New Gadget Allows Blind to See Using Tongue

   Have you ever watched Blind Dating? It is a romantic comedy film starring Chris Pine, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Anjali Jay. Maybe some of you have never heard of those names, but it's ok coz i'm more concerned about the Story. It is about an intelligent, handsome, charming young blind man who signed up for a dangerous experimental procedure: brain surgery that may give him partial vision. Having been blind from birth, he volunteers for a risky experimental procedure that may restore his sight -- having a microchip installed in the visual cortex of his brain that connects to a camera that would give him only, at best, fuzzy black and white images. Later, he fell in love with a girl and he would do anything just to see that woman who made her heart beat, even to the expense of his life. To be able to see her eyes, her smile and the way she grin will surely mean the world to him. Now, his dream might finally come to reality with the use of with the use of Wicab BrainPort - a gadget that allow its users to see using their tongue.

-----------------------

The latest invention of neuroscientists from Middleton, Wisc.-based Wicab, Inc. represents a gadget that can help blind or those with extremely low vision to see using their tongue. The Wicab BrainPort collects information gathered by a small digital camera mounted on a pair of glasses and then transmits it to a "lollipop" electrode array which the user attaches to their tongue.

The device's digital camera sends the light information to a base unit that has the size of a usual mobile phone. Afterwards the small base unit translates the light information into electrical impulses, thus substituting retina's function. Then the base unit transmits that information to a set of 400 microelectrodes that are positioned on the paddle placed on the user's tongue. The article in Scientific American explains that the microelectrodes excite the nerves on the surface on a person's tongue. Those, who have already tested the latest invention, enjoyed the feeling of Pop Rocks candies on their tongue.

It is also worth mentioning that the base unit of the device includes such functions as zoom control, light settings control and intensity. You can find more interesting information on various useful inventions here at www.InfoNIAC.com; please consider checking the links at the bottom of the story.With their help users can identify doorways and elevator buttons. Besides, the latest invention from Wicab researchers can help users read letters and numbers. In addition, the Wicab BrainPort allows seeing cups and forks on the table.

This latest invention is expected to hit the market by the end of 2009. Its initial price will be about $10,000 per device.

Article Source: Infoniac.com
----------------------------

To have a clearer view of what I'm saying, watch this video...

Apple Tablet PC to be released this 2010

The much-hyped Apple Tablet PC looks set to be unveiled later today, but how funny would it be if the device did not feature in their announcement. The time of the press event is at 11AM, look below for the time for your country. So let us have a look at what we know so far.

The most recent piece of news that we have is the fact that the biggest announcement from the event could be a Verizon iPhone. We know that the Apple Tablet is big news, but if the iPhone was allowed on the most popular U.S. cell phone carrier, then sales would be huge, much bigger than the iSlate, iPad, iTablet or whatever you wish to call it.

So if and when Apple does release its new tablet device, what do you think the commercial will look like. If past products are anything to go by, we know that it will be slick and polished. However, we wonder if they will do things a bit different this time round?

Yesterday we picked up on the fact that the Apple Tablet could change our reading habits forever. The reason behind this statement is simple; Apple changed the music industry with its iPod and the cell phone market with its iPhone, so why would the tablet be any different?

The biggest news of the week has to be what Steve Jobs was rumored to have said. The Apple CEO said that the iPhone is not as important as the Apple Tablet. We have to wonder what he means by that, but the tablet has to be something very special if Jobs did say this.

Here are the times for the Apple Press Event:

• 08:00AM – Hawaii
• 10:00AM – Pacific
• 11:00AM – Mountain
• 12:00PM – Central
• 01:00PM – Eastern
• 06:00PM – London
• 07:00PM – Paris
• 09:00PM – Moscow
• 03:00AM - Tokyo (January 28th)

Watch Apple MacBook Touch Tablet Concept Video Here:

video courtesy of AuburnSpyder

source: product-reviews

Parrot AR.Drone Brings Real Gaming Experience!

Parrot, one of the globe's leading builder of wireless technologies for vehicles, home and beyond for more than 15 years will be releasing the AR.Drone project this 2010. This is would probably be one of the most awaited event in the gaming community as it uses augmented reality for maximum gaming experience.

