Designer Omer Yosha has come up with a prototype for a high tech piano that makes the player seem more like a conductor than a mere pianist, commanding sound with the skilled positioning of the hands.
Unlike the imaginary Air Guitar, the AirPiano is a tangible, sophisticated piece of technology as you can see in the video below.
The instrument is elegantly designed and features a virtual matrix of faders and keys that correlate with MIDI instructions. These instructions are fed to and interpreted by software including the high-end Ableton LIVE.
The prototype consists of up to 24 keys / 8 faders and transfers data via USB. There is no sustain pedal as this too can be controlled with the hands simply by holding your position over the surface.
A new toaster concept, the DT08, has been developed by Daniel Thomas which promises to save both your toast and your digits from nasty burns. The toaster itself is entirely see-through, making it easy to keep an eye on your browning bread.
You insert your bread into a slide out tray which also doubles as a cooling rack when the toasting is complete. This saves your fingertips from burns when plucking those scorched squares from their torture chamber.
Thomas has done away with somewhat useless timer knobs and heat dials in favor of direct monitoring. “I find when I toast bread I tend to pop the toaster up and down, visually checking the bread. I also found with research, that other people do this as well,” Thomas said.
Being able to watch your bread cook may ensure it is more to your liking every time….well, every time you don’t get distracted, at least.
A group of geniuses over at USC have come up with a remarkably realistic 3D holographic display. The objects look so real on the video (below) you just want to reach out and touch them, but there’s a reason they’re behind glass.
The 3D holographic effect is achieved using mirrors which spin at high speed. They reflect rapid DLP projections which fire almost 5,000 images each second, creating a three-dimensional object that can be manipulated in real-time at 200Hz.
The generated images can be produced in color and can be viewed from any angle, even from above. Also, the effect can be seen with the naked eye, so you can enjoy the technology without wearing uncomfortable trick glasses.
This is perhaps the most realistic 3D holographic display to date, but is one you’ll have to appreciate from a distance I’m afraid.
Duck Image Studio has come up with a sexy alternative to the ubiquitous emergency sprinkler system. They have merged sprinkler and emergency lighting into one shiny, modern unit that requires no power.
The water flows into a turbine which spins the blades to fan the water onto the fire. This spinning also generates electricity which is used to power the LED lighting.
The light emitted works much like an emergency lighting system, illuminating a room to help people escape and to aid rescuers.
The downside, however, is that it could not be used as a complete replacement for emergency lighting, as it would be of no use during a black-out or some other emergency.
We have another futuristic vehicle for you today, this time from Topia Corp who has developed what could be the world’s lightest vehicle. It weighs a mere 150kg, which may trigger a revival in the old lift-a-car feat of strength.
The prototype is called “HUVO” and is made from proprietary production and design technologies. It may look small, and therefore lightweight, but Topia has said that if it were built using existing technologies the design would weigh twice as much.
They have cut down on weight wherever possible, exchanging a glass windshield for polycarbonate and a steel roof for carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). The have also made the wheel covers and interior parts from lightweight ABS resin and the door panels from aluminum alloy.
The vehicle is currently on show at the 19th Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions Expo (DMS) in Toyko , which ends today.
A new design for Peugeot has been unveiled which could be the most ‘out there’ vehicle design to date. Introducing the Ozone concept vehicle. Shaped like a drain pipe, yet strangely beautiful. It runs on hydrogen fuel-cells, naturally.
The cabin is positioned between two giant wheels (don’t know how well they would steer) which are each controlled by their own electric motor.
The body is equipped with doors that slide 360 degrees into its own frame which is impressive enough on its own.
Steering is handled via a joystick which if I remember correctly, Mercedes was experimenting with about a decade ago.
DXG, one of the fastest growing U.S. digital camera manufacturers has launched its new compact DXG-567V HD camcorder that can directly upload your video creations to YouTube.
Classed as a ‘Pocket Cam’, with dimensions similar to those of an average cell phone, these little beauties will capture HD video at up to 1280 x 720 resolution at 30 frames-per-second.
They feature a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor and a limited 32MB of memory, but include an SD/SDHC slot for you to add more storage. It uses USB for data transfer and comes in obligatory black, plus bright red, pink and sky blue.
The camcorder has taken a different approach to Pure Digital’s Flip Mino, using a pair of rechargeable AA’s for its power source. Both units cost the same with an MSRP of $179.
Researchers at Berkeley and Maryland Universities have developed a unique e-book concept that as well as feeling and looking more like a real book, will let you flip through pages and even fold the two leaves back for more compact reading.
The displays can be separated from each other if you’re doing some serious research which allows you to have one screen in portrait mode and the other in landscape.
When the two leaves are folded back, turning it over is all it takes to reveal a new page.
Another benefit of having two screens is the ability to use one for reading and the other for looking at related links or enlargements of photos, without leaving the original article.
Initial user reactions have been positive. See the video below for a full demonstration.
The Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed a multiplexer chip that has an operating speed of 45 gigabits per second, enabling the transfer of around four full-length movies in just one second.
The performance is achieved using the quantum effect of the resonant tunneling diode and consumes around 75 percent less energy than current chips. It was made in the university’s laboratory.
The team behind the chip doesn’t plan to stop there either, they are working on increasing the operating speed to 100Gb/s and to reduce power consumption even further to just 10 percent of current chips like the complementary metal oxide semiconductor, the high electron mobility transistor and the heterojunction bipolar transistor.
According to one of the researchers, the chips could be developed within 1-2 years.
The Korean Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) has developed an Eye Glass Display (EGD) module that can be embedded in mobile devices like cell phones and project virtual 60-inch images.
The device is capable of receiving analog RGB, S-Video, composite and component input signals from the mobile device which the controller will then render in a projected 3-dimentional virtual image.
You will need 2 meters of room in front of you to properly display the full 60-inch image and with a 40 degree viewing angle, you’ll be able to easily share your photos with a group of friends.
This new development will certainly give ChinaKing a bit of competition with their recently announced “World’s First Projector Cell Phone”. KETI’s model weighs in at only 110 grams.
Mark's Technology News:
Reports on the latest and greatest achievements in the world of technology. Featuring everything from gadgets and electronics to communications and internet developments, scientific and environmental breakthroughs to advancements in design, lifestyle, transportation and renewable energies.
