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Sensors
SmartHand brings movement AND touch to amputees
By Darren Quick
02:49 November 5, 2009 PST
Scientists have successfully wired a state-of-the-art artificial hand to existing nerve endings in the stump of a severed arm. Its creators say the device, called “SmartHand,” resembles a real hand in function, sensitivity and appearance. In order to develop such an intelligent artificial prosthetic hand with all the basic features displayed by a real one, the SmartHand team integrated recent advances in nanobioscience, cognitive neuroscience and information technologies. Read More
'Hyperspectral Remote Sensor' senses disasters from space
By Darren Quick
23:59 October 25, 2009 PDT
Combining sophisticated sensors in orbit with sensors on the ground and in the air has led researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) to create a “Hyperspectral Remote Sensor” (HRS) that can give advance warnings about water contamination after a forest fire, alert authorities of a pollution spill long before a red flag is raised on Earth, or inform the population where a monsoon will strike. Read More
Gel sensors to detect bomb chemicals and illegal drugs in seconds
By Jeff Salton
03:26 October 12, 2009 PDT
Sensors that quickly detect chemicals used to make bombs are being developed by scientists at Queen’s University, Belfast. The devices will use special gel pads to "swipe" a person or crime scene to gather a sample which is then analyzed by a scanning instrument that can detect the presence of chemicals within seconds, much quicker than current analysis methods. This will allow better, faster decisions to be made in response to terrorist threats. The team is also working on devices that detect illegal drugs and will hopefully be deployed by police as roadside drug "breathalyzers". Read More
Mouse 2.0: Microsoft's multi-touch mouse prototypes
05:01 October 10, 2009 PDT
It's been over forty years since the first computer mouse saw the light of day, and the fact that its basic design hasn't changed all that much is a testament to the original. But that doesn't mean there's no room for improvement. A group of researchers at Microsoft has come up with five new experimental designs that tie traditional mouse functionality to increasingly popular multi-touch technology on a single device. Read More
La Montre Verte: people-based environment monitoring
By Paul Ridden
14:43 October 6, 2009 PDT
A wrist-bound sensor that gathers information about pollution as the wearer walks about town was a surprise hit with visitors at a conservation festival in Amsterdam last month. La Montre Verte (The Green Watch) follows the example of similar projects in London, New York and San Francisco and puts ozone and noise pollution detection in, or rather on, the hands of citizens. Read More
SurroundSense uses your phone's sensors to figure out where you are
17:02 September 30, 2009 PDT
Smartphones use GPS locating for a variety of functions but mainly they're used on the road where their accuracy - only within 10m - is basically a case of 'near enough is good enough'. But try using one indoors. They don't work! Nor can they distinguish between two adjacent environments, however different. And 10m can make a big difference inside a shopping complex or multi-roomed office block. In a research jointly sponsored by Microsoft, Nokia, Verizon and the National Science Foundation, a group of computer engineers from Duke University is working on achieving better indoor localization using a combination of sounds, lighting and accelerometer data picked up by a mobile phone. They hope it will supplement the use of GPS systems, which most users know, have their limitations. Read More
DUSTBOT collaborative, multifunctional robots keep your town clean
20:14 September 23, 2009 PDT
A group of European companies and universities have collaborated to produce a series of multifunctional robots for urban hygiene tasks. With abilities ranging from door-to-door garbage pickup and transportation, to automated street cleaning, the DUSTBOTs recently demonstrated their skills at a station in the town of Atxuri, Portugal. Read More
LG’s Roboking robotic vacuum cleaner gets smarter
By Paul Lester
11:18 September 10, 2009 PDT
Ever since Electrolux introduced the couch-potato to the Tribolite, vacuum cleaner manufacturers have been coming up with progressively smarter, more efficient ways to automate this common chore. iRobot has been busy refining the Roomba and Dyson came up with something that looks more at home on the battlefield in the DC06, but this time it’s LG’s chance to get involved and the new Roboking promises intelligent cleaning using a range of advanced sensors. Read More
Robotic gaming gets on a roll
By Darren Quick
00:42 August 26, 2009 PDT
Robots have uses beyond packaging, production lines and the imminent overthrowing of humanity - or at least South African/U.S. start up Robonica thinks so. It’s aiming to ‘redefine the entertainment robotics market’ with a line of robotic gaming products that fuse elements of robotics, remote controlled vehicles and electronic gaming. The core of the Robonica’s introductory product, Roboni-i Action Games, is a fully programmable remote controlled robot with sensors that make it aware of its environment and that enable it to interact with other robots. Read More
Raytheon announces improved infrared detector
By Paul Ridden
18:41 August 17, 2009 PDT
Raytheon has announced the creation of the world's largest infra-red light wave detector, the "4K by 4K" focal plane array. Not only will it allow whole hemisphere satellite monitoring at 16 megapixel resolution but it should also make sensors less dependent on the complicated scanning mechanisms used in current systems. Read More
Tiny MEMS devices to filter, amplify electronic signals
By Jeff Salton
18:42 August 13, 2009 PDT
Researchers are developing a new class of tiny mechanical devices, made up of vibrating structures the thickness of a human hair, that could be used to filter electronic signals in cell phones and other applications. Only the size of a grain of sand, these microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) will, nonetheless, improve performance and reduce power usage. Read More
Virtual co-drivers will make trucks of the future safer
By Jeff Salton
06:55 August 4, 2009 PDT
Trucks of the future could be equipped with an on-board digital co-driver to help the human behind the wheel, or even take over if the driver loses control. The HAVEit project (short for Highly Automated Vehicles for Intelligent Transport) has 28 million euros (USD$40 million) at its disposal and is aiming to develop an intelligent driver assist system that responds to both traffic conditions and drivers' needs. Read More
