LED Flashlight Talks You Through Basic CPR
by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jun 10th 2008 at 11:07AM
Posts with tag led
Handy Wind-Up LED Lamp
Then again you can always pick up one of these for $10 less. [Source: I Want One of Those via Shiny Shiny]
Giant LED Display on Wheels is Mobile Version of Big Brother
LED Gadget Translates Your Dog's Tail Wags
We've seen toys that claim to decifer dog barks (and even fancy computers that can decode the barks of a particular breed of dog better than humans can), but we still haven't seen a big glowing sign that spells out what your dog is trying to say -- until now.
Okay, truth be told, you still won't, at least not at home, unless you run to New York's MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) for a demo at the Elastic Mind exhibit, since this device is just a concept.
The proposed device would attach to the dog's tail, measure his or her WPM (Wags Per Minute) and use that to figure out what he/she is trying to say. It would then spell out your canine's message in LED lights in mid air as the your dogs tail wags, turning it into a tacky novelty message board.
From Engadget
Related Links:
Blue LEDs Could Keep Drivers Awake at the Wheel
Over the past couple of years, we've seen a number of automated systems that are designed to keep drivers awake. The latest and currently most advanced, from Toyota, uses cameras to monitor whether drivers' heads are up and their eyes are open. Start to doze off in the latest models from Lexus and an alarm will sound, which should help to save lives. However, it's not exactly what we'd call proactive. That's the sort of system researchers at RPI hope to provide in the future, using blue LEDs to prevent drowsiness in the first place.The researchers have found that light at a particular wavelength, one that appears blue to us, can actually help to "reset" our internal clock, making our bodies subconsciously believe it's morning or some other time than it really is. This could help prevent drowsiness and, potentially, reduce a scary statistic: 30-percent of all fatal accidents involve large trucks and a lack of sleep.
LEDs are extremely energy efficient and effectively never burn out, so they're perfect for installation in cars and trucks. Additionally, "showers" of these LEDs could be installed at truck stops to help rejuvenate drowsy drivers when they make a pit stop. It certainly sounds healthier than swilling some caffeine-infused and obnoxiously-named energy drink every few hours.
From Slashdot and New Scientist Tech
Related Links:
Survivor Tech: Gadgets That Can Save Your Life
by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 10th 2008 at 11:57AM
If you've turned on the Discovery Channel at all in the last year you might have noticed that survival is quite the draw. The popularity of shows like 'Survivor Man' and 'Man Vs. Wild' is not only drawing viewers to Discover, though, it's also helping draw attention to an entire cottage industry of gear designed to help you avoid the very situations (read: deadly ones) we love to watch Bear Grylls stick himself in.
Well, the gadget industry has always catered to those in dicey and potentially lethal situations, but we've noticed a certain proliferation in survival gizmos this year at CES. Check out some of our favorites in the following pages.
New Awe-Inspiring Wrap-Around Display Gives You 180-Degree View
But Alienware's new display is quite impressive. The 42.4 inch diagonal screen curves to provide a 90-degree field of view, meaning that at a close enough range only the outer reaches of your peripheral vision will be seeing anything other than pure gaming craziness. The screen provides a 3.2:1 ratio, significantly wider than your standard 16:9 HDTV. It also sports a response time of .02 milliseconds (most top of the line LCDs have a response time of 2 milliseconds), meaning visual artifacts and blurring will be a thing of the past.
Related links:
Energy-Saving Bulbs Causing Migraine Headaches
Compact fluorescent bulbs, the twisted looking replacement lights that use as little as one fourth the power of their common incandescent counterparts (and last much longer), are being adopted worldwide in an effort to reduce energy consumption. They are even becoming mandatory in some countries -- a little troubling according to the Daily Mail, which reports that health experts in the U.K. say the green bulbs can cause migraine headaches or other disconcerting symptoms in many people.The bulbs work in the same way as the long, traditional fluorescent tube lights seen in many commercial establishments. This means that they can produce light that subtly flickers, unnoticeable by many, but a big problem for others, especially epileptics, who can suffer from seizures under fluorescent bulbs. According the U.K.'s Migraine Action Association and other health organizations, the lights also cause headaches, as well as nausea, dizziness, and even physical pain for those suffering with lupus, according to the study.
In both the United States and the United Kingdom, traditional incandescent bulbs are set to be completely phased out by 2012. Surely those with medical conditions can be given exemptions easily enough, but if they can't simply walk into a store and buy a traditional bulb, just how many companies will continue manufacturing them and how much will they cost? Will traditional bulb clubs be the marijuana-buying clubs of the 21st century?
Such recent health concerns around energy-saving fluorescent bulbs might be another reason to push research into production of LED-based lighting options, which are even more efficient than CFL lighting, and even more durable, with a single bulb potentially never burning out. Such LED-based bulbs are available now, but at per-bulb costs that dwarf those of the relatively expensive CFL bulbs.
From The Daily Mail
Related Links:
Eco-Friendly, Solar-Powered Christmas Lights
The $30 set from Hammacher Schlemmer includes 50 lights and a rechargeable base station. The base holds two rechargeable AA batteries, which it juices up during the day. At night the lights will glow for upwards of eight hours -- assuming of course the thing didn't get buried in the snow the day before. They're the perfect way to show your true holiday color: green (even though the lights themselves are blueish white).
From Shiny Shiny
Related Links:
Homeland Security's New Flashlight Blinds and Disorients
If you've ever stared directly into a flashlight, you've definitely experienced temporary blindness and disorientation, right? Well, multiply that feeling by about a million, and you've got a super flashlight that the Department of Homeland Security is funding.
Developed by a small California-based company called Intelligent Optical Systems, the LED based device is not intended to help you find firewood while camping. Rather, it's meant to incapacitate perps. The flashlight uses a range finder to determine the distance to the victims eyes, then blasts them with a super-bright, continually-changing burst of colored light that blinds and disorients.
The light could be used to subdue armed criminals, or stop those caught illegally crossing the border. Or terrorist suspects, which could turn out to be you if you find yourself randomly singled out in an airport security line (so don't get too surly with the TSA peeps).
Perfect for protests, the technology can also be scaled up to bazooka size to quell a crowd!
Well, at least it probably doesn't hurt as much as a taser.
From Slashdot and Wired
Related Links:
The Key Chain That Does It All
Now you can drink, hijack your friend's TV, and help someone look for a dropped contact lens in the dark, all with your $14.95 key chain. Too bad it doesn't also serve as a USB Flash drive -- then it would be perfect.
From Red Ferret Journal
Related Links:
