Hitachi says it’s found a way to improve airport security without disrupting passenger movement. It uses the same technology as some recent suggestions, though the implementation looks a bit more credible. The system, developed with the help of railway signaling firm Nippon Signal and the University of Yamanishi, would scan both users and their boarding […]
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I, For One, Welcome Our New Quadrotor Overlords. This video shows three quadrocopters cooperatively tossing and catching a ball with the aid of an elastic net. To toss the ball, the quadrocopters accelerate rapidly outward to stretch the net tight between them and launch the ball […]
This 12-minute short film (which includes the credits) is quite a creative masterpiece. Created using Blender, an open source 3D content creation suite and crowdfunded from the Blender Institute in Amsterdam, it’s quite a feast for the eyes. Without giving too much away, the story is centred on a man who is trying to make […]
One of the best things to come out of Apple’s iPhone 5 and iOS 6 launch has arguably been their new map system. And by best, if you are an Android user, you finally get the one-over on all your Mac-touting hipster friends. The complaint by users world-wide has centered on the sheer inaccuracy of […]
Climate change is one of those hot topics these days. We are increasingly realizing we need to be more “green” and stop abusing our planet lest we break the atmosphere as we know it. In the meantime, in order to preserve our way of life, scientists are trying to come up with ways to battle […]
Charlie Corry and his team wanted features on the iPhone that simply weren’t there. Instead of whining to Apple about it, they decided to build these features themselves, in what they’re calling the iExpander. They have built a prototype for the iPhone 4 and 4S as well as one for the iPhone 5. Here’s a […]
When cats and dogs want people to know when they are happy, they wag their tails. Some of us humans have now decided to not only copy that idea, but to let the world know about it. In what is thankfully just a proof of concept at the moment, a Japanese firm has designed Shippo, […]
From the Department of We Have Entirely Too Much Time On Our Hands, this is the Popinator. It’s a popcorn-launching “snack machine” that shoots popcorn to wherever your mouth is. Just say “pop!” and pop! You’re eating popcorn. Isn’t technology AMAZING. Here it is in action, with a slightly less sarcastic listing of its merits. While […]
An 11 year old has won $20,000 from AT&T in an app competition to try and discourage texting while driving. In collaboration with the designer David Grau, Victoria Walker created an app called Rode Dog for the “It Can Wait” campaign. How the app works is that you join a “pack” with your friends (you all have […]
A change to US law means patent and trademark officials must allow the public to report that a patent claim is bogus because the technology is already in use. That’s led to the creation of a dedicated website for making such reports. The change comes in the America Invents Act, which became law last year. […]