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Noel Mckeegan
- TriRod launches F3 Adrenaline 3-wheel motorcycle (226,765 Views)
- Algorithm draws on millions of images to seamlessly fill blanks in photographs (130,272 Views)
- Yamaha's Tesseract four-wheel motorcycle (119,392 Views)
- Can-Am Spyder Roadster review (102,192 Views)
- The Mangusta 165 - World's largest Open yacht (65,633 Views)
All Articles by Noel Mckeegan
Exclusive pics: Mavizen TTX02 electric superbike
18:17 November 10, 2009 PST
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. Read More
Green Wavelength unveils bumblebee inspired wind turbine
02:40 November 5, 2009 PST
Gizmag's pages are filled with clever examples of biomimicry, and why not, evolution is after all the biggest, oldest and most successful design house we know of. Today's lesson is being given by insects like bumblebees, hummingbirds, and dragonflies, whose efficient wing flapping capabilities are being harnessed by Californian start-up Green Wavelength in an effort to produce more efficient wind turbines. Read More
EV record: Tesla Roadster travels 313 miles on a single charge
21:58 October 28, 2009 PDT
The Tesla Roadster has set a new distance record for a production electric vehicle by traveling 313 miles (501km) on a single charge. The milestone took place during the 2009 Global Green Challenge in Australia where eco-friendly vehicles have been battling it out over a formidable 1800 mile course. The distance achieved is well above the 244 mile range Tesla quotes in its specs... and on top of that, the electric sportscar reportedly had 3 miles worth of charge left in its batteries when it finished the record breaking run. Read More
Japanese solar car wins 2009 Global Green Challenge
00:28 October 28, 2009 PDT
Japan's Tokai Challenger solar vehicle has taken victory against a strong international field in the 2009 Global Green Challenge. After covering almost 1860 miles (3000km) in four days across Australia's baking red center, the entry from Japan's Tokai University crossed the finish line at 3.39pm local time. The team's run was nearly flawless, reporting only a single flat tire with just over 100 miles of the course to race and the win breaks a string of four consecutive victories by the Dutch Nuon team, which is currently battling it out for second place against University of Michigan Solar Car Team. Read More
Yamaha's Super Tenere 'art installation' baffles Tokyo crowds
07:39 October 23, 2009 PDT
Tenere is a desert region in the south central Sahara - a place where, in 1977, Frenchman Thierry Sabine famously got lost on his motorbike for three days during the Abidjan-Nice Rally. The rest as they say is history - Sabine returned to France to create the Paris-Dakar rally and Yamaha's two wheeled namesake dominated the event in the 90s. The Yamaha Tenere made a comeback in recent times in with the new XTZ660, but the brand has bigger things in store with a twin-cylinder "Super Tenere" in the pipeline which will compete against the BMW R1200GS. Yamaha gave some hints as to the makeup of the new adventure bike at the Tokyo Motor Show with its eye-catchingly bizarre mock-up - which was appropriately wrapped in desert garb - sporting a shaft drive and side mounted radiators. Read More
Sony shows Vaio X-Series netbook at IFA
05:12 September 3, 2009 PDT
Sony has provided a glimpse of the next installment in its Vaio ultra-portable laptop line at IFA 2009 - the carbon fiber clad Vaio X series. Powered by what's billed as "an all-day battery", the slimline X-series is just over half an inch thick (14 mm), weighs 1.5 pounds (700 grams), sports a 11.1-inch display and backs the rugged credentials of its carbon fiber frame with what looks to be a very usable aluminum keyboard. Read More
Exclusive: Cranklock technical drawings
02:57 July 31, 2009 PDT
The Cranklock is a brilliantly simple idea that offers speed, safety and security benefits to cyclists by allowing the rider to lock the pedals at will - and our article and podcast on the subject has generated lots of interest over the past week. So we know what it does, but how does it do it? The company's engineering team has left no stone unturned in finding the right solution and many patent applications have been filed covering different versions of the mechanism. While exact details on the final production model are still under wraps, Cranklock inventor Chris Toal has given us a peek at early technical drawings from a couple of the patent applications to provide an insight into how the Cranklock will operate... plus the first pics of a new downhill prototype. Read More
Organic solar power efficiency gets a boost
07:24 July 30, 2009 PDT
Few would argue with the attractiveness of solar as an alternative energy source, but the cost of conventional photovoltaics has long been a stumbling block on the path to making it a viable option. This is changing rapidly. Grid parity, as the target for equaling coal burning production costs is called, has recently been claimed by solar manufacturers and research dedicated to improving solar systems continues on many fronts. Photovoltaics using organic molecules is one of them. This technology promises cells that are cheap, easy to make and flexible, and this flexibility makes them suitable for a diverse range of applications like powering your mobile phone, or lining your backpack or window shades. The problem is that currently they only last a few thousand hours and are inefficient, converting less than 6 percent of light into electricity. Work by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) could help change this. Read More
