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Inhabitat's Week in Green: self-driving cars, solar parasols and the ultimate DIY Iron Man suit
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. What seems more futuristic: flying cars or self-driving cars? They both sound a bit like science fiction, but they're both getting closer to becoming a reality. In the latest chapter of Google's efforts to develop a car that uses video cameras, radar sensors and lasers to navigate through traffic, the state of Nevada just granted Google the world's first license for a computer-controlled, driverless Toyota Prius. Meanwhile, this week we also checked in on the PAL-V (which stands for "Personal Air and Land Vehicle"), a two-seat hybrid car and gyroplane that runs on gas, biodiesel or bio-ethanol. In other transportation news, the Texas Central Railroad floated a plan to build a $10-billion bullet train that would run between Houston and Fort Worth, and Toyota officially unveiled its second-generation 2012 RAV4 EV, which features a Tesla powertrain. We also saw green technology cropping up in unexpected places this week, like the $1-billion ghost town that will be built on virgin desert land in Lea County, New Mexico to test emerging green technologies. Construction on the ghost town is set to begin in late June. Milwaukee native Bryan Cera invented Glove One, a 3D-printed glove that doubles as a cell phone. And in Tokyo, participants heaved 100,000 LED lights into the Sumida River as part of the 2012 Tokyo Hotaru Festival. Although it certainly looked cool, that's a lot of LED bulbs to literally dump in the river, and it raises some questions about e-waste. GE found a more practical use for LEDs, unveiling a new LED light bulb to replace the 100-watt incandescent.
Apple snags a patent for the Smart Cover's magnetic know-how
No, it doesn't cover the totality of the Smart Cover itself (or any case that folds into a triangle), but Apple has now managed to obtain a patent for one of the accessory's key bits of functionality. First filed in July of 2011 and published by the USPTO today, the patent described as an "accessory device with magnetic attachment" details how magnets can be used in a particular manner to attach a cover to a device (like an iPad) and secure it in place, yet still allow it to be easily released. Again, that doesn't cover all cases that use magnets -- just magnets used in this very specific way. Hit the source link below for all the details in patent-speak.
That's hot: Heat-based recording could boost magnetic drive speed, performance
Magnetic fields are pretty nifty for levitating stuff, carving sponge-like thingamajigs and, of course, data storage. But an international team led by the University of York in the UK has figured out a way to replace magnetic fields for the latter by using ultra-short heat pulses instead. Conventional thinking typically dictates that an external magnetic field is required to store data on a magnetic medium. By using heat, however, researchers were able to record terabytes of information per second in a way that is also more energy-efficient compared to current hard drive technology. As for the time it'll take for the tech to make it to market, well, we have a feeling it won't be as fast.
Apple patent looks to create 'secure magnets' to unlock your device
It's an Apple patent application: please be aware this is unlikely to wind up in your next device, please fasten seat belts and fix your tray table in the fixed and upright position. Inside the bezel of your iDevice or Mac is a magnet that operates a switch -- that will only be activated when a "correlated" magnet inside a key-fob makes contact. That's the thinking behind Cupertino's newest patent application, attempting to turn magnets into a way of keeping your stuff secure. An example listed in the patent is using a stylus with specially encoded magnets to securely unlock an iPad, which we attribute to a zealous patent attorney and not a reversal of the "they blew it" rule. It may sound ridiculous when you first consider it, but given the magnetic-activation of the iPad 2's smart cover, it's not as outlandish as you believe. Still, we'll believe it if we see it in a couple of years.
FingerFlux system uses magnets to add tactile feedback to touchscreens
We've seen a number of efforts that promise to make touchscreens more tactile, but none quite like this so-called FingerFlux system developed by a team of researchers from Germany's Aachen University. Its hook is a layer of magnets that lie beneath the touchscreen and react to a simple thimble that the user must wear. While that particular accoutrement could be considered a slight drawback, it does open up a number of interesting possibilities -- including the ability to draw your finger towards an item on the screen, and "lock" it in a certain area. What's particularly key, however, is that you're also able to feel a bit of feedback before you even touch the screen -- as opposed to other entirely screen-based options -- which could could let you operate something like media player controls without actually looking at your phone. Of course, it's all still a long ways from being shrunk down to phone-size, but the researchers do have a working prototype in a table-top device. Check it out in the video after the break.