After almost four years of research and hardwork, AR.Drone will finally be flying around. Parrot AR.Drone is a quadricopter that consists of a central cockpit surrounded by four propellers, each driven by an engine. It is the first quadricopter controlled remotely by your iPhone or iPod  Touch through the use of wi-fi technology. It offers amazing possibilities for piloting, excellent maneuverability and extraordinary stability.

Watch the video Parrot AR.Drone Flight Demo

video courtesy of parrotcorp

It could really be a cool device but I can just see it now, some peeping tom is going to love this toy. This would probably be a must have for all the spy wannabes out there. Sure, it was developed primarily for real gaming experience but with the limitless possibilities it can do, it may also be used as an instrument to bring harm to others. Well, let's just hope for the best.

source:  ardrone.parrot.com

HP Pink Laptop for Ladies

Looking for a stylish girly laptop that will make all your officemates or schoolmates envy you? HP already has a solution for that. Nikita Buyanov designed an HP Make-Up Concept especially for the ladies. 

Some of its exciting features includes:

       * Mirror Mode - in just a press of a button, the laptop screen will change to mirror mode.
       * Built-in on-nail printing device - lets you choose different nail art designs and prints it instantly to your fingernails.

You can stay in touch, send emails, type documents, make presentations, download files, listen to music, watch videos and a whole lot more while looking good on this stylish and lightweight laptop that will surely be the talk of your workplace.

Most men are still probably sticking with basic black, but, more and more women are beginning to fall in love with these trendy pink laptops. So, if you happen to be needing a gift for a woman in your life, pink laptop computers are definitely a choice that will be a winner.

Technorati Tags: HP Laptops,pink laptops,stylish laptop,trendy laptop,cool pink,computers,HP make-up laptop concept. laptop for girls

Timex iControl Watch with iPod Control On Sale!

Timex's new iControl Ironman Watch offers wireless iPod control. From its initial price of $125, it was now being sold for almost $25 each plus shipping fee. That's almost a hundred dollar difference. These Timex iControl Ironman Resin Strap Watches comes with an iPod controller that can transmit signals seamlessly to your iPod so you can control your music in a heartbeat. The iControl comes with a special adapter that plugs into the bottom slot of the iPod. This slot is found on every iPod with a screen and Timex guarantees compatibility with 5th gen models including the iPhone. All you need to do is attach the wireless dongle to your iPod and get to control it through your Timex iControl Ironman Watch.

The Timex iControl Ironman Resin Strap Watches are available in 7 different colors:  Black/Silver, Black, Grey, Blue, Green, Orange and Pink. It also comes along with stopwatch, chronograph training log than can stores workouts by date, with best lap, average lap and total segment time.

Watch this video to see the main features of Timex iControl Ironman Watch with iPod Control.

See the Timex iControl Ironman Watch with iPod Control sample product on ebay.

Asus' E-Clean Robo Vacuum has Antibac UV Beam

Believe it or not, this round little thing which looks more like a digital weighing scale is a robot. Yes, you read that right. Not all robots have head, arms, or feet which can perform human-like abilities. This UFO looking vacuum cleaner is set to clean your floors and keep it bacteria-free!

Asus is set to introduce the E-Cleaner robot in China and Taiwan for around $150 before the year ends. According to Taiwan Economic News, the robot will be offered by Asus’s subsidiary AGAiT Technology.

Asus’ ECleaner has noticeable design and features similar to Roomba - the first automated cauum cleaner introduced by iRobot in 2002. Only that it has a few nice upgrades. The ECleaner has a photo sensor to detect stairs and avoid falling down. The ECleaner also returns to its battery charge base automatically when it is done with its task or if the battery needs to be recharged.

Watch the video to see how it works:

The Main features of ECleaner includes:

• a 6000-hour UV light for disinfecting the floor
• a slot for spreading fragrance
• a remote control that fits neatly on top of the vacuum

source: wired

Fleximus Camera: Flexibility ideal for Plumbers!

Have you ever imagined how hard and time consuming it is for plumbers to find the faults in pipes whenever they try to do some repairs or maintenance works? Thanks to Art Lebedev Studio, they can now easily locate the source of problem as they introduced their Fleximus camera.

