Posts by Category: future tech

It’s coming WHEN?

cool tech September 10, 2008 posted by

ElectraFlyer-C – new electric kit plane soars silently, swiftly sunwards…

The new ElectraFlyer-C is an electric conversion of an older kit plane called the Moni. The new derivation uses Lithium Ion Polymer batteries to save weight and will fly at a max speed of 90mph for 90 minutes. When you’re done, you simply plug it into the nearest mains power socket for a recharge. How’s that for cheap flying, eh? The only downside is the cramped cockpit, which suggests that anyone over size skinny will not be welcome aloft in…


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cool tech September 8, 2008 posted by

Toyota Crown hybrid using noise canceling tech – quieter ride at head height

Toyota engineers have implemented noise canceling technology to quieten down their new Crown Hybrid car. The system uses three microphones and the same number of permanently-on active phase speakers to achieve the desired hush. It even works when the music system is playing, but all at head height (no quiet feet then). Does anyone else think it’s weird that the hybrid makers should be trying to make their vehicles quieter while the electric car makers are thinking about adding engine…


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Toyota Crown hybrid using noise canceling tech – quieter ride at head height
Awesome September 5, 2008 posted by

The Eclipse 400 – zoom zoom ZOOM

I don’t usually call inanimate objects pretty but one look at the Eclipse 400 and I was hooked. This must be one of the prettiest planes I’ve seen for quite a while and I’m not really a plane person. Designed by Eclipse Aviation as a business/sport plane, the Eclipse 400 is a single engine, V-tail jet aircraft. The things is, it’s a sports plane so it’s not very big. In fact it can only carry 3 people plus the driver…


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The Eclipse 400 – zoom zoom ZOOM
future tech September 2, 2008 posted by

Introducing the hybrid Ford Pickup – America’s finest truck gets a modern makeover…ish…

The folks at HEVT (Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies) have come up with a retro fit hybrid kit that will apparently convert America’s most popular hog hauler from a 16mpg gas guzzler to a 41mpg beauty. Or something. So we’re not going to say anything about the fact that 41mpg is not going to make even a teeny dent in the energy issue, because that would be churlish, would it not? Oh and the price looks to be around $60,000, which…


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Introducing the hybrid Ford Pickup – America’s finest truck gets a modern makeover…ish…
cool tech August 21, 2008 posted by

Enhancing video with still photos – astonishing video technology creeps its way out of the test labs

This video demonstrates prototype video enhancing technology that may one day radically change the face of video production and editing. The team has basically come up with a set of software tools to help enhance resolution massively, touch up and remove objects, reduce camera shake and even enhance exposure and dynamic range all in post production. But don’t take our word for it, check out the video yourself, it’s pretty impressive. (Oh and do take a look at this amazing video tech from…


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cool tech August 16, 2008 posted by

Nokia Jeppe – the new face of home video chat?

The Nokia Jeppe is a remote control video camera on wheels that provides mobile video chat anywhere in the home. At least that’s the theory. At the moment it’s just a concept created by the company’s research labs. They’ve deliberately designed it to resemble a pet to try and break down the technology and make it more accessible. The unit is controlled using a Nokia N800 tablet and contains a two way video camera, a sound sensor and a digital…


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cool tech August 9, 2008 posted by

Toyota Winglet – Segway killer or jumped up roller skate?

The unveiling of the new Toyota Winglet electric personal transport device  last week must have sent shudders coursing down the back of Segway investors everywhere. Built in partnership with Sony’s robot division, the new concept looks infinitely more appealing than the clunky Segway, although it does suffer from a number of performance limitations. For a start it can only move at a maximum of 6 kph and the range is a measly 10 km (compared to the Segway’s 38 km range and 20…


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cool tech August 8, 2008 posted by

Microsoft’s Sphere – cool touch controlled interface looks to the future

Microsoft Sphere. I’m a little behind the curve on this one, but my dear daughter pointed out how cool this was and I’ve got to agree. The dudes at Microsoft have taken a very cool product called the Magic Planet digital video globe (below) and added touch navigation to it using an infrared camera and some software smarts. They’re figuring it could be useful for things like omni-directional video conferencing or multimedia browsing, and the videos certainly make it look a…


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cool tech August 6, 2008 posted by

MIT professor Daniel Nocera discovers more efficient way to store solar energy for use at night

MIT professor Daniel Nocera and his chums have unveiled a simple and relatively inexpensive way to store solar energy for use at night. Traditional methods are cumbersome and expensive but the new process involves using a new form of catalyst which can produce oxygen from water, and combined with another catalyst can produce hydrogen which can be stored as fuel cells for energy production in the dark. The whole electrolysis process can operate at room temperature and in simple containers, although the one downside is that…


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future tech July 16, 2008 posted by

Chinese UFO spotted hovering over pigeon’s head – birds nervous

A Chinese UFO type craft has been spotted hovering around in the skies of Shanghai recently. Not very high up in the skies we ought to say, because the craft can only reach a height of 1000 metres off the ground and a speed of 80 km/h, but hey it’s a start right? It’s a 1.2 metre dish shaped thing that apparently cost over $4 million to develop. Sheesh, give me the $4 mill and an old hubcap and I’ll build you something that will astonish even…


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cool tech July 11, 2008 posted by

Soft House – harvesting power from your curtains

The Soft House project harvests electrical energy from a set of curtains by using ‘organic photovoltaic nanotechnology’ material to convert sunlight into power. The idea is that the curtains convert the sun’s rays all day, then switch to insulating and even lighting the habitat during the evening and night. The research team reckon they can harvest up to 16,000 watt hours of power a day, which is around half of the needs of an average US home. [Thanks Matthew]. Cue joke –…


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future tech July 10, 2008 posted by

Aquavac Electronic Tea Towel – fighting for kitchen hygiene one electron at a time

Student designer Paul Oxley has created the Aquavac Electronic Tea Towel as a high tech replacement for the common or garden kitchen cloth. Apparently one of the main ways food poisoning spreads is through dirty cloths, so the idea is to use this device to hygienically clean up spills and dry crockery. Whether or not a high tech piece of anti-bacterial plastic is cook friendly enough to replace the traditional kitchen rag remains to be seen, but we give him 8 out of…


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future tech July 8, 2008 posted by

The Non-Stop Train – detachable docking compartment takes the strain

The Non-Stop Train concept is quite an interesting idea. Instead of the train halting at every stop, it continues through stations while detaching and collecting a transit compartment for people who want to get on and off. The video explains it better than I can. The interesting thing is that the infrastructure costs could be relatively small, although as with anything complex, there’s always more scope for things to go wrong. Tags: non+stop+train, transportation, technology+concept


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cool tech July 3, 2008 posted by

Flybrid Systems – building hybrid cars using flywheels not batteries

Flybrid Systems is developing an innovative flywheel based hybrid engine system which will take energy from braking and transfer it through a 60,000 rpm flywheel motion into a fuel saving boost to engine efficiency. It may sound kooky, but Jaguar are already looking at the technology and the Formula 1 racing world is also heavily invested in this type of tech. Don’t expect to see anything on the roads for a few years though, while they iron out the wrinkles.  The…


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cool tech June 6, 2008 posted by

Dimp – very cool direct manipulation video player

Dimp is a very clever video manipulation player that lets you browse and view video clips just by dragging on the footage itself. You need to watch the videos directly to get a feel for the tech, but it’s very cool. You can download the free player and have a go yourself from here.  Although the video clip itself is not modified, dragging an object constrained to a trajectory is similar to dragging a slider. The slider’s thumb will never stray…


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