Impact
Running barefoot lessens impact - but don't throw your shoes away just yet
By Darren Quick
21:16 February 3, 2010 PST

New research has backed up the findings of another study we covered recently on Gizmag which found the average modern running shoe causes significant damage to the knees, hips and ankles compared to running barefoot. The new study found that people who run barefoot land on the ball or middle of the foot. This mitigates the potentially damaging impacts that can be equivalent to two or three times their body weight that shoe-wearing runners, who generally land on their heels, subject their bodies to. Read More
On running shoe: shock-absorbers for your feet
By Darren Quick
21:39 December 22, 2009 PST

It may be a great form of exercise, but running is a high impact pursuit that places great strain on muscles and tendons. The stress it places on the body forces many runners to hang up their shoes and seek alternative, lower impact forms of exercise. Looking to take the pain out of running, a Swiss engineer set about creating a shoe that enabled the runner to land as soft as if running on sand, and to push off as if running in track shoes. The result is the the On Running Shoe – a shoe that incorporates a unique rubber ring into the sole design to provide a soft landing, while offering firmness and stability on push off. Read More
Ford introduces inflatable seat belts
By Darren Quick
20:03 November 5, 2009 PST

Most seat belts are designed to stretch during a crash to reduce the force of impact on the wearer while still preventing contact with the interior of the vehicle. Ford has gone one step further with plans to introduce inflatable seat belts designed to reduce the pressure on the chest and help control head and neck motion in rear seat passengers, spreading the crash force across five times more of the occupant’s torso than conventional seat belts. Read More
VIDEO: Sony crash tests PS3 into Bravia LCD TV at 50mph
By Jeff Salton
18:58 October 20, 2009 PDT

What’s more fun than watching a brand new out-of-the-box PS3 slim-line console slam into a fully-functional Sony Bravia 46-inch LCD TV at 80kmh (50mph)? Well, not a lot, really, unless you get to watch it happen three times. Gizmag was one of only two media outlets invited by Sony Australia to witness the stunt at a vehicle safety testing facility in Melbourne, Victoria. The event was aimed at promoting a forthcoming advertising campaign – buy a Sony Bravia and get a PS3 thrown in free (though not as literally as the ones I witnessed). Read More
NASA live broadcast of LCROSS impact
By Paul Ridden
06:42 October 8, 2009 PDT

NASA's Lunar Prospector first detected some hydrogen signatures in craters on the dark side of the moon in 1999. Ever since, researchers have been keen to confirm the presence of water on the moon. The Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) is tasked with crashing through the mists of speculation and conjecture and discover the truth. And you can watch all the action as it happens. Read More















Mr Stiffy
- February 9, 2010 @ 06:26 UTC