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Good Thinking
First line of defense: AMATOYA fire reconnaissance vehicle concept
22:05 February 8, 2010 PST
Wildfire is one of the few natural disasters that we are at all equipped to combat, but when it takes a ferocious hold we are often able to do little more than limit the spread. Responding to a need for better equipment at the front line, AMATOYA is a concept fire reconnaissance buggy designed to improve vehicle and crew safety while maintaining off road capabilities and delivering better fire suppression technology in the critical initial response phase Read More
iSOCO electronic invoicing exchange could save 30 percent of processing costs
17:25 February 7, 2010 PST
It's a universal problem - one you may be surprised to hear we still face in today's technological age: you send me an invoice with your software, my software can't read it so I waste time and money interpreting it. iSOCO promises to change all that with its new prototype i20nt. This system aspires to become the first to exchange electronic invoices between companies transparently and regardless of their originating format and system, saving up to 30% of the total invoice processing costs. Read More
Turn waste office paper into toilet paper
By Rick Martin
21:07 February 2, 2010 PST
While many environmentalists hope that we can eventually have a paperless office, one company in Japan has developed a machine that shreds paper and then converts the waste into readily usable toilet paper. Read More
Hitachi to build tower to demonstrate fastest-ever elevator - 40.26mph
By Jeff Salton
22:14 February 1, 2010 PST
If you’re claustrophobic you probably want to spend as little time as possible in an elevator. Therefore, sufferers will no doubt rejoice at the news that Hitachi is undertaking to create the largest high-speed, high-capacity people-movers by completing the world’s tallest elevator research tower (213m). Named the "G1Tower", it will reside at the company’s elevator R&D and manufacturing base in Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, and is due for completion in April this year. Prior to this, the company used a 90m tower built in 1967 for its research. Hitachi says it will use the new tower to conduct verification tests on the world's fastest elevator, which has an ear-popping rated speed of 1,080m/min (40.26mph). Read More
Raising efficiency - Mitsubishi develops smart control multi-elevator technology
By Mick Webb
17:03 January 28, 2010 PST
In a world that largely relies on elevators to ferry people from one floor of a building to the next, it is remarkable how inefficient current systems are in terms of favoring passenger convenience over the increasingly important aspect of reducing energy consumption. Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric looks set to buck the trend with the announcement of its development of multi–elevator smart control technology that can not only reduce energy use by up to ten percent, but do so while adding a mere few seconds to passenger waiting times. Read More
Attitudes-to-Enterprise test identifies likely entrepreneurs
By Gizmag Team
02:31 January 21, 2010 PST
A test that could help identify the next generation of entrepreneurs has been devised by an academic at Kingston University in South West London. As well as spotting students who are more likely to start their own business, the Attitudes to Enterprise test also aims to find out which young people show a flair for self-employed enterprise or through running their own community project. Researcher Rosemary Athayde of Kingston’s Small Business Research Centre developed the test to find budding business leaders among school pupils aged 15-18 and to evaluate whether schemes for young entrepreneurs had any impact on pupils’ ambitions. She has also adapted the test to suit undergraduates. Read More
When email just won’t do - Global teams need time to talk
By Gizmag Team
13:04 January 20, 2010 PST
Modern technologies have made so many forms of collaboration possible that oft times the basics are overlooked, says Duke University management professor Jonathon Cummings. Globally distributed teams cannot rely entirely on technology to overcome time and space barriers; they still need to talk. And that probably means working some overlapping hours. Cummings developed these recommendations based on a multi-year study of 108 project teams in 53 locations in 22 countries at Intel. Read More
The SEED Project - from unused shipping container to sustainable emergency housing
By Mick Webb
02:20 January 19, 2010 PST
Aside from tragic loss of life and incomprehensible destruction, events like last week’s devastating earthquake in Haiti create a myriad of problems in their wake, not least of which is homelessness. With over 30 million shipping containers the world over currently lying dormant, a team of researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina are working to help solve the issue of accommodation in disaster affected areas by developing a method to convert the unused containers into sustainable emergency housing. Read More
RCA Airnergy claims to charge gadgets using ambient WiFi signals
By Alan Brandon
20:08 January 12, 2010 PST
Move over solar chargers. Step aside kinetic chargers. If RCA is to be believed, there’s a new way to scavenge power from the environment using an energy source that’s all around us: WiFi. If you are reading this article, the chances are very good that you are in range of at least one wireless network. RCA says its Airnergy Charger scavenges stray WiFi signals and converts them to DC battery power that you can use to charge your cell phone, music player, or other electronic devices. Read More
Intelligent sport: BREAKAWAY Game revealed at 2010 FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff
By Gizmag Team
13:40 January 10, 2010 PST
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, launched its nineteenth FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) season today with the Kickoff of a new robotics game called “BREAKAWAY”. “FIRST is about giving kids the opportunity to build skill sets like analytical thinking to then develop what they may or may not use to build a robot; but they might use these skills to become a scientist, engineer, or inventor,” said Dean Kamen, FIRST Founder, as he explained how what students learn from FIRST is very different from other sports. “Ten years from today, one of these students is going to be out in the world having done something extraordinary for a major, global problem.” FIRST sees informed thinking, creative analysis, and Gracious Professionalism™ as the keys to changing society. Read More
Hot topics - the most read stories of 2009
By Gizmag Team
14:34 December 30, 2009 PST
It's been almost 525,600 minutes since we raised a glass to welcome the arrival of 2009 and in that time we've witnessed a daily avalanche of innovation which precipitated thousands of stories on Gizmag. Though popularity is rarely an accurate measure of quality (take Governments f'rinstance), we peered into the database to create the following list of the most read stories on Gizmag during the last 12 months, and ... the medal winners are, a gun that kills hidden people, a washing machine that doesn't use water, and cure for multiple sclerosis. May 2010 be a good one for you and yours! Read More
Two million eyeballs a month - thanks for your valuable time
22:15 December 23, 2009 PST
As the majority of the business world gets set to take a break after an extremely difficult year, we’d like to say a million thanks to our readers for your kind patronage during 2009. As of this week, that’s one heartfelt thanks for each and every one of you. According to Quantcast, which measures Gizmag.com traffic directly, we reached the million unique visitors a month mark on December 17, so we’ll all be celebrating extra hard as we head into 2010 with a full head of steam up. For the record, the top ten countries where Gizmag.com readers live are U.S. 53.27%, U.K. 8.64%, Canada 6.26%, Australia 4.29%, India 2.49%, Germany 1.44%, Netherlands 1.29%, France 1.02%, Italy 0.89% and Brazil 0.80%, with “others” growing larger every day. Read More
IBM forecasts the next 5 big ideas for the next 5 years
By Darren Quick
19:20 December 20, 2009 PST
Casting one’s eye into a crystal ball is a risky undertaking that can leave the forecaster as visionary or fool – particularly if they are short term predictions that can easily be checked. But that hasn’t deterred the soothsayers at IBM coming up with their fourth annual “Next 5 in 5” list of innovations that will impact our lives in the next five years. Based on market and societal trends as well as emerging technologies, the latest list focuses on innovations that have the potential to change how people live, work and play in our burgeoning cities. Read More
The Top 10 things you CAN have for Christmas 2009
By Gizmag Team
21:22 December 17, 2009 PST
What's on your Christmas list this year? 2009 has seen another bumper crop of innovative products designed to make our lives more efficient, more rewarding or simply more fun. If you've got some last minute shopping to do, and you hurry, this might just help - it's Gizmag's pick of the top 10 tech gadgets of 2009. Read More
Philips offers new e-ink possibilities in color
By Paul Ridden
15:43 December 14, 2009 PST
Rather than using e-paper technology just for displays, the research arm of Dutch technology company Philips Electronics has developed a relatively cheap, light, thin and energy efficient means of turning the whole of the surface of a device into a digital canvas. E-skin technology could be used to change the color of a mobile phone when a call comes in, alter the appearance of a kettle when the water is boiling or even be applied to wallpaper so you can redecorate your room at the flick of a switch. Read More
The Top 10 things you CAN'T have for Christmas 2009
By Gizmag Team
01:33 December 11, 2009 PST
There's only 14 sleeps 'til Christmas, but unless you're planning on discovering a large oil deposit or a long lost Spanish Galleon in the very near future, you may struggle to scrape together the funds required to tackle this little wish list. Each year we take a look back at the most over-the-top examples of emerging technology to have graced our pages in the past 12 months. So without further ado, here's our pick of what you can't have for Christmas in 2009. Read More
Have your drink on the rocks - literally
