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Prototype
Feed me Seymour: The flesh-eating robotic clock
By Darren Quick
20:07 July 1, 2009 PDT
Giving robots a taste for flesh might not seem like a great idea given that they’re probably going to rise up and enslave us in the next few decades. But that’s just what a couple of UK-based designers have done with their prototype flesh-eating robotic clock. Read More
‘Go anywhere’ amphibious vehicle might go under
By Jeff Salton
00:38 June 30, 2009 PDT
Fed up with your Ferrari? Lamborghini a bit lame? Rarely get a reason to take your dinghy out of the shed? Haven’t scared the neighbors for a while? If you've answered yes to at least three of these questions, then the Scamander RRV could be just what you’re looking for. Before his death in June this year, former-TVR owner Peter Wheeler built the Scamander RRV (rapid response vehicle), a car that could drive on track, off-road or even on the water, all while carrying four people. Read More
Dean Kamen developing eco hybrid that will run on anything that burns
By Ben Purvis
20:19 June 28, 2009 PDT
Dean Kamen – the multimillionaire inventor behind the Segway personal transporter – is well down the road in the development of a new bike that combines electric power and a radical generator which will allow it to burn almost any fuel. Although the majority of the work that goes on in Kamen's product development company, Deka, is shrouded in mystery, as it includes significant projects for the US military, details are emerging about Kamen's new two-wheeler, which is part of a project that also includes a car designed around the same technology. Read More
Mini OLED projector prototype for mobile phones
By Darren Quick
03:42 June 26, 2009 PDT
A new mini projector prototype could see mobile phone users hosting impromptu movie screenings on makeshift screens such as white towels or walls... without killing the battery. Unlike conventional projectors the prototype doesn’t need an additional illumination system. Instead it relies on a lens system to project images produced by an OLED onto a wall or other flat surface. Read More
Pop-up buttons the future of touchscreens?
By Mick Webb
19:47 June 23, 2009 PDT
“Eyes-free” mobile phone dialing may be a not-too-distant reality. Hot on the heels of Google recently announcing its experimental Android powered interface comes this prototype from Carnegie Mellon University featuring pop-out buttons on a touch-screen which allow you to tap away without keeping a close eye on the screen. Read More
LG entering OLED-TV market
By Darren Quick
02:19 June 19, 2009 PDT
The OLED TV market is ever so slowly heating up with the announcement from LG that it will launch a 15-inch OLED TV in the Korean market at the end of the year. LG first revealed a prototype 15-inch OLED TV at CES 2009 in January where it impressed with the incredible contrast and 0.8mm thin profile that OLED technology provides. Read More
Meals on the go: Heinz USB powered mini-microwave
By Paul Ridden
18:33 June 16, 2009 PDT
Heinz, famous the world over for its ketchup and baked beans, claims to have come up with a quick and easy solution for the legions of stressed out workers who are missing out on meals because they are tied to their desks. A portable microwave oven amusingly called the Beanzawave might not sound that impressive, but add its miniature dimensions and USB connectivity to the mix then this could be a recipe for success. Read More
Handheld weapon detector promises safer street searches
By Darren Quick
23:57 June 10, 2009 PDT
Recent advances in body scanning technology such as the BodySearch personnel inspection system might be fine for airports, but are a bit too big to be an option for cops on the beat who are forced to identify criminals carrying guns and knives the old fashioned way. A prototype scanner developed by British scientists could free police from the time-consuming and often dangerous practice of stop and search by using electro magnetic waves in order to pick up ‘reflections’ from concealed guns, gun barrels or knives without the need to be close to the subject. Read More
PC-in-a-vase does compute
By Darren Quick
02:40 June 4, 2009 PDT
Here at Gizmag we've covered some unusual gadgets over the years, but a computer hidden in a vase? What at first might sound like a joke, actually makes sense when you consider the once-humble PC is arguably more at home in the living room than the study as digital content and media have grown. Computer manufacturers have obliged by producing PCs designed to blend tastefully with the décor – but none of them blend as seamlessly as the PC-in–a-vase from Taiwanese manufacturer ECS. Read More
Sony goes into battle with its motion controller for PS3
By Paul Best
01:21 June 4, 2009 PDT
