For home theater enthusiasts or gamers who enjoy
the deep thud of a good subwoofer but want a little more “jolt” without
the extra noise, Earthquake Sound Corp. has added to its range of
tactile transducers with the Q10B and MQB-1 that, when fitted to a
theater chair or platform, can virtually loosen your fillings. Along
with visualizing and hearing, low frequency sound adds a third sense
which brings people further into the realm of virtual reality of movies
and games. Read More
Calera and Novacem use concrete to capture CO2
By Ben Coxworth
February 1, 2010
Concrete seems pretty inoffensive. It just looks
like mud, and appears to do nothing except sit there and harden. The
fact is, though, concrete is the world's third-largest source of
man-made carbon dioxide. Its production process accounts for at least 5%
of the CO2 our species pumps into the atmosphere annually. Apparently,
however, it doesn't have to be that way. Two companies are now using
different technologies that not only make concrete carbon-neutral, they
actually make it carbon-negative. Read More
Stopping weapons from falling into the wrong
hands is a major problem for law enforcement agencies all over the
world. But if keeping weapons out of the clutches of the criminal
element proves too difficult, the next best thing is ensuring that such
weapons can’t be used if they do. That’s just what the Armatix SmartGun
concept does by disabling the pistol unless it's in the hands of someone
wearing a custom wristwatch that sends a signal to arm the gun. Read More
An archeological find of some magnitude went
under the hammer this week, when a rusted 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia
that has spent the last three quarters of a century at the bottom of a
lake in North Italy was auctioned. When found and raised, it validated a
legend that had circulated for 70 years. Mercifully, it will not be
restored, but will live on in an American museum in its partially
reclaimed glory as living proof of the craftsmanship of the era in
general, and the Bugatti marque in particular. The Italian legend
fetched a staggering EUR 260,500 - US$360,000. They do not make 'em like
this any more. Read More
This week, Loz Blain and Mike Hanlon agree to
disagree on the upcoming iPad, we take a look at a couple of upcoming
stories on next-gen sex toys, check out the Metal Storm virtual
minefield and look at how Thailand is moving to prevent petrol fraud.
Read More
Are you sick and tired of spending valuable time
commuting to work and enduring peak-hour traffic and road rage? Well now
that most people have access to mobile phones, email, video
conferencing and the Internet - the dream of trading in an office job
for working from home can become a reality. However, separating work
from home life can sometimes be difficult. That’s where the Pod comes in
– it might look like an enormous coconut has landed in your garden, but
this is a unique garden office that is energy-efficient and
environmentally friendly, plus it gives you a designated space in which
to work. Read More
Necker Nymph: underwater flying becomes Virgin territory
January 31, 2010
It seems that Sir Richard Branson's quest to conquer unexplored frontiers isn't limited to space tourism.The Virgin boss's latest acquisition is a DeepFlight three-person aero submarine that "flies" through the briny deep using the positive buoyancy system
developed by Graham Hawkes. Christened Necker Nymph, the flying sub
will find a home on Branson's 74 acre private island in the British
Virgin Islands where it will launch from shore as well as operating from
the luxury 105 foot catamaran Necker Belle - just add a quiet US$25,000
to the weekly hire price tag. Read More
Just as people with sight in only one eye have
problems with depth perception, those with impaired hearing in one ear,
known as unilateral hearing loss (UHL) or single-sided deafness (SSD),
face difficulty in localizing sound. Addressing the problem with a
hearing aid worn in the mouth might not sound like a logical solution,
but that’s just what medical device company Sonitus Medical is doing
with SoundBite - a hearing system that transmits sound to the inner ear
via the teeth. Read More
Touchscreens found in most mobile devices today
use capacitance or resistance technology - fine for detecting input from
a finger, but not so great when it comes to detecting how much pressure
that finger is applying. However, this limitation could be about to
change with news that Japanese touch screen manufacturer, Nissha, has
