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Good Thinking
The self-sustaining city of the future
23:59 December 18, 2008 PST
It looks like a cross between an ancient Mayan citadel and a far-off space port where Han Solo would happily dock the Falcon, but the Gwanggyo Power Centre is actually an award winning design for a self-sustaining city that is moving towards reality in Korea. Consisting of a series of circular, terraced buildings that appear as hills covered in greenery, the project will be located in a forested area 35km south of Seoul and will incorporate a mix of public amenities, retail, housing, office and parking space. Read More
The Top 10 things you CAN have for Christmas 2008
03:06 December 18, 2008 PST
Following last week's look at some of the coolest gear you definitely won't find under the tree this year, here's a selection of our favorite items from 2008 that just might. From sleek TVs to home surveillance robots and self-tuning guitars, consider yourself lucky if you find yourself unwrapping one of the following items this holiday season... and if you're still looking for that elusive gift for the person who seems to have everything, there's always the cheeseburger in a can. Read More
Piezoelectric road harvests traffic energy to generate electricity
By Mike Hanlon
19:12 December 14, 2008 PST
Isreali engineers are about to begin testing a 100 metre stretch of roadway embedded with a network of Piezo Electric Generators (IPEG™). The piezoelectric effect converts mechanical strain into electrical current or voltage and the system is expected to scale up to 400 kilowatts from a 1-kilometre stretch of dual carriageway. The IPEG™ is a pioneering invention in the field of Parasitic Energy harvesting and generates energy from weight, motion, vibration and temperature changes and will certainly have other parasitic energy harvesting applications in many fields. Initially though, the system can be configured to generate and store energy from roads, airport runways and rail systems at the same time as delivering real-time data on the weight, frequency and spacing between passing vehicles. The harvested energy can be transferred back to the grid, or used for specific public infrastructure purposes such as lighting and widespread use of the system would enable far greater scrutiny and hence understanding of the behaviour of road vehicles. Read More
Smart speed-humps retract at low speed
21:18 December 11, 2008 PST
Speed-humps are an undeniably effective way to slow down traffic in areas where high-speed poses an increased risk, but you can often get more of a bump than you bargained for, and if you happen to drive a low-slung sportscar this can be bad news indeed. Here's an idea that solves the problem by ensuring low-speeds while minimizing the impact on the motor vehicle. Read More
Revolving door generates its own power
By Darren Quick
19:11 December 11, 2008 PST
December 12, 2008 In a clever example of harnessing the power of human movement, Netherlands based door manufacturer Royal Boon Edam has developed an energy generating revolving door for the Driebergen-Zeist railway station which generates energy with every person passing through the door. Read More
The Pyranna eats clamshell packaging for breakfast
By Tim Hanlon
17:58 December 4, 2008 PST
Despite an Amazon-led initiative to rid the world of the frustrating (and dangerous) "clamshell" packaging we all love to hate, you're likely to receive or give at least one item this Christmas that's trapped behind a near-impenetrable clear plastic exterior. Enter the Pyranna. Read More
Where's the "Who's that guy?" button?