By Darren Quick
20:11 December 9, 2009 PST
If you order your drinks “on the rocks” and are in the habit of chewing on the ice cubes you might want to double check that the bartender hasn’t taken you literally and chilled your drink with “Sippin’ Rocks” – unless you fancy a visit to the dentist. Sippin' Rocks are highly-polished cubes of granite that are designed to chill your drink without diluting it. Read More
Take credit card payments on your iPhone with Square
By Jeff Salton
19:57 December 8, 2009 PST
The proliferation of credit cards as a payment method preferred by millions of consumers has led to the co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, creating Square – a credit card reader device that makes any mobile phone a cash register. Retailers can hook up the credit card reader to any device with an audio input jack, including a mobile phone. And consumers never have to worry about carrying cash again (well, almost). Read More
Space Beer touches down in Japan
By Darren Quick
19:36 December 8, 2009 PST
Beer connoisseurs can prepare to have their palates tested by an out-of-this-world brew from Sapporo. The Japanese brewer is launching the world’s first beer produced using malt made 100 percent from “space barley”. The barley in question is the fourth generation descendant of the Haruna Nija malting barley that was developed by the company and kept in space for five months during 2006 as part of collaborative research with the Russian Academy of Sciences and Okayama University - who obviously have their priorities straight. Read More
Touch&Turn: clever cooking solution for the blind
By Jude Garvey
21:01 November 30, 2009 PST
Whilst cooking is not exactly a risk-taking activity, the kitchen is not without its hazards - think open flames, red-hot pan handles and spluttering stews. So imagine how difficult preparing and cooking a meal might be for the blind and visually-impaired. A new cooking concept could provide a solution - the Touch&Turn is a cool-to-the-touch cooking pot that sits on a simple, user-friendly control panel and is designed to make cooking an easier and safer experience. Read More
Five pound, six inch diameter pearl brain goes up for sale
By Gizmag Team
18:19 November 27, 2009 PST
The second largest pearl ever found is set to go under the auctioneer's hammer next week, and may fetch as much as US$400,000. Weighing 2.25 kg (5 lb), the pearl measures six inches in diameter and bears an uncanny resemblance to a human brain. The auction lot of the massive pearl will include the lower half of the giant clam (Tridacna Gigas) in which it formed in the coastal waters of the Philippines. Read More
Wanted: technology writers in Tokyo
By Gizmag Team
23:43 November 18, 2009 PST
Gizmag is seeking writers, photographers and videographers in Japan to join the team on a casual or part-time basis. Obviously speaking and writing English is essential, and having an in-depth knowledge of some if not all of the areas we cover goes without saying. If you can produce the goods, you’ll get paid well and you’ll get to carry a Gizmag press card. If you think you might fit the bill, we’ll be in Tokyo next week to meet up with interested parties, so send an outline of your skills to... Read More
Dating sites use DNA to find your perfect match
By Darren Quick
22:56 November 18, 2009 PST
If you’re looking for love online you can forget listing your hobbies and favorite books. Dating sites can now find your perfect match based on DNA. Numerous studies have revealed that chemistry, in particular body odor, plays a big part in the art of attraction, but such physical chemistry is usually impossible to identify when searching for partners online. Dating sites such as ScientificMatch and sense2love.com say they can bring chemical attraction back into the mix to increase the chances of finding someone genetically compatible with your DNA. Read More
Bottle of Dalmore Oculus whisky sells for GBP27,600
By Gizmag Team
13:58 November 18, 2009 PST
Further proof that the GFC might be retreating and that the demon drink has indeed become a sound financial investment was the news that a bottle, err decanter, of Dalmore Oculus whisky sold for a GBP27,600 (USD47,000) at yesterday’s whisky auction at Bonhams Edinburgh (UK). Read More
Rationalizer: concept device brings online traders back to Earth
By Jeff Salton
19:34 November 15, 2009 PST
Worse than fishermen, many home-based investors can tell you about “the one that got away” – a little company that listed on the stock exchange for a few cents a share, only to become the next big thing a few months later. And then there's the reverse - the day-trader who wishes he or she had taken a time-out before committing to a block of worthless shares they bought "on a hunch". Imagine wearing a bracelet that warned you that you were positively or negatively stressed - either scared or greedy - and what you were about to do might not be entirely rational? Philips Electronics and Dutch Bank ABN AMRO have developed a concept device that does just that. The Rationalizer is an emotion sensing system designed to help serious online investors take a step back before plunging into their next transaction. Read More
windykites1
- February 9, 2010 @ 19:22 UTC
