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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

MIT jumps straight to wirelessly powering multiple devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/24/mit-jumps-straight-to-wirelessly-powering-multiple-devices/

Ah, wireless power. One of those mythical mysteries that are far more likely to remain "something to strive for" rather than "the next big thing." Oh sure, we've got Palm's Touchstone and the Powermat, but until we can hang a 50-inch plasma from our bedroom ceiling and power it up without a single wire, we'll remain firmly unsatisfied. Thankfully for those of us in that camp, MIT exists, and a few of the school's best and brightest are toiling around the clock in order to develop a technology that would power not one, but multiple devices sans cabling. Thanks to the wonders of coupling resonance, we're told that the "overall power transfer efficiency of the wireless system could be increased by powering multiple devices simultaneously, rather than each device individually." In theory, the system could be implemented by "embedding a large copper coil in the wall or ceiling of a room," but there's obviously no set time frame for release. We'll be looking for you geeks at CES next year, okay?

MIT jumps straight to wirelessly powering multiple devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Acoustic Metamaterials Could Make Ultra-Thin, Ultra-Effective Noise-Cancelling Panels

Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/ultra-thin-noise-cancelling-panels-shut-out-bass

Hong Kong researchers have combined simple latex with some plastic buttons to create metamaterial panels that can stop sound waves very effectively, according to New Scientist. The reflected sound waves include low-frequency bass sounds that typically manage to sneak through the walls.

Thick pieces of certain materials, such as the commonly used foam, can typically absorb or reflect sounds, but creating a thin soundproofing material that can block low-frequency sounds has proven extremely difficult. For instance, a thin latex membrane by itself cannot resonate at the right frequency to either absorb or reflect the bass rumble of a jet taking off.

The team at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in Kowloon managed to solve the problem by creating a "membrane-type acoustic metamaterial with negative dynamic mass" that combines latex and plastic buttons. Each soundproofing panel consists of latex stretched over a 3mm-thick rigid plastic grid of squares, with a small weighted plastic button sitting in the middle of each square.

Sound waves that hit the panel cause the latex membrane and weighted buttons to resonate at different frequencies that cancel out the sound waves. Individual membranes are tuned based on the weight of the plastic buttons, so that each can cancel out a certain frequency band of sound waves.

Stacking five differently-tuned membranes together can produce a soundproof panel that works from 70 to 550 hertz, and is just slightly thicker than a ceramic bathroom tile. At least one independent researcher envisions such tiles seeing use at airports or other noisy environments -- and we're not saying that your home doesn't count. We're also not saying that soundproofing will discourage your neighbors' robotic drum circle.

[via New Scientist]

Project Natal's Lag Timed at 1/10 of a Second [Xbox 360]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/DrRDw9Usiv4/project-natals-lag-timed-at-110-of-a-second

Ever since our hands-on, we've been shamelessly excited about Project Natal...except for one key piece: The slight but undeniable lag. And now, MTV has actually put the difference between your movement and onscreen response to a stopwatch.

Over the course of several demos, MTV found that the lag ranged from .08 seconds to .12 seconds, and .10 proved to be a pretty consistent average. (You can time .10 seconds here.)

During our demo, I likened the delay in a driving game to steering an old Cadillac. Indeed, as an input device alone, such a delay will mean certain gameplay situations just aren't possible (Natal might not make the best jet simulator).

However, I still see the delay as a non-issue for the aspect of Natal that's still gone without mention by most publications—that of head tracking. You'll see what I mean in this demo by Johnny Chung Lee who, it just so happens, works on the Natal team now. The same can be said for vocal commands, facial recognition, and heck, even just spotting your exact position in a room. [MTV via Kotaku]

Custom Grip Makes Canon S90 More Grabby [Digital Cameras]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/E5-VTAvEkRU/custom-grip-makes-canon-s90-more-grabby

The problem with elven cameras like Canon's S90 is that they're awkward to hold sometimes. Richard Franiec's custom grip—CNC-machined from a block of aircraft-grade aluminum and black-anodized to match—adds just enough extra surface area to fix that.

It stays just about as pocketable since the grip sits 1.5mm below the lens, and is attached to the camera with very high bond adhesive tape (meaning you can take it off without screwing up the camera's finish). It's 33 bucks, which isn't a bad price to pay to make one of the best point-and-shoots on the planet even more usable. [Lensmate via Gadget Lab, Richard Franiec's Picasa]

MSI converges everything with 24-inch 3D HD Wind Top all-in-one

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/23/msi-converges-everything-with-24-inch-3d-hd-all-in-one-wind-top/

Now here's a spec sheet maven's dream: MSI has just announced its new Wind Top all-in-ones, and the top model brings every modern spec you can think of. Full HD resolution, 3D capabilities with 120Hz refresh rates, Intel processors up to Core i7, and even multitouch adorn its list of goodies. The new flagships will be known as the Wind Top AE2420 in the 24-incher category and AE2280 in the 22-inch class. They're joined by a selection of high-efficiency machines, such as the AP1920 and AE1920, which promise to cut down the electricity bills for "environmentally-minded business users." That's still hardly scratching the surface, though, as MSI is really preparing a small army of AIOs to display at CeBIT, and you can bet the house we'll be there to touch and ogle at their latest and greatest.

MSI converges everything with 24-inch 3D HD Wind Top all-in-one originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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