If you think cameras are ubiquitous now, wait until this catches on. Researchers at Columbia University announced today that they have build the world’s first self-powered video camera. By leveraging the technology that powers both digital imaging and solar panels, they’ve made a prototype model that draws energy from the ambient light in a well-lit room. READ MORE: World’s First Self-Powered Video Camera Unveiled | Discovery News.
Lucy Jung never thought much about designing for sick people. Then she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She recovered, and the experience has driven her toward what she now thinks of her calling: to use design to help improve the quality of life of hospital patients and those with chronic conditions.
It drove the 27-year-old designer to create the Arc, a pen for people with Parkinson’s disease. Along with three fellow students (Hwan Soo Jeon, Tian-jia Hsieh, and Danny Waklin) from the UK’s Royal College of Art and the Imperial College London who took part in the Innovation Design and Engineering joint masters course, Jung designed the pen to not only make it easier for people with Parkinson’s to write legibly, but to actually loosen up the muscles of their hands after they’ve put the pen down.
READ MORE: A Pen For People With Parkinson’s | Co.Design | business + design.
Everyone knows one of them. They always have their nose stuck in a book, they don’t go anywhere without one and they are perennially asking you if you’ve read the book version of that movie that just came out. Bookworms. Book lovers. Bibliophiles.
Although book reading has historically been an analog and solitary activity, 2015 brings with it a new appreciation for digital gadgets, and the book industry isn’t exempt from the wave of tech innovation. READ MORE: 10 gadgets for the bookworm in your life | Mashable
Microcomputing fans take note — there’s a new Raspberry Pi in town. The all-new board brings a host of new hardware, including a Broadcom 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor and 1GB of RAM. Those upgrades, the Raspberry Pi Foundation says, make the Pi 2 Model B a much more powerful computer — not just a good computer for its $35 price.
The Raspberry Pi is an extremely simple computer that can be yours for very little money. It looks and feels very basic, but can be built into any number of geeky projects, and is designed to get youngsters interested in coding…
…Raspberry Pi is on a collision course with Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 10 operating system. “For the last six months,” the Raspberry Pi Foundation writes on its blog, “we’ve been working closely with Microsoft to bring the forthcoming Windows 10 to Raspberry Pi 2. Microsoft will have much more to share over the coming months. The Raspberry Pi 2-compatible version of Windows 10 will be available free of charge to makers.”
READ MORE: Raspberry Pi 2 runs free Windows 10, costs $35 | CNET.
I’ve heard of geocaching before but never thought about this activity associated with books. This would be so much fun…would love to try!! Adventure and discovery, mysteries and problem-solving, stories and books, gadgets and tech, plus new environments…now if I had a to-go mug filled with tea…my idea of perfection. I also think geocaching would be a fun date activity.
Geocaching is a real-world treasure hunt. When this was written, there were over 2.5 million geocaches or “caches” and 6 million geocachers around the world. Each cache is listed on a website. A player uses a GPS device either a handheld GPS unit or a smartphone to read and decipher the clues and then find the actual treasure. It may take a long hikes in the woods or a simple walk around the corner, depending on where you are and what you want to do. For someone like me, who prefers to sit with her head in a book, it can be a welcome little bit of exercise between chapters. Once found, you sign a log, record it on the computer, and move on to the next one.
READ MORE: Why Geocaching Is The Perfect Sport for Readers | BOOK RIOT
Sure, you can already 3D print things on your MakerBot in a wide range of colors — from bright orange to glow-in-the dark green. But those looking for something a little classier now have a few new color options — and theyre all approved by none other than Martha Stewart. The domestic diva has struck a licensing deal with MakerBot for three new filament shades and a collection of 3D-printable designs.
Besides the new filament colors, Stewart and her team of designers are working with MakerBots design team to produce new collections of printables for the 3D-printer companys digital store. The idea is that you can purchase and download these Stewart-branded designs, then print them on your MakerBot Replicator.
READ MORE: Martha Stewart Brings Pastel Aesthetic to MakerBot | News & Opinion | PCMag.com
The new Raspberry Pi is smaller, cheaper and more energy efficient—not a bad way to update a best-selling device. Whether you’ve taken the plunge on one of the new units or you want to put the original model to good use, weve collected together some of the most fun Pi-based projects on the planet for you to have a crack at.
Read More: 16 Fun Projects for Your New Raspberry Pi | Gizmodo.
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Browsing toy stores these days is often a constant reminder that they don’t make toys like they used to — because, in most cases, they make them better. It’s row after row of products you wish had been around back in your younger days. This goes double for the high-tech toys including robotics, smart devices and construction kits. Moss is a little bit of each.
The second product from Boulder, Colorado-based hardware startup Modular Robotics began life as a Kickstarter campaign late last year, when it managed to capture more than three and a half times its lofty $100,000 goal. And it’s not tough to see why. The robotics kit promises balances education and entertainment.
READ MORE Moss is a pricey Erector set for robot lovers [REVIEW] | Mashable
Hey, sometimes actions speak louder than fonts. And if you really, really like Comic Sans, then you’re going to love this. In the name of art, a gentleman named Jesse England has designed the “Sincerity Machine,” a Comic Sans typewriter.
READ MORE: Love Comic Sans? Then This is the Typewriter For You | Engadget
The fashion world wants to get functional. Smart, wearable technology has always had a bit of an image problem. Google Glass, Fitbit and other popular tech companies have found it difficult to add a sartorial touch to smart gear. Jamming an ugly smartwatch onto a chic outfit has always been the curse of those who sit at the crossroad between taste and technology. But the designer world is here to