Huge shocker here: removing your shoes at airport security causes massive headaches and makes the wait longer for everyone. Now that we're all good with Captain Obvious' latest headline, let us point you to one prototype that's looking to solve said dilemma. SecuriScan, which has been developed by Professor Wuqiang Yang at the University of Manchester, would theoretically be able to "detect and pinpoint suspicious objects instantly," all without requiring passengers to remove their kicks.

Better still, the system uses electric and magnetic sensing instead of a radiation source, which could also address safety concerns while helping you get where you're going more quickly.

Moving forward, Yang hopes to develop a more advanced and realistic prototype for testing, and just in case you were doubting this guy's determination, he's also investigating a handheld version that could hastily screen abandoned luggage or packages.

[Via Physorg, image courtesy of ChangeAirportSecurity]

Imagine this -- you, sitting in a dingy airport terminal waiting on your flight with a lifeless laptop and just 10 minutes to spare. You've got oodles of spreadsheet work to do before 8:00AM tomorrow, and unless you get it done on this flight, you're fubared. Toshiba is looking to make said scenario seem like one that's not so grim, as its prototype SCIB (Super Charge Ion Battery) purportedly has the potential to get 90-percent full in just 10 minutes. The battery was unveiled at CEATEC 2008 in Japan, though little was known about its eventual availability. Shame development cycles can't be fast tracked in a similar manner, huh? [Via UberReview]

Remember that scene in 'The Dark Knight' where (spoiler alert!) Batman uses the city's cell-phones to look through walls and find the bad guys? Totally awesome, right!? A group of scientists at KDDI apparently thought so too, creating a prototype they say could do something similar. Using geomagnetic sensors, accelerometers, and GPS, the device is able to determine its position and render its surroundings on the screen in OpenGL, including areas that are currently out of sight. We're guessing you must have already scanned those areas with the phone and that it can't actually see through walls, but we'd be happy to be proven wrong -- whenever they actually have something to show us. Like the group's funky concept phones we brought to you earlier, this one doesn't actually work. Yet. [From: TechRadar UK]

While Chevy makes quite a to-do about the upcoming Volt hybrid, GM-cousin Chrysler has quietly continued to produce over 38,000 real, honest to gosh electric cars in its GEM sub-division. In need of a little eco-PR boost, Global Electric Motorcars is re-branding itself as Green Eco Mobility and introducing the Peapod. No, not that Peapod, or that Peapod, but a new Peapod that will travel up to 30 miles at 25 mph on an eight hour charge -- stats that sound suspiciously identical to the company's earlier Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (when not in muddin' guise, at least). But, that car doesn't sport bulbous looks on the outside nor gratuitous iPod integration on the inside (pictured below), which, if you don't have to go far or fast, might make it the perfect accessory for your pod when it enters production sometime next year for an undisclosed price. [Via Register Hardware]

We've seen some bizarre -- bizarre -- handsets in our day, but this one is just too darn cute to call weird. The conceptual Kuma Phone was recently shown off in Japan by Willcom, and according to local reports, the audience in attendance absolutely adored it. The GSM teddy bear, er, mobile can hold up to four speed dial numbers, boasts a built-in vibration function and allows users to answer / terminate calls by "pressing the tail." An accompanying pamphlet suggested that it would run around $500 should it ever hit mass production, which leads us to wonder if they plan on using Boyds / Vermont Teddies or something. [From: CScout Japan via textually]

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There it is, right on cue Microsoft's Surface has gone spherical over at Microsoft Research. Rumored since March, the prototype relies upon an infrared system to detect hands, fingers, and objects as well as an internal (not external like Surface) projection system developed by Global Imagination (and customized by Microsoft) to deliver its multi-touch UI.

At the moment, Microsoft is demonstrating photo manipulation, a spinning globe, 360-degree video, and a simple Pong-like game, the latter giving us a taste of future gaming possibilities. Sphere is expected to make its first public appearance Tuesday at Microsoft's Faculty Summit in Redmond. Ultimately, it will appear in public spaces like lobbies as part of a larger ecosystem of Surface gear. The prototype UI looks a bit jumpy compared to its tabletop cousin -- hit the read link to see the video for yourself. [Source: seattlepi]

Boeing's European outpost has achieved a technical feat that, while not expected to revolutionize air travel, at least shows progress in the effort to lower the overall reliance on very pricey (and, you know, scarce) jet fuel.

Boeing Research & Technology Europe, which operates out of Madrid, has been working on the "Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane" since 2001. The goal has been to "demonstrate for the first time that a manned airplane can maintain a straight level flight with fuel cells as the only power source."

What does this mean on a practical level for regular folks like us? Not a whole heck of a lot, with most applications likely being for extending the fly time of unmanned aircraft -- although the technology could be applied to regular jets to help power the electrical systems.

Of course, like many scientific endeavors, the ultimate practical use may not yet be realized by the engineers involved. (Wasn't the active ingredient in Viagra originally intended to help people with hypertension? Researchers, of course, quickly realized an interesting side effect there. The same could always happen with fuel cells, no?)

Boeing sent a the piloted, fuel cell-powered aircraft into the air three times during February and March. The two-seat Diamond Aircraft Dimona motor-glider, with a 16.3m (53.5ft) wingspan, was modified with a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, lithium-ion battery hybrid system. Launched from Ocaña air field, near Madrid, Spain, the plane flew straight and level at 3,300 feet on fuel cell power alone for 20 minutes at 60 miles per hour.

From The Register.


