Toyota’s Lightweight 1/X Concept

Toyota 1/x concept

After presenting the 1/X concept , Toyota has proved again that they are the pioneer in the field of the future cars. It seems that they are going to utilise each and every space of this car , so that unneccessary space can be avoided.They are trying to reduced the weight of the car also so that we a get good fuel milege in a result.

It seems like every other day now that a car company announces a new concept that is redefining what it means to be an environmentally friendly vehicle. However, when Toyota says it, we tend to take a closer look. It was Toyota, after all, that created the Prius, the standard to which all subsequent hybrid vehicles are measured. The Toyota 1/x concept, which recently appeared at the Chicago Auto Show, is Toyota’s latest attempt at redefining what a green vehicle means. And to them, it is all about making it weigh less.

The name 1/X refers to the reduced amount of weight, emissions and fuel consumption that the vehicle has compared to that of other similar vehicles in its class. It is made from a carbon fiber reinforced plastic frame, that is quite strong but much lighter than conventional framing system. The shape of the vehicle is a result of a desire by Toyota’s designers to create a smaller space, that would have a feeling of openness. It has the same amount of space as a Prius, yet weighs about a third

Toyota is looking for more ways to squeeze every inch from a gallon of gas possible. This 1/X concept design was built from the ground up with light weight materials, with which they hope to double the Prius’ already impressive mileage ranking. Some interesting choices can be found overhead. The roof is transparent, heat and noise insulating, and made from a bio-plastic derived from kenaf and ramie plants. The wheels are thinner than normal cars due to its extreme light weight.This design, combined with the lightness of the car means that it can travel for over 600 miles on a four-gallon tank of fuel. Pretty impressive effort from Toyota, one of the only companies successfully marketing hybrids today.

The roof is transparent, heat and noise insulating, and made from a bio-plastic derived from kenaf and ramie plants. The seats of the vehicle are extremely light, yet, according to Toyota, quite comfortable. The entire front of the vehicle is clad in an LED lighting system that provides a soft glow, illuminating the entire front surface of the vehicle. And, due to the light weight of the vehicle, the 1/X’s wheels are smaller and thinner than those of a regular vehicle. They have even reduced the amount of water splashed by the tires when traveling on wet surface.

The aerodynamic shape of the 1/X and unique cabin design result in smaller pillars, allowing passengers more visibility and helping to create a greater sense of openness and freedom with its outer surroundings for driver and passengers.The 1/X roof is produced from a bio-plastic made from environmentally-responsible material derived from kenaf and ramie plants. The result is a roof that improves heat insulation, emits less carbon dioxide, increases the amount of light entering the cabin, and reducing noise.

On the inside, the 1/X employs four ultra-lightweight seats made of polyester fiber that is knitted three-dimensionally for added comfort. The material functions like a spring or damper that helps create a cushion-like feel for all occupants

The 1/x is meant to operate at a fuel efficiency that is double that of the Prius. It comes with a plug-in hybrid unit and a small fuel-engine. This design, combined with the lightness of the car means that it can travel for over 600 miles on a four-gallon tank of fuel. Overall, a pretty impressive technology package from Toyota

Source:http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/04/08/transportation-tuesday-toyotas-lightweight-1x-concept/

LIFESAVER Bottle

Life saving Design

Availability of clean drinking water is massive problem all over the world. From natural disasters like 2004’s tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, to war torn areas of the word, countless lives are unnecessarily lost due to bacteria and virus filled wells, lakes and streams.

LIFESAVER bottle is the world’s first all in one ultra filtration water bottle. It will remove bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and all other microbiological waterborne pathogens without using chemicals like iodine or chlorine which leave a distinctive foul taste. LIFESAVER bottle produces filtered sterile drinking water quickly and easily. It incorporates LIFESAVER systems’ unique FAILSAFE technology (another world first) which shuts off the bottle’s cartridge upon expiry, preventing contaminated water from being drunk.With LIFESAVER bottle there is no need for tablets, boiling, chemicals, tubes, shaking, scrubbing, waiting or effort. LIFESAVER bottle produces clean, sterile drinking water with no foul taste - fast!

