2008-09-30

Hyperion’s Portable Nuclear Power Units

Generating nuclear power with a small, compact modules that can be transported by truck, rail or ship to remote locations is possible with the Hyperion's portable nuclear power units.
clipped from www.impactlab.com

Portable Nuclear Power In Your Backyard

Portable Nuclear Power In Your Backyard
A radically different mindset than the “nuclear is too dangerous for anybody” of the 1980s
clipped from www.gizmowatch.com

Portable backyard nuclear reactor: solution to energy crisis?

What’s Innovative: Hyperion’s nuclear reactor uses clean water to moderate the reaction and also to cool the system. You can, therefore, rest assured that the reaction wouldn’t reach uncontrollable proportions.

Clean, Safe, Affordable Power ...
Clean
no greenhouse gases to contribute to climate change

Safe
the most controlled and regulated type of power on the planet

Affordable
the cheapest in terms of dollars & environmental impact

Reliable
Available 24/7 rain or shine, windy or calm

Now it is!

Introducing the Hyperion Power Module (HPG)


Think About It:

Global warming. Dependence on foreign oil. Infrastructure vulnerable to natural and manmade catastrophes. Undrinkable water, poverty, disease, social unrest.

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Related:
Portable Nuclear Power In Your Backyard
Your backyard nuclear plant will be ready in five years | Blog | Futurismic
Portable Backyard Nuclear Reactor: Solution To Energy Crisis? - Gizmo Watch
Portable Backyard Nuclear Reactors Ready to be Installed by 2013 : TreeHugger
Hyperion Power Generation
Interview with John Deal, Hyperion Power Generation

2008-09-29

Robotic Telepresence

RoboDynamics is a company that researches and develops advanced telepresence robots. The idea is creating robots which allow people to attend meetings remotely.
clipped from robodynamics.com
RoboDynamics Corporation Logo

What is Robotic Telepresence?

Robotic Telepresence is the ability to transport yourself
to a remote location without going there.

TiLR - Robotic Telepresence vs. Video Conferencing
TiLR - Robotic Telepresence vs. Video Conferencing


TiLR: A telepresence robot in action

The following promotional video explains using a simple cartoon how the company believes their telepresence robot can be used to add value to a company.
Finally, the following Mahalo Daily video showcases the actual TiLR robot and its control software.
clipped from robodynamics.com

Introducing TiLR

TiLR System Overview


TiLR Robotic Telepresence is comprised of three distinct components, which include a robot (TiLR),
a PC application (TCC), and a Robot Server (RS).

Robotic Telepresence System
clipped from robodynamics.com

TiLR

TiLR is the main state of the art attraction of our
Robotic Telepresence Platform. Standing at four feet tall
and featuring a bright 8" LCD and powerful Canon camera,
TiLR is a unique blend of innovative technologies that
enable Robotic Telepresence in a new, affordable way.

TiLR Telepresence Robots - the most advanced enterprise robots on earth
clipped from robodynamics.com

TiLR Command Center

TiLR Command Center Screenshot
TCC enables you to log into TiLR remotely and control its
movements.

blog it

Related:
Artificial Intelligence and Robotics: TiLR: A telepresence robot in action
RoboDynamics Corporation - TiLR
CrunchGear » Archive » TiLR: for all your robotic telepresence needs

Bug Labs Lego-like Gadgets


With BUG, a collection of Lego-like hardware modules you can easily build your own electronic gadgets
clipped from www.buglabs.net
Bug Labs

Products

BUG is a collection of easy-to-use electronic modules that snap together to build any gadget you can imagine. Each BUGmodule represents a specific gadget function (ex: a camera, a keyboard, a video output, etc.). You decide which functions to include and BUG takes care of the rest, letting you try out different combinations quickly and easily. With BUG and the integrated programming environment/online community (BUGnet), anyone can build, program and share innovative devices and applications. We don’t define the final products – you do.

BUGbase
BUGview
BUGmotion
BUGcam2MP
BUGlocate
clipped from dobbscodetalk.com

Roll Your Own Hardware, or Dr. Dobb's Does Bug Labs

The Register®

Version 1.3 will see completely new modules offering GSM, WiFi and ZigBee wireless - along with an upgrade to the existing BUGbase unit that these and existing modules plug into. The BUGbase is also adopting SD flash memory to provide capacity at a low price.

clipped from news.cnet.com
CNET.com

Open-source gadgets at LinuxWorld

Bug Labs
Bug Labs interface

The Bug Base now has a Web browser.


blog it

Related:
Bug Labs: About
Bug Labs: Products
Dobbs Code Talk - Roll Your Own Hardware, or Dr. Dobb's Does Bug Labs
Hardware hackers get second Bugs bite • The Register
Open-source gadgets at LinuxWorld | Crave, the gadget blog - CNET

2008-09-27

Panasonic's 3D Full HD Plasma Theater System



Panasonic announced that it has developed the world's first 3D full HD Plasma Theater System. The system uses a plasma television and a Blu-ray Disc player capable of decoding and playing back 3D images. To experience the 3D effect a user wears eyeglasses with liquid crystal shutters.


Clipped from: Panasonic Develops World's First 3D Full HD Plasma Theater System | Headquarters News | Panasonic Global

Go Panasonic Global Home

Panasonic Develops World's First
3D Full HD Plasma Theater System*

Presenting High Quality 3D Viewing with Plasma TV and Blu-ray Disc
at CEATEC JAPAN 2008

Clipped from: [CEATEC Preview] Blu-ray, Glasses Used to Watch 3D Video on 103-inch PDP TV -- Tech-On!

Tech-On!

[CEATEC Preview] Blu-ray, Glasses Used to Watch 3D Video on 103-inch PDP TV

[...]
The system displays 3D images based on the field sequential method in combination with active 3D glasses manufactured by XPAND. Specifically, images for right and left eyes are switched over and alternately displayed for every frame, while synchronously blocking the vision on the opposite side by the liquid crystal shutter.

Thus, the system can provide different images for right and left eyes. While the method using passive glasses results in a lower resolution, the latest system with the active glasses has an advantage to display 3D images without sacrificing the resolution. But the luminance of the 3D images is reduced to 1/4 of that of the standard 2D images.


Clipped from: Translated version of http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20080924/pana.htm


Plasma TV and BD-103 improved player, 3D-view


LCD shutter glasses




Video demos  Left and right images for each eye separately to the two PDP display. LCD shutter glasses in sync with the images that open and close experience of 3D images

Related:
Panasonic Develops World's First 3D Full HD Plasma Theater System | Headquarters News | Panasonic Global
[CEATEC Preview] Blu-ray, Glasses Used to Watch 3D Video on 103-inch PDP TV -- Tech-On
Translated version of http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20080924/pana.htm
Panasonic bundles 103-inch plasma, Blu-ray player in 3D home theater package - Engadget
Panasonic Develops World's First 3D Full HD Plasma Theater System*
CDRLabs.com - Panasonic Develops World's First 3D Full HD Plasma Theater System | News

2008-09-26

MALINTENT Mind Reading Security Scanning

Homeland Security is testing the next generation of security screening. The system, called MALINTENT, searches for non-verbal cues of fear or nervosity. It has a series of sensors that read body temperature, heart rate and respiration for unconscious signals, invisible to the naked eye.

Anxiety detection


Clipped from: Anxiety-detectingmachines could spot terrorists - USATODAY.com

Home

Anxiety-detectingmachines could spot terrorists



A scene from the airport of the future: A man's pulse races as he walks through a checkpoint. His quickenedheart rate and heavier breathing set off an alarm. A machine senses his skin temperature jumping. Screeners move in to question him.
Signs of a terrorist? Or simply a passenger nervous about a cross-country flight?It may seem Orwellian, but on Thursday, the Homeland Security Department showed off an early version of physiological screeners that could spot terrorists. The department's research division is years from using the machines in an airport or an office building— if they even work at all. But officials believe the idea could transform security by doing a bio scan to spot dangerous people.

