Robotic arm users find it 'too easy'

Researchers from the University of Central Florida (UCF) have created a computer-controlled robotic arm designed to help wheelchair-bound people perform actions such as grasping and lifting objects. It has both an automatic mode, in which the computer identifies objects and figures out how to grasp them, and an option for full manual control. When physically-challenged people were selected to try the device out, the researchers were surprised to discover that most of them preferred going manual. It’s all about something called Flow.
In manual mode, test subjects had to think several steps ahead, and either type instructions on a keyboard, or use precise verbal commands. It took longer than going automatic, and the end result wasn’t any better. Nonetheless, they preferred it.
“We focused so much on getting the technology right,” said UCF Assistant Professor Aman Behal. “We didn’t expect this.”

Jorno folding Bluetooth keyboard – ideal for iPhone and iPad

To maximize portability, mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad eschew the traditional keyboard for on-screen versions. While on-screen keyboards may be tolerable for typing the odd text message or entering a few words into a search engine, their shortcomings quickly become obvious. With mobile devices now packing processors powerful enough to handle word processing and other more intensive tasks there is a market for physical keyboards to turn an iPad or even a smartphone into an ultraportable computer. One of the better solutions we’ve seen to fit this bill is the newly announced Jorno Bluetooth keyboard from Cervantes Mobile.

Peugeot EX1 concept electric vehicle to set mouths drooling

With preparations nearing completion for the commercial launch of the Peugeot iOn, which, like the Citroen C-Zero, is basically a French version of the Mitsubishi i MiEV electric vehicle, Peugeot has provided a glimpse of just how sexy an electric vehicle can be. Celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, the company has unveiled its latest concept car called the EX1 that is based upon the body of the SR1 concept car unveiled earlier this year. Although it’s still a concept car, Peugeot says the striking two-seater roadster has already broken several world records for acceleration from a standing start.

Lamborghini’s new direct-injection V12 carbon fiber supercar – the Jota

Some companies such as Apple are almost completely media-tight and very little pre-announcement info gets out. Car companies such as Lamborghini though, need to go outside their military-level security compounds to test their products in the real world and hence can fall victim to the auto paparazzi, or now that nearly everyone carries a camera with them at all times, a well-educated enthusiast being in the right place at the right time. Earlier this week the VW-owned Italian supercar maker posted a “teaser image” of what everybody expects to be the Murcielago replacement. Only trouble is, we’ve already seen it – that’s the car itself shot on an autobahn between Chemnitz and Dresden by during testing by Topspeed reader Chris-Audi.
Just how everyone seems to know the specs a month prior to the show is a matter for conjecture, but if you want to read the unconfirmed details of the new direct injection 7.0-litre V12, carbon fiber monster which does zero to 60 in 3.0 seconds, read on.

Panasonic To Show Integrated Wheelchair/bed and Hair-washing Robot

Though nearly every country in the world is ageing fast, Japan is at the front of the pack and in the next few decades will see its ratio of workers to retirees change from 7-1 to 2-1 – a scary prospect, particularly in a country that has always revered and respected the elderly. Robotic assistants offer a solution to this dilemma and Panasonic has just announced the development of two special-care robots; a robotic bed that also transforms into a wheelchair and a robotic hair washing assistant. Both are specifically designed to aid and give independence to the elderly and people with limited mobility.

UVEX Variotronic Helmet Visor Automatically Adjusts To Light

Riding a motorcycle into bright sunlight can produce some dire outcomes, and though there are some manual solutions which significantly reduce the risk, there's never before been a solution quite like this one. This year’s Intermot Motorcycle show in Koln will see a significant and long awaited “first” for motorcyclists – a “variotronic” helmet visor. This double lens visor from UVEX can be electronically switched from light to dark by pressing a button and it can even be switched to automatic mode, where the lens is controlled directly by an integrated photo cell.

Dancing Robotic Swan Delivers 'Touching' Performance

A team at Mälardalen University, Sweden, has created a one meter-tall robotic swan that “performs” to the music of Swan Lake. The aim of the project is to explore the potential of robots to move people emotionally and mimic human expressions. So could this binary Baryshnikov represent the future of ballet?

Electrolux Design Lab 2010 – and the winner is…

The Electrolux Design Lab 2010 saw more than 1,300 entries submitted from students in more than 50 countries, but in the end, there can be only one. This year the title goes to Peter Alwin from the National Institute of Design in India for his entry, The Snail. In taking first prize, Alwin will receive 5,000 euro (approx. US$6,700) and a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design center.
Alwin’s Snail is a portable heating and cooking device that can be attached directly onto pots, pans and mugs to heat their contents. It converts energy from sugar stored within a high-density sugar crystal battery to power the magnetic induction process, which heats up a coil that heats the food or drink. Integrated sensors detect the food type being heated to automatically adjust the time and temperature, while a simple touch sensitive display monitors the process.

Lotus To Show Hybrid V8 Elite Supercar in Paris

When you think Lotus, you think diminutive, somewhat stripped-back sportscars, but the company is signaling a new direction with the roll-out of the Elite production prototype at the Paris Motor Show later this month. The 2+2 Elite GT is, well, bigger – more room, more comfort, more weight (at 1650kg it's almost 300kg heavier than the Evora) and a front-mid positioned 5.0-litre V8 engine delivering up to 456kW and 720Nm of torque. There's also a hybrid technology option with Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) on offer as well as a retractable hardtop version. The promised performance specs are impressive – 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in around 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 315 km/h (195 mph). If you're in the market for a supercar in the US$180K price range you'll have to be patient though, the Lotus Elite isn't scheduled for production until 2014.