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We've reported before on robots that play music for you. We've written up reports on robots that memorize your voice commands and can change the channel or lower the volume automatically on your home theater system. And now, we've found a robot that researchers say will navigate its way through your colon, looking for polyps -- a replacement of the dreaded colonoscopy, an uncomfortable procedure that nonetheless can save lives by detecting cancer early.

Yes, we've written about the robot invasion, but never before about one so... invasive.

This new device, which is only in the prototype phase, is being tested now on "snippets of pig colon" to gauge its ability to move itself and navigate through the digestive tract by using small sticky pads called mucoadhesives.

By replacing the need for uncomfortable and painful procedures with endoscopes, Dutch researchers hope more people will decide to have screenings. Early detection of colon cancer is the number way to beat the disease. Colon cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer in the United States and is the second most cause of cancer deaths, according to reports.

The self-propelled robot would not only accomplish its task with less discomfort for the patient, but would also be less likely to damage the colon. While a colonoscopy with an endoscope is relatively safe, about 1 in 500 procedures do result in some damage to the colon.

The mucoadhesives work by allowing the robotic device to grip and release the colon walls without causing damage. And since the colon is constantly producing more mucus, the pads would be essentially washed away within a few hours of the procedure's conclusion.

From MSNBC.


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We fear a robot takeover.

That said, this new robot from Toshiba, named ApriPoko, is so darned cute, how could we not want one in our very own home theater?

Its special purpose is the ability to memorize infrared signals from your remote control and assign each command to a certain action – like turning on your television or changing the channel – based on what you SAY to the little guy.

For example, if you use your remote control to turn on the TV, ApriPoko will sense the IR signal and then ask you, "What did you just do?" Your response, "I turned on the TV," is recognized and the command is assigned within ApriPoko's memory. The next time you want to turn on the TV, just say to the robot, "Turn on the TV," and it will be done. It works the same way with other devices and even more specific commands like changing channels, raising and lowering volume, and so on.

At least that's what's been promised by Toshiba, which at this stage is only demonstrating a prototype. ApriPoko is 8 by 11 inches and weighs about five pounds.

From Engadget via Pink Tentacle via Asahi News (crudely translated version of the article can be found here.)

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Every step you take could soon be the power source for your mobile phone, MP3 player or portable GPS device. A group of university researchers from the United States and Canada have developed a prototype knee brace that captures energy in a way that's similar to how some hybrid cars charge their batteries by converting energy while they brake.

"There is power to be harvested from various places in the body, and you can use that to generate electricity. The knee is probably the best place," said Arthur Kuo, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, in a statement released yesterday.

Kou and colleagues determined that when a person stops his or her lower leg from swinging forward into a step, the majority of the energy expended is just lost. The new prototype knee brace is built to capture and store that energy more efficiently than other human powered electricity generators. For example, a hand-crank generator requires 6.4 watts of metabolic power from a person to generate one watt of electricity because of inefficiencies -- but the knee brace requires less than one watt of metabolic power to produce one watt of electricity.

The challenge for the team of researchers, which also includes staff from Simon Fraser University in Canada and the University of Pittsburgh, is to make the device lighter so it doesn't tire the wearer. For now it is too bulky and heavy to be practical.

Kuo says that in the future, a light device could be very useful to hikers or soldiers who don't have quick access to an energy source. For people with a prosthetic limb, the energy capture device could be on one knee while a battery is implanted within the fake limb.

From The Daily Mail, Engadget and Reuters.

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The Travelodge hotel chain in the United Kingdom is rolling out a new test program aimed at helping people get a good night's sleep. The method for giving guests a better snooze experience? A futuristic set of pajamas made from a material called Dermasilk, which is supposed to feel like a second skin.

According to a statement by Travelodge, the Dermasilk sleep suit "allows the skin to breathe, regulates body temperature (in hot and cold conditions) and maintains the skin's moisture balance." The Dermasilk is made from natural knitted silk, which the hotel chain claims controls body odor and is good for people who may suffer from skin disorders such as eczema and dermatitis, since it reduces the symptoms of itching and scratching.

The chain conducted a survey of 3000 British adults and found that:

• 23 percent of Brits said they suffer from itchy night clothes which stops them from getting a good night's sleep
• Being too hot / cold is a common complaint for Brits with 66 percent confirming their body temperature changes constantly throughout the night which affects their sleep pattern
• More people feel too hot (54 percent) in comparison to feeling cold (35 percent) while sleeping

The sleepwear, which looks like something out of a sci-fi movie (maybe 1971's 'THX-1138' starring Robert Duvall), is made up of leggings, a long sleeved tee-shirt, gloves, socks and a facial mask and comes in small, medium, large and extra large sizes. Guests can choose to have the sleepwear provided when they make their hotel reservation, and they get to keep their new jammies if they like the new slumber experience.

What are some other interesting tidbits revealed by Travelodge's survey? Well, women are willing to look less desirable in bed in order to keep warm. Plus, wearing "passion killer" socks are more favored by women at 23 percent, which is more than double in contrast to men wearing socks to bed at just 11 percent. Men are simply more interested in keeping warm.

Travelodge seems quite interested in helping its guests get a good night's sleep, and has a separate program to provide MP3s that you can listen to just before going to bed called "Nodcasts." Titles include:

• Assertiveness Nodcast – how to say what you want and get it
• Confidence Nodcast – how to get a "can do" attitude
• Communication Nodcast - how to make more friends and influence more people
• Stress Nodcast – how to combat anxiety and relax
• Motivation Nodcast – how to overcome inertia and seize the day

Give them a listen -- you can download the Nodcasts here.

From The Daily Mail and Travelodge UK.

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