A California inventor is selling wearable hummingbird feeders that bring the tiny birds right up to your face. Doyle Doss has many inventions, and his most recent is selling pretty well. It is a helmet with a face shield that is painted to look like flowers, and a dispenser it mounted between the eyes that secretes a sugar water mixture from a tube, and he named it :–2<: which is pronounced “Eye 2 Eye.” The hummingbirds are attracted and hover mere inches from your face. Selling for only $79.95, he has sold nearly 400 in the last year from his website www.heatstick.com. Mr. Doss says they are popular because people want to be close to nature, to connect with it. Also, the founder of Craigslist posted a link on Twitter showing one of the videos of the feeder, and over 300,000 watched the video, which was a big boost in his word-of-mouth advertising. He creates each one by hand, and he paints the inside of the mask with a nature scene, so you feel like the bird is with you in a peaceful environment. Mr. Doss says the first time a bird comes in, there is a giant adrenaline rush. It is a very peaceful and addictive hobby.
There is a reason why most DSLR cameras do not offer zooming capabilities while shooting video. It is near impossible to capture a quality video on a D3S, even under the best of conditions. Between the zoom button, the focus, and holding the camera, you are all but certain to get a blurry shaky video. Now Nikon has applied for a patent for a new lens that can be zoomed electronically while taking videos, and also manually while taking photos. No plans yet on when they may begin production on such a lens, but we can all dream about it in the meantime.
There is a new design from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands to create the smallest electric motor ever imagined. The hope is that it will open new doors for future nanomachines, perhaps powering tiny belts or pumps. The motor contains a rotor that is made of anthracene, which is a long coal-based molecule, that spins around an axle made from two ethynyl pieces. Electrodes are attached, and with an alternating current, an electric field surrounds the motor and causes the anthracene rotor to turn.
There have been other tiny motors developed using light or magnets, but this new design using electricity brings many new advantages. A anthracene molecule is hundreds of times smaller than even the most narrowly focused beam of light. This will let the devices inside to be operated independently, which will let them become smaller. But the hardest part is yet to come, designing these tiny machines is a lot easier that building one.
Possibly one overlooked downside to electric vehicles, they are too quiet. An above average amount of pedestrian – vehicle accidents has been recorded, and some believe it is do to the fact that people can’t hear them coming. Both the Nissan Leaf and the Toyota Prius now offer a speaker system under the hood. The Nissan plays music, while the Toyota has a fake engine sound that plays while driving through town. Toyota is offering the sound system as an optional upgrade, costing roughly $150. Maybe next they will offer different engine sounds that you can download and play through the system, Anyone want a Prius that sounds like the Jetson’s car? Or maybe a diesel dump-truck?
Lazer, a Belgian helmet manufacturer, has developed a safer motorcycle helmet that mimics the properties of skin. By covering the hard shell of the helmet in a thin membrane that slides on impact, engineers have reduced intracerebral shearing by 67.5%, and the mechanical effects of rotational acceleration by more than 50%. This is a significant improvement in motorcycle safety as 80% of fatal accidents are head injury related.
InVisage Technologies employs quantum technology to create an improved sensor for digital cameras. By replacing the common silicon sensor overlayed with metal circuitry with quantum dots, the California based company has created a camera sensor that produces significantly better images. This allows cameras built into mobile devices, such as an iphone, to produce photographs with the same quality as current full size digital cameras. Further testing is needed, but expect to see these upgraded sensors in phones and other devices by next year.
A recent patent filed by Apple makes it clear that users are not happy with their current gaming experience on touchscreen devices like the iPhone or Ipod. To address the issues affiliated with these platforms, engineers have devised a “gaming dock” that fits around the devices that is outfitted with input controls and additional storage for game data. Although this is a great idea, it is doubtful the patent will stand as there are many prior filings to that make similar claims.
NASA and GM are teaming up for round two of a “Robonaut.” A follow up to it’s predecessor built 10 years ago, R2 is equipped with much more dexterity and power. It’s intended purpose it to assist NASA in manned space missions, and to increase GM’s productivity and reliability. This humanoid machine is capable of manipulating small parts and also move loads up to 20 pounds.
New IPAD announced today. This new device bridges the gap between ipod and a full sized laptop. Easily view and manipulate full webpages, photos, and of course enjoy your other digital media. Is this the product to change the “tablet” role in the computing world?