Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine

Implantable Silicon-Silk electronics could mean LED tattoos

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:52:37 -0600

Tattooing dates back to at least Neolithic times and has experienced a resurgence in popularity in many parts of the world in recent years. Advancements in tattoo pigments and the refinement of tattooing equipment has seen an improvement in the quality of tattoos being produced. Today it’s possible to get ink that glows under UV light, but a new technology could see tattoos that emit their own light. Researchers have been able to build thin, flexible silicon electronics on silk substrates that almost completely dissolve inside the body, paving the way for embedded LED tattoos that offer much more than just aesthetic appeal...

Tags: Electronics, Flexible, Implant, LED, Medical, Research, Tattoo

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Gordon Murray aims to create world's most efficient EV - the T.27

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:47:47 -0600

Radical UK-based Gordon Murray Design has branched out from “petrol-miser” vehicles like the T.25 to develop what it calls "the world’s most efficient electric car”. Joining forces with British engineering firm Zytek Automotive, the company has announced an all-electric three-seater city car known as the T.27 (27th design). Helped by a £4.5 million (US$7.5 million approx.) investment from the UK government-backed Technology Strategy Board, the new R&D project has a total of £9 million (US$15 million approx.) with which to develop four prototypes by February 2011...

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Talking alarm clock teaches kids to tell the time... and stay in bed longer

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:26:57 -0600

We’ve seen alarm clocks that make you work, think and even run in the wee hours, but here's one that actually aims to ease early morning frustration. Teach Me Time! is a talking alarm clock that's not only designed to teach children to tell the time - it can also be programmed to give them a "green light" when it's OK to get out of bed – giving parents some much needed shut-eye...

Tags: Clock, Time

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Epson’s new ultra-HD 2160p resolution LCD projector panel

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:31:38 -0600

If you think that full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution TV or projector is looking a little too low-res for your liking, then Epson has developed a new LCD projector panel that should satisfy your desire for higher detail. The company's new high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) TFT LCD panel for its 3LCD projectors is the world’s first 4K-compatible panel supporting resolutions up to 4096 x 2160 pixels...

Tags: Epson, HD, LCD, Projectors, Prototype

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ZMS-08: world's first Blu-ray quality media processor for handheld devices

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:05:54 -0600

With the development of the ZMS-08 system on a chip, ZiiLabs is aiming to bring high performance media processing to low power devices. As well as allowing full Blu-ray quality 1080p video playback, the chip supports simultaneous HD encode and decode, 3D and 2D image processing and advanced audio...

Tags: 3D, Architecture, Blu-ray, Chip, Entertainment, Flash, Handheld, HD, HDMI, High Definition, Mobile, Processing, Processor, Video

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Nissan licenses self-healing paint for mobile phones

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:33:27 -0600

Self-healing paint has been with us on automobiles since Nissan released its “Scratch Shield” in 2005. Scratch Guard is a highly elastic resin that self-heals fine scratches and is capable of restoring the vehicle’s paint surfaces overnight or up to a week’s time in more severe cases. Now Japan’s major Telco, NTT DoCoMo, has announced it will license Scratch Shield for use on mobile phones as a value-add feature for Japanese customers...

Tags: Automotive, Mobile Phone, Nissan, NTT Docomo, Scratch Shield Paint, Self-healing

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iSteady Shot takes the shakes out of iPhone video

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:53:52 -0600

Is your iPhone movie-making prowess giving your viewers motion sickness? Are your carefully planned, in-your-face action sequences of your friends’ skateboarding accidents, or grandma’s 80th birthday party antics not making it to Funniest Home Videos because of your inability to hold your iPhone still while you capture potential money-making footage. Fear not! If what the manufacturers say is true, the iSteady Shot camera stabilizer will soon have you cashing in. For roughly US$100, you can attach you iPhone or iPod nano to device and have your very own Hollywood-style “steady-cam” – check the video below to see what a difference the iSteady Shot makes to everyday filming...

Tags: Camera, iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPod, motion, movie, Video

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Massive performance on land or sea - the amphibious WaterCar Python

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:22:34 -0600

We've dealt with plenty of amphibious vehicles here at Gizmag, and they've tended to fall into two camps - practical but unexciting, or cool but nonexistent - at least in a production sense. So the WaterCar Python comes as a bit of a surprise, looking for all the world like a pimped-out pickup truck, but offering blistering performance both on land and water. With the right engines built in, this hot rod can make mid 12s at the drag strip, hit 60mph in 4.5 seconds, and burn up the highway at well past 120mph - and it's capable of more than 60mph on the water as well - a true performance boat once the wheels are lifted out of the way. Crazy stuff!..