Fleximus camera is an innovative, yet simply designed, flexible tubular camera with lens. It can be mounted on a compact view finder or a 3-inch display module.

         

          Camera with a compact view finder                Horizons for creativity broadened tremendously
 

Detachable part with a large screen

Fleximus can capture clear photos, record videos, and is designed to have as few controllers as possible. The flexible tube allows a photographer to shoot at angles never imaginable before. Just right for plumbers angling through pipes.

source: artlebedev.com

Optoma Pico PK101 - Pocket Projector

  A Handy Dandy Projector That You Can Bring Anywhere. Optoma, one of the largest projector companies in the world, is proud to introduce the stunning Optoma Pico PK101 – a projector that’s so small it fits easily in your pocket! Imagine being able to show your friends and family videos from your media player or mobile phone at up to sixty inches in size. Ever wanted to show the photos on your digital camera or PDA whilst you’re out and about? Well, now it’s possible with this revolutionary new projector you can hold in your hand. No need to worry about connecting to the mains either; the Optoma Pico Pocket projector comes supplied with batteries to give you complete freedom on the move and what’s more it’s fully rechargeable, just like your mobile phone.

     

      
Two cautionary notes: The sound output is dinky, so you'll want to use it with headphones, which makes it less fun for the whole family, or an external speaker, which makes it bulky. (Or, see the FoxL Bluetooth Speaker, at No. 5 on this list). And the rechargeable battery lasts 1.5 hours. Luckily, it ships with two. Price: $399. Optoma Pico PK-101 – This has got to be the coolest gadget to date. It is a mini-projector. All you have to do is plug this small gizmo into your iPod and you have your own personal projector where crisp video images are projected on a wall.
 The latest LED technology, Optoma’s projector expertise and Texas Instruments tried and trusted DLP® chip technology, (used in millions of business and home cinema projectors the world over), come together to produce astonishing image quality from such a small projector. There’s no need to worry about replacing the lamp either - the Pico has a lamp-life of an astonishing twenty thousand hours: enough for more than eighteen years of life, even if you use the projector three hours a day, every single day of the year.

Watch the video here:

Pico could even project an image up to 6ft if it were in a very dark room - depending on the source. This tiny Optoma model may be the most expensive and unusual iPod accessory to date. Optoma's diminutive projector makes a great traveling companion, despite somewhat fuzzy image projection. But, once you’ve seen the Optoma Pico, you’ll agree that it sets the standard in pocket projectors.

Source: Amazingonly.com

Zippo Lighter Camera/DVR Spy Gadget

What could be easier to carry or less obvious than a normal Zippo lighter. Who would ever guess that this unobtrusive item is actually a colour and sound digital video recording system? You can't get much more James Bond than that!!

One button to start or stop recording and the unit is re-charged from your computer via a USB cable. Charging takes 2 hours and this will give you an operating time of one hour.

All files are time and date stamped and can be transferred to and viewed on your computer.

This is an extraordinary product giving excellent colour video pictures and sound.

Specifications:
Resolution: 1.3 milion CMOS
Visual angle:  65 degrees
Minimum illumination:  1 Lux
Storage Temperature: -20 to 80 degrees C.
Operating temperature  -10 to 50 degrees C.
Operating humidity:  15b to 85% RH
Memory card capacity:  2Gb. 1 hour of filming
Video Recording Function
(Supporting formats):  For video coding and decoding, Motion JPEG is used; files in  AV1 format  VGA
                                  (640 480 @ 15 VIR/sec).
USB interface:  USB 1.1/2.0
Operation system:  Windows98/ME/2000/XP/Vista32/MAC OS/LINUX
Battery:  Run time 1 hour; Charge time 2 hours.
Size: 55x47x13mm's.

Here are some other pictures of lighter spy cameras available in the market:

source: spycatcheronline.co.uk

USB Rechargeable Cell

No electrical outlet to plug your battery charger into? No worry! These batteries plug into any powered USB port for quick and convenient charging.

