Sony Brings the Bling with Swarovski Photoframe

Category: Cool Tech

U.S. Army Interested in Robots Requiring Little Human Interaction

army-robotThe United States Army plans to develop innovative new robots that can carry out basic instructions without being tele-operated by human operators.

“There is a push toward increased intelligence and autonomy,” Army robotic systems project office manager Jeff Jaczkowski said in a statement.

In the next 18 months, Army officials outlined goals that indicate the robots will be able to clear dangerous zones, take pictures and replay them back to base, turn corners, and will also be able to travel with convoys as they are out on patrol.  Read more...

Robotic Climber Wins $900K in Space Elevator Contest

space-elevatorOne of the proposed methods for getting payloads and people into space at a lower cost is via a method that sounds like science fiction: the space elevator. The prospect of an elevator that takes cargo into space may sound like fiction, but NASA is investing heavily into research to fund the project.

NASA has been holding an annual competition to find robotic technology that can be powered wirelessly to enable a robotic climber to ascend the cable that would be used for the space elevator. The elevator would consist of a cable that would need to be placed at the equator and a cable would be deployed thousands of kilometers into space. The cable would be kept taunt by the centrifugal force of the Earth as it spins.  Read more...

China Plans Olympics For Humanoid Robots

humanoid-robotsHumanoid robots and their designers will have a chance to show what they’re made of, with an organized Olympics in 2010 that will involve 16 events.

Any team looking to compete in the competition must have a robot that simulates human movement, with two arms and legs required. The competitors are prohibited from using wheels.

The Chinese robotics competition will take place in Harbin, which is home to the Harbin Institute of Technology, and has a robotic soccer event.  Read more...

Hybrid Humvee Will Get a Battery from EnerDel, Says U.S. Army

hybrid-humveeThe United States Army has selected a private contractor that will be responsible with developing a hybrid Humvee battery that will be used by the military in the United States and overseas. Specifically, the company selected will be responsible for developing new batteries for the vehicles.

The Army will work with EnerDel, which is expected to work with the Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center for 18 months. The company is expected to help develop four prototype power systems that could be used in the new XM1124 Humvee.  Read more...

Ford: Inflatable Seatbelt Could Help Save Lives

fordU.S. automaker Ford announced it will introduce a new seatbelt airbag that will first find its way into automobiles starting with the 2011 Ford Explorer SUV.

The Ford system operates by placing a small cylinder of cold compressed gas that sits underneath the rear seats, with an inflatable bag located in the seatbelts. After a vehicle impact occurs, this new system is designed to spread the force of impact over more parts of the human body, which helps reduce the amount of impact felt by the human chest.  Read more...

Rice University Researchers Make Breakthrough in Carbon Nanotube Processing

nano-tube-techOne of the most highly researched fields today is the production of carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes hold high promise for many uses from a new generation of cancer treatment down to better electronic devices. The trick for researchers is to find a method of creating the nanotubes in bulk.

Researchers at Rice University have discovered a method of industrial-scale processing of pure carbon nanotube fibers. The breakthrough is the result of a nine-year program and the method builds on the processes that have been used by chemical firms for decades to produce plastics.  Read more...

Nissan Hopes to Cash In on Electric Batteries

nissan-leafNissan hopes to accelerate the production of electric batteries even without government support, offering a timeline of three years before the cost-cutting effort showed results noticeable to auto buyers.

However, Nissan and Renault plan to offer its new electric battery technology in countries that have state subsidies available for consumers.

“We have the loans, we have the agreements with different governments and we are engaging 500,000 batteries,” according to Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn. “I will not sell an electric car that is 25 percent more expensive than a gasoline powered one.”  Read more...

OLED Prices to be Lower than LCD in 2016

oled-lgtvMany smaller electronic devices like high-end smartphones and PMPs are already coming with OLED screens. These screens consume less power than LCD counterparts making for longer run times. Another benefit is that an OLED panel tends to offer better colors than a comparable LCD.

LG has announced at the FPD International 2009 show in Yokohama City, Japan that it will be launching a new 15-inch OLED TV on the market by the end of 2009. The set reportedly will have a resolution of 1366 x 768 and a peak luminance of 450cd/m2. The panel will use a bottom emission type and is constructed of low-temperature polycrystal Si-TFTs crystallized by a high-temp process.  Read more...

Upcoming Zinc-air Batteries Store More Than Three Times the Energy of Lithium-ion

zinc-batteriesRechargeable batteries are used in so many different products that we use today – everything from our computers and mobile phones to our cars have batteries inside. One of the major areas of research is in new battery technologies that will increase the run time of electrical devices and make safer batteries.

Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries have been on the market for a long time and are prone to problems. The batteries, for instance, were the cause of massive recall several years ago after they were overheating in notebooks which in turn caused fires. One of the more promising new battery technologies being researched are zinc-air batteries.  Read more...

Mitsubishi Shows Off Monster 155-inch OLED Display

While Sony, Samsung and LG are busy perfecting OLED manufacturing techniques to make viable sets in sizes up to 32 inches, Mitsubishi has  a different plan for building the gigantic OLED displays you’ve always dreamed of: Just jam a bunch of little ones together. That’s exactly what the company did at CEATAC in Japan this week when it unveiled its 155-inch OLED prototype.

The so-called Diamond Vision OLED display uses a seamless-looking patchwork of 4-inch OLED panels to produce a total display as big as your living room wall – and Mitsubishi says there’s no real limit to how far it will scale with the right number of tiles. Time Square, here we come.  Read more...

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