kinetic
Latest
Self-charging pacemakers are powered by patients' heartbeats
Millions of people around the world depend on pacemakers, defibrillators and other life-saving implantable devices. The problem is, their batteries need to be replaced every five to ten years, requiring surgery that's not only expensive, but carries the risk of complications and infections. Now, though, a team of scientists are developing an implantable biomedical device that can be recharged with energy from cardiac activity.
Ferroelectric material could make your smartwatch run longer
Elon Musk's big plan involves charging your electric car with shingles that are solar panels. While that's incredibly impressive -- not to mention ambitious -- it uses only one form of alternative energy. Finnish scientists have a different idea: harnessing heat, kinetic energy and sunlight simultaneously to help power your gadgets. This involves using a ferroelectric material (think: the stuff inside ultrasound machines or fuel injectors for diesel engines), KBNNO, to generate electricity from heat and pressure. That's according to a post on Phys.org.
Tap your cheek to ask Siri a question with Bragi Dash update
The Bragi Dash wireless headphones are already incredibly smart and sophisticated, but this month's software update 2.2 makes them practically magical. Bragi OS 2.2 enables the MyTap beta, which will at first allow users to tap a cheek to activate Siri or Google Now. The update also introduces Windshield, an audio transparency trick that allows wearers to listen to music and hear their surroundings at the same time, plus improved heart rate measurements and upgraded Bluetooth capabilities "for many" users. Bragi OS 2.2 is due to roll out on November 21st.
Stir Kinetic smart desk selling for $3,890, New Yorkers can try before buying
Remember the Stir Kinetic, the standing desk that learns your sitting habits and adjusts the height automatically? Well, it's going up for sale today and yes, it's as expensive as we said it would be. As promised, the hardwood desk starts at $3,890, though for now you'll only need to pay a $300 deposit; the rest will get charged to your account when it ships in April. (The first 50 customers will actually get it in February.) Just so you know what you're getting into, the desk has a super-minimal design, adorned only by a touchscreen, which you'll use to lower the desk over its 26-inch range. You can also tap the screen to see how many calories you've burned and keep track of how much time you've spent standing. There's also an "Active Mode" that allows the desk to move periodically, encouraging you to take a break. Additionally, the desk has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, along with four USB ports and eight AC sockets -- a neat way of ensuring your cables stay put as you move the desk up and down. As we've been saying all along, $3,890 is a heckuva a lot to pay for a desk, so in addition to having deep pockets, you better be sold on the idea that working while standing up is good for your health. If not, the company will be showcasing the desk at an in-person store, but just one: the Wired Web Store at 353 West 14th St. in New York. If you happen to live in the area, you can mosey on down starting December 4th and check it out in person (no purchase necessary if you just wanna get your kicks). As for everyone else, you might just want to revisit our hands-on video and call it a day.
Daily Roundup: Google's 15th anniversary, Stir's Kinetic Desk, iOS 7.0.2 and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Former iPod engineer designs kinetic desk
Former iPod engineer JP Labrosse has unveiled his company's first product: the Stir Kinetic Desk. The desk has a small touchscreen in the corner that you tap twice to activate standing mode. The desk rises so you can stand at it and do your work, instead of sitting through your day. Tap the touchscreen again to lower the desk into "sitting" mode. But the desk is more than just a fancy mechanical thing with a touchscreen button. It also has a feature called "Whisper Breath" that enables the desk to literally give you a slight nudge to alert you to get up and walk around a bit. The desk also offers WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, so it can talk to your health apps on your iPhone, as well as tracking the number of calories you burn while sitting and standing. The desk may be technologically advanced, but it's not cheap, coming in at US$3,890. Want one? You can register your interest here.
Sifl & Olly come back from the laundry pile to review fake games
If you watched MTV in the late '90s, chances are you know of Sifl & Olly, the crescent fresh sock-puppet variety show starring, well, Sifl and Olly. It's been a while since we've seen the two in anything new – and today they've re-emerged in a new web series.The premise behind their new show is pretty much the same as the premise behind their old show, except the two have ditched the half-hour format this time around. In this episode, Sifl and Olly check out some Kinetic games for the Zeus 720 – obviously this is a spoof on the Kinect for Xbox 360 – and engage in some, well, mature activity. This one may not be strictly work-safe. You've been warned!
