If you can’t remember your passwords no matter how hard you try, then you might find the concept of Biostamps interesting. It’s Motorola’s idea of an alternative to the traditional password or pin code by doing away with them completely.
Biostamps can be described as a tattoo of sorts that contains flexible electronic circuits.
These circuits will send a signal to your phone to unlock it or give you access, eliminating the need to enter any codes or passwords. The phone will only work if it’s within range of the tattoo, ensuring that no one else but its rightful owner can use it or access the data stored in it.
The tattoos are being developed by Massachusetts engineering firm MC10.
It looks like Domino’s Pizza is at it again. A few weeks back they started renting DVDs in Brazil that smell like pizza when they get hot. Now here they are delivering pizza using drones. Maybe the upcoming robot apocalypse isn’t so bad after all. What’s the worst that could happen? Your pizza gets cold in the air? It takes an extreme bank and your cheese and toppings slide off?
I guess a Pizza Hut drone could always fire lasers at the Domino’s drone and scatter your pizza across the winds, causing pepperoni showers in your local weather report. Begun, the pizza drone wars have!
Of course the pizza drone is all a publicity stunt, but the important thing is that it can be done. Screw human contact. Drones can bring you food, and won’t talk back if you undertip them. Though they might kill you.
When you walk your pet at night, it’s safe to say that it’s pretty easy to lose track of it, especially when it’s black (like mine). That’s one of the reasons why I really like these superbright LED collars. It ensures that your pet is clearly visible and you won’t lose it.
From the guys behind the HALO belt and HALO messenger bag, the HALO MINI is a quality illuminated pet collar that uses HALO’s patented illumination process. It’s designed to last for a long time and stands out in bright neon colors. The collar is supposed to be made out of higher quality materials than others currently on the market as well.
The project was launched through Kickstarter, and will be raising funds until July 26. It’s already surpassed its fundraising goal, so will definitely be going into production. You’ll have to pledge at least $29(USD) to get yours.
If you’re looking for a way to create a sense of privacy in your house – but don’t like the look of traditional window shades – there’s a new technology on the scene which creates instant privacy while still letting light in your windows.
SONTE is a special UV protective film you can apply to your windows that provides complete privacy. What’s really nifty about SONTE film is that it can be turned from semi-opaque to transparent with the push of a button – or using an app on your mobile device.
When electrical current is applied to the film, its transparency changes. When switched off (semi-opaque), only 5% of light is transmitted, and when on, it allows 70% of light through. When in its semi-opaque state, the film can even be used as a projection screen. Neat.
To install the film, simply cut it to fit your window, peel off the electrostatic cling adhesive backing, and position it on your window. A tiny conducting clip is attached to each sheet of film, and then connects to either a Wi-Fi transceiver or a direct switch.
SONTE is currently seeking to raise $200,000 over on Kickstarter to fund production of its film. You can get a 1-meter square piece of the film, including a non Wi-Fi switch for as little as $184 (USD). Prices start at $219 for the Wi-Fi version and go up from there, depending on the amount of film you want. The largest kit being offered is an 8-square-meter “daisy chain” kit, which lets you wire together multiple windows, and is going for just under $1500. If you just want to play with the tech before investing heavily, there’s also a Kickstarter exclusive sample sheet (non Wi-Fi) for just $65.
Hot drinks that have gone cold are such a drag. Unfortunately, this happens more often than you’d like. Some emergency always seems to come up just as you’re about to take a sip from that cup of freshly-brewed coffee. By the time everything’s all in order, you come back to a drink that’s too tepid to enjoy.
Working with that in mind is Fan Wu, who came up with the Solar Glass.
It’s an insulated glass that has a structure that’s similar to a solar vacuum heat pipe. The outside of the glass has a coating that absorbs heat from the sun and surroundings, keeping the contents of the glass warm – just how you like it.
The Solar Glass is a 2013 iF Design award – concept design entry. While there’s no word on whether the Solar Glass will be produced, Bodum already produces similar glasses you can buy today.
If you drooled at the PS Vita hack we saw last year that allowed for Remote Play via PS3, check this out. Sony may have found a solution to the PS Vita’s languishing hardware sales and intrigued more Sony faithful in one fell swoop. The company has acknowledged that they will require PS4 games to support Remote Play, with some exceptions. In other words, you’ll be able to stream most PS4 games from the console and play them on the PS Vita.
The feature was confirmed via Twitter by Shuhei Yoshida, the President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios. When asked if PS4 games will use the Remote Play feature, Yoshida responded, “Yes, it’s true unless the game requires specific hardware like the camera. It will be great to play PS4 games on PS Vita.”
