Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Ultra-thin handheld microscope could sniff out skin cancer, forged documents]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/05/ultra-thin-handheld-microscope-could-sniff-out-skin-cancer-forg/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/05/ultra-thin-handheld-microscope-could-sniff-out-skin-cancer-forg/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/05/ultra-thin-handheld-microscope-could-sniff-out-skin-cancer-forg/#comments It may not look like it, but that sleek black thing pictured above is actually a microscope. Designed by engineers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, this little guy boasts a 5.3mm optical length, rendering it slim enough to fit in the palm of your hand, yet powerful enough to deliver images at a scanner-like resolution of five micrometers, over a wide surface area. Fraunhofer's researchers achieved this balance by essentially tossing out the manual on traditional microscope design. Whereas most devices slowly scan areas and construct images on a piecemeal basis, this handheld uses several small imaging channels and a collection of tiny lenses to record equal sized fragments of a given surface. Unlike conventional scanner microscopes, all of these 300 x 300 square micrometer imaging channels are captured at the same time. With a single swipe, then, users can record 36 x 24 square mm shots of matchbox-sized objects, without even worrying about blurring the images with their shaky hands. The prototype is still two years away from going into production, but once it does, engineers say it could help doctors scan patients for skin cancer more easily, while also allowing bureaucrats to quickly confirm the authenticity of official documents. We can only imagine what it could do for Pac-Man. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Ultra-thin handheld microscope could sniff out skin cancer, forged documents

Ultra-thin handheld microscope could sniff out skin cancer, forged documents originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 09:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cancerdocumentsengineeringfraunhoferfraunhofer instituteFraunhofer-GesellschaftFraunhoferInstitutegermanyhandheldhealthimageslaser world of phototonicsLaserWorldOfPhototonicsmelanomamicroscopeopticalopticsphototonicsprototyperesearchscanslimultrathinThu, 05 May 2011 09:14:00 EST<![CDATA[German researchers develop biotech sensor bracelet, disposable blood lab]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/20/german-researchers-develop-biotech-sensor-bracelet-disposable-b/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/20/german-researchers-develop-biotech-sensor-bracelet-disposable-b/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/20/german-researchers-develop-biotech-sensor-bracelet-disposable-b/#comments Biochips -- flexible, disposable plastic circuits that "compute" via chemical reaction -- have been nearing reality for over a decade, but for obvious reasons we don't always pay attention. German research institute Fraunhofer IZM has just convinced us it's high time we did. This week, the organization announced that it's on the verge of creating a lab-on-a-chip that can diagnose deep vein thrombosis from a single drop of blood, as well as a wristband that can measure body temperature, skin moisture and electromagnetic radiation using plastic chips and sensors only micrometers thick. Impressive, yes, but the real news is the production process -- these gadgets can be printed in reels and sheets. The organization imagines the tools will be so cheap they'll be disposable; rather than wait for lab results, worried individuals will just take one out, test and toss to feel confident about their bloodwork, before hopefully going back to their normal lives.

German researchers develop biotech sensor bracelet, disposable blood lab originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biochipbiochipsbloodblood testBloodTestbloodworkchemicalfraunhoferfraunhofer institutefraunhofer izmFraunhofer-GesellschaftFraunhoferInstituteFraunhoferIzmmedicalmedicineplastic chipplastic chipsPlasticChipPlasticChipsprintable circuitsprintable electronicsPrintableCircuitsPrintableElectronicssciencewristbandTue, 20 Apr 2010 02:32:00 EST<![CDATA[Interactive data eyeglasses could bring the PC to your face, won't fix nearsightedness]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/04/interactive-data-eyeglasses-could-bring-the-pc-to-your-face-won/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/04/interactive-data-eyeglasses-could-bring-the-pc-to-your-face-won/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/04/interactive-data-eyeglasses-could-bring-the-pc-to-your-face-won/#comments
Leave it the mad scientists at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft to concoct this one. Rather than just figuring out a way to read back information in one-way fashion on one's glasses (think Sixth Sense, but with eyewear), these folks are diving right in to the real stuff: bidirectional communication. In essence, their goal for the interactive data eyeglasses is to track eye movement in order to allow ones retinas to scroll through menus, flip through options and zoom in / out on a map. Obviously, a microdisplay will be necessary as well, but that's just half the battle. We'll confess -- we're still not humble enough to take our Vuzix HMD out in public, but we just might swap our Transitions[TM] for a set of these.

