Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Greyp G-12 e-bike has supercar roots
Greyp G-12 e-bike has supercar roots
If you want a stunningly fast, eye-catching electric supercar, you could do worse than the Rimac Concept One. Should you not have approximately US$1 million to spend on one, however, there's still something you can buy that's made by Croatia's Rimac Automobili – the $8,000 Greyp G-12 electric bicycle/motorcycle/moped-type thing.
- The 49-kg (108-lb) G-12 is the more teched-up descendant of the Greyborg, an electric off-road bike that was made and distributed by Rimac mechanical engineer Zvonimir Sučić in his spare time.
Riders can choose to pedal with no assistance, pedal with assistance from the electric motor, or go with motor-power only. When using the motor, users can choose between three driving modes: Street, in which its top speed is limited to 25 km/h (15.5 mph) so it won't be legally classified as a motorcycle; Eco, which maximizes energy-efficiency; and Power, which allows for faster acceleration and a top speed of 65 km/h (40 mph).
According to Rimac, one charge of the 64-volt 1.3-kWh lithium nanophosphate battery should be good for a motor-power-only range of up to 120 km (74.5 miles). Recharging takes 80 minutes, from a standard outlet.
One of the G-12's more interesting features is its 5-inch tablet-like touchscreen user interface. This is what allows riders to switch between modes, plus it displays data such as speed, power output, battery life and estimated range based on current power usage. That display also incorporates a fingerprint scanner, that can identify up to 50 different users,and up to five fingers on each user. This gives riders the option of switching between modes, or accessing other functions, simply by pressing different fingers against the scanner.
Other features include a high-tensile steel frame with a carbon fiber body, regenerative braking, a two-speed planetary Schlump bottom bracket transmission, along with front and rear shocks offering 180 and 110 mm of travel, respectively.
The Greyp G-12 can be seen in action in the video below.
Source: Greyp
Friday, September 13, 2013
Samsung Galaxy Gear vs. Sony Smartwatch 2
Samsung Galaxy Gear vs. Sony Smartwatch 2
Wearable computing has been standing in the wings for a while now, waiting for its moment in the spotlight. And this holiday season looks like it's finally time for smartwatches' first big entrance. Watches like Pebble and Sony's original Smartwatch have been around for a while now, but Samsung's Galaxy Gear and the Sony Smartwatch 2 are about to heat things up. Let's compare the specs and features of the two big touchscreen watches, and see how they stack up.
- Size
This is a little different from comparing smartphones, tablets, or laptops, because you won't be using either of these watches in the disembodied states you see above. But for what it's worth, the Samsung Galaxy Gear's face is 39 percent taller, and 23 percent thicker. The Sony Smartwatch 2 is 14 percent wider.
Weight
You don't want your smartwatch to be too heavy on your wrist. You can replace the Smartwatch 2's strap, so Sony gave us a couple of different specs here. With its metal band, though, it's 66 percent heavier than the Galaxy Gear.
Build
No cheap plastic here. The Gear is made of stainless steel, and the Smartwatch 2 rocks an aluminum body.
Display
The Smartwatch 2 gives you 96 percent as much screen area as the Galaxy Gear does. The Gear also has a much sharper screen, with a pixel density much closer to what you'd see on modern smartphones.
The Galaxy Gear has a Super AMOLED display, while Sony's watch has a Transreflective LCD, which should keep it plenty readable in direct sunlight. Samsung says the Gear will look good in the sun too, but we'll have to test drive both phones before we take that at face value.
Compatible phones
The current generation of smartwatches have a secret: they really aren't all that smart on their own. In fact, their main job is to leech brainpower from your much smarter smartphone. So it's essential that you buy a watch that's compatible with your phone of choice.
This is a big advantage for the Sony Smartwatch. It's compatible with any Android phone, as long as it's running Android 4.0 (which was released in late 2011) or higher.
