MakerBot: The 3D Printing Robot

Posted by: Erin Wheeler

20 technologies that changed the world

20 technologies that changed the world

We reveal the little things that made a big impact
By Gary Marshall

way too long to copy/paste. 'Fraid you'll just have to follow the link...



posted by Helen

In pictures: Microsoft's Mouse 2.0 concepts

Multi-touch mice times five
By Patrick Goss

Microsoft has shown off its concepts for Mouse 2.0 – and how it could bring the humble pointing device up to date with multi-touch technology.

A paper written by Microsoft's research department presents "novel input devices that combine the standard capabilities of a computer mouse with multi-touch sensing".

"The traditional computer mouse design, however, makes little use of [the hand's] dexterity, reducing our hands to a single cursor on the screen," explains the report.

follow link for whole article
posted by Helen

"Paper" thin laptop

Je Sung Park's clever concept design makes the upgrade process both inexpensive and guilt-free

Posted By: Jeremy Kerbs

Snowboarding in the Summer?

Meet the Snowtunnel - an indoor snowboarding experience!

Posted by: Jeremy Kerbs

Sticker It Up!

...would you have been able to resist?





Posted by: Lara Pageler

Monitor Household Energy Usage

Marcel Wanders is helping us to monitor our electric usage with a simple device the Wattcher. In his words...
“The design is very clean and has urgency in pointing out your energy consumption. The Wattcher is more than just a product; it is a strategy that stimulates awareness.”

What it monitors:

• Current power consumption (in Watts): how much energy you're using at this moment.
• Daily consumption (in kiloWattday): your total electricity consumption in the last 24 hours.
• Target consumption (in %): daily consumption compared with your own target. Are you really saving energy?
  

...all without using much energy itself. The combined consumption of all Wattcher components (sensor, sending unit and display) is less than 1 Watt.

posted by Lara Pageler

Implantable Silicon-Silk electronics could mean LED tattoos

By Darren Quick

22:52 November 11, 2009 PST

A clear silk film, about one centimeter squared, with six silicon transistors on its surface about to be implanted into a mouse (Photo: Rogers/Omenetto)

Tattooing dates back to at least Neolithic times and has experienced a resurgence in popularity in many parts of the world in recent years. Advancements in tattoo pigments and the refinement of tattooing equipment has seen an improvement in the quality of tattoos being produced. Today it’s possible to get ink that glows under UV light, but a new technology could see tattoos that emit their own light. Researchers have been able to build thin, flexible silicon electronics on silk substrates that almost completely dissolve inside the body, paving the way for embedded LED tattoos that offer much more than just aesthetic appeal.

The devices are made of a thin film of silk on which silicon transistors about one millimeter long and 250 nanometers thick are placed. The silk holds the electronics in place and conforms to the biological tissue when implanted inside the body and wetted with saline. Unlike current electronic devices that need to be isolated from the body and are on rigid silicon, the silk substrates are completely broken down by the body into harmless by-products. And because they are just nanometers thick, the thin silicon circuits left behind don’t cause irritation.

Although the prospect of LED tattoos brings to mind science-fiction scenarios of gangs sporting futuristic illuminated designs that can be animated to move across a person’s body, the technology is being developed for medical applications such as photonic tattoos to show blood-sugar readings.

The technology also offers the prospect of arrays of conformable electrodes that could interface with the nervous system to allow improved control of prostheses. Also, arrays of silk electrodes conforming to the brain’s crevices thereby reaching regions inaccessible with current technology could be used to control Parkinson’s symptoms.

Silk is already approved for medical implants by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the researchers are able to control the rate at which it degrades, which can range from immediately after implantation up to years. Silicon has not conclusively been proven to be biocompatible, but all studies so far have shown it to be safe. The devices also contain gold and titanium, which are required for the electrical connections. Because they are biocompatible but not biodegradable the researchers are working on biodegradable contacts so that all that would remain inside the body is silicon.

The silk-silicon technology is being developed by researchers at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Tufts University in Medford, MA, and the University of Pennsylvania. They managed to implant silk-silicon devices in animals with no adverse effects and no impact on the performance of the transistors on the silk. Their findings appear in a Paper published in the journal Applied Physics Letters.

Posted By: Gabriel Collins

Coin Opperated lamp

His Coin Lamp is the first product in a range based on the concept of values and reward, it subtly heightens awareness of consumption through design.

