Archive for July, 2007

The Japanese love technology so much that now even sex toys are on the cutting edge.

The gPod vibrator, is designed to respond automatically to sounds picked up by an accompanying handset, which can plug into anything from a telephone to a music player to a television. The sounds it receives are then detected by low, medium and high music frequency sensors and sent on to a distinctly phallic joystick.

When activated, the user experiences a chorus of vibrations that correspond to the chosen music or voices. According to Ichiro Kameda, the gPod’s inventor,

“You can use it in many ways, for example hooking it up to your mobile phone… so one of the ideas is that you can use it here in Tokyo when your boyfriend in New York is talking to you on the phone.”

Kameda said he had spent four years trying to design a product when he hit upon the concept, although he declined to say how the idea came to him.

The gPod made a splash at the first-ever sex toy expo in Tokyo, Joymind were just one of the nearly 160 companies or groups displaying their products and services at the three day Adult Treasure Expo 2007, also known as SEXPO, where they announced retail prices at ¥25,000, or approx $243.

There is an already accessory on the market for the ipod which incorporates the same kind of technology. Although it’s difficult to say who developed the technology first, Apple started fighting the Japanese company when the latter started applying for trademarks around the world, eventually sending Japanese lawyer and repeated requests to stop using the gpod trademark. The company laughed off Apples requests and said they would fight if Apple ever decides to sue.

It seems the widley popular Nintendo Wii has surpassed its gaming expectations and is now being used by a Vancouver Gym as a Virtual Personal Trainer.

The Canadian Health Club Studio 55 is offering a new form of exercise for people bored with the treadmill or cycling classes - The Wii Workout Station. Clients at the health club are encouraged to use the Wii as part of circuit training, warm-up or cool-down, with the system set up in a 400 square-foot theater room with a large projection screen.

While some other gyms have combined stationary bikes with PlayStations and Xboxes in a bid to win younger clients, a spokesman for Nintendo Canada said this is the first they have heard of a gym using the Wii in its schedule.

Nathan Mellalieu, the owner of Studeo 55, said he decided to bring video games into a fitness environment after watching how much fun some children were having and, more importantly, seeing them sweating.

“We are always trying to break down paradigms and keep things fresh. It is used here to break up the monotony of traditional workouts,” he told Reuters.

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Great video clip, from the cockpit of a U.S. Military Jet turbo-prop, of a fighter pilots naval aviator’s view when landing on a runway flight deck of a military nuclear powered aircraft carrier during a military exercise in the middle of the ocean.

Can anyone give us any information on the type of Jet this pilot is flying or which carrier they are landing on?

Iraq war veteran Sgt. Juan Arredondo can now grasp tennis balls and door knobs with his left hand again, now that he’s been outfitted with a bionic hand that has flexible fingers. This brings new meaning and current implementation to once futuristic themes such as Terminator, Robo Cop and Star Wars.

The 27-year-old former Army soldier, who lost his left hand in 2005 during a patrol in Iraq when a IED exploded through the left side of his vehicle, is one of the first recipients of the i-LIMB. Arredondo was on patrol in Iraq on Feb. 28, 2005, when an explosive device blasted through the left side of his vehicle. As he jumped from the driver’s seat, he noticed that his left hand was still clutching the steering wheel. At San Antonio’s Brooke Army Medical Center, he was stabilized enough to have his amputated arm closed up and readied for a prosthesis. He went through two artificial arms until finally receiving the i-Limb.

“To have this movement, it’s — it’s amazing! My son tells me I’m half robot, half man,”

Arredondo said Monday as he showed off the limb made by Scotland-based Touch Bionics.

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There seems to be a lot of hype surrounding the newly released Apple iPhone. Boasted by Apple as a “Revolutionary Mobile Telephone” the iPhone packs new technologies never seen before in a cell phone. well, this isn’t entirely true. Sure the iPhone has Wifi capability and uses Safari explorer to access the web as if using your home PC or Mac but it certainly has its limitations, with the phone only available on contract for 1 year from AT&T and add-ons and widgets only available from registered suppliers and manufacturers, hackers are desperately trying to crack the iPhone to open up its capabilities.