EU caps roaming tariffs to prevent 'bill shock'
05:45 July 2, 2009 PDT
It's been a busy week in Brussels. Following the unbelievably sensible move to standardize mobile phone chargers, the European Union has now made calls, texts and receiving emails on your mobile phone 60% cheaper. Sending sending a text message from abroad in the EU now costs a maximum €0.11 (down from an average of €0.28), roaming calls are capped at €0.43 per minute and receiving a call costs no more than €0.19. There's also a wholesale cap of €1 per megabyte for downloads. Read More
Along comes a spider - UREWERK UR103T watch
01:34 June 24, 2009 PDT
URWERK hasn't done anything to damage its reputation for avant-garde timepieces with its latest addition to the UR103 range. The UR103T keeps time by means of four rotating satellites that sweep past the minute arc at the bottom of the face and there's also a "control board" on the back which includes a 43-hour power reserve indicator and a chronometer for accurate time-setting. Anyone who can guess what the "t" designates deserves a prize - it's not "titanium" or "timepiece", but "tarantula", a reference to the arachnid inspired aesthetics of the watch mechanism. Read More
GTbyCitroen to star at Goodwood Festival of Speed
04:48 June 17, 2009 PDT
This year’s Festival of Speed is almost upon us and as usual, a stellar array of go-fast-gear will assemble to take on the famous 1.16-mile Goodwood Hill. Among the highlights will be the GTbyCitroën, an outlandish concept car designed for the virtual world of Gran Turismo 5 that first appeared in its real world guise at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. Read More
The fast-folding Switch Commuter Bike
18:10 June 4, 2009 PDT
Using pedal-power to get to work makes sense - get fit, reduce your carbon footprint, save money and probably time too - but for many cyclists, negotiating the urban sprawl often means using other forms of transport like trains for part of the journey. That's where the folding bike comes in. We've seen some cracking designs in recent times that incorporate large wheels and make the bike easier to handle when folded, and this award winning example from student designer Robert Dumaresq ticks all the boxes. Called the Switch Commuter Bike, Dumaresq's lightweight, fast-folding design takes up only the footprint of one wheel when collapsed so it can easily be maneuvered in crowded environments. Read More
Electrolux Rendez-Vous: the kitchen table becomes the table kitchen
06:12 May 27, 2009 PDT
Sharing food with family and friends around the dining table is a universal recipe for a good time, unless of course you're stuck in the kitchen cooking. Electrolux Global Design has come up with a way for everyone to be included in the celebrations with the Rendez-Vous - a concept interactive table with a very high-tech kitchen built-in, and it will even charge your mobile phone. Read More
Daimler buys 10 percent stake in Tesla
02:19 May 22, 2009 PDT
Daimler AG has announced the acquisition of almost 10 percent of fledgling Californian EV producer Tesla. The deal, which should help Tesla meet its planned 2011 launch date for the Model S sedan, is the latest news in an ongoing relationship between Tesla and the German automotive giant which also includes a previously announced agreement to supply lithium-ion battery packs in the first 1,000 units of Daimler’s electric smart car. Read More
Go With the Flo: the transcendental toilet
20:58 May 19, 2009 PDT
"Men are never so serious, thoughtful, and intent, as when they are at stool." We wonder whether this quote from Gulliver's Travels influenced the thinking behind Go With the Flo - a self-sustaining toilet concept from students at ASU College of Design that calls on yoga principles in its quest to define the lavatory of the future. Read More
1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa fetches world record $12.1 million at auction
20:54 May 17, 2009 PDT
The world record for a car sold at auction tumbled as predicted on the weekend when this 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa fetched 9,020,000 Euro (more than USD$12 million) at the “Ferrari Leggenda e Passione” in Maranello, Italy. Beautiful, rare (only 22 similar models were made) and with a rich and successful race history that began with a debut in the Buenos Aires 1000km in 1958, the 250 TR chassis no. 0714TR was snapped up by an anonymous phone bidder. Read More
Netbook feature: Asus Eee S101H vs HP Mini 2140 vs Kogan Agora Pro vs Sony VAIO P
00:54 May 11, 2009 PDT
Less than two years ago, the arrival of a tiny, obscurely-named Asus laptop caused quite a stir. It was affordable, portable, and “good enough” to do most of the things people do with computers that cost several times as much. These small form factor laptops geared for web browsing and email usage have exploded into the marketplace since then, with seemingly every PC manufacturer adding at netbook to its lineup. Over at The Mobiler, Tim Hanlon has been putting four recently released netbooks to the test - the Asus Eee S101H, HP Mini 2140, Kogan Agora Pro and Sony VAIO P (although Sony doesn't use the the term netbook) - and unlike our last showdown between the iPhone 3G, BlackBerry Bold and T-Mobile G1, a clear winner has emerged. Read More