At launch, the Galaxy Gear is compatible with – drumroll please – one phone, Samsung's new Galaxy Note 3. Within the next month or two, software updates will make it compatible with the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, and Galaxy Note 2 as well. But this is an extremely limited list, compared to the countless phones the Sony Smartwatch will pair with.
iPhone compatibility
Neither phone, though, will sync with an iPhone. If that's what you're looking for, your best bet right now might be the Pebble smartwatch. If you wait a while though (a month? a year?), Apple is rumored to be working on its own iWatch.
Bluetooth
Speaking of pairing with your phone, both watches are going to do that via Bluetooth. Here the Galaxy Gear uses newer technology, the battery-conserving Bluetooth LE (Low Energy).
Notifications
The biggest gift that smartwatches give you is instant notifications right on your wrist. As with Pebble, and every other recent smartwatch, both of these deliver.
The Galaxy Gear also has an eye-catching feature called Smart Relay that automatically opens the corresponding app on your phone when you pick it up. If that doesn't make sense, just picture receiving an email on your watch, picking up your Galaxy Note 3 to read it in its entirety, and having your email app waiting for you when you pick it up.
Battery life
According to Samsung's and Sony's estimates, the Smartwatch 2 has the advantage in battery life. It supposedly lasts three to four days with typical use. Samsung says the Galaxy Gear will get over 24 hours with heavier use, but you'll definitely want to plug it in before you hit your pillow at night.
Phone calls
The Galaxy Gear has a speaker and microphone, to let you make phone calls through the watch. Well, technically, the call is being placed by your phone, but on the user end it should seem like it's happening entirely on the watch.
The Smartwatch 2 doesn't have this kind of calling feature. Sony is pitching its ability to help you make a call via a Bluetooth headset, but that sounds more like a half-hearted attempt to cover up a weakness than a real marquee feature.
Voice control
Our future smartwatches will probably all feature some sort of voice control. It makes sense, right? The screen is too small for any meaningful text entry, so talking to your phone is the next best way to dictate a message or look something up.
Here Samsung has the advantage, as a pared-down version of its S Voice (Samsung's Siri rival) is on board. We're anxious to put the Gear's version of S Voice through the paces, to see just what it can and can't do.
Camera
The Galaxy Gear also sports a camera on its strap. Activation is easy: swipe from the top of the screen to the bottom, and tap on the screen to shoot. It might be a little creepy just how discreetly you'll be able to snap photos, but at least your victims can rest easy, knowing that they'll only be about the same quality as your phone's front-facing camera.
Water resistance
Both watches have some water resistance in tow, which is pretty much essential for a wearable device. Sony's water resistance is much better though, as you can go swimming in your Smartwatch 2. The Galaxy Gear is limited to some rain and maybe a shower.
Processor
We aren't going to dwell too much on components like processors here in these early smartwatches, but the Galaxy Gear's single core CPU is faster.
Wristband swapping
You can swap the Smartwatch 2's default band with any standard 24 mm strap. The Galaxy Gear's band, camera and all, is a permanent part of the package.
NFC
Sony is playing up the Smartwatch 2's near-field communication, but we don't think that should be a deciding factor. It supposedly makes pairing with your phone easier (just bump and it pairs), but the actual pairing still happens over Bluetooth. NFC just (allegedly) makes an already easy process even easier.
Apps
What would a mobile device be without apps? Both watches will run apps, but at launch this is an overwhelming advantage for Samsung. The company lined up deals with some popular developers, and will run wrist-based versions of popular apps like Path, Evernote, Pocket, and Glympse.
Wrap-up
We're still at the beginning of the story of wearable computing. But these two early entries each offer something a little different.
The Galaxy Gear shows all signs of being the more advanced device. It has more smarts in its own head, and borrows even more from its connected phone.
But that singular "phone" also looks to be the Galaxy Gear's biggest weakness at launch. On day one, you'll need a Galaxy Note 3 if you want it to be anything other than a US$300 time keeper. Like we already mentioned, support for other Galaxy devices is on its way, but even that makes for a pretty narrow list.