The MALINTENT System


Clipped from: Daily Express | World News :: 'Mind reading' scanner tested in US

Daily Express - Breaking news, sport and showbiz from the World's Greatest Newspaper

'MIND READING' SCANNER TESTED IN US

A "mind-reading" security scanner which screens the person, rather than their bags, is being tested in the US.

The Malintent system searches the body for non-verbal cues that predict whether the person intends to cause any harm to fellow passengers.

It uses a series of sensors and scans to detect temperature, heart rate and respiration as passengers walk through an archway - and could also cut airport queues. The system is also designed to be able to distinguish between a rushed, stressed and sweaty passenger, and a terrorist.

Clipped from: FOXNews.com - Homeland Security Detects Terrorist Threats by Reading Your Mind - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

FOX News.com




A computer screens displays input from Homeland Security's FAST body scanner during a demonstration.



An infrared camera that comprises part of the FAST screening system.



Related:

Anxiety-detectingmachines could spot terrorists - USATODAY.com
Daily Express | World News :: 'Mind reading' scanner tested in US
FOXNews.com - Homeland Security Detects Terrorist Threats by Reading Your Mind - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News
The airport security scanner that can read your mind | Mail Online
New airport screening 'could read minds' - Telegraph
Mind reading scanner as a security measure in US
Department of Homeland Security | Preserving our Freedoms, Protecting America

2008-09-25

China Will Build The EmDrive A New Concept in Spacecraft Propulsion

China recently reported to have build the highly controversial Emdrive (electromagnetic drive), an engine that uses microwaves to transform electrical energy into thrust. A technology that might be a breakthrough in spacecraft propulsion technology.

The EmDrive


Clipped from: Emdrive - Home

Satellite Propulsion Research Ltd (SPR Ltd) a small UK based company, has demonstrated a remarkable new space propulsion technology. The company has sucessfully tested both an experimental thruster and a demonstrator engine which use patented microwave technology to convert electrical energy directly into thrust. No propellant is used in the conversion process. Thrust is produced by the amplification of the radiation pressure of an electromagnetic wave propagated through a resonant waveguide assembly.




Details (Slideshow)


Clipped from: EMDrive presentation at Space 08 conference, Barbican, London


Criticism


Clipped from: EmDrive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

EmDrive (also Relativity Drive) is the name of a spacecraft propulsion system proposed, and reportedly developed, by Roger Shawyer.[1] New Scientist ran a cover story on EmDrive in its September 8, 2006 issue.[1] The device is a Magnetron with a specially shaped fully enclosed tapering resonator cavity whose area is greater at one end. The inventor claims that the device generates thrust even though no detectable energy leaves the device. The inventor proposes to use it as a spacecraft propulsion system that uses no fuel (other than electricity).

On his homepage[1] the inventor claims that independent peer-review is under way, but so far no publication is available.

The device's operation as described seemingly violates several basic laws of physics, notably conservation of momentum, though the inventor insists to the contrary. John Costella, an expert in relativistic electrodynamics describes the EmDrive as a 'fraud'.[2]


Project in China


Clipped from: Chinese Say They're Building 'Impossible' Space Drive | Danger Room from Wired.com


Chinese Say They're Building 'Impossible' Space Drive

Chinese researchers claim they've confirmed the theory behind an "impossible" space drive, and are proceeding to build a demonstration version. If they're right, this might transform the economics of satellites, open up new possibilities for space exploration –- and give the Chinese a decisive military advantage in space.

[...]

What will China do with the technology? It may be relevant that professor Yang is not unknown in military circles, having published a paper called "Plasma Attack Against Low-Orbit Spy Satellites."

Meanwhile, what about the American interest? Shawyer told me that "the flight thruster program is on hold for the present. [O]nce the U.K. government had provided an export license for a U.S. military application, the major U.S. aerospace company we had been dealing with stopped talking to us. "

The company may have decided that the Emdrive could not work. If they're wrong, China has at least a year's head start in a technology that will dominate space and make previous satellites as obsolete as sailing ships in the age of steam.


Related:

Emdrive - Home
EMDrive presentation at Space 08 conference, Barbican, London
EmDrive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chinese Say They're Building 'Impossible' Space Drive | Danger Room from Wired.com
Next Big Future: China Will Build Controversial Emdrive, experimental system should be ready by end of 2008
Emdrive Thrust Technology Will Dominate Space - Chinese build largely-contested "impossible" drive - Softpedia

2008-09-24

NEXTgencode A Fake Biotech Firm

About NEXTgencode, a biotech company promoting genetic engineering as a tool in life enhancement, which actually is part of the promotion of Michael Crichton’s book "Next".

The "company"


Clipped from: Believe It or Not, Fake Biotech Firm Is Key Marketing Ploy for Crichton Novel - WSJ.com

Believe It or Not, Fake Biotech Firm Is Key Marketing Ploy for Crichton Novel

A puppy that never ages. A cactus that grows human hair. Giant cockroaches presented as pets.
Genes run amok at Nextgencode, which is as it should be. The "company" is the creation of News Corp.'s HarperCollins Publishers, and its sole purpose is to gin up interest in "Next," Michael Crichton's coming thriller about genetic research. The publisher plans to post videos on YouTube and other popular Web sites touting the accomplishments and products of Nextgencode.



To the Net surfer, the Web site of Nextgencode on first examination appears to be about a real biotech company.

The site


Clipped from: NEXTgencode - Your Destiny is No Longer in Question




Videos


Clipped from: YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

PermaPuppy
Did you ever wish your puppy would never grow up? PermaPuppy remains young while YOU grow.



Bug DNA 4000
NEW BUG DNA Farm. Play with DNA of real insects.



Losing Blondes
The last natural blondes will die within 200 years, scientists believe.

Related:

Believe It or Not, Fake Biotech Firm Is Key Marketing Ploy for Crichton Novel - WSJ.com
Next by Michael Crichton
NEXTgencode - Your Destiny is No Longer in Question
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
The Tree of Life: What is that NEXTgencode Advertising on My Site
CTV.ca | Crichton steps online with NEXTgencode.com
Have You Heard the News? It's in a Novel - TIME

2008-09-23

Esquire's E Ink Cover

The October 2008 issue of Esquire magazine brings us the first digital ink ever used in a publication, with moving words and flashing images.
clipped from www.esquire.com

75th Anniversary Issue Preview: The E Ink Cover

75th Anniversary Issue Preview: The E Ink Cover

Next week, Esquire's 75th Anniversary issue will hit newsstands. A limited number will feature an experimental cover that were built using electronic ink, an idea that already has some people talking.

• The New York Times
• Wired
• Boing-Boing
• Gizmodo
• Engadget
• Kottke

clipped from uk.youtube.com

Esquire E-ink Cover Hands On

clipped from www.esquire.com

• How the E-Ink Cover Was Made
• What to Do if Your Cover Is Not Flashing
• How to Recycle the October Issue
• Can You Hack Esquire's E-Ink Cover?

OCRegister.com

Video: Ripping open Esquire’s digital ink cover

If you separate the electronics from the magazine, you end up with two blinking panels connected to a circuit board with six batteries, a microchip and lots of technical stuff. According to Make, the do-it-yourself magazine, e-ink package included:

clipped from uk.youtube.com

Ripping open Esquire's e-ink cover

clipped from blog.makezine.com

Esquire E-Ink cover hacking? - take apart photos and more...

