SmartCap detects fatigued brains

post from Ubergizmo on 30 January 2012 11:45:47 PM. © Ubergizmo

I guess with the advent of technology, many things can carry the “smart” tag – after all, it is not too hard to cram in a tiny microchip here and there to make a particular, everyday household item or even a piece of clothing gain some sort of “brains”. After all, even if paint can be turned into smart paint, what’s stopping one from rolling out a SmartCap? The Smartcap is a relatively new invention from Australia’s EdanSafe, where it is capable of measuring employee fatigue in real time through the monitoring of its wearer’s brain waves. Of course, you would first need to wear a cap for that to happen, so those who are averse to wearing caps might feel uncomfortable with the idea. Good thing it is fully washable, thanks to the use of waterproof sensors in its lining. These sensors are used to measure electrical activity that originate in the brain, at the scalp level, and you need not prepare your scalp in any way beforehand. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: SmartCap monitors brain using sensors, SmartCap could help save lives,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/01/smartcap-detects-fatigued-brains/

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Steerable bullet realizes Wanted in real life

post from Ubergizmo on 30 January 2012 11:44:00 PM. © Ubergizmo

Remember the 2008 action flick, Wanted, that starred Angelina Jolie who is part of a group of specialized assassins that can bend the pathways of bullets? Well, not everyone needs to be born with such a special gift as in the movie, since a steerable bullet has already been invented in real life for general military use, thanks to the researchers over at Sandia National Laboratory. Guess such a bullet is an advantage on the battlefield, as an ordinary trooper, on paper, now gains the capabilities of an advanced sniper. The Sandia system relies on a smooth bore barrel that fires the projectile, and the bullet itself comprises a smooth 4″ design alongside plastic sabot coverings that provide a gas seal, and as it leaves the barrel, control fins are revealed to control the pitch and yaw. An 8-cell optical sensor is incorporated into the round’s tip, where it will guide the ordinance onto a target which has been lit up using a laser designator from afar. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nano Air Vehicle, Inflatable tourniquet might help save lives on the battlefield,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/01/steerable-bullet-realizes-wanted-in-real-life/

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No next generation consoles for 2012 from Sony or
Microsoft

post from Ubergizmo on 30 January 2012 11:43:49 PM. © Ubergizmo

Earlier today, we brought you word from Cedrick Delmax, marketing director of Microsoft France, that there will not be a new version of the Xbox 360 rolling out later this year, which means the Xbox 360 still has some years down the road to go. Makes perfect sense really, considering the worldwide economic climate at the moment that requires most folks to tighten their belts, and research and development into a new console platform is always an expensive affair. As for Microsoft’s bitter rival in the home console market, Sony too, will not issue a PS3 successor, according to CEO of Sony France, Philippe Cardon. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Xbox 360 and PS3 successors to debut at E3 2012?, Sony PSN to shutdown at night for underaged Korean players,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/01/no-next-generation-consoles-from-sony-or-microso
ft/

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Icarus revisited

post from Ubergizmo on 30 January 2012 11:24:47 PM. © Ubergizmo

Humans must have looked up at the birds of yore, and wished that they, too, could one day traverse the skies. Fast forward to the 21st century and you have all sorts of machinations and contraptions that can ferry a large number of humans from one place to another, although it will not be how Icarus envisioned – that is, by attaching one’s body to a pair of wings, flapping one’s way around the skies. As for the Human Bird Wings project, plenty of mathematical formulas and calculation needs to be done, and gotten right, otherwise the rider of those wings might end up with a rather bumpy landing – hopefully all the relevant protective gear are in place! Assuming the wingspan stands at 7 meters, and the mass of the wings themselves weigh in at 10kg, the person with the wings would tip the scales at approximately 80kg to 85kg. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Smart paint reinforces structures, Evolution Neck Pillow makes sleeping on flights comfortable,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/01/human-flight/

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Smart paint reinforces structures

post from Ubergizmo on 30 January 2012 11:24:44 PM. © Ubergizmo

We have Smart TVs, smartphones, smart windows, smart cars, just what other things can we cram in a “brain” and call it smart as well? Here’s an idea – how about smart paint? Researchers from Scotland are working on a low-cost smart paint which is able to detect microscopic faults in structures including bridges, wind turbines, and mines. Just what kind of sorcery makes up this unique paint? Well, it is made of highly aligned carbon nanotubes, where these nanotubes will be able to carry an electrical current, while a recycled waste product known as fly ash is mixed to produce a cement-like property, making it more than just useful in those nooks and crannies that weather prevents one from carrying out regular safety monitoring without having to go through a whole lot of hassle in the first place. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Icarus revisited, Microsoft Kinect works well with the Source engine,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/01/smart-paint-self-repair/

