Author: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine

In their quest to be the first to trigger a nuclear fusion reaction using lasers scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have delivered more than one megajoule of laser energy to a target. The peak power of the laser light, which was delivered within a few billionths of a second, was about 500 times that used by the United States at any given time and demonstrates the target drive conditions required to achieve fusion ignition…

Tags: Energy,
Fusion,
Hydrogen,
Laser,
Nuclear,
Record

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While many environmentalists hope that we can eventually have a paperless office, one company in Japan has developed a machine that shreds paper and then converts the waste into readily usable toilet paper. ..

Tags: Environmental,
green,
Japan,
Paper

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• No-touch toilet tissue dispenser
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Wacom has set professional digital doodlers free with its updated Intuos4 professional pen tablet now featuring Bluetooth wireless technology. Wacom says removing the USB cable shackles makes the Intuos4 Wireless an ideal choice for collaborative work sessions, client presentations or use in a seminar setting such as an art class or photography seminar…

Tags: Bluetooth,
Digital,
Tablet,
Wacom,
Wireless

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• New software promises 25% productivity increase for estimators

Honda has begun work on a smaller solar hydrogen station prototype intended for use as a home refueling appliance. Capable of an overnight refill of fuel cell electric vehicles it is designed to be a single, integrated unit that will fit in the user’s garage. Honda’s next generation Solar Hydrogen Station, though not as big as the previous systems, will still produce enough hydrogen (0.5kg) via an eight-hour overnight fill for daily commuting (10,000 miles per year) for a fuel cell electric vehicle…

Tags: Electric vehicle,
Fuel Cell,
Honda,
Hydrogen,
Solar,
Sustainable

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• Honda’s next gen solar-powered hydrogen fuel cell station for home use
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• World’s most cost-efficient hydrogen fuel cell car on sale today
• Another first for Honda’s Fuel Cell Car

While it might not be ideal for fighting apparitions of the dearly departed, Microsoft claims its latest keyboard boasts the most advanced anti-ghosting technology ever to grace a keyboard. The ghosting being referred to is when multiple keys are pressed on a keyboard simultaneously result in the incorrect key signal being sent to the PC, or some of the key presses being ignored altogether. To combat this Microsoft’s SideWinder X4 Keyboard can detect up to 26 key presses at once, which is sure to appeal to hard-core gamers and 26 fingered typists alike…

Tags: Game,
Keyboard,
Microsoft

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Making oneself heard over the roar of a motorcycle engine can be difficult at the best of times. But being heard over the roar of a motorcycle engine when tearing down the highway with your head encased in a helmet is downright impossible. Naturally technology has come to the rescue in the form of Bluetooth enabled helmets and helmet-to-helmet communication systems. The latest solution to keep chatty bikers happy is the scala rider G4 bike-to-bike Bluetooth headset that offers group intercom between up to three riders at distances of up to one mile (1.6km)…

Tags: Bluetooth,
GPS,
Helmet,
Microphone,
Mobile Phone,
Motorcycle,
MP3,
Speakers

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They say life imitates art, but any scientist knows that the best designs imitate life. Researchers from the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) are drawing new biomimicry inspiration for body armor design from a hardy ocean snail that boasts a shell structure unlike anything else seen in nature… or in material research labs.
..

Tags: Armor,
Biomimicry,
Design,
Military,
Nano,
protect,
Structure

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If you’re claustrophobic you probably want to spend as little time as possible in an elevator. Therefore, sufferers will no doubt rejoice at the news that Hitachi is undertaking to create the largest high-speed, high-capacity people-movers by completing the world’s tallest elevator research tower (213m). Named the “G1Tower”, it will reside at the company’s elevator R&D and manufacturing base in Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, and is due for completion in April this year. Prior to this, the company used a 90m tower built in 1967 for its research. Hitachi says it will use the new tower to conduct verification tests on the world’s fastest elevator, which has an ear-popping rated speed of 1,080m/min (40.26mph)…

Tags: Elevator,
Fastest,
Hitachi,
Japan,
Research

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When did baby strollers get so high-tech? The Origami stroller power-folds itself open and shut at the touch of a button and has a built-in generator that charges the battery with every step you take. You can even choose to add options like powered speakers for your MP3 player, daytime running lights, or an adapter to charge your mobile phone. You want more features? Well read on…..

Tags: Baby,
Compact,
Folding,
Stroller

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For home theater enthusiasts or gamers who enjoy the deep thud of a good subwoofer but want a little more “jolt” without the extra noise, Earthquake Sound Corp. has added to its range of tactile transducers with the Q10B and MQB-1 that, when fitted to a theater chair or platform, can virtually loosen your fillings. Along with visualizing and hearing, low frequency sound adds a third sense which brings people further into the realm of virtual reality of movies and games. ..