Inhabitat's Week in Green: cloning a woolly mammoth, mesmerizing kinetic facade and LED-suited break dancers
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat reported on several breaking technological controversies as South Korean scientists announced plans to clone a woolly mammoth and a group of researchers suggested bioengineering the human body to combat climate change. Printing tech also got a green upgrade as researchers developed a laser "unprinter" capable of erasing pages with a quick zap, and scientists used a 3D printer to create the world's smallest F1 car. Speaking of print, the University of Texas in Austin just developed a revolutionary paper sensor that can detect HIV and malaria for less than 10 cents and a group of aerospace engineers created a pacemaker that's powered by the human heart.In alternative energy news, this week we showcased a solar-powered shipping container office that produces twice as much energy as it consumes, and Arup unveiled its striking net-zero arena for the 2022 world cup. We also highlighted 6 brilliant sun-powered art installations, a pair of massive oil pumps sprang up in Midtown Manhattan, and we brought you a mesmerizing kinetic facade that changes with the wind. President Obama also delivered a speech where he slammed opponents for their single-minded views on energy and a team of researchers developed a ultra thin battery that could power displays on credit cards.Several groundbreaking green transportation projects launched this week as the first 2012 Coda all-electric sedan hit the streets, and scientists proposed a crazy maglev "Startram" train that could make space travel cheaper and more efficient. We also brought you the latest on the Chevy Volt saga as Bob Lutz went on the defensive for the Volt, Bill O'Reilly got caught red-handed as he flip-flopped his position on eco vehicles, and we got the scoop from Chevy's Rob Peterson about the Volt production shutdown. Last but not least, we published you several dispatches from the field of wearable technology - including a dazzling "Aurora" dress made from 10,000 LEDs, a line of space-age fashions inspired by Hubble photography, and a team of pop-locking LED-suited break dancers.
Nokia's Humanform concept phone, not shaped like us (video)
We barely recovered from Nokia's futuristic concept buffet at Nokia World, but a new video has unearthed the deceptively named Humanform. Fortunately not shaped like a dolly, this teardrop device cooked up Nokia's in-house labs supposedly uses some as-yet unexplained nanotechnology, with a bendable transparent display and a fully touch sensitive casing. The segmented design also channels some Wiimote-esque gesture features and twist controls seen on the phone behemoth's Kinetic Device. An inert Humanform shell was also on show alongside it last month, although it didn't do much aside from bending. See if you agree with Nokia's vision of the mobile future after the break.
Nokia's kinetic future: flexible screens and a twisted interface (video)
Hidden within Nokia's Future Lounge, this very flexible display offers up a glimpse of what sort of thing we could possibly be dealing with when we roll up to Nokia World in 2021. The prototype Nokia Kinetic Device, including its display, can be flexed across both the vertical and horizontal planes -- with bending and twisting motions controlling the interface. If you bend the screen towards yourself, it acts as a selection function, or zooms in on any pictures you're viewing. In music mode, you can navigate, play and pause with the tactile interface. It's still a way off from arriving on phones, though Nokia is aiming to whet developers' appetites with this prototype. We may have seen some twisty interfaces already, but nothing packing a four-inch screen and built-in functionality like this. Nokia couldn't confirm the screen technology being used. Could that be a flexible AMOLED display? See those impressive viewing angles and contortions after the break and judge for yourself.%Gallery-137602%
Nokia Kinetic concept revealed in prototype form
Impressed by Jeremy Innes-Hopkins' Nokia Kinetic concept the other day? Then take a good look at the image above. That's the actual prototype of the device, which unfortunately doesn't power on (or have anything to power on), but does look remarkably like the previous renders we've seen, and gives us a far better idea of the scale of the device. In case you missed it, the real hook of the concept is an electromagnet in the phone's base that allows it to stand up on cue, and be flipped down to dismiss an action (like an alarm or a video call). We also now know that Innes-Hopkins worked on the project at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design in London under the tutelage of former Nokia Senior Designer Silas Grant, who was responsible for many of Nokia's premium phones like the 8800 Scirocco. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look. Update: Just to be clear. This is not an actual Nokia concept, but a project done by Innes-Hopkins for his final year at university -- so don't get your hopes up about it ever going into production. %Gallery-98090%
Kinetic wall sculptures are impossible to look away from (video)
We know, you're pretty proud of that oil painting in your den. And that cuckoo clock you snagged from an earlier trip to Germany is certainly classy. But do your wall ornaments draw crowds in the thousands and move in mysterious ways that even Bono never thought possible? Exactly. Hit that play button below for a glance at a handful of the wildest, zaniest kinetic wall sculptures this planet has ever seen. Trust us, we could all use the inspiration.
Nokia Kinetic concept offers some ideas Nokia might want to heed
Cellphone concepts are a dime a dozen, but a couple of particularly interesting ones have cropped up in recent days, including Andrew Kim's HTC 1, and this so-called Nokia Kinetic concept from British designer Jeremy Innes-Hopkins. Obviously, the most eye-catching aspect here is that prominent base, which is not simply a design flourish but actually houses an electromagnet that allows the phone to spring up on cue -- when an alarm goes off, for instance, or during a hands-free video call (simply flip the phone back down to dismiss the action). It's also not quite as chunky as it might look -- Jeremy tells us that the top half of the actual prototype is just 8mm thick, while the bottom is 18mm, and he notes that the base also conveniently doubles as a more camera-like grip for taking photos. Of course, it is still just a concept, but it was done at the request of Nokia, and a former Nokia designer served as a tutor on the project, so there's conceivably a slim chance that some of the ideas might wind up in an actual Nokia product.
