Haptics

22:00 April 1, 2009 PDT

The LG-GD900 mobile phone will feature not only a 3-inch full touchscreen, but also a transparent touchpad that supports finger-writing recognition and vibrational haptic feedback. The stylish looking phone features a slider form factor with the translucent rear slider containing a touchpad that allows users to navigate through the phones features and 3D user interface. Further enhancing the phone’s style cred is the fact that the clear slider will be made from glass instead of plastic. Read More

Novint's Falcon 3D controller

21:00 January 7, 2009 PST

We all know the keyboard and mouse are NOT the future of the Computer Human Interface (CHI), and it’s high time we found a replacement capable of generating critical mass. One device with the potential to play a role in the next generation interface is the Novint Falcon. Aptly named because of its predatory view of the mouse, we wrote the Falcon up when it was first announced in 2005, then released in 2007, and this week Dave Weinstein and Noel McKeegan sat down with Tom Anderson, Novint's CEO to discuss the future of the Computer Human Interface. Read More

GAMES

Fanatec's Porsche 911 GT3 RS Racing Wheel for PC and PS3

19:51 December 3, 2008 PST

The Porsche 911 GT3 RS Racing Wheel for PC and PS3 - Car not included unfortunately.

There must be plenty of aspiring Porsche drivers out there without the finances to afford the real thing because Fanatec has announced another addition to its line of Porsche licensed steering wheels for PC and PS3 gamers. The Porsche 911 GT3 RS Racing Wheel for PC and PS3 is crafted from genuine Alcantara leather, the same material that is used in real Porsches, and features the “world’s first” placement of a vibration motor on the brake pedal for that extra touch or realism. Read More

GAMES

New series of joysticks for flight sim fans from Genius

18:07 October 20, 2008 PDT

The top of the line MetalStrike FF Joystick.

PC input peripheral and audio device company, Genius has announced a new gaming joystick series aimed at frustrated pilots everywhere. Each joystick in the MetalStrike series has a turbo function, while the MetalStrike FF and Pro joysticks feature a force feedback function for feeling every bump, crash or shot when playing air combat games. Read More

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

Motorola Blaze to enter the touchscreen phone arena

16:01 July 6, 2008 PDT

The Motorola Blaze with its protective flip-cover.

June 6, 2008 Motorola’s yet-to-be-released iPhone competitor is the Motorola Blaze, which boasts a haptic-feedback touchscreen with a protective flip top transparent plastic cover which also allows for the unit to be used with the cover closed. The phone also sports a 2 megapixel camera, EV-DO, GPS, Bluetooth and MobileTV. Read More

LAPTOPS

OLPC to produce sub $100 dual-touchscreen laptop

19:52 May 29, 2008 PDT

May , 2008 The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project looks to be on track to meet its target of producing a laptop for a price per unit below US$100 set out when the initiative was launched in 2005. At a press event OLPC project founder Nicholas Negroponte gave the “State of the State” address on the project to date and the evolution of the XO laptop, presenting the design for the next generation of XO hardware. According to Negroponte, work is already underway on the "XO-2" laptop, which will be cheaper and smaller and will use less power than its predecessor. The XO-2, or XOXO as it's also called, comes with Nintendo DS-like dual-touchscreen displays, which allows one of the touchscreens to be used as a keyboard, which can be customized for different aged children, different applications or different languages. Read More

GAMES

Porsche 911 leather steering wheel for PC and PS3

19:34 April 28, 2008 PDT

Fanatec's Porsche 911 Turbo Racing Wheel

April 29, 2008 Gamers have long been able to take their dream ride for a virtual spin, and now high-end input device producer Fanatec is offering Porsche fans and gamers alike an authentic look and feel with the introduction of the Porsche 911 Turbo Racing Wheel for PC and Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3). The leather-covered wheel features a tuning display that allows gamers to change settings like sensitivity or Force Feedback during gameplay. A Mabuchi RS 550 Motor is responsible for the extra strong Force Feedback effects with additional Force Feedback actuators in the wheel used to stimulate motor vibrations. Read More

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

3-D virtual reality dental simulator

By Emily Clark

22:41 March 26, 2008 PDT

Screenshot: Virtual dentistry training system

March 27, 2008 Evidence of dentistry has been found dating back as far as 5500 BC however common knowledge tends to only go back as far as the Middle Ages when dental procedures were performed by barbers or general practitioners (with the aid of pliers and a bottle of whisky). These days patient care is of the utmost importance, which is why dentistry researchers at the University of Illinois (UIC) are developing a haptic training simulator called PerioSim, which uses 3-D virtual reality technology to allow dental students to improve their skills before being allowed near real live patients. Read More

GAMES

Mindwire's shocking V-5 sensory feedback kit

By Kyle Sherer

00:57 March 14, 2008 PDT

March 14, 2008 Mindwire has designed an electrical muscle simulation kit that integrates with second generation consoles to give sensory feedback to gamers - in other words, when you shoot a friend in Tekken he gets an electric shock. Some may shake their heads, we say "yes please!" Read More

CHILDSPLAY

OUiP!: child’s handheld electronic device powered by play

By Jude Garvey

18:59 March 11, 2008 PDT

OUiP!: Play powered technology interface

March 12, 2008 Small children have an uncanny ability to understand and use electronic devices quickly and correctly. You’re happy when your child wants to learn but when their buttery fingers caress your new laptop or digital camera it’s time to introduce them to their own toys! The industrial design company think/thing (designer of the recently featured Nestt car seat), has developed OUiP!, an intuitive, interactive technology interface for children. Read More

ROBOTICS

Rodent-like robots - BIOTACT attempts to mechanically replicate the impressive whiskers of the rat

By Kyle Sherer

22:23 February 20, 2008 PST

Robotics researchers are taking design tips from one of nature’s less majestic creatures: the rat. The EU funded €5.4 million BIOTACT project, which was launched at the beginning of this year, is seeking to replicate the rat’s highly efficient whisker system, which can accurately determine the shape of objects and help capture prey. Read More

GOOD THINKING

New technology helping the blind to “see” images

By Emily Clark

20:04 October 30, 2007 PDT

Researchers John Roberts (right) and Oliver Slattery (left) using the tactile graphic disp...

