The airbag for cyclists: New inflatable collar protects riders who refuse to wear a helmet

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[starttext]

The head airbag takes only 0.1 seconds to inflate, completely covering the bicycle riders head and neck


It is the perfect invention for those of us too vain to bother wearing a helmet while riding our bikes.

The 'Hvvding' helmet is an airbag 'collar' that springs into action within 0.1 seconds, covering the skull and neck of a rider in the event of an impact.

Roughly translated into English as the 'Chieftain' - the Hvvding was designed over six years by two Swedish industrial design students.

Designer Anna Haupt said the company hoped the airbag would hit the shops across Northern Europe and the UK in the spring next year.

It will first cost around £260 but Ms Haupt believes a lot of people have been crying out for an alternative to the helmet.

The team developed a system using a collar containing a folded airbag which is only inflates when sensors inside detect a sudden jolt.

A small helium gas cylinder inflates the collar in just 0.1 seconds and it remains inflated for several seconds after impact. The device has been 'tuned' by recreating hundreds of accidents using crash test dummies and real riders.

She said: 'The airbag is designed as a hood that surrounds and protects the rider's head.


The collar can be covered in different fabrics and designs so it can be worn with your normal clothes, the designers claim


'The release mechanism is controlled by sensors that detects the abnormal motion of the cyclist in an accident.'

The inventors say that the colour of the collar can even be changed to match whatever outfit the cyclist is wearing. The hood itself is made from a durable nylon fabric that can withstand the scraping against the road.

She said: 'Both myself and my colleagues are very keen cyclists, but in Sweden a law was brought in that all people must wear helmets.

'A lot of people don't like a bicycle helmet because of the way it looks and what it does to your hairstyle once you have taken it off.

'So despite the law many people carried on not wanting to wear cycle helmets, and this is the same not just in Sweden but in places like the UK too.


The airbag is made of durable nylon fabric that can withstand scraping against the road, the firm claims


'We wanted to make something to keep people safe and at the same time answer these questions for people, keeping them safe but looking good.

'We asked hundreds of cyclists what they wanted from a helmet or a device which could keep them safe.'

The team carried out hundreds of tests using records of cycling collisions across Sweden to form a picture of how the rider moves when they are hit.

The hood is designed so that it inflates within 0.1 seconds so that the airbag is fully inflated before the cyclist can hit their head.

The team tested all typical movements carried out by cyclists when riding in the city or on roads. Even sudden braking and evasive action did not cause the airbag to inflate, they claim.

She said: 'We have also staged all known types of bicycle accidents, and collected the cyclists' movement patterns in these accidents.

The used crash test dummies to see how a person's body reacts during a fatal accident and collected all of the movements in a database.

They then used their own mathematical formula to work out which movements should be key in triggering the device.

A spokesman for RoSPA said: 'It’s good to see innovation, but we would need a lot of evidence about the practicalities and effectiveness of this device.

'For example: given how expensive it is, is it better than a helmet; would it work in all the relevant circumstances; and are there any situations in which it may actually cause injury?'


source: dailymail
[endtext]

'The future of laptops': Steve Jobs unveils new Apple MacBook Air - the super-thin computer that weighs just 2.3 pounds

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[starttext]
By NIALL FIRTH

Apple's latest thinner MacBook Air 11" (L) and 13" models and new operating system at a news conference at Apple headquarters


Apple has unveiled the thinnest, lightest Mac laptop yet which combines features from the iPhone and iPad with traditional series of Macbooks

Steve Jobs announced the new MacBook Air at a press conference last night which will incorporate FaceTime video conferencing and a suite of apps, which Apple is now bringing to all its Macs.

The new laptop has an 11.6-inch screen but weighs as little as 2.3 pounds. At its thinnest it is just 0.11 inches wide while the thickest part is still less than 0.7 inches.

It comes with a multi-touch trackpad which lets users control by pinching, rotating, swiping and double-tapping just like on the iPad or iPhone.


The MacBook Air comes with a trackpad that allows 'pinch to zoom' just like on iPads


The new MacBook Air uses flash storage rather than a hard drive like conventional computers meaning it can power up almost instantly from standby mode and store data twice as quickly as a standard hard drive.

However it has less processing power compared with Apple's other laptops.

Apple will bring a version of its mobile applications store to the Mac, aiming to replicate its success and spur development of new programs.