2841094178 Bbb2322Fef B
2841098098 0464675B14 B
2840262813 6F830Ef9F0 B

blog it

Related:
Esquire's 75th Anniversary Issue Preview: The E Ink Cover - Esquire
Esquire E-Ink Cover Video - Esquire's 75th Anniversary Issue - Esquire
Video: Ripping open Esquire’s digital ink cover - Alt+Save with the Gadgetress - OCRegister.com
MAKE: Blog: Esquire E-Ink cover hacking? - take apart photos and more...
Cover story: E Ink writes a new chapter - The Boston Globe
Esquire's E Ink Cover A 21st Century Flop | Epicenter from Wired.com
News Flash From the Cover of Esquire - Paper Magazines Can Be High Tech, Too - NYTimes.com
Esquire to geeks: hack our e-paper magazine cover - Boing Boing Gadgets
Media: Esquire Expects You to Hack Their E-Ink Cover
E Ink responsible for Esquire's flashing magazine cover - Engadget
Digital Ink » TeachEng.us
Esquire's E-Ink Cover and Ad for Ford - Advertising Lab: future of advertising and advertising technology
Esquire Magazine's Electronic Ink Digital Cover | Technology Goddess

2008-09-22

The Art.Suono -- The Ferrari under the iPod Docks

David Wiener Ventures (DWV) a design house developing exclusive products under the DWV and Ferrari brands, has launched the Art.Suono Wireless iPod Dock and Music Transmission System.

News


Clipped from: David Wiener Ventures Introduces the Art.Suono Wireless, Music Enhancing System with iPod Dock

David Wiener Ventures Introduces the Art.Suono Wireless, Music Enhancing System with iPod Dock

Luxurious Music Transmitter/Receiver Boasts First Consumer Use of APHEX Technology


PARK CITY, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--David Wiener Ventures (DWV), an internationally acclaimed design house developing exclusive products under the DWV and Ferrari brands, introduces the Art.Suono Wireless Music Transmission System and iPod Dock. The second offering of the David Wiener Collection (DWC), Art.Suono is a limited edition, luxury product that is iPod-compatible, and both an innovative audio instrument and elegant sculpture.


Features


Clipped from: DWV Art.Suono iPod Dock Streams to Any Audio System - CE Pro Article from CE Pro

Wireless technology enables streaming from iPods, PCs, CD players and more.

The "luxury iPod product" features DWC-APHEX circuitry and proprietary wireless technology, allowing users to stream music to any audio system.

DWV says the audio source can be an iPod, computer, CD player, MP3 player or satellite radio.

The Art.Suono has a curved design and a volume knob that is three inches in diameter and weighs a half-pound. It also incorporates a two-inch, Formula One-style roller bearing.

Other features:
  • Universal iPod-docking and charging for any iPod
  • A concealed input signal jack
  • LED indicators
  • "Engine Start" power button and a "Shift" input signal switch

From the press release


Clipped from: Press Releases: David Wiener Ventures Introduces the Art.Suono Wireless, Music Enhancing iPod Dock, by Rachel Cericola - Electronic House


“The Art.Suono is designed for individuals looking for beauty, performance and exclusivity,” said DWV founder David Wiener. “It embodies our passion for extraordinary design, our obsession with technological excellence, and our belief that these qualities can be combined to create audio instruments that deliver a new experience in music listening.”

[...]

DWC-APHEX, a Consumer First
The Art.Suono also incorporates an astounding acoustic technology brought to the consumer electronics world for the first time by the David Wiener Collection. First developed for the recording industry, and used by top recording artists and engineers like Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and Paul McCartney in mastering their albums, the DWC-APHEX circuitry makes recorded music more “alive” by restoring the harmonics lost in compressed music files and by providing an incredible sense of spaciousness and clarity so each instrument and voice is clear and distinct.

[...]

About DWV
David Wiener Ventures is a design and innovation studio that creates some of the world’s most exclusive and prestigious products. DWV products exhibit extraordinary, uncompromised performance, styling, materials and craftsmanship. The company is relentless in its pursuit of superior products and groundbreaking technologies.


Related:

David Wiener Ventures Introduces the Art.Suono Wireless, Music Enhancing System with iPod Dock
DWV Art.Suono iPod Dock Streams to Any Audio System - CE Pro Article from CE Pro
David Wiener Collection :: Robb Report Collection Classifieds
Press Releases: David Wiener Ventures Introduces the Art.Suono Wireless, Music Enhancing iPod Dock, by Rachel Cericola - Electronic House
Product News: DWV iPod Dock Looks Like Fishing Reel, by Rachel Cericola - Electronic House Product News
Bitstream: Art.Suono Wireless iPod Dock
David Wiener Venture
ART.ENGINE : LEGENDARY ENGINEERING. EXTRAORDINARY SOUND.
APHEX Systems 320D Compellor

2008-09-21

Graphene-Based Super Batteries


Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a new class of carbon material and demonstrated their performance in an ultracapacitor cell as a way to store electrical energy.

The problem of storage


Clipped from:
Researchers Announce Nanotech Material Breakthrough Could Double Energy Storage Capacity for Renewables ( nanotech, energy+storage,ultracapacitor,)


It’s almost become cliche about renewable energy: the problem of “when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine”. Storage is key, and according to the U.S. Department of Energy, remains a principal challenge in rolling out solar and wind energy technology.

Graphene may be a key element in meeting that challenge.

Say Rod Ruoff. a mechanical engineering professor and physical chemist at the University:

“Through such a device, electrical charge can be rapidly stored on the graphene sheets, and released from them as well for the delivery of electrical current and, thus, electrical power. There are reasons to think that the ability to store electrical charge can be about double that of current commercially used materials. We are working to see if that prediction will be borne out in the laboratory”

Science News


Clipped from: Breakthrough In Energy Storage: New Carbon Material Shows Promise Of Storing Large Quantities Of Renewable Electrical Energy


Breakthrough In Energy Storage: New Carbon Material Shows Promise Of Storing Large Quantities Of Renewable Electrical Energy

ScienceDaily (Sep. 17, 2008) — Engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have achieved a breakthrough in the use of a one-atom thick structure called "graphene" as a new carbon-based material for storing electrical charge in ultracapacitor devices, perhaps paving the way for the massive installation of renewable energies such as wind and solar power.


This image of a single suspended sheet of graphene shows individual carbon atoms (yellow) on a honeycomb lattice. (Credit: U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

Technology


Clipped from: Graphene-Based Ultracapacitors

ACS Publications

Graphene-Based Ultracapacitors

Meryl D. Stoller, Sungjin Park, Yanwu Zhu, Jinho An, and Rodney S. Ruoff*

Department of Mechanical Engineering and Texas Materials Institute, University of Texas at Austin, One University Station C2200, Austin, Texas, 78712-029


Research


Clipped from: Nanoscience and Technology Lab



Welcome to the homepage of the Nanoscience and Technology lab at The University of Texas, home of the Ruoff Group.




Clipped from: YouTube - NanoSize Me
This video highlights some current and anticipated applications of nanoscale science and engages students in exploring the counterintuitive properties of some specific nanoparticles.



Related:
Breakthrough In Energy Storage: New Carbon Material Shows Promise Of Storing Large Quantities Of Renewable Electrical Energy
Researchers Announce Nanotech Material Breakthrough Could Double Energy Storage Capacity for Renewables ( nanotech, energy+storage, ultracapacitor,)
Graphene-Based Ultracapacitors
Nanoscience and Technology Lab
New Carbon Material Shows Promise of Storing Large Quantities of Renewable Electrical Energy | The University of Texas at Austin
Green Car Congress: Researchers Develop Graphene-Based Ultracapacitors; Potential for Doubling Storage Capacity of Current Materials
Graphene: Graphene Could Become World's Best Super Battery
Graphene - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


2008-09-18

An Automated House Building Machine



Clipped from: House Building Robot To Be A Reality Soon - Gizmo Watch

House Building Robot to be a reality soon

A new automated construction system is all set to change the face of home-building, for it is soon going to step out of the developmental phase and become a functional house-building robot. This prototype was developed by Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California. A computer-controlled crane or gantry will build houses efficiently without any manual labor. It will use a quick-setting concrete-like material and will build up structures in a layer-by-layer fashion.


Clipped from: Contour Crafting - Global Prospects




Clipped from: USTI.News 001, JUNE 1997


Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis, developer of Contour Crafting technology, with equipment used for his prototyping system.


