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Fender's hybrid Acoustasonic guitar is more than an experiment
The hybrid acoustic-electric guitar line from Fender grows to become more than an experiment.
GE looking to saddle up with TI, bring dual-piezo jet cooling to market
We're often disappointed when 'cool'-looking inventions never come to market, but it looks like the dual-piezo jet fans we saw in GE's labs recently have a fighting chance. The company told us at CES 2013 that it wants to team with Texas Instruments to put the millimeter-thick, bellows-like units inside upcoming Ultrabooks and other devices that have no room for a traditional fan. Such a partnership could work out since GE has little experience in the gadget-space, and TI has all the power conversion bits necessary to make the tech work, since they're similar to the latter outfit's circuits used in so-called high-definition haptics, a tactile feedback system. Representatives from the two outfits said that manufacturers are already working with the tech, meaning we could see the technology in slimmed down products like Ultrabooks within a year -- perhaps just in time to meet Haswell's demanding specs.
Researchers use virus's rogue traits to create electricity from motion
Viruses are the swarming bullies of biology, but it turns out their alarming self-replication could one day power your iPod. We've seen them in batteries before, but researchers at Berkeley Labs have now coated electrodes with modified M13 bacteriophage, a harmless bacteria-eating virus, to create the first ever organic piezoelectric material -- which can convert force to electricity. The team explained that such a substance would be non-toxic, organize naturally into thin layers and self-regenerate, giving it a possible advantage over chemical options. In theory, by attaching a thin film of it to your shoes, power could be generated when walking, lending volts to the myriad electronics we pack around nowadays. To see a finger-powered video demo of our frequent-enemies making themselves useful for a change, stroll on past the break.
Hands-on with Immersion HD Integrator hi-fi haptics
It was just over a year ago when we met with the folks from Immersion, and they showed us a prototype handset packing its HD haptics technology. Since that time, the piezoelectric actuator that makes the tactile magic possible has gone into mass production, and the first commercial device packing such hi-fi haptics, the Pantech Element, hit store shelves. Immersion's got greater aspirations for its tactile tech, however, and its new HD Integrator platform aims to put high fidelity haptics in every handset. We got to sample the HD haptics goods once again and chat with Immersion about the new platform and its technology, so head on past the break to see what the company has in store.
Pulse Surface Controller System: bangs the drum, desk, window
The Pulse Surface Controller is a vibration-based musical instrument that finally puts those years of air drumming to use. It's a small, piezo-based MIDI controller that lets you turn pretty much any surface into a musical instrument. The device has a built-in suction cup, comes with velcro straps and plugs into your computer's microphone port. The fun really starts with the dedicated controller software, that converts your percussive punches to your virtual instrument of choice. You're not limited to drums either, as you can map your taps to a velocity sensitive melodic generator to create musical tones and scales. Luckily you won't have to sit on your hands to get one of these either, as the Pulse Surface Controller System is available now for $59, or you can tap-tap-tap the video after the break for a demo.
Rogue Amoeba on creating the look of Piezo
Christa Mrgan has published an interesting post at Rogue Amoeba about developing the look and feel of that company's Piezo recording software. Rogue Amoeba is known for simple, intelligent designs. It's fascinating to see how the company works from beginning to end, first defining the app's functions, then wireframing and prototyping to get everything right. The article describes the influences that went into Piezo's look and feel, from the sublime (Piezo's look was inspired by a beautiful old audio unit) to the practical (a handle on the square icon). It's interesting to see Rogue Amoeba's commitment to making something special.
Mogees uses contact microphone and gesture recognition to create music on any surface (video)
The piezoelectric effect is an interesting phenomena. Capable of turning vibrations into electric signals, it's at the heart of the Mogees project from Bruno Zamborlin and Norbert Schnell. Here, a contact microphone is connected to a system that processes sound from unique gestures and then triggers the appropriate instrument in its database -- thereby turning virtually any surface into an experimental jam band. Different gestures may be added to Mogees, which can also recognize the difference between fingers and objects such as coins. The project isn't commercially available, but if you're unfamiliar with the magic of contact microphones, we think the video after the break will be a rather fascinating introduction. Hell, with a similar setup, anyone could be a budding musician. Just don't let it all go to your head if you make the big time.