‘We asked ourselves what would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up? Well, this is the result,’ Jobs said at a media event in Cupertino, California, calling the Air the ‘future of notebooks.’

The MacBook Air comes in two sizes, one with a screen that's 13.3 inches diagonally and another with a 11.6-inch screen. The larger one clocks in at 2.9 pounds and can be used for seven hours, thanks in part to a low-voltage processor from Intel that consumes less power than ones running in standard laptops.

The 11-inch model with a 64GB memory will cost £899 while the 13 inch version with 256 GB of storage comes in at £1,349.

‘They're basically merging the product lines; they're simplifying it,’ said Kaufman Bros analyst Shaw Wu. ‘They're taking the strengths out of what they've learned on the iPhone and iPad and bringing that technology over to the Mac side. It makes a lot of sense.’

While plenty of attention is lavished on the iPhone and iPad, the Mac has been critical to the company's success over past years. Apple sold $22 billion worth of Macs in 2010 comprising one-third of its revenue.

Many experts have wondered whether the iPad would dent sales of the Mac -- as it has done for low-end, Windows-based laptops known as netbooks.

Gartner analyst Mike McGuire said he expects the Air will try to bridge Apple's newer and older product lines.

‘It's that missing link between the tablet future and the existing notebook,’ he said.


Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils the company's latest thinner MacBook Air using his customary 'one more thing' routine


The new MacBook Air is designed to reproduce the versatility of popular devices such as the iPhone and iPad, and will incorporate FaceTime video chats, which Apple is bringing to all its Macs


Jobs also showed off a new version of Mac operating software, which the company will release next summer. Nicknamed ‘Lion,’ it includes an improved ‘iLife’ multimedia suite and incorporates FaceTime video chat, which the company recently launched on the iPhone.

FaceTime will allow for video calls between iPhones, iPod touches and Macs. Over 19 million. It released a test version of FaceTime for the Mac yesterday.

The App Store for the Mac will go live within 90 days, and developers will be able to start submitting apps next month. They will get 70 percent of the revenue from sales.

The original App Store debuted in 2008 and helped spur sales of the iPhone by providing a wealth of fun, useful or merely diverting programs for sale, at the touch of a button.

It houses more than 250,000 apps and has generated over 7 billion downloads. In addition, more than 30,000 apps have been specifically made for the iPad.
Nearly 50 million people worldwide use a Mac.






source :dailymail
[endtext]

German rail giant sends 200mph train into London on 'trial run' in bid to slash journey times to Europe

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[starttext]
By RAY MASSEY

The high-speed Deutshe Bahn ICE3 InterCity Express train at St Pancas International station this morning on its trial run


A 200-mph German bullet train has crossed the Channel and rolled into Britain today from the nation most renowned for making its railways run on time.

The high-speed train from Deutsche Bahn was carrying out a slow-speed 'dry run' trial for a new direct cross-channel link between London's St Pancras station and Frankfurt in Germany, as well as Amsterdam in Holland, within three years.

Experts say the competition could also mean lower fares with a one way trip to Germany costing as little as £39 to £49.


A train guard by the train which Deutsche Bahn wants to prove it can run safely through the Channel Tunnel


The German 'Inter City Express' train bearing the initial letters 'ICE' adorned as a red, white and blue Union Flag, aims to replace passenger jets as the main transport to Germany's financial capital and the Rhineland from 2013.

Three services will run daily, and will also serve Brussels, Cologne and Rotterdam. The German company wants to run services direct between London and the continent three times a day.

Trains would leave London, travel to Brussels and then split. One half of the train would go on to Amsterdam via Rotterdam, with the other half travelling to Frankfurt via Cologne. The trains would be capable of travelling at 200mph.

It is the latest step in the plan to create high speed rail links across Britain and Europe - from Edinburgh to Madrid and Manchester to Marseilles.But while trains will hit 200mph on the Continent, tunnels on the UK side of the Channel mean high speed trains are restricted in many places to 140mph.


Launching the plan at St Pancras, Deutsche Bahn boss Dr Ruediger Grube who travelled with the train through the Channel Tunnel said it marked ' a new era' of train travel adding:'Europe is becoming a small place.

'Every day there are around 50 flights between the Greater London area and the region of Frankfurt and the Rhineland.'

Until now that was out of reach of the railways, he said:'But times change. Thanks to new railway lines, new high speed trains, and new transport policies, we will be able to share in that market.'