October 31, 2007 A recently completed licensing agreement for two new technologies may help bring affordable graphic reading systems for the blind and visually impaired to market. The two systems bring electronic images to life in the same way that Braille makes words readable. Read More

GAMES

The Falcon Game Controller - with realistic force feedback

UPDATED IMAGES June 30, 2007 We all know the keyboard and mouse are NOT the future of the computer human interface, and to be frank, we’re getting a bit sick of waiting for a replacement capable of generating critical mass. One device with the potential to play a role in the next generation interface, at least in the area of computer games, began shipping this month. Novint Technologies’ highly anticipated, award-winning Novint Falcon game controller is now available in a special Limited Edition bundle. The Falcon is an entirely new type of 3D game interface that makes virtual objects and environments feel real. Replacing a computer mouse or joystick, the US$190 Falcon is, essentially a small robot that lets you feel shape, weight, texture, dimension, dynamics, 3D motion, and force effects when playing enabled games. Read More

GOOD THINKING

Stringwalker enables realistic walking in Virtual worlds

May 2, 2007 Though Virtual Reality (VR) is moving quickly towards realism on many fronts, one of the major problems in creating a realistic immersive experience is that of walking. If people walk around with a VR headset on, they will eventually bump into something hard and unforgiving – so researchers across the world are questing for a suitable device which offers proprioceptive feedback for VR walking. The human brain seems happy to suspend disbelief and accept many crude kludges in order to roleplay along with a VR event, but the missing factor has been the ability to give the body the same sort of corresponding feedback as the brain. You can’t simulate true human movement with any authenticity without the exertion normally accompanying it. We’ve previously written up two ingenious attempts to enable VR users to maintain their position while walking in virtual environments in the form of the commercially-available Virtusphere and a set of powered shoes being developed at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. Now there’s another clever solution being developed at the same university – the Stringwalker. String Walker uses eight strings actuated by motor-pulley mechanisms mounted on a turntable. Read More

GOOD THINKING

The 2007 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize

February 15, 2007 If there’s an absolutely golden imprimatur for the person-most-likely-to-succeed, it’s the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize. Jerome H. Lemelson, one of the world's most prolific inventors, and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program funded via his own private philanthropic Lemelson Foundation, the Student Prize recognizes outstanding inventors, encourages sustainable new solutions to real-world problems, and enables and inspires young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention. Given that MIT attracts the very brightest students to begin with, the winner is usually a stellar high achiever and this year’s winner is already that. 2007 winner Nathan Ball's inventions include the Atlas Rope Ascender (see separate story) and a needle-free injection technology that will enable greater efficiencies in mass inoculations, both capable of saving many lives and both with many commercial applications. Last year’s winner Carl Dietrich is the CEO and CTO of his own flying car company Terrafugia. We’ve also written about Saul Griffith, the 2004 winner. All the winners and their exploits in this article. Read More

New Haptic Interface Device Adds Sense of Touch to PCs

February 19, 2005 Novint Technologies has released details of a new haptic interface device for computers that will , the Novint Falcon, which brings interactive three dimensional touch to the consumer mass market. The Novint Falcon, coupled with the company’s 3D touch software, enables people to experience a realistic sense of touch on their computer, fundamentally transforming how they play and interact. Sinificantly, the Novint Falcon is expected to retail for under US$100 and represents a significant breakthrough in 3D touch technology and accessibility. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

META ONE concept bristles with new technology

January 2, 2005 Ford-owned Mercury will be showing an interesting concept vehicle at the Detroit (NAIS) show next week. The Meta One Concept showcases an array of new technologies: the world's first Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle diesel powertrain, Lane Departure Warning and Collision Mitigation by Braking - technologies that could help prevent or lessen the severity of many accidents. Meta One illustrates what a future Mercury crossover vehicle might look like. Read More

GAMES

Haptic Arm Wrestling hits the net

By Gizmag Team

Wendy J. Brez tests out the machine at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, NY.

December 14, 2004 An internet facilitated "haptic" arm-wrestling machine devised to teach children "hands-on" applications of networking in the digital age is the hit of American museums and may spawn a new sports craze. The Haptic Arm Wrestling machine, currently on display at 6 science museums, including the New York Hall of Science in Queens, the Tech Museum in San Jose, and the Imaginarium in Alaska, allows contestants to arm wrestle remote human opponents over the internet while watching live video and audio feeds. Read More

The future of the human-computer interface

By Gizmag Team

December 2, 2004 A new Australian research facility called the Visual Information Access Room (VIAR) is at the forefront of the coming revolution in human-digital interaction. The current keyboard, mouse and screen configuration will soon be replaced by digital interfaces that utilise touch, gesture and voice control and seek to integrate seamlessly into our environment. Launched by the National ICT Australia (NICTA), the Sydney laboratory looks like a futuristic office, but is in fact a test facility where sophisticated 3D models of complex systems and innovative ways to interact with complex data quickly will be developed. Read More

Haptic Workstation - Feel your way through virtual reality