A really convenient gadget, these rechargeable batteries actually have a 5V DC USB plug attached to the cell, allowing you to recharge them from your laptop or any other USB Source. Perfect for recharging any digital camera that uses AA Batteries without the need for bulky chargers and cables.

• Simply plug the cells into a USB port on your laptop, personal computer or video game console and let the recharging begin
• Work great in flashlights, bike lights, remote controls, digital cameras and wireless computer peripherals
  LED status light indicates when charging is in progress; light flashes when batteries are 90% charged and turns off when fully charged
• Nickel-metal hydride batteries pose less threat to the environment as they do not contain the heavy metal cadmium found in nickel cadmium batteries
• Save money and create less toxic waste by using rechargeable batteries rather than single-use alkaline batteries
• Recommended charge time of five hours via USB port; can also be charged in a NiMH battery charger

Help keep harmful heavy metals out of our air and water by recycling your rechargeable batteries. For information on how you can get started recycling rechargeable batteries, visit the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation website at www.Call2Recycle.org.

USBCELL has also designed batteries in the AAA format with an instant foldout full-size USB, and with a mini-USB.

source: rei.com

HP TouchSmart PC

Touch the future now

Introducing the next great innovation from HP. The new TouchSmart products redefine what touch can do for you.  Add a new touch of style and interactivity to your home or office with the all-in-one, multi-touch enabled HP TouchSmart PC.

An attendee of the CES 2009 Exhibit is playing Solitaire on an HP TouchSmart PC.

What's new with HP TouchSmart 3.0

• Multi-touch capabilities such as pinch, zoom and pan to handle your content how you want.
• New and enhanced apps such as Canvas, Recipe Box, Hulu, Netflix and Twitter
• Wider 16:9

source: hp.com

Powermat Wireless Charger

The wireless power business sure seems to be getting crowded these days, with upstart Powermat Ltd. only the latest company promising to free your gadgets from yet another cord. Unlike some similar products, however, Powermat’s system looks to actually be ready to charge your devices, with the Loews Regency Hotel Business Center in New York City the first to put it to use. While the company eventually sees its technology being directly integrated into various electronic devices (like every other company), in the meantime you simply hook your device up to a so-called “puck,” which in turn wirelessly picks up the signals from the power mat it’s placed on. No word on when you’ll be able to get a Powermat for yourself, but the company does say the system will be “inexpensive." (2007)

 

The newest versions of Powermat Wireless Charges were showcased at CES 2009. It can now charge up to four handheld devices at once. The device is compatible with most of popular electronic devices, including iPhones, iPods, cell phones, MP3 players, Bluetooth devices, PDAs, digital cameras, portable GPS devices, and more. Rather than introduce a slew of new flashy gadgets, companies are focusing on solving design issues that have been created by years of poor design. Powermat is a revolutionary new design which aims to help frustrated users charge their army of battery powered devices. However, instead of fumbling with power cords and adaptors, Powermat charges your gadgets wirelessly. The system works with a non-conductive Powermat which syncs with receivers attached to your devices. Powermat eventually hopes that manufacturers will integrate wireless charging receivers into devices making syncing even easier. The mat will retail for around $100 and the receivers will be around $35 when the system is launched later this year.

 

source: techlogique

Voice Interactive Coffee Maker

 

This coffee maker takes coffee drinkers to a new level. Hammacher Schlemmer offers the first voice-interactive coffee maker that asks, "Would you like to set the clock or set the coffee brewing time?" and operates in response to your verbal commands.If you are feeling lazy to make a coffee, this Voice Interactive Coffee Machine could pass for a maid or servant that will whip up your daily brew according to your wishes.

Simply saying, "Set the coffee brewing time," or "Set the clock," will prompt the machine to reply, "Please say the time, including AM or PM." It uses an advanced voice recognition system to identify any time of day you speak, eliminating the hassle of fussing with buttons. The included reusable, dishwasher-safe plastic filter is specially designed to allow the water to thoroughly saturate coffee grounds, maximizing the richness and aroma of coffee.

The coffee machine brews up to 10 cups at once and allows you to remove the carafe during brewing to pour a cup. To prompt the coffee maker to speak, simply press the "Talk" button; can also be operated manually. Stainless steel housing. 13" H x 9 1/2" D x 6" W. (4 3/4 lbs.)