Tags: Amphibious

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sparkz iPhone dock doubles as a pico-projector

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:30:40 -0600

We may have to wait some time before pico-projector technology finds its way into mobile phones as a standard feature, but until then products like the sparkz iPhone/iPod dock projector will help fill the gap. The handheld 4.5” x 3” x 2.5” unit uses a 3M LcoS projection engine to throw a 640 x 480 image at a brightness of 15 lumens - so you'll need to draw the curtains and dim the lights before the show starts...

Tags: iPhone, iPod, Projector

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Exclusive pics: Mavizen TTX02 electric superbike

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:17:30 -0600

We've long argued that electric motorbikes make sense - low-emissions, quiet operation, instant torque and hardly any maintenance compared with their gas-guzzling cousins. The sluggish reaction of the established industry players to this e-revolution has created an opportunity for names like Brammo, Vectrix and Zero to try their hand, and now a brand that dares to put the words "electric" and "superbike" in the same sentence. Launched last week in Las Vegas, the 130+ mph, GBP25,000 Mavizen TTX02 is based around a KTM RC8 frame, ships with two Agni motors and boasts a hot-swappable battery and drivetrain architecture. Born from, and bred for, the world's first electric GP, the bike is a "laptop on wheels" that runs on the Linux OS, comes with with integrated IP connectivity and a USB based system bus for open source engine management, and although it's not being sold as a street legal machine, TTXGP founder Azhar Hussain says the package can still provide a pathway from the racetrack to the road...

Tags: Agni, Electric, KTM, Linux, Mavizen, Motorcycle, Motorsport, Superbike, TTXGP, Vectrix

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Ricoh GXR - the world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens digital camera

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:10:06 -0600

After weeks of speculation and the accidental pre-announcement release of a demonstration video, the Ricoh GXR digital camera system has finally been officially announced. Not only is it claimed to be the smallest and lightest digital camera that allows lenses to be changed, but as the lens and sensor comprise one interchangeable unit, photographers can now choose different sensor/lens combinations for different photographic conditions...

Tags: Camera, CMOS sensor, Digital, External, Imaging, Lenses, Modular, Photo, Processing, Ricoh

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Hydrogen fuel cell buses trial set for China's streets

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:56:41 -0600

A team of researchers aims to educate people about the possibilities of hydrogen as a fuel by demonstrating the efficiency of fuel cells in two public transport buses that will operate in China’s North East. The University of Sunderland, UK, has joined forces with Shanghai’s Shen Li High Technology and local experts ComeSys Europe and AVID sustainable vehicles from Cramlington (Northumberland, England) to create ECO2Trans - the region’s first petrol-free passenger buses that will run on a fuel cell, battery and capacitor combination...

Tags: Buses, China, Fuel Cell, Hydrogen, Public Transport

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Pureray ultraviolet baby bottle sterilization concept

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:54:27 -0600

There’s been a lot of focus over the years on the dangers of bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic baby bottles, which is understandable given that baby safety is foremost in parents’ minds. So what would a safety-conscious parent think of the Pureray ultraviolet baby bottle concept – a bottle with an inbuilt ultraviolet lamp that's supposed to kill nasty germs and bugs?..

Tags: Baby, Safety, Ultraviolet

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'Fluid' the floating expo center - coming to a port near you?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:02:44 -0600

A futuristic adaptable living building called “Fluid – Amphibian Pavilion” has been proposed by architects Peddle Thorp as an exhibition center for the World Expo 2012 to be held in Yeosu, Korea. Apart from its unique design, the building has a low impact on the environment because, when the Expo finishes, this floating exhibition space can be “unhooked” and sailed away to its next location...

Tags: Australia, Concept, Design, Exhibition, Expo, Floating

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OpenOfficeMouse promises to be quite a handful

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:49:18 -0600

WarMouse is to release an 18-button mouse with an analog joystick which the company says supports up to 52 key commands. The OpenOfficeMouse, billed as the first multi-button application mouse designed for a wide variety of software applications, including Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Office, and OpenOffice.org 3.1 (plus a few games), is intended to provide a faster and more efficient user interface for many common complex software applications than the conventional icons, pull-down menus and hotkeys. ..

