Modular

Ricoh GXR - the world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens digital camera

By Paul Ridden

15:10 November 10, 2009 PST

After weeks of speculation and the accidental pre-announcement release of a demonstration video, the Ricoh GXR digital camera system has finally been officially announced. Not only is it claimed to be the smallest and lightest digital camera that allows lenses to be changed, but as the lens and sensor comprise one interchangeable unit, photographers can now choose different sensor/lens combinations for different photographic conditions. Read More

The Renault Dacia YAV III - the world’s most affordable motorhome

By Gizmag Team

08:21 August 31, 2009 PDT

Without doubt Caravan Salon Düsseldorf 2009 heralded a new era for the vibrant European motorhome industry when it opened yesterday, and the unlikely innovator set to stimulate the industry was Romanian auto manufacturer Renault Dacia. A collaboration with the Hymer Innovation Design Centre has yielded an ingenious motorhome for 3-4 people based on the super budget Renault Dacia Logan MCV with an anticipated price tag of less than EUR15,000 when it goes on sale in 2010. Read More

MotionPower energy system testing expanded

By Darren Quick

22:58 August 3, 2009 PDT

When we first came across MotionPower, a prototype system that converts the kinetic energy from cars driving over it into electricity, we mentioned we would keep tabs on the technology to see if it could make the leap to real world implementation. Well, the company behind the MotionPower system, New Energy Technologies, has taken the next step along that road by expanding the durability field tests of the device. Read More

TASER Shockwave - electro-shock 'canon' developed for riot control

By Darren Quick

17:43 August 3, 2009 PDT

The launch of the handheld TASER X3 has been grabbing headlines lately, but the company has also been developing large-scale versions of its stun-gun technology for 'area denial' (read 'riot control'). The TASER Shockwave is a fully modular system that effectively bunches six TASER X26 stun guns together to cover a 20-degree arc with 25-foot cartridges. Read More

The M3 mobile water desalination system cuts the cost of producing clean water

By Darren Quick

04:57 July 15, 2009 PDT

Desalination is a popular source of potable water in Middle Eastern countries, where large energy reserves and the relative scarcity of water suitable for drinking led to desalination in the region accounting for close to 75% of total world capacity in 2007. If that figure hasn’t already dropped it almost certainly will as access to clean water becomes an issue for many places around the globe. And the shortage isn’t just limited to developing countries, with places like California and parts of Australia facing their worst droughts in recorded history. A new mini-mobile-modular (M3) “smart” water desalination and filtration system could help determine the feasibility of desalination in areas that may be considering it for the first time. Read More

Electrolux Rendez-Vous: the kitchen table becomes the table kitchen

By Noel McKeegan

06:12 May 27, 2009 PDT

Sharing food with family and friends around the dining table is a universal recipe for a good time, unless of course you're stuck in the kitchen cooking. Electrolux Global Design has come up with a way for everyone to be included in the celebrations with the Rendez-Vous - a concept interactive table with a very high-tech kitchen built-in, and it will even charge your mobile phone. Read More

Working prototype generates electricity from moving vehicles

By Darren Quick

17:05 April 12, 2009 PDT

The United States has about 250 million registered vehicles, which adds up to a lot of pollution and burning of fossil fuels. New Energy Technologies, Inc. prefers to look at it another way, however – they see those 250 million vehicles as a potential energy source and have developed a prototype engineered to harness some of the kinetic energy being generated, and wasted, by moving cars and light vehicles. Read More

Walking House: moving home takes on a whole new meaning

By Darren Quick

03:18 April 2, 2009 PDT

For anyone who has wanted to get away from it all without leaving the comforts of home Dutch design group N55 has just the thing – a walking house. Consisting of a basic module measuring 3.5m high by 3.5m wide and 3.72m long the walking house can cover a decidedly leisurely 60m an hour on its six insect like legs. Read More

Movito: modular, hubless electric scooter design

By David Greig

19:03 March 18, 2009 PDT

March 19, 2009 We live in a world where the need for lighter, more efficient vehicles is glaringly apparent, and in recent times designers and automotive manufacturers have ramped up their efforts to meet this challenge. Given this climate it's not surprising to see the enviro-conscious "Movito" scooter design receive accolades in the Create the Future Design Contest. Engineer/Designer Tiam Chiem's Movito is a 2-modular design consisting of an upper scooter chassis and the base which provides the drive via an in-wheel electric motor and hubless front wheel. The modular design allows a range of possible morphs, including multiple bodies to be connected to the base or two bases to be connected in parallel to form a two-seater. Read More

