Welcome to the newsletter for Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine.
These are the headlines for April the 12th, 2013.
 Bell unveils V-280 Valor tiltrotor concept for U.S. Army program
Bell
Helicopter has thrown its tiltrotor hat into the ring for the U.S.
Army's Joint Multi Role (JMR)/Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program with
the unveiling of its V-280 Valor tiltrotor concept at the 2013 Army
Aviation Association of America's (AAAA) Annual Professional Forum and
Exposition in Fort Worth, Texas. The aircraft is up against an X2-based design from Boeing and Sikorsky, a coaxial design from AVX Aircraft, and a still unknown proposal from EADS.
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DS Wild Rubis: Citroen's latest SUV concept heads for Shanghai
Opting
to show its latest concept car at the Shanghai Auto Show speaks to a
shift in markets for Citroen. The French auto-manufacturer whose primary
theater has been Europe has of late been struggling to retain market
share. With the debut of the new Wild Rubis DS concept at the upcoming
Shanghai Show, Citroen looks ready to shift gears to the emerging Asian
market.
Laser system produces 3D images of objects up to one kilometer away
Physicists
at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University have created a 3D imaging camera
system capable of resolving depth on a millimeter scale at distances of
up to one kilometer. Working much like a laser version of radar, the
"Time-of-Flight" (ToF) measurement system "pings" a low-powered infrared
laser beam off distant objects and records a pixel-by-pixel map using a
detector that counts and positions individual photons as they arrive
back at the source.
Twitter Music app set to launch
Compare
the music industry of the 90s to the music industry of today, and you'd
be hard-pressed to find many similarities. Digital distribution turned
it all on its head. But just in case iTunes, Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, and YouTube weren't enough of an overhaul, another familiar name is set to launch its own music app. Brace yourself for Twitter Music.
DARPA develops non-GPS navigation chip
The
Global Positioning System (GPS) has proved a boon for those with a bad
sense of direction, but the satellite-based system isn't without its
shortcomings. Something as simple as going indoors or entering a tunnel
can render the system useless. That might be inconvenient for civilians,
but it's potentially disastrous for military users for whom the system
was originally built. DARPA is addressing such concerns with the
development of a self-sufficient navigation system that can aid
navigation when GPS is temporarily unavailable.
Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 vs. Galaxy Mega 6.3
You didn't think the Galaxy Note II
was the last word, did you? That Samsung's 5.5-inch phablet had filled
the last gaps between smartphone and tablet? Think again. If the Note is
two parts smartphone, one part tablet – the huge Galaxy Mega flips that around. Let's see how the two versions of the Mega (Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3) compare.
Mazda uses its "Soul of Motion" design language on furniture
"Motion
while sitting still," or similar such phrasing, is a favorite of
automaker press releases. Every car manufacturer loves to pretend that
its latest car looks like it's speeding down the highway even while it's
parked at Denny's. For Milan Design Week, Mazda extends the same design
concept to the very essence of sitting still: a chair.
Swiss researchers advance "breathprinting" for health checks
Traditional
Chinese medicine has long analyzed breath as a way to assess human
health and in recent times state-of-the-art technology has been brought
to this approach to diagnose various diseases and even stress.
Swiss researchers at ETH Zurich and at the University Hospital Zurich
are continuing to advance this field by developing a "breathprinting"
technique using mass spectrometry that they hope will become competitive
with the established analysis methods based on blood and urine.
A tale of two tests: why Energy Star LED light bulbs are a rare breed
Just over a week ago we reported that Philips' 22 W LED light bulb,
designed as a like-for-like replacement of a 100-W incandescent light
bulb, was the first LED bulb of its type to receive the stamp of
approval from Energy Star. But looking at the Energy Star requirements
reported by Philips in its press release, it seemed a little strange
that Philips' product is the only one to have been certified – given
that products long on the market appear, at face value, to meet those
requirements. Since then, Gizmag has spoken to LED light bulb makers Switch Lighting and other industry players to find out why they're apparently playing catch-up.
Stroke rehabilitation system shows users how to improve their dexterity
People
recovering from strokes can often find rehabilitation very frustrating.