Real life Minecraft block combines cardboard box, Arduino, and a projector (video)
You know how when you were a kid, the box something came in was almost as fun as the toy itself? Well, that doesn't have to change as you get older -- provided you've retained that creative spark. Ben Purdy apparently kept his imagination nimble and, with the help of a projector, a piezo element and an Arduino (of course), turned a plain ol' box into a real life Minecraft block. Hit the cube with a stick, or anything really, and the projection-mapped image starts to deteriorate and particles tumble off as you mine it. You won't actually be able to turn your harvested materials into structures or tools, but it's still a good idea to keep an eye out for Creepers. Don't miss the trio of videos after the break.
Orange Sound Charge T-shirt will juice up your phone while you listen to the bass go boom
Orange UK has a long-running tradition of coming up with quirky ways to recharge your phone while enjoying the Glastonbury Festival every year, and 2011 is proving no different. This time around, it's a T-shirt that generates an electric charge from the sound around it -- rendering it ideal for front-row crowd-surfing types -- though the provided tech details go no further than to tell us that piezoelectrics and the absorption of vibration are involved. We find ourselves overcome by the suspicion that you'll never be able to get much meaningful utility out of this rather unstylish garment, but then it does give you a plausible excuse for pushing your way nearer to the stage, and if anyone objects, you can consider it a great conversation starter. So whatever happens, you win, fashion loses.
NASA makes longer, straighter piezoelectric nanowires in microgravity, no flat iron needed
Piezoelectric nanowires are the stuff that make power-generating pants a possibility, and that prodigious potential has drawn the attention of NASA. You see, self-powered spacesuits are awfully attractive to our nation's space agency, and a few of its finest student researchers have discovered that the current-creating strands of zinc oxide can be made longer and straighter -- and therefore more powerful -- when freed from gravity's unrelenting pull. That means nanowires grown in microgravity could lead to higher capacity batteries and the aforementioned juice-generating interstellar garb. Of course, there's no such end-products yet, but let's see if NASA can do what others have not: give pants-power to the people.
Immersion's MOTIV development platform integrates haptics into Android, we go hands-on
You may know that Immersion's haptic technology is in everything from surgical simulators to game controllers, but we're willing to bet you didn't know it's already baked into over 200 million existing devices -- including every Samsung Galaxy S smartphone and handsets by Nokia and LG. Now, using Android handsets' existing vibrator motors, a cheap software upgrade can inject force feedback into existing elements across the entire Android UI (2.2 and up), and with future devices -- built with multi-dollar piezoelectric actuators that vibrate the screen itself -- the haptic experience goes hi-fi. Now that it's revealed that little easter egg to the world, Immersion wants you to build some apps, and to that end it's releasing the MOTIV developer platform this March. Read all about it after the break. %Gallery-116198%
MIT's piezoelectric fibers can act as speaker or microphone, don't mind auto-tune
Piezoelectric materials work quite simply, in theory -- motion in, electricity out, or vice versa -- and since that's just how speakers and microphones transmit their sound, it's not much of a stretch to imagine someone would figure out audio on a micron scale. That someone is MIT's Yoel Fink, who's reportedly engineered a marvelous process for producing fibers that can detect and emit sound. Following up their famous work on flexible cameras, Fink's team discovered they could keep piezoelectric strands rigid enough to produce audible vibrations by inserting graphite, AKA pencil lead. Better yet, the lab process can apparently make the threads on a fairly large scale, "yielding tens of metres of piezoelectric fibre" at a single draw. The potential for fabric made from such fibers is fantastic, of course -- especially combined with this particular scientist's previous research into camera cloth.