Samsung i8910 HD firmware update said to increase awesomeness, decrease suckiness
We somehow doubt it'll address each and every complaint out there, but Samsung has just announced a rather promising-sounding firmware update for its awesome-but-underserviced i8910 HD. Apparently the biggies here are improved browsing performance thanks to a new Webkit engine, an "improved graphic engine" for faster multimedia access, and -- wait for it -- kinetic scrolling. Yes! It starts rolling out next month in the UK, with other markets "gradually" picking it up thereafter, so it's time to dig through the attic and put that bad boy back into service.
Dancepants: the music stops when exhaustion sets in
We've seen some pretty tortuous fitness wares in our day, but few are as cringe-worthy as this. The conceptual Dancepants Kinetic Music Player is a rather vanilla looking pair of exercise pants, but the internal energy makers generate juice only when the wearer is in motion. In other words, kinetic energy is used to power the connected MP3 player, and so long as you keep hustling, the tunes will keep flowing. Not like you'll really notice that Mambo #5 has stopped right in the middle of the bridge when you're laying on the ground nursing a wicked cramp, but hey...
Power generating backpack is a gift from the gadget gods, Uncle Sam
Without a doubt, the military is home to some of the best gadgets. Fortunately for us, the non-lethal stuff often makes it into the hands of consumers after companies finish milking the government of its R&D budget. Case in point: this electricity-generating backup. Designed for the military, the kinetic energy pack is suspended on a rail that generates electricity as you walk. The power generated will charge a standard US Marine-issue lithium ion battery pack or can be directly routed to whatever device you want to charge. The obvious benefit would be limitless power in the field freeing troops from carrying extra batteries on long missions. A power meter on the shoulder strap lets you monitor performance while a three-stage resistance device lets you regulate the power output. A braking mechanism lets you lock down the pack when you want to keep the pack steady. Otherwise, it looks like it'll generate about 8 watts of power while walking or 44 watts of power when running. Do want. See it in action after the break. [Via besportier]
MotionPower speed bump installed at NJ Burger King, McDonald's and Wendy's feel slighted
We can't say we doubted that New Energy's MotionPower speed bump would actually be installed at a New Jersey Burger King, but it's always refreshing to see a plan morph into reality. As of now, those in Hillside heading to have it their way will cruise over the kinetic energy harvester before retrieving their grub, which has the potential to create around 2,000 watts of electricity from a car hitting it at five miles per hour. As of now, the hump is simply there to test storage potential, but New Energy is hoping that the next generation of the tech could be placed at a variety of fast foot eateries, parking lots, toll booth plazas and anywhere else where folks need a little assistance in maintaining a sensible speed. Check out the read link for a plethora of shots, and feel free to splurge on a #4 combo today if you're in the area -- Ma Earth will thank you.
Video: Burger King tests MotionPower kinetic energy harvester
Transforming kinetic energy into electricity doesn't often get taken seriously, but at least one Burger King joint has been hooked on to the idea. The New Jersey-based outlet is set to give the first roadtest to MotionPower strips produced by New Energy, which harness energy from vehicles passing over them. Based on the thinking behind regenerative braking in hybrids, the energy absorbers are made up of small plates moving up and down. UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's recently introduced similar "kinetic road plates" in its car parks, and hopes are they'll generate 30 kW per hour from the energy and weight of cars overhead. Sainsbury's plans to power store checkouts through the scheme, whereas Burger King will just exploit your energy to power various appliances. Provided someone doesn't sue for unlawful energy appropriation and the roadtest is successful, New Energy hopes to expand the use of its power strips to other high-traffic, low-speed locations like toll booths and intersections. Video after the break.[Via Jalopnik]Read - New Energy PRRead - Sainsbury's PR
Kinetic's HD:Hub HTPC now shipping, HD DVD still a selectable option
We've got to hand it to 'em -- these guys aren't ashamed to be clearing out excess inventory, and honestly, we're still fond of the choice. Sure, HD DVD may be defunct, but what's the harm in having the capability in your HTPC should an old friend pop over with a disc to watch? All that aside, Kinetic UK's trio of media center PCs are now shipping after being introduced initially in March, with Blu-ray / HD DVD compatibility, up to 6TB of storage space, Core 2 Duo / Core 2 Quad / Core i7 processor choices and a healthy array of CTO options elsewhere. As for prices, you're looking at starting tags of £849.00 ($1,351) for the Mini HD:Hub, £1449.00 ($2,306) for the Home HD:Hub and £1569.00 ($2,497) for the flagship X HD:Hub.
Kinetic HD:Hub HTPC gets hip with Core i7, square with HD DVD
We know, vendors have to get rid of these leftover HD DVD drives somehow, but it's still a tad comical to see brand new systems shipping with support for a format that perished over a year ago. Nevertheless, we're still pretty jazzed about Kinetic's HD:Hub, as the built-in HD DVD drive is actually a dual-format player that handles the very much alive Blu-ray format as well. Furthermore, this one comes with a potent Core i7 processor, up to four TV tuners, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, a Creative X-Fi Titanium sound card and Windows Vista runnin' the show. There's no mention of a price, but we get the feeling that these are mostly reserved for those across the pond.[Thanks, Anonymous]