The Lifesaver is designed to operate at any angle, or on any axis. This means that the bottle can be used to fill a variety of water storage vessels easily. The pneumatic action of the bottle allows water to be pressurized for use in applications where a high pressure spray of water is needed, like the sanitation of a wound. The possible applications for this innovative design are vast and include use by the military, where it will reduce the weight carried by soldiers, as well as in rescue operations, like the one faced by response teams after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.

In this example, many people perished in the weeks after the tsunami hit, simply because they had no access to clean drinking water. Instead of providing the water directly - an expensive and time consuming logistical challenge that also requires the clean up of millions of empty bottles - rescue efforts could supply the means by which every person was able to collect safe water themselves. With the Lifesaver bottle there is no time wasted filtering water at the point of collection or waiting for chemicals to work, you simply collect the water, apply a few pumps, and drink.

Winner of countless design and product awards, the LIFESAVER bottle dispenses the need for tablets, boiling, chemicals, tubes, shaking, scrubbing, waiting or effort. The LIFESAVER bottle could be one of the most important designs this century so far.

Source:www.yankodesign.com & www.gizmag.com

DIGITAL POT

Plants Tell You What They Want

This is Digital Pot a concept from designer Junyi Heo that's a 21st Century plant pot. It's filled with sensors measuring temperature, soil moisture and the like. It lets you know the results on a display with a mix of emoticons and symbols, so your plants can tell you what they want (and no: they probably don't want you to smoke them.)







Growing plants would be a lot easier if plants could express what it is they need from you. Fret not because that’s what the Pet Plant by Junyi Heo does. The very sleek looking pot measures soil conditions, temperature, humidity, and water - calculates those variables based on the need of said plant, and expresses its condition via a series of pictograms on an LCD display.

It’s also smart enough to know if you’ve over watered and will systematically drain itself into a water vessel. All this high tech goodness does mean it needs power but a simple USB interface does double duty by charging and transmitting pertinent information to and from computer software.

It's even clever enough to drain itself if you're a chronic over-waterer and charges via USB— also sending its data to your PC for your perusal. Just a concept, but a rather cute one, don't you think?

Source: www.yankodesign.com

DEATH WATCH & ROCKET-COPTER

Timex concept is a literal death watch

Here's something we don't want:

the Timex 2154 life index watch. Years ago we came across a page called Deathforecast.com, which predicts how long you'll live depending on the answers to a couple dozen questions. That was morbid enough, but now there's something that does it one better by providing a constant physical reminder of one's mortality.Chances are, you’ve come across or heard of longevity calculators, but now instead of turning to sites like Deathforecast.com or crunching numbers according to longevity statistics.Timex is making it possible to wear your personal count down clock on your body in a form similar to nicotine patches.

The "Life Index Watch" is a concept developed for a Timex competition that keeps track of your remaining days based on personal biometrics. or that counts the minutes you have left to live.And just to make sure you don't miss one nerve-wracking second, it's meant to be "worn like a patch on the skin," according to ProductDose.

Basically, you put it on your skin, where it reads your biometric stats to determine how much longer you'll be alive. Pretty frightening, but even worse, it appears to be only available in purple.The digits displayed are based on your personal biometrics.

I’m not too sure why anyone would wear this, but it’s probably meant to raise awareness, no remind people that their lives are shortened by smoking cigarettes, consuming alcohol and living under stress, and that when they exercise and right, they can actually increase their lifespan.

Why anyone would want something like this is beyond us. Then again, maybe it's meant to remind us that life is short, so remember to enjoy the important things while we're here.

Source: http://www.crave.cnet.com/

Personal rocket-copter for your commute

With $4 gas prices looking like a permanent fact of life, consumer interest in jetpacks and other forms of personal air transport might soon go from whimsy to reality. That seems to be driving the engineers at Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana, whose latest project is the "Libelula Rocket Helicopter."
Don't laugh. This may look like something from a '50s sci-fi movie, but its creators have already produced a "Rocket Belt" built to custom specifications. The personal chopper could be also be more reliable than its full-size counterparts because, Dvice says,

"by using tiny rocket motors at the tips of the rotor blades, the Libelula eliminates the torque which makes a tail rotor necessary in a conventional helicopter."

