Electronics

In what are very probably two patent lawsuit firsts, 3D Systems, makers of the Cubify 3D and other 3D printers, is suing 3D printing startup Formlabs over the design of its Form 1 3D printer. But in an eye-opening twist, Cubify 3D has extended the lawsuit to include Kickstarer, the crowdfunding site through which Formlabs raised almost US$3 million. It's a development that could have far-reaching implications for both Kickstarter and crowdfunding sites in general, beyond the sphere of 3D printing. It is believed to be the first patent infringement suit between two 3D printing companies as well as the first leveled at Kickstarter.  Read More

Makerbot is holding the grand opening of its first retail store today, and it has partnered with ShapeShot to provide a novel 3D photo booth. The system uses digital cameras to capture your mug from a variety of positions, which it analyzes to create a three-dimensional model. The process only takes a few minutes and costs just five dollars. Visitors can have 3D prints made at the store, including a bust of their very own face.  Read More

Over the past couple of years, the number of consumer 3D printers hitting the market has multiplied like … well, like plastic chess pieces churned out by a 3D printer. For its latest unit, Solidoodle has upped the build area to 8 x 8 x 8 inches, more than doubling the build volume of its previous offering.  Read More

No matter where you live, you are probably aware that the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. is dubbed Black Friday. Prices are slashed, early alarms are set, and it's a full day of shopping insanity. What you may not know is that retailers spend the previous week "accidentally" leaking their deals. Let's take a look at some of the biggest and best Black Friday deals of 2012.  Read More

If you're a fan of 1980s music, then there's a very good chance that you'll already be familiar with the electronic beats provided by what's widely regarded as the drum machine that started it all, Roland's TR-808. It set the mood for Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing, fired shots at David Byrne in the concert movie Stop Making Sense and was the inspiration for the naming of the band 808 State. In his own homage to the iconic device, electronic music tinkerer Moritz Simon Geist has mechanically reproduced 11 of its key sounds using real instruments played by robots within the supersized, wall-filling frame of the stunning MR-808.  Read More

Our ears work by converting the vibrations of the eardrum into electrochemical signals that can be interpreted by the brain. The current for those signals is supplied by an ion-filled chamber deep within the inner ear – it’s essentially a natural battery. Scientists are now looking at using that battery to power devices that could be implanted in the ear, without affecting the recipient’s hearing.  Read More

There's nothing more frustrating than losing a pair of keys when you're on the way out the door ... except maybe losing your cell phone in that same scenario. Or your wallet. Or sunglasses. Fact is, there are a lot of small, easy-to-lose items that are essential for daily living. So why not keep track of them with an electronic bloodhound, that stays on the scent 24/7? That's the idea behind the Gadget Hound.  Read More

Anyone who has tried to view the display on their tablet or smartphone in direct sunlight (which I’m guessing is pretty much everyone) will know that outdoors isn’t the ideal viewing environment for LCDs. E-Ink displays, such as those found in the Kindle, rely on reflected light rather than backlights, which is why they're better suited to outdoor viewing. Now Japan Display has created a paper-like, low-power, LCD panel that relies on reflected light and can display color video.  Read More

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