Smart Cover can unlock password-protected iPads running iOS 5 (video)
Psst. Hey, do you carry a spare Smart Cover around with you? Well, if you're an unscrupulous sort, you can actually use it to bypass the lock screen of any iPad running iOS 5. This multi-step security hole will let you browse whatever's running behind the passcode screen, whether that's email, apps or the homescreen. To take advantage of the flaw, hold down the power button on the locked device until the power off slider appears, then whip the Smart Cover on, open and tap cancel. Fortunately for iPad owners, the rest of the tablet remains locked-down, but the main problem here is any sensitive information left on-screen. If you unlock the tablet to the main screen, you won't be able to open new apps, although anyone feeling particularly nefarious can apparently delete apps from that meticulously arranged home screen. See how it's done in the video after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Newly discovered properties of light promise better solar batteries, really great tans
Are you tired of waking up to the same old semiconductor-based solar array? Do you yearn for a change? We know you do and, thanks again to the wonder and mystery of magnetic fields (they're not just for stopping speech anymore), there's a new day dawning. University of Michigan scientists were shooting lasers at glass, as they do, and made a remarkable discovery: light passing through a non-conductive surface like glass generates impressive magnetic effects – up to 100 million times greater than expected. The resulting magnetic force could replace the electric effect exploited by current technology, paving the way for "optical batteries." Though different from the Wysips transparent photovoltaic cell, the technology could have similar applications and may render obsolete those massive solar farms. No need to worry, though -- your stylish solar backpack is as fly as it ever was.
Magnetic fields shut down speech, permit love songs (video)
You already know the strange powers of Stephin Merritt, but today we're talking about real magnetic fields. Powerful electromagnets, it turns out, can do remarkable things to the brain -- in this case, prevent a volunteer from reciting "Humpty Dumpty." The carefully directed magnets temporarily disrupt the brain's speech centers; the volunteer can still sing the rhyme using different areas of the brain, but simply can't overcome a series of stammers when trying to merely recite it. Of course, it's not all mad scientist applications: the UK team experimenting with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) thinks it can help us understand and treat migraines (as we've seen before with the Migraine Zapper), depression, and ADHD, among other ailments. But improving physical well-being doesn't make for nearly as entertaining media -- see the British inflict some involuntary quiet time in the video above.
Keepin' it real fake: the iPad Smart Cover done wrong (video)
Let's be honest, the only time you're likely to consider Apple's prices for own-brand peripherals reasonable is when someone else is paying for them. It's not unusual, therefore, for folks to look to complement their walled Apple garden with a few well selected accessories from the grey market. Such as this here Smart Cover knockoff, which saves you a whopping six bucks off the Apple price at only $33, comes with detachable (no user assistance required) hinge elements, and has a special pet-repelling odor as an added extra. Yes, it's pretty terrible and self-destructs the moment you look at it. And, naturally, it's available to watch on video right after the break.
Turing machine built from wood, scrap metal and magnets, 'geek' achievement unlocked (video)
We take it for granted nowadays that thumbnail-sized silicon chips can crunch through the most complex of calculations, but early last century, mathematical tasks were still being carried out by humans. It was around that time that one Alan Turing, Enigma code breaker and general computer science pioneer, came up with what was essentially a thought experiment, a mechanical machine capable of simulating and solving algorithms just like a grown-up CPU. Well, you know where this is going by now, one British software engineer decided to build just such a device, out of old bits and bobs he had lying around his geek lair, producing a working model that was recently shown off at the Maker Faire UK in Newcastle. The only downer, as he points out, is that it'd take "months to add two numbers together," but all good things start off humbly. Video after the break.
iPad 2 gets a magnetic cherry cover to top off its delicious hardware cake (video)
Killing time until the iPad 2 finally becomes available across Europe later today? Well, now you can stoke the flames of anticipation by taking a gander at this here wood cover made specifically for the magnet-infused new Appletablet. It comes from a single piece of cherry wood and rolls up into a stand, providing a pair of landscape positions and a sturdy base for keeping the slate vertical should you wish to gaze upon it in portrait mode. Frankly, Apple should've been the one to come up with this refinement on its Smart Covers, though at least a small company like Miniot spares us the overblown rhetoric about life-changing gear purchases. Price isn't too bad, either, with orders starting at €50 later on today. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Modding the iPad 1 to work with the Smart Cover
If you saw the Smart Cover during that announcement a while back and have really wanted to use it with your iPad 1 instead of buying a whole new iPad 2, you may be in luck. One enterprising blogger named Dan Provost agreed with you, and he found that if you super glue a few rare-earth magnets to the side of the iPad 1, the Smart Cover can fit quite nicely right along it. It's a little hacky (depending on whether you mind having a few magnets super glued to a device as slick as the iPad or not), but since we know the Smart Cover is really just magnets and fabric, it should work great. Of course, if you don't want to go that route, there are cases for the iPad that will happily do what the Smart Cover does without requiring you to do any gluing. But if you want Apple's solution for the second iPad to work with your beloved first version, this might be just what you're looking for. [via MacStories]
Visualized: Smart Cover magnets can turn your Apple tablet into a FridgePad
Has the iPad 2 not proven its versatility to you yet? Well, buy one of those "don't call it a case" Smart Covers that Apple launched with it and you'll be able to turn your new dual-core slate into a bona fide FridgePad. Just add fridge.