Enter the OpenMoko Neo 1973(pictured:above left, against the iPhone:above right), first seen last November the Neo 1973 shares a lot of similarities with the iPhone except one very important specification, the Neo 1973 is the only cell phone based on open hardware specifications, this means that all the hardware and software code is open to developers, engineers and designers to build on and potentially create things even far more exciting than the current Apple iPhone. Upgrading your phone applications becomes as simple as downloading a new ring tone or installing new software on your PC or Mac. (Click Here To Read More…)

With a few new additions to 800hightech digital camera range, I thought we would take some time to take a look at what Nikon digital cameras have to offer for those interested in photography. Nikon has long been a leader in photography and still remains a professional camera brands in the digital photography realm. Nikon produces a wide range of cameras to suit everyone’s needs. We at 800hightech have selected and made available three different models, the compact digital CoolPix P5000, the D40x Digital SLR and the D80 Digital SLR, which are ideal for military members who are interested in photography and cover technical ranges from beginner to professional.

Digital SLR Cameras

A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that operates on the same optical and mechanical principles as a modern electronic autofocus 35mm film single-lens reflex camera. The key difference is that the film is replaced with a CCD or CMOS image sensor plus accompanying electronics, thus creating images digitally in-camera, without the need to first chemically develop a latent image on film.

We will explore advance Nikon Digital SLR and SLR-like Cameras. The Nikon CoolPix 5000 is a SLR-like Digital Camera, while the Nikon D40X and the Nikon D80. Considering taking up or enhancing your photography hobby? Here are some new cameras that will take your photography to a new level that takes advantage of the newest digital photo technology!

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Sony CyberShot DSC T100 Financed for Military Armed Forces

Welcome newest additions to 800HighTech arsanel, the incredibly popular ultra compact but stylish Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 8 megapixel digital Camera. Sony’s T-Series has been one of the most attractive compact digicams since it was introduced. Sony slim dimensions, user-friendly interface, design and built quality make the T-100 Digital Cameras some of the best sellers to date and the highes model in the T-Series. Sporting SONY’s high quality CCD converters and a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tesser lense, the flag ship model the DSC-T100 boasts more functions and settings for the professional photographer also has the largest LCD screen and most powerful zoom in the T-series digital camera.

“There’s a generation of style-conscious, tech-savvy people who want the brands and products in their lives to reflect who they are,” said Phil Lubell, director of marketing for digital cameras at Sony Electronics. “Our new Cybershot DSC T100 camera can give these customers the form factor and advanced technologies they’re looking for.”/blockquote>
While the T100 is a snap to use, there’s a surprising amount of performance stuffed into its all-metal shell. Thanks to the Bionz image processor, the T100 is quick to start up and shut down, and the shutter is responsive and quick to focus on the intended subject. Its D-Range Optimizer minimizes blown highlights that are the bane of other digicams, while capturing a wider range of tones. The T100 is also in a league of its own when it comes to transferring images from the camera to your computer over the included USB cable at speeds blazing over 10 times faster than other cameras!

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Transformers are amongst us and they are battling to be Number 1. Well they aren’t actually The Transformers, but from the previous post this is a good follow-up with actual combat robots. Welcome to the future of ultimate fighting. K1 was a popular fight club in Japan, but Robot battles are quickly sweeping the popularity and gaining support from fans (nerds like me). Check out the video to see what I am talking about

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The Transformers was an American cartoon series depicting a war between giant robots who could transform into vehicles, animals, and other objects.In Japan, the series was called Fight! Super Robot Life Form Transformers (??! ?????????????????, Tatakae! Cho Robotto Seimeitai Toransuf?m?). The Transformers toy-line and cartoon series owed their existence to the Japanese toyline, Microman (an Eastern descendant of the 12 inch G.I. Joe action figure series). For many, like myself, Transformers were a huge part of their childhood and this movie was long awaited. The technology and computer graphics in the 80s or even 90s were not advance enough to accurately portray the concept behind Transformers. Today’s CGI technology has finally caught up and Steven Spielberg’s and Dream Works team went all out!

