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Concept
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
Tech firm InteraXon to transmit brain waves across Canada
By Ben Coxworth
15:44 February 7, 2010 PST
If you’re attending the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia this month, you’ll have the chance to transmit your brain waves across Canada. When they reach their destination, the province of Ontario, they'll produce a custom light show on one of three prominent Ontario landmarks - presumably to the amazement of thousands of onlookers. While this might sound like technology straight out of an X-Men movie, it is in fact the latest accomplishment of Toronto-based tech firm InteraXon... and it could be just the tip of the iceberg in the field of thought-controlled computing. Read More
Geocentric concept watch puts an orrery on your wrist
By Darren Quick
22:33 February 3, 2010 PST
When it comes to timepieces I’m firmly in the camp that thinks the digital watch is the pinnacle of time telling technology. It imparts its information at a glance with no need to waste time adding or subtracting minutes in multiples of five, or estimating if the big hand is two or three minutes between markers – if there are markers at all. I will concede, however, that for many people watches are as much a fashion statement as a means to tell time and as such designers are always looking to redefine the humble watch in different and interesting ways. The latest eye-catching timepiece to catch our eye is the Geocentric concept watch that uses a motion similar to planets rotating around a sun to tell time. Read More
Armatrix SmartGun safety system uses wristwatch to authenticate weapons
By Darren Quick
04:03 February 1, 2010 PST
Stopping weapons from falling into the wrong hands is a major problem for law enforcement agencies all over the world. But if keeping weapons out of the clutches of the criminal element proves too difficult, the next best thing is ensuring that such weapons can’t be used if they do. That’s just what the Armatix SmartGun concept does by disabling the pistol unless it's in the hands of someone wearing a custom wristwatch that sends a signal to arm the gun. Read More
Venturi Volage concept electric sportscar
By Darren Quick
23:24 January 24, 2010 PST
At the North American International Auto Show, Gizmag’s Noel McKeegan got the lowdown on the Venturi Volage concept electric sportscar from Venturi’s Clement Dorance. Venturi is the company responsible for the world’s first production electric sportscar, the Fetish, and its latest electric sportscar is the result of collaboration between Venturi and Michelin. It is one of the first applications of the Michelin Active Wheel System that replaces a vehicle’s traditional engine with eight electric motors located within the wheels. Each wheel contains two motors - one responsible for the propulsion and the other taking care of the suspension. As Clement explains this innovative design not only gives the Volage four-wheel-drive and active suspension, but also provides a low center of gravity to further enhance the maneuverability and overall performance of the vehicle. Read More
Synaptics debuts Fuse next-generation mobile phone concept
By Ben Coxworth
23:22 January 24, 2010 PST
Last December, the world was introduced to the Synaptics Fuse, a new concept in mobile communications. The prototype smartphone is the result of a collaboration between Synaptics, Texas Instruments, Immersion, TheAlloy and The Astonishing Tribe (TAT). What makes this phone so special is its user/phone interface. It takes Synaptics’ pioneering touchscreen technology to a whole new level, allowing people to use the phone one-handed, and without having to even see the screen. Read More
Cornucopia: Digital Gastronomy - could 3D printing be the next revolution in cooking?
By Loz Blain
23:49 January 14, 2010 PST
Wouldn't it be great to have a digital food machine sitting in your kitchen that could create any dish, real or imagined, from scratch at the touch of a button? Cornucopia: Digital Gastronomy is a concept design that uses the well-established principles of 3D printing - plus precisely timed and temperature-controlled mixing and cooking - to open the door to a virtually limitless realm of replicable, creative cuisine in shapes and combinations that are simply impossible using our current, centuries-old cooking techniques. It's a wonderful look into the future of cooking, from the creative food lover's perspective. Read More
Hyundai brings future-sexy Blue Will concept to Detroit
By Loz Blain
21:53 January 13, 2010 PST
Hyundai's tasty Blue Will concept car turned up at the Detroit NAIAS this week for its first showing on American soil. We got to take a close-up look at the Korean company's blue-sky plug-in hybrid and were impressed by some of the details - headlamp surrounds made from recycled PET bottles, a full undertray for sleek aeros, a glass roof impregnated with solar cells, drive-by-wire steering column and a thermal generator to turn waste heat from the combustion engine into electricity. Read More
Chevy's 2011 Aveo platform gets the 'hot hatch' tuner treatment
By Loz Blain
11:13 January 13, 2010 PST
The effects of 2008's petrol crisis are showing no signs of abating at this year's Detroit NAIAS - small cars, electrics and hybrids are the big stars of 2010 in Motor City. And Chevy is looking to capitalise, with a new muscled-up 'hot hatch' concept based on a revitalised update to its lukewarm Aveo platform. The 138-horsepower, 1.4 litre Aveo RS is Chevrolet's tricked-out take on what the tuner community should be able to do when the new, improved Aveo platform launches in 2011 - and Chevy's hoping this funky show car helps turn around the current Aveo's reputation as a rebadged Korean econobox. Read More