There are other potential advantages over the jetpacks we've seen, including price. We assume that the Libelula will be at least a tad cheaper than the Rocket Belt, which goes for $250,000--that's crazy money to pay for anything, let alone something that can fly for only 30 seconds at a time. Then again, the way prices at the pump are going, it might be worth another look.

Source: http://www.crave.cnet.com/

Strangest Gadgets of the Future

Solar Powered LED Light

The LightCap is basically a solar powered water bottle which has a built-in LED light in its lid. It features a waterproof solar panel, battery pack, and "will stay bright for hours while the rechargeable Ni-Cad batteries will last for at least 300 cycles" on a four hour charge -- in sunlight. This device measures 8 ¼" tall and 3 ¾" wide with a 32 oz capacity. No word yet on pricing and availability.

Source: http://www.yankodesign.com/ & www.techeblog.com

Intelligent Spoon

Connie Cheng and Leonardo Bonanni have developed the world's first "Intelligent Spoon". It's equipped with sensors to measure temperature, acidity, salinity, and viscosity. Download the recorded data to any computer via a cable for furthur processing.

This project aims to introduce computing into traditional culinary utensils. It seeks to provide information, in an integrated manner, about any food the spoon is in contact with, and to offer suggestions to improve the food. The spoon is equipped with sensors that measure temperature, acidity, salinity, and viscosity, and is connected to a computer via a cable. The sensors evaluate the different properties of the food, and send them to the computer for further processing.

" Apart from consolidating measurements that are normally done by an array of equipments into a single spoon,the information obtained can be used to advise the users what their next step should be,for example it tells the user if there is not enough salt in the brine prepared to make pickles "

source: http://www.media.mit.edu/ci/projects/intelligentspoon.html
www.techeblog.com

Citizen's Memory LCD

Citizen Japan has unveiled a new LCD technology -- called "memory liquid crystal" -- that retains the image even when turned off. Basically, its inorganic membrane and angled orientation keep the crystals frozen without needing power. Practical applications would include watches and mobile phone displays.

Used in conventional liquid-crystal orientation polyimide film instead, inorganic orientation film used for the orientation film and liquid crystal molecules with extreme angle of 20 degrees on the memory to achieve. In addition, the gap between conventional glass substrate of about 1 / 3 the following, could improve memory and low-voltage (5 V) is the driving.

Major Features

◆ It is also shown to cut the power is maintained by the memory of a function LCD display.

◆ picture writing except when they are not needed for power, as compared to conventional LCD about 1 / 50 (※ rewriting frequency of 1 / 10 sec for) the low power consumption.

◆ orientation film material is used as inorganic orientation film, film and the orientation of liquid crystal molecules and a 20-degree angle near the pole by setting a sufficient memory to ensure success.

◆ glass substrate of the LCD to the usual gap of about 1 / 3 or less narrowing of the memory of better results occur as expected.

◆ PASSHIBUMATORIKKUSU display system for Adoption, detailed images can be formed.

Uses

◆Electronic shelf tags and other types of meters and as part of the liquid crystal display

◆As mobile phone sub-LCD display Or e-books as part of electronic paper display

◆In addition, low-power consumption is required as part of any liquid crystal display

source: http://www.citizen.co.jp/release/06/060413me.html

www.techeblog.com

Origami DVD Player

This Origami DVD Player concept uses a fully-flexib

le display technology (e-paper) to ensure maximum portability. When not in use, the screen folds up neatly back into the case. From the image, it looks to sport integrated speakers as well. No word yet on if this concept will go into production.

"As a product, it would target the business traveler who wants a convenient way to watch DVD movies "

source: http://inventables.com & www.techeblog.com

Magenn Power Air Rotor System

Magenn Power Air Rotor System (MARS)

The Magenn Power Air Rotor System (MARS) is an innovative lighter-than-air tethered device that rotates about a horizontal axis in response to wind, efficiently generating clean renewable electrical energy at a lower cost than all competing systems.