So, by default, the Smartwatch 2's killer feature is its compatibility. As long as your Android phone runs Ice Cream Sandwich or beyond (any recent mid- to high-end Android phone should), then you're in the clear.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Artificial muscles could allow robots to lift 80 times their own weight
Artificial muscles could allow robots to lift 80 times their own weight
Robots with artificial muscles would have superhuman strength (Image:Shutterstock)
It's a classic science fiction scene: an android is injured and its human-like exterior is laid bare to reveal the metallic gears and cables of its true mechanical nature. The future is, unsurprisingly, not likely to match this scenario as our ability to mimic biology with innovations like artificial muscles improves. The latest breakthrough in this field comes from the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Engineering where researchers have developed a “robotic” muscle that extends like real muscle tissue to five times its original length, has the potential to lift 80 times its own weight and holds out the promise of smaller, stronger robots capable of more refined movements.
In the 1960s, John W. Campbell Jr, editor of Analog Science Fictionmagazine, pointed out a problem with robots that still plagues engineers today. He outlined a scenario where a man is chased across rough country by a mad scientist’s horde of killer robots. The various models were stymied by obstacles that the man could overcome, such as sinking in mud or getting tangled in bushes, and that the only robots capable of keeping up with the man were so light and underpowered that he ended up tearing them apart with his bare hands.
The point is this: robots are weaklings. We tend to think of robots as mechanical Samsons that can bend steel in their claws, and many can. However, the powerhouse robots are also extremely heavy and use hydraulics for the heavy lifting. Pound for pound they’re actually very weak compared to a human, being capable of lifting only half their weight.
In addition, robots using gears and motors, pneumatics, or hydraulics lack fine control. They tend to move in jerks and have to pause between each move. This makes robots move in a, well, “robotic” fashion and this is why animatronic robots often look like they have a tic. It’s very difficult to make a robot capable of delicate, smooth movements.
One solution to this problem is biomimetics. In other words, by borrowing from the design work that nature has already done. Artificial muscles, which have been around for some years, are an example of this. Instead of electric motors or pumps to turn cams or push fluids, the artificial muscle is a material or device that expands and contracts the way real muscles do. The difference is that where muscles burn sugars, artificial muscles use electric fields, pneumatic bladders, ions, or heat.
The tricky bit with artificial muscles is that how strong they are depends on how far they can extend. The further the extension, the greater the strength. Currently, artificial muscles only extend about three times their original length. This limits not only strength, but the level of control, so movements powered by artificial muscles leave a lot to be desired.
Billed as a first in robotics, the NUS artificial muscle was developed by a four-person team Led by Dr Adrian Koh of the NUS Engineering Science Program and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Its an example of an electroactive polymer. In this case, a dielectric elastomer based on rubber that changes shape when subjected to an electric field. Theoretically, such a polymer could extend to ten times its length and lift 500 times its own weight, though the current version isn’t anywhere near that limit.
"Our materials mimic those of the human muscle, responding quickly to electrical impulses instead of slowly for mechanisms driven by hydraulics," says Dr Koh. "Robots move in a jerky manner because of this mechanism. Now, imagine artificial muscles which are pliable, extendable and react in a fraction of a second like those of a human. Robots equipped with such muscles will be able to function in a more human-like manner – and outperform humans in strength."
Robots using artificial muscles would be a far cry from clanking mechanical men. They would be much more lifelike, capable of facial expression and precise, graceful movements. They would also have superhuman strength, yet weigh the same as a person.
In addition, the polymer may have more general applications in machines, such as cranes. An added bonus of the polymer is that is can convert and store energy, which means it’s possible to design robots that power themselves after charging for only minutes.
"Our novel muscles are not just strong and responsive," Dr Koh says. "Their movements produce a by-product – energy. As the muscles contract and expand, they are capable of converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. Due to the nature of this material, it is capable of packing a large amount of energy in a small package. We calculated that if one were to build an electrical generator from these soft materials, a 10 kg (22 lb) system is capable of producing the same amount of energy of a one-ton electrical turbine."
Dr Koh and his team have applied for a patent for the artificial muscle and are continuing work on it. They predict that within five years they could have a robot arm that is half the size and weight of a human arm, yet could win an arm wrestling match.
