Gadget
Below we have a video of a very progressive thinking guy. Taking the asphalt road that we have been taking for granted all these years and replacing it with a newer, very 21st century technological, power producing, solaricious road. The idea is to take glass, that is as hard as steel and place solar panels under the glass. That way the road, that is just sitting in the sunlight all day now becomes a power-plant taking electricity to you and your neighbors doorsteps, for free..well until the power company finds some way to charge you for it.
In the video he talks about how they plan to put LEDS in the panels to light up the roads, and give dynamic warnings to drivers, as well as make the pieces weathers, shatter and slip proof. Problem is that I can’t see power companies really enjoying the thought of their billion-dollar business going the way side for free power. I for one would love to see something like this because you know the web will spring up with hundred of ways to hack into the grid for the free energy. I enjoy the idea of taking all of these technologies and combining them into new, innovative and useful applications. With the impending loss of loss fuels, oil and energy derived from rocks we find in the ground, humanity needs progressive thinkers that are willing to take risks and push forward to harness the powers that we have around us for the free use of energy, that is clean and green. If we hope to ever get off this rock and explore the universe before our sun explodes or we kill each other, getting this world more energy efficient is a must and this is a great idea…plus when we get hover/flying cars we can just have normal glass since we won’t be going 80 over it and smashing into one another all the time. Kudps to this guy! Check out the video below.
~ Cannoli ~
Sounds dirty, but looks cool
Augmented Reality has become exponentially more popular in the last few years. It seems like a daily occurrence that I log onto one of the many blogs I visit and see something that has an Augmented Reality component to it. I found this and 1) Found it fucking awesome, 2) Needed to post it. What your going to see in the video is that they are using shock-wave lengths from taps on the arm to interact with a display that is projected on your arm via a small projector and computer strapped to your bicep. The technology could be used to make display screens on phones obsolete or revolutionize MP3 player control input. For example, you could do such actions as skip songs or pause/play by touching fingers together or clenching a fist. Expect to see more and more technology like this as we get further into 2010. I’ll say it now, 2010 is going to be the year of technology integration away from a monitor and into the environment. I expect to see something revolutionary this winter to early next year that will become the standard on how we interact our technology (though the touchscreen pretty much did that with the DS and the iphone ie: we’re still tapping on our arm).
Minority Report may be Reality Soon
Everyone remembers the scene from Minority Report where Tom Cruise is manipulating the interface in front of him with a pair of gloves and gestures. Well the folks over at MIT have been working on this sort of thing for about 20 years now and are finally in beta! The chief engineer on the project was actually the science consultant on the movie…which makes perfect sense. The only problem with the whole thing is that it will take up an entire room of your household (if you want or you can get a scaled down single user interface) meaning that spare bedroom just because reserved. The project had formed into a company called Oblong industries and they plan on going commercial in the next few years. Observe the video below and get blown away (it’s older footage of the interface which is now called g-speak)
Who Doesn’t love new Toys!
Popsci.com brings us the best of the Toy Fair 2010 in NYC. Really the coolest new toy is the music maker in the middle, although I like the idea of the population replacing cars with pogo sticks. I feel like everyone would be a lot happier and we would all look really swell in our helmets. 
Lasers Are Awesome!
Scientists have been busy the past few months figuring out all kinds of destruction they can cause with LASER BEAMS! PEW PEW! The first can cooler of the technologies is a new way to kill mosquitoes using lasers. The company called Intellectual Ventures Lab has created a box that you can set up, using off the shelf components, most of which were bought off ebay, that can detect and zap down mosquitoes right out of the sky. The technology begins by using a field of light to detect when a bug is in it’s vicinity. It then uses a non-lethal laser to illuminate the creature and identify whether or not it is a butterfly, bumblebee or mosquito and in addition if it is male or female. Once it has identified if the bug is indeed an asshole mosquito it then switches over to a lethal laser that pretty much overheats the mosquito to death (mainly the wings it seems). The scientists also speculate that there may be DNA disruption as well. They have also built safeguards to protect humans and other large creatures. They hope to install these types of machine in places where malaria is a large problem. Luckily we have a video (below) of all the action in slow motion!