This electrical energy is transferred down the tether to a transformer at a ground station and then transferred to the electricity power grid. Helium (an inert non-reactive lighter than air gas) sustains the Air Rotor which ascends to an altitude for best winds and its rotation also causes the Magnus effect. This provides additional lift, keeps the device stabilized, keeps it positioned within a very controlled and restricted location, and causes it to pull up overhead rather than drift downwind on its tether.

All competing wind generators use bladed two-dimensional disk-like structures and rigid towers. The Magenn Power Air Rotor system is a closed three-dimensional structure (cylinder). It offers high torque, low starting speeds, and superior overall efficiency thanks to its ability to deploy higher. The closed structure allows Magenn Power to produce wind rotors from very small to very large sizes at a fraction of the cost of current wind generators.

The Magenn system concept is deployment-flexible. Large MARS units may be deployed to supplement established grid systems supporting the electrical requirements of large urban areas. Small MARS units would be deployed in emergency, as-needed, and/or mobile applications (e.G., pack version deployed by a hiker, motorist, boater, or for military and emergency response applications). Various in-between sizes would be ideal for farms, houses and cottages located where grid power is nonexistent. Small to medium sized systems could also be air-dropped into disaster areas for emergency electrical power for medical and all other uses.

The distinct advantages of the Magenn Air Rotor System design are as follows:

*Magenn Air Rotor System is less expensive per unit of actual electrical energy output than competing wind power systems.

*Magenn Power Air Rotor System will deliver time-averaged output much closer to its rated capacity than the capacity factor typical with conventional designs. Magenn efficiency will be 40 to 50 percent. This is hugely important, since doubling capacity factor cuts the cost of each delivered watt by half.

*Wind farms can be placed closer to demand centers, reducing transmission line costs and transmission line loses.

*Conventional wind generators are only operable in wind speeds between 3 meters/sec and 28 meters/sec. Magenn Air Rotors are operable between 1 meter/sec and in excess of 28 meters/sec.

*Magenn Air Rotors can be raised to higher altitudes, thus capitalizing on higher winds aloft. Altitudes from 400-ft to 1,000-ft above ground level are possible, without having to build an expensive tower, or use a crane to perform maintenance.

*Magenn Air Rotors are mobile and can be easily moved to different locations to correspond to changing wind patterns. Mobility is also useful in emergency deployment and disaster relief situations.

These points are mutually inclusive. The advantages above combine to make Magenn the most cost-effective wind electrical generation system.

Protective Force Field for Astronauts

Researchers are reviving an old but wild idea to protect astronauts from space radiation.

Opposite charges attract. Like charges repel. It's the first lesson of electromagnetism and, someday, it could save the lives of astronauts.

Space beyond low-Earth orbit is awash with intense radiation from the Sun and from deep galactic sources such as supernovas. Astronauts en route to the Moon and Mars are going to be exposed to this radiation, increasing their risk of getting cancer and other maladies. Finding a good shield is important.
Right: Supernovas produce dangerous radiation.

The most common way to deal with radiation is simply to physically block it, as the thick concrete around a nuclear reactor does. But making spaceships from concrete is not an option. (Interestingly, it might be possible to build a moonbase from a concrete mixture of moondust and water, if water can be found on the Moon, but that's another story)

NASA scientists are investigating many radiation-blocking materials such as aluminum, advanced plastics and liquid hydrogen.Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Those are all physical solutions. There is another possibility, one with no physical substance but plenty of shielding power: a force field.

Like charges repel. So why not protect astronauts by surrounding them with a powerful electric field that has the same charge as the incoming radiation, thus deflecting the radiation away?
Many experts are skeptical that electric fields can be made to protect astronauts. But Charles Buhler and John Lane, both scientists with ASRC Aerospace Corporation at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, believe it can be done. They've received support from the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts, whose job is to fund studies of far-out ideas, to investigate the possibility of electric shields for lunar bases.

Above: Artist’s concept of an electrostatic radiation shield, consisting of positively charged inner spheres and negatively charged outer spheres. The screen net is connected to ground.

Image courtesy ASRC Aerospace.