Distraction-free Writing with Writer For iPad App

Ahhh, the glamorous life of the professional writer. Spending untold hours alone in a room staring at a screen awaiting inspiration with no guarantees of attracting the interest of a publisher, let alone readers, after bearing one’s soul on the page. Many successful writers will say, when in the grip of the Muse, they go into a kind of trance with thoughts flowing faster than they can be written down. But inspiration is a fickle thing and, once found, often difficult to hold onto. A new iPad app from Information Architects called Writer for iPad is designed to remove many of the distractions that can send inspiration packing and give writers a better chance of maintaining focus.
Even though word processing programs like Word and Pages are a godsend for editing text, many writers actually still prefer a typewriter or even the handwritten word to get ideas down – at least for a first draft. Others opt for basic text editors such as NotePad or TextEdit because they offer a relatively distraction-free interface. The folks at Information Architects have taken this to the next level with a simplified interface that removes all of the unnecessary distractions of standard word processors, such as auotcorrection, scroll bars and cut/copy/paste.

Titanium Foam Bone Replacements on The Way

Back in June, those brainy folks over at Germany’s Fraunhofer research group announced the development of Resobone, a material designed to replace the titanium plates used to patch holes in peoples’ skulls. Now, perhaps a little ironically, they’ve announced the creation of TiFoam – a titanium foam to be used for replacing injured bone. Unlike Resobone, TiFoam is intended for load-bearing areas, where a balance of strength and flexibility are essential. Like Resobone, however, it’s designed to encourage surrounding bone to grow into the implant.
Typically, the more stress a bone has to endure, the thicker and stronger it gets. Traditional titanium bone replacements tend to be stiffer than the bone to which they’re attached, so the implant ends up taking most of the load of activities such as walking, lifting, or even just standing. This results in the bone not having to take as much of that load itself, and thus not retaining its strength. In some cases the bone can even deteriorate, to the point that the implant has to be reattached.

SensoGlove Digital Glove Helps Golfers Get a Grip

 

Over the years we’ve seen quite a variety of technology aimed at shaving a few shots of a golfer’s game, from robots such as the Top Swing to motion analyzing systems such as the PSProSwing and iClub system. While such systems provide great feedback about the motion of a golf swing, they can overlook one of the most basic but no less important aspects of a natural golf swing – a relaxed grip. German-based company, Sensosolutions, has come up with a compact way to measure the level of grip pressure in the form of the SensoGlove, the world’s first digital golf glove.
The SensoGlove is made of high quality cabretta leather with four tiny sensors sewn into it. These sensors read the user’s grip pressure 80 times a second and a computer analyzes the readings and displays the results on a sweat-proof 1.2-inch LED digital monitor located on the back of the glove.
Before a swing, the user dials in their target pressure on a scale of 1 to 18. The lowest settings (1 – 12) are less sensitive, while the highest settings (13 –18) are the most sensitive and encourage a very light grip pressure, useful for chipping and putting. The company recommends users try out the glove at the driving range to test various pressure settings until they find one that gives them the perfect swing.
Once the ideal target pressure is set, the glove then reads and displays the pressure and warns the user with an audio warning if they are gripping too tightly exactly when it happens during their swing. The glove will even show which finger is griping too tight to allow fine-tuning of the grip.

Data Clipper Could Set Sail for Space

There's a new kind of spaceship on the horizon. No, it's not a cruise ship (we wish!) – it's a clipper, and if Joel Poncy and his team at Thales Alenia Space have their way, it's coming to a solar system near you. The Data Clipper will be a maneuverable solar-powered spacecraft that collects scientific data and downloads it to Earth, and fleets of them could map the planets and celestial bodies of our solar system.
The Clipper, equipped with tracking devices, would fly close to a planet or orbiting body and gather scientific data, and then download it to a ground station on Earth as it flies past. Poncy's team have assessed the requirements for such a craft and identified pointing accuracy and flyby conditions that would be faced during the massive terabyte data transfers.
“Space-rated flash memories will soon be able to store the huge quantities of data needed for the global mapping of planetary bodies in high resolution. But a full high-res map of, say, Europa or Titan, would take several decades to download from a traditional orbiter, even using very large antennae. Downloading data is the major design driver for interplanetary missions. We think that Data Clippers would be a very efficient way of overcoming this bottleneck,” said Poncy.
The spacecraft could also make use of solar sails which use radiation pressure from photons emitted by the sun.

How to measure a website's IQ?

The creator of the world wide web, Tim Berners-Lee, has made an odd request: for a kind of rating system to help people distinguish sites that can be trusted to tell the truth, and those that can't.

Berners-Lee was speaking at the launch of the World Wide Web Foundation, which aims to ensure that everyone in the world benefits as the web evolves.

In his speech he referred to the way fears that the LHC could destroy the world spread like wildfire online. As the BBC puts it, he explained that "there needed to be new systems that would give websites a label for trustworthiness once they had been proved reliable sources."

He went on to say that he didn't think "a simple number like an IQ rating" is a good idea: "I'd be interested in different organisations labelling websites in different ways". Whatever process is used to hand out the labels, it sounds like a bad idea to me.