The plan is for three trains a day to Leave St Pancras carrying 888 passengers in 16 coaches formed of two coupled trains heading across the Channel. In Brussels, the trains will split, with eight carriages carrying 444 passengers heading to Rotterdam and then Amsterdam.

The other eight carriages will head to Cologne and then Frankfurt. Deutsche Bahn officials said the journey time from Cologne to London would be under four hours - less than the time it takes to get to Berlin, around four and a half hours: 'Passenger can choose which capital they prefer - yours or ours,' said one DB official.


A passenger carriage inside the German train which arrived at St Pancras this morning


Inside the cockpit of the ICE - which is capable of hitting 200mph


The ICE train route from London will slash journey times to Frankfurt


The German challenger arrived less than three weeks after Eurostar unveiled plans for its own 200mph bullet trains to whisk passengers from London to Paris in under two hours - as well as starting its own direct links to Amsterdam.

German railway giant Deutsche Bahn has been busy buying up a number of UK train operators and has now set its sight on taking on the airlines and arch rival Eurostar to win passenger services between the UK and the Continent.

It aims to slash the train travelling time from Central London to Frankfurt, nicknamed 'Bankfurt' in Germany, because it is the nation's major financial centre, from around six hours to five.


It also mean business travellers and tourists can relax for longer in their seats or work via wi-fi rather than enduring the hassle of airline check-in, security and trips to and from the airport.

Mr Grube said:'Three pairs of trains will connect Frankfurt and London via Cologne, Brussels, and Lille, with one train running in each direction in the morning, at lunchtime, and in the evening.

'This will also be the first time that Amsterdam and Rotterdam have a direct connection with London.'

Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said it was 'great news' adding:'For many people high speed rail is a more convenient alternative to air or road - allowing them to hop on board in the city centre and catch up on some work along the way.'

However the high speed German-built Inter City Express (ICE) trains have first to pass stringent safety tests to pass through the Channel Tunnel - including evacuations.

Their arrival nevertheless highlights how far international relations have moved. Seventy years ago, at the height of the Battle of Britain, the narrow strip of water was all that separated Britain from German invasion. Today the nation which was defeated is now running much of Britain's railways.

The new train is being built by Siemens, the German firm which is also, controversially, building the new second-generation 200-mph Eurostar train - despite massive French anger and threatened legal challenges.

Eurostar launched in 1994 and now carries 9 million passengers a year between London, Paris and Brussels.

Earlier this month Transport Secretary Philip Hammond announced details of the UK's own new bullet trains, with work on the £33billion high-speed project known as High Speed 2 (HS2) set to start in 2015.

It plans to link to the existing London to Folkestone Channel Tunnel link, now known as High Speed 1 (HS1).

The new British bullet trains will run initially to Birmingham before forking off into a 'Y-shaped' route north of Birmingham, with separate legs from the West Midlands to Manchester and the North West and to Leeds and the North East.

Mr Hammond says the proposed new 250mph high speed train service will slash journey times from London to the North by up to an hour. But the London to Birmingham stretch will not be complete until 2026, with lines to the North completed around 2033.

In April Deutsche Bahn - which now employs 27,800 people in the UK - agreed a £1.59billion take-over of UK bus and rail firm Arriva, which includes CrossCountry and Welsh rail services.

It has a 20 per cent strake in London buses, runs the Chiltern Railways route between London and Birmingham Snow Hill, owns the company which runs the Royal Train and recently won the contract to operate the Tyneside Metro in Newcastle and Gateshead.

It also has a 50 per cent shares in the London Overground and Wrexham and Shropshire.



Eurostar passengers pass the ICE high speed train at St Pancras this morning





source :dailymail


[endtext]

23 years in the making for just one hour off the travel time: Drilling on world's longest tunnel stretching 35.4 miles under the Alps is completed

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[starttext]

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Breakthrough: The moment when the giant drilling machine smashes through the rock to complete the world's longest tunnel beneath the Swiss Alps


The drilling of the longest railway tunnel in the world has been completed, 14 years after it began.

The last few yards of rock were removed earlier today, opening the 35.4-mile Gotthard Base link through the Swiss Alps which will allow trains to transport goods and passengers to and from Italy - and shave an hour off journey times.


The £624m tunnel through the Gotthard massif, including the 8,200ft Piz Vatgira, is part of a larger project to remove heavy goods vehicles from roads in a bid to preserve Switzerland's pristine Alpine landscape.