Source: random-good-stuff.com 

Stackable Furniture for Future Houses

Not much room in your living room? Buy stackable furniture! It's stylish and futuristic design is no doubt a work of art and a space saving solution. With this, you can simply turn a paved patio in a designer lounge.

This stacking lawn furniture tower -- called Obelisk from Dedon -- was featured at a Paris furniture salon, and it was pretty stunning even without the ocean backdrop, with its four chairs and coffee table that could be piled into a sculptural object when not in use. It creates an object of visual interest, unobtrusive but present, when not used as chairs.

Lawn furniture has become incredibly high-tech, often as comfortable and expensive as its indoor counterparts. But the Obelisk from Dedon could also work in an unconventional studio apartment -- perfect for a dancer, maybe, who could put away her living room during the day so she could pirouette around the open floor space. Or for an artist who likes visitors to stop by his little studio for coffee breaks, but always frets that he doesn't have enough room for chairs and a coffee table.
  

The Obelisk Chairs is four powdered coated aluminum frame chairs with white cushions and a table which can stack into one piece made out of woven polyethylene. With both larger and smaller versions available, two to four seats along with a coffee table all emerge from a single sphere or obelisk shape. The table alone sets this apart from most transforming/collapsing chair sets, but with the passable style and transforming functional of this set one could also imagine cramped interior spaces benefiting from one of these designs. And yeah, it's cool!

5 in 1 Bond Pen: Be A Spy For Only $10

It may look like an ordinary fountain pen, but today, a seemingly innocent writing instrument was unmasked as a James Bond style spy gadget. This Ultimate 5-in-1 Geek Pen does more than you average pen in that it features extras that would make James Bond film fanatics smile with delight.
  

1. Twist the shaft one way and you get a ballpoint pen

2. Twist it the other way and you get a stylus tip for style using stuff.

3. Press the top button to turn on the laser pointer.

4. Press the bottom button to cycle through the flashlight and UV light.

5. The flashlight even comes on a flexible shaft for precision aiming.

If you are wondering what is being talked about, allow me to confirm you its a pen. A pen that works 5 ways just like James Bond’s gadgets do. So if you have already read an article about the ultimate Bond watch, won’t you just love to increase your collection?

Here is a brush up of the things you can get with $10.

•     Ballpoint Pen (replaceable)
•     Stylus
•     Bright white LED flexible-shaft flashlight
•     UV light
•     Red laser pointer
•     Batteries: 3 LR41 button batteries (included)
•     Dimensions: 5.25″ long

E-Ball: A Complete Computer in a Ball

  How about taking whole computer in your pocket all the time?  This ball predicts the future of computing. You might have seen many things like this but the unique feature of this ball is that when it is closed, no one can guess that whole computer is hidden inside this ball. Much like the 5 in 1 Pen drive which was fetured in this blog earlier.

The concept PC is called E-Ball designed by  Apostol Tnokovski. It’s shaped like a sphere because in Tnokovski’s opinion this is the best shape in nature and it draws everybody’s attention.

E-Ball will feature a dual core processor, 250-500GB HDD, 2GB of RAM, integrated graphic card and sound card, 2 x 50W speakers, HD-DVD recorder, wireless optical mouse and laser keyboard, LAN and WLAN card, modem, Web cam and integrated LCD projector.

The E-Ball PC supports a paper holder and the paper sheet on the holder could act like a screen where you can watch movies or something. This concept PC will measure 160mm in diameter and it was designed for Microsoft Windows OS. For the moment, there is no word on pricing or when it’s going to be available. But upon release,  it will surely hit the markets as everyone would like to see a small spherical PC like this one.

The spherical shape may not be practical. A sphere isn’t a very good idea for an object that needs to dissipate heat. Spheres have the highest volume/surface area ratio possible (which is why bubbles are spherical) and so would have the hardest time getting rid of waste heat. But hey, the most important here is that someone is pushing the envelope of PC computing and getting bigger ideas. It takes a brilliant mind to think these ideas which engineers then bring to reality. Sure there are some very dodgy concepts like the round mobo etc, but if nobody demands that engineers stretch their imagination we would still be having dinner with a pick axe out of stone.

