Hasta La Gadget!

Remember when Pioneer’s Android minions shot laser beams from their eyes and created an awesome prototype heads-up display? It turns out those lasers came from a Microbision PicoP projector, and that prototype is inching towards reality. You see, Pioneer’s partnered with Microvision to build a brand-new laser module for the commercial version — which is set to debut in 2012 — using a brand-new display engine and the actual green laser that’s been missing from the formula up until now. We can’t wait to burn driving directions into our collective retina, so we’ll be watching this one closely from now on. PR and video after the break.

Continue reading Pioneer teams with Microvision on laser heads-up display, next-gen pico projector tech

Pioneer teams with Microvision on laser heads-up display, next-gen pico projector tech originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The pico projector may have peaked a year or so ago, but AAXA Technologies is hoping to ride the coattails of success with the laser-based (read: focus-free) L1 v2. Predictably, this is the second generation L1, and it’s being hailed as the world’s smallest 20 lumen pico projector at 4.2- x 2.1- x 1.2-inches. Other specs include a native 800 x 600 resolution, on-board gamma correction, an inbuilt media player capable of decoding a slew of file formats, an LCoS imager, a USB socket and an internal battery good for 1.5 hours of use. We’re told that it can blast images up to 50-inches in size, and while the $449 MSRP still stings, those who pre-order now can get in for $399. Not exactly a Black Friday special, but hey…

Continue reading AAXA debuts L1 v2: world’s smallest 20 lumen pico projector

Filed under: Displays

AAXA debuts L1 v2: world’s smallest 20 lumen pico projector originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When they’re not too busy building creepy little humanoids or lizard-like sand swimmers, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology like to concern themselves with helping make healthcare easier. To that end, they’ve constructed the Cody robot you see above, which has recently been demonstrated successfully wiping away “debris” from a human subject. The goal is simple enough to understand — aiding the elderly and infirm in keeping up their personal hygiene — but we’d still struggle to hand over responsibility for granny’s care to an autonomous machine equipped with a camera and laser in the place where a head might, or ought to, be. See Cody cleaning up its designer’s extremities after the break.

Continue reading Robo-nurse gives gentle bed baths, keeps its laser eye on you (video)

Robo-nurse gives gentle bed baths, keeps its laser eye on you (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You should by now be aware that we’re big fans of Microvision’s Show WX pico projectors. Whether integrated into the smartphones or gaming peripherals of the future, we feel like the company’s Laser Display Engine has a big part to play in our lives. It’s therefore very welcome news to hear that its research team has managed to integrate a “direct” green laser into the portable projector setup, making for simpler and cheaper manufacturing of smaller components. Up to this point, Microvision has been performing its color mixing using a red laser, a blue laser, and a red laser specially re-calibrated to output green light, but that added bit of complexity can now be set aside with the inclusion of lasers that produce green hues natively. The company cites at least five global manufacturers ready to produce direct green beamers in commercial quantities by late 2011, so with a bit of luck and price competition, the pico projector dream might have itself a glorious realization after all.

Continue reading Microvision integrates direct green laser into pico projector prototype, completes RGB achievement

Microvision integrates direct green laser into pico projector prototype, completes RGB achievement originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 08:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.

This week scientists took a step towards unlocking the holy grail of alternative energy as they unleashed a one megajoule test blast from the world’s largest laser. We were also excited to see the DOI give the green light for the first solar-thermal power tower in the United States, and we saw big things brewing beneath West Virginia as a project funded by Google discovered massive geothermal vents that could double the state’s energy generation capacity. Not to be outdone, Oregon announced plans for a 845 megawatt wind farm that stands to be the largest in the world.

We also watched the world of architecture heat up – literally – as Soltech unveiled a set of glimmering glass roof tiles that can capture solar energy to heat your home. We also checked in on the development of Masdar, the world’s first carbon neutral zero-waste city, and we were shocked and appalled by the recently completed largest and most expensive house in the world.

In other news, this week we showcased a dazzling array of energy-efficient lights – from an amazing animated LED pillar to a set of liquid lights made from recycled faucets to a chandelier decked out with luminous dandelions. We also kicked up our heels for a vending machine that dispenses biodegradable shoes and we saw a set of ghetto-fabulous boom boxes made from old suitcases hit the streets. Finally, we rounded up a gaggle of our favorite smartphone games that are perfect for keeping kids entertained!

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: the world’s largest laser fired, icy roof tiles admired, faucet lamps inspired originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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