Tag: FUTURE TECH

With the hectic lifestyles we lead, we must often choose between eating a fresh meal or stale food from our local drive thru. But, we soon may be able to get a dish made from scratch almost immediately without cooking or leaving the workplace, thanks to a genius invention: pizza vending machines. The "Let's Pizza" vending machine prepares fresh dough, shapes it, puts sauce and toppings on it, ...

Soldiers deployed to war zones certainly have it rough, but, in many ways, a soldier getting a trip home early -- due to a disabling injury suffered on the battlefield -- has it even worse. For decades, researchers have been working to find ways to re-grow damaged limbs and muscle tissue, and now scientists have managed to make an important step in that direction -- by growing undifferentiated ...

In our never-ending quest for newer and better Apple accessories, we came across a conceptual design for an iPod cradle that we hope catches the eyes of folks in Cupertino. Conceived by South Korean designer Eun Seok Huh, the design combines an iPod dock with a speaker, a mini-projector, and an alarm clock. The dock tilts and rotates, allowing for comfortable viewing regardless of your position. ...

Mimicking the human brain has long been near the top of the list of dream projects for many a sci-fi-inspired scientist, and it looks like one team involved in the EU-supported FACETS initiative is now making some real, if still preliminary progress in the field. Apparently, they've built upon some recent mapping and modeling research and created an actual chip (or, more specifically a 20cm ...

Next time Dr. Evil asks his cohorts for a "frickin' laser," they just might be able to give him one; Northrop Grumman, a military manufacturer and defense systems developer, has successfully tested a 100-kilowatt (kW), electric laser for the first time. This weapon is far different from the mosquito-killing laser we talked about last week. The development of this laser is significant because ...

Yanko Design is certainly home to many far-fetched, never-to-be-realized gadgets, but this so-called You-SB finger drive isn't one of them. In fact, it's already a bit behind the curve. Apparently, after losing a finger in a motorcycle accident last year, Jerry Jalava took advantage of the situation to get a 2GB USB drive installed in his new prosthetic finger, which he's happy to inform us ...

New technology is allowing cell phone users to undergo medical analysis by blowing into a small hole in the body of the phone, TechRadar reports. Similar to a breathalyzer, the device, designed by Applied Nanodetectors, comprises a simple air hole and a computer chip, which is capable of detecting signs of lung cancer, diabetes, asthma and food poisoning, among other conditions. One of those ...

Remember that scene in 'Mr. Holland's Opus,' in which Richard Dreyfuss's deaf son turns up the sound on the stereo and sits on the speaker so he can "hear" the sound? Well, researchers at Ryerson University's Centre of Learning Technology and Toronto's Science of Music, Auditory Research and Technology Lab have taken that concept to its logical extreme and built the Emoti-Chair. The Emoti-Chair ...

We never figured Iggy Pop for a psychic, but new technology gives the song "TV Eye" a whole new meaning. According to the Daily Mail, a recent report published by the Future Laboratory consultant group claims that, within the decade, TV will be able to transmit video via contact lenses and emotional impulses via tattoos. Theoretically, the monitor lenses and digital tattoos would be activated, ...

This week, some Washington state lawmakers are pushing a proposal that would require police to extract DNA from every arrested individual. At present, Washington police take DNA samples only from those who have already been convicted of a crime, as a warrant is necessary to obtain the DNA of mere suspects. Under the provisions of the proposal, the collected DNA would be sent off to a State ...

digg_url ='http://www.switched.com/2009/02/03/driverless-electric-taxis-set-for-uae-debut/'; When you think United Arab Emirates, chances are you think oil, especially in the wake of last year's overwhelming gas prices. But, the area is trying to change its image by creating a gasoline-free town called Masdar City that will be a futuristic and environmentally-friendly destination. City ...

Is gesture-based remote control the next biggest thing since the touchscreen? Last week, we saw Sony Ericsson's new W508 Walkman phone, which lets you ignore a call and shut off the ringer with the wave of your hand. And as we wrote back in October, TV manufacturers certainly seem to be taking their inspiration from the motion-sensitive Wii remote with gesture based control technology for changing ...

Once again, the Japanese have developed a robot that's smart, creepy, and designed to replace human workers. This time, it's Saya -- a mechanical receptionist that can converse with humans using a vocabulary of 300 words and 700 phrases, and even express emotions via facial expressions. The idea behind Saya is that she is designed for companies that would like to cut costs without totally ...

Yaskawa Electric's Motoman SDA10 robot has been out and about for a little while now (along with its not-so-distant relatives), but it's apparently not just getting by on its good looks alone, and it recently took advantage of Osaka's International Next-Generation Robot Fair to show off its newly developed cooking skills. While there unfortunately doesn't seem to be any video available, the word ...

There are some things that technology hasn't been able to fix, and the wetness of water is certainly one of them. But now, there seems to be a solution: a new waterproof material developed by Swiss chemists is 100% water-repellent. So much so that after leaving it soaking in a bucket of water for two months, it emerges completely dry to the touch. The trick is a layer of silicone nanofilaments ...