Innovative ‘caseless’ computer housing concept from BMW

By Darren Quick

21:43 March 15, 2009 PDT

Although obviously best known for its cars and motorbikes, BMW also creates yachts, aircraft and trains, and has now turned its design expertise to a computer gaming tower with the ‘Level 10’ concept for Thermaltake, a manufacturer of computer housings and components for individually configurable high-end computers. Read More

Bug Labs' BUG: modular, open-source platform for DIY gadget makers

By Tim Hanlon

11:55 January 17, 2009 PST

While we've heard the term "mashup" apply to music and web services before, we think the hardware mashups that Bug Labs' BUG platform enables have far more to offer. Read More

The multi-skilled Dragon Runner ground robot

By Noel McKeegan

03:45 December 1, 2008 PST

Both in the air and on the ground, unmanned robotic systems have been deployed to battlefields in growing numbers over the past decade and it's safe to predict that these numbers will only grow in coming years. The reason is simple - they keep human beings out of the firing line. The latest example to join QinetiQ North America's TALON family is the versatile Dragon Runner Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) - a lightweight, portable modular robot which can be quickly configured for both reconnaissance and improvised explosive device (IED) disarmament. Read More

30 petabyte storage facility for climate and weather records

By Darren Quick

21:48 November 16, 2008 PST

Analysis of the Earth’s climate relies on and generates a huge amount of data. No one knows this better than the folks at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), who have announced the arrival of AMSTAR, a new digital storage library that will preserve and protect 30 petabytes of valuable scientific data for the next 15 to 20 years. The new system, designed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. and based on the Sun StorageTek SL8500 Modular Library, will give NCAR five times its current storage capacity, enabling it to generate increasingly sophisticated computer studies of Earth’s climate. Read More

The MechRC Megatron-esque robot

By Kyle Sherer

14:52 November 11, 2008 PST

Is this Megatron's love-child? The MechRC is a programmable, remote controlled robot with 17 independently controllable servos (points of articulation), each capable of up to 180 degrees of movement. This provides the bot with an extremely wide range of actions – and the database of 100 pre-programmed motions and sound can be expanded by using the included software to create new manoeuvres. Read More

A Model-T for the modern era

By Darren Quick

20:48 October 21, 2008 PDT

A century after the Model T put the world on wheels, Ford Motor Company has announced the winners of a global competition that challenged five universities to create a similarly revolutionary vehicle concept. The winner of the competition was Germany’s Aachen University's Institute of Automotive Engineering (ika), which took home the USD$25,000 in scholarship funds by developing a concept that met the requirements set by Ford: the vehicle had to be simple, lightweight, practical, and durable, offer a range of at least 125 miles, accommodate at least two passengers and be priced no more than $7,000. Read More

LifeVillage modular housing solution for remote communities

By Emily Clark

22:10 September 28, 2008 PDT

Designed to address the problem of access to critical utilities in remote areas and developing nations that lack the necessary infrastructure, Envision Solar's modular self-contained LifeVillage integrates clean power and water treatment into buildings and communities, no matter what the location. Read More

Flatshare Fridge could save big arguments

By Emily Clark

22:30 September 21, 2008 PDT

Anyone who’s ever lived in a share house knows the disappointment of finding their tasty leftovers devoured by a greedy roommate, only to have them deny all responsibility. This great idea dubbed the Flatshare Fridge is a concept designed to eliminate arguments by providing separate food storage spaces for each household member. Read More

modu: World’s lightest phone underpins new multimedia platform

By Noel McKeegan

18:25 March 25, 2008 PDT

March 26, 2008 The diminutive modu has taken the title of "World's lightest mobile phone" with the 40.1 g (1.41 oz) handset's claim made official by the Guinness World Records. Although it's a great talking point, the record is secondary to the innovation offered by the multi-tasking phone that will launch in Q4 this year. As the name suggests, modu is designed as a modular device that will be complemented by a range of "ecosystem partners" - interchangeable add-on enclosures that transform the appearance and user interface of the phone, as well as dedicated consumer electronics devices such as MP4 players, digital photo frames, car stereos and cameras that directly integrate the modu. In other words, modu is a mobile phone that also acts bit like a SIM card with a brain to form the basic building block in a potentially wide ranging personal communications and entertainment system. Read More

The EDAG LUV - a modular vehicle concept with maritime flair

By Mike Hanlon

March 2, 2007 As we previewed last month, EDAG’s latest concept car will be making its first appearance on March 6 in Geneva – the “EDAG LUV”. The design concept of the “LUV” is based on an luxury-class SUV and incorporates a maritime look from bow to stern: oiled teakwood on the hood, as the flooring on the interior, and on the elegant cargo area conveys a maritime flair. But the “EDAG LUV” is a real eye-catcher in other respects as well: the cargo area, behind the two rows of seats with plenty of room for 5 passengers, has been outfitted with teakwood and distinctly resembles a quarterdeck – in keeping with the maritime look of the concept car. Read More

Reactable - modular (audio) synthesis for everyone (at once!)