Transformers quickly grossed astronomical amounts attributing to Steven Spielberg’s and Dream Works continued success. Anyone who has seen Transformers knows why this movie is in the Top 20 at theaters and already grossed over $70-Million USD! The most realistic computer graphics in movie productions yet, with an action packed video that featured a bunch of military high tech equipment and military men and women (both active duty and former) as extras and speaking roles.

More than 300 Airmen and numerous aircraft were featured in the July 4th released film to help make this movie possible. Backed by the Defense Department, the movie was more factual and realistic than most movies that portray the military are. Many 80s movies were notoriously incorrect with their cast, ranks, equipment, and protocol.

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Defense and security has come a long way in recent years, with tragic events like Sept 9/11 the public has seen a sharp increase in security measures worldwide. Now a Florida based start-up dubbed SeaAway (no relation to Segway) has turned their attention to making our ports a lot safer and guarding against terrorist attacks.

To security experts, the immense cargo ships that ferry more than 11 million containers into this country annually are potential Trojan horses each one could easily harbor a WMD (weapons of Mass Destruction), such as a dirty bomb. At present, only once the ships have been unloaded is their cargo subjected to random inspections and radiation scans. This method is outdated and well overdue for an upgrade!

SeaAway has developed a security system that would move cargo screening 14 miles offshore to the safety of the open seas. The plan calls for pairs of 100-foot-wide platforms anchored outside the world’s major ports. Equipped with an array of unmanned surveillance drones and sensors such as RFIDs (Radio Frequency Identification), the system monitors for chemical, biological and nuclear traces as ships travel between the platforms. If the sensor flags a suspicious container the Coast Guard is called into action. Robots have played a vital role in the War on Terror as we have seen from our previous posts.

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A three letter abbreviation that’s becoming synonymous with the Iraq War is IDE. Improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action.The Navy recently pressed for new out-of-the-box technologies that could predict where IED bombs will explode, now the Marines have just ordered 1000 mine resistant, ambush-protected vehicle (MRAP’s) to further save lives on the streets of Iraq.

The Cougar (known in the United Kingdom as “Tempest”, and previously it seems in the US as “Lion” and “Typhoon”), is designed to withstand a 30-pound blast of TNT to either the front or rear axles as well as a 15-pound blast to the center portion of the vehicle. The Cougar Hardened Engineer Vehicle, until 2002 marketed as the Lion, can be configured to complete a wide variety of mission requirements. The new HEV can serve as a mine-proof troop transport vehicle, a law enforcement special response vehicle, a weapons platform, or an escort protection vehicle.

The $490 million contract, which will be the biggest order for MRAP’s so far, calls for 300 Cougar 4 x 4s and 700 of the larger, six-wheeled Cougar 6 x 6s. Whilst no vehicle is completely safe from an IDE the Cougar is better armored than the Humvee and features a V-shaped undercarriage that partially redirects explosive blasts around the vehicle. The Marines field-tested various mine-resistant vehicles before settling on the Cougar. In 2006 this Cougar RG-31 suffered a direct IED hit, but none of the crew were killed.

The Cougar 4 x 4 and 6 x 6 models both have 330-hp diesels, top speeds of 65 mph, a 600-mile range, and seating for 10. The 6 x 6 can haul 14,000 pounds, nearly triple the 4 x 4 max load. Cougar, developed and produced by Force Protection Inc. is a multi-purpose, 12 ton mine protected armored patrol vehicle. The design uses a monocoque, bulletproof and blast-proof capsule fitted with transparent armored glass, which protects the driver and crew from small arms fire, mine blasts and IED.

Typical roles for the vehicle are armored, mine protected troop transport for security, stability and peacekeeping missions, protected weapons platform, law enforcement special response vehicle, counter IED an EOD / Range Clearance vehicle. The vehicle can accommodate 10 passengers in a 4×4 configuration and 16 passengers in a 6×6 configuration. Cougar was selected to serve with the US Marine Corps as a Hardened Engineer Vehicle (HEV), to support engineer mine clearing and explosive ordnance disposal teams deployed in Iraq.

