Energy is one of those things that everybody seems to be just a little bit short of. That’s why half of humanity is addicted to coffee, and also why we get understandably excited when we hear about new technology that is able to suck the energy out of everyday life. Hmm, that came out wrong… And yet, that’s exactly what Yael Miller’s Kineticel concept is designed to do. Kineticel captures energy from moving things (through normal daily activities) via piezoelectricity, and stores it in batteries for later use. It’s just a concept, so none of the engineering has been worked out, but DARPA is already using this sort of tech to power wearable sensors.
Of course, there’s no such thing as free energy (Steorn be damned). So, if you hook up a Kineticel to a baby swing, you’re going to have to push it just a little bit harder. Although the designer suggests using Kineticels to sap electricity from electrically powered things like vacuums, the most effective use for this technology is probably to hook it up to things that are human powered, since we’re pretty efficient energy producers (in that we run on carrots and stuff). So for example, you could lift weights, and the weights would generate electricity from being lifted.
Kineticel was submitted to Metropolis magazine’s 2007 Next Generation competition which was all about integrating piezoelectric energy generation into everyday life; you can check out some of the other entries in this article.
Sometimes it takes videos like this to really drive home the fact that the atmosphere is really just a big gas ocean, that displays basically the same physical properties as a liquid ocean. Festo took this concept to heart when they designed the Air_ray, a remote controlled blimp that swims through the air just like a manta ray. The blimp is filled with helium, making it buoyant, and contains servos which flap its wings, propelling it through the air and allowing it to maneuver. It also seems to have a movable tail to control pitch. Overall, it makes for a very organic form of propulsion; click on for a soothing video of the Air-ray flapping around. Read the rest of this entry »
Walls. They’re so boring. And they’re everywhere. HypoSurface smashes through the, uh, fourth wall with a shape changing, interactive surface. Using interlocking flexible panels activated by compressed air from behind the wall, HypoSurface can create three dimensional waves, patterns, images, and even words by moving the flexible panels in sync. Software allows the wall to react to sound or movement, and… Well, just watch the video:
You can lease one of these; it comes with everything you need to get it up and running (including a technician). They don’t say how much it costs, but it would probably cheaper to just stare at a normal wall while you’re really, really drunk [Yes... drunk... -Ed.] (and listening to Pink Floyd).
With kids all across the country feeling the pinch as time to return to school draws near, parents are ready to start getting the high tech goodies kids need to make learning more fun.
Leap Frog is better known to me as the maker of toys for toddlers that teach sounds and letters. However, Leap Frog has a device called the FLY Fusion Pentop computer that is aimed at kids in middle school and high school.
The digital pen has been updated with four times the memory of the original FLY fusion, better PC connectivity (no Mac compatibility), MP3 player and an expandable Spanish translator. I can’t see many schools allowing the FLY Fusion to be used in class. It seems like it could be used for cheating, plus the instructions say don’t drop the pen frequently making me think it’s not very durable. The FLY Fusion is available now for $79.99 the pen also has a number of available software titles to expand its abilities.
Digital Beverages MyFountain is an automated bartender. Which means that it’s really a glorified touchscreen with spigots that serves drinks with a minimal amount of human contact. It sits upon its pedestal-refrigerator, which conveniently holds 12 types of booze, a waterline and a carbon-dioxide cartridge (and the possibility to include name brand soda, in the future) and serves your vice-sauce up at the push of a button. As it mocks us lowly people. But at least it won’t steal my tips, right?
It also is linked up to a computer, so you can create personalized drinks and drink lists. It’s the future of drinking and sinning. But the future doesn’t come cheap, you know. The future starts from $2,575 and is available online, though it will be also be in certain stores in spring 2008.
Running around in virtual reality has always been a problem, since it’s pretty hard to physically move anywhere while you’re standing in a room and hooked up to a computer. VirtueSphere took a stab at the problem with a giant ball on rollers, but the Omni-Directional Treadmill (ODT) is a much more elegant (and, let’s face it, way cooler) solution. As you can see from the video above, the ODT allows you to move continuously in any direction (even sideways or backwards), and the current version will handle jogging speeds. It uses a bunch of little treadmills moving in one direction, all mounted on one large treadmill that moves orthogonally. It may not surprise you to hear that the US Army has dibs on all of the current versions, but the designers envision all sorts of applications, of which gaming is at the top (yes, top) of their list.
