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IndyCar racers use LEDs to show their positions in real-time
It's sometimes hard to keep track of positions in an IndyCar race, especially if you're in the stands and don't have the luxury of a broadcaster or data stream to point things out. Never fear, though: as of this weekend, the league's cars are carrying LED panels that display the driver's race position in real-time by working in conjunction with timing lines embedded in the tracks. They're also smart enough to switch to pit stop times, so you'll know if that tire swap is running too long.
Artists paint light using 3D printers and twisted video walls
Who said that you had to paint light by waving an arm around? Certainly not Ekaggrat Singh Kalsi and Daniel Canogar, both of whom have created art using some decidedly unusual tech. Kalsi's project generates floating color portraits thanks to a modified 3D printer -- as you'll see in the clip below, it's akin to forming a hologram line by line. Canogar's work, meanwhile, uses twisted, mobius-like LED tiles as video walls that produce unique (and occasionally mind-bending) effects at different angles. You probably won't see these pieces in person, but they're proof that light-based art holds a lot of untapped potential.
#ICYMI: Freezing lasers, tweeting video games and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-912973{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-912973, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-912973{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-912973").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Microsoft debuts a Kinect-based room mapping system that understands furniture; we watch LEDs change color as they're frozen in liquid nitrogen (because science!) and a programmer creates a game whose code fits into a single Tweet. From the cutting room floor: Google rolls out 60 FPS video playback for its mobile app so now the walkthrough on your phone matches the gameplay on your console. Let the team at Engadget know about any interesting stories or videos you stumble across by using the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Dyson built a lamp that burns for 37 years thanks to satellite tech
Dyson has put its know-how to use improving vacuums, fans and more. Looking to tackle lighting woes, the British company built the CSYS line of lamps that'll burn bright for 37 years. Using Heat Pipe technology, the lamp uses a system similar to what's found on satellites to keep eight LEDs cool and prolongs their life. The heat is pulled away from the bulbs and directed through an aluminum heat sink that spans the length of the lamp's shaft. Each of those LEDs sits in a conical reflector to cut down on glare and added eye strain.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: rain lamps and solar-powered pod homes
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. Everything about Tesla is groundbreaking, including its direct-sales model. Laws in New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Michigan have sought to prevent the electric carmaker from bypassing third-party dealerships and selling cars directly to customers. Last week, Tesla scored a big win in Maryland, when the state's governor signed a bill allowing the company to operate its own dealerships in the state. In other green transportation news, a 28-year-old woman is preparing to row all the way from Japan to San Francisco in a rowboat, with no support vessel. Airplane manufacturers have yet to unlock the potential of 3D-printing airplane parts, but the engineers at GE Aviation recently conducted a test, offering a possible glimpse of the future. The team created a mini jet engine that can roar up to 33,000 RPM, and it comes right out of a 3D printer.
Philips unveils a $5 LED lightbulb for thrifty environmentalists
Compared to filament bulbs, the up-front cost of LED lighting can put off plenty of people, even if they'd save cash in the longer term. Philips, however, is doing all that it can to trim the price of its energy-saving bulbs and has managed to craft a 60W equivalent that will cost just $4.97. If you head down to Home Depot starting May 1st or go to the website now, that deal gets even sweeter, since the company will sell you two for the price of one for the next 90 days.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: floating cities, solar bikes and a Dr. Seuss house
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. The Volkswagen Camper van is one of the most iconic vehicles of the 20th century, but VW hasn't put out a new model of the hippie standby since 2003. That could all change soon, as a VW board member recently revealed that the carmaker is planning to unveil an electric concept Camper in the near future. In other automotive news, Tesla has launched a new edition of its Model S sedan. The Model S 70D will replace the Model S 60, and it will be powered by Tesla's dual-motor all-wheel-drive system. Most industry observers acknowledge that self-driving cars are the future, but one car company believes they're also the present. Korean automaker Hyundai is set to release a semi-autonomous car later this year. The car won't exactly drive itself, but it will have the ability to stay in a lane on the highway and adjust the car's speed in response to traffic conditions.
