Remote

Logitech has just revealed its latest universal remote, the Harmony Touch. It marks the first big shift in the company's Harmony remotes in quite some time, and is designed to simplify some of the complicated controls that came with previous models.  Read More

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) have attracted a lot of attention as a result of their use in Iraq and Afghanistan, but IEDs are used by guerillas and terrorist groups in many parts of the world, including Colombia. Being sensitive to the problem of IEDs, two Colombian doctoral students from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) set about looking for a way to explode such devices at a distance. In collaboration with two Colombian Universities the EPFL students developed a device that can explode IEDs remotely by using energy from their electromagnetic impulses.  Read More

With the Okii Systems USB Follow Focus, photographers and videographers can remotely control their Canon EOS HD DSLRs. The compact remote device uses Canon’s built-in USB capability to operate many camera functions including focus (even while recording video), record start/stop, shutter release, and more. Built in a rugged, compact case, the Okii USB Follow Focus eliminates the need for a bulky mechanical setup or being tethered to a computer.  Read More

The new era in gaming which began when Wii remotes started showing up in living rooms just four years ago is about to be taken to the next level. That’s because Microsoft has premiered its Kinect for Xbox 360 – a motion control system that allows players to take part in full-body physically-interactive games without the use of any remote. First coming to light a year ago under the code name Project Natal, it utilizes a CMOS camera, infrared projector and multi-array microphone to track the movements and voices of players. Kinect is set for release later this year.  Read More

Hoping to capitalize on over-protective pet owners (like myself!), Softbank is rolling out its innovative – and admittedly cute – Mimamori Camera. This clever pet monitoring system allows you to keep tabs on your pet remotely via your mobile phone, all in real time using a Japanese handset's 'TV call' function.  Read More

Redrock Microsystems, a manufacturer of cinema-quality camera accessories for digital filmmakers, has unveiled its new MicroRemote focus control system for use on DV and HD DSLR cameras. The wireless system includes an iPhone-compatible remote control unit, base station, motorized focus ring, and a sonar rangefinder.  Read More

With it's rapidly aging population, few countries stand to gain as much from developments in the remote monitoring of bio-signals as Japan. As a culture that reveres the elderly it's likely that the Japanese will be one of the countries leading the charge in the growing field of bio-signal telemetry. Just one example is the HRS-I, or the human recorder system, that gathers health-related information and transmits it wirelessly to a mobile phone or PC.  Read More

Today’s projectors are great at bringing to life big screen movies in the home or creating large visual point-of-sale displays for the general public in retail environments. However, a couple of downsides to projectors are the noise the fans inside them make as they cool the lamp, and then there’s the difficulty in changing a blown lamp because of inaccessibility to the unit (which usually means balancing on a ladder with your head pressed against the ceiling. Norwegian projector manufacturer Projectiondesign has created the FR12 Remote Light Source (RLS) projector – launched at Integrated Systems Europe 2010 (Feb 2-4) - which relocates the lamp from the projector to a rack-mount enclosure up to 30m from the projector head. Light from the RLS illuminates the projector head via an innovative Liquid Light Guide (LLG) lead.  Read More

Currently, your iPod might have your favorite songs personalized the way you like them and your laptop might be customized with your own homepage material. But what about your shower or bath? Do they know what you like? An easy-to-use interface for your bathroom is now available from Moen that gives you the ability to set and maintain water temperature, levels and flow with electronic precision – even remotely. The ioDIGITAL is available for three Moen products: the vertical spa, shower and Roman tub.  Read More