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TCL’s tri-fold prototype phone folds in thirds like an accordion
Now that we have phones that fold in half, companies are starting to imagine phones that fold in thirds. In January, Xiaomi teased a concept phone that folds on both sides. This week, CNET got its hands on another concept by TCL. This one starts as a ten-inch tablet and has dual hinges that fold in opposite directions like an accordion.
TCL is experimenting with a personal cinema visor
TCL turned up at IFA this year with a couple of prototype devices that it hopes will inform the future direction of its products. The first was a "wearable display concept" that looks an awful lot like the personal cinema headsets that pop up every 18 months or so. It's a pair of smart glasses with two OLED displays hovering over your eyes to try and trick you into thinking you're sat in a cinema.
Huawei Mate X: A first look at Samsung’s biggest foldable rival
Foldable phone fever meets 5G mania in Huawei's latest flagship. At MWC, the company unveiled the new Mate X, joining the likes of Samsung and Royole in offering smartphones with folding screens. Huawei's Mate X also claims to be the fastest 5G folding phone -- but it's not the first in the category to support the latest networking standard. We're not looking at a me-too product here; Huawei's take on the device has a few compelling differences from other folding phones we've seen so far that has me thinking it may have the best approach. We were able to check out a prototype (though we weren't allowed to touch it), and from that brief encounter, I'm already intrigued.
TCL's folding phone projects include a watch-like bracelet
Multiple companies have ideas as to how they'll develop folding smartphones. TCL, however, isn't content to settle on one -- it's seemingly tackling them all. CNET has obtained images and patent filings that show TCL exploring five foldable designs. Four of them are ultimately variants on a theme (folding horizontally or vertically, inward or outward), but a fifth model would turn into a smartwatch-style bracelet. Effectively, it'd resurrect Lenovo's Cplus concept as a practical product.
Meet the laundry-folding washing machine of our lazy-ass future
Socks are the hardest. For a future washing machine that washes, dries and then folds the results, it's one of the small barriers that remains in that latter stage. But as a research project that started back in 2008, Laundroid is finally getting there. Next year, the collaboration between housing firm Daiwa House, electronics company Panasonic and Seven Dreamers will start offering preorders, the year after that 'beta' machines, then folding machines for big institutions, with event full retail planned the year after that -- we'll be in 2019 by then. (That said, the all-in-one model is still at the in-development stage). There's no price and the presentation we saw added in a bunch of mosaic filtering on top as the shirt gradually got folded so you couldn't see how the thing actually works. But that's okay. We can wait. It's not going to stop us waiting our chore-dodging dreams to come true.
4-gram 'Tribot' shows off heat-activated high jumping
At the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), a laboratory that specializes in origami robots has created one that was inspired by the inchworm. The tiny 4-gram machine called "Tribot" can crawl, jump seven times its height and then resume crawling without any resting period in between. Since Jamie Paik's team at the Reconfigurable Robotics Laboratory couldn't use typical bulky motors to create a light and foldable machine, they had to use titanium and nickel "shape memory alloy" to build actuators and springs for it. Tribot crawls by heating those memory alloy parts with an electric current -- the heat makes its limbs "remember" or pop back to their original shape after expanding. In the video below, you can watch the researchers discuss both Tribot and the other origami robot they're developing, a four-limbed "Crawler."
Sony's Folding@Home Android app now fights cancer while you sleep
Want to help cure Alzheimer's or breast cancer? From now on, you don't have to do much more than charge your phone. Sony has released a big upgrade to its Folding@Home app for Android that can use your phone's processor for medical research on a continuous basis -- so long as you're on WiFi and charging, you can doze off knowing that you're contributing to a good cause. It also ties into your Google account to both accumulate time on multiple devices as well as earn game-like achievements. The refresh is available now, so give it a shot if you'd like your phone to do more in its idle time than fetch your email.
Bacteria-powered folding batteries could power paper biosensors
We've seen flexible displays for some time now, and engineers at Binghamton University developed an origami-inspired foldable battery. The folding part is great, but these batteries are also powered by bacteria and made from paper, providing an low-cost option for remote locales where resources are scarce. That all sounds good, but what are the potential uses? Well, paper-based biosensors have been around for a bit too, but they usually have to be paired with some sort of device to be of any use. The goal is to create tech that allows those sensors to power themselves. Currently, the battery folds down to about the size of a matchbook and costs five cents to make.
