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from Engadget

There's plenty of devices out there designed to keep folks from falling over, but this so-called iShoe developed by some MIT researchers takes a slightly different tact, with it promising to detect balance problems long before a person actually falls. That's apparently possible thanks to some sensor-laden insoles that measure the pressure distribution across as person's feet, which can be offloaded onto a computer and analyzed with the aid of a special algorithm the researchers have created. Eventually, they say the system could let doctors catch balance problems in their early stages and take the appropriate action, or even notify family members if a person falls, although that latter bit doesn't exactly seem very optimistic of them. No word on a commercial release just yet, but the team is apparently moving steadily towards one, with it currently conducting trials and recently having snapped up a $50,000 grant to help cover start-up costs.

Read more at TGDaily

from Gearlog

I met with Iogear today; the company was showcasing a handful of new and upcoming additions to their product line. The one that caught my attention the most out of the spread was the Powerline Audio System. The audio accessory utilizes the titular technology to transmit audio signals over a home network.

Powerline technology has been available in consumer products for some time now but has never really caught on, due initially to limited transfer speeds. The technology has since been eclipsed in homes by far more popular wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and the various 802.11 incarnations, though Iogear assured me that Powerline transfer speeds have since improved greatly.

Essentially, Powerline transmits information over your existing electric lines. The Powerline Audio Station Receiver incorporates an iPod dock and audio input. Plug the receiver into an outlet in one room and the speakers into another, anywhere in your house or apartment, up to 990 feet away (it should be on the same circuit breaker). The Audio Station transmits audio signals to up to four receivers.

more of Iogear's upcoming gear

from Engadget


The current generation of robots, whether they're the gun-carrying or child-coddling variety, come in all sorts of shapes and sizes to suit their intended purpose. But if research going on at Tufts University comes to fruition, future robots might feature designs that are rather more flexible. Scientists at the school are working on so-called "chemical robots" with no solid parts. Chembots could squeeze under doors, slither through cracks in walls, and even squirm into your orifices, performing internal diagnoses before slowly dissolving away, leaving nothing more than a feeling of creepy violation behind. What about assuming the shape and voice of John Connor's adopted mother? We're hoping that's still a few years off.

Read more at PhysOrg or LiveScience

from Engadget

Earlier this month we saw open-source Ubuntu remixed for netbook-class ultra-portable laptops. Today, MIDs are feeling the hot, sweaty breath of Hardy Heron breathing down the back of their Intel chipsets. The UME-8.04 release features a Gecko-based browser with screen zooming optimized for smaller displays, Pidgin for instant messaging, GNOME's Cheese webcam app, Claws Mail eMail, and Moblin Media for music and video -- all optimized for current and last generation MID / UMPC chipsets from Intel. Available to download now for McCaslin (e.g., Samsung Q1 Ultra) and Menlow-based (Lenovo's Ideapad U8) MIDs.

from TechOn!

Jun 13, 2008 19:30
Kouji Kariatsumari, Nikkei Electronics

Genepax Co Ltd explained the technologies used in its new fuel cell system "Water Energy System (WES)," which uses water as a fuel and does not emit CO₂.

The system can generate power just by supplying water and air to the fuel and air electrodes, respectively, the company said at the press conference, which took place June 12, 2008, at the Osaka Assembly Hall.

The basic power generation mechanism of the new system is similar to that of a normal fuel cell, which uses hydrogen as a fuel. According to Genepax, the main feature of the new system is that it uses the company's membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which contains a material capable of breaking down water into hydrogen and oxygen through a chemical reaction.

More info & pictures at TechOn!

from Engadget


Unlike Rock Port, Missouri, the entire state of Delaware won't be 100-percent wind-powered after Bluewater Wind constructs a $1.6 billion wind park just off its shore, but the state will be able to "light about 50,000 homes a year" for the duration of the 25-year contract. Said agreement was just nailed down between the aforesaid firm and Delmarva Power, and it hopes to start powering homes via wind by 2012. The offshore site will sit around 12 miles off Rehoboth Beach, with a number of turbines to be planted 90-feet into the sea floor and sport three blades apiece measuring 150-feet long. It's noted that vacationers and locals alike won't be able to notice the park from the beach except on a few remarkably clear days, but if their energy bills sink because of it, we don't really think they'll mind, anyway.

Read more at CNN

from Unclutterer

I’ve been looking around for baby items that can multitask, and I may have come across the most unique and useful one yet. It is the Hoppop. The Hoppop is a diaper bag that transforms into a baby seat.

This is a fantastic idea for parents on the go. The Hoppop would have been used quite extensively if my wife and I had owned one. It serves two very important purposes and comes in a fairly compact size. The step-by-step instructions look simple and straight forward. If you want something extra when it comes to your diaper bag, you may want to look into this innovative design.

(via ohdeedoh)

Buy at Amazon

from Engadet

A year and a half ago, Bill Gates himself announced the TouchSmart PC chunk. This time, a simple press release will have to do the job as HP announces the $1,299 TouchSmart IQ504 (PC) and $1,499 TouchSmart IQ506 (PC with TV tuner). Arguably, the thinner, touchier, bigger, 22-inch all-in-ones deserve better. Inside the 2.6-inch thick chassis you'll find a 500GB disk, 256MB of NVIDIA GeForce 9300 M HS HD graphics, 802.11n WiFi, and 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo T5850 processor thumping through the cycles. Launching in 17 countries next month including the UK, Japan, and the US.

Continue reading at Engadget

from Engadget by Joshua Fruhlinger

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This new paper is made out of the same cellulose your regulation legal pad, but scientists at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden were able to get the fiber so small and defect-free in this version -- about 1,000 times smaller -- that it's more than seven times as strong. By breaking down wood pulp with enzymes and beating it mechanically and then treating the tiny fibers with carboxymethanol, they were able to get the new paper to a tensile strength of 214 megapascals (MPa) compared with the normal 30 MPa. So, why should you care? It's entirely possible that this stuff could replace plastic bags at stores without all the petroleum waste.

read at ScienceMag

Researchers at the University of Leeds have developed a new way of cleaning clothes using less than 2% of the water and energy of a conventional washing machine. The revolutionary technology will provide alternatives to both domestic washing and dry cleaning, heralding the world’s first “virtually waterless” washing system.

The process is based on the use of plastic granules (or chips) which are tumbled with the clothes to remove stains. A range of tests, carried out according to worldwide industry protocols to prove the technology performs to the high standards expected in the cleaning industry, show the process can remove virtually all types of everyday stains as effectively as existing processes whilst leaving clothes as fresh as normal washing. In addition, the clothes emerge from the process almost dry, reducing the need for tumble-dryers.

read full post or check out Xeros Ltd

Get your hands on the industry's first OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) television, featuring a 3mm thin panel and breathtaking image contrast, brightness and color.

Sony's OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TV, the XEL-1, is truly the next big thing in television technology. It boasts a 3 millimeter thin panel and offers unparalleled picture quality with amazing contrast, outstanding brightness, exceptional color reproduction, and a rapid response time. It delivers astounding performance in all the key picture quality categories. OLED technology can completely turn off pixels when reproducing black, resulting in more outstanding dark scene detail and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. OLED also creates unmatched color expression and detail and enables rapid response times for smooth and natural reproduction of fast moving images like those found in sports and action movies. The XEL-1 features the latest connectivity options including two HDMI™ inputs, a digital tuner, and a Memory Stick® media slot for viewing high-resolution photos.

see more at sonystyle.com