Source: Techtoggle.com

Printbrush - The World's Smallest Mobile Printer

Although it seems that print technology is going obsolete as more information goes online, there is still a need for printers. When you search for a good quality printer, some of the things you consider are speed, size and background noise level.

Printbrush is an interesting portable printer designed by PrintDreams. The handheld printer remembers its positional coordinates as it prints. When you run Printbrush over a piece of paper, it will deposit black and white printer ink on the page in 600 DPI (dots per inch). The device uses Bluetooth communication and includes rechargeable batteries for people on the go.

The PrintBrush will be by far the smallest printer device in the world that can print full size formats (A4 or letter size). In many ways it will be even better than stationary printers or other so called "mobile" printers. For example, it will be possible to print directly in notebooks or other media that would never fit into a conventional printer device. It will also be completely silent allowing you to print during ongoing meetings, etc. On top of all that, no wires, no cables, no mess!

The device is not just limited to printing on plain paper. Rather, it can print on any flat surface including fabric material and letter envelopes. There’s no need to use the manual feed on an office printer if you have one of these.

Preliminary product specifications

• Resolution: 600dpi monochrome
• Print technology: inkjet and RMPT™ Full
• Max. speed: 250mm/sec
• Volume: Approx. 200cc
• Weight: Approx. 250gm
• Interfaces: USB 2.0, Bluetooth, IRda
• Power supply: rechargable Li-Ion battery
  

Printbrush is expected to retail by the end of 2009 or early 2010 for $199.

Source: Coated.com

Pomegranate: The Cell Phone of your dreams!

I'm speechless.. truly speechless! The handy dandy gadget in you're wildest dreams is already being conceived. There I was, imagining that Nokia would surprise us with another touchscreen device, or Apple would stun the world with iPhone 3 and here comes the Pomegranate concept phone, wiping out all competition. This brilliant device offers almost everything any gadget must have. It can even make coffee, play harmonica and used as a razor.

A simple look at the concept phone’s website can be enlightening and it will change the way you think about mobile phones. Basically, the NS08 Pomegranate is an ultra-thin, touch-screen cellphone with e-mail, web browsing, GPS navigation,a global voice translator, MP3 playback, a camera, video player, movie projector, a razor, a harmonica and of course, the coffee brewer in one! This concept phone will surely hit the markets when released. You can see in action below.

The Pomegranate Phone is part of a $300,000 ad campaign put together by Nova Scotia. Yes, that Nova Scotia, the small province in southeastern Canada. Unfortunately, the NS08 Pomegranate phone is not a real phone... or is it? I guess you'll have to stay tuned for the release date.

Source: Pomegranatephone.com

Touchable Holography? Almost...

A New Projector Lets You Touch 3D Objects

It’s cool enough to have holograms, but what if you could actually touch them? Remember those uber-cool 3D projections in flicks like "Star Wars?" The University of Tokyo has turned this movie fantasy into a reality with its latest holographic projector prototype.

For added realism, it utilizes a pair of Nintendo Wiimotes for hand movement tracking and a technology known as (ready for it...) Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display. This essentially adds tactile feedback to the hovering image via ultrasonic waves (the projected images float about 12 inches away from the display surface). So when that hand that you see in the picture tries to dribble that tiny ball, it responds like a real superball would.

Ultrasounds are then given so the hand can actually “feel” the impact. Experiements have shown that the ultrasounds can disrupt things from a distance, and if focused properly, they can create a sense of touch. At the end of the video is that hand underneath some raindrops, and it can apparently “feel” them.

This is definitely one of those “this could change everything” technologies, but it is still in its fetal stage. In other words, don’t be dreaming about having your own holodeck from Star Trek TNG anytime soon.

Though I'm not that old enough, I have seen some really great ideas go nowhere and some other stuff that seemed silly at the time become important developments. Technology can turn some corners that we didn't even know were there. Who knows, this technology might not amount to much in the area of gaming, but could turn out to have useful applications in areas we can't imagine. In the meantime ... hey, it's cool!