By Tim Hanlon
17:20 December 4, 2008 PST
Now that our living rooms are equipped with massive flat screen TVs pushing 1080p resolution at a film-mimicking 24 frames per second, and 5.1 surround systems providing reference quality cinema sound (and all this source material coming off a single disc of 50GB capacity) I ask you this: When do we get a "Who's that guy?" button. Read More
Intelligent Queue Management
By Mike Hanlon
14:38 December 3, 2008 PST
December 4, 2008 I hate queues. It’s why I never went to Disneyland a second time, why I have developed an industrial-sized, alcohol-proof bladder and why I’d rather bank and shop online than do it in a dysfunctional real world environment. Time is a commodity I can’t get more of, my time is valuable, and, for-crying-out-loud, I WANT IT NOW! So I’m tipping that Irisys’ (InfraRed Integrated Systems) Intelligent Queue Management (IQM) system will be hot property in a commercial world attempting to reduce and better allocate human resources without further degrading the customer experience. IQM uses infrared sensors that measure and track numbers and behaviours of customers, and predictive algorithms to work out how many checkouts will be required in 15 and 30 minutes time to meet customer demand. It even sends alerts to managers so they can proactively manage staffing levels in real-time to ensure optimal levels of customer service. If you tell everyone you know about IQM, it will ultimately lead to shorter queues. Read More
New textbook supports entrepreneurship training outside of the business school
By Mike Hanlon
02:55 November 19, 2008 PST
November 19, 2008 Very few of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs went to business school, so it’s somewhat incongruous that Business Schools have claimed ‘ownership’ of the teaching of entrepreneurship. A new book aims to support the growing amount of entrepreneurial training taking place outside of the business school, teaching the skills and essential practical knowledge for specific markets. Entrepreneurship for Everyone challenges the notion that teaching entrepreneurship and creativity is all that is required to succeed in business. Read More
Touch Sight camera for the blind
By Emily Clark
22:14 November 16, 2008 PST
Capturing an image takes on a different meaning with the Touch Sight camera. The device makes it possible for the visually impaired to take digital photos by using a Braille-like screen to make a raised image on the user’s forehead of whatever the lens sees. Read More
TV-B-GONE goes open source
By Kyle Sherer
00:04 November 14, 2008 PST
When Mitch Altman created the TV-B-Gone he envisioned a simple, keychain-mounted device that could surreptitiously switch off the annoyingly loud TVs in public places. But he was pleasantly surprised to find out that electronics enthusiasts had turned his invention into a hat, incorporated it into a mobile phone, modified it into a long-range “sniper” model, and tweaked it to provide more power output. These innovations led him to make the device open source, allowing anyone to build or hack their own model. Read More
Packaging innovation promises to reduce landfill
By Emily Clark
21:07 November 13, 2008 PST
Each year an estimated 20 billion cubic feet of styrofoam is used globally for the shipment of 250 million perishable packages. Once the packages have arrived safely, this quickly translates to mountains of landfill. Coldpack's eco-friendly alternative is an inflatable insulating liner that converts a corrugated box into a cooler with better insulation and cushioning properties than styrofoam, reducing supply chain costs as well landfill. Read More
The worker assist device - coming to a workplace near you?
By Jack Martin
16:34 November 8, 2008 PST
November 9, 2008 One of the most interesting and perhaps landmark technology projects we’ve ever seen is Honda’s experimental walking assist device - the second partial exoskeletal device exhibited by the company this year. The original machine shown by Honda was designed to assist weak leg muscles in the elderly. The second iteration is being trialled in Honda factories as a worker assistance device to support bodyweight when performing tasks on the workshop floor. This second experimental machine could have vast ramifications for skilled factory workers around the globe – if human efficiency in complex tasks can be improved, such robotic assistance devices could make a lot of sense on the balance sheet. Read More
Bike lock covers would-be thieves in permanent dye
23:32 November 5, 2008 PST
Who stole my bike? This all too common question could soon be much easier to answer if the SmartLock takes-off. Operating on the same principle as a dye bomb safe, the cable-lock design adds an extra element to bicycle theft prevention by incorporating cores of compressed air and liquid running through its body. When a bolt-cutter wielding would-be thief cuts the cable, the liquid is sprayed out making the bike, the perpetrator, their tools and the crime scene easily identifiable. Read More
Coffee with a healthy spin
By Emily Clark
00:35 November 5, 2008 PST
November 5, 2008 Feng Shui Coffee combines one of the world’s most popular drinks - coffee - with natural medicinal herbs and minerals designed for maintaining health and wellness and ties it in with the ancient Chinese principles of Feng Shui. It strikes us as an odd combination, but it does involve coffee. Read More
Rainbow Glasses: fashion you can see through
By Emily Clark
22:55 October 22, 2008 PDT
Fashionistas who are required to wear glasses will love this color-changing eyewear concept from Portuguese industrial designer, Luis Porem. Created as an entry for the Opus Award, the RbG Rainbow Glasses are hollow and allow the wearer to fill them with various colors of ink to match their outfit. Read More
Smart cars to be trialed in city mobility scheme
By Emily Clark
23:54 October 21, 2008 PDT
In a progressive move that shares similarities to bike sharing schemes currently operating in some European cities, Daimler is looking to combat urban road congestion with car2go, a new program to be trialed in Germany which will utilize a microchip system in order for members to access environmentally friendly Smart cars. Read More
Innovative phone design for the visually impaired
By Emily Clark
18:55 October 14, 2008 PDT
"SENS", from Takumi Yoshida, is a mobile phone design catering for those with visual impairment including complete blindness. The phone assists visually impaired users through a special keypad design, real-time audio feedback and touch sensing technology. Read More
Can a machine think? Almost!
