Night Vision using Eyeglasses

Franky So, a scientist at the University of Florida, has developed new night vision technology. The technology borrows some technology we are familiar with from the notebook computer industry. He uses LEDs and a new thin, flexible film he developed to convert infrared light into visible images for the wearer.

The design that So has developed would weigh under a quarter of a pound and the proof of concept design is only a single square centimeter. So claims that a full-scale device would weigh as little as 10 grams though and be only microns thick. The new design could be applied to eyeglasses, cell phones, and windshields in cars eventually.

Sources:

1. Slash Gear

2. Gadget Softpedia

 

CTRUS: the Hybrid Soccer Ball

A 'strategic intelligence embassy' by the name of 'AGENT' have designed called “CTRUS”, a see-through soccer ball that imitates the bounce of an inflated pneumatic soccer ball, but without losing the air, giving transparency to the game of soccer. In fact, it does not need air to recoil and perform.

Claimed to be the first soccer ball you can see through, CTRUS’ functional principle is based on the mechanical properties of its materials, i.e. an inner structure (skelle-core) and an outer net-embedded shell, which is carved out of reinforced elastomer to make it more flexible in comparison to regular soccer balls. The hybrid soccer ball comes integrated with an interactive detection system that communicating wirelessly with control stations at the stadium changes its color to display the critical game situations, such as goal, offside, kick force, travel speed and if the ball is over the goal line or outside the field of play, via a GPS/RFID inner light. With CTRUS, now referees will have a closer look on the game to prevent controversial decisions.

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Sources:

1. Engadget

2. AGENT Official Website

3. Design Boom

4. The Design Blog

LightForm: World’s First Flexible LED Lighting Film

LightForm, the world’s first flexible LED lighting film, is produced by Grove Industries. It is a very solid lighting device made into strips 10-inches in length and only 1 mm thin. It is actually made from Bare-die LEDs and uses a peel-and-stick system to attach to different objects.

The 10-inches strips can be put together three at a time, one of them being the power strip. Currently, the LightForm lighting film is available in four colors and the producers are working on developing a white film. It is now available in the red, amber, blue and green colors.

This product will most likely need a lot of cutting in order to fit it who knows where your imagination takes you. This is why the manufacturers at Grove Industries say that the incredible thin lighting panel is capable of True Cut-To-Fit, which should give you the freedom needed to use this film in different angles and to cut it at precise lengths.

Read also: Flexible OLED Light Source

 

Sources:

1. Softpedia Gadget

Eye-Fi: Wireless Memory Card

Eye-Fi Inc., makers of the world's first wireless memory card for digital cameras, have just unveiled new wireless memory cards that provide customers with the next generation Eye-Fi experience of the renowned Eye-Fi Pro X2. The X2 family of Eye-Fi cards are the models that deliver wireless speed faster than ever for photo and video uploads, as well as better performance and virtually unlimited storage capacity with Endless Memory mode.

“Just in time for spring outings and summer road trips, we’re giving users the ultimate Eye-Fi experience – it’s faster and even more convenient,” said Jef Holove, CEO for Eye-Fi. “Uploading and sharing your memories with friends and family is as simple as finding a nearby Starbucks and turning on your camera. We do the rest.”

Further to customers' delight, Eye-Fi has more than doubled their hotspot upload location, so that users of the Hotspot Access feature can upload photos and videos directly from their camera.

With a 4GB capacity, the Eye-Fi Connect X2 can automatically upload JPEG photos and videos to the computers and one of the many social networking or sharing web sites, like Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and others. The manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for this type is $49.99.

The Eye-Fi Explore X2, on the other hand, has an 8GB capacity, and can upload images and videos on various sharing sites, but also provides lifetime automatic geotagging, so customers will have their pictures and videos arrive on their computers complete with location information, included for easier identification of where the content was captured. MSRP on this type is $99.99.

Sources:

1. Softpedia Gadget

2. Eye-Fi Official Website

3. Gizmodo

WePad: Intel Atom Based Android Tablet

Neofonie, a German manufacturer, has introduced a new Android OS tablet named WePad with netbook features like 11.6-inches touchscreen display (1366 x 768 resolution). The tablet is powered with 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 and GMA 3150 Graphics chip, other features includes card reader, webcam, 2 USB ports, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UMTS modem and around 6 hours of battery life.

Flash supported WePad will be among the first few tablet devices to sport Android Marketplace. They also have plans for their very own WePad App Store too.

Pricing and release date are still not available.

Sources:

1. Techlivez

Marvell Unveils $99 'Moby' Multimedia Tablet

Marvell has just unveiled their Moby tablet prototype. It’s a kind of internet or multimedia tablet which offers to change the way students learn by delivering an always-on, high performance multimedia device featuring live, real-time content, 1,080p Full HD and 3D media, and full Flash Internet (in other words, what the iPad can't do).

Powered by high-performance, highly scalable, and low-power Marvell ARMADA 600 series of application processors; the Moby tablet features gigahertz-class processor speed, 1,080p Full HD encode and decode, intelligent power management, power-efficient Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM/GPS connectivity, high performance 3D graphics capability and support for multiple software standards, including full Adobe Flash, Android and Windows Mobile. The ultra low power Moby tablet is designed for long-battery life, although specific details on this issue have not been provided yet.

"Education is the most pressing social and economic issue facing our country and our times. I believe the Marvell Moby tablet can ignite a life-long passion for learning in all students everywhere. Marvell's goal is to fundamentally improve the way students learn by giving them more efficient, relevant - even fun tools to use. Marvell's Moby tablet recognizes that every student learns differently and so it delivers an array of media choices for different learning styles," said Weili Dai, Marvell's Co-founder and Vice President and General Manager of Marvell Semiconductor's Consumer and Computing Business Unit.

The Moby tablet is priced around 99 US dollars. Marvell will soon announce a pilot program in partnership with the District of Columbia Public School system (DCPS) where the Company will donate a Moby tablet to every child in an at-risk school as part of a multi-year program in new media and learning.

Read also: New Concept of OLPC

Sources:

1. Softpedia Gadget