A day after Microsoft took the wraps on its Project Natal motion control system at the E3 expo in Las Vegas, Sony Computer Entertainment has followed suit, showing off its own motion controller prototype for the PlayStation 3. And while the announcements have been popularly characterized as something of a “controller wars”, they're really a signpost pointing the way gaming has been heading since Nintendo stole the show with its Wii motion-sensing game console in 2006 – the need to capture the hearts and minds of the growing gaming audience, especially the moms, dads and similar less hardcore gamers. Read More
Microsoft shows off Project Natal motion-sensing control
By Darren Quick
00:58 June 3, 2009 PDT
“You are the controller.” No, it’s not some new Zen proverb for gamers, it’s how Microsoft describes its new motion-sensing, controller-free technology code-named Project Natal. Following details leaked a few weeks ago when the US patent office released documents, Microsoft has given a demonstration of the technology that looks and behaves a little like a Sony PlayStation Eye on some serious steroids. Read More
Electric Dreams – first ride impressions of the TTX01 electric superbike
By Mike Hanlon
03:16 June 1, 2009 PDT
In less than a fortnight (June 12), the world will witness the FIRST clean emissions Grand Prix. Known as the TTX GP, the race represents history in the making - the modern day equivalent of the landmark Paris-Rouen Horseless Carriage Competition (Concours des Voitures sans Chevaux) of 1894. The winning bike and its rider, will claim an eternal place in the history books. In the build up to the race, TTX GP founder Azhar Hussein built a demonstrator electric superbike based around a Suzuki GSX 750 and dubbed it the TTX01. It's the first prototype of what he hopes will become a production motorcycle within a year or three. Long-time motorcycle writer Stuart Barker journeyed to the Isle of Man to become one of the first people in the world to sample the battery-powered TTX01 and his impressions are our first glimpse into the future of motorcycling. Stuart discovered that riding a silent motorcycle is an eerie experience, but not completely devoid of fun. Welcome to the future! Read More
Green energy charger ready and pumped for UK's biggest music festival
By Paul Best
23:30 May 26, 2009 PDT
Mobile operator Orange and renewable energy specialists GotWind know they’ve hit on a good, marketable idea. The companies have joined forces for a third consecutive year to showcase their outdoor charging solution at next month's Glastonbury Festival, the United Kingdom’s largest and hippest open-air music bash. This year Orange has unveiled a mobile phone charger prototype it’s calling the Orange Power Pump. By treading on what is essentially a standard camping air foot-pump, the kinetic energy created drives a small turbine inside the Power Pump. The energy is converted into electrical current, which recharges the mobile phone. The idea is not only simple, it cleverly encourages you to dance and charge your mobile at the same time. Read More
USB 3.0: can’t we all just get along – yes, apparently
By Darren Quick
23:21 May 25, 2009 PDT
The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has demonstrated interoperability between prototype hosts and devices from multiple companies at the SuperSpeed USB Developers Conference in Tokyo. The somewhat unsurprising news that the next-generation of USB devices from multiple companies should play nicely together is the latest step towards making USB 3.0 - which will deliver transfer rates ten times faster than USB 2.0 - a commercial reality. Read More
Will the stars align for Scuderi's high-efficiency split-cycle engine?
By Loz Blain
01:00 May 25, 2009 PDT
For more than 100 years people have been trying to come up with an engine design to supercede Nicolaus Otto's four-stroke internal combustion motor. Scuderi is the latest to take a stab, recently unveiling a prototype of a split-cycle engine that relegates the "suck" and "squeeze" strokes to one cylinder, and the "bang" and "blow" strokes to another - for a claimed efficiency improvement of up to 50%, emission reductions of up to 80% and a power density improvement of up to 70%. Meanwhile, it's also able to store large amounts of compressed air, allowing it to run as an air/petrol hybrid when cruising. President Obama's new national efficiency standards represent an opportunity for groups like Scuderi to pitch clever clean engine technology to major manufacturers - but has the split cycle engine got what it takes? Read More
New technology could lead to 50% increase in tire recycling
By Karen Sprey
17:15 May 10, 2009 PDT
A new method of recycling old tires to produce high-quality rubber powders for making new rubber products is being developed in Australia. Its developers say it is energy-efficient, economically viable and environmentally responsible, and they hope it will result in 50 per cent more tires being recycled. Read More
Researchers develop smart monitoring device for brain injury
By Darren Quick
01:41 May 8, 2009 PDT
A multi-purpose “lab on a tube” developed by Engineers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) could provide significant advance in the treatment of traumatic brain injury. A serious knock on the head results in not only the initial damage, but a second wave of injury caused by swelling and lack of oxygen among other factors. Currently, the status of these injuries can only be intermittently examined, but the “lab on a tube” gives medicos the capability to continuously monitor crucial physiological characteristics. Read More