By Mike Hanlon
18:20 October 13, 2008 PDT
The Loebner Prize for artificial intelligence ( AI ) is the first formal instantiation of a Turing Test, the test named after British mathematician Alan Turing. In 1950, Turing proposed that if the responses from the computer were indistinguishable from that of a human,the computer could be said to be thinking. Last weekend saw the 18th Loebner Prize conducted with the final between five artificial conversational entities (ACEs). All the ACEs managed to fool at least one if their human interrogators, with the eventual winner fooling 25% of its interrogators. Read More
Unique navigation aid for the visually-impaired
By Jude Garvey
21:18 October 7, 2008 PDT
Another interesting entry from the Create the Future Design Contest, the Navigation aid for the Blind uses existing technology in a very clever way. It consists of a headset which has an audio transducer and a built-in microphone and uses GPS, obstacle detection technology and speech recognition to safely guide the wearer to their destination. The wearer simply states the destination address into the microphone and the technology does the rest, guiding and directing the user safely through the streets. Read More
A-style: harmless nipple-slip or unfair tactics
By Mike Hanlon
00:20 October 7, 2008 PDT
The A-style brand image is a masterfully clever logo. It is driving a young company to international recognition and once you’ve realized what the innocent A signifies, its symbolic nature leaps out at you. Beginning with street level buzz marketing tactics, the Italian A-style logo has systematically used the most cost-efficient marketing methods to develop an international awareness using its provocative imagery. Over recent years we have seen the rise of savvy street brands with defiant brain-slapping names such as Pornstar and FCUK, but A-style has pushed things several notches up the "i-can't-believe-they-can-get-away-with-that" scale. Originally commercially invigorated with street stickers and stencils, A-style has used street-level buzz marketing to grow to international prominence and is now sponsoring global televised sport to deliver its in-yer-face branding. Does it press your buttons? It’s designed to do so! And prepare for more subversive marketing, as it’s clearly very effective . Read More
Obama '08 gets a (useful!) iPhone application
23:43 October 2, 2008 PDT
The words "politics" and "tech-savvy" haven't always sat comfortably in the same sentence, but the Obama '08 iPhone Application is evidence that things are set to change on the campaign trail. Refreshingly, the app is more than just a trendy stunt from the Democratic Nominee's camp, taking advantage of several of the iPhones' capabilities with a range of tools that could actually be useful for those wanting to get involved. Read More
MIT researchers harness tree power to fight wildfires
23:33 September 29, 2008 PDT
While specialist fire-fighting crews, squadrons of trucks and water-bombing helicopters all play an important role, access to reliable and timely information on fire behavior is among the most critical of all the tools used to combat wild fires and prevent the loss of life, livestock and property damage. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers are now working on a system that uses energy from the trees themselves to power a network of temperature and humidity sensors that act as remote weather stations to aid in fire management. Read More
Lead Me Not Into Temptation
By Jack Martin
03:05 September 24, 2008 PDT
September 24, 2008 Impulse control is becoming increasingly important on a personal and global scale for solving problems as diverse as obesity, smoking, compulsive shopping and even global warming. But if appealing to our intellect rarely works, what does? Psychologist Dr Max Sutherland looks at the issue and writes that rather than engage the mind in combat, take advantage of how it works. Don’t shop when you’re preoccupied or hungry, do good deeds after, but not before, shopping. And shop well in advance. Another fascinating article full of psychological tips to help control impulses and resist temptation. Read More
Power Dam: wireless, plug and play power management concept
By Emily Clark
17:56 September 22, 2008 PDT
Arizona State University student Travis Andren's entry for the Sustainable Technologies category of the Create the Future Design Contest is a plug and play system designed to combat the phenomena known as “vampire power” or “power leakage”, which causes power loss through plugged in appliances. Read More
Rex Alfie Lee
- November 9, 2009 @ 12:19 UTC