Amphibious hybrid concept car - street machine to mean marine
By Jeff Salton
18:45 August 3, 2009 PDT
Despite the fact that very few make it off the drawing board to prototype stage, ‘go anywhere’ concept cars are an ever popular subject for budding auto designers and car lovers alike. And why not - they allow us to forget about the pesky practicalities of design and tiresome economics and imagine what could be. The latest to cross our desk - the Amphibious Hybrid concept vehicle - is a case of Bond meets the Transformers with its automatically adjusting tire design that morphs to ensure maximum grip on any given terrain including ice and water, where it becomes a kind of three wheel paddle boat. Read More
New driver-assist systems from Nissan help straighten out curvy roads
By Jeff Salton
19:07 July 31, 2009 PDT
We've been covering a raft of new technology from Nissan this week and one of the most interesting is its innovative assisted steering system, which synchronizes navigation, engine, braking and steering systems to help drivers make smoother (and safer) turns. By linking Nissan’s existing Distance Control Assist System to on-board navigation map data, the Navigation-Cooperative Intelligent Pedal can help the driver decelerate or brake as the car enters a curve based on real-time navigation information. Read More
Reality Mining: Tomorrow’s forecast predicts humanity’s needs
By Darren Quick
23:54 July 29, 2009 PDT
Researchers will one day be able to accurately predict such things as the economic and social effects of billions of new Internet users in China and India, or the exact location and number of airline flights to cancel around the world in order to halt the spread of a pandemic, says Indiana University’s Alessandro Vespignani. This capability will be possible thanks to “reality mining”, which involves the collection of data from machine-sensed sources to provide knowledge about aggregated human behavior. Read More
Interpreting sign language is just the beginning for the AcceleGlove open source dataglove
02:00 July 23, 2009 PDT
After years in the making, the AcceleGlove open source data glove is now available for purchase. Originally designed for use as an automated American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, the AcceleGlove can also be used for a host of other applications thanks to its open source Software Development Kit (SDK). Developers and hobbyists alike can adapt the glove for use in assistive technology, rehabilitation, robotics, video gaming, virtual reality or a computing input device to name a few. Read More
Canon announces new Hybrid Image Stablization technology
By Jeff Salton
01:41 July 23, 2009 PDT
Canon has developed optical image stabilization technology that compensates for angle camera shake and shift camera shake. The Hybrid Image Stabilizer (IS) technology will be incorporated in interchangeable single lens reflex (SLR) camera lens planned for commercial release before the end of 2009. The company says this is the first lens of its kind to incorporate technology that addresses both types of camera shake. Read More
Smart vehicle puts blind drivers behind the wheel
By Mick Webb
02:16 July 21, 2009 PDT
Recent technological developments are presenting increasing opportunities for blind and vision impaired people to interact with the world in ways not previously possible. However, many everyday acts we take for granted such as driving a car remain out of reach. That’s well on the way to changing thanks to a development by a team of students at the Virginia Tech University, who have designed a car that allows blind and visually impaired people to take the wheel and drive unassisted. Read More
MIT’s ‘flexible camera’ replaces lens with fiber web
By Alan Brandon
23:40 July 8, 2009 PDT
Imagine that instead of carrying a camera in your jacket pocket, your entire jacket was the camera. That is the promise of a new type of light-detecting fibers developed by researchers at MIT. The team from the Institute's Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE) has developed light-detecting fibers that, when woven into a web, act as a flexible “camera”. Fabric made from these fibers could be joined to a computer to create a large, foldable telescope or made into a soldier’s uniform to provide greater situational awareness. Read More
Oregon Scientific’s +ECO Clima Control solar powered weather station
By Darren Quick
01:36 July 8, 2009 PDT
Oregon Scientific’s solar powered +ECO Clima Control weather station allows users to monitor the temperature and humidity in up to four locations within the home and outdoors and includes weather predictions on the best time for the unit to soak up the sun’s rays. Read More
Robotic ferret to sniff out hidden drugs, weapons and people
03:25 June 15, 2009 PDT
It won’t be cuddly, but it’ll certainly be efficient. The University of Sheffield is developing what it calls a cargo-screening ferret that uses a combination of laser and fiber-optic technology to sniff out the tiniest traces of drugs, weapons, explosives and even illegal immigrants. Read More
Kawasaki set to debut night vision, helmet-mounted heads-up displays and collision avoidance technology
By Ben Purvis
20:10 June 7, 2009 PDT
KAWASAKI'S 1400 GTR is already one of the most technologically-advanced bikes on the planet – with variable valve timing, keyless ignition and tyre pressure sensors as standard – but the firm is preparing a whole new generation of ground breaking technology for the next-generation GTR. Heading up the technological onslaught comes a system that until now has been in the preserve of only the world's most expensive cars; night vision. 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
High-tech speed bumps detect damage to vehicles
By Darren Quick
20:36 April 28, 2009 PDT
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a system which can detect damage to critical suspension components simply by driving over a speed bump-like "diagnostic cleat". Designed to streamline vehicle maintenance in the military, the unit uses accelerometers to gather data on the condition of tires, wheel bearings and suspension components. Read More
Bionic penguins fly through water … and air
By Darren Quick
04:13 April 27, 2009 PDT
The latest example of biomimicry in robotics to cross our desk is from German electrical automation company Festo, which has used the shape of the acquatic, flightless bird to construct two different types of bionic penguins. The AquaPenguins use the bird's hydrodynamic body contours and wing propulsion to allow the robot to maneuver in cramped spaces, turn on the spot and, unlike their real-life counterparts, swim backwards. The larger helium-filled AirPenguins use the same principles to lift the usually flightless bird into the air. Read More
Jonathan Cole
- November 6, 2009 @ 16:15 UTC