Unorthodox Sprite drone tolerates abuse and actually flies
When you picture a consumer drone, something bulky with four or six props à la DJI probably pops to mind. But the folks behind a new model on Kickstarter think that such UAVs have two big problems -- namely, they're hard to carry and break easily if you mess up. They built The Sprite to overcome those limitations with a cylindrical, waterproof body and retractable blades. The design makes it easy to throw it into a pack, and when landing, the rotors halt in a half a second and fold into a retracted position. From there, the craft can safely alight on rocks, a bush or even a swamp without issues.
Folding electric bike talks to all your other smart devices
While there's no shortage of smart bikes, they still have limits: many rely chiefly on pedal power, and their tech-savviness is often limited to talking to a special smartphone app. The JIVR Bike might just solve several of those problems at once, though. The two-wheeler not only uses a chainless electric drive (good for 20 miles of pedal-free travel per charge), but serves as an iBeacon that talks to any nearby device which supports the format -- you could have it send info to your laptop, if you like. It folds to fit into small apartments, too, and you can plug in your phone to use it as a dashboard.
NASA researchers use extreme origami to build space solar panels
Here's the dilemma: rockets have only so much space, yet satellite solar panels are much more useful when they're big. The solution? Make them foldable using the ancient art of Japanese origami. Researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have figured out how to one day create an array 8.9 feet in diameter that could unfold to 82 feet wide. A panel that size could generate 250 kilowatts of power, compared to the current maximum of about 14 kilowatts. The 1/20 scale prototype starts as a satellite-friendly cylindrical form and expands to a flat, 4.1 foot circular shape by the application of a single force (see the video below). The research was inspired by a technique called the "Miura fold," originally developed for a Japanese satellite by astrophysicist Koryo Miura. A larger version could one day beam solar energy back to earth, or even power future spacecraft -- especially now that microwave thrusters are feasible. [Image credit: Mark A. Philbrick/BYU]
DARPA tests ground-based prototype of its folding space telescope (video)
Researchers want higher-resolution images of the Earth from space, but glass-based telescopes won't always be up to the job; eventually, the necessary hardware will be too bulky to lift into orbit. It's a good thing, then, that DARPA recently tested a ground-based prototype of its MOIRE (Membrane Optical Imager for Real-Time Exploration) folding telescope. Like the future spaceborne unit, the ground telescope replaces glass with a high-efficiency polymer membrane that weighs one seventh as much and collapses into compact shapes. The optics would launch at a diameter of 20 feet, but they would expand to 68 feet. That's larger (and likely sharper) than what you'll see at many Earthbound observatories for quite some time. DARPA hasn't committed to a launch date for its folding design, but the finished device could image 40 percent of our world in one shot -- a major advantage for defense planners who may literally need to see the bigger picture.
Folding@Home packs up on PlayStation 3: over 100 million computation hours added to research
Squared away in the PlayStation 3's latest software update post, Sony announced that the Folding@Home service will be retired starting next month, alongside the console's 4.30 update. The project, which tied into Stanford University's work on protein folding and research into the causes of a diseases like Alzheimer's, pulled in over 15 million PlayStation owners since it started in 2007. In fact, according to Stanford's client statistics, PS3 users offered the second greatest contribution after Windows devices, adding more than 100 million computation hours to the research project -- and well, we did our bit.
Cardboard bicycle 'close to mass production': tough, green and just $20
Cardboard never ceases to amaze. Having been deployed in gramophones, stereos and even digital cameras, one inventor now believes it can be used to make the ideal bicycle. Izhar Gafni, from Israel, spent 18 months just folding the material every-which-way in order to discover a strong enough design, and now he claims his technique is almost ready for mass production. His maintenance-free bike uses a "secret" mix of organic materials to make it waterproof and fireproof, and is then lacquered to give it a friendlier appearance. It's expected to cost a mere $20 and weigh about 20 lbs (9 kg) -- that's 65 percent lighter than an average metal ride. In fact, this bicycle doesn't use any metal parts at all -- the solid tires are made of reconstituted rubber and a car timing belt is used instead of a chain. It lacks the swank of a Faraday Porteur, perhaps, but then you could buy 175 of these for the same money. Want proof that it actually works? The bike's not-so-featherweight inventor takes it for a spin after the break. [Image credit: Reuters / Baz Ratner]
Scientists make magic auto-origami using ink and light (video)
We've seen nano-origami and robo-origami, but nothing quite as rapid and simple as this. Researchers at North Carolina State University have figured out how to neatly fold plastic using infrared light and an inkjet printer. Deep black lines are printed onto the plastic sheets, which then absorb the light and cause the material to fold without anyone having to touch it. The wider the line, the greater the angle of each fold, so it's possible to set, say, a 90-degree bend for a cube or 120 degrees for a pyramid. What's more, by giving the lines different patterns, folds can be made to work in specific directions, potentially producing the most perfect, most hygienic bento box that's ever contained your lunch. Click past the break to watch the folding unfold.