BMW Concept ActiveE all electric vehicle unveiled at NAIAS
By Darren Quick
12:39 January 11, 2010 PST
As we forecast back in December, BMW delivered the electric car everyone knew was coming today at the NAIAS. The BMW ActiveE Concept is an all-electric vehicle powered by liquid-cooled Li-ion batteries and is based on a 1 Series Coupe. It has rear wheel drive and is expected to boast a range of roughly 160 kilometers (100 miles) on a single charge, while BMW's ConnectedDrive allows control of the heating and AC system using a mobile phone, which can also be used to access battery information or locate charging stations. Read More
GMC Granite Concept - Industrial chic meets compact urban functionality
By Gizmag Team
10:20 January 11, 2010 PST
Combining an urban-industrial design aesthetic with flexible functionality, the GMC Granite ‘urban utility vehicle’ concept was introduced at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit today. “We think of the Granite as the automotive equivalent of an urban loft apartment,” said GMC's Cross-Brand Design Director Dave Lyon. “The exterior has an unmistakable industrial look, but the interior is warm and personalized.” Though the Granite is the smallest GMC ever, it has been designed to feel bigger with a large cargo space and its flipping/folding seats and four doors, hinged on each side to open like a set of French doors. There’s no pillar between the front and rear doors, making the Granite easier to enter, exit and load, even with bulky items. . Power comes from a 1.4L turbocharged engine matched with a six-speed transmission. Read More
Peugeot's 200th anniversary heralds a huge year ahead
By Gizmag Team
14:25 January 10, 2010 PST
French mobility company Peugeot is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year and in achieving the milestone, has announced grandiose grand plans. It's the world’s second oldest car manufacturer (behind Daimler), the tenth largest car manufacturer, and with trucks, cars, motorcycles and bicycles, has the broadest range of mobility products in the world. In prep for its 300th year, it has updated the Lion logo it has been using since 1858, vowed to turn the brand into a style icon, adopted a new signature (Peugeot MOTION & EMOTION), stated its intention to move three places up the world’s auto maker ladder (to seventh) by 2015 with a massive new model offensive, announced a fascinating new credit/online/rental mobility service entitled Mu by Peugeot and took the wraps off a superb new hybrid 4WD and four-wheel-steering sports car – the SR1. Happy birfy to Peugeot! Read More
Intel takes Home Energy Management to a whole new level
By Mick Webb
21:36 January 9, 2010 PST
With home energy consumption and ways to reduce and manage it becoming an increasingly important issue, Intel has at this weeks CES shown its Intelligent Home Energy Management concept. Taking the form of a Wi-Fi enabled 11.5” touchscreen dashboard, the wall mounted system enables users to not only track their household’s monthly energy usage, but offers a host of other features like leaving video memos for other family members and a “goodbye” switch that instantly configures all appliances to their least consumptive setting – as well as reminding the user if they have left the stove on. Read More
Kumho’s Tire Laser etching promises customized tyres
By Mike Hanlon
01:48 January 6, 2010 PST
Get set to design your own tyre patterns. That’s the future of tyre technology as seen by Kumho, and although individual design-your-own tyre tread is probably some way away yet, it’s quite feasible that tire chains, vehicle manufacturers and other brands could soon have their name etched into the tread of the tires their fleet of cars use. According to Kumho, "Mass production tread patterns can be a compromise - part functional and part aesthetic. In the future, Kumho plans to design its treads in two stages. The functional requirement, free of compromise, will be moulded in the normal way. Any additional attributes or design features will then be etched onto the surface as required.” Read More
GM’s FlexDoors and FlexSpace features set for 2010 Meriva
By Gizmag Team
14:39 January 5, 2010 PST
While rear-hinged back doors are not new in the motor industry (Rolls Royce Phantom/Ghost and Mazda RX8), the first pictures of the GM/Opel/Vauxhall Meriva have surfaced and the FlexDoors and FlexSpace features seen in concept cars over the last few years are finally set for market launch in a family car (main pic and top right). First seen in the groundbreaking Flexstreme Concept Car from IAA Frankfurt 2007 (bottom right pic), then further refined with the Meriva Concept at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show (centre right pic), the flex theme combines improved access/egress and a suite of features offering a quickly reconfigurable interior and is likely to be welcomed by families which need to cater for several types of mobility with one vehicle. Read More
Sustail clockwork mouse concept
By Paul Ridden
01:59 January 5, 2010 PST
Designer Ahmet Bektes is proposing using centuries-old technology to provide the power for a familiar modern device. Rather than drawing energy from a computer or batteries, a user will need to remove a key from below the Sustail mouse and wind it up before being able to use it. It is hoped that the Bluetooth-connected input device would also encourage users to take regular breaks and have a more responsible attitude towards power consumption. Read More
Honda shows five seater New Small Concept
By Gizmag Team