Clipped from: Contour Crafting
Contour Crafting (CC) is a layered fabrication technology developed by Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California. Contour Crafting technology has great potential for automating the construction of whole structures as well as sub-components. Using this process, a single house or a colony of houses, each with possibly a different design, may be automatically constructed in a single run, embedded in each house all the conduits for electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning.
 

The potential applications of this technology are far reaching including but not limited to applications in emergency, low-income, and commercial housing.


YouTube - Contour Crafting - House Building Prototype Robot


Related:

House Building Robot To Be A Reality Soon - Gizmo Watch
Contour Crafting - Global Prospects
USTI.News 001, JUNE 1997
Contour Crafting
Automated Construction System To Change Face of Home-Building
House building robot is bad news for Brickies | Electricpig
Printable housing - Boing Boing
Al Fin: Mass Producing Buildings By Robot

2008-09-16

First Picture of Planet Around a Sun-Like Star Captured

Clipped from: Pictured: First glimpse of an alien planet in orbit around a sun just like ours | Mail Online

Mail Online

Pictured: First glimpse of an alien planet in orbit around a sun just like ours


Scientists have snapped the first picture of a planet outside our solar system orbiting a star similar to the sun.

The distant world is giant and has about eight times the mass of Jupiter. It lies far out from its star about 330 times the distance of the Earth from the Sun.

Images of the young star and what seems to be its companion planet were taken by astronomers from the University of Toronto using the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

Clipped from: First Picture of Likely Planet around Sun-like Star | Gemini Observatory

First Picture of Likely Planet around Sun-like Star

September 15, 2008
Astronomers have unveiled what is likely the first picture of a planet around a normal star similar to the Sun.
Three University of Toronto scientists used the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawai‘i to take images of the young star 1RXS J160929.1-210524 (which lies about 500 light-years from Earth) and a candidate companion of that star. They also obtained spectra to confirm the nature of the companion, which has a mass about eight times that of Jupiter, and lies roughly 330 times the Earth-Sun distance away from its star. (For comparison, the most distant planet in our solar system, Neptune, orbits the Sun at only about 30 times the Earth-Sun distance.) The parent star is similar in mass to the Sun, but is much younger.
“This is the first time we have directly seen a planetary mass object in a likely orbit around a star like our Sun,” said David Lafrenière, lead author of a paper submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters and also posted online. “If we confirm that this object is indeed gravitationally tied to the star, it will be a major step forward.”


Clipped from: Extrasolar planet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Extrasolar planet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is a planet beyond the Solar System, orbiting around other stars. As of September 2008, 309 exoplanets have been detected and confirmed.[1] The vast majority were detected through various indirect methods rather than actual imaging.[1] Most of them are massive giant planets likely to resemble Jupiter, though this is likely to be due to limitations in detection technology. Many more recent unconfirmed detections suggest that much smaller worlds may be considerably more common than previous figures have suggested.[2]


Clipped from: YouTube - Planet Quest
The Search for Exoplanets continue. So far Giant Super Jupiters and Super Earths are the only Exoplanets that have been found. As techniques improve, maybe we will find other Earth like planets, and life.





Clipped from: YouTube - Exoplanets around the star 55 Cancri Part 1

Exoplanets around the star 55 Cancri Part 1

This artist's animation takes us on a journey to 55 Cancri, a star with a family of five known planets - the most planets discovered so far around a star besides our own.

The animation begins on Earth, with a view of the night sky and 55 Cancri (flashing dot), located 41 light-years away in the constellation Cancer. It then zooms through our solar system, passing our asteroids and planets, until finally arriving at the outskirts of 55 Cancri.




Exoplanets around the star 55 Cancri Part 2


Related:

First Picture of Likely Planet around Sun-like Star | Gemini Observatory
Extrasolar planet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pictured: First glimpse of an alien planet in orbit around a sun just like ours | Mail Online
Scientists get images of planet with sun-like star - Yahoo! News
First Ever Image of Alien Planet Captured
Possible First Photo of Planet Around Sun-Like Star | LiveScience
First Picture of Likely Planet Around a Sun-Like Star | Universe Today
PLANET IMAGED AROUND A SUNLIKE STAR?! | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine
Fig Branch - The Search for Exoplanets

2008-09-15

The Dream Car 123

Inventor Greg Zanis of Sugar Grove, Illinois, has recently patented an electric car, he calls Dream Car 123. This futuristic, one-person, safety vehicle uses today's technology, but eliminates many of the traditional car systems, producing a car that is more efficient, faster and safer to drive than today's mechanical car on the street.
clipped from technabob.com
technabob logo

dream car 123: electric car gets pyramid power

Created by Sugar Grove, Illinois inventor Greg Zanis, the Dream Car 123 tools down the street at up to 40 mph. A single 3.5 hour charge provides about 240 miles of driving for only about $5 in electricity cost. Take that gasoline!

clipped from dreamcar123.com


~Dream Car~


An unusual garage


With the Dream Car 123, there will be no more pulling up to gas pumps to refuel. Instead, when the passenger pulls the car into the garage, the recharging begins. The garage, however, is not your usual building. It's a combined solar and wind tower that harvests both sources of energy: sun and wind by day and wind by night.
The Dream Car 123 by Greg Zanis
The Dream Car



The
Solar Tower

clipped from dreamcar123.com


The New Design Dream
Car 123




The Solar Garage



This is a remote controlled model car of the Dream
Car 123

clipped from dreamcar123.com



The Dream Car LIVE on CBS Channel 2
Chicago

clipped from uk.youtube.com
clipped from gizmodo.com

Update: Dream Car 123 Trades Dignity for Energy Efficiency

clipped from www.ecofriend.org

Eco Cars: The pyramid shaped energy efficient Dream Car 123

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2008-09-14

Inflatable Solar Collectors


Clipped from: Cool Earth Solar: Technology
Cool Earth Solar

Cool Earth has developed breakthrough solar technology that can ultimately produce enough clean energy to address the global energy crisis. This patented concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology dramatically reduces the cost and time to develop solar power plants capable of generating massive amounts of clean energy at prices competitive with fossil fuels.

Solar Concentrators Focus the Sun…

Our inflated, balloon-shaped concentrators are key to Cool Earth's innovative design. Each 8-foot-diameter concentrator is made of plastic film—the same kind of plastic film used to bag potato chips, pretzels, and so on—with a transparent upper hemisphere and a reflective lower hemisphere. When inflated with air, the concentrator naturally forms a shape that focuses or concentrates sunlight onto a PV cell placed at the focal point. This means we need fewer cells to produce a lot more electricity. In fact, a single cell in our concentrator generates about 300 to 400 times the electricity of a cell without a concentrator.


Clipped from: YouTube - Inflatable Solar Collectors

Inflatable Solar Collectors



Clipped from: Cool Earth Solar generates power with 'solar balloons' | Green Tech - CNET News

Cool Earth Solar generates power with 'solar balloons'


[...] It plans to manufacture plastic balloons, which will be suspended on metal and wire structures. These round balloons reflect light onto a solar cell to generate electricity.

Because its design uses relatively cheap and readily available components, these solar concentrators can generate electricity at a cost comparable to that of natural-gas plants. The inflated solar collectors can withstand 100 mile-per-hour wind.


Clipped from: Cool Earth Solar: Technology

A Support System Holds It All in Place…

The concentrators are suspended with our patented support system, which is based on the architectural principles of tensegrity. (Tensegrity structures stabilize their shapes by continuous tension or "tensional integrity" rather than by continuous compression.) The resulting system of wood posts and steel cables uses a minimum amount of material, has a small footprint, and causes the least disruption to the natural environment of any solar power plant.

What exactly is tensegrity?
Tensegrity is an architectural concept first defined by R. Buckminster Fuller. For more information, see this page from the Buckminster Fuller site or view this YouTube video on building step-by-step tensegrities.