iFixit tears down Apple's iPad 2 Smart Cover
Tech bloggers love iFixit. The website always purchases and dismantles new devices as soon as they hit the market, primarily for the benefit of people who want to repair equipment or who are curious about the innards of the latest shiny toys. Analysts use their work to determine the manufacturing cost of consumer electronics by finding out what components are being used. The site did a full teardown of the iPad 2 on Friday, and they've followed up with a dissection of the iPad 2 Smart Cover. I'm using the term "dissection" since once you've cut open a Smart Cover, there's no way to reassemble the ingeniously-designed protective device. What did iFixit find? They used pieces of magnetic viewing film to discern the location of the magnets on both the iPad 2 and the Smart Cover. The 21 magnets on the Smart Cover not only work to align the cover to the iPad 2 in the correct configuration, but they also work with a special steel plate to hold the cover into the triangular shape used to prop up the iPad. One magnet has a special job; turning off the iPad 2 when the cover is closed. The powerful array of magnets in both the iPad 2 and the Smart Cover complement each other in both shape and polarity so that it's virtually impossible to put the cover on incorrectly. The iFixit analysts noted that they had problems keeping the magnets separated after removing them from the iPad 2 and Smart Cover. The Smart Cover teardown is a fascinating look into another example of Apple's design ingenuity at work.
Researchers find flaws in neodymium magnet crystalline structure, still in love with its personality
Given China's status as the worlds largest producer of rare earths and its recent proclivity for reducing exports of the stuff, everyone else is looking for ways to reduce dependency on rare earths or optimize the use of these sought-after elements. Well, neodymium is one of those rare earths, and a team from St. Pölten University in Austria recently discovered "disturbances in the crystalline structure in neodymium magnets" that weaken their magnetic fields -- and consequently the efficacy of all those electric motors and hard drives that utilize such magnets. For now, research is ongoing to fully understand the properties of neodymium and other rare earths so that their use can be "optimized." We aren't exactly sure how we'll benefit from all this optimization, but we hope it means cheaper and more powerful gadgets, TVs, and cars for all of us. [Image source: Thomas Schrefl]
iPad 2 gets a Smart Cover
We can't say we were expecting to be impressed by a case for the new iPad 2, but Apple's pulled something of a surprise out its hat with its new Smart Covers for the tablet. Available in multiple colors and in your choice of polyurethane or leather variants, the covers attach to the iPad with a self-aligning magnetic hinge and can also be folded into a triangle and used as a stand. What's more, they'll automatically wake or put your iPad to sleep when you open or close the cover, and they even pack a microfiber lining that cleans your screen each time you flip it open. As Steve Jobs explained, Apple designed the covers right alongside the iPad itself and, as he pointed out in true sound bite fashion, "it's not a case -- it's a cover." Look for the poly covers to set you back $39, while the leather ones will run $69 apiece -- video is after the break. %Gallery-118172%
Kiss Controller lets you play a bowling game with your tongue... while it's in someone else's mouth (video)
Oh, this isn't weird at all! The Kissing Controller, an experimental project by one Hye Yeon Nam, is designed so that players of a bowling game can impart power and direction to their spherical projectile by performing the timeless act of smooching one another. A customized headset is required for one of the participants, acting as the input receiver, while the other straps a magnet to his or her tongue and goes to town with some literal full motion controls. Thrust is added to the on-screen ball in accordance with how vigorously you move your tongue around, something we're sure your partner will appreciate. Video after the break.
Put your favorite apps on the fridge with app magnets
These are great -- a company called Jailbreak Toys (name unrelated -- I think) has apparently been selling a set of "App Magnets," little square magnets that feature icons for Apple's official iPhone apps. How cool -- I'd love to have a Photos, Safari, or an App Store icon to pin things up on the fridge for me. The magnets sell for 1260 yen, or about US $15, in Japan. But over on Jailbreak's website, you can get them for just $12 (while supplies last, or until Apple's lawyers boot up their iPads and send the C&D email, of course). I like the idea a lot, though -- I'd love to have a magnet or pillow for the icons of some of my favorite unofficial apps, too. [via WeLoveApple]
Qi wireless power standard finalized, universal contactless chargers look closer to reality than ever
The Wireless Power Consortium took a big step forward this past week with the confirmation that its precocious Qi interoperability standard has been finalized. Composed of three documents setting out the interface, performance and compliance requirements, the new dictum has set itself the not inconsiderable challenge of making wireless charging universal, so that any Qi-approved phone can soak up juice from any Qi-verified base station, dock or omnitool. This first spec is limited to devices requiring no more than 5 Watts, an appropriately humble early goal, though cauldrons are already bubbling with ideas for laptops and the like. We just hope the impressive list of big time companies on the Consortium will succeed in taking Qi into the mainstream -- who here hasn't dreamt of their phone being compatible with the Touchstone? [Thanks, MrStringTheorist]
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.
