Designer Diana Eng is on the cutting edge of integrating electronics with high fashion, as seen in the above footage from one of her shows. While most of us can’t go out and pick up an LED-enhanced Eng gown or tuxedo just yet, advancements in materials and electronics, including small batteries and conductive thread, make [...]
Posts under ‘Electronics’
Human body used as conduit for transmitting data
Researchers in South Korea have successfully transmitted data at broadband speeds between two points on a person’s arm using the body itself as a conduit. The technology is very energy efficient when compared to alternatives like wireless data transfer, and therefore may lend itself to health applications: It is difficult to monitor vital signs, such [...]
Computer gives Roger Ebert his voice back
World-famous movie critic Roger Ebert lost his ability to speak, eat or drink when he was treated for thyroid cancer and had his jaw removed in 2006. Now, a Scottish company called CereProc has literally given Ebert his voice back via software that uses old recordings of his voice to determine speech patterns and how [...]
Google takes a shot at a “universal translator”
The “universal translator” is a crucial plot device in science fiction, giving aliens from far off worlds the ability to, at least from the perspective of the protagonists and audience, speak perfect English. They’re what enable a multi-species crew to effectively serve together on the Enterprise. The “babel fish” enabled Arthur Dent to understand the many [...]
Video games benefit adults, says U.S. Office of Naval Research
We all know video games are a waste of time and rot your brain, right? Not so, says the U.S. Office of Naval Research. In fact, adult gamers can see increased “perceptual abilities,” increased short-term memory, longer focus and expanded field of vision compared to non-gamers. Ray Perez, a program officer at the ONR’s warfighter [...]
Fuel cell to power military exoskeleton for 72 hours
With the extremely heavy packs modern soldiers are expected to carry (upwards of 150 pounds), a robotic exoskeleton that provides support and improves mobility makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, these exoskeletons require a lot of power to function – power that has been provided in the past via gasoline engines or traditional lithium-ion batteries. Gas engines [...]
Augmented reality glasses unveiled at CES
At the moment, most augmented reality applications run on mobile phones, which is actually a good fit – modern cell phones have nice screens, cameras and enough processing power to make this a practical platform. Holding your phone out in front of your face, however, is far some seamless. I have no doubt that at [...]
Ray Kurzweil shows off Blio e-reader software
With his books and essays about the singularity, it’s easy to forget that Ray Kurzweil built his name on his very successful inventions. Therefore, when he unveils a new invention, it’s a big deal. His latest venture is the Blio e-reader software, which will be distributed for free to a variety of platforms including the [...]