Related:

Cool Earth Solar: Technology
Cool Earth Solar generates power with 'solar balloons' | Green Tech - CNET News
Green companies to watch: Renewable energy | Green Tech - CNET News
Cool Earth Solar funded for oddball concentrated solar design » VentureBeat
CoolEarth Raises $21 Million for Solar Balloons : TreeHuggerA

2008-09-13

Plastic Logic’s E-Newspaper Reader


Plastic Logic has developed a new full page e-reader with a thin and flexible plastic display. The device, designed for reading business documents, as well as books and magazines, was demonstrated this week the DEMO technology convention.


Clipped from: TG Daily - VIDEO – A closer look at Plastic Logic’s Kindle killer



VIDEO - A closer look at Plastic Logic’s Kindle killer

San Diego (CA) – Two days ago in San Diego, Plastic Logic wowed DEMO fall 08 attendees with its full-page electronic reader that was as thin as a pad of paper. Available next year, this reader can easily display Microsoft Office, PDF and other documents. It also has a touch-screen that lets users annotate documents by either drawing with their fingers or by tapping on a pop-up keyboard. But how will this reader compete with the Amazon Kindle? We talked to Plastic Logic’s marketing team to find out.





Clipped from:
New E-Newspaper Reader Echoes Look of the Paper - NYTimes.com



New E-Newspaper Reader Echoes Look of the Paper


The Plastic Logic reader, left, has a screen the size of a sheet of paper for a copy machine. Center, Sony’s eReader; right, Amazon.com’s Kindle. The Plastic Logic device, which is yet to be named, can be updated wirelessly and store hundreds of pages of documents.


Clipped from: Plastic Logic Company



Technology for plastic electronics on thin and flexible plastic substrates was developed at Cambridge University’s renowned Cavendish Laboratory in the 1990s. In 2000, Plastic Logic was spun out of Cavendish Laboratory to develop a broad range of products using the plastic electronics technology.
The Plastic Logic approach solves the critical issue in manufacturing high resolution transistor arrays on flexible plastic substrates by using a low temperature process without mask alignment. The process, much simpler than conventional amorphous silicon processes, uses an eclectic mix of standard production equipment from display manufacturing and other industries.


Plastic Logic's flexible backplane is combined with a frontplane material (e.g. electronic paper) to make a flexible display.



Clipped from: YouTube - plastic logic epaper electronic newspaper revolution



Related:

New E-Newspaper Reader Echoes Look of the Paper - NYTimes.com
Plastic Logic Company
British business e-reader triumphs in new tech race | Business | guardian.co.uk
Plastic Logic finally ready to launch 'flexible' e-newspaper reader - Engadget
TG Daily - VIDEO – A closer look at Plastic Logic’s Kindle killer
Plastic Logic DEMO video hands-on versus Amazon Kindle - SlashGear

2008-09-12

Feel and Experience Virtual Reality in The Cocoon

The Cocoon, designed by  Tino Schaedler will be  a sleek and shiny human-sized dome where you'll  feel and experience Virtual Reality     enveloped by a 360° display screen and full surround sound.


Clipped from: Designers developing virtual-reality 'Cocoon' - CNN.com

/technology

Designers developing virtual-reality 'Cocoon'

  • The Immersive Cocoon will let you step inside interactive 3D virtual worlds
  • Motion-tracking cameras will provide a "Minority Report"-style interface
  • It could be used to explore virtual museums, like the "Virtual Guggenheim"
  • Augmented reality superimposes virtual information onto the real world

LONDON, England (CNN) -- You're walking along a street in Roman Pompeii at the start of the first millennium when you notice a spectacular stone building. You reach out towards it and your guide informs you it's a temple to the god Jupiter, built in 200 BC. With a flick of your wrist you save the data and, school assignment complete, you step out of your Cocoon and back into your living room.

Educational historical journeys are just one possible use of the Immersive Cocoon, a walk-in virtual-reality pod being developed by NAU, an international design collective that aims to revolutionize the way we interact with computers.
When complete, the Immersive Cocoon will be a sleek and shiny human-sized dome. Step inside and you'll be enveloped by a 360° display screen and full surround sound.


Clipped from: immersive cocoon

 
  
  
click on images to enlarge

The designer


Clipped from: YouTube - Tino Schaedler
Tino Schaedler, the art director for digital set for "Charlie and the Chocolate factory" and "Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix". His double competence is the key of his ability and allow him to merge the two element of a set creation: the phisical and the digital side

Related:

Designers developing virtual-reality 'Cocoon' - CNN.com
immersive cocoon
Meet the digital artist behind the movie blockbusters - CNN.com
Tino Schaedler
Immersive Cocoon lets you feel and experience virtual reality | True & Fair Gadgets Reviews
Immersive Cocoon Lets You Feel And Experience Virtual Reality - Gizmo Watch
Designers developing virtual-reality 'Cocoon' | VG Chartz.com - Video Game Charts - Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Wii, PS3, Xbox360, DS, PSP, PC
Cocoon Virtual Reality Project

2008-09-11

The HiVision miniNote $98 Linux Laptop



The Chinese firm HiVision has managed to create Linux-based laptop that will sell for $98.00


Clipped from: Buy a laptop for US$98 - Notebooks - Crave - CNET Asia

Buy a laptop for US$98

Move aside OLPCs and Intel Classmate PCs, there is a new cheapo notebook in town. For a mere US$98, Chinese manufacturer HiVision is offering a Linux-based laptop, the NB0700, which makes even Netbook buyers look like big spenders.



Clipped from: techvideoblog.com » Blog Archive » $98 Linux Laptop - The HiVision miniNote

$98 Linux Laptop - The HiVision miniNote

HiVision makes the worlds cheapest Linux laptop at $98 using a new cheaper MIPS based processor (perhaps the Longsoon or the Ingenic), WiFi, 1GB flash storage, it runs Linux, has 3 USB ports, Ethernet, SDHC card reader, audio in and out, voice-chat, skype, multi-tabbed Firefox browser support and Abiword for word processing. Automatic and secure online software updates. Their current model is running a smooth and pretty snappy Linux user interface.


Clipped from: HiVision prepares to launch cheap netbooks

NB0700 Specs

  • CPU: MiPS 400MHz
  • Display: 7″, 800×480 resolution
  • Ram: 64MB or 128MB
  • Storage: 1GB flash nand
  • Networking: Wifi, ethernet
  • Memory card reader: SD/SDHC
  • Three USB ports
  • Price: $98
  • Availability: October 2008

Clipped from: Skytone Alpha-400 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Skytone Alpha-400

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Skytone Alpha-400 is a Subnotebook or Netbook with a 7" 800x600 LCD screen. Its measurements are 8.25" long x 5.5" wide x 1.25" deep and it weighs 0.72 kg (1.8 lbs). It is made in China by Skytone, and uses a Chinese Ingenic "Xburst" 400 MHz MIPSII-compatible single core 32-bit System-on-a-chip (SoC) [1] with 128MB of DDR2 memory, and a 1GB solid state drive.


A version of it called the Hivision Mininote is the first Netbook that was announced would be sold to the general public for below $100. [2][3]

Related:

Buy a laptop for US$98 - Notebooks - Crave - CNET Asia
techvideoblog.com » Blog Archive » $98 Linux Laptop - The HiVision miniNote
YouTube - $98 Linux Laptop from China - The HiVision MiniNote
Skytone Alpha-400 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comparison of netbooks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Slashdot | Sub-$100 Laptops Have Finally Arrived
海威信电子有限公司

2008-09-10

Viruses Are Building Micro Batteries

MIT engineers have developed a way to create micro batteries which could power a range of miniature devices, from labs-on-a-chip to implantable medical sensors. These next-generation batteries may be half the size of a human cell and are built with viruses.



Clipped from: Viruses Are Building Batteries!




Viruses Are Building Batteries!

Have you ever 'seen' a battery as small as half the size of human cell, and built with viruses?