[Via OLED-Display]

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Interactive data eyeglasses could bring the PC to your face, won't fix nearsightedness originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh sure, liquid cooling rigs are all the rage, but they aren't too useful within minuscule things like netbooks, MIDs and pocket projectors. The always churning minds over at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are already on the issue, recently conjuring up a new material designed to "efficiently dissipate heat even in devices with densely packed components and that can give increasingly miniaturized electronics a longer life." Researchers at the entity's Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research have teamed with gurus from Siemens and Plansee to create the substance as part of the EU project "ExtreMat." Unfortunately, details beyond that are few and far between, but given that demonstrations have reportedly "already been produced," we'd say it's well on its way to infiltrating things far smaller than your mind can grasp.

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New cooling material keeps heat down in densely packed electronics originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>coolcoolingExtreMatFraunhoferFraunhofer-GesellschaftheatoverheatoverheatingplanseescienceSiemensThu, 09 Apr 2009 03:17:00 EST<![CDATA[Video: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's iPoint 3D Pong match gets heated]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/03/video-fraunhofer-gesellschafts-ipoint-3d-pong-match-get/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/03/video-fraunhofer-gesellschafts-ipoint-3d-pong-match-get/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/03/video-fraunhofer-gesellschafts-ipoint-3d-pong-match-get/#commentsAfter hearing that Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft was bringing its newfangled iPoint 3D setup to CeBIT, we simply had to make the 5.9 mile hike from Hall 26 to Hall 9 to check things out. As with most things that this outfit touches, iPoint 3D was also a sight to behold. Without any goofy glasses, players and onlookers alike could easily detect depth in the display, and while we're some of the toughest 3D critics you'll find, even we were taken aback at just how not-gimmicky it was. An overhead motion detecting system fed signals to a nearby computer, which then translated the hand gestures into paddle movements within the simple two player Pong game. The gals we recorded seemed to have a pretty good time with it, and if you don't believe us, just check out the winner's victory dance at the end of the clip -- it'll make your day, and that's a Billy Mays guarantee.

Gallery: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's iPoint 3D paddle ball match gets heated

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Video: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's iPoint 3D Pong match gets heated originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just in case you've been parked out under a local stone for the past six months and change, we figured it prudent to let you know that the 3D bandwagon has totally regained momentum. So much momentum, in fact, that the brilliant minds over at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have decided to bust out a 3D innovation that actually makes us eager to sink our minds into the elusive third dimension. The iPoint 3D, which we're hoping to get up close and personal with at CeBIT next week, is a technology that enables Earthlings to interact with a 3D display via simple gestures -- all without touching the panel and without those style-smashing 3D glasses. The gurus even go so far as to compare their creation to something you'd see in a science fiction flick, with the heart of it involving a recognition device (usually suspended above the user) and a pair of inbuilt cameras. There's no mention of just how crazy expensive this would be if it were ready for the commercial realm, but we'll try to snag an estimated MSRP for ya next week.

[Via Physorg]

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iPoint 3D brings gesture-based inputs to 3D displays originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dcebitcebit 2009Cebit2009Fraunhofer-Gesellschafthdipoint 3dIpoint3dmotion sensingmotion trackingMotionSensingMotionTrackingotherssensorsensorsSun, 22 Feb 2009 12:37:00 EST<![CDATA[iPoint 3D brings gesture-based inputs to 3D displays]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/22/ipoint-3d-brings-gesture-based-inputs-to-3d-displays/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/22/ipoint-3d-brings-gesture-based-inputs-to-3d-displays/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/22/ipoint-3d-brings-gesture-based-inputs-to-3d-displays/#comments
Just in case you've been parked out under a local stone for the past six months and change, we figured it prudent to let you know that the 3D bandwagon has totally regained momentum. So much momentum, in fact, that the brilliant minds over at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have decided to bust out a 3D innovation that actually makes us eager to sink our minds into the elusive third dimension. The iPoint 3D, which we're hoping to get up close and personal with at CeBIT next week, is a technology that enables Earthlings to interact with a 3D display via simple gestures -- all without touching the panel and without those style-smashing 3D glasses. The gurus even go so far as to compare their creation to something you'd see in a science fiction flick, with the heart of it involving a recognition device (usually suspended above the user) and a pair of inbuilt cameras. There's no mention of just how crazy expensive this would be if it were ready for the commercial realm, but we'll try to snag an estimated MSRP for ya next week.

[Via Physorg]

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iPoint 3D brings gesture-based inputs to 3D displays originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dcebitcebit 2009Cebit2009Fraunhofer-Gesellschaftipoint 3dIpoint3dmotion sensingmotion trackingMotionSensingMotionTrackingsensorsensorsSun, 22 Feb 2009 12:37:00 EST<![CDATA[Virtual mirror destroys all the fun you have trying on outfits]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/27/virtual-mirror-destroys-all-the-fun-you-have-trying-on-outfits/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/27/virtual-mirror-destroys-all-the-fun-you-have-trying-on-outfits/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/27/virtual-mirror-destroys-all-the-fun-you-have-trying-on-outfits/#commentsThe always-imaginative gurus at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft never cease to amaze, and at this year's IFA, they're delivering once more. The so-called "virtual mirror" gives to-be garb buyers an accurate look at what different outfits look like on their person without requiring them to try a single thing on. Granted, shopaholics are apt to detest this thing, but anyone with better things to do than try on four sweaters to see which one makes them look fat should be completely in love. The concept here is far from new, as we've seen both virtual makeover machines and fitting room enhancers before. Still, Fraunhofer's dream of getting you suited up and out of the store in mere minutes is one we'd love to see come true. Just don't ditch the traditional stalls too soon -- we wouldn't want any kind of worldwide uprising.

[Via Physorg, image courtesy of Flickr]

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Virtual mirror destroys all the fun you have trying on outfits originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>clothesclothingFraunhoferFraunhofer-GesellschaftgarbIFaIFA 2008Ifa2008magic mirrorMagicMirrormirrorWed, 27 Aug 2008 09:44:00 EST<![CDATA[Elephant trunks inspire ISELLA robotic arm]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/06/elephant-trunks-inspire-isella-robotic-arm/http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/06/elephant-trunks-inspire-isella-robotic-arm/http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/06/elephant-trunks-inspire-isella-robotic-arm/#comments
It's not often you see a piece of tech touted by its developer as being inspired by something "long, gray, and soft," but that's exactly how the researchers at Germany's prolific Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Institute are describing their ISELLA robotic arms. Inspired by the finesse and power of an elephant's trunk, the team developed a unique redundant motorized "muscle" called DOHELIX, consisting of dual drive shafts intertwined around each other in a double helix, resulting in a system that can be scaled from micrometer-scale muscles to cranes in container seaports. The protoype ISELLA unit (pictured) has ten DOHELIX muscles, enough to mimic the flexibility of the human arm, but the team expects even better results when the system is ready to ship in two years -- here's hoping some enterprising carnie rigs up the next generation of elephant rides.

[Via MedGadget]

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Elephant trunks inspire ISELLA robotic arm originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2007 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dohelixFraunhoferFraunhofer-Gesellschaftisellaprosthetic armProstheticArmprotheticrobot armsRobotArmsrobotic armsRoboticArmsFri, 06 Jul 2007 13:41:00 EST