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Posts with tag future tech

New Nanotech Fabric Is Completely Unwettable

by Evan Shamoon, posted Nov 30th 2008 at 1:15PM



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 inside the fabric, which are highly "chemically hydrophobic" (feel free to apply this term to other, more human situations as well). It's actually similar to how nature does it: the combination of substances and nanostructures is much like that found in the surface of Lotus leaves.

"The combination of the hydrophobic surface chemistry and the nanostructure of the coating results in the super-hydrophobic effect," lead researcher Stefan Seeger told New Scientist. "The water comes to rest on the top of the nanofilaments like a fakir sitting on a bed of nails." Not our first point of reference, but the metaphor works.

Rain is in big trouble. [From: Slashdot]
Engadget

Urine Recycling Equipment Passes Tests, But No One Takes First Sip

by Thomas Ricker, posted Nov 26th 2008 at 4:16PM



Thank heavens -- the $154 million water recycling system, which is designed to convert sweat, moisture and urine into an ingestible fluid, um, works. According to NASA, the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) managed to get through three rigorous testing sessions, and apparently that was good enough for officials to leave it in orbit. So yeah, theoretically we now have a way to keep long-term space cadets hydrated for months, but is anyone really going to volunteer to pinch their nostrils and toss back the first shot? Our sources point to "no."

NFL to Broadcast Game Live in 3-D

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 25th 2008 at 11:42AM




Next Thursday's game between the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders will, thanks to the NFL, be the first pro football game to show via live, 3-D broadcast, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Being shown in three movie theaters -- in Los Angeles, New York and Boston -- the special, private broadcast will show to rows of business types in the broadcasting and electronics fields.

Howard Katz, the NFL's senior vice president of broadcasting and media operations, hopes that these private screenings will introduce the technology's capabilities to a broader audience. "We want to demonstrate this and let people get excited about it and see what the future holds," he told the Wall Street Journal.

The future should hopefully hold the standardization of the 3-D format. At present, while 3-D home TVs are publicly available, the particular models now in production could encounter compatibility problems, or obsolescence, in the coming years as the technology develops.

For our part, we hope broadcasters and the like hurry up and put those 3-D standards in place. Because we can't wait to don our 3-D glasses and lay our eyes on this thing. [From: Wall Street Journal]

Send Cash Through an ATM Using New ATMSend Service

by Kaiser Hwang, posted Nov 12th 2008 at 4:02PM

Money makes the world go 'round. The problem is, how to get money 'round the world. Sure, there's always Western Union or MoneyGram, but if you ask us, that requires just one step too many. A Charlotte, North Carolina-based company, Privier Inc, hopes to have an easier, and more accessible, solution.

The company's service, dubbed ATMSend, would allow a user to send cash to another user for pickup. What sweetens the deal here is that neither the sender nor the receiver would require a bank account at the participating bank, or at all. All that's required is that the sender verify their identity by registering a cell phone. Once the cash is ready for transfer, the sender would input their registered number into the ATM, wait for a text message with an authorization code, and then send the receiver the authorization code for pickup.

Depending on the participating banks' fee (if any at all), ATMSend could even be a cost-saving alternative to services such as PayPal, which takes a cut from certain transactions. Sending money sans a bank account is sure to be valuable for a number of people, though we're a little worried about the possible ways this could be beneficial to evildoers. [From: MarketWatch]

ATM-Style Card to Be Used for Disease-Testing?

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 5th 2008 at 8:53AM

Thanks to researchers at the University of Utah, undergoing a disease test could soon be as easy as looking up your account balance at an ATM, the Daily Mail tells us.

As part of the process, microscopic samples of blood, urine and saliva are placed onto a card that can be read, and analyzed, by a sort of medical swipe machine. The device uses a technology called giant magnetoresistance (GMR), which can detect the 'magnetic footprints' of bodily samples on the card.

At present, the PC-sized reader yields hundreds of test results in mere minutes, a much faster turn-around time than that of conventional methods. With animal testing projected to begin in two years, we might see human testing in the next five, the team says. By then, they hope, the reader will be the size of a credit card swipe machine and available in your neighborhood pharmacy.

It's nice to know that the truck stops of the future will be able to tell us about our impending heart disease while we wait for our McDonald's hamburger to be ready. [From: The Daily Mail]

Is the Flying Car Just Two Years Away?

by Evan Shamoon, posted Nov 3rd 2008 at 5:03PM



From the "We'll believe it when we see it" category comes the Autovolantor -- a car supposedly now in development that is based on the roughly $350,000 Ferrari 599 GTB. It's being developed by a company called Moller International, and here's the thing: it freaking flies.

Apparently, the car will have the ability to take off vertically and hover, with eight powerful thrusters that direct air down for takeoff (then they tilt so the car can fly forward) -- just like the Harrier Jump Jet. The Autovolantor is expected to be able to do 100 mph on the ground, and 150 mph in the air.