The results of the team’s research was presented in June at the 3rd International Conference on Electromechanically-Active Polymer Transducers and Artificial Muscles in Zurich, Switzerland.
Nissan's Nismo smartwatch delivers real-time data on a driver's performance
September 10, 2013
Nissan says the watch will be the first in an ongoing line of wearable devices for drivers
Image Gallery (3 images)The smartwatch trend has certainly taken off recently with new wrist-worn tech announced by the likes of Samsung, Sony, and ... Nissan? Yes, the automobile company is getting in on the action with a concept for a watch designed exclusively for its Nismo brand of high-performance cars. Unlike most other smartwatches that just sync to a person's mobile phone, the planned Nismo Watch will also connect to a sports car to provide data on its performance in real-time.
Unveiled on the eve of the Frankfurt Motor Show, Nissan says the watch will be the first in an ongoing line of wearable devices for drivers. The Nismo smartwatch snaps together around the wearer's wrist and is designed to be quickly checked while their hands are on the wheel. On a full charge, the built-in lithium battery provides over seven days worth of power and can be recharged through a micro-USB port. A smartphone app connects to the car and uses Bluetooth Low Energy to relay any info on it to the watch, which a person can cycle through using two buttons on the side.
Through the Nismo Watch, users will be able to check their average speed, top speed, and fuel efficiency, amongst other stats. It will also keep a log of all this data to compare with current info or share with friends online. If the app detects that the car is due for some maintenance, the watch will display a warning message to let the driver know. Additionally, the Nismo Watch will show an alert when users receive a message through text, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram, along with updates on the weather and time.
The Nismo Watch is also equipped with a heart rate monitor that tracks the wearer's pulse and compares it to their current speed, providing similar biometric technology to the kind used by race car drivers. Nissan hopes this will help customers see not just how their car is performing, but also how well they're performing while driving it.
One other feature that makes the Nismo stand out a bit more from the smartwatch pack is a messaging system that offer various tips based on the information it receives. Depending on the weather forecast, it might advise you to be aware of ice on the road, or if it detects a high pulse rate, it could warn you to slow down.
Nissan designed the watch to resemble the "O" in the Nismo logo with the aim of conveying the same cutting-edge sensibilities as its performance cars and will produce it in black and white colors in addition to the black and red model that's been shown. Even the packaging will be made from the same rubber found on racing tires.
Since this is only a concept at the moment, Nissan hasn't revealed any potential release dates or prices for the Nismo Watch just yet. However, the company has stated it plans to develop more wearable technology for its customers and already has a few specific devices in mind. Future gadgets could involve an ECG (Electrocardiogram) that measures heart rhythms to check for fatigue, an EEG (Electroencephalogram) that monitors brainwaves to detect a driver's concentration, and a skin temperature sensor that also checks a driver's hydration.
In the meantime, check out the video below for Nissan's take on how drivers could interact with the Nismo Watch.
Source: Nissan
Jonathan grew up in Norway, China, and Trinidad before graduating film school and becoming an online writer covering green technology, history and design, as well as contributing to video game news sites like Filefront and 1Up. He currently resides in Texas, where his passions include video games, comics, and boring people who don't want to talk about either of those things. All articles by Jonathan iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S4
September 10, 2013
Earlier this year, Samsung launched the Galaxy S4, which some considered to be a minor update over the Galaxy S3. But Apple's new iPhone 5s might be an even more iterative update, apart from one or two marquee features. Which comes out on top? It's too early to say for sure, but we can start by comparing the specs and features of the companies' two latest flagships, the iPhone 5s and Galaxy S4.
- Size
The iPhone has fallen way behind Android phones in overall size (and screen size, which we'll get to in a moment). Today's iPhone 5s update didn't do anything to change that, as it's exactly the same size as 2012'siPhone 5.
That has the Galaxy S4 measuring in at ten percent taller, and 19 percent wider. The iPhone 5s is about four percent thinner.
Weight
The iPhone 5s' weight stays the same as its predecessor as well. It's 14 percent lighter than the Galaxy S4, though the GS4's much larger size actually has it winning in terms of relative weight (weight-to-surface-area ratio).