Clipped from: MIT Team Use Viruses to Build Nex-Gen Batteries

MIT Team Use Viruses to Build Nex-Gen Batteries

8755collage If you think AAAs batteries are small, then consider this: Next-generation batteries may be half the size of a human cell and built with viruses. Now that’s small. MIT says this is the way of the future when it comes to powering tomorrow’s miniature electronic devices.



Clipped from: MITEI | Home

MITEI: MIT Energy Initiative

MIT engineers work toward cell-sized batteries

Forget 9-volts, AAs, AAAs, or D batteries: The energy for tomorrow's miniature electronic devices could come from tiny microbatteries about half the size of a human cell and built with viruses. MIT engineers have developed a way to at once create and install such microbatteries by stamping them onto a variety of surfaces. In the image above, tweezers hold the device used to test MIT's new components for the microbatteries. The batteries themselves are too small to be seen.


Clipped from: MIT engineers work toward cell-sized batteries - MIT News Office

MIT news

MIT engineers work toward cell-sized batteries

Microbatteries could power tomorrow's miniature devices



From left, MIT professors Yet-Ming Chiang, Angela Belcher and Paula Hammond. The three have authored a paper detailing their virus-based method of creating and installing microbatteries by stamping them onto a variety of surfaces. Photo / Donna Coveney




Tweezers hold the device used to test MIT's new components for microbatteries (batteries themselves are invisible in this image). Photo courtesy / Belcher Laboratory, MIT



An array of microbattery electrodes, each only about four micrometers, or millionths of a meter, in diameter. Image courtesy / Belcher Laboratory, MIT

Related:

MIT engineers work toward cell-sized batteries - MIT News Office
:: MIT ChE :: People in the Department - Faculty - Paula T. Hammond
DMSE - Faculty - Angela Belcher
DMSE - Faculty - Yet-Ming Chiang
MITEI | Let the sun shine
Stamped microbattery electrodes based on self-assembled M13 viruses — PNAS
Microbattery built by viruses - Boing Boing
Engineers work toward cell-sized batteries (8/22/2008)
Researchers use viruses to make microbatteries for mini devices: Scientific American Blog

2008-09-09

Why self-control and Intelligence are related

Understanding the factors that support self-control is relevant to many important behaviors ranging from saving for retirement to maintaining physical and mental health. Yale University researchers recently determined brain regions that are activated in intelligence tests and in self-control reward test as well. Higher intelligence might also be related to better self-control.


Clipped from: Why delaying gratification is smart

[ Back to EurekAlert! ]


Why delaying gratification is smart

A neural link between intelligence and self-control

If you had a choice between receiving $1,000 right now or $4,000 ten years from now, which would you pick? Psychologists use the term 'delay discounting' to describe our inability to resist the temptation of a smaller immediate reward in lieu of receiving a larger reward at a later date. Discounting future rewards too much is a form of impulsivity, and an important way in which we can neglect to exert self-control."

Previous research suggests that higher intelligence is related to better self-control, but the reasons for this link are unknown. Psychologists Noah A. Shamosh and Jeremy R. Gray, from Yale University, and their colleagues, were interested in testing the idea that certain brain regions supporting short-term memory play a critical role in this relationship.




Clipped from: Welcome to SCAN Lab




Work in the SCAN Lab aims to further an integrated and mechanistic understanding of affect, self-control, and intelligent behavior at multiple levels of analysis: social, cognitive, neural, and genetic. Specific projects currently include research into emotion-cognition interactions, social reasoning, emotional intelligence, ego depletion, mindfulness meditation, personality, analogical reasoning, creativity, and impulsivity."


Clipped from: HealthNewsDigest.com



"How do you juggle what you desperately want to do right now versus what you know to be best for yourself long term? Its not easy for anyone," said Jeremy Gray, assistant professor of psychology and co-author of the study. "We found that a part of prefrontal cortex that helps integrate goals and values appears to contribute to both self-control and to performance on tests of abstract reasoning and problem solving, helping to explain why self-control and intelligence are related."

The findings were reported online Sept. 9 in the journal Psychological Science.


Clipped from: Prefrontal cortex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Prefrontal cortex


This brain region has been implicated in planning complex cognitive behaviors, personality expression, and moderating correct social behavior. The basic activity of this brain region is considered to be orchestration of thoughts and actions in accordance with internal goals.


Related:

Why delaying gratification is smart
Welcome to SCAN Lab
Prefrontal cortex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Why delaying gratification is smart | Eureka! Science News

2008-09-08

New microscopy techniques reveal details of Malaria infected cells

Clipped from: Shining a light on malaria’s covert operations - R & D


R&D Magazine

Shining a light on malaria’s covert operations

Sept. 4, 2008

In work that could lead to new ways of detecting and treating malaria, MIT researchers have used two advanced microscopy techniques to show in unprecedented detail how the malaria parasite attacks red blood cells.

The researchers' images show red blood cell membranes becoming less flexible, which causes the cells to clump as they try to navigate tiny blood vessels. They also show the destruction of hemoglobin, the critical molecule that red blood cells use to carry oxygen.

The images are made possible by microscopy techniques that reveal tiny vibrations in red blood cell membranes.



Clipped from: MIT zooms in on malaria-infected cells - MIT News Office

MIT news

MIT zooms in on malaria-infected cells

Work could aid in diagnostics, drug testing



Human red blood cells (RBCs) invaded by Plasmodium falciparum. Three dimensional maps of the refractive index and nanoscale cell membrane fluctuations of infected human RBCs were constructed at different maturation stages of the parasite's by two non-invasive optical techniques: Tomographic Phase Microscopy and Diffraction Phase Microscopy. Color added for visualization. Image courtesy / YongKeun Park, Michael Feld and Subra Suresh




3D images of a human red blood cell (RBC) invaded by malaria-inducing parasite Plasmodium falciparum, at different stages of parasite development. The images are based on 3D maps of the refractive index in the cell, recorded by the non-invasive optical technique of Tomographic Phase Microscopy. Healthy RBC exhibits a characteristic biconcave shape (left). During the early stage of parasite maturation (center), the parasitophorus vacuole is shown as yellow region. In the late schizont stage, parasitized RBC is subjected to severe morphological changes (right). The blue regions inside the cell indicate parasite-produced hemozoin, a crystallized form of digested hemoglobin. Image courtesy / YongKeun Park, Michael Feld and Subra Suresh




"By studying the way the cell membrane vibrations progressively change as the malaria parasite matures inside the cell, we can study the changes in its mechanical, elastic and dynamic properties," said Michael Feld, director of MIT's George Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory and a professor of physics.
Related:

Shining a light on malaria’s covert operations - R & D
MIT zooms in on malaria-infected cells - MIT News Office
Watching P. falciparum at Work - Medgadget - www.medgadget.com
MIT Physics Faculty: Michael S. Feld
DMSE - Faculty - Subra Suresh

2008-09-07

Oceans Are Dying

As a result of pollution and overfishing some of the advanced forms of ocean life are struggling to survive while the most primitive are thriving and spreading: algae, bacteria and jellyfish are growing unchecked. This 'rise of slime' is killing larger species and sickening people.

Clipped from: Our Oceans Are Dying and We're At Fault : TreeHugger



The Los Angeles Times report this morning on the state of the oceans sounds like something out of a horror movie - fishermen come in contact with a spongy weed, only to break out into a painful rash that won't go away and literally peels your skin off. Get a drop in your mouth and your tongue swells so much you can't eat for a week. Scientists in labs can't be in the same room with it, the smell is so pungent. Only the problem is that this is for real and happening more and more often in coastal areas around the world. We are putting too much food into the oceans, scientists say, and now the oceans are reverting back to primeval seas of millions and even billions of years ago."


Clipped from: A Primeval Tide of Toxins - Los Angeles Times: "California | Local


A Primeval Tide of Toxins

Runoff from modern life is feeding an explosion of primitive organisms. This 'rise of slime,' as one scientist calls it, is killing larger species and sickening people.