Turned on by a coin-operated switch, the lamp is set to predetermined time by an internal mechanism. Developed with the assistance of a NESTA training program the final version of coin lamp will be available soon.

posted by Helen Ice

Future Designer Laptop

www.orkin-design.de
The device of the flexible display allows a new concept in notebook design growing out of the traditional bookformed laptop into unfurling and convolving portable computer.
By virtue of the OLED-Display technology and a multi touch screen the utility of a laptop computer with its weight of a mini-notebook and screen size of 13 inch easily transforms into the graphics tablet, which with its 17-inch flat screen can be also used as a primary monitor.
On top of everything else all computer utilities from power supply through the holding belt to an interactive pen are integrated in Rolltop. This is really an all-in-one gadget.

Erik Roth

Next to a Jetpack I want this!

o the WaterCar Python comes as a bit of a surprise, looking for all the world like a pimped-out pickup truck, but offering blistering performance both on land and water. With the right engines built in, this hot rod can make mid 12s at the drag strip, hit 60mph in 4.5 seconds, and burn up the highway at well past 120mph - and it's capable of more than 60mph on the water as well - a true performance boat once the wheels are lifted out of the way. Crazy stuff!

Posted By: Jeremy

The sun will shine tomorrow

The Sharp Corporation has developed a compound solar cell that has achieved a conversion efficiency of 35.8 percent. Developing a new base layer for its triple-junction compound solar cell has improved on Sharp's previous conversion efficiency by almost four percent.

Posted By: Jeremy Kerbs

The Future of Mobile Communications

Nokia Morph –

Take a step back from normal life just for 5 minutes and have a look at what Nokia and the University of Cambridge have been working on – Nokia Morph, nanotechnology for mobile phones.

This amazing new technology has limitless possibilities, not just within mobil ephones but technology in general especially when it comes to price and convenience.

Dr. Tapani Ryhanen, Head of the NRC Cambridge UK laboratory, Nokia, commented: “We hope that this combination of art and science will showcase the potential of nanoscience to a wider audience. The research we are carrying out is fundamental to this as we seek a safe and controlled way to develop and use new materials.”

Professor Mark Welland, Head of the Department of Engineering’s Nanoscience Group at the University of Cambridge and University Director of Nokia-Cambridge collaboration added: “Developing the Morph concept with Nokia has provided us with a focus that is both artistically inspirational but, more importantly, sets the technology agenda for our joint nanoscience research that will stimulate our future work together.”

Just take 5 minutes to watch this video – exciting times ahead!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX-gTobCJHs]

Source: Nokia Press

Eric Layton 8 Nov 2009

Inflatable seat belt could help save lives

Michael Barkoviak - November 6, 2009 9:53 AM

U.S. automaker Ford announced it will introduce a new seatbelt airbag that will first find its way into automobiles starting with the 2011 Ford Explorer SUV.



The Ford system operates by placing a small cylinder of cold compressed gas that sits underneath the rear seats, with an inflatable bag located in the seatbelts. After a vehicle impact occurs, this new system is designed to spread the force of impact over more parts of the human body, which helps reduce the amount of impact felt by the human chest.

Eric Layton 8 Nov 2009

Give these scientists a hand

Posted: Jeremy Kerbs

Artficial hand gets us one step closer to cyborg-dom

"Scientists have successfully wired a state-of-the-art artificial hand to existing nerve endings in the stump of a severed arm."

Posted: Jeremy Kerbs

Sharp LR0GC02 Solar Panel Mobile Phone Charging Device Gets BIG Thumbs Ups

Sharp Corporation has developed industry’s thinnest solar module which can power up mobile devices other than its residential uses. The LR0GC02 Solar module can find its use on mobile phones like Samsung Blue Earth for its incredibly slim thickness of just 0.8mm.

The usage of solar module is drawing attraction as it proves to be the cleanest energy of all. The maximum power generated by the module is 300mW which is sufficient to be used as an auxiliary power source for the mobile phones. Device Manufacturers have the facility of changing the electrode pattern on the cell surface which leads to design flexibility of the devices. Hope we will see some solar powered in near future.


posted by Helen Ice

Days Look Brighter with Lithium

Boliva is the poorest country in South America, but that could all change as it is now found to be the worlds largest source of lithium; not a bad place to be with the environmental steps going forward.

Lara

Flower Power

The manufacturing of Toyota's Prius hasn't been the brightest green in the Crayola box, but is making bolder marks for it's future and ours. Toyota has created two new species of flowers that offset carbons...

Lara