Look at What the Swedes Can Do!

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Max Dolan

“We’ve been stuck for a quarter of a century with a keyboard and a mouse. It’s time to move to the next step and eye control technology is the perfect solution. It’s definitely going to be in the laptops of the future.”

Sweden’s Anders Olsson of Tobii technology told The Local, referring to the unveiling of Tobii Technology’s newest advancement: eye-controlled laptops!

By: Psychonaught CC: WikiMediaCommons

Derived from the same technology that is used in cars to determine whether the driver is drowsy, eye-controlled laptops will help save battery life (able to recognize when you’re not looking at them, they’ll dim the screen), allow you to zoom when looking at images, and they will make transitioning between windows easier.

Though Tobii admits that the technology still needs to be refined, having just unveiled a prototype, they claim to

”look forward to working with our partners to find many exciting ways to share and integrate this technology to advance their work.”

I think I fantasize for many fellow gamers when I imagine a FPS controlled solely by your eyes! Praise those Swedish nerds!

Tablet-size panel delivers enough juice to charge a laptop

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Mark Baard

For years, there have been plenty of hand-held solar devices that can charge your phone over the course of an afternoon. Now, ThinkGeek (www.thinkgeek.com) says it has a $200 solar charger mighty enough to bring a laptop to life.

Called the Huge Capacity Solar Charger and Battery, it measures 8-by-11 inches and is less than an inch thick. The downside for backpackers and campers is that it weighs almost four pounds — a substantial addition to the more than 50 pounds you might be shouldering.

via Tablet-size panel delivers enough juice to charge a laptop – The Boston Globe.

Singularity watch: Through computer, brain can direct a robot

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Mark Baard

From my Boston Globe column this week:

Wearing what looks like a swim cap wired with electrodes, you can “command’’ a robot to move left, right, and forward by looking at corresponding areas on a computer screen, the Northeastern researchers say.

Here’s how it works:

Each quadrant on the user’s computer screen represents a different command and flashes at a different frequency.

Staring at a particular quadrant causes the user’s visual cortex to emit a corresponding frequency, which a computer translates into a directional command.

The system then wirelessly transmits those commands to the laptop on the back of the robot. (The user can track the robot’s whereabouts by using a Skype video connection with the laptop.)

via Through computer, brain can direct a robot – The Boston Globe.

VTech makes fun stand-ins for pricey gadgets

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Mark Baard

Photo: tinkerbrad/Flickr CC

VTech is pitching its new $60 MobiGo and V.Reader devices as a means for Mom and Dad to get their iPads and Kindles back.

I am not quite sold on the idea, as I write in the Boston Globe this week (after the jump).

It is true that my 4-year-old daughter, Oona, seems almost as happy playing with the handheld LeapFrog Leapster2 toy (a similar education-and-play device) as she is with my iPhone or T-Mobile G1.

via The Boston Globe.

Swann’s latest security device has that sinister vibe – The Boston Globe

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Mark Baard

From my latest Boston Globe column, and the US Department of “Start Snitchin’”…

Swann made its name in the security business, with cameras designed to catch shoplifters and home invaders in the act.

But the company’s RemoteCam pinhole video camera, which will cost about $100 when it becomes available in a few days, is meant only for what I would classify as “offensive’’ purposes.

Journalists and police officers might find the RemoteCam handy for their undercover investigations. But so might perverts on the T, as well as private detectives spying on unfaithful spouses at North End restaurants.

via Swann’s latest security device has that sinister vibe – The Boston Globe.

Gadgets: LG Aria is a delightful, wee songbird

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Mark Baard

The LG Aria Aria looks like a palm-sized version of HTC’s Incredible… Wonderful device, but another example of what my friend, Sean, calls “the poor man’s iPhone.”

You can support my work on this blog by reading my Globe column. Thanks so much!

via (after the jump) Boy Scouts bring ingenuity to EurekaFest – The Boston Globe.

Xe not the end of the blood-soaked Blackwater brand

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Mark Baard

Photo: Andrew R. Whalley/Flickr CC

Blackwater, among the most tainted blood-soaked brands out there, is now slapping its pay print logo on pro shops.

The shops are located near military bases along the East Coast.

In an effort to distance themselves from the name which many felt was tainted, Blackwater executives came up with the inert name “Xe” to help revamp their tarnished image. Here we are a little over a year later and although Xe didn’t seem to do much for anyone, it seems that the name Blackwater still has some life in it. Despite negative connotations almost everywhere else, the firm still enjoys a great deal of support from the gun owning public. So it only seems natural that the Blackwater name and iconic bear paw logo would begin to see a resurgence. Poised to open are combination pro shops and indoor ranges in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Salem, Connecticut. What is the significance of these two disparate locations you might ask? Fayetteville should come as no surprise as it is home to Fort Bragg. However, many would not know that Salem is right up the road from the Navy’s submarine force based in Groton, Connecticut.

via Blackwater Pro Shops – Coming to a Town Near You « Soldier Systems.

Tattoo will advertise your genetic flaws

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Mark Baard

Tattoos tell a lot about you. Photo: Laura Brechtbert/Flickr CC

MIT materials experts suggest that an ink made from carbon nanotubes can be injected into diabetics, to monitor their blood glucose levels. Patients can then check their tats for any changes.

Diabetics say this beats pricking their fingers throughout the day. But the tat — which might be partially covered by wristwatch with a UV scanner on the back of it — will also mean wearing your condition on, or near, your shirtsleeve.

The technology behind the MIT sensor, described in a December 2009 issue of ACS Nano, is fundamentally different from existing sensors, says Strano. The sensor is based on carbon nanotubes wrapped in a polymer that is sensitive to glucose concentrations. When this sensor encounters glucose, the nanotubes fluoresce, which can be detected by shining near-infrared light on them. Measuring the amount of fluorescence reveals the concentration of glucose.

The researchers plan to create an “ink” of these nanoparticles suspended in a saline solution that could be injected under the skin like a tattoo. The “tattoo” would last for a specified length of time, probably six months, before needing to be refreshed.

via ‘Tattoo’ may help diabetics track their blood sugar.

Wii Fit fries pacemakers?

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Mark Baard

Wii Fit making your defibrillator flutter? Balance Board taking your back out?

Some researchers suspect the video games industry, which touts the health benefits of so-called exergames, is paying little attention to the risks those games pose to players.

And the FDA is taking notice…

via Healthy games offer risks, too – The Boston Globe.

The Sci-Tech Heretic

Science, fiction and news through the conspiratorial lens. By Mark Baard in Boston.

Category Archives: Personal tech