Panasonic shows slimline prototype plasmas
By Darren Quick
01:58 May 1, 2009 PDT
Panasonic is giving Australian consumers a glimpse of future plasma display technologies first showcased at CES 2009. The two 50-inch prototype plasma TVs demonstrate next generation improvements to materials and processes, cell design, and circuit and drive technology, resulting in less energy consumption and twice the luminous efficiency of earlier models, all in an ultra-thin 8.8mm thick package. Read More
Panasonic climbs aboard Hollywood's 3D roller coaster
By Darren Quick
01:21 April 29, 2009 PDT
While the popularity of 3D movies has had more ups and downs than a roller coaster, the technology is experiencing a resurgence in popularity with Hollywood scrambling to generate more 3D content. The latest manufacturer taking the ride up is Panasonic. The electronics giant has announced it will start developing a professional 3D Full HD production system consisting of a twin-lens P2 professional camera recorder and a 3D-compatible High Definition Plasma display. Read More
Greener computers talk in their sleep
By Darren Quick
23:48 April 27, 2009 PDT
Computers are often left running so they stay connected to a network or the Internet – be it to ensure remote access, availability for virus scans and backup, maintaining presence on instant messaging (IM) or voice-over-IP (VoIP) networks, or for file sharing and downloading. Although such tasks mean the PCs are relatively idle, they remain in awake mode and draw more power than they really need. Now computer scientists at UC San Diego and Microsoft Research have created a plug-and-play hardware prototype for personal computers that induces a new energy saving state known as "sleep talking", which provides much of the energy savings of sleep mode and some of the network-and-Internet-connected convenience of awake mode. Read More
Scarpar's 60kmh all-terrain twin-tracked Powerboard
By Loz Blain
17:02 April 26, 2009 PDT
It's rare that you see a whole new segment open up in personal mobility - and this one looks like an absolute cracker. The Scarpar Powerboard is an off-road powered skateboard capable of taking on pretty much any terrain other than water. An electric or 4-stroke petrol engine powers two articulated tank-style tracks up to a terrifying 60kmh, using a hand control for acceleration and braking. Mud, grass, sand, snow - the Scarpar is capable of driving over just about anything, including rock piles and even fallen logs. Calling venture capitalists - get this thing to market! Read More
New virus-built battery could power cars, electronic devices
By Darren Quick
22:22 April 22, 2009 PDT
Be they biological or computer, viruses generally get a pretty bad rap - what with their reputation for infection, reproduction and disease it’s not surprising that their name is actually Latin for toxin or poison. But it's not all bad press - for example geneticists harness viruses to further the study of cell biology and they also hold much potential in the emerging field of nanotechnology where their size, shape and well-defined chemical structure has led to them being used as templates for organizing materials on the nanoscale. Now MIT researchers have turned viruses to the task of building a battery – and they’ve succeeded. Read More
The Airnimal folding bike suitcase that becomes a bike trailer
By Mike Hanlon
17:08 April 18, 2009 PDT
April 19, 2009 There are more than 130 folding bike manufacturers and all of them produce bicycles designed as supplementary transport – designed to be carried in a vehicle for last mile transport, or on a train, plane, boat or bus as ground transport on arrival. Accordingly, most come with their own carry bag, but the latest prototype concept from Airnimal promises a new level of functionality. The concept involves the hard carry case doubling as a bike trailer with a significant carrying capacity. It's a perfect solution for the traveller … almost. We'd like to see another suitcase which clips onto the trailer so you can carry your other stuff. Read More
US$70,000 pedal-powered submarine for two
By Darren Quick
21:36 April 16, 2009 PDT
For most of us, the world deep below the ocean’s surface remains a place we have only had the pleasure to experience vicariously, primarily through watching nature documentaries. It's not as if we can just hop in a submarine and go take a look. Well, perhaps we can, if a Russian company's plan to market a two-seater submarine driven by pedal power to the tourist industry is successful. The new underwater vehicle (UV) from Marine Innovation Technologies (MIT) will not only be cheaper to buy and run than existing submersibles, it will be simpler to operate, requiring no special training or expertise. 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
Celeste H Calabro
- July 5, 2009 @ 22:20 UTC