Celebration: The tunnel has taken 14 years of digging - 23 years overall - and will not be ready until 2017


Swiss voters, who are paying more than £800 each to fund the project, approved its construction in a series of referendums almost 20 years ago and will have to wait several more before it is ready for rail traffic.

Conservationists say the money was worth spending even if after 23 years of construction it will only take one hour off the length of a journey.

'The Swiss love their mountains,' said Thomas Brolli, a campaigner with the group Alpen-Initiative.



Miners celebrate after the drill 'Sissi' broke through the rock at the final section Faido-Sedrun, at the construction site of the NEAT Gotthard Base Tunnel


It claimed a surprise victory in 1994 with a referendum to limit the number of heavy goods trucks allowed to cross the Alps each year to 650,000 - halving the current load - within two years of the tunnel's opening.

'Every Swiss has a link to the Alps, whether they were born there or go there on holiday,' said Brolli.


A graphic from the original plans which shows how the different sections of the mountain were tunnelled through
Some 1.2 million trucks currently thunder through Switzerland's mountainous


countryside every year, harming rare plants and animals while adding to the erosion that is the Alps' worst enemy.

With their beloved mountains crumbling, the Swiss decided that instead of simply stopping foreign trucks from passing through the country they would put their tunnel-building expertise to good use by completing a plan first conceived more than 60 years ago.

When it opens for traffic in 2017, the Gotthard Base Tunnel will supplant Japan's 33.5-mile Seikan Tunnel as the world's longest - excluding aqueducts - and allow millions more tons of goods to be transported quickly through the Alps by rail.

A further £8.7bn is being spent on a series of shorter tunnels and high-speed rail links that will ultimately allow high-speed trains from Germany to continue on through to Italy at up to 155 miles an hour, making rail journeys increasingly economically competitive.

For European transport ministers the project represents the first of a series of major rail tunnels meant to take the strain off congested Alpine road links.


The railway tunnel through the Gotthard mountain constitutes the centrepiece of the New Railway Link through the Alps


A second would connect Lyon, France, to Turin in Italy, while a third would largely replace the Brenner road tunnel between Austria and Italy - currently one of the main transport arteries through the Alps.

Those projects are still a long way from completion and could yet be derailed by spending cuts as European governments scramble to fill holes in their budgets rather than drill new ones into the mountains.

Although Switzerland has weathered the financial crisis better than most of its neighbours, cost considerations might have tipped the scales had there not been a strong concern for the future of the mountains.

'I am full of admiration for the Swiss ability to combine a modern advanced economy with pristine Alpine beauty, even when it is expensive to do so,' said Jeffrey Frankel, an economics professor at Harvard and former Clinton adviser. 'I suspect no other country would have paid for this project.'

According to Brolli, the conservation campaigner, green ideas were inserted at every step of the tunneling process.

Some of the 459 million cubic feet of rock hewn from the mountain - enough to fill 13 Empire State buildings - are being used to restore Alpine lakes that were dredged for gravel.

And warm water, which flows deep under the mountains and can reach 50C, will be used to run fish farms, with one entrepreneur even hoping to provide Switzerland's own source of sustainable caviar.


Almost done: The Gotthard Base Tunnel opened at both ends on Friday, making it the world's longest tunnel at more than 35 miles long



Link: The tunnel will be ready for use in 2017 and will dramatically reduce the level of HGV traffic through the Swiss countryside



source: dailymail
[endtext]

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[starttext]

First solo glide flight: Virgin Galactic's space tourism rocket SpaceShipTwo was released over the Mojave Desert in California yesterday


Virgin Galactic's space tourism rocket SpaceShipTwo achieved its first solo glide flight yesterday, under the watchful eye of Sir Richard Branson.

It was the first time the spaceship has flown on its own and the success of the test flight means that the company is one step closer to carrying tourists into space.

Branson called the flight a 'very big deal'. He said: 'There are a number of big deals on the way to getting commercial space travel becoming a reality. This was a very big step.

'We now know that the spaceship glides. We know it can be dropped safely from the mothership and we know it can land safely. That's three big ticks.'


Success: Manned by two pilots, the craft flew freely for 11 minutes before landing at an airport runway followed by the mothership


SpaceShipTwo was carried aloft by its mothership to an altitude of 45,000ft and released over the Mojave Desert.

After the separation, SpaceShipTwo, manned by two pilots, flew freely for 11 minutes before landing at an airport runway followed by the mothership. The entire test flight lasted about 25 minutes.

'It flew beautifully,' said Virgin Galactic chief executive George Whitesides.

The six-passenger SpaceShipTwo is undergoing rigorous testing before it can carry tourists to space. In the latest test, SpaceShipTwo did not fire its rocket engine to climb to space.

Until now, SpaceShipTwo has flown attached to the wing of its special jet-powered mothership dubbed WhiteKnightTwo. Sunday was the first time the spaceship flew on its own.


Moment of truth: SpaceShipTwo detaches from the wing of its special jet-powered mothership, dubbed WhiteKnightTwo


SpaceShipTwo will make a series of additional glide flights before rocketing to space.

Sir Richard added: 'The next big step will be the rocket tests actually on the spacecraft itself.

'We've obviously done thousands of rocket tests on the ground, the next big test is in the air. We'll be doing gentle rocket tests in the air, ultimately culminating into taking the spaceship into space.'

SpaceShipTwo, built by famed aircraft designer Burt Rutan, is based on a prototype that won a $10million (£6.3million) prize in 2004 for being the first manned private rocket to reach space.


High-flier: The six-passenger SpaceShipTwo is undergoing rigorous testing before it can carry tourists to space.


In the latest test, SpaceShipTwo did not fire its rocket engine to climb to space
Tickets to ride aboard SpaceShipTwo cost $200,000 (£125,000). Some 370 customers have paid deposits totalling $50million (£31.3million), according to Virgin Galactic.

Commercial flights will fly out of New Mexico where a spaceport is under construction.

Officials from Virgin Galactic and other dignitaries will gather at the spaceport on October 22 for an event commemorating the finished runway. The event will also feature a flyover by SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo.


Pleased: Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson described the test flight as 'a very big deal'


Mass appeal? An artist's conception of SpaceShipTwo during a sub-orbital flight



How it works: SpaceShipTwo was built by famed aircraft designer Burt Rutan





source : dailymail
[endtext]

The giant airships which can carry entire buildings hundreds of miles

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[starttext]

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Up and away: An artist's impression of the 500ft Skylifter balloon which would be able to carry heavy loads over hundreds of miles


Invention could see disaster-relief centres dropped into remote areas

Giant balloons that can carry loads over long distances could one day even transport entire buildings.

Australian firm Skylifter is developing a piloted airship that will carry up to 150 tonnes more than 1,200 miles.

They hope that the vehicles could one day carry rural hospitals and disaster-relief centres to remote areas.


*** See video of the prototype below ***

Steady as she goes: The airship's design means that it is extremely easy to steer, according to the Australian firm behind it


The airship has been designed as a disc rather than a conventional cigar shape, which the developers say makes it easier to steer and carry heavy loads under different wind conditions.

Measuring 500ft across - the size of a football stadium - it will move using propellers which can be adjusted to change direction while the heavy weight of the load hanging underneath keeps the airship steady.

And the payload it carries will be 700 times that of a heavy cargo helicopter.


One small step: A scaled-down prototype of Skylifter, which its developers hope will one day carry a 150-tonne payload to remote areas


High hopes: The firm plans to launch a full-sized prototype, nearly 150ft wide, within the next three years


Skylifter has already produced a prototype called Betty which is just under 10ft across and can carry just over a pound in weight.

It has also produced a 60ft-wide prototype of the balloon design itself, without an engine.

The firm plans to launch a full-sized prototype, nearly 150ft wide, within the next three years.


source: dailymail [endtext]

Kanzi the amazing ape who can 'speak' with humans and understands 450 words makes Oprah appearance

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[starttext]
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Kanzi can 'talk' with humans by pointing at symbols on a computer


He has had countless articles written about him and has even been the subject of a book.

But now Kanzi the ‘talking’ ape has reached the pinnacle of his packed showbiz career – he has been the subject of a feature on Oprah Winfrey’s talkshow.

A 29-year-old bonobo, Kanzi is able to understand and communicate with humans and is believed to understand around 450 words – 30 to 40 of which he uses on a daily basis.

Kanzi has been a celebrity ape since the late 1980s when his astonishing ability to communicate was first discovered.

He lives at the Great Ape Trust in Iowa where expert Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh has been teaching him to ‘speak’ by pointing at symbols on a computer.