Gamers crack AIDS-related protein, science now obsolete
Doing something as simple as playing a computer game called Foldit, gamers have helped to unlock the secrets of a protein-cutting enzyme from a virus that resembles AIDS. Though that may not mean much to you, it's a breakthrough that could have real repercussions for those researching AIDS and cancer treatment. The specifics are ... complicated, but, in short, players of Foldit work together to fill in the parts of research that computers struggle with: namely, spatial reasoning. (Sort of like Folding@Home, only this requires your brainpower rather than unused PS3 horsepower.) This newest collaborative breakthrough is being published in research journal Nature: Structural & Molecular Biology. While our colleagues at Rock, Paper, Shotgun rush to bring you the heartwarming story, we're distracted by the far more pressing revelation of the study: Games have officially obviated the need for science. That's it, show's over. From now on, when we need an answer to the big questions, we'll make a video game about it. Leave your pocket protector with Valerie on the way out, Poindexter.
MIT's folding CityCar takes a spin on video, still no room for humans
The MIT Media Lab has been working on a folding, stackable electric vehicle for quite a few years now, but it seems those have at least been fairly productive years, as the so-called CityCar has now finally progressed to something resembling a finished prototype. The only problem for those eager to hop into one is that it's a half-sized prototype, which makes accommodating a driver just a tad difficult. It does do a fairly good job of folding itself up though, and MIT expects a full-size version to go into production in 2013. Interestingly, MIT doesn't necessarily see people actually owning the vehicles themselves, but it would like to see them be made available throughout cities -- letting you rent one for a short trip across town, for instance, and not have to worry about returning it. Head on past the break to see it on video courtesy of The Next Web.
Samsung's foldable AMOLED display: no creases, even after 100,000 tries
Samsung demoed some fascinating AMOLEDs at this year's CES, including 4.5-inch flexible and 19-inch transparent displays -- neither of which, sadly, will reach the market any time soon. But the innovation train keeps on rolling, and Sammy's Advanced Institute of Technology now has a prototype foldable display, which may or may not be the same reference design spotted at FPD 2008. Its two panels have a closing radius of only 1mm, meaning they practically touch when closed, yet show no visible crease when opened. In fact, the developers performed 100,000 folding-unfolding cycles to test the junction; the negligible 6% decrease in brightness was invisible to the human eye. They used commercially-available silicone rubber to achieve that seamless look, and the prototype featured a protective glass cover which could also function as a touchscreen. Obviously there's a market for touchscreens you can fold up and put in your pocket; here's hoping Samsung can make them available sooner rather than later.
Conceptual 'Fujitsu Lifebook X2' folds into quarters, makes regular notebooks look lame
Being that doomsday and the robot apocalypse are nearing quickly, now seems an appropriate time to gaze into the future of laptop design, right? Well, maybe those anomalies aren't actually around the corner, but you know us -- we always fancy a warm cup of concept tea. Designer Park Hyun Jin over at Yanko recently posted some renders of the Fujitsu Lifebook X2, a laptop-like invention of his fervent imagination that allows for two orientations thanks to its four folds. The design features a full QWERTY keyboard that can be used when the notebook is folded out in full, as well as a half-folded option with an onscreen keyboard. Naturally, we'd love for this concept design to become a reality, but we can't wrap our brains around the seam between the two screens. Well actually, we could probably get used to it. Update: We got a request from the designer to pull this prototype, which was submitted to a competition and leaked. To be nice, we're complying.
Sony, Fujifilm patents are half-camera, half-origami
Point and shoot cameras are tricky to hold still, but the powers that be thought up a crazy fix -- build bending, sliding, transforming grips right into the body of the camera. Sony's patented the idea you see immediately above, which turns the sliding lens cover into a handle using tiny hinges (or perhaps electrorheological fluid, we're not sure). Amazingly enough, the basic concept actually isn't new: Sony itself references a Fujifilm patent whose cover-turned-grip protects the rear LCD instead. Neither look terribly comfortable, but which would you rather choose: a pocketable camera that snaps stable single-handed shots, or one that monopolizes your fingertips? Take a gander at one of Fujifilm's proposed designs after the break.