MORETON BAY, AUSTRALIA -- The fireweed began each spring as tufts of hairy growth and spread across the seafloor fast enough to cover a football field in an hour.

When fishermen touched it, their skin broke out in searing welts. Their lips blistered and peeled. Their eyes burned and swelled shut. Water that splashed from their nets spread the inflammation to their legs and torsos.

'It comes up like little boils,' said Randolph Van Dyk, a fisherman whose powerful legs are pocked with scars. 'At nighttime, you can feel them burning. I tried everything to get rid of them. Nothing worked.'"

Clipped from: Ocean “Dead Zones” Increasing: 400 Oxygen-Deprived Areas Now Exist : TreeHugger

Dead Zones Have Doubled Every 10 Years Since 1960s

According to the study, the number of marine dead zones—areas which are periodically or permanently starved of oxygen—has doubled every 10 years since the 1960s, with those along coastlines increasing in size and intensity. Currently there are about 400 coastal areas, with a combined area larger than the size of Oregon, with such poor water quality, with so little oxygen that only microbes can survive in it. Fish and crustaceans must flee the area or die.
marine dead zones map image
Map showing partial number of current marine dead zones: Dr Robert Diaz/NASA"

Related:
Our Oceans Are Dying and We're At Fault : TreeHugger
A Primeval Tide of Toxins - Los Angeles Times
Ocean “Dead Zones” Increasing: 400 Oxygen-Deprived Areas Now Exist : TreeHugger
:: :: SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY, UC SAN DIEGO :: ::
:: CENTER FOR MARINE BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION : SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY, UC SAN DIEGO ::

2008-09-06

Universal Hovercraft's UH-19XR Boat, Plane and Hovercraft

Universal Hovercraft's i UH-19XRW Hoverwing™, designed first as a normal hovercraft, is unique because of the ability to add wings. It can fly up to an altitude of six feet above the earth's surface.
UH-19XRW Hoverwing
Universal Hovercraft's UH-19XRW is a small hybrid vehicle, which is a combination between a boat, a plane and a hovercraft. The UH-19XRW uses ground-effect to fly up to six feet above the ground or water. The vehicle is already attracting the interest of military organizations around the world as the basis for a fast and stealthy unmanned attack platform.
clipped from uk.youtube.com
universal hovercraft
clipped from www.hovercraft.com
Universal Hovercraft
clipped from www.hovercraft.com
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clipped from www.hovercraft.com
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clipped from www.hovercraft.com
Welcome

We are known around the world for our innovative, high speed hovercraft designs and solutions. Our recreational, commercial and rescue hovercraft are designed with performance, safety and reliability in mind. 4-stroke power, quiet operation and efficiency are the backbones of any UH design.

New hybrid creations including the 18SPW, 19XRW and newly test flown TW-1 combine hovercraft and ground effect technologies expanding the potential applications of hovercraft and ground effect craft in the future.

blog it

Related:
UH-19XRW Hoverwing
19XRW Hoverwing Gallery : Universal Hovercraft, The World Leader in Hovercraft Technology
19XRW Hoverwing : Universal Hovercraft, The World Leader in Hovercraft Technology
Universal Hovercraft, The World Leader in Hovercraft Technology

2008-09-05

NTT Com -- Aroma Emitting Signs and Phones

NTT Communications (NTT Com) has announced plans to begin testing its latest aroma-emitting digital sign technology, called “Kaoru Digital Signage,” in Tokyo. Earlier this year NTT already lanched Kaori Tsushin (fragrance communication) an online service, which instructs specified Web-connected devices to emit mood-heightening aromas.

Kaoru Signage: Aroma Emitting Signs


Clipped from: NTT Com | Release: August 26, 2008:NTT Com to Market Aroma-Emitting Digital Signage

Press Release
August 26, 2008


NTT Com to Market Aroma-Emitting Digital Signage

TOKYO, JAPAN - NTT Communications (NTT Com) announced today that beginning on August 26 the company will launch Japan's first service offering digital signs equipped with aroma-emitting devices to strengthen the impact of marketing communications. NTT Com believes this type of interactive signage could become a highly effective marketing tool.

NTT Com's signs, branded as Kaoru Signage (aroma signage), combine the company's Spot Media digital signage solution and Kaori Tsushin (fragrance communication) online service, which instructs specified Web-connected devices to emit mood-heightening aromas. Through the service, the images and sounds are transmitted from the sign, while the fragrance is emitted from the Kaori Tsushin device through an online connection.



Clipped from: DailyTech - NTT Working on Aroma-Emitting Signs




The current system consists of a 12x20x6-in. aroma diffuser,19-inch display and the NTT Spot Media receiver, in use to help distribute thesmell and images from inside of the restaurant. The aromas emitted by thesign will change during the day, with a lemon and orange aroma in the afternoonand a woody aroma in the evening.

NTT will launcha pilot test in Tokyo, Japan from October 21 to the end of December. The sign in front of the Kirin City Beer Hall inside the Yaesu ShoppingMall will emit several different aromas designed to attract restaurant goers tothe restaurant. Working with the Air Roma Co. Ltd. company, more than 80scents are available for use in the restaurant area.


Kaori Tsushin: Web-connected aroma devices


Clipped from: NTT Com | Release: April 7, 2008:NTT Com to Pilot Test Mobile Fragrance Communication Service

Press Release

April 7, 2008


NTT Com to Pilot Test Mobile Fragrance Communication Service

TOKYO, JAPAN - NTT Communications (NTT Com) announced today that it will conduct a pilot test of its new Mobile Fragrance Communication (Kaori Tsushin Mobile) service, a mobile version of an existing service for enjoying downloaded audiovisual content together with specific fragrances that are emitted by a dedicated device. The pilot test will run from April 10 to 20.



Clipped from: Smell-o-Net or Kaori Tsushin | New Technology


NTT communications corp, a technology company in Japan is keen on developing a modern technology called Kaori Tsushin, which is Fragrance communications to aid in this. So what does this technology do? It is an internet linked fragrance system, which would be able to produce a variety of scents or smell. This would be delivered to the customer as per demand and aims at providing a satisfying experience

Clipped from: DVICE: NTT Docomo to offer cell phone smell-o-vision



The Service Gateway device, shown above, allows you to edit and share your Fragrance Playlists with other users through the Internet. Docomo hopes to eventually allow other companies to employ the technology to deliver unique experiences around ringtones, video games, full-length music files, as well as within the housing and automotive industries. Despite the conservative plans of Docomo, the mind reels when considering the psychedelic possibilities hackers would bring to such a new technology space.

Related:

NTT to test digital aromatic signs ::: Pink Tentacle
Display Daily » Blog Archive » Has “Smellivision” Finally Arrived?
NTT Com | Release: April 7, 2008:NTT Com to Pilot Test Mobile Fragrance Communication Service
NTT Com | Release: August 26, 2008:NTT Com to Market Aroma-Emitting Digital Signage
DailyTech - NTT Working on Aroma-Emitting Signs
Smell-o-Net or Kaori Tsushin | New Technology
DVICE: NTT Docomo to offer cell phone smell-o-vision
DVICE: Kaoru Digital Signage: wake up and smell the... advertising?
「香りの出る電子看板」をレストラン店頭に NTTコムが実験 - ITmedia News
NTT to Market Japan's first Aroma-Emitting Digital Signage - People's Daily Online
Aroma Emitting Kaoru Digital Signage - Gizmo Watch
NTT to Market Japan's first Aroma-Emitting Digital Signage_English_Xinhua

2008-09-04

The Tower Of Wind

About The Tower of Wind, a huge ventilation facility on a man-made Island and the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line bridge-tunnel in Tokyo Bay, Japan.

The Tower Of Wind On Tokyo’s Aqua-Line


Clipped from: The Tower Of Wind On Tokyo’s Aqua-Line | Device Daily




It’s called Kaze-no-to and is only a ventilation shaft on the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line which links Kisarazu City and Kawasaki City.

Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line


Clipped from: Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line [...] is a bridge-tunnel combination across Tokyo Bay in Japan. It connects the city of Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture with the city of Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, and is designated as part of National Route 409. With an overall length of 14 km, it includes a 4.4 km bridge and 9.6 km tunnel underneath the bay—the longest underwater tunnel for cars in the world.


Clipped from: 大林組


  The Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line connects Kawasaki City of Kanagawa and Kisarazu City of Chiba by an underground tunnel and a bridge, having a total length of 15.1km. A 360 degree panoramic view of the sea can be enjoyed from the “UMI-HOTARU” (resting facility) which floats off the coast of Kisarazu, as a symbol of the Aqua-Line.

Maps


Clipped from: Google Maps

View Larger Map


View Larger Map
Related:

DVICE: Government Facility or Secret Lair? Tokyo's Tower of Wind
The Tower Of Wind On Tokyo’s Aqua-Line | Device Daily
Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tokyo Bay - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
大林組
Digital World Tokyo | Geeky Google (Maps) goodness in Tokyo Bay
Toyo Ito : Master Class Architect who Works With Innovation and Design Creativity « The Reflective Studio

2008-09-03

Computer discovers trends and data structures



Examples


Clipped from: Can computers sort data like humans? | Emerging Technology Trends | ZDNet.com


According to U.S. researchers, it is possible to train computers to discover trends and order in large datasets like we do since our childhood. The new algorithm, which was developed at the MIT, may impact the field of artificial intelligence



[...] two examples of data structures automatically discovered by computers. On the top, you can see structures learned from biological features, while on the bottom are represented structures learned from Euclidean distances between faces represented as pixel vectors. (Credit: Kemp and Tenenbaum).

Research


Clipped from: MIT model helps computers sort data more like humans - MIT News Office

MIT news

MIT model helps computers sort data more like humans

Humans have a natural tendency to find order in sets of information, a skill that has proven difficult to replicate in computers. Faced with a large set of data, computers don't know where to begin -- unless they're programmed to look for a specific structure, such as a hierarchy, linear order, or a set of clusters.

Now, in an advance that may impact the field of artificial intelligence, a new model developed at MIT can help computers recognize patterns the same way that humans do. The model, reported earlier this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, can analyze a set of data and figure out which type of organizational structure best fits it.

"Instead of looking for a particular kind of structure, we came up with a broader algorithm that is able to look for all of these structures and weigh them against each other," said Josh Tenenbaum, an associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT and senior author of the paper.


Clipped from: Josh Tenenbaum's home page



Josh Tenenbaum

Paul E. Newton Career Development Professor
Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology



Clipped from: Charles Kemp


Charles Kemp

Assistant Professor at CMU's Department of Psychology.

Kemp, C., & Tenenbaum, J. B. (2008). The discovery of structural form. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105(31), 10687-10692. Supporting information. Commentary by K. J. Holyoak. Code and data sets.


Related:

Model Helps Computers Sort Data More Like Humans
Blogging the Singularity » Blog Archive » Model Helps Computers Sort Data More Like Humans
ScienceDirect - Trends in Cognitive Sciences : Probabilistic models of cognition: Conceptual foundations

2008-09-02

MultiTouch -- Scalable Modular Displays


Clipped from: YouTube - Introducing the MultiTouch Cell

Introducing the MultiTouch Cell

Introducing the world's first modular multi-touch display. The MultiTouch Cell can be used to create kiosks and large wall or table top displays. Screens made from MultiTouch Cells can be used in any orientation, in all light conditions, and simultaneously by any number of users. The Multitouch Cell is available in 32" and 46" variations; in both Full HD or HD-ready LCD's.



Clipped from: First Modular Multi-Touch LCD Screen Takes Aim At Microsoft



First Modular Multi-Touch LCD Screen Takes Aim At Microsoft



Depending on their needs, MultiTouch customers can buy dozens of LCD modules and arrange them in any way they wish without worrying about connectivity. Each LCD module features HDMI, FireWire, and USB ports and can be connected to a Mac, Linux or Windows computer, meaning each screen in the setup can display one large image or something different.

Clipped from: MultiTouch - Modular MultiTouch LCD

MultiTouch

Truly Scalable MultiTouch Display


The MultiTouch Cell is also flexible when it comes to installation size. Want a bigger display – then just add another module. Want to run 4 or 6 displays – just add more graphics cards to your computer.

MultiTouch CornerStone Software

The MultiTouch LCDs are controlled by the MultiTouch CornerStone software. Cornerstone handles the core multitouch functionality, tracking users hands as they move on the screen. In addition CornerStone includes a powerful interaction and rendering engine, that is based on industry standard libraries and protocols.

Related:

First Modular Multi-Touch LCD Screen Takes Aim At Microsoft
MultiTouch - Modular MultiTouch LCD
Multi-touch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2008-09-01

Sensory Substitution with the Eye Candy

The EYE CANDY


Clipped from: Faux-Drugs: Hallucinogenic Eye Candy USB Lollies Take Your Brain to That Special Place, For Real

Hallucinogenic Eye Candy USB Lollies Take Your Brain to That Special Place, For Real



Clipped from: EYE CANDY



The candy that provides you with a sensational new way to see.

This delicious new confectionary uses cutting edge Sensory Substitution Technology to transmit vivid emotive images into your mind's eye.

Available in six unique flavours, each helping you achieve the right state of mind by projecting specially created evocative imagary into your field of vision.

Eye Candy is the natural way to become the person you want to be.

How it works


Clipped from: EYE CANDY

Each of your senses (touch, smell, sight, taste, hearing) sends information to the brain at a different frequency. The brain determines where the sensorial information it receives comes from by the frequency at which it resonates, it can then process it in the appropriate way (e.g. turn sight information from the eyes into pictures in the mind). An array of resonators positioned on the surface of an Eye Candy transmit information from the tongue to the brain at the frequency that the eyes usually send visual information to the brain. A pleasant sensation of soda bubbles can be felt on the tongue as the mind decodes this sensorial information as vivid pictures.

This process is called sensory substitution and can be used to supplement peoples senses, enabling them to see the evocative images contained within Eye Candy.

Sensory Substitution


Clipped from: Sensory substitution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sensory substitution means to transform the characteristics of one sensory modality into stimuli of another sensory modality. It is hoped that sensory substitution systems can help handicapped people by restoring their ability to perceive a certain defective sensory modality by using sensory information from a functioning sensory modality. A sensory substitution system consists of three parts: a sensor, a coupling system, and a stimulator. The sensor records stimuli and gives them to a coupling system which interprets these signals and transmits them to a stimulator. Sensory substitution concerns human perception and the plasticity of the human brain; and therefore, allows us to study these aspects of neuroscience more through neuroimaging.

Clipped from: Wired Science . Mixed Feelings | PBS

Mixed Feelings

Scientists Rewire the Brain through the Tongue



Clipped from: Vision Device

Vision Device



The BrainPort vision device is a non-surgical assistive visual prosthetic device that translates information from a digital video camera to your tongue, through gentle electrical stimulation.

[...]

The current prototype works best for individuals who are blind and have no better than light perception.


Clipped from: HowStuffWorks "How BrainPort Works"
HowStuffWorks


The BrainPort technology maniuplates the brain's sensory input and can allow the blind to see. See more BrainPort images.


Clipped from: TCNL

Tactile Communication & Neurorehabilitation Laboratory
at UW-Madison (TCNL)


Welcome to TCNL, founded January, 2008. Our mission is
to develop solutions for sensory and neurological disorders by applying
principles of neuroplasticity, enabling the brain to process information
in new ways.

Related:

Faux-Drugs: Hallucinogenic Eye Candy USB Lollies Take Your Brain to That Special Place, For Real
EYE CANDY
Sensory substitution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wired Science . Mixed Feelings | PBS
Vision Device
HowStuffWorks "How BrainPort Works"
TCNL