This is awesome news. It’s so awesome that you have to wonder why Sony didn’t boast about it more during the announcement of the PlayStation 4. I’m pretty sure they mentioned it in passing, but remember, Nintendo boasted about this exact same feature on the Wii U, and rightfully so. Obviously PS4 gamers will have to buy a PS Vita to enjoy Remote Play, and the Vita’s rear touchscreen can’t fully make up for the lack of R2 and L2 buttons. But still, this is a blessing for gamers who have to share their TV or don’t have enough space for a TV in their room.
If this takes off and more people buy the PS Vita, perhaps that will help push more publishers to release games on the handheld. I’m not entirely sold on this feature; we obviously haven’t seen it in action, we don’t know how the PS Vita’s battery will hold up with Remote Play, etc. But it’s one that I personally have been hoping for ever since the PS Vita was released, so I guess we’ll just have to be hopeful and wait until its big brother comes out this Holiday.
The Mindstorms line already makes it possible to create robots, machines and other moving and highly interactive toys out of LEGO. But the company isn’t resting on its laurels. Recently LEGO teamed up with Sony to make what they’re calling Toy Alive – prototype LEGO bricks that have motors, LEDs and even cameras.
Toy Alive was one of the prototypes shown off by Sony Computer Science Laboratories Tokyo at its 25th Anniversary open house. As you’ll see in the video below, the embedded gadgets can be controlled wirelessly. There are motors that let you race LEGO, actuators that can be used to destroy LEGO structures on cue and a LEGO toy with a built-in camera that sends footage to an iPad app.
Sony researcher Alexis Andre explained that the collaboration aims to look at ways to combine the strengths of videogames and LEGO. The Toy Alive prototypes provide kids with a wider array of interactivity compared to normal LEGO toys without restricting their imaginations, as most videogames do. You can listen to Andre talk about Toy Alive at around 0:58 in the video below:
We’ve seen a variety of artificialexoskeletons that can augment a person’s strength and even help disabled people walk again. Their main disadvantage is that they’re quite bulky and heavy. That’s why DARPA is working on a similar suit, except this one’s meant to be worn like an undergarment.
As indicated in the concept image above, the Warrior Web suit is designed to help soldiers carry additional load while supporting injury prone areas such as the ankles, knees and hip joints. The idea is to provide all this while still allowing the soldier to wear the usual clothing and armor. The video below shows a soldier carrying a 61lb. load while wearing a Warrior Web prototype:
DARPA envisions future versions of the Warrior Web suit to have even more capabilities, such as “core injury mitigation technologies; comprehensive analytical representations; regenerative actuation; adaptive sensing and control; and suit human-to-wearer interface.” Perhaps the real world Iron Man will just look like Tony Stark.
One thing everybody does is walk. You could drive a car or ride the bus to work or to school, but you’d still have to walk to do various stuff throughout your day. Now a group of students called the ‘Agitation Squad’ from Rice University are taking that very basic action and coming up with ways to use that kinetic energy, starting with the PediPower.
The PediPower is a prototype device that’s meant to be attached to the heel of your shoes. Energy is generated every time the heel hits the ground (or with every step that you take), and the PediPower harvests this as you go along. The device has an arm attached to the heel of the shoe which hits the ground first and moves up as the person puts his or her weight on the foot. The arm, in turn, is attached to a gearbox, where gears turn with every step to drive a motor that has been mounted on the side of the shoe.
This movement generates electricity, which is transported via a voltage regulator and through wires to a belt-mounted battery pack.
The initiative was a response to a challenge from Houston-based company Cameron International, which called for the creation of a device that could harvest energy from human activity.
The Agitation Squad gives an overview of the PediPower in the clip above. Check it out to see how putting your foot down will one day generate energy to maybe even power up your gadgets!
Remember the 3Doodler, which raised $2.3 million on Kickstarter last March? It’s basically a 3D printing pen that lets users create art and sketches in three dimensions. That, and the fact that you can use it for minor repairs using plastic, are what appealed most to backers. At least, for me anyway, since this was the first project on the site that I eventually backed because I loved the idea so much.
A gadget that follows hot on the heels of the 3Doodler is the Mataerial.
It’s not being touted as a 3D printing pen but a 3D printer. However, it’s not a device that’s meant to stand stationary on your desktop. Rather, it looks more like the 3Doodler, only it’s a larger and mechanically-controlled version, powered by an industrial robot arm. Where the products of the 3Doodler are meant to be raw, the products from the Mataerial are smooth and precise.
The latter also uses thicker layers of filament which create sturdy curved surfaces. It differs from regular 3D printers because of its capability to use surfaces with any inclination as its working surface – hence, giving rise to it being dubbed as the “anti-gravity 3D printer.”
Moreover, it extrudes 3D curves right off the bat instead of successive 2D layers to add more control in the fabrication process. It also comes with full color programming technology that allows dyes to be injected to the plastic to control the color of the formed path.
You can find more information about the Mataerial on their official site.
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