licensed new technology that allows a touchscreen to detect pressure,
even from a finger. This adds a third dimension to touchscreen
interaction and opens up a raft of potential applications. Read More
We rely so heavily on information gathered by
satellites and weather instruments to help us program our daily lives,
imagine what would happen if the data we received from these
technologies went bad and foretold of cataclysmic outcomes in the days
or weeks ahead? Panic could induce scenes on our streets reminiscent of
Hollywood disaster movies. To avert such events - or just help get
things right even if the forecast is more mundane - scientists at the
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of
Colorado at Boulder (CU) have devised an innovative computational
technique called Intelligent Outlier Detection Algorithm, or IODA, that
draws on statistics, imaging, and other disciplines in order to detect
errors in sensitive technological systems. Read More
Wearable wireless health sensor for remote bio-monitoring
By Rick Martin
February 2, 2010
With it's rapidly aging population, few countries
stand to gain as much from developments in the remote monitoring of
bio-signals as Japan. As a culture that reveres the elderly it's likely
that the Japanese will be one of the countries leading the charge in the
growing field of bio-signal telemetry. Just one example is the HRS-I,
or the human recorder system, that gathers health-related information
and transmits it wirelessly to a mobile phone or PC. Read More
The Dynasty is a very 21st Century take on a
gaming platform that's been with us for more than 500 years - the
billiard table. The US$100,000 Dynasty features sculptured metal, slate
pockets, and neon–look LED under lighting. Add to that a host of other
top of the line fittings and you have yourself one very sharp looking
centerpiece for the games room. The owner of the first known indoor
billiard table - King Louis XI of France (1461–1483) - would surely
approve. Read More
Go ahead, stare. It’s OK, they want you to. Delta
7 Bikes currently manufactures two of the most unusual-looking bicycles
on the market, the Arantix hardtail mountain bike and the Ascend road
bike. Their open-lattice spider-web tubes incorporate patented IsoTruss
geometric design, wherein carbon fiber and Kevlar are woven into a
network of isosceles triangles. The triangles join together to form
pyramid-shaped trusses, which provide incredible structural support
while using a minimum of material. If you’re a bicycle-maker looking for
something with a great strength-to-weight ratio, it’s hard to beat.
Read More
Wacom has set professional digital doodlers free
with its updated Intuos4 professional pen tablet now featuring Bluetooth
wireless technology. Wacom says removing the USB cable shackles makes
the Intuos4 Wireless an ideal choice for collaborative work sessions,
client presentations or use in a seminar setting such as an art class or
photography seminar. Read More
Honda has begun work on a smaller solar hydrogen
station prototype intended for use as a home refueling appliance.
Capable of an overnight refill of fuel cell electric vehicles it is
designed to be a single, integrated unit that will fit in the user's
garage. Honda's next generation Solar Hydrogen Station, though not as
big as the previous systems,
will still produce enough hydrogen (0.5kg) via an eight-hour overnight
fill for daily commuting (10,000 miles per year) for a fuel cell
electric vehicle. Read More
Microsoft’s SideWinder X4 Keyboard ain’t afraid of no ghosting
By Darren Quick
February 1, 2010
While it might not be ideal for fighting
apparitions of the dearly departed, Microsoft claims its latest keyboard
boasts the most advanced anti-ghosting technology ever to grace a
keyboard. The ghosting being referred to is when multiple keys are
pressed on a keyboard simultaneously result in the incorrect key signal
being sent to the PC, or some of the key presses being ignored
altogether. To combat this Microsoft’s SideWinder X4 Keyboard can detect
up to 26 key presses at once, which is sure to appeal to hard-core
gamers and 26 fingered typists alike. Read More
Making oneself heard over the roar of a
motorcycle engine can be difficult at the best of times. But being heard
over the roar of a motorcycle engine when tearing down the highway with
your head encased in a helmet is downright impossible. Naturally
technology has come to the rescue in the form of Bluetooth enabled helmets and helmet-to-helmet communication systems.
