Mar 12
Samsung is no stranger to having celebrity sponsorships backfire, usually in the form of the designated public person using an iPhone while endorsing one of the Korean company’s handsets. Such … Continue reading
Mar 12
Panasonic is looking to expand its energy presence, with the company’s head of Energy Solutions Center Hiroshi Edo Hanafusa announcing at the Cleantech Group forum that the company is on … Continue reading
Mar 12
Happy Birthday World Wide Web: The Gift That Keeps On Giving, Until It Doesn’t?
Posted in: Today's Chili
We have Tim Berners-Lee to thank for the World Wide Web – an accessible
bank of knowledge that’s hyperlinked content across the globe bestowing
upon "us mere mortals a real chance to learn as much as our brains can store." And guess what? He did it all before digital monetization. . .
Mar 12
Kegerator with Facial Recognition Knows Who Drank How Much, Because You Certainly Won’t
Posted in: Today's ChiliPhil Harlow wanted an easy way for him and his roommates to split the bill for their kegerator’s beer keg refills. So they all decided that he’ll just pay for it. Just kidding. Phil is working on a facial recognition system for their kegerator that will keep a tab for them.
Phil’s setup is powered by a Raspberry Pi. It uses two flow sensors to detect if the tap is turned on, at which point a camera will activate to examine the user’s face. A touchscreen monitor displays relevant details, including the user’s name, the type and amount of beer poured and its equivalent cost. Phil and his buddies can also scroll through the kegerator’s history to see their tabs.
Now all it needs is a towel, some interesting stories and a plate of nuts. Head to Phil’s blog for more on his hack.
[via Hack A Day]
Mar 12
Translucent concrete is a wondrous creation that sprang from the brilliant mind of Hungarian architect, Aron Losonczi. It represents a new frontier in architectural construction, design, innovation and beauty. Read on for more information on this fascinating subject.
Mar 12
Developed by a team of neuroscience Ph.Ds., artists, and computer programmers, Glass Brain is a revolutionary way to take a peek inside your own head, and look directly at your thoughts.
Mar 11
Samsung recently revealed two new, "hands on", videos for their
upcoming products to give users an in-depth look at their newest technology. The Gear 2 and Gear Fit are the latest in wearable technology, and are
crammed with so many features that it seems almost unbelievable — while the
Galaxy S5 is bringing up the rear with latest innovations in smart phone
technology.
Mar 11
Back in January at CES 2014, Audi announced its cool new traffic light recognition system. We already know most of the details of the system with its ability to interface with the traffic lights via Wi-Fi. The point of the system is to tell the driver when the light will turn green.
Audi is able to get the traffic light system data via the wireless connection to be able to give the driver a countdown until the light turns green, as well as what speed you’ll need to maintain to make the next light. While those are definitely convenient features, Audi says that the tech could save lots of fuel and reduce emissions as well.
The Audi traffic light information system would be integrated with the engine start/stop tech in the car. The allows the engine to remain turned off until five seconds before the light turns green. As soon as it knows the light is about to change, the engine will re-engage. There are currently start/stop systems which just shut off when you’re stopped, but there’s a fraction of a second lag when accelerating from that standstill.
Audi estimates that if the technology were deployed across Germany, it could save 238 million gallons of fuel and reduce emissions by 15% (though they don’t say over what period of time that savings would take place).
Now if the system could keep morons from sitting there checking Facebook when the light is green, it will be world changing.
[via AutoblogGreen]
Mar 11
Keeping your portable devices like computers, tablets, and smartphones charged up on the go can be a big challenge. This is especially true if you spend most of your time away from an outlet. A new product has turned up on Indiegogo called the Fusion Pack, that aims to keep you juiced up for hours or possibly days on end.
These battery packs are linkable allowing you to get more power for charging larger devices like notebooks. Each individual Fusion Pack has a substantial 24000mAh of internal power, and when linked you get 48000mAh.
The individual pack measures a little more than six inches square by about a half inch thick, and takes about six hours to charge fully. It can recharge an iPhone 5 in 45 minutes, and you can recharge that same phone about 15 times per charge. A pledge of $120(USD) will get you a Fusion Pack during the early bird stage. A pair of the devices for linked power requires a pledge of $200.
Mar 11
Last year we talked about the EX¹, a 3D printer designed to print circuit boards on a variety of materials, including paper. The EX¹ has great potential, but if all you want is to print is circuit boards on paper, the AgIC may be better for you. It’s a DIY kit that lets you convert ink printers to make them print circuit boards instead.
AgIC’s main component is a silver nanoparticle ink that’s very similar to conductive paint. You’ll have to manually inject the ink into an ink cartridge, but if you’re constantly making circuit boards that added task will be worth it. You’ll also need their special coated paper, and some conductive glue or tape to apply your parts to the board.
Printer makers must be seeing dollar signs right now. Pledge at least $299 (USD) on Kickstarter to get an AgIC DIY kit. Pledge at least $599 and you’ll get a ready-to-use AgIC modded printer.
[via PSFK]
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