Many a future engineer was inspired by Back to the Future ‘s Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown, and not just because he proved that unkempt eccentrics could truly change the world. No, he also pioneered Mr. Fusion, the coffee maker/cold fusion reactor that turned garbage into energy . And while we’re still waiting for cold fusion and time travel to become a reality, today we’re all one step closer to waste-powered cars. A pair of Spanish engineers have recently unveiled the dAlH2Orean (see what they did there?), a R/C car that runs on aluminum. Dropping a few soda can tabs into a tank of sodium hydroxide produces enough hydrogen to power the little speedster for 40 minutes – at almost 20mph. Hit the video above to see it in action, along with your daily helping of the Chemical Brothers. Fitting. RC car runs on soda can rings, Doc Brown approves (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 13:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Evolve Three’s Maestro C tablet has a swiveling bezel stand and a screen-protecting keyboard (video)
April 17, 2011 No Comment
Evolve Three’s goal of creating the world’s most versatile touchscreen tablets seems to be going swimmingly so far — first the boutique Australian outfit introduced the triple-booting Maestro , and now it’s got an Oak Trail slate on the way with some most intriguing hardware. You see, not only does this Maestro C have a 1.5GHz Intel Atom Z670 inside, 2GB of DDR2 RAM and most all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a netbook PC, it’s also got a bezel that physically rotates — turning into a chunky kickstand and exposing ports at the same time — and a removable wireless keyboard that doubles as a hard-shell protector for the entire 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen. There’s also a 32GB “high performance” SSD, optional 3G connectivity, a pair of stereo speakers and once again, three operating systems to choose from at startup. The only things keeping us from purchasing our customary two units is lingering worry that the other shoe has yet to drop… not to mention a starting price of $729, sans optional keyboard. Evolve Three’s Maestro C tablet has a swiveling bezel stand and a screen-protecting keyboard (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 14:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Eagerly waiting for some swivel screen action on the upcoming Nikon D5100 ? Well friend, you just got lucky, as said camera has just hit the shelves of Best Buy a few days early. The mid-range DSLR kit is now up for grabs either online or in stores for $900, but we expect Nikon to start shipping body-only options soon after — Amazon and Adorama are already taking pre-orders for $800. Unfortunately, it looks like the accompanying ME-1 external mic won’t be here until the original April 21st launch (or so we hope), but we’re sure all Nikonians will be just fine without it over the next four days. Now go check out your local Best Buy to nab one of these swivelicious cameras. Nikon D5100 kit hits shelves early at Best Buy for $900 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 11:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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How do you get laypeople excited about LED lighting ? Make it pretty, of course — that’s what Panasonic Electric Works is doing this week at Salone del Mobile 2011, in Milan. Working with designer Ferruccio Laviani, the firm has built an interactive installation out of upcoming products and prototypes, inviting visitors to explore “new dimensions of spatial lighting with LED and OLED .” The gimmicks aren’t bad; guests can peek through transparent OLED panels, interact with a spacial sensor controlled light wall, and learn about the products that make up the exhibit in a special “technical zone.” Featuring a theme dubbed “piano-forte,” the exhibit seeks to associate dynamic lighting with 18th century musical sensibilities, promising to make everyone a “virtuoso” of lighting — it’s a bit heavy handed, but the results sure are easy on the eyes. Don’t fancy a trip to Italy just to soak in artsy LED beauty? No worries, just hit the concept video at the break. [Image courtesy of designboom ] Continue reading Panasonic gussies up LED prototypes, invites you to play (video) Panasonic gussies up LED prototypes, invites you to play (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 09:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Nintendo’s kid-tested, researcher-approved Wii Balance Board has struck at the heart of the medical supply industry yet again — this time, the Bluetooth-connected scale is being used to help physically challenged children at Shriners Hospital in Houston. Seniors at Rice University hand-machined a set of force-sensitive parallel bars and programmed a monster-shooting game called Equilibrium to get kids excited about improving their walking gait, where they can play and score points with each proper step they take. The game automatically ratchets up the difficulty as patients improve, and handrails will play a part too, with a custom three-axis sensor box able to detect how much patients rely on the parallel bars (and dock points accordingly) in an effort to improve their posture. Yep, that sounds just a wee bit more useful than the Balance Board lie detector or the Wii Fit Roomba . Video after the break. Continue reading Students use Wii Balance Board for kids’ physical therapy system (video) Students use Wii Balance Board for kids’ physical therapy system (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 06:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Portable brain tumor treatment system kills cancer while you take out the trash