"Using electric fields to repel radiation was one of the first ideas back in the 1950s, when scientists started to look at the problem of protecting astronauts from radiation," Buhler says. "They quickly dropped the idea, though, because it seemed like the high voltages needed and the awkward designs that they thought would be necessary (for example, putting the astronauts inside two concentric metal spheres) would make such an electric shield impractical."
Buhler and Lane's approach is different. In their concept, a lunar base would have a half dozen or so inflatable, conductive spheres about 5 meters across mounted above the base. The spheres would then be charged up to a very high static-electrical potential: 100 megavolts or more. This voltage is very large but because there would be very little current flowing (the charge would sit statically on the spheres), not much power would be needed to maintain the charge.

The spheres would be made of a thin, strong fabric (such as Vectran, which was used for the landing balloons that cushioned the impact for the Mars Exploration Rovers) and coated with a very thin layer of a conductor such as gold. The fabric spheres could be folded up for transport and then inflated by simply loading them with an electric charge; the like charges of the electrons in the gold layer repel each other and force the sphere to expand outward.

Basic Idea behind this is placing the spheres far overhead would reduce the danger of astronauts touching them. By carefully choosing the arrangement of the spheres, scientists can maximize their effectiveness at repelling radiation while minimizing their impact on astronauts and equipment at the ground. In some designs, in fact, the net electric field at ground level is zero, thus alleviating any potential health risks from these strong electric fields.

Buhler and Lane are still searching for the best arrangement: Part of the challenge is that radiation comes as both positively and negatively charged particles. The spheres must be arranged so that the electric field is, say, negative far above the base (to repel negative particles) and positive closer to the ground (to repel the positive particles). "We've already simulated three geometries that might work," says Buhler.

It sounds wonderful, but there are many scientific and engineering problems yet to be solved. For example, skeptics note that an electrostatic shield on the Moon is susceptible to being short circuited by floating moondust, which is itself charged by solar ultraviolet radiation. Solar wind blowing across the shield can cause problems, too. Electrons and protons in the wind could become trapped by the maze of forces that make up the shield, leading to strong and unintended electrical currents right above the heads of the astronauts.

The research is still preliminary, Buhler stresses. Moondust, solar wind and other problems are still being investigated. It may be that a different kind of shield would work better, for instance, a superconducting magnetic field. These wild ideas have yet to sort themselves out.

But, who knows, perhaps one day astronauts on the Moon and Mars will work safely, protected by a simple principle of electromagnetism even a child can understand.

Future Mobile Phone

Morph: Future Mobile Phone Concept
From Nokia Uses Nanotechnology


Yes this is the future of mobile,
a Flexible, Stretchable, Beautiful concept mobile is here.

Nokia in its joint research with Cambridge University has unveiled Morph Concept mobile phone device which uses nanotechnology and shows how future mobile phones could be flexible and stretchable.

The concept demonstrates some of the never before functions that nanotechnology can deliver, such as flexibility, transparent electronics, and surfaces that clean themselves.




The features that Morph would bring to us are:

*Devices become self-cleaning and self-preserving

*Transparent electronics ( isn’t it great)

*Built-in solar absorption might charge a device, whilst batteries become smaller, longer lasting and faster to charge

*Integrated sensors which let you know about the environment around you.

*Newly-enabled flexible and transparent materials blend more seamlessly with the way we live

*Transparent electronics offering an entirely new aesthetic dimension



In addition to the advances above, the integrated electronics shown in the Morph concept could cost less and include more functionality in a much smaller space, even as interfaces are simplified and usability is enhanced. All of these new capabilities will unleash new applications and services that will allow us to communicate and interact in unprecedented ways.

Launched alongside The Museum of Modern Art “Design and The Elastic Mind” exhibition, the Morph concept device is a bridge between highly advanced technologies and their potential benefits to end-users. This device concept showcases some revolutionary leaps being explored by Nokia Research Center (NRC) in collaboration with the Cambridge Nanoscience Centre (United Kingdom) – nanoscale technologies that will potentially create a world of radically different devices that open up an entirely new spectrum of possibilities.

