Those attending the International Motor Show in
New York this weekend will be the first to get a close up look at
Bombardier Recreational Products’ (BRP) Can-Am Spyder hybrid concept vehicle. In developing the hybrid Spyder roadster
BRP are aiming to achieve a 50 percent improvement in fuel efficiency
than the current Can-Am Spyder roadster with comparable acceleration and
a total range of 375 miles (604 km). Read More
As winter continues its icy grip on the northern
reaches of the planet, cabin fever may cause some of us to rethink our
policy of staying indoors until spring. If you don’t live near the
mountains, however, many of the winter outdoor activities available to
you might seem kind of ... tame. Some people buy snowmobiles, although
such vehicles require a truck or trailer for transportation, can be
expensive, and are generally “more machine” than a lot of people want.
Such individuals might instead be interested in the Skizee – a powered
tread that pushes skiers across the snow at speeds of up to 35 kph (22
mph). Read More
A collaboration of researchers from around the
world has just made the largest ever digital color image of the sky
available to the scientific community and the public. The image has been
put together using photographic information obtained from a powerful
digital camera mounted on a telescope in New Mexico and spectroscopic
surveys executed through several programs. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey
has presented the enormous sky map to the 217th annual meeting of the
American Astronomical Society in Seattle. Read More
Sexual offenders are increasingly using condoms
when committing their assaults, both to reduce the risk of
sexually-transmitted diseases, and to avoid leaving their DNA at the
crime scene. While an offender might still leave their fingerprints
behind, that often only proves that they were at a given
location, and not that they were involved in any wrongdoing. Researchers
from the Biomedical Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University,
however, have recently developed technology that detects condom
lubricant in fingerprints. If a suspect could be tied to a crime scene
by their fingerprints, and be shown to have handled a condom at that location – well, they’d have a lot more explaining to do. Read More
The numerous guitar amplifier simulators and digital effects
now available via apps for the iPad are a great way to play around with
different sounds and setups in a portable and relatively inexpensive
format. But having to tap the screen to change effects or tweak presets
while playing is, at best, awkward. Help is at hand from Griffin
Technology, which has partnered with the Frontier Design Group to
develop a multi-function foot controller for guitar effects on the iPad.
The StompBox has been optimized for use with the iShred LIVE amp
simulation and effects app and can be used to switch between up to four
effects or control features such as the metronome or tuner. Read More
A common cause of cancer is when cells are
altered or mutated and the body’s tumor suppressor genes are switched
off. Scientists at the University of Nottingham have managed to bring
cancer cells back under control by reactivating the cells’ cancer
suppressor genes using an extract from axolotl oocytes. The scientists
say the discovery could form a powerful new technology platform for the
treatment of a variety of cancers. Read More
We've seen TASER electroshock weapons designed for law enforcement, personal protection and even riot control,
but in all of the above cases, it's a human on the receiving end. Now
the company has a different target in sight for its "less lethal"
technology ... and it's one that could create as much controversy as its predecessors – the TASER Wildlife Electronic Control Device. Read More
Researchers develop eyeball camera with zoom capabilities
By Darren Quick
January 19, 2011
Researchers have used the human eye as
inspiration for a new type of camera that boasts the simple lens system
of the eye, but features the variable zoom capability of a single-lens
reflex (SLR) camera without the bulk and weight of a complex lens
system. As a result, the “eyeball camera” measures less than an inch in
diameter, is inexpensive to make and should be suited to a variety of
applications, including night-vision surveillance, robotic vision
systems, endoscopic imaging and consumer electronics. Read More
Nintendo's 3DS gets official European and U.S. release date
By Darren Quick
January 19, 2011
Nintendo has announced that its much-anticipated 3DS,
which offers glasses-free 3D gaming, will launch in Europe on March 25,
closely followed by a U.S. release on March 27. This comes after the
previously announced February 26 release date for Japan, where it will
retail for JPY25,000 (approx. US$305). In the U.S. the device will be
priced at US$249.99, while pricing outside these markets will be set by
local retailers – UK retailers are quoting a price range of UKP219 to
229 (approx. US$350 to $366). Read More
Researchers attempting to clone a mammoth by 2017
January 23, 2011
The last known mammoth lived around 4500 years
ago, but if scientists in Japan are successful then we might be able to
meet one soon! Research to resurrect these awesome creatures was shelved
when cell nuclei taken from a sample from Siberia were found to be too
badly damaged, however a scientific breakthrough in Kobe successfully
cloned a mouse from 16 year old deep frozen tissue, and the research
began again in earnest... Read More
While there are increasing numbers of wind farms
being built around the world, many of these projects are underperforming
and not producing as much power as expected. New research suggests the
reason could be that the wind turbines
are being placed too close together. The researchers say that spreading
the turbines out will result in a more cost-efficient for wind farms
and they’ve come up with a formula through which the optimal spacing for
a large array of turbines can be obtained. Read More
Genghis Khan and his Mongol hordes had an impact
on the global carbon cycle as big as today's annual demand for gasoline.
The Black Death, on the other hand, came and went too quickly for it to
cause much of a blip in the global carbon budget. Dwarfing both of
these events, however, has been the historical trend towards increasing
deforestation, which over centuries has released vast amounts of carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere, as crop and pasture lands expanded to feed
growing human populations. Even Genghis Kahn couldn't stop it for long.
Read More
UPDATED - NEW IMAGERY Ferrari’s new FF is
unquestionably the most practical and versatile Ferrari yet. Four-seats,
four wheel drive and the carrying capacity of a “shooting brake”, all
styled by Pininfarina, offer a previously unavailable blend of sporting
DNA and usability. The technological input is as one might expect from a
company at the forefront of Formula One – an innovative lightweight
four wheel drive system, the latest magnetorheological damping system, a
transaxle dual-clutch F1 gearbox. It’s the unprecedented provision for
four people and their luggage which makes it a milestone though. Bravo
Ferrari. Read More
Players control real microorgansims in 'biotic video games'
By Ben Coxworth
January 21, 2011
A common criticism of single-player video games
is that they isolate their players, shutting them off from anything or
anyone that exists in the real world. Well, that certainly can’t be said
of the lab-based “biotic games” created by Stanford University
physicist Ingmar Riedel-Kruse – while they may be fashioned after arcade
classics, his games require players to manipulate living microorganisms
in real time. If you want to “kick” a soccer ball into a net, for
instance, you have to get an actual paramecium to do it for you. Read More
Sanwa brings us one step closer to universal 3D glasses
By Rick Martin
January 21, 2011
Japanese company Sanwa has recently announced that its new 400-3DGS001 3D glasses are compatible with multiple brands of 3D televisions, such as Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba.
While the glasses aren't truly "universal" they are a step in the right
direction, reminding us that a day may come when we have multiple 3DTVs in our homes. That day is probably a long way off, but we're glad that at least someone is planning ahead! Read More
Learning to crawl before they walk makes for smarter robots
By Darren Quick
January 20, 2011
Everyone knows that, unless you’re
extraordinarily gifted, you need to crawl before you can walk. Turns out
the same principle could also apply to robots. In a first-of-its-kind
experiment conducted by University of Vermont (UVM) roboticist Josh
Bongard created both simulated and physical robots that, like tadpoles
becoming frogs, change their body forms while learning how to walk. He
found that these evolving robots were able to learn more rapidly than
ones with fixed body forms and that, in their final form, the changing
robots had developed a more robust gait. Read More
Audi’s pint-sized Auto Union Type C e-tron study
By Darren Quick
January 20, 2011
When it comes to local emission-free transport
its hard to beat a child’s pedal car. But if you’re looking to give your
kid’s ride a little more grunt while still maintaining some green cred
then Audi’s Auto Union Type C e-tron
study should fit the bill. The prototype vehicle, which will be on show
at the 62nd International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, is based on the
UKP10,000 (approx. US$15,900) limited-edition pedal car model sold
through Audi dealers, but adds an electric motor that can propel the
vehicle to speeds of up to 18.64 mph (30 km/h). Read More
Bluetooth Keypad adds numeric keypad to Apple Wireless Keyboard
By Darren Quick
January 20, 2011
The LMP wireless numerical keypad
for the Apple Wireless Keyboard that made its way through the FCC last
November is now available for purchase. Now called the Cropmark LMP
Bluetooth Keypad it integrates with the Apple Wireless Keyboard by way
of a linkage bar or can be used as a standalone unit to provide an extra
28 keys of number-oriented typing goodness to any Bluetooth enabled
Mac. Read More
Biometric technology allows for the verification
of an individual’s identity via parameters such as their fingerprints,
iris, voice, DNA ... or facial features. However, given that most
people’s faces have so much in common with one another (two eyes, a
nose, etc.), it’s sometimes difficult for biometric systems to tell them
apart based on flat two-dimensional images. With that in mind,
researchers from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton have
created a computer algorithm that is capable of creating 3D models of
faces based on 2D images. Read More
It has been possible to successfully cryopreserve
semen, blood, embryos, oocytes, stem cells and other thin samples of
small clumps of cells for a few decades now. However, cryopreservation
of human internal organs, such as livers and hearts for storage and
transplant, currently requires toxic doses of cryoprotectants –
substances that protect biological tissue from freezing damage due to
ice formation – in order to survive the cooling process. A solution
could be at hand in the form of a technology used to preserve sushi that
can instantly freeze water, meaning there is no time for cell damaging
ice crystals to form. In fact, it’s already being used to preserve
teeth. Read More
MONOWALKER Hikingtrailer – the backpack that you tow
By Ben Coxworth
January 24, 2011
Once when I was a kid, I unwisely agreed to
deliver newspapers for a friend of mine while he was away. The first
time I tried to lift the gargantuan sack-o-papers, it was so heavy that I
ended up pinned on the ground underneath it. Much to my humiliation, I
ended up having to load the newspapers into our wheelbarrow, and deliver
them that way. Well, it now turns out that I was simply ahead of my
time – German outdoors company MONOWALKER recently unveiled its novel
pack system, which includes one configuration that is not unlike a towed
one-wheeled wheelbarrow. Read More
Microfluidic
technology, in which liquid is made to pass through “microchannels”
that are often less than a millimeter in width, has had a profound
effect on fields such as physics, chemistry, engineering and
biotechnology. In particular, it has made “lab-on-a-chip” systems
possible, in which the chemical contents of tiny amounts of fluid can be
analyzed on a small platform. Such devices are typically made in clean
rooms, through a process of photolithography and etching. This rather
involved production method is reflected in their retail price, which
sits around US$500 per device. Now, however, a high school teacher has
come up with a way of making microfluidics that involves little else
than a photocopier and transparency film. Read More
One of the highlights of the upcoming Geneva
Motor Show will be the unveiling of Lamborghini’s Murciélago successor –
a V12 range-topper bristling with the technological candy demanded by
the marque’s aficionados. Earlier today, Lamborghini released further
details of the new vehicle and true to form, some of the componentry is
very special: the electrically powered parking brake; the 400mm carbon
ceramic discs with six cylinder calipers ; and the separation of wheel
control and damper via an aluminum double wishbone pushrod suspension.
The F1-inspired suspension offers race-car precision yet long distance
comfort and further strengthens the bleeding-edge brand values of the
Volkswagen-owned super sports manufacturer. Read More
Israel's CompuLab, makers of the fit-PC range of
energy efficient mini-PCs, has announced a new miniature computer
powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 2 processing platform. The Trim-Slice computer
is said to offer the rich multimedia capabilities and user experience
of a full-size PC at only a fraction of the power draw. It benefits from
a fanless design, Wireless-N connectivity, solid state memory and
expansion via both a full size and a micro SD card slots. Read More
Rearview video and black box recording for your bike
By Ben Coxworth
January 24, 2011
Industrial designer Evan Solida started racing
road bicycles in 1993, and went on to experience some success in the
sport ... until he was hit by a car on a training ride in 2007. He flew
over the hood of the car and landed on his face, which resulted in his
requiring several cosmetic surgeries. Although physically still able to
ride, he was left with a fear of being in another such accident, to the
point that he stopped racing. The experience also, however, prompted him
to invent a couple of unique devices – a rearview video setup for
bikes, along with a “black box” system that automatically records any
accidents the cyclist is involved in. Read More
New research reveals the root of musical pleasure
By Paul Ridden
January 24, 2011
We all know that certain pieces of music can
evoke strong emotional responses in people. Now, a research team from
Canada's McGill University has uncovered evidence that reveals exactly
what causes such feelings of euphoria and ecstasy and why music is so
important in human society. Using a combination of brain scanning
technologies, the study has shown that the same neurotransmitter which
is associated with feeling pleasure from sex and food is released in the
brain when listening to good music. Read More
Sega's Toylets give public toilet users something to aim at
By Darren Quick
January 23, 2011
Most men at one time or another (hopefully when
they were merely boys) have enjoyed a spot or two of “sword fighting” in
school toilets – just to clear up any misconceptions members of the
fairer sex may have about such activities, this involves the clashing of
streams, not appendages. One of the unfortunate side effects of these
duels can be fair degree of spray ending up where it isn’t supposed to,
creating extra work for those whose job it is to keep such facilities
clean. Now Sega is bringing restroom gaming into the 21st century with a
video game that makes use of a pressure sensor built into the urinal to
entice urinators to keep their pee on target. Read More
Moth eye-inspired material boosts efficiency of solar cells
By Ben Coxworth
January 23, 2011
In order for a solar cell to be as efficient as
possible, the last thing it should be is reflective – after all, light
should be getting absorbed by it, not being bounced off. With that in
mind, a few years ago a group of Japanese scientists set out to create
an antireflective film coating for use on solar cells. What they ended
up creating utilizes the same principles that are at work in one of
nature’s least reflective surfaces: moth’s eyes. Read More
Handyscope turns an iPhone into a digital dermoscope
By Darren Quick
January 23, 2011
Call me crazy, but I’ve always found some peace
of mind knowing that the latest medical gadget scanning some worrisome
part of my body isn’t an accessory for a smartphone, but costs in the
millions of dollars and is the result of years of expensive research and
development. However, as someone who has more than their fair share of
moles dotted all over their body, I’m willing to make an exception for
the handyscope. Consisting of an optical attachment and an accompanying
app, the handyscope turns an iPhone into a digital dermoscope to provide an instantaneous up close look at potential skin cancers. Read More
Volkswagen to unveil 261 mpg XL1 prototype in Qatar
By Darren Quick
January 25, 2011
At the dawn of the millennium, Prof. Dr.
Ferdinand Piëch, who is today Chairman of the Supervisory Board of
Volkswagen AG, set his sights on creating a practical everyday use
production car with a fuel consumption of 1.0 liter per 100 km (235
mpg). In 2002 a prototype VW 1-Litre was unveiled, which was followed in
2009 by the second-generation model, dubbed the L1,
which boasted a combined diesel fuel consumption figure of
1.38-liter/100 km (170 mpg). As impressive as that figure is, the
company has now managed to squeeze a combined fuel consumption of just
0.9-liter/100 km (261 mpg) with its third-generation VW 1-Litre
prototype – the XL1. Read More
Scientists from the University of Amsterdam have
developed a process for making fully biodegradable, non-toxic and
non-hazardous thermoset resins from readily available, low-cost plant
materials. This new range of plastics could be used for panels such as
MDF in the construction industry and replace polyurethane and
polystyrene packaging ... all without increasing cost or production
times. Read More
Jerry Seinfeld once commented that when you’re
moving, your whole life becomes centered around finding cardboard boxes.
While some moving companies will sell boxes to you, after the move
you’re then stuck with them, and end up either recycling them after just
one use, or filling your basement/garage/attic with the things. If you
don’t want to scrounge for free boxes or waste the ones you get,
however, there is now an alternative – you can rent some reusable
polyethylene Frogboxes. Read More
A new 3D high definition consumer camcorder is
about to be released by JVC, which combines a couple of proprietary
lenses, a pair of CMOS sensors and a newly developed imaging engine to
simultaneously record both left and right 1920 x 1080i resolution
images. The GS-TD1 benefits from 5x optical zoom while recording in 3D
mode, optical image stabilization, onboard solid state storage and a
glasses-free 3D touch panel display. Read More
A couple of years ago, the folks over at b3ta.com
invited members of their online community to submit mocked-up images of
“Unlikely iPhone Apps.” Some of the submissions were quite a hoot, such
as the Paperweight app – just activate it on your iPhone, then set the
phone down on top of a stack of papers. Even the guerrilla graphic
artists at b3ta, however, couldn’t have foreseen Be a HeadCase. The
product combines a bottle opener-equipped iPhone case with a free app
that keeps count of how many bottles or cans you’ve opened, while
announcing to the world that you’re opening yet another. Read More
Emergency response crews learning how to deal with EV wrecks
By Ben Coxworth
January 25, 2011
As electric cars edge their way further into the
mainstream, there is increased talk of how our infrastructure must adapt
to accommodate them – networks of charging stations must be
established, methods of recycling or disposing of their batteries must
be developed, mechanics need to learn how to fix them ... but what
happens when they crash? They may not have a big flammable gas tank, but
there’s still a lot of electricity to be wary of. In order to educate
emergency response personnel on how to safely work with EVs at accident
scenes, the US National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is currently
offering its Electric Vehicle Safety Training course to first responders
across America. Read More
Ancient defense tower becomes a sleek home
January 25, 2011
British home designer Duncan Jackson recently
joined forces with architectural firm Piercy Conner to transform an 1880
defense tower in Suffolk, England into a stylish and accommodating
home. The defense tower, being a historically-registered building, was
transformed whilst maintaining its structural appearance and integrity.
The project came with a list of obstacles, including the tower's round
structure, minimal windows, 12 foot-thick walls and wetlands
environment. Despite these hurdles, the joint venture successfully
created a contemporary home with an abundance of light, warmth and a
streamlined interior design. Read More
Situated in Peace Park, just across from the
World Cup Stadium in Seoul, stands a functional art installation that
lets citizens know about the quality of air in their city. The Living
Light canopy consists of blocks representing each section of the city
where an air monitoring station is situated. If an improvement in air
quality is recorded, the corresponding block on the canopy grid lights
up. Blocks are also illuminated when users send text message information
requests to the structure. Read More
The BitTorrent peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing
protocol was estimated by internet traffic management and analysis
company ipoque
to account for roughly 27 to 55 percent of all internet traffic as of
February 2009 – much of it pirated software, music and video files.
While the distributed nature of P2P networks sees millions of users
sharing files every day, a new study to examine the behavior of users
responsible for publishing files on the Mininova and The Pirate Bay
portals reveals that a small group of around 100 users is responsible
for the majority of content published over BitTorrent. Read More
Turn of fortune for NASA as solar sail successfully deploys
January 24, 2011
What looked like a failed mission has turned into
an unexpected win for NASA with the successful deployment of the
first-ever solar sail
in low-Earth orbit. More than a month after the NanoSail-D
nanosatellite failed to eject from its parent satellite, engineers at
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center were pleasantly surprised when the
3.9 x 3.9 x 14.9-inch unit spontaneously separated from the Fast
Affordable Scientific and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT) last week. On
January 20, after a timed three-day countdown, the ultra-thin,
100-square-foot polymer sail carried by the nanosatellite was unfurled
650 km above Earth where it will remain in orbit for up to 120 days.
Read More
Calling all heroes: Fire Dept app could help save lives
By Paul Ridden
January 26, 2011
Around three hundred thousand people in the U.S.
are said to suffer sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) each year, so with
survival rates standing at less than eight percent and brain death
taking a grip just four to six minutes after an attack, every second
counts. The San Ramon Valley Fire Department is therefore calling on
members of the public who have been trained in cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) to help. A new location-aware iPhone app has been
developed that notifies registered users within the 155 square-mile
(401.5 sq km) San Ramon Valley, California region when their skills are
needed to save lives. Read More
If you've ever tried to transfer your
touch-typing skills onto a touchscreen tablet's virtual keyboard, you'll
know what an impossible task that can be. Apart from the fact that
there's no tactile guide to tell you where keys are in relation to each
other, placing all of your fingers onto the screen almost always causes
accidental activation of unwanted keys. Researchers from the University
of Technology, Sydney (UTS) claim to have overcome such issues with the
development of a QWERTY keyboard interface that should allow touch
typists to tap away without needing visual prompts. Read More
Although we hear about amazing advances in high
technology every day, it’s often the really low-tech ones that most
cause us to say “Why didn’t I think of that?”. A case in point is the
MP4000 Personal Post Office portable scale – a product that's been
around in its current incarnation since the 70s, but that we still
thought was worth a mention. Designed primarily for weighing letters in
order to determine postage, the non-digital, non-electronic, and barely
even mechanical little gizmo is nonetheless accurate enough that its
use has been approved by the US Postal Service. Read More
A team of researchers from North Carolina State
University claim to have created a memory device that could give
computer users the speed advantages of DRAM system memory and the data
retention capabilities of flash memory, in one unit. The new device
could lead to genuine instant-on computing and machines with improved
resiliency. The development may even lead to power-hungry server farms
making considerable energy savings by allowing parts of the system to be
shut down during periods of inactivity without fear of data loss. Read More
In addition to the company's Slider PC7 computer, Samsung's high-end Series 9 laptop was one of the CES 2011 standouts that we wanted to go back and take a look at. Many have billed it as a Macbook Air
killer, and though we wouldn't go quite that far, the comparison is
certainly a valid one. The Series 9 sports a sleek design that will
likely turn just as many heads as the afore-mentioned Cupertino
competitor. Read More
UK-based Cella Energy
has developed a synthetic fuel that could lead to US$1.50 per gallon
gasoline. Apart from promising a future transportation fuel with a
stable price regardless of oil prices, the fuel is hydrogen based and
produces no carbon emissions when burned. The technology is based on
complex hydrides, and has been developed over a four year top secret
program at the prestigious Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford.
Early indications are that the fuel can be used in existing internal
combustion engined vehicles without engine modification. Read More
Chrysler caught everyone off guard this week when
it announced a partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency to design and develop an experimental hydraulic hybrid powertrain
suitable for use in large passenger cars and light-duty vehicles. The
aim is to have a running demonstration vehicle based on the current
minivan sometime during 2012. EPA has been involved in trials with Eaton
Corporation of the company’s hydraulic hybrid technology for trucks.
Read More
Silynx’s C4Grip puts soldier’s non-trigger fingers to good use
By Darren Quick
January 25, 2011
These days guns used by soldiers are more than
just a weapon designed to send a high velocity projectile at an enemy.
Modern assault rifles also include attachments for flashlights, laser
sights and even wireless communications. However, operating these extra
capabilities usually means taking a hand of the weapon, which can leave
the soldier vulnerable to attack or result in them missing the
opportunity for that vital shot. The C4Grip from Silynx is a forward
grip that solves this problem by putting extra controls at the user’s
fingertips. Read More
World's biggest HD video board under construction
By Gizmag Team
January 25, 2011
NASCAR fans are in for a high-definition treat
this year at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina,
where construction of a gargantuan 200-foot-wide x 80-foot-tall screen
is underway. Billed as the world's largest HD video board, the structure
will weigh 332.5 tons (665,000 pounds) and contain more than 9 million
LED lamps when the switch is flicked for racing events in May. Read More
Motorized door technology adapted from airplane
hangars and factory buildings, plus recycled materials from two
abandoned warehouses have been used to create a dramatic,
industrial-inspired facade for the Wyckoff Exchange in the Bushwick
section Brooklyn, New York. The 100-foot-long, eighteen-foot-tall facade
is only two inches deep, a feat achieved by architecture and design
firm Andre Kikoski Architect (AKA) through innovative technology and
construction processes. Read More
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