Electronics

As any smartphone aficionado knows, the accelerometer is one of the key sensors within the device – it allows the phone to know when and by how much it’s been moved. Accelerometers also have many other applications, being major components of things like navigation systems, various automotive systems, and image stabilization systems in cameras. Now, researchers from the California Institute of Technology are developing a laser-based accelerometer, that they claim should offer much better performance than is currently possible.  Read More

LG has just shown off the world's first 84-inch Ultra Definition (UD) LCD interactive whiteboard, and it's truly something to behold. The technology is being geared towards schools, where teachers could use it as a new method of teaching their students. Gone could be the days of nails on a chalkboard, slamming erasers together to clean them, and dried-up markers.  Read More

Satellite television provider DirecTV has released its latest HD DVR, the Genie. The Genie lets you enjoy HD DVR capabilities all over the house with a single box. It also learns what types of television you like and makes recommendations.  Read More

Logitech has just introduced a new HD camera specifically geared towards vloggers. It is also designed to work with Apple products only, so Windows users will have to look elsewhere for their broadcasting goodness. It actually integrates with a Mac's existing webcam, so it can serve as a second perspective to bring more professional quality to live streamers and video bloggers.  Read More

A trip on public transport or to the local coffee shop might give the impression that touchscreens are everywhere, but scientists at Autodesk Research of the University of Alberta and the University of Toronto are looking to take the ubiquity of touch interfaces to the next level. They are developing a “Magic Finger” that allows any surface to detect touch input by shifting the touch technology from the surface to the wearer’s finger.  Read More

Imagine, if you will, that you are sitting around watching TV, and the sudden urge to grab a snack overtakes you. You try desperately to ignore it because you can't find the remote control, and the show you are watching is the single most gripping piece of entertainment you've ever witnessed. Hunger overtakes you, and you proceed to walk away and go to the kitchen. As you get up and leave, the TV pauses on its own. This is the idea behind new startup PredictGaze.  Read More

Researchers from the University of Bristol's Department of Computer Science have shown off a new tabletop display that is capable of showing different overlays to individual users. This new overlay called PiVOT (personalized view-overlays for tabletops), is being shown off at the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST).  Read More

As any frequent flyer knows, hauling around a passport, carry-on luggage and suitcase while navigating through an airport can be a real hassle, and the situation is made worse if the traveler in question has any physical health issues. Madrid-based designer Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez has come up with an ingenious solution to this issue: a smart carry-on suitcase named Hop! which follows the traveler around automatically.  Read More

Back in June we demonstrated the incredible versatility of LEGO and the mind-boggling talent of those who spend hours and hours snapping together tiny bits of plastic to create something awesome. One contender for the next round is the LEGO Wheelchair built by Simon Burfield.  Read More