He speaks by pressing a symbol on the computer which then repeats the word out loud. Dr Savage-Rumbaugh says that he is even able to put together two-word sentences and shows remarkable invention when creating new phrases.

Oprah Winfrey correspondent Lisa Ling travelled to meet Kanzi at the Trust. On the show she told Oprah that the symbol for ‘flood’ was not on Kanzi's keyboard .


Lisa Ling traveled to the Great Ape Trust in Iowa to meet the famous bonobo


Kanzi's son Teco is also learning to communicate and may one day surpass his father, experts believe


She said: ‘So when Iowa was hit by the storm and was flooding, he would point out 'big water, She added: ‘He had a hard time chewing the kale, so he pointed at 'slow lettuce'.'’
For the word 'pizza,' he pointed at 'cheese,' 'tomato' and 'bread.'

Dr. Savage-Rumbaugh says she taught Kanzi to communicate the same way she taught her son to speak. 'I just talk to Kanzi like you see me talking now,’ she said.
'He just was around me and learned it like a child.'

Kanzi is also able to blow up a balloon, demonstrating that he has control over his own breath, something that it was previously believed that only humans were able to do.

The Trust also takes care of Teco, Kanzi's 3-month-old son. Teco’s mother passed him to another bonobo, who passed him to Dr. Savage-Rumbaugh .


Kanzi blows up a balloon, demonstrating that this remarkable ape can control his own breath


She said: 'For all practical purposes, I'm Teco's mother. Teco sleeps right with me. We're in that little room where we watch TV. We each have a futon.'

She believes that Teco may even one day be able to surpass his father with his linguistic ability as he has been around humans since birth.

Kanzi has been the subject of a book as well as features in National Geographic and Time magazines. He became famous after becoming the first ape to learn language naturalistically rather than being trained by following what his mother was doing.

The first ape to be able to show that he truly understands spoken English, Kanzi is also adept at stone toolmaking, helping scientists to better understand levels of skill in our early prehistoric ancestors.

source: dailymail
[endtext]

The robotic otter: Underwater robot that swims with flippers and can be controlled with a tablet computer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx0KUqg63F0endofvid

[starttext]

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

The AQUA robot uses flippers to move and now will no longer need to be tethered


Scientists have developed a remote-controlled robot that can receive and carry out commands while underwater.

AQUA is small and nimble, with flippers rather than propellers, and is designed for intricate data collection from shipwrecks and reefs.

The robot, designed by a team of universities from Canada, can be controlled wirelessly using a waterproof tablet computer.


While underwater, divers can program the tablet to display tags onscreen, similar to barcodes read by smartphones. The robot's on-board camera then scans these two-dimensional tags to receive and carry out commands.

Scroll down to see how the AQUA responds to the new controls.

Cutting the cord on underwater robots has been a longstanding challenge for scientists. Water interferes with radio signals, hindering traditional wireless communication via modem. Tethered communication is cumbersome and can create safety issues for divers.

'Having a robot tethered to a vehicle above water creates a scenario where communication between the diver, robot, and surface operator becomes quite complicated,' says Michael Jenkin, professor at York University’s Faculty of Science & Engineering

'Investigating a shipwreck, for example, is a very delicate operation and the diver and robot need to be able to react quickly to changes in the environment. An error or a lag in communication could be dangerous,' Jenkin says.

Realising there was no device on the market that fit the bill, Jenkin and his team at York's Centre for Vision Research, including the paper's lead author, MSc student Bart Verzijlenberg, set to work constructing a prototype.

The resulting device, fittingly dubbed AQUATablet, is watertight to a depth of 60 feet. Aluminum housing with a clear acrylic cover protects the tablet computer, which can be controlled by a diver using toggle-switches and on-screen prompts.


Until now the robot has receive d instructions using a lead connected to a computer - now it can be controlled wirelessly


'A diver at 60 feet can actually teleoperate AQUA 30-40 feet deeper. Needless to say this is much easier on the diver, physically, and much safer,' Jenkin says.

The tablet also allows divers to command the robot much as if they were using a video game joystick; turn the tablet right and AQUA turns right, too.

In this mode, the robot is connected to the tablet by a slim length of optical cable, circumventing many of the issues of a robot-to-surface tether. The optical cable also allows AQUA to provide video feedback from its camera to the operator.