As of June 2006, there are more than 130 Cougars and Buffalos in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since their deployment to Iraq in 2003 the Cougar and Buffalo vehicles employed with explosive ordnance disposal teams and engineers units have taken about 1,000 IED hits without a loss of life, said Wayne Phillips, a company vice president in charge of Marine Corps programs. The vehicle has proven to be superior to less protected vehicles, such as the up-armored Humvee or armored trucks.

Bigger plans to order more MRAP’s are still caught up in political controversy however the Pentagon hopes to eventually deploy a total of 7774 MRAPs at the total cost of 8.4 billion dollars. A small price to pay for the lives of our Troops on the streets of Iraq.

Defense Technology on the H Series Cougar Armord Truck

Air Force 326 Training Squadron Head Shot

The threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or street bombs is ever growing, especially on the streets of Iraq and detecting them has always been a problem. Now the Navy is trying to take bomb disposal to the next level by requesting proposals and offering grants for new technologies that can predict where bombs will actually be placed.

The office of Naval Research says it is looking for theoretical and technical approaches to:

• Permit the prediction of bomb emplacements
• Identify and localize bomb makers, storage nodes, safe zones and caches
• Identify or predict changing or emerging threat tactics.
• Track components, practices and procedures used in fabrication and assembly.

The project will possibly use any combination of statistical, logical, chemical, and psychological data to predict where the next bomb will be placed and is all part of a broader push to develop “fundamentally new theories, data, concepts, and principles that could one day help U.S. forces detect, neutralize, and guard themselves against improvised bombs.

Other ideas include “advanced sensor networks” to automatically detect bomb-placing, with “minimal” human involvement, technologies to “quickly and remotely destroy explosive devices without necessarily having to detect them” and methods to identify the “behavioral [and] physiological” signatures of the bombs’ “human initiators and observers.”

The closing date for proposals is 20th of July with grants being given sometime before Halloween, perhaps it won’t be too long before this technology is more than just an idea.

Active Inc., a Tokyo-based optical component manufacturer, is working on a transparent liquid crystal optical film as a replacement for backlit LCDs. A see-through composite LCDdisplay works just like traditional liquid crystal displays which are transparent until you run a current through them, at which point all the crystals in the liquid align and become opaque. I guess the difference here is that the screen is backlit by ambient light, which is a neat idea with questionable consumer practicality, but its stain-glass effect is impressive. Transparent TVs have always been a vision portrayed in the best scifi and futuristic movies such as Minority Report.

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American soldiers have been using laser scopes for a long time, to make their shots more accurate. But what if the bullets themselves were steered by lasers, and able to turn on a dime? That’s the idea behind a new, $7.5 million Darpa initiative to be a “laser-guided bullet” recently unclassified. DARPA have justified plans to begin funding research into designing a laser guided bullet, the 7.5 million dollar initiative could see science fiction become a reality with bullets actually able to change trajectory in mid-flight. The hope with this technology is that the compact targeting systems embedded in the projectiles will enable,

Overmatching fire power and significantly improve first site effectiveness in engaging distant enemy forces.

The goal appears to be to “enable low-cost, high performance guided projectiles” that take advantage of “guidance and targeting systems.” While the idea of a laser-guided bullet conjures images of soldiers marching across fields, spraying ammo that never misses, the report mentions that the technology is intended to be used by Special Forces and Army Sniper Teams. So, boiled down, we’re talking a bullet that’s going to be fired at long range by a sniper and be able to adjust its trajectory mid-flight, as to have a better chance of hitting the target.

To make this possible researchers will have to design whole new guidance technologies, such as MEMS based thrusters and initial side thrusting technologies with sufficient authority to move projectiles in flight. The bullet will need high stress tolerant electronics and new targeting systems robust to field operations under a variety of conditions.

The developments in fire power have continued to make warfare more precise, could laser guided-bullets be the next generation of ammunition?