01:50 January 5, 2010 PST
India’s automotive industry is the second fastest growing in the world and has exceptional prospects. Already the ninth largest in the world it is expected to become one of the largest in the world several decades from now. Already the auto makers are developing specifically for the future, with Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) pulling the covers off what has been dubbed the “Honda New Small Concept”, a very small vehicle with seating for five people. The world premier was aptly staged at the Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi, India's leading auto show, along with new small cars from Toyota, Volkswagen, Nissan and Ford. Read More
Touch, smell and feel before you buy with Project Sense
By Paul Ridden
20:11 December 30, 2009 PST
The Sense concept designed by CD&I Associates is a wireless device that will, it's claimed, offer a "more emotional connection between users and experiences" through touch and smell. It aims to give users haptic, thermal and olfactory sensations while playing games, watching movies and shopping online via a tactile hand sheath and flavor-ink printed output. Read More
Heavy metal concept bike with green cred
By Gizmag Team
04:22 December 29, 2009 PST
Jordan Meadows is best known for his automotive work such as the Award-winning Kaan, Mazda Kiyora and Mazda Furai, but his portfolio includes some remarkable work such as the Hellfighter VTOL aircraft and Hydroplane Racer concepts. His latest concept is the Metalback cafe racer motorcycle, fashioned to exist where substance and sustainability meet speed and style. The engine is a V4 diesel running on environmentally-friendly bio diesel fuel, while the frame and skin are crafted from recycled aluminum. Read More
BMW ActiveE Concept – fully electric 1 Series Coupe
By Gizmag Team
03:12 December 17, 2009 PST
BMW will finally deliver the electric car everyone knew was coming at the NAIAS in January. The BMW ActiveE Concept is essentially an electric BMW 1 Series Coupe built using the knowledge gained from year-long MINI E fleet trials, and the resultant vehicle is bristling with ideas and well worth a look. The 125 kW motor is located in the rear axle, the lithium ion batteries recharge in three hours, offer a range of 160 km (100 miles) and an interesting variation on regenerative braking can add as much as 20% to the range. With an electronically limited top speed of … Read More
The MINI Beachcomber - Moke V2.0
By Mike Hanlon
18:20 December 15, 2009 PST
MINI is set to display a modern version of its spartan MOKE open-body, four-seater of the seventies at NAIAS in January. The MOKE (pictured in background) was hugely loved in tropical climates, having the fundamentals of a MINI but not much more – the “Beachcomber Concept” takes the same sense of minimalism, freedom and adventure and enhances it with a roll cage, a lockable trunk and the 4WD drivetrain and design elements of MINI’s upcoming compact SUV. Read More
Mintpass Cube concept brings analog back to digital music
By Paul Ridden
15:57 December 9, 2009 PST
For the last 18 months or so, the collection of design concepts featured on the website of Korean portable media player maker Mintpass has been steadily growing in number. The company says it will continue to push the idea envelope until a "concept is developed into a hot product that sweeps the market." With its retro styling, analog displays and tactile control interface - will the Mintcube concept be the next big thing? Read More
The Flex-Seat offers even Economy Class fliers the chance of a good night's sleep
By Jeff Salton
23:30 December 7, 2009 PST
Apart from adding tiny LCD screens to the headrests in airplanes, not much has changed in seating comfort in the airline industry for many years, though a couple of ideas have appeared but are yet to bear fruit. Now, with the advent of A380s and the retention of bulk people carriers like 747s, long haul flight prices might have dropped but they’re still tortuous for ‘cattle class’ fliers subjected to endless hours of boredom and contortionist-like sleeping conditions. But Jacob Innovations has developed the conceptual Flex-Seat, which can be configured in a number of ways to make the most of the vertical space often wasted inside airline cabins and putting the possibility of a good night’s sleep (or rest) within reach of most fliers. Read More
Nissan V2G takes out 2009 LA Auto Show Design Challenge
22:33 December 6, 2009 PST
The Nissan V2G concept was has taken out the Los Angeles Auto Show's 2009 Design Challenge. Entitled "Youthmobile 2030", this year's Challenge asked designers to encapsulate what tech-savvy young Gen Z drivers will be looking to take to the freeway 21 years from now. The result was six fascinating design concepts from the Californian studios of major companies, with the Nissan entry given the nod for its "holistic approach in answering the future's design questions." Read More
Capstone CMT-380 electric hybrid supercar with microturbines
By Jeff Salton
22:04 December 3, 2009 PST
Capstone Turbine Corporation has shown off its high performance hybrid electric car, the CMT-380, at the LA Auto Show. The car features a 30kW microturbine that extends the range of its traditional EV batteries, and which the company likens to having an ultra-clean and quiet jet engine under the hood. Capstone adds that the supercar, still in its test phase, reaches 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds, has a top speed of 150mph, and a range of up to 500 miles on a single tank of fuel - all with ultra-low exhaust emissions that rival any hybrid on the market today. Read More
Mr Stiffy
- February 9, 2010 @ 06:26 UTC