In wireless mode, the robot acknowledges prompts by flashing its on-board light. Its cameras can be used to build 3-D models of the environment which can then be used to guide the robot to particular tasks.

'This is a huge improvement on [a robot] having to travel to the surface to communicate with its operators,' Jenkin says.

In past, divers have used laminated flashcards to visually communicate with robots while underwater. However, these limit the diver to a pre-set sequence of commands.

'It's impossible to anticipate everything you're going to want the robot to do once you get underwater. We wanted to develop a system where we could create commands on the fly, in response to the environment,' he says.




source: dailymail
[endtext]

BlackBerry maker unveils 'Playbook' tablet to take on iPad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaez_4m9mQendofvid

[starttext]
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

RIM boss Mike Lazaridis announces the new BlackBerry PlayBook as he delivers a keynote address at the BlackberryDevCon 2010 last night


BlackBerry maker Research in Motion has unveiled its rival to the Apple’s iPad: the PlayBook.

Research in Motion (RIM) showed off the tablet for the first time last night and is set to launch it early 2011 in the U.S., with an international rollout due later in the year.

The PlayBook is a smaller, lighter device than Apple’s iPad, which kicked-started the tablet market when it launched in April.

It will have a 7-inch screen, making it half the size of Apple's device, and weigh about 0.9 pounds to the iPad's 1.5 pounds. And unlike the iPAd, it will have two cameras, front and back.


RIM President and Co-Chief Executive Officer Mike Lazaridis announces the new BlackBerry PlayBook


The PlayBook will be able to act as a second, larger screen for a BlackBerry phone, through a secure short-range wireless link. When the connection is severed - perhaps because the user walks away with the phone - no sensitive data like company emails are left on the tablet.

Outside of Wi-Fi range, it will be able to pick up a mobile service like 3G to access the web by linking to a BlackBerry.

But the tablet will also work as a standalone device. RIM co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie said its goal is to present the full web experience of a computer, including the ability to display Flash, Adobe's format for video and interactive material on the web.

That means the tablet will be less dependent on third-party applications or ‘apps,’ Balsillie said.

‘I don't need to download a YouTube app if I've got YouTube on the Web,’ said Balsillie, who leads the company along with co-CEO Mike Lazaridis.

Tim Renowden, an analyst for Ovum, said: 'The BlackBerry PlayBook certainly looks like a strong contender against Apple’s iPad, at least amongst RIM’s core enterprise customers.

'RIM’s dominance of the enterprise smartphone market has begun to come under pressure from Apple and a range of Android competitors, and since the iPad’s launch there has been a lot of discussion about the role of tablet devices in enterprise and the adoption of consumer devices by business users.

'The danger for RIM is that Apple already has a big head start in the tablet market, and the buzz around its apps and ‘cool factor’ is significant.

'Many business users will want to bring their own iPads into the work environment, so this is going to be a long and hard fought battle for RIM, but an important one as mobile devices become an increasingly important part of doing business.'


The new PlayBook is smaller than the iPad


The new BlackBerry PlayBook, a touchscreen tablet, will be launched next year, it was announced last night


Apple boss Steve Jobs has resisted allowing Flash on any of the company's mobile gadgets, arguing the software has too many bugs and uses up too much battery power.
‘Much of the market has been defined in terms of how you fit the web to mobility,’ Balsillie said.

‘What we're launching is really the first mobile product that is designed to give full web fidelity.’

The PlayBook is a move by RIM to protect its position as the top provider of mobile gadgets for business users.

Balsillie says he has had briefings with company chief information officers and ‘this is hands-down, slam-dunk what they're looking for.’

Analysts agree that RIM's close relationship with its corporate clients could help the company establish a comfortable niche in the tablet market despite Apple's early lead.

‘We do think that RIM has a play with enterprise customers because it has established relationships with so many businesses, and its technology is so deeply integrated with their IT departments,’ IDC analyst Susan Kevorkian said.

RIM is using a new operating system, built by QNX Software Systems, which it took over earlier this year, to harness the power of the tablet, but Balsillie said it will run existing apps for BlackBerry phones.

IDC predicts that the corporate market for tablet computers will grow as a portion of overall sales over the next few years. The firm forecasts that roughly 11 percent of overall tablet shipments, or 6.5 million units, will be to businesses, government agencies or schools by 2014.


That would be up from just 2 percent, or 300,000 units, this year. And that figure does not include those who buy tablet computers on their own and use them for work.


RIM doesn't want the PlayBook to be just for work - the company invited video game maker Electronic Arts to help introduce the Playbook at an event in San Francisco on Monday - but it's clear that its advantages will lie in the work arena.

Apple’s iPad sold three million units within its first 80 days and has spurred other manufacturers on to create their own versions of a tablet computer.

The iPad has prompted a wave of competitors, so RIM won't be alone going after the tablet market. Computer maker Dell came out with its own tablet computer in August called the Streak.

Samsung plans to launch the Galaxy Tab next month and has already lined up all four major U.S. carriers to sell it and provide wireless service for it.

Cisco is also going after business customers with a tablet called the Cius early next year.






source: dailymail
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She's a leggy model... but weighs 36 stone and could easily carry you around the room

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_PhFE73rI4endofvid

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By Daily Mail Reporter

Demonstration: Developers at the Chiba Institute in Japan have designed Core to carry loads of up to 15 stone. The robot could eventually be used to carry elderly or disabled people


She can be described as being 6ft2in tall, thoroughly modern, and in possession of a remarkable pair of legs.

Furthermore, if asked to carry around weights of up to 15 stone, she'll take it in her stride.

But she's not a super-strong supermodel... she (or, more accurately, it) is the latest innovation from the robotics boffins at the Chiba Institute of Technology, in Japan.


Adaptable: The robot is fitted with 12 shock absorbers, can bend its knees (left) and is also able to walk around


The robot - rather androgynously called Core - is essentially just a pair of legs, which are able to bend and move around.

Crucially, the legs are topped by a platform that can be loaded with weights of up to 15st7lb (100kg).

It comes complete with shock absorbers and weighs in at around 36 stone.

At the moment the device is only a prototype, but developers believe Core could be used on building sites or even to move disabled people around.

Some bloggers have also speculated that the robot could have military purposes.
The team at Chiba hope to have a fully finished mobility robot by 2012.


source :dailymail

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The shirt you spray on: For clothes that fit like a second skin, try instant fabric in a can

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSZlHqXGz7Iendofvid

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By Tamara Cohen

Stage one: This might tickle a bit... Dr Torres spray paints the model's shoulder and torso. Both wear goggles to protect their eyes


Rummaging in a drawer, grabbing a T- shirt and slipping it over your head would certainly be simpler. But some of us are willing to put a little more effort into our wardrobes.

The result? A shirt that fits so snugly it looks as if it has been sprayed on to the body. Actually, it has.

Thanks to a liquid mixture made of cotton fibres we could soon be spraying ourselves into everything from T-shirts, dresses, trousers to swim-wear and hats.

Fabrican - literally fabric in an aerosol can - is the brainchild of Spanish designer Dr Manel Torres who has spent ten years working on his invention.

In a video demonstrating how it works, he sprays a blue and white T-shirt on to a model in just under 15 minutes.

Drying as soon as it hits his skin, the garment can be taken off, washed and re-worn.

Dr Torres teamed up with Paul Luckham, Professor of Particle Technology at Imperial College London, to create Fabrican, which consists of cotton fibres, polymers (the plastics which hold them together) and solvents which keep it in liquid form.


Stage two: Thank goodness I didn't ask for a suit... The fabric, drying fast, is already showing a couple of creases on the model's torso


Stage three: Plain white's so yesterday... Dr Torres decides to add a fetching splatter of blue to brighten things up a little


When you get bored with your creation it can be dissolved and the material used again to make something new or repair old designs.

Dr Torres said the idea was to be able to create clothes instantly and cheaply, all of which would be a perfect fit.

'I really wanted to make a futuristic, seamless, quick and comfortable material,' he said.

'To show science and technology can help fashion designers, I ended up returning to the principles of the earliest textiles such as felt, which were also produced by taking fibres and finding a way of binding them together without having to weave or stitch.'


Stage 4: A touch to the neckline shows how the fabric dies away from the body



Stage five: The shirt off my back... The garment can be taken off, washed and re-worn


Fabrican is still a couple of years from hitting the shelves.

Dr Torres is working on ways to create more forgiving shapes as not everyone likes their clothes clinging to every curve. He is also trying to minimise the distinct whiff of solvent about the garments.

And although some spray-on designs will be on show at London Fashion Week, the instant fabric could end up being used for everything from bandages to furniture upholstery.



source: dailymail
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