Designer Bruce Calkins says the car features a specially designed hybrid fuel and electric system to power the thrusters, creating as much as 800 horsepower. He believes it will be able to fly at altitudes of up to 5,000 feet.

"At first we were very skeptical that we could adapt a ground-vehicle with our technologies and make it work," designer Bruce Calkins told The Telegraph."But the model allowed us to quickly verify that it could in fact be done." He hopes the vehicle's ability to "quick hop out of traffic" will attract funding for the project. Two years, eh? [From: The Telegraph]

Robot Bartenders Are All the Rage (and Here's the Latest One)

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 2nd 2008 at 12:06PM


It seems like every time we turn around, some enterprising boozehound is figuring out some way to automate the dispersal of intoxicating beverages. Some, like the RC Cooler, cater to the lazy party host, while others, like this Lego contraption, are for the geeky among us who have a need to make everything more difficult than necessary. Still others are perfect for cheapskate bar owners who don't want to pay a qualified mixologist.

The newest non-living suds jerker, featured in the video above, was part of an open house by Total Manufacturing Company (TMCO) to show off... well, we're not really sure, but it's pretty freakin' cool. A robotic arm with a skeletal metal hand and white apron pulls on taps to serve beer to guests. That is quite a gimmick. We wonder if they'll fly us out for the next opening. [From: BoingBoing]

Hovering Chair Unveiled at 'Stuff Live' Gadget Show

by Lee Bains, posted Oct 30th 2008 at 2:39PMBreaking News



We've heard about the tech chair, the mouse chair, and the laziest chair of all time, but even those designs are a little too down-to-earth for us. Fortunately, this weekend, the British tech show 'Stuff Live' will introduce a hovering lounge chair called the Lounger, News.com.au reports.

There are certainly more appealing gadgets and interactive displays offered at Stuff Live, but the Lounger really captures our imagination. Keith Dixon, the man who invented this piece of futuristic furniture, cited 'Star Wars' as the inspiration for the Lounger, which floats with the help of high-powered magnets. According to a spokesman from Stuff Live, reclining on the chair creates the feeling of lying back on a cloud.

If you were to purchase this chair, you might really need that kind of atmospheric relaxation to calm your nerves after paying its high price tag. Economy be damned, the Lounger will run you a cool $14,741. [From: News.com.au]

Light Bulbs That Don't Need Energy!? Sign Us Up!

by Peter Mychalcewycz, posted Oct 30th 2008 at 9:51AM

Charles Bolta, founder of American Environmental Products, Inc., shows off the After-Lite, a light bulb that gives off a green glow after the light has been turned off.

There is a new technology that has us sitting up and taking notice. It is a light bulb-sized lamp that requires absolutely no power source. It is called the After-Lite, and its pretty frickin' awesome.

The key to this little dynamo's energy independence is an advanced photoluminescent-filled attachment that clips on to the top of the bulb. It absorbs and retains photons from natural and artificial light then produces a soft green light when needed. The color it emits is similar to those classic glow in the dark toys you use to have.

The After-Lite costs $19.95 and has a life expectancy of about 8,000 hours.

This technology is pretty fantastic. We are excited to see if it can be used on a larger scale. It could no doubt be a major help for humanitarian workers and military personnel stuck in places with no electricity. [From: dailycamera]

Human Brain Could Be Capable of 'Downloading,' Research Suggests

by Lee Bains, posted Oct 28th 2008 at 8:32AM



In this month's issue of Scientific American, writer Gary Stix reports that recent bio-tech developments could lead to 'Matrix'-style technologies that would allow the human brain to interact with information and robotics just as a computer would interact with a keyboard and flash drive.

Among these developments is Niel Birbaumer's research at Germany's University of Tubingen which suggests that, by magnetically stimulating the cortex and then mapping neuron activity, experts could activate particular memories in a subject (a potential boon for those with Alzheimer's). In addition, researchers at U.S.C. and Wake Forest are developing an artificial hippocampus that could, theoretically, one day enable Alzheimer's patients to create new memories. And while neuroscientists have already engineered prosthetics that are controlled by brain signals, research indicates that soon those prostheses may be able to send signals back to the brain. Not only would you be able to reach out and pet a kitten with your prosthetic hand, but you would also be able to actually feel the softness of its fur.

While researchers have already introduced bionic eyes and hands, and neural implants capable of learning, these more recent developments are particularly intriguing. It could very well be that, in the coming decades, more and more people -- particularly those who have lost brain or limb function -- could come to integrate machines into their bodies and into their very psyches. Let's just hope they don't speak with an Austrian accent and have an obsession with somebody named "John Connor." [From: Scientific American]

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