Boeing to develop fighter-sized UAV based on X-45C
18:49 May 8, 2009 PDT
Boeing plans to have a new unmanned platform based on the X-45C in the air by December 2010. Dubbed Phantom Ray, the internally funded venture will build on the knowledge gained in the shelved X-45 project, which saw the X-45A unmanned aircraft complete 64 flights between 2002 and 2005, achieving a number of milestones including the first precision weapons demonstration by an unmanned combat system and the first autonomous multivehicle flight under the control of a single pilot. Phantom Ray will be based on the larger, fighter-sized, X-45C which appeared at airshows as a full-scale mock-up during 2004. Read More
Smartphone feature: HTC Dream vs BlackBerry Bold vs iPhone 3G
04:06 April 30, 2009 PDT
Smartphones can seem just that bit too smart when you're trying to decide which one to buy - so many features and no way to thoroughly test them until money has changed hands and the shiny packaging is all over your kitchen floor. To shed a little light on the subject, Tim Hanlon over at The Mobiler has spent the last six weeks tirelessly hammering away at three standout Smartphones - the BlackBerry Bold, the iPhone 3G, and the HTC Dream (or T-Mobile G1). From web browsing and delivery times to spam filtering, keyboard performance, creating music playlists and much more, here's how they measure up. Read More
Mercedes-Benz F-CELL Roadster takes a trip back in time
07:06 April 28, 2009 PDT
When studio shots emerged of the Mercedes-Benz F-CELL Roadster design study last month, it wasn't something we were necessarily expecting to see out-and-about. The curious mixture of early automotive design elements and 21st Century technology stretched its legs (at a top speed of 25kmh) by covering a section of the historic route taken by Bertha Benz more than 120 years ago in a Benz Patent Motor Wagon. Read More
Boeing P-8A Poseidon lifts-off
03:35 April 28, 2009 PDT
Boeing's P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine and long-range surveillance aircraft has completed its first flight. In the latest development milestone for the plane scheduled to replace the P-3 Orion, the T-1 test aircraft completed a series of systems checks during three hours and 31 minutes in the skies above Seattle on April 25. Read More
VholdR ContourHD: world first wearable camcorder shoots HD video
21:30 April 27, 2009 PDT
Action camera specialist VholdR looks to have pulled out all stops with its latest offering - the ContourHD Wearable Camcorder. Billed as the world’s first and lightest HD wearable camcorder, the ContourHD shoots widescreen, 1280x720 HD quality video at 30 frames per second, sports a new 135 degrees lens, a new internal microphone and an innovative twin laser shot alignment system, all wrapped in a self-contained, ruggedized package that weighs just 4 ounces. Read More
Surf's up: The Mini Clubman Airstream trailer design concept
00:34 April 24, 2009 PDT
A collaboration between MINI, Airstream trailers and Danish furniture designers Republic of Fritz Hansen has resulted in this hip, beach-ready design study made up of a modified MINI Cooper S Clubman and a customized 6.8m long Airstream trailer. While largely retaining the familiar metallic look of the iconic Airstream trailer on the exterior, the inside of the trailer is kitted-out with wood panel flooring, ergonomic Egg chairs and, in keeping with the sun-loving vibe, neoprene lining and floral prints add to the interior trimming while a bisected surfboard provides the shelf space. But the killer app is an electrically operated fold-out side panel that incorporates an open air day bed where you can kick-back while waiting for the tide to turn. Traditionalist may disagree but, parking issues aside, we think the concept definitely points to a stylish advance on throwing your surfboard and a sleeping bag into the back of a Combi Van. Read More
Jawbone boosts noise suppression with PRIME Bluetooth headset
22:00 April 23, 2009 PDT
Aliph has announced the latest addition to its sleek Jawbone line of Bluetooth headsets - the Jawbone PRIME. The new unit gets enhanced "NoiseAssassin" suppression technology compared with previous generations, delivering 6 to 9dB of improvement when holding conversations in noisy environments. Attention has also been paid to optimizing the headset's performance in windy conditions, with Digital Signal Processing techniques applied to reconstruct distorted low-end speech frequencies in winds up to 10 mph. In a market segment where aesthetics plays almost as big a role as functionality, Jawbone PRIME also ushers in a new range of colors and several earbud options designed to deliver a better fit. Read More
Chrysler unveils all-electric minivan concept to U.S. Postal Service
01:49 April 23, 2009 PDT
Chrysler has revealed four all-electric vehicles based on its Town & Country minivan concept to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The company says the concept showcases the flexibility of its electric-vehicle strategy and aims to produce a nationwide demonstration fleet of 250 vehicles with the assistance of a federal grant under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Transportation Electrification stimulus program. Read More
Terotech
- November 21, 2009 @ 19:38 UTC
