Category: Cool

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From MAKE: Introducing the Gooseberry Board

Seems like there are a number of low power ARM SoC boards hitting the market recently. If the BeagleBone, Raspberry Pi, and Via APC piqued your interest, you might want to also take a look at the recently announced Gooseberry. It’s an Allwinner A10 ARM SoC with 512MB RAM, 4GB onboard flash (up to 16GB with MicroSD), b/g/n Wifi, and goes for £40 (about $63USD).

Details on availability are forthcoming, but they’re soliciting feedback to gauge interest. Supposedly the whole thing came about because of the current availability of some existing boards. Lacking a reference design, the project lead noticed that the SoC was being used in a production tablet, so instead of stuffing them into an off brand device, they’re being made available as a bare board. [via GeekyGadgets]

from MAKE

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From MAKE: Inductively Charged PVC LED Lantern Mod

Fifteen-year-old John Duffy is the subject of Gadget Freak Case #216, over at Design News, with his clever modification of Steve Hoefer’s Eternal Flame Indestructible LED Lantern from MAKE Vol 30. Though Steve’s “floating throwies” can be opened, when the coin cell is dead, to change it out, John’s wirelessly-rechargeable version is both greener (because you don’t have to throw out the dead battery) and tougher (because it can actually be glued closed). See the full build deets at the link, below, and Steve’s original project here. [via Hack a Day]

 

from MAKE

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From Engadget: Shaka turns smartphones into wind meters, gives surfers and kiteboarders the gnar they need (hands-on)

Shaka turns smartphones into wind meters, gives surfers and kiteboarders the gnar they need handson

Ever missed an amazing set in spite of your sick surfboard because you packed it in not knowing that the wind was picking up and about to deliver the perfect wave? Or maybe you didn’t realize just how hard the breeze was blowing and as a result, your tee shot wound up deep in the rough. Good news, sporting friends, because start-up company Shaka is here to make you more air-aware with a wind meter that plugs into the 3.5mm jack on your smartphone. It’s a small, plastic fan, not much bigger than a box of matches, that pairs with the company’s app to deliver wind speed and direction wherever you are — and it works by simply holding the thing up in a stiff breeze. The app then keeps a record of all your measurements and allows you to share them via your favorite social networks. Not only that, it also overlays the results on a map so you can see where the wind is just right for all your favorite wind-reliant activities. It’s currently iOS-only, but we’re told Android and Windows Phone versions are in the works as well. The price for knowing when wind perfection is upon you? For now Shaka’s seeking to sell them for around $59 bucks, but that could change if the powers that be (read: investors) decide otherwise.

 

from Engadget

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From Geeks are Sexy Technology News: This is Amazing: LEGO Inception

 

An academic team project, spanning 12 weeks, representing approx 1000 hours work. This project represented approx 120-160 hours per person, and one quarter of their final semester workload.

All content originated by BA(Hons) VFX : Visual Effects + Concept Design students, Pedrom DADGOSTAR, Hollie PRICE, Jack MILTON, Simon STIRRUP, Sam SERRIDGE, Jack BOSWORTH and Sidney THIBAULT.

A great project people, especially given the challenges the film posed. Fantastic team work, great technical solutions and professional approach throughout.

Rendered on Workstation Specialist’s great WS2610 systems… Including dynamic / particle effects simulations…

[VFX]

 

from Geeks are Sexy Technology News

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From Geeks are Sexy Technology News: How Lasers Work

In the following video, Bill Hammack, the engineer guy, shows how the three key characteristics of laser light – single wavelength, narrow beam, and high intensity – are made. He explains the operation of a ruby laser – the first laser ever made – showing how electronic transitions create stimulated emission to give coherent light, and then how the ends of the ruby cavity create a narrow wavelength highly collimated beam.

[The Engineer Guy]

 

from Geeks are Sexy Technology News

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From Engadget: MIT engineers develop glucose-based fuel cell to be used in neural implants

MIT engineers develop glucose-based fuel cell to be used in neural implants

We’ve seen fuel cells used in a variety of gadgets — from cars to portable chargers — and while medical devices aren’t exactly at the top of the list, they’re yet another application for these mini power sources. MIT engineers are turning to sugar to make fuel cells for powering brain implants. The scientists developed cells that use platinum to strip electrons from glucose molecules found in a patient’s cerebrospinal fluid to create a small electric current. The fuel cells are fabricated on a silicon chip so they can interface with other circuits in a brain implant. The prototype can generate up to hundreds of micro watts, which is enough to power neural implants used to help paralyzed patients move their limbs. Mind you, this technology is years away from making it to market. The next step will be proving that the devices work in animals, which reminds us of one Ricky the rat, who survived a biofuel cell implant back in 2010.

 

from Engadget