It’s only been, what, about six years since 3.5″ floppy disks were the epitome of non-volatile rewritable memory? Flash memory changed everything for the oh so much better, but if Samsung (and Intel) have their way, we’re going to be seeing a new type of memory as soon as next year. It’s called phase-change memory, or PRAM. Made from the same materials as rewritable CDs and DVDs, PRAM stores bits (the equivalent of 1s and 0s) by changing a glass alloy between crystalline and amorphous states with the application of heat.
Compared to flash, PRAM writes about 500 times faster while using half the power, is 1000 times more durable, and can be packed into a much denser area. PRAM also has significantly higher radiation resistance for those of you who work in nuclear power plants or outer space. So what’s the downside? Well, although it’s actually simpler to manufacture (in general) than flash, PRAM can’t be soldered after being programmed since it’s sensitive to high temperatures. This means that manufacturers are going to have to add a method of programming the PRAM after it’s been soldered to a circuit board. PRAM also requires a higher writing voltage than flash does.
My guess is that, due to the obvious advantages, PRAM is going to start replacing flash in the same way that flash is now replacing magnetic storage. It’s not gonna be quick, but it’s probably inevitable. There’s no information on pricing or availability of the first production units, but it’s rumored that we could start seeing some of this technology become available by 2008.
Developed for Homeland Security, this brand new flashlight uses a series of oscillating LEDs to induce nausea and eventual vomiting. It is designed by Intelligent Optical Systems as part of a push for nonlethal weaponry. The flashlight works by first flashing extremely brightly and then flickering a series of bright LEDs, filtering through several colors and brightnesses to create “psychophysical effects.” The desired results is to first blind you, then induce feelings of nausea and vertigo, eventually ending in compulsive vomiting. Fun stuff indeed. Of course, one drawback to this is that the flashlight is easily countered by closing your eyes, looking away and/or wearing tinted sunglasses. Also noteworthy is the adverse effect it could have on those with epilepsy or similar conditions; the oscillating light could trigger dangerous and violent seizures in some.
It is currently not on the market, although Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc. intends to start testing this product on volunteers at PENN state. The ultimate intent of all this is to have urban police, border-security agents, and the National Guard be armed with the new flashlight by 2010.
Aerogel is some damn cool stuff. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s the least dense solid material ever, made up of 99.98% air. The remaining 0.02% is made from silica, but there’s so little physical material in there that aerogel is practically invisible. It’s also hard to produce and mildly expensive, with all the large pieces going straight to NASA… In other words, it’s a poor geek’s diamond. It makes sense, then, that aerogel is being turned into premium jewelry. Here is the part that does NOT make sense:
“FusionX aerogel pendants consist of a 3mm pure Aerogel core that is fused inside a hand wound helix silver casing. The Aerogel-filled helix casing is sealed inside the precision cut, strong borosilicate clear glass casing, then the complete Aerogel assembly is hermetically sealed inside silver-over-titanium end caps for added strength and long lasting, waterproof durability.”
Yep, your totally cool sample of aerogel is fused inside the pendant. And then sealed. And then hermetically sealed. You can’t take it out and play with it, and you’ll be hard pressed to impress anyone with something that they can neither touch nor see. $38, available in 8 different colors.
If you want some aerogel of your own to actually play with, it’s available in a few places for a reasonable price. Small vials of fingernail sized aerogel chunks cost $25 from United Nuclear, and it’s absolutely worth buying yourself a sample.
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Compared to flash, PRAM writes about 500 times faster while using half the power, is 1000 times more durable, and can be packed into a much denser area. PRAM also has significantly higher radiation resistance for those of you who work in nuclear power plants or outer space. So what’s the downside? Well, although it’s actually simpler to manufacture (in general) than flash, PRAM can’t be soldered after being programmed since it’s sensitive to high temperatures. This means that manufacturers are going to have to add a method of programming the PRAM after it’s been soldered to a circuit board. PRAM also requires a higher writing voltage than flash does.