They try to move their hand in a certain way, for instance, but it just
won't do it – why not? That's where a new system known as the
Synergistic Physio-Neuro Platform (SynPhNe) comes into the picture. It
guides patients through exercises, monitors their performance, and lets
them know why they're unable to perform certain tasks. They can then use
that knowledge to self-correct their actions, instead of just getting
exasperated.
AOptix Stratus turns the iPhone into a biometric identification device
When you think about portable biometric identification devices (you do
think about them, right?), you likely picture relatively bulky
contraptions. This week, however, California tech company AOptix
announced its new Stratus biometrics system, that's based around the
user's existing iPhone 4 or 4S.
iPhone 5S, Retina iPad mini release dates pushed back?
Apple's
approach to public relations is pure genius. Hold a handful of media
events every year, but otherwise stay silent. It makes the company a
blank canvas. And countless fans, blogs, and media outlets will paint
that canvas as they see fit.
Thus we have reports like this, of unannounced Apple products with
unannounced release dates being "delayed." Silly? You bet. But let's
take the bait anyway, and see if there's anything to it.
In Pictures: Milan Design Week 2013
This week the Salone Internazionale del Mobile (aka Milan Design Week)
opened in Milan, showcasing an endless collection of the latest
home-furnishing designs from Italy and around the world. This year marks
the Salone's 52nd edition and features a strong focus on innovation and
the use of natural materials. Over 2,500 exhibitors filled the 204,850
square meters (2.2 million square feet) of the Rho Milan Fairgrounds in
Italy, and we were lucky enough to be among the 300,000 visitors to
attend this year's event.
Paper Shooters cardboard rifle kit shoots paper ammo 75 feet
Cardboard
is a remarkably versatile material and capable of being so much more
than mere disposable packaging – as highlighted by the cardboard bike, helmet, and church.
We can now add functional toy rifle to the growing list of viable
cardboard-constructed inventions, courtesy of the Paper Shooters
build-it-yourself cardboard rifle kit.
Samsung announces giant Galaxy Mega smartphones
Samsung
has announced the Galaxy Mega 5.8 and 6.3 – two new mid-level devices
that aim to fill the gap between smartphone and tablet. While the
handsets might not be heavyweights on the spec sheet, they are some of
the biggest devices we've seen, and at 5.8 and 6.3 inches, they're
certainly deserving of their moniker.
Flatpack pinhole camera gets back to photography basics
Pinhole
cameras – that use a pin hole rather than a lens – have been around
since the beginning of photography and could be, to coin a popular
phrase, a form of "vintage" innovation. A recent Kickstarter project
aims to bring this established photographic methodology back to today's
users in the form of an assemble-it-yourself cardboard pinhole camera.
DJI announces stabilized HERO mount, and camera-equipped Phantom quadcopter
Well, that didn't take long. Just this January, DJI Innovations released its GPS-enabled Phantom quadcopter.
Now, at this week's National Association of Broadcasters show in Las
Vegas, the company has unveiled a self-stabilizing camera mount that can
be added to existing Phantoms, plus an upgraded Phantom that includes
its own HD video camera. Additionally, DJI's new iOS app allows users to
view onboard video output in real time on their iPhone, iPad or iPod
touch via Wi-Fi.
Statoil's Norway HQ: one of the best offices in the world?
Is
this one of the world's best office buildings? These are the new
offices of Norwegian oil and gas outfit Statoil, built at Fonebu near
Oslo in Norway. The building was lauded well before its completion
towards the end of 2012. In 2009 it was singled out as Future Project of
the Year at the World Architecture Festival. Last year it received the
Best Commercial Building prize at the World Architecture News Awards,
and more recently was nominated in the Best Office & Business
Development category at this year's MIPIM real estate exhibition in
Cannes (where it was beaten by The Squaire in Frankfurt). So what's
significant about the design?
Heineken's "smart" beer bottles create a synchronized light show
Heineken
is introducing a new twist on the ordinary beer bottle with the
Heineken Ignite, which uses LEDs and wireless sensors to light up when
two bottles are clinked together and flashes in time with music.
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