Scientists to bring piezoelectrics and rubber together to form flexible, wearable energy harvester
Piezoelectrics are nothing new -- though most applications, they've proven to be far more theoretically useful than practical. Still, the technology is starting to move in a direction that could prove more applicable to everyday situations -- and a new piezo material recently developed could really get the ball moving. Called PZT, it's made of nano-sized fibers of lead zirconate titanate, which are applied to thin (and we mean thin) ribbons of flexible silicone rubber. The material is super efficient, and has the ability to convert mechanical energy into electricity at a rate of about 80 percent, and, because it's made of flexible rubber, it would be well-suited to converting electricity from the energy of body movements, meaning all sorts of wearable fun may be imminent. There's no word on any practical application of this yet -- so we'll just have to keep our eyes peeled for you.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: turbines, rubber circuits, and cola-powered cars
We're happy to introduce The Week in Green, a new item from our friends at Inhabitat. Each week they'll recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us. Welcome! Sure, the iPad happened this week, but we also caught sight of several hot green gadgets and clean tech innovations this week that stand to shape the future of green consumer technology. First off, design star Philippe Starck brought haute design to clean tech with two novel designs for home wind turbines. Starck's high-profile products have made him a household name, so we're interested to see if his latest creations kick off a trend towards "designer" wind power. We were also impressed by researchers at Princeton University who recently found a way to integrate piezoelectric chips into flexible, durable rubber-based circuits. We've seen piezo power sources before, but applications for the new chips are sure to put bounce in your step: energy generating shoes, movement-powered microsurgical devices, and self-charging pacemakers are right around the corner. Interest in green transportation is building as Florida rides high on the government's recently announced grants for high speed rail -- the sunshine state is set to blaze a trail with $1.25 billion in funding. And for those with a soda habit, Takara Tomy's cola-powered RC car is one sweet ride. The biobattery-powered car can convert any sugary liquid to energy, so pour in some Jolt and you're good to go. Finally, love it or hate it -- the launch of Apple's iPad has dominated the newswires all week. While we appreciate the device's toxin-free, recyclable construction and impressive battery life, we have to ask: is it really green?
BlackBerry Storm 2 -- and its piezoelectric soul -- dissected at last
The leaked photo of the Storm 2's internal board got our juices flowing -- and our curiosity piqued -- but this latest set of photos really takes it up a notch. In addition to showing the rest of the device inside and out, we've got a handful of new pictures showing off that piezoelectronic technology doing its thing. Basically, as we understand it, those four "buttons" which are pictured are more like sensors than buttons. When the device is on, they communicate with the screen, and when it registers enough pressure, the result is the familiar "click" that Storm users know all too well. However, when the device is powered off (or in standby mode we assume), the screen stays put, as there isn't an actual mechanism to move the screen like there was in the original Storm. Of course, we won't know how to judge it until we can actually play with a real live demo unit in the flesh, but you can definitely say that RIM has us interested. At least they weren't lying about that whole 'SurePress is here to stay' thing.
BlackBerry Storm 2's voodoo-powered screen torn apart, raises more questions
If the Storm 2 seriously uses newfangled piezoelectrics to provide localized tactile response on its display -- something the original Storm lacked with just a single clicky button mounted underneath the screen's center point -- then how come we're coming to find out we've got four buttons mounted near the corners this time around? At this point, this picture posted of the Storm 2's sensitive innards probably raises more questions than it answers -- we're clearly looking at four buttons here, which as CrackBerry says would facilitate the "multi-press" necessary to engage key modifiers like Alt just as you would on a regular keyboard. The problem is that this doesn't even being to explain how or why the screen hardens up like a rock when the phone is off, because the four buttons plus traditional capacitive touch sensitivity would realistically get the job done without alien technology. We're looking forward to a thorough briefing from RIM once the phone gains some official recognition, but until then, let the theories fly. [Thanks, Doughy]
Video: Storm 2's new touchscreen tech explained with mindblowing clarity, WiFi confirmed
The last video we posted of the Storm 2 doing its SurePress thing has been unceremoniously pulled from YouTube, but this new video really makes up for it. It turns out the screen uses piezo electronics to detect pressure at any point on the screen, instead of the all-or-nothing click button on the Storm 1, and our video host was kind enough to explain this in painstaking detail in the video embedded after the break. The screen actually stiffens when it's off or locked, and has a sort of spongy give to it when alive. He also confirmed in no uncertain terms the GSM and CDMA versions of the device will be packing WiFi. According to his Twitter account, we should be expecting a video about the OS soon as well. [Thanks, Kristjan]