April 17, 2011 No Comment
We’ve seen robots that perform brain surgery and lasers that cook tumors, and now a team of researchers are well on their way to bringing mobility to the battle against brain cancer. The NovoTTF-100A, which just received FDA approval, is basically a set of insulated electrodes, attached to an electronic box, that pumps low intensity electrical fields to the site of a freshly diagnosed GBM (glioblastoma multiforme) tumor. The fields, known as Tumor Treatment Fields (TTF), play off the electrically charged elements of cancer cells to stunt the tumor’s growth, and may in some cases actually reverse it. A recent test of the system showed comparable results to chemotherapy, without the usual lineup of side effects, including nausea, anemia, fatigue, and infection. Given, patients using the system are expected to wear the thing continuously, but we’d say walking around with a cap full of electrodes is a small price to pay for giving cancer the boot. Full PR after the break. Continue reading Portable brain tumor treatment system kills cancer while you take out the trash Portable brain tumor treatment system kills cancer while you take out the trash originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 03:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Robotics experts at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory just taught an old war machine some new tricks, namely radiation detection — a timely acquisition of knowledge, for sure. Swapping out rocket launchers and machine guns for a suite of radiological sensors, digital cameras, and a GPS device, this modified TALON will be used to map the radiation levels (and create a visual output) surrounding the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The newly modified TALON landed in Japan just last week, joining an existing team of robot helpers already in use in the disaster area, including two additional TALONs equipped with sensors that can identify more than 7500 environmental hazards. Guns for Geiger counters seems like a good trade to us; check the video up top to watch the ‘bot try out its treads. [Thanks, John] TALON robot gets declawed, helps Japan sniff out radiation (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Poor Nokia , between having to abandon its Symbian baby and hawk anachronistic wares at a Microsoft event, it’s had a pretty rough go of it recently. Now India’s Ministry of Home Affairs wants to block the launch of the company’s new push email service until a monitoring system can be put in place. According to The Economic Times , the Department of Telecommunications is being asked to hold back the service until the intelligence community has a way to spy on messages being sent. RIM recently fought a similar battle with the Indian government, as well as those in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates . Looks like the two companies share more in common than just their slip from the top of the smartphone heap. India wants to spy on Nokia users, BlackBerry fans no longer feel special originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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When we were younger, we lusted after the top-shelf electric train set. The pow-pow- Power Wheels jeep. The Virtual Boy . These days, that rich kid down the street will have a very different sort of toy. When ModMyi reported that Toys ‘R’ Us was training associates to sell the iPad 2 weeks ago, we thought it might be a leftover April Fools’, but sure enough, Geoffrey the Giraffe will begin pushing Apple’s tablet to children who don’t want to grow up as soon as tomorrow morning. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Sign of the times: iPad 2 heads to Toys R Us originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Ah, the beloved “electronic bomb,” able to disable all technology in its vicinity: variations on the concept go way back , but useful prototypes remain tantalizingly out of reach. Into the breach steps defense contractor BAE Systems, taking a fresh crack with a High-Powered Microwave (HPM) gun intended to disable small boat engines – if successful, the technology may also target ships, UAVs, and missile payloads. The secret-shrouded weapon sounds similar to Boeing’s planned airborne EMP weapon , but lacking the missile delivery systems. BAE seems to be betting big on electromagnetic warfare as a future battlefield tactic, with a manager pitching the sci-fi scene to Aviation Week : “Unlike lasers, HPM beams don’t need a lot of accuracy. With a fan [of HPM energy] you can target 10-30 small boats. If you can knock out 50-75% of the engines in a swarm, you can then concentrate on the remainder with lasers or kinetic [cannons].” To develop better defenses against such attacks, the contractor received $150,000 from the Air Force to test-fire microwaves at military computers. No word on whether said defenses involve generous use of tin foil. US government contractor developing ‘microwave gun,’ Hot Pockets tremble originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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