At other parts of the world scientists have successfully tested a laser beam that shoot missles right out of the sky! Click the jump for more info!
Admit…You Didn’t Know It Was There….
G-point mouse is here just in time for valentines day. The mouse gives your hand the ability to always feel like it’s on a vagina…I guess. Yes the scroll wheel is located where the clitoris should be…now you know. The designer Andy Kurovets must have been watching too much youporn.com while designing this mouse. Right now it’s only a concept, but I am sure that someone is going to SNATCH this up. The middle of the mouse is actually a hole, so that it allows air to keep your hand from getting too CLAMy. Seriously though, click the jump for two more picture of the mouse at different angles.
Charge on the Go
Between the bike that produces a charge and this solar panel backpack, no good geek should ever go without a charge again. This backpack features a detachable solar panel that can be carried separately from the backpack or with it. The solar panel works by charging a lithium ion battery and uses a female USB port to expel the juice to your electronic of choice. The backpacks are shipping in May and can be pre-ordered today for $197.00.
Sift This
Thecannoli.com brings you yet another look at the future of tomorrow…today! Siftables are literally bite sized pieces of technology, taking the best of smart-phones and adding some better connectivity. The designer David Merrill took small LDC screens, infrared connectivity and motion sensing technology to create next-generation toy blocks. Their main purpose is fun and games, but they have a more serious side too; Siftables can be used to teach language and math as well (at the moment) and the future looks extremely bright for the Siftables. Imagine going to a park with friends with a handful of Siftables and playing a game of chess or checkers where-ever or even using them with GPS and having a large citywide ARG (alternate reality game); with alternate reality growing in popularity and accessibility you could even have a game with them that uses ever changing fiduciary markers to have 3D images pop up and stand on the block using a smartphone. There are so many ways to harness the power of this technology it’s insane, and I realize that it will be taken to the next level and you will have it in your life. I know I’m on the bandwagon and if possible I want to be part of the wave of change… You can even use them to create music! Watch the video of the little blocks in action below and realize the power of the Sift!
Feelin’ like a Pimp, Gon’ Brush Yo Robot Off?
Being a big fan of Augmented Reality this really caught my attention. The inventors over at Tsumaki Telerobotics Laboratory at Yamagata University created this wearable Robot. The robot is actually a pair of eyes for a friend who is connected to the internet miles and miles away. The robot actually has two camera’s in it’s head that are wirelessly transmitting data across the internet to a computer where someone is stationed with goggles on that let them see what it sees. Moreover the little Robot head and the goggles are connected as well; the robot’s head turns with the goggles, meaning you have full control to look around the room. Think about the revolution this is! You can totally miss a meeting and just send your buddy in with a little Robot on his shoulder and BAM! you are in the room too. AWESOME! Now all they need to do is give it some skin (like put it in a stuffed animal or something) so that it doesn’t look so…roboty. Click the jump for a video of the cute little bastard in action!
Robots reassemble after destruction
Are humans building their own destruction? In recent advances in robotics, scientists have created robots that can reassemble themselves after being “destroyed”. I see a enormous problem with this notion. It has been a personal motto that when creating Robots, giving them the power to do things that, as the creator, we cannot….is a bad idea. Think about the ramifications of giving an AI the ability to do things that we cannot. Eventually it’s going to learn that it is superior to it’s creator….and that is when hell breaks loose. With the advances in nano-robotics coupled with this notion of self re-assembly we are creating means to our own deconstruction. Granted the robot takes over an hour to reassemble itself, it is new technology so the rate will improve and most likely quickly. Sigh, can’t we focus on exploring our entire planet first before we have to have an all out Man Vs Bot war?