Tags: Joystick, Mouse, Open-source, Warcraft, Xbox 360

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Ants inspire military strategy software

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:45:43 -0600

Ant colonies aren't called superorganisms for nothing. In some species, millions of individuals can act as a single entity to protect and feed the colony. This behavior has led to over 200 different species being called "Army Ants", so in a way it's no surprise that these mechanisms have been used for the basis of new software that helps troops to define the best path within a battle field...

Tags: Battlefield, Military, Software

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Paramount and Kingston to offer movies on a Flash drive

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:40:54 -0600

If you buy Kingston Flash memory in the near future you might just get a little more than a way to store your digital media. Paramount Digital Entertainment has teamed up with Kingston to offer full-length movies on Flash memory cards...

Tags: Digital Media, Entertainment, Flash, Flash drive, Kingston, Memory card, movie

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The Labyrinth Aquarium - we're a bit lost

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:36:43 -0600

We’ve shown you the washbasin aquarium, a fish-n-flush toilet and some designer wall-mounted fish tanks. Now there's the Labyrinth Aquarium - a maze of interconnecting aquarium bowls with which to confuse your fishy friends and bemuse your human ones...

Tags: Fish

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Renault announces production sites for Z.E. electric cars

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:35:49 -0600

Renault's Zero Emissions (Z.E.) range really captured our attention at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show and now the company has confirmed plans to unleash two of the radically designed EVs onto the streets from 2011...

Tags: Concept, Electric vehicle, Frankfurt Motor Show, Nissan, Renault

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Back in black - Olympus announces new E-P2 camera

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:04:52 -0600

Just six months after announcing its first digital PEN camera, the E-P1, Olympus has announced the second model in its Micro Four-Thirds family. The E-P2 offers several features including an accessory port, auto-focus tracking, and two new art filters. ..

Tags: Camera, DSLR, E-P1, E-P2, Olympus

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Baby Bjorn goes organic with its new baby gear

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:38:49 -0600

There are many ways to transport a baby these days - from baby slings to strollers and clever travel solutions. One baby carrier that has stood the test of time is the Baby Bjorn – a Swedish-designed, hands-free baby carrier that has been used for toting tots since 1973. The Baby Bjorn company has continued to move with the times by releasing a range of baby products made from organically-grown cotton...

Tags: Baby, Bjorn, Carrier, Child, Organic

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Cry Translator iPhone App tells you why your baby is crying

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:33:03 -0600

Most new parents would agree that working out exactly why a baby is crying and coming up with the right solution can be extremely stressful, so why not turn to the wonderful world of technology to solve the problem? The Cry Translator is an iPhone application that translates a baby’s cries, categorizing them with one of five possible reasons: hungry, sleepy, annoyed, stressed or bored. ..

Tags: Baby, iPhone, Software, Translator

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Super Talent announces first USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:48:33 -0600

USB 3.0 or SuperSpeed USB offers transfer speeds of up to ten times faster than the widely used Hi-Speed USB. Super Talent has announced the forthcoming availability of the first Flash drive to take advantage of these new speeds - the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 RAID Drive will be available in three capacity sizes and be backward compatible with earlier USB technologies...

Tags: USB 3.0

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Research reveals the most reliable vehicles

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:53:14 -0600

A large percentage of the cars on the road, up to half in some countries, are owned and maintained by fleet management groups rather than individuals. In recent times we’ve seen a number of fleet management companies begin producing statistics on the reliability of their often massive fleets to better inform the public on the reliability of current vehicles. Now U.K. publication Fleet News has conducted research across a number of the major British fleets to produce a reliability survey across more than a million late model vehicles to reveal that the Honda Civic is the UK’s most reliable car and the Ford Transit the most reliable van. Honda snagged three of the top four most reliable cars but got beaten as the most reliable manufacturer...

Tags: BMW, Fleet Management, Honda

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Spider webs hold the key to stronger bioadhesives

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:45:01 -0600

Spiders are remarkable animals: with over 40,000 classified species, they are among the most diverse known to man and can adapt to the most radical climatic conditions. The silky substance they produce to spin webs has been extensively studied and is known to rival steel in strength: a less-known fact, however, is that the "glue" that holds it all together is just as remarkable, and could soon become the key to producing stronger bioadhesives to replace petroleum-based products...

Tags: Evolution, Glue, Research, University of Wyoming

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