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Light Blue Opitcs (LBO) has won the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Innovation Awards 2010 prize for Product Design with its Light Touch interactive projector. The device uses an infra-red touch sensing system that transforms a projected image into a virtual 10-inch touch screen. It allows users to interact with multimedia content and applications by touching the image, which can be projected onto any flat surface.  Read More

It's time for our annual selection of the most coveted, clever and fun consumer tech products that you – or even better, a generous loved one – can get your hands on this Christmas. From wireless audio to actioncams and RC flyers, these are some of the items we'd like to be unwrapping this year.  Read More

Eurocopter is reporting a new breakthrough in the test flight program for its X3 high-speed, long-range Hybrid Helicopter demonstrator. The aircraft is equipped with two turboshaft engines that power a five-blade main rotor system and two propellers installed on short-span fixed wings, combining the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities and full hover flight capabilities of a helicopter with the fast cruise speeds of a turboprop-powered aircraft. On November 29, the X3 reached the program’s Step 1 speed objective by attaining a true airspeed of 180 knots (333 km/h or 207 mph) in level flight at a reduced engine power level.  Read More

Ford Australia has released the first image of its new-look Territory SUV, set for release in 2011 along with what Ford promises will be an "unprecedented new-model onslaught." The SUV design is based on Ford's kinetic design language, and is expected to be a strong indication of the Ford Escape concept due to be shown in January at NAIAS.  Read More

For many people, learning to play guitar is only half the battle. Once you've mastered the basics and maybe even developed your own style, you need a sound to set you apart from the rest. There are numerous amp and effects pedal combinations that can help in this regard, but swapping out the pickups on that cheap guitar for better quality ones can add a whole new dimension to the way the instrument sounds. Seymour Duncan has introduced a new system that not only helps guitar technicians to swap out pickups in record time, but also means that bedroom guitarists needn't become a skilled soldering iron operator. All you need is a couple of screwdrivers, and maybe a pair of tweezers.  Read More

Because battery technology hasn’t developed as quickly as the electronic devices they power, a greater and greater percentage of the volume of these devices is taken up by the batteries needed to keep them running. Now a team of researchers working at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) is claiming to have created the world’s smallest battery, and although the tiny battery won’t be powering next year’s mobile phones, it has already provided insights into how batteries work and should enable the development of smaller and more efficient batteries in the future.  Read More

On December 7, renewable energy advocate Tom Weis concluded a 10-week ride across America in his pedal-powered hybrid electric-assist “Rocket Trike." He collected opinions and signatures from people on “Main Street, USA” in support of a 100 percent green electricity grid by 2020 to present to key members of congress, the President and First Lady.  Read More

San Francisco Bay Area resident Olivier Chalouhi has become the first person in the world to take delivery of a Nissan LEAF all-electric vehicle. At a special presentation on Saturday at North Bay Nissan of Petaluma in California, Chalouhi, a 31-year-old Silicon Valley entrepreneur who was the first person in the U.S. to place a LEAF order, took possession of a black LEAF SL in what Nissan described as an historic event representing “the first delivery of an affordable, mass-market, all-electric car since the first days of the automotive era.”  Read More

The latest test of Horizon Energy System's AEROPAK fuel cell power system has seen it fitted aboard an Elbit Systems Skylark I-LE UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) and put through its paces. Although the AEROPAK has been put to the test in other UAS aircraft, the official test flight recently carried out in Israel marked the first time a fully operational system using the AEROPAK - including take-off and recovery with an operational payload integrated onboard - has been tested.  Read More