Tags: Amplifiers,
Chair,
Earthquake,
Frequency,
Gaming,
Loudspeaker,
Speakers,
Subwoofer,
Tactile,
Transducer

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Concrete seems pretty inoffensive. It just looks like mud, and appears to do nothing except sit there and harden. The fact is, though, concrete is the world’s third-largest source of man-made carbon dioxide. Its production process accounts for at least 5% of the CO2 our species pumps into the atmosphere annually. Apparently, however, it doesn’t have to be that way. Two companies are now using different technologies that not only make concrete carbon-neutral, they actually make it carbon-negative…

Tags: Carbon,
Concrete,
Emissions,
green

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• New waste management design mimics the human respiratory system
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• Waterproof, recyclable concrete – just add Hycrete

Stopping weapons from falling into the wrong hands is a major problem for law enforcement agencies all over the world. But if keeping weapons out of the clutches of the criminal element proves too difficult, the next best thing is ensuring that such weapons can’t be used if they do. That’s just what the Armatix SmartGun concept does by disabling the pistol unless it’s in the hands of someone wearing a custom wristwatch that sends a signal to arm the gun…

Tags: Concept,
Fingerprint,
Law Enforcement,
Watch,
Weapon,
Weapons,
Wristwatch

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An archeological find of some magnitude went under the hammer this week, when a rusted 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia that has spent the last three quarters of a century at the bottom of a lake in North Italy was auctioned. When found and raised, it validated a legend that had circulated for 70 years. Mercifully, it will not be restored, but will live on in an American museum in its partially reclaimed glory as living proof of the craftsmanship of the era in general, and the Bugatti marque in particular. The Italian legend fetched a staggering EUR 260,500 – US$360,000. They do not make ’em like this any more…

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This week, Loz Blain and Mike Hanlon agree to disagree on the upcoming iPad, we take a look at a couple of upcoming stories on next-gen sex toys, check out the Metal Storm virtual minefield and look at how Thailand is moving to prevent petrol fraud…

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Are you sick and tired of spending valuable time commuting to work and enduring peak-hour traffic and road rage? Well now that most people have access to mobile phones, email, video conferencing and the Internet – the dream of trading in an office job for working from home can become a reality. However, separating work from home life can sometimes be difficult. That’s where the Pod comes in – it might look like an enormous coconut has landed in your garden, but this is a unique garden office that is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, plus it gives you a designated space in which to work. ..

Tags: Architecture,
Building,
Eco-friendly,
Energy,
Office,
Prefabricated,
Workplace

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It seems that Sir Richard Branson’s quest to conquer unexplored frontiers isn’t limited to space tourism.The Virgin boss’s latest acquisition is a DeepFlight three-person aero submarine that “flies” through the briny deep using the positive buoyancy system developed by Graham Hawkes. Christened Necker Nymph, the flying sub will find a home on Branson’s 74 acre private island in the British Virgin Islands where it will launch from shore as well as operating from the luxury 105 foot catamaran Necker Belle – just add a quiet US$25,000 to the weekly hire price tag…

Tags: Luxury,
Marine,
Sir Richard Branson,
Space Tourism,
Tourism,
Underwater

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Just as people with sight in only one eye have problems with depth perception, those with impaired hearing in one ear, known as unilateral hearing loss (UHL) or single-sided deafness (SSD), face difficulty in localizing sound. Addressing the problem with a hearing aid worn in the mouth might not sound like a logical solution, but that’s just what medical device company Sonitus Medical is doing with SoundBite – a hearing system that transmits sound to the inner ear via the teeth…

Tags: Bone Conduction,
Hearing Aid,
Medical,
Microphone,
Rechargeable,
Sound,
Wireless

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Touchscreens found in most mobile devices today use capacitance or resistance technology – fine for detecting input from a finger, but not so great when it comes to detecting how much pressure that finger is applying. However, this limitation could be about to change with news that Japanese touch screen manufacturer, Nissha, has licensed new technology that allows a touchscreen to detect pressure, even from a finger. This adds a third dimension to touchscreen interaction and opens up a raft of potential applications…

Tags: Interface,
Mobile,
Technology,
Touch,
Touch Screen,
Touchscreen

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We rely so heavily on information gathered by satellites and weather instruments to help us program our daily lives, imagine what would happen if the data we received from these technologies went bad and foretold of cataclysmic outcomes in the days or weeks ahead? Panic could induce scenes on our streets reminiscent of Hollywood disaster movies. To avert such events – or just help get things right even if the forecast is more mundane – scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) have devised an innovative computational technique called Intelligent Outlier Detection Algorithm, or IODA, that draws on statistics, imaging, and other disciplines in order to detect errors in sensitive technological systems…

Tags: Computer,
Data,
Detect,
Satellite,
Sensors,
Weather

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If you’re looking to purchase an e-reader and just can’t fathom the minefield of differences, check out this chart that comprehensively compares Amazon’s Kindle 2 and Kindle DX, Sony’s Daily Edition, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Plastic Logic’s Que proReader, and Apple’s iPad in 20 categories including hardware spec, software and content…

Tags: Amazon,
Apple,
Daily Edition,
E-reader,
iPad,
Kindle 2,
Software,
Sony

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• Amazon Kindle e-book reader goes global
• Amazon Kindle DX confirmed for global release
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