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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

How It Works: The Make-All 3-D Printer

Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-03/how-it-works-make-all-machine

The Objet Connex churns out complex objects by spraying eight million plastic droplets a second

Since the first 3-D printer was invented by Charles Hull in 1984, machines have seen vast improvements in speed and accuracy. Today's best 3-D printers operate much like a standard inkjet, spraying millions of droplets of polymer to build an object layer by layer. But there's a hitch: Most 3-D printers use only use a single material at once, thus each product they produce can be just one color or consistency.

The Objet Connex can print two materials at a time, and even mix composites. In doing so, it can craft items with varied flex, shade and feel. The Connex has helped hospitals fabricate see-through medical models and even allowed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student to construct a working flute complete with moving hinges and rubber gaskets.

Click the image above to see an animation showing how the Objet Connex can print complex objects one microscopic layer at a time. If you are unable to view Flash files, click here for a static version. Illustrations by Aaron Newman; Flash Design by Josh Rashkin

More How It Works:

A Smarter Crash-Test Dummy
An Affordable Telephoto Lens
3-D TV Without Glasses
World's Fastest Roller Coaster
An Implantable Bionic Eye
The Make-All 3-D Printer
Better Curve Control
The Light-Driven Computer

This month's How It Works section is brought to you by Digi-Key. All posts are purely editorial content, which we are pleased to present with the help of a sponsor; the sponsor has no input in the content itself.

Video: Turning A Massive Touchscreen Display Into a Multitouch Microscope

Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-03/video-turning-massive-touchscreen-display-multitouch-microscope

Mashing web-based virtual microscopy and a massive multi-touch display surface, Finnish researchers have created a new interface for laboratory science that allows researchers to pan and zoom around a microscope sample via a tabletop or wall-mounted touchscreen, zooming in so close that sub-cellular details can be seen.

Given the fact that the minimum size for the screen is 46 inches--and it can be much larger, like the size of a conference table or even an entire wall--the device is capable of making the very small very large. The multitouch surface can recognize the touches of several different people at the same time, adding a whole new dimension to collaborative science and lab instruction.

This isn't just an overblown iPad app--files can be up to 200 gigabytes, so there's some real computing power backing the multitouch microscope. But from a technology standpoint, it's not so very complex. Samples are digitized using a microscopy scanner and put onto a server from which the touchscreen device continuously receives them over the Web.

From there, an entire group can stand around a massive visualization of a sample, swiping, zooming, and otherwise manipulating it intuitively and without any kind of serious training. We'll always be a bit nostalgic for the old days when we stained our own slides in chem lab, but it's hard to argue that a wall-sized, multitouch microscope isn't extremely cool.

[Eurekalert]

Fujitsu LifeBook AH572 starts shipping, Sandy Bridge and 3D for under a grand

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/28/fujitsu-lifebook-ah572-starts-shipping-sandy-bridge-and-3d-for/

We saw the Fujitsu LifeBook AH572 way back in January at CES, and at the time, we were intrigued by the prospect of Sandy Bridge speed and 3D capability -- it boasts a passive 3D display and dual cameras for recording in the third dimension -- for an eminently reasonable $999. Well, were you able to resist the wave of laptops from the rest of computing's usual suspects, you can now get your hands on Fujitsu's 3D lappy packing Intel's latest silicon, a 500GB HDD, and Blu-ray combo drive to boot. Sound good? Hit the source link to grab some of the laptop love for yourself.

Fujitsu LifeBook AH572 starts shipping, Sandy Bridge and 3D for under a grand originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 22:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sigma confirms pricing and availabilty for DP2x compact camera: $800, late-April

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/29/sigma-confirms-pricing-and-availabilty-for-dp2x-compact-camera/

Sigma provided most of the details for its new DP2x compact camera when it announced it back in February, but it left out two key ones: pricing and availability. It's now finally (mostly) come clean on both those counts, however, and announced that the high-end compact will run $800 and be available in "late April." As for the camera itself, you'll get a 14-megapixel FOVEON X3 sensor that's said to be twelve times larger than those found in similarly-sized cameras, along with a fixed 24.2mm F2.8 lens, full manual controls with RAW image support, and an new AF algorithm that promises "high-speed" autofocus. Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Sigma confirms pricing and availabilty for DP2x compact camera: $800, late-April

Sigma confirms pricing and availabilty for DP2x compact camera: $800, late-April originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 05:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer slaps $1,200 price tag on dual-screen Iconia-6120 touchbook, lets US and Canada pre-order

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/29/acer-slaps-1-200-price-tag-on-dual-screen-iconia-6120-touchbook/

Acer's had its fair share of Iconia's land in the past few months, but none are as breathtaking (and potentially world-changing) as the Iconia-6120. Said machine was priced at €1,499 earlier in the year, but that doesn't mean an awful lot to folks situated in America and the Great White North. As of today, consumers in both of those nations have a price and release date to ponder, with $1,199.99 (both US and CAD) netting you a touchbook with two 14-inch Gorilla Glass touchpanels, a Core i5 CPU, 4GB of memory, integrated Intel HD graphics and a 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Home Premium. You'll also get USB 3.0 support, a 640GB hard drive, a 1.3 megapixel camera, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, an HDMI output, gigabit Ethernet and a chassis that weighs in at 5.95 pounds. Lookin' to dive right in? Amazon, as well as "other" fine e-tailers, should be taking orders momentarily.

Continue reading Acer slaps $1,200 price tag on dual-screen Iconia-6120 touchbook, lets US and Canada pre-order

Acer slaps $1,200 price tag on dual-screen Iconia-6120 touchbook, lets US and Canada pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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