Californian prisons employ robotic scouts
From Robotics
California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has agreed to test remote-controlled, 1.2-pound surveillance robots in hostile prison situations. After pulling an activation pin, the hardy robots can be thrown into place, or fired from a tear-gas launcher. Read More
Ericsson 4 wins leg one of Volvo Ocean Race
From On the Water
Ericsson has taken out leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race and broken the 24 hour monohull record in the process. The boat by covered the 6,500 mile journey from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa in 21 days, 17 minutes and 54 seconds, setting a new world record of 602 nm in 24-hours on day 19 (October 29). Read More
Gemalto introduces credit card-sized reader for online banking
From Electronics
Digital security provider Gemalto has unveiled the Ezio Thin Reader, a credit card-sized authentication device for online banking, e-commerce, phone banking and other e-banking transactions that prevents the user from having to type their PIN on the vulnerable environment of a workstation keyboard. Read More
Hybrid yacht combines diesel, solar and wind power
From On the Water
Island Pilot has used this year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show to debut its new hybrid motoryacht - the DSe Hybrid12m. Combining diesel, solar and electric power (hence "DSe") and with wind-power to be added to the production model, the 40ft vessel can take advantage of a sunny day by cruising at speeds of up to six knots indefinitely using only solar power. Not only does this save fuel, it eliminates the rumble of diesel engines to bring one of pure-sailing's greatest attractions to the motoryacht format - silence. Read More
Six-bladed Rolling Razor ups the ante against sharp competition
From Around The Home
If you watch a lot of TV commercials, you could be forgiven for thinking that today's top white-coated science professionals have no higher goal than delivering you and I the perfect shaver. Gillette, having almost reached the logical conclusion of its "more blades = more sales" policy, currently touts the "Fusion Power Phenom" as its flagship stubble eliminator, packing no fewer than FIVE blades, one precision trimmer, 15 microfins and a battery-powered, microchip controlled micropulse generator that improves "razor glide." But Rolling Razor are fighting back with a rubber-grip ring mounted, double tilting headed monster featuring no less than SIX blades mounted in opposing directions so you can shave UP as well as DOWN. Read More
iPow protects and prolongs the iPhone
From Mobile Technology
iPow combines a protective case for the the first-gen iPhone with back up battery power that doubles the device's talk, usage and standby time. Recently launched in the UK, the hard-backed leather flip case has an integrated battery along with built-in mini stereo speakers which of course results in a bulkier, heavier (add 98g to the 135g iPhone) and not quite as cool unit, but the promise of half the number of re-charging stops could well be worth the trade-off for those on the road. Read More
SMART multitouch table offers hands-on group learning
Over the past two decades the role of computers in classrooms has evolved from one of curious optional-extra to core learning tool, and it's not a trend that is about to slow down. One relatively new technology that has great potential within educational environments is the multi-touch interface and this underpins SMART Technologies latest product - the SMART Table interactive learning centre. Looking a little like a retro-arcade game, this brightly colored 29" (73 cm) wide x 25" (65 cm) high table incorporates a 27" (69-cm) screen which can simultaneously receive input from a "virtually unlimited" number of fingers or pen tools. The table is designed to encourage group problem solving and collaboration and its intuitive interface makes it suitable for children in the 4 to 11 age group while teacher input is facilitated by the company's complementary interactive whiteboard products. Read More
Air New Zealand moves closer to biofuel flight
From Aero Gizmo
Air New Zealand, Boeing, Rolls-Royce and UOP aim to power one of four engines on a Boeing 747-400 on Jatropha-based fuel. The first test flight using the environmentally sustainable oil is scheduled to take place in Auckland in December after fuel testing is completed. Read More
Belkin's FlyWire provides wireless HD AV
From Home Entertainment
Available from January 2009, Belkin’s FlyWire wirelessly delivers uncompressed 1080p True Cinema HD content from Blu-ray players, receivers, video-game consoles, and set-top boxes to HDTVs and projectors. FlyWire operates in the open 5GHz band, and intelligently manages its own connection, adjusting frequency and power to avoid interference. Read More
40 Signature Series: stunning Lord Norman Foster designed super-yacht
From On the Water
One of the most elegant water-going creations to cross our desk in recent times is the Foster and Partners designed YachtPlus 40 ‘Signature Series'. Designed by a 7-strong architectural team led by Lord Foster himself and being built at the Rodriquez Cantieri Navali shipyard in northern Italy, the ultra-contemporary 135 foot (41m) luxury superyacht offers 5737 square feet of useable living space with extensive outer deck area including a submergible beach deck, a grand staircase at transom and seperate jet ski storage space. The innovative interior layout has four decks accommodating up to 12 guests and 7 crew while the full beam owner’s cabin on the main deck includes forward-facing windows that lead to private balconies and the glass walled main saloon features 180 degree views. Read More