By Tim Hanlon

October 30, 2006 Reactable is a collaborative, tabletop, modular synthesizer developed at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. The team set out to develop an instrument that was intuitive enough for beginners to jump in without a manual, yet deep enough for musicians to use on stage. Ambitiously, they included the ability for multiple users to play the device simultaneously (both in person and remotely). The result just oozes the "I want one" factor, and has to be seen to be believed. The pictures simply cannot do this justice - check out the amazing videos of the device in use. Read More

The mobile modular bridge-building machine

By Mike Hanlon

October 24, 2006 Need a bridge? Like really urgently? The army often needs such a capability and when the need is great, there’s always a way. The PSB2 offers the latest generation of modular bridging capability combined with maximum mobility and minimum overall costs. The PSB2 is operated by a crew of two and can carry loads of military weight class MLC 70 for tracked vehicles and up to MLC 100 for wheeled vehicles. Thanks to an optronics observation, driving and range-finding system as well as an IR imager, laser and CCD camera, a bridge can be launched day or night under tank protection. The special advantage of the modular concept lies in the numerous bridging solutions that can be carried. The Rapid Bridge Launcher 2 carries three modules each 9.7m in length. Each individual module can overcome most obstacles, as statistics show that 80 percent of them are less than nine meters long. Read More

Fuel Cell Motorsport - silent, energy-efficient and modular

By Mike Hanlon

August 19, 2006 We love big ideas and this one is a ripper – a young and dynamic Dutch-based company named Formula Zero is setting up a new fuel cell race car class to help generate public enthusiasm, demonstrate the viability, and accelerate the uptake of emission-free transport. Now here’s the really clever bit – the intention is to construct a complete portable travelling circus a-la-Formula-One, which can be set up on any flat surface, complete with racetrack, grandstands, hospitality, pits, clean technology power and hydrogen generation and timing facilities. The 600 metre track will include seating for 1500 spectators and the races will be held in conjunction with major motor shows, motor racing events, international political summits, industrial fairs and events such as the Paris Air Show, Goodwood, Festival of speed, and the Michelin Challenge Bibendum. Six races will be held during 2008–09 with university teams competing from across the world. The aim is to start with go-karts on the smaller track and scale-up to full size fuel cell race cars on full race circuits as technology allows over the next decade, all under the auspices of the FIA. Formula Zero is seeking sponsors, host event partners and University teams interested in fielding a car and we think this is a winner. Read More

Modular Treehouse Concept

By Mike Hanlon

May 16, 2006 .There’s something primal about tree houses that enthralls children and returns adults to long lost afternoons filled with secret adventures. We’ve previously covered the exquisite designs of the English Treehouse designer-builders PearTree which include everything from custom-designs through two storey adult treehouses, home offices and even 30 seater conference suites (extensive image gallery of fabulous treehouses here) , and we’ve waxed lyrical about the Free Spirit Sphere, but this latest concept tree house from UK-based Design Studio Sybarite excited us to new levels. The company is developing a modular tree house concept which we think could become very popular. The ‘belly’ of the tree house accommodates undulating kinetic baffles that utilise wind power to generate electricity. The plan form also meanders to the extent that modular sections can be prefabricated so that the overall size can vary from a single bedroom house up to a five bedroom model. The prefabricated design can be installed on site within two weeks, is extremely lightweight, uses many recycled products, is part self-sustainable and low on maintenance. Sybarite has offices in Italy and China too – ring them up and tell them you want one (because we do). and make sure you check out the image library which has just been updated Read More

adidas shows first modular soccer boot

By Mike Hanlon

January 31, 2006 adidas unveiled a new soccer footwear concept late last week in Germany which could have far-reaching ramifications for the world's fashion footwear and sporting footwear industries. The boot is modular and will be known as the +F50 TUNIT. This new soccer boot concept allows players to customize, adapt and tune their boots to any weather, any pitch and their very own personal style. The revolutionary +F50 TUNIT is easily constructed from three interchangeable components: the upper, the chassis and the studs. Each component comes in a variety of styles and functions. Simply by mixing and matching their components of choice, each player can easily build and tune their boots. Read More