The Hue Go puts wireless lighting anywhere in your house
Philips has just unveiled a mobile addition to its venerable line of programmable LED Hue bulbs. It's called the Hue Go and is basically a salad bowl of light that you can hold in your lap (because people do that apparently?) or use as an accent or serve as a luminescent centerpiece much like the Hue Beyond or Luminaires. But unlike these earlier designs, the Go isn't tethered to a wall socket. Each unit reportedly lasts about three hours on a single charge and can be controlled through the associated mobile app (or the Hue Tap) just like a standard Hue bulb.
Leoht's tech handbag will charge your gadgets and help you find them
Leoht's "tech" handbag is one of those things you won't necessarily need, but may really (really) want. As you might have guessed, it's a purse for modern times. The bag's simple, black leather exterior is stylish, but it's what's on the inside that's interesting. The tote hides a built-in (6,000 or 10,000mAh) battery in the base for charging your gadgets on the fly, plus some interior lights to help you find whatever you're searching for faster. Oh, and a secret compartment for any extra-special cargo you may have.
Yes, LG will have new 4K TVs at CES next week
Ending a long period of speculation, LG revealed that it will have new TVs of the extra-large, super duper high-res variety to show off during CES next week. While that's not really a surprise, one thing we should note is that all of them are flat -- no anti-curved glasses necessary here. Spanning eight different product lines (UC9, UB9800, UF9500, UF9400, UF8500, UF7700, UF6800 and UF6700), LG's Ultra HD TVs have more than just the quantum dot and webOS 2.0 Smart TV updates we've heard about. They're also thinner than ever (of course), with promised upgrades for the color balance and black levels. The embedded 4K video decoder can handle 30fps or 60fps inputs and is "future-proof" for future standards, but we haven't heard specific details about things like expanded color depth.
San Francisco's Bay Bridge keeps its computer-controlled lights
The 25,000 computer-driven LED lights on San Francisco's Bay Bridge were only meant to be part of a two-year art project, but it looks like they'll eventually become a permanent (and frankly, rather pretty) part of the landscape. The non-profit behind the lights, Illuminate the Arts, has raised the $4 million necessary to both cover the costs of new gear and reinstall the lights after they're taken down during cable maintenance. From then on, transportation authority Caltrans will pay the $250,000 a year it takes to keep the illumination running. There will be a period where the bridge will go dark, but it should resume shining in January 2016 -- conveniently, just ahead of the influx of tourists attending Super Bowl 50. Not all San Franciscans are fans of the installation (they argue that it's out of sync with the region), but these LEDs are here to stay. [Image credit: Chris Marra, Flickr]
3D printing technique will put electronics into just about everything
You can use 3D printing to make a handful of electronics, such as antennas and batteries, but LEDs and semiconductors have been elusive; you usually need some other manufacturing technique to make them work, which limits what they can do and where they'll fit. A team of Princeton researchers recently solved this problem, however. They've found a way to make quantum dot LEDs (and thus semiconductors) using only a 3D printer. The scientists choose printable electrodes, polymers and semiconductors, which are dissolved in solvents to keep them from damaging underlying layers during the printing process; after that, the team uses design software to print the materials in interweaving patterns. In this case, the result is a tiny LED that you could print on to (or into) many objects, including those with curved surfaces.
BMW's new street lights will charge your electric car
Street lights are already brimming with electricity, so it stands to reason that they'd make great charging points for electric cars, doesn't it? BMW certainly thinks so. It has developed Light and Charge LED street lights that could keep your EV topped up (Beemer or otherwise) using existing urban infrastructure instead of dedicated power outlets and charging stations. It should be cheaper for cities to implement, of course, but it could also take a lot of the anxiety out of driving a gas-free vehicle -- you could theoretically park on any street knowing that your car will have more energy when you come back.
Smart light bulb fools burglars by pretending you're at home
There's no shortage of smart light bulbs that will save energy or set a special mood, but they don't usually do much for when you're away from home. What if you want to trick thieves into thinking you're still around? BeON Home might have tackled that problem with its new Burglar Deterrent. The lighting doesn't just come on for set intervals -- it learns your habits to make it look like you're at home, and it'll even listen for your doorbell to turn on the lights and spook would-be intruders. Each bulb has its own backup power, too, and they'll react to your smoke detector's sounds to light the way out during a fire.