Onkyo upgrades THX Certified Home Theater Package
From Home Entertainment
The new Onkyo HT-S9100THX combines a home theater receiver with a 7.1-channel home theater speaker system, all of which were designed to conform to THX's Integrated System Plus certification protocols. It also boasts1080p capable HDMI v.1.3 connectivity, Faroudja DCDi video upscaling, Audyssey 2EQ and Dynamic EQ, and complete decoding for the latest high resolution audio formats. The system also includes the new THX Loudness Plus technology which compensates for the tonal and spatial shifts that occur when the volume level is reduced below the reference levels. Read More
ASUS releases enthusiast level ROG Rampage II Extreme motherboard
From Personal Computing
ASUS has released the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage II Extreme high performance enthusiast motherboard featuring the latest Intel chipset and SLI/CrossFireX on Demand provide support for the new range of Intel processors and multi-GPU technologies. Read More
Traveler's GPS receiver stores up to 32,000 way-points
From Outdoors
A travel diary and a pen have long been the technologies of choice when it comes to remembering exactly where you got to on your last holiday, but it seems this just won't cut it in the digital age. Products like Sony's GPS-CS1KA image tracker have been on the market for some time and cameras like the recently released Nikon COOLPIX P6000 offer in-built GPS for geotagging. Hama's solution is the i-gotU, a matchbox-sized GPS receiver that displays your holiday route on a computer and catalogues any photos taken on the way. Read More
Bioethanol from Olive Stones
From ecoGizmo
Have you every wondered what happens to all of the stones removed from the olives that end up on our shelves and in delis? The answer could now be that they are turned into bioethanol and used as an alternative to petrol or diesel. Read More
Raytheon and US Navy demonstrate submarine-compatible UAS
From Military
Raytheon and the US Navy have demonstrated unmanned aircraft system capability for submarines. The Submarine Over the Horizon Organic Capabilities (SOTHOC) program is developing a specialized UAS designed for collection of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in a complex littoral environment. Read More
New Nissan Z set for Los Angeles debut
From Automotive
Nissan has released images of the new 370Z Coupe ahead of its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show on 19 November. The 2009 incarnation of the legendary Z represents its first full redesign since its reintroduction in 2003. Read More
Nextar adds to SNAP GPS line
From Mobile Technology
Nextar has added two new models to its SNAP line of GPS systems. Joining the 3.5" SNAP3, the 5” SNAP5 and 7” SNAP7 both feature touch-screen displays, built-in stereo speakers, Nextar’s magnetic docking station, text-to-speech (English) technology and both are only 0.7” thick. All models come with a 2GB SD card offering maps of the entire US and all of Canada. Read More
Mitsubishi's Laser TV now shipping in the US
From Home Entertainment
Following its premiere as a totally new display category at the CES in January, a 65-inch version of Mitsubishi's LaserVue high-definition television has hit U.S. stores. The world's first laser-powered TV, which promises unparalleled performance including twice the color and significantly lower power consumption than both its LCD and Plasma cousins, is being sold for USD$6,999. At 10 inches, it might be slightly thicker than some of the flat-screen offerings we've seen in recent times, but the trade-off is a set that delivers 1080p definition at 120Hz and operating power of approximately 135W using laser beams to provide "an extensive range of rich, complex colors, along with truly distinct clarity and immersive depth of field" according to Mitsubishi. Read More
Solar Power Satellites could broadcast energy to Earth
From Research Watch
Dusting off an old renewable energy proposal, president of the National Space Society Ben Bova recently published an article in The Washington Post calling for the next president of the United States to commission a US$1 billion solar power satellite from NASA before the end of their second term. The satellite would harness energy directly from the sun and broadcast it back to a receiver on Earth using microwave frequencies. Read More
Design Los Angeles asks how motor-racing will look in 2025
From Automotive
After last year being asked to provide a glimpse of what automobiles will look like 50 years into the future, design studios vying for recognition in this year's LA Auto Show Design Challenge are leaving city streets behind and heading for the racetrack under the theme "Motorsports 2025". Throwing away preconceptions of what motor racing should be and incorporating the possibility of cars that never crash or need re-fueling, nine of Southern California’s big-name automotive design houses have submitted entries, and again the results are both outrageous and thought provoking - from vehicles that race over land, sea and air to 8 x 4 wheel-drive ATVs and solar sailing energy-miser's that compete on see-through tracks. Read More
