,
buildings, and even a car. Join us now, as we celebrate the most
innovative uses of the material that we've come across in recent years.
Read More
KD launches Kurio Phone, an Android smartphone for kids
January 22, 2014
KD Interactive recently made the headlines with the debut of its latest child-friendly tablet, the Kurio 7x 4G LTE.
The company is now taking on the smartphone market with the launch of
the Kurio Phone. It's a high-tech android smartphone designed solely for
kids that incorporates enough parental controls and special features,
the company claims, to allay any concerns parents might have about its
use. Read More
PhoneSoap sanitizes your phone while charging it
By Stu Robarts
January 22, 2014
It's no secret that mobile phones are breeding
grounds for bacteria. They're touched regularly, spoken into and passed
around, as well as being constantly switched on and, therefore,
constantly warm. Indeed, a report by the UK's Which magazine
suggested that mobile phones can carry up to eighteen times more
bacteria than a men's toilet flush. The newly-launched PhoneSoap Charger
uses UV light to sanitize your phone while it's charging. Read More
Google Glass sex app puts an extra set of eyes in the bedroom
By Nick Lavars
January 22, 2014
When an app designed to stream porn between
Google Glass users appeared in mid-2013, we saw Google move quickly to
quash the presence of such content, adjusting its developer policy to
read, "We don't allow Glassware content that contains nudity, graphic
sex acts, or sexually explicit material." This hasn't been enough to
deter a team of London-based developers however, which aims to give
wearers a view of their lovemaking from all angles through a Sex with
Glass app. Read More
My N3RD: A smartphone-controlled smart switch for gadgets
By Paul Ridden
January 22, 2014
Opening garage doors using a smartphone is certainly nothing new. Nor, for that matter, is remotely operating a light switch or kitchen appliance.
The My N3RD, however, is claimed capable of turning just about any
device switch into a smartphone-controlled, user-programmable smart
switch. Read More
First optical spectrum taken of ball lightning
By Brian Dodson
January 22, 2014
A scientific team in China fortuitously recorded
the first optical spectrum of an example of ball lightning. The ball
lightning, which was accompanied by a cloud to ground lightning strike,
appears to have consisted at least partially of vaporized soil from the
location of the strike. While ball lightning may result from a variety
of sources, this observation provides considerable evidence that the
vaporized silicon explanation is valid, although possibly not unique.
Read More
There's a reason that they say the two good days
of boat ownership are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. In
addition to spending thousands on the boat itself, you're looking at
dock fees, trailer equipment, boat parking at home, maintenance ... the
expenses go on and on. Dutch outfit Aquacrafts employs inflatable design
to help cut down on some of those expenses, offering a sailboat that's
much easier to transport and store. The 3-in-1 boat can also float under
man and motor power. Read More
The Amazon Kindle Fire HDX is the latest in its
line of tablets that run a forked and heavily customized version of
Android 4.2 which Amazon calls Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito." But if you want to
get more out of it, namely installing the full Google Play Store, you'll
need to root the device. Here's a step-by-step guide to rooting your
Fire HDX and some helpful tips if you run into any difficulties during
the process. Read More
For ten years, the BMW 1 Series
has been the company’s big gun when it comes to luxury compacts. Over
the years, it’s gone through a number of variants and iterations, but
now BMW is taking the lessons learned from the rear-wheel drive 1
Series, mixing them with its TwinPower Turbo technology, and has come up
with the BMW 2 Series Coupé. Harkening back to the BMW 02 range of 45
years ago, the company is aiming to make the 2 Series distinct from its
predecessor and able to see off the car maker’s competitors in the
luxury compact market. Read More
There are a number of approaches currently used to create transparent displays, such as transparent OLED and LCD displays or simple reflection,
however, most are limited in terms of viewing angle. Researchers at MIT
have come up with a new system that is low-cost and offers a wide angle
of view with the projected image appearing on the transparent material
itself. Read More
Original Pin camera: A flat-packed lesson in photography
By Nick Lavars
January 21, 2014
Pinhole cameras are great for demonstrating the
fundamentals of photography. By using film and a small hole as an
aperture rather than a lens, they have become a plaything of
traditionalists in the age of smartphone cameras and DSLRs. The Original
Pin, a flat-pack 35 mm pinhole camera, combines these educational
benefits with a durable and practical product. Read More
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