Archive for the ‘Technology News’ Category

Moto 2, New Rules, New Design, New Era

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

It may still be almost 2 months until the season opener under the floodlights of Qatar, but the new Moto2 championship is already starting to hot up as testing is scheduled to get underway with fans and journalists alike waiting with baited breath for their first opportunity to view the new chassis’ and product design that people have come out with.

The basis for the new formula is to have a standardised 600cc Honda engine, which will in effect be similar to that of the CBR600RR engine with some slight performance tweaks. Another standard component will be the tyres which will all be Dunlop, as was similar in the 250cc formula which preceded it.

With standard tyres and engines, the only area where teams can gain an advantage is through hiring the correct rider and also by producing the perfect chassis to house the engine. Several team have already spent large sums of money evaluating the benefit of different product design ideas and chassis’ over the winter to bolster their overall position and move them to the front of the pack.

Sky Advance TV Product Design With 3D Service

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Sky has announced it has been testing new 3D television technology for use with football matches. The new product design concepts have been tested on a number of different kinds of sport, but football proved to be the most popular. The new technology should enable people to watch football on special 3D TVs in pubs and homes within the year.

The other sports tested by sky included boxing, golf, tennis, rugby and cricket. In order to watch the 3D services, customers will need a Sky HD box, a 3D TV and a pair of 3D glasses.

Sky also announced at the recent CES exhibition in Las Vegas that it was working on 3D content. Sky’s director of Product Design and TV Product Development, Brian Lenz, commented: “Our HD customers already have a 3D capable set-top box. By working together with set manufacturers, we want to provide a hassle free way for consumers to enjoy 3D TV.”

New Cool Crash Helmet Could Help Save Lives

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

ThermaHelm technologyWhen you ride a motorcycle you have to accept that there is an element of risk involved. Obviously that risk can be significantly reduced if you take the appropriate precautions and wear the correct protective clothing and there have been several advances made recently thanks to the aid of advanced product design and product development which will help to further the innovation of safety for the mass motorcycle market.

One very important innovation has been made in the area of the crash or safety helmet. 90% of motorcycle fatalities are a result of injury from the neck up, ThermaHelm technology aims to reduce this.

In the event of a heavy crash where the user suffers a heavy blow to the head the brain can swell which in turn causes an increase in brain temperature. Once the temperature of the brain reaches a certain critical level it becomes unresponsive and shuts down causing the persons heart to flatline.

Nintendo Wii Fit Plus Pushes Gaming Product Development

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

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Nintendo has announced that its new Wii Fit Plus will be out in October. This updated version of the hugely popular Wii Fit is a prime piece of product development. Many gymnasiums, no doubt, around the country will not wish to see the continued success of the Wii Fit, as it keeps people away from their facilities and money out of their tills.

The success of the Nintendo Wii lies in its product design; they managed to put some very impressive technology into a very small piece of kit. Video games are notorious in many people’s minds for not promoting physical activity, so the Wii Fit was arguably a masterstroke in getting people off their sofas and getting actively involved in a video game.

Hula Hoop, one of the Wii Fit Plus’s new games, is meant to burn off 140kcal in half an hour.

Latest in Jedi Product Development: Force Trainer

Monday, August 24th, 2009

It seems like a piece of product development that might be several decades, or perhaps a galaxy, away – but a new toy inspired by the Star Wars films actually allows you to control a ball with your mind. It’s true. This ultra futuristic piece of equipment is aimed at the 7-13 year old market, but the truth is that this unique toy will have as many adults enthralled by it.

Jedi Product DevelopmentThe system includes a headset and a unit containing a transparent tube. In this tube a Jedi ball can be raised or lowered by tiny jets of air from beneath. The headset uses dry sensor technology which can detect various kinds brainwaves in your head. Crazy, but true.

Alpha, Beta Gamma and Delta waves are flowing through us every day. According to the manufacturers the unit initially detects which of the four waves are dominant in your brain. After establishing this, it can detect any changes in wave type – which either raises or lowers the ball.

Kaputt R. Demolition Robot Brings Down the House

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

kaputt2It might look like something you’d find lurking around some science fiction space ship. But the Kaputt. R. Demolition Robot is a piece of product design that has been dreamt up very recently by a certain Tony Weichselbraun.

This striking yellow-and-black concept looks like a relation of animated creation Wall-e, and much like the rubbish-stacking Disney character, the Kaputt. R. robot also has a very practical function. It has two demolition arms that fold out, counter-balanced by enough weight to ensure they can tear walls down with ease.

Driven by 4 electric caterpillar tracks, this piece of robotic muscle can disperse its weight across a wide area – crucial when the floor beneath might be unstable.

Revolutionary Product Design: Driving the Thunderbird into the Canyon

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Design studio Mike and Maiike are the first to admit they love the muscle cars of the past. But according to these forward-thinking designers  – Dutch and Californian respectively – it’s time to grow up and revolutionise the way we travel.

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The product development they’ve been conducting is sure to shock many of us who like the old fashioned driving experience. An experience, say the designers, that has not changed significantly since the 1960s. They seem to have taken every facet of what we think of as a car, and driven it off a cliff.

The AutoNoMobile, or Atnmbl, seems to be designed to take the entire driving experience away from the car owner altogether. With its spacious interior and windows that cover almost the entire left and right sides – this car looks like the ipod of the personal transport world. A matrix of glowing lights are the answer to traditional rear lights, while the idea of looking out of the front of the vehicle has been completely removed; passengers sit facing each other as the car moves.

Google Chrome OS Challenging Microsoft

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Search engine giant Google have a new operating system in production called Google Chrome OS, for use on home PC’s and netbooks. This is a direct challenge to the leading market operating system Microsoft. The new Google Chrome OS will initially be used on small netbooks with the aim of being used on PC’s as well. Sales of the netbooks with Google Chrome OS is said to be on sale in 2010.

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Chrome OS was a direct extension to the Google Chrome browser and was announced to be launched just months before the launch of Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7.

So what makes Google Chrome OS stand out from Microsoft Windows? Google’s engineering director Linus Upson states that “We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you on to the web in a few seconds…” He further adds on a blog written by Sundar Pichai that “the operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web”, making the new Google Chrome OS a project that attempts to rethink the way operating systems operate.

Greener Than Green Electric Cars On The Roads – Cutting Carbon Emissions

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Ministers unveiled the range of electric cars at London’s Guildhall which is planned to be tested in 8 different cities in the UK, in a bid to decrease carbon emissions. The government have put in £25 million for the project to take off, with the Technology Strategy Board to organise a showcase of the vehicles. These are believed to be available in the next 6 to 18 months, with over 340 cars put forward for the test including some notable names such as Mitsubishi electric MiEV and the Mini E.

Sony Motionflow Brings The Cinema To Your Living Room

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

The latest LCD offering from Sony is set to be a huge hit with its 200 Hz technology enabling the viewer to sit in awe at the smooth and sharp picture quality that has never before been seen.
Conventional TVs output 50 frames per second, but Sony’s new range of Motionflow 200Hz TVs output four times as many frames per second, bringing near cinema quality into your home.

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You may have seen the new Motionflow TV ad featuring Brazilian football star, Kaka being projected via the BRAVIA-Drome – the world’s largest zoetrope.
The Sony Motionflow range also offers a 100Hz LCD TV which impresses also but it is the 200Hz model which is sure to be very popular as Sony look to take the TV market to another level yet again.
Although fairly highly priced, with the 40 inch from 1,849 to the 52 inch from 2,649, the Motionflow is well worth forking out for as it provides a crispness of viewing pleasure that will leave you glued to the screen all evening. Not advisable for families with obese children!