Morph is a concept that demonstrates how future mobile devices might be stretchable and flexible, allowing the user to transform their mobile device into radically different shapes. It demonstrates the ultimate functionality that nanotechnology might be capable of delivering: flexible materials, transparent electronics and self-cleaning surfaces. Dr. Bob Iannucci, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia, commented: "Nokia Research Center is looking at ways to reinvent the form and function of mobile devices; the Morph concept shows what might be possible".

*Source: http://www.nokia.com/A4852062

Self Erasing Paper

This Paper Will Erase Itself in 24 Hours, ReUsable upto 100 Times

Have you ever printed out an e-mail message or meeting agenda, only to throw it out a few hours later? If Xerox researchers are to be believed, promiscuous printing happens all the time. Based on studies at their own office and elsewhere, the researchers claim that up to 40 percent of all documents printed in offices are discarded within a day.

The company has a solution: erasable paper. Hailed by Time magazine as one of the best inventions of 2007, Xerox has invented a new form of Self Erasable Paper Technology that would self erase anything printed on the surface of special type of paper within a time span of 24 hours, the paper can then be reused for upto 100 times. So you might ask what the use of this? well it can be used in offices, instead of trashing or recycling the paper, it can be used again and again for upto 100 times. This Reusable paper is environmentally safe, reduces paper waste and could also help in lowering overall paper costs.

How the technology works:

The paper is coated with a chemical that changes color when exposed to a certain wavelength of light but fades back to its original shade in 16 to 24 hours, making the paper reusable. The paper contains specially coded molecules that create a print after being exposed to ultraviolet light emitted from a thin bar in a printer. The molecule readjusts itself within 24 hours to its original form to delete the print, or heat can readjust the molecule instantly. Xerox developed the molecule. The ultraviolet bar itself is very small, so it can also be used in mobile printers.

Of course it doesn't last forever. Dirt happens. But a Xerox spokesman says the paper can survive about 50 passes through a printer.Erasable paper may save trees but not printers: Xerox research suggests you'll want to have a separate printer for disappearing documents. Send your document to the wrong printer, and you could turn your company's annual report into a daily report.—Dawn Stover

No info about pricing details is available yet.

Cricket Ball with Inbuilt Speedometer

Cricket Ball with Inbuilt Speedometer Technology for Live Speed Measurement

A new cricket ball has been developed which can measure its own speed and display the ball speed measurement on the tiny LCD screen on one side, it also comes with a inbuilt long lasting battery. Until now radar guns have been used to measure the bowling speeds of bowler and there’s always been a curiosity among the cricket fans in deciding the “world’s faster bowler “, with the new Speedsensor measuring technology inside the ball itself it might become possible to get the accurate speed measurement and thereby giving the crown to the one who deserves it.

How it works:

The inbuilt Speedsensor measures the speed of bowl between the time when it first gets released from the bowler hand and until it hits something(preferably nets) whereas the Radar gun reads out the speed between the point when the bowl gets released from bowlers hand and strikes the pitch.

Well the ball in question is not for actual cricket its just meant for measurement purposes, the manufacturers claim that the ball sensors could get damaged if hit hard directly by the cricket bat so its only meant for measuing speeds on the nets only.

It comes with a three year battery life with price tag of US $45( around Rs 1800)

CPU inside Keyboard

Cybernet ZPC

Cybernet introduced ‘ZPC-9100′ an all-in-one PC keyboard.

This innovative device equipped with all of PC devices. The ZPC-9000 is a complete PC with a Pentium 4 CPU, LAN, and other PC parts inside a normal-size keyboard.

The Cybernet ZPC being shown for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show, the more it makes sense.

The ZPC-9000 uses just 120 Watt power supply compared with the usual 250-300 Watt power supplies used with a traditional PC.

While some of the benefits of this layout are obvious, such as the saving of space, a cleaner desktop and a significantly reduced number of cables, there are some additional clever features which make additional sense of the design.

Specification:

Features include the latest Intel Pentium 4 HT processors up to 3.2GHz,

*up to 2GB of DDR-400MHz Memory,

*1GB Ethernet LAN, 7-in-1 Card Reader,

*2-Button touchpad,

*D-RW/DVD &

*Fourth Generation Intel Extreme graphics controller.

*The ZPC-9000 also has a removable hard drive option and locking mechanism.