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1.4bn house is art attraction

post from Ubergizmo on 30 January 2012 11:22:11 PM. © Ubergizmo

video details and more

If you are an oil oligarch or a magnate of some other business, then surely you would have not only one home, but plenty of pads all around the world, living out the jet-setting lifestyle while hanging out with other famous people as you float from one social engagement to another. As for your home itself, it would surely be worth in the hundreds of millions at the extremely extravagant end of the scale, furnishings, fittings and artwork included. The vast, sprawling grounds, carefully manicured gardens – this is the life! Well, it seems that an Irish man could have beat you at your own game with his humble abode that is worth a cool ?1.4 billion. Yes sir, artist Frank Buckley paid homage to the Ireland’s ill-fated construction boom, where the three-room apartment was built in the lobby of his Dublin studio, and made out of ?1.4 billion of shredded tender that was obtained from the Central Bank mint. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Wind Clock demonstrates the relative nature of time, Microsoft Tag combines technology with art,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/01/e1-4bn-house-is-art-attraction/

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Kobee Jin Yong Reader gets a Mirasol display

post from Ubergizmo on 30 January 2012 09:32:10 PM. © Ubergizmo

Koobe Jin Yong At the Taipei International Book Fair, Qualcomm has announced that Kobee has selected the Mirasol display technology for their Jin Yong Reader (the reader has been named after Jin Young, a popular author in China ). The tablet features a 5.7″ 1024×768 Mirasol display, a 1GHz SnapDragon S2 processor and a customized Android 2.3. This device looks just like the Bambook Sunflower that we talked about at CES.

If you are not familiar with the Mirasol display technology, it has some of the advantages of e-Ink, which consumes power only when pixels change, and some strengths of LCD, as it is in color and has a refresh rate which is fast enough for basic screen animations. At the moment, Mirasol has been used to power “super eBooks”, but not to replace conventional LCDs – yet.

I remember Mirasol starting out with tiny screens just a few of years ago, and at CES we had an opportunity to play the same 5.7″ display on a device just like this one. The screen was good enough to display movies, but the image quality and refresh rates were not yet suitable for “entertainment”, although it would be fine for “education”. At this point, it’s not clear what the pricing is going to be like.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Bambook Sunflower: the first mirasol display e-reader, Kyobo e-reader hits South Korea,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/01/kobee-jin-yong-reader-gets-a-mirasol-display/

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XFX Radeon R7950 Black Edition Video Card

post from Benchmark Reviews: Performance Computer Hardware Tests on 30 January 2012 09:00:00 PM. © Benchmark Reviews: Performance Computer Hardware Tests

Benchmark Reviews recently took a look at XFX's R7970 Black Edition Double Dissipation version of AMD's new top-end Tahiti-based video cards. It's the fastest single-GPU video card we've ever tested, but the $600.00 price was a little hard to take, especially with NVIDIA's GTX580 widely available for more than $100 less. Today XFX has supplied us with the next step down the Tahiti line, the R7950 Black Edition Double Dissipation.

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http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=867&Itemid=
72

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Windows Phone Tango may finally open the apps
floodgates

With the recent Nokia push, Windows Phone has been growing silently, but steadily. One of the most frequent remark that users have is that while the OS is speedy and easy to use, the relative lack of apps has become Windows Phone’s main issue. It’s a shame because the Windows Phone SDK and development tools are the best out there, at least in my opinion. So what’s the hold up?

In two words: C++ and Open GL. Right now, the Windows Phone SDK only handles C#, which is great, but is not really used by Android and iOS developers. On the contrary, both iOS and Android support C++, so it is possible to transfer code from one platform to the other without a complete rewrite. That is especially true for the “core” app code, which is not OS-specific.

According to Karthik Ragubathy, Microsoft has mentioned that C++ development would come in the “next release”, although the Microsoft employees did not say the next release of “what” (Windows Phone or Microsoft Visual Studio). In any case, it seems more likely that it is the next release of Windows Phone that would gain C++ support as Visual Studio has had it forever. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Developers starting to show more interest in Windows Phone, Nokia reveals plans to attract developers onto Windows Phone,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/01/windows-phone-tango-may-finally-the-apps-floodga
tes/

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Acura Super Bowl Commercial with Jerry Seinfeld
is Online

The Acura Super Bowl Ad is online. The Acura Super Bowl 2012 commercial stars comedian super star Jerry Seinfeld. As reported the Acura Super Bowl 2012 Ad marks the first ever Super Bowl Ad for...

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http://www.i4u.com/49491/acura-super-bowl-commercial-jerry-seinfeld-online