The latest solution to keep chatty bikers happy is the scala rider G4
bike-to-bike Bluetooth headset that offers group intercom between up to
three riders at distances of up to one mile (1.6km). Read More
They say life imitates art, but any scientist knows that the best designs imitate life. Researchers from the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) are drawing new biomimicry
inspiration for body armor design from a hardy ocean snail that boasts a
shell structure unlike anything else seen in nature... or in material
research labs. Read More
If you’re claustrophobic you probably want to
spend as little time as possible in an elevator. Therefore, sufferers
will no doubt rejoice at the news that Hitachi is undertaking to create
the largest high-speed, high-capacity people-movers by completing the
world’s tallest elevator research tower (213m). Named the "G1Tower", it
will reside at the company’s elevator R&D and manufacturing base in
Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, and is due for completion
in April this year. Prior to this, the company used a 90m tower built in
1967 for its research. Hitachi says it will use the new tower to
conduct verification tests on the world's fastest elevator, which has an
ear-popping rated speed of 1,080m/min (40.26mph). Read More
When did baby strollers get so high-tech? The
Origami stroller power-folds itself open and shut at the touch of a
button and has a built-in generator that charges the battery with every
step you take. You can even choose to add options like powered speakers
for your MP3 player, daytime running lights, or an adapter to charge
your mobile phone. You want more features? Well read on… Read More
In the age of green energy we are seeing
interesting new developments that marry building materials with the
capacity to harness renewable power sources. Building integrated
photovoltaic (BIPV) or concentrating PV technologies aren't new, but the
ability to concentrate and maximize the capture of energy by tracking
sunlight from dawn to dusk is. The Center for Architectural Science and
Ecology CASE has unveiled a new Integrated Concentrating (IC) Dynamic
Solar Facade which does just that - and it looks great! Read More
A new snap-on battery that can extend the talk
time and power on an iPhone 3G, 3GS or iPod Touch 2G device by around
three hours (up to 100 hours standby) has been released by Ethereal Home
Theater. "No bulky or clumsy cords, and designed to look like an
extension to a 3G iPhone, this is one of the better-looking spare
batteries going around," says Gizmag's Jeff Salton, who's been putting
the unit to the test. Read More
Honda aerodynamic scooter conversion results in 214 mpg
By Paul Ridden
February 3, 2010
Adding a self-built aerodynamic outer shell to a
brand new Honda Innova 125i big-wheeled, step through scooter has
resulted in its already pretty impressive fuel efficiency being improved
considerably. Experienced Dutch cycle designer Allert Jacobs has spent
the last couple of years designing, building and tweaking his machine
before hitting the road recently for the all important road test. Read More
Microsoft has announced that its controller-less
accessory for the Xbox 360, dubbed Project Natal, will ship by the end
of 2010. Unveiled in June 2009,
Project Natal is the Redmond company’s attempt to out-Wii the Wii.
Instead of a hand-held controller, wireless or otherwise, Project Natal
uses a 3D sensing unit on top of your TV to read your gestures,
recognize your face or other objects, and even respond to your voice.
Project Natal is among the latest examples of devices that are
controlled by so-called “natural user interfaces”. Read More
The race to produce a narrow, tilting, hybrid
motorcycle/car/EV continues with another boutique manufacturer throwing
its hat into the ring. This time, its Cherban who has released plans of
its concept Urban Jet, a 150mph three-wheeler EV that is said to be able
to accelerate from 0-60mph in less than 3.5 seconds. It’s a two-seater
(bobsled style – though hopefully not as scary) that leans up to 45°
into corners, and is reminiscent of the Dutch Carver (see it briefly in
our video on the Nissan Landglider and other narrow track vehicles). Read More
Researchers at Cornell University have created a
palm-sized device that uses water tension as a switchable adhesive bond
and can support many times its own weight. The device could usher in a
whole new generation of superheroes by allowing shoes or gloves that
stick and unstick to walls on command, or see the creation of Post-It
notes that can bear loads. Read More
World record 1 megajoule laser shot hits target
By Darren Quick
February 2, 2010
In their quest to be the first to trigger a nuclear fusion reaction using lasers
scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have delivered more than one
megajoule of laser energy to a target. The peak power of the laser
light, which was delivered within a few billionths of a second, was
about 500 times that used by the United States at any given time and
demonstrates the target drive conditions required to achieve fusion
ignition. Read More
While many environmentalists hope that we can
eventually have a paperless office, one company in Japan has developed a
machine that shreds paper and then converts the waste into readily
usable toilet paper. Read More
Realizing that little ones grow up so fast
designers are increasingly creating innovative baby products that are
designed to last. The Soleil 1,2,3 baby bed from Castor & Chouca, is
a case in point. Made from eco-friendly, recyclable materials - it
starts off as a baby bassinet, it then transforms into a child’s bed and
finally, a child’s desk. This is one clever and functional piece of
furniture that can be used long after your child has grown out of
diapers. Read More
Panasonic has revealed a new addition to its
LUMIX family of cameras, the DMC-ZR3 slim compact digital. The successor
to the ZR1, optical zoom has been boosted to eight times, the addition
of AVCHD Lite video should extend recording time, the pixel count now
stands at 14 megapixels and it supports the new SDXC card format. Read More
Solar Decathlon hits the road to catch some Spanish sun
By Paul Ridden
February 4, 2010
Madrid will host the first European version of the Solar Decathlon
competition this summer which sees teams from universities throughout
the world designing, building and displaying efficient and sustainable
solar homes. The overall competition winner being decided after the
completion of ten trials aimed at gauging each entry's energy efficiency
and sustainability credentials. Read More
Portuguese company Displax has announced the
development of a “skin” that can turn virtually any surface into a
multi-touch display. Based on capacitive technology, the “skin” is
developed on a thinner-than-paper polymer film that turns a surface, be
it glass, plastic or wood, curved or flat, into an interactive touch
screen. The interface is so sensitive that it even detects when you blow
on it, registering both the intensity and direction of the air flow.
Read More
Panasonic has announced significant improvements
in the toughness department with its new 14.1-megapixel LUMIX DMC-TS2.
It's now waterproof to even greater depths, can survive being dropped
from a height of six feet and winter sports enthusiasts will no doubt be
pleased to hear that it can also withstand some seriously chilly
temperatures. Read More
Geocentric concept watch puts an orrery on your wrist
By Darren Quick
February 3, 2010
When it comes to timepieces I’m firmly in the
camp that thinks the digital watch is the pinnacle of time telling
technology. It imparts its information at a glance with no need to waste
time adding or subtracting minutes in multiples of five, or estimating
if the big hand is two or three minutes between markers – if there are
markers at all. I will concede, however, that for many people watches
are as much a fashion statement as a means to tell time and as such
designers are always looking to redefine the humble watch in different and interesting
ways. The latest eye-catching timepiece to catch our eye is the
Geocentric concept watch that uses a motion similar to planets rotating
around a sun to tell time. Read More
Personally, I’m not a fan of bottled water.
Firstly, tap water in many parts of the world is safe, tastes fine, and
it's free. Then there's the waste that bottled water causes
– an enormous amount of energy is consumed in manufacture and most
bottles end up in landfill. So when I see a product like the Vapur, I
instantly warm to it. It’s a flexible, reusable water container that
rolls up like a tube of toothpaste when it's empty to fit in your
pocket, purse or backpack – then in the dishwasher, not in the trash.
Read More
New research has backed up the findings of another study we covered recently
on Gizmag which found the average modern running shoe causes
significant damage to the knees, hips and ankles compared to running
barefoot. The new study found that people who run barefoot land on the
ball or middle of the foot. This mitigates the potentially damaging
impacts that can be equivalent to two or three times their body weight
that shoe-wearing runners, who generally land on their heels, subject
their bodies to. Read More
Roxxxy the US$7,000 companion/sex robot (NSFW)
By Jeff Salton
February 3, 2010
When it comes to technology, the sex industry is
no laggard, and as robotics become more human-like in their appearance
and abilities, US-based company TrueCompany is poised to launch Roxxxy –
the world’s first "sex robot" that has many more capabilities than your
average sex doll. Apart from having better defined physical features
than previous dolls, Roxxxy has been programmed with her own personality
and her manufacturers say she can listen, talk, carry on a
conversation, feel your touch and respond to it, as well as move her
private areas inside when she is being “utilized” to deliver an
unforgettable erotic experience. There are even plans for a male version
- Rocky the Robot. Read More
Solar power start-up GreenRay Inc. has developed
the SunSine AC “solar appliance” that integrates the complex components
of conventional solar power systems into modular, plug-and-play panels
for easier installation, reduced cost, and increased safety. GreenRay
designed the SunSine AC to produce standard alternating current (AC)
electricity that is suitable for use in homes and small businesses, and
the company hopes that by simplifying the technology and making it more
affordable, it can make solar power more accessible to homeowners. Read More
I’m not sure about TV celebrity chefs any
more…nothing personal, but they have really raised the bar when it comes
to preparing food for guests. Are we expected to smear, tower or stack
all our food - or do we just arrange it in one messy heap? Who knows?
However, if you do want to look like a professional - the Transfer board
could help. Its simple but clever design helps you move chopped food to
a single plate quickly and effortlessly - which will make it easier to
cook…and to impress. Read More
Russia has reportedly successfully test-flown its
first fifth generation fighter jet prototype. Formally known as the
Prospective Aircraft Complex of Frontline Aviation (PAK-FA), the craft
made its 47 minute maiden voyage on 29th January. Manufactured by the
Russian state owned Sukhoi Aircraft Corporation, the development of this
tactical frontline stealth fighter jet is being seen as a significant
milestone in the efforts of the country to modernize its post Soviet–era
military technology. Read More
The adage “less is more” rings true when
discussing energy usage - as energy costs rise, using less saves you
more money each year. And studies have shown that householders who know
how much energy they use on a daily basis tend to use significantly
less. A new device called the Wattbox - a smart control unit for central
heating and hot water heaters that learns householders' energy habits
and provide immediate feedback on consumption - could deliver home
energy savings of up to 20 percent without compromising comfort say UK
researchers. A great feature of the Wattbox is that it is retrofittable,
meaning it’s suitable for all houses, not just new ones. Read More
Tech firm InteraXon to transmit brain waves across Canada
By Ben Coxworth
February 7, 2010
If you’re attending the Winter Olympic Games in
Vancouver, British Columbia this month, you’ll have the chance to
transmit your brain waves across Canada. When they reach their
destination, the province of Ontario, they'll produce a custom light
show on one of three prominent Ontario landmarks - presumably to the
amazement of thousands of onlookers. While this might sound like
technology straight out of an X-Men movie, it is in fact the
latest accomplishment of Toronto-based tech firm InteraXon... and it
could be just the tip of the iceberg in the field of thought-controlled computing. Read More
Historical WWII imagery now available in Google Earth
February 7, 2010
When reconnaissance pilots brought back precious
surveillance photos during World War II (WWII) they could not have
imagined that they would one day be comparable with the cityscape seen
from satellite 50 years into the future, and available around the world
at the touch of a button. Google has made this possible with new
functionality for Google Earth - historical WWII imagery - giving
people a unique opportunity to see the effect of past events using
today's mapping technology. Read More
Physicists at the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) have built an enhanced version of an experimental
atomic clock based on a single aluminum atom that would neither gain
nor lose one second in about 3.7 billion years. That makes it the
world’s most precise clock, more than twice as precise as the previous
pacesetter based on a mercury atom. Read More
First glimpse of Boeing 787 Dreamliner interior
By Gizmag Team
February 4, 2010
The 787 Dreamliner successfully completed its
maiden test flight in December and now the interior design of Boeing's
next-gen aircraft has been revealed. The officially released photo shows
the partially decked-out interior featured on the third of six flight
test airplanes. While certainly sleek, at first glance there's nothing
overly radical about the layout, though Boeing says it will give
passengers greater comfort with its "dynamic lighting, larger
lavatories, more spacious luggage bins and electronic window shades
whose transparency they can change during flight." Read More
Ice cubes are so passé. We’ve already seen them challenged in their drink cooling duties by Sippin’ Rocks
and now there's a new threat looming. The Ice Ball Mold transforms an
irregular shaped chunk of ice into an icy sphere, which its proponents
say are more desirable than cubes because they melt more slowly due to
their smaller surface area - thereby keeping your drink cooler and less
diluted for longer. Read More
The medical profession has experienced much
difficulty and frustration in detecting and treating ovarian cancer, but
researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, Connecticut, believe they
have made a major breakthrough. They say eliminating cancer stem cells
(CSCs) within a tumor could hold the key to successful treatments. Read More
The tot-toting Ride On Carry On chair takes a load off traveling parents
By Darren Quick
February 4, 2010
Traveling with children is never an easy task.
Balancing a kid on one hip while dragging around your carry-on luggage
can be a tiring backbreaking chore. Sure, you could opt for a trunki
if your kids are tired, but what if your kids are tired AND hungry? The
Ride On Carry On addresses this problem by attaching to a rolling
suitcase to form a chair where your pride and joy can not only be safely
carried as you traverse the seemingly endless miles of airport, it also
provides a place to sit and play while enduring the long waits that
have become standard for airline passengers. Read More
Imagine you're a competitive sailboat racer,
about to go into the richest and most storied of all sailing races with a
squillion-dollar boat and a razor-sharp crew. Now imagine somebody
hands you a device that can quite literally map out the wind activity up
to a kilometre out in front of you, showing wind speed, direction and
turbulence - and giving you the almost superatural ability to adjust
your sails and take maximal advantage of a wind pattern before you even
reach it. It's almost an unfair advantage, isn't it? Well, this is the
situation that BMW Oracle Racing's Russell Coutts finds himself in as
the team gears up to take on defending champions Alinghi in the 2010
America's Cup. The device is called a Racer's Edge laser wind sensor,
and it's built around a technology base that's being used to optimise
wind power generators. We caught up with Phil Rogers, CEO of Catch the
Wind, Inc, to find out more. Read More
When Nokia acquired the former Symbian Software
Limited in 2008 a new independent non-profit organization called the
Symbian Foundation was established. One of its main goals was to create
the Symbian
platform used on more than 330 million mobile phones worldwide as a
royalty-free, open source software. Now, less than two full years later
and four months ahead of schedule that goal has become a reality with
the foundation announcing the completed open source release of the
Symbian platform source code. Read More
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