Build
Apple did announce one plastic phone today, but it wasn't the iPhone 5s. It sticks with the anodized aluminum from the iPhone 5. It is, however, available in some different colors, including gold (pictured above), along with "space gray" and silver.
Display
Here's yet another area that stayed exactly the same from last year's iPhone. Just like last year's showdown, the iPhone gives you just 63 percent as much screen area as the GS4 does.
The iPhone only packs in 35 percent as many pixels as the Galaxy S4 does, but it's hard to come down too hard on that 326 pixel per inch Retina Display. When looking at these two phones, we're really comparing "plenty sharp" to "ridiculously sharp."
The iPhone 5s' screen uses IPS technology, while the GS4's is a Super AMOLED.
Processor
If the above graphic makes no sense to you, then you aren't alone. See, Apple hasn't told us much about the technical specs of that A7 chip (cores and clock speed will be a mystery until benchmarks start rolling in), so we're left with the 64-bit architecture that Apple told us all about. It's the first smartphone to jump into the realm of 64-bit computing, but we don't really know what that means for performance just yet.
RAM
Unfortunately, we're also in the dark about the iPhone 5s' RAM. We'd wager our money on 1 GB, like the iPhone 5, but we'll have to wait and see where those chips fall.
Storage
Internal storage options are equal, but the GS4 also packs a microSD card slot. The GS4 also likely hogs more of its internal storage with its somewhat bloated TouchWiz UI.
Cameras
Megapixels probably don't mean a lot here. Apple spent a good chunk oftoday's event talking about the upgrades to the iPhone 5s' camera, but none of them had to do with pixel count. It does have larger pixels (similar to the HTC One), along with a dual LED "True Tone" flash, and a burst mode that automatically picks the sharpest shot.
Battery
Here's another confusing category, as Apple hasn't told us the capacity of the iPhone 5s' battery. We're left with an estimate, which probably won't mean much for now. Stay tuned for a more in-depth look at the 5s, to get the full low-down on battery life.
Fingerprint sensor
As the killer feature of the iPhone 5s, it's worth shining the spotlight on the phone's Touch ID biometric sensor. Press one of your fingers on the home button, and unlock your phone. The key is that nobody who doesn't have your fingerprints will be able to get in. Payments aren't supported (at least not yet), but you can authorize iTunes purchases with your fingertip. If it works as advertised, this will likely be the best combination we've seen of smartphone security and convenience.
LTE
As you'd expect, both phones pack the radios to ride speedy 4G LTE networks, as long as your carrier allows it. There is also a more limited HSPA+ version of the GS4, mostly sold in markets that don't have LTE anyway.
NFC
Near-field communication may not be a must-have feature for most smartphone shoppers, but if you're into things like bumping phones to transfer data, or using one of those rare NFC mobile payment services, then the GS4 has your ticket punched.
Software
The iPhone 5s ships with the new-look iOS 7, while the GS4 still runs Android 4.2, layered with Samsung's TouchWiz UI. The chasm between the two platforms has never been larger, as Samsung keeps squeezing in as many new features as it can, while Apple continues to focus on simplicity, highlighting a handful of new features every year.
Apart from the UI overhaul, our favorite new feature in iOS 7 just might be Control Center, a pane of quick settings toggles that you activate by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. Of course Android loyalists will be quick to point out that their platform has had various versions of the same idea for years.
Wrap-up
If this comparison seems incomplete, you aren't crazy. We've spent months with the Galaxy S4, but we'll have to wait to put the hot-off-the-press iPhone 5s through the paces.
From where we stand now, though, we see some pretty stark contrast between the two phones. The GS4 has a bigger and sharper screen, but the iPhone might be a more comfortable size for smaller hands. The GS4 has an exhausting laundry list of features, but the iPhone 5s has one, that fingerprint sensor, that might trump them all.
But where we stand now is still only close enough to rap off some basic specs and features. It's a good start, but this story is just beginning. Stay tuned to Gizmag for much more on this front.
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