These LED bulbs are brighter despite fewer diodes and a lower price
One of the toughest parts to swallow of LED lighting technology is just how costly it can be. Well, the folks at Cree have taken umbrage with that and developed a bulb that'll retail for around $5 per 40- and 60-watt-equivalent bulb -- less than some standard CFL lamps by a few bucks. How's it doing that? In part by changing the bulbs' design and eliminating the need for heat sinks. As IEEE Spectrum reports, instead of the collar that more or less does double-duty holding the LEDs in place and dissipating heat, the new models get rid of hot air via convection. Meaning, as diodes get warmer, they naturally draw cool air in from outside the bulb as the higher temperature rises upward and outward.
Drop it like it's hot with Illumibowl's disco toilet light
Does your lack of cat-like night vision mean you make a mess when hitting the bathroom at 2 a.m.? Thanks to Kickstarter, that could become a thing of the past. The Illumibowl is an LED light that sticks onto the outside of your toilet and casts a beam of colored light into the commode. No, not a yellow one. The gizmo's motion sensor activates the light when you walk into your powder room and turns off after about a minute of inactivity. Why would you even need one of these? Because temporary blindness to empty your bladder isn't ideal.
Notti smart light does notifications and wake-up calls with style
There are already a good handful of options in the smart bulb market, but if you're after something more of a portable mood light with notification feature, then Hong Kong startup Witti may have something for you. The Notti, a project just launched on Kickstarter, is a 'polygonic' smart LED box that hooks up to your iPhone or Android phone over Bluetooth. This cool-looking device comes with a companion app that lets you set the color theme for the mood light mode, and you can do the same for specific types of notifications -- be it from e-mails, social networks, calls, messages and more. Better yet, the device also serves as a music visualizer as well as a wake-up light -- as shown in the video after the break. As for battery life, a single charge will last up to a month.
Your eco-friendly LED lights are drawing an awful lot more moths
Blue-light emitting LED bulbs have taken off with consumers because they have few downsides -- they're bright, use far less energy and last much longer than other types. In fact, the inventors just won a Nobel Prize, proving their huge benefit to consumers and society. But it now appears there's a teeny issue: flying insects. Scientists in New Zealand tested blue-light LEDs (which look white due to a phosphor coating) against regular yellow-hued sodium-vapor streetlights. The result? The LEDs attracted nearly 50 percent more insects, regardless of the brand and type used. While that could be a pain for your next porch party, there's a more serious downside. The researchers said that when used on city street lamps, the bulbs could interfere with the food chain and even draw invasive species like gypsy moths. [Image credit: swburdine/Flickr]
Dotti is a cute LED block that does notifications using pixel art
Let's face it: There's always a part of us that can't resist a good bit of pixel art -- be it on bank notes, in games or even in the form of sculptures. For those who are seeking something more interactive, you may want to check out the Dotti by Hong Kong startup Witti. What we have here is a little eight-by-eight LED block with Bluetooth radio and a battery -- up to 720 hours on standby or 5 hours of continuous display. When paired with its iOS or Android app, Dotti serves as a pixel art canvas (you'll be able to upload your own work), a clock, an icon-based notification display (for calls, e-mails, text, calendar, popular social networks and more), a music visualizer and even a virtual dice. Simply swipe along the top side of Dotti to toggle between these modes, as shown in our video after the break. Want one? It'll arrive just before the holidays for $99.
These stunning driverless trains are the future of London's Tube network
Want to see what the Tube could look like in the next ten years? Thanks to Transport for London and design studio PriestmanGoode, we now can, after they unveiled designs for a new fleet of driverless Tube trains due to be rolled out in 2022. The "New Tube for London" features a futuristic design that abandons the traditional multi-carriage layout for a walk-through car, which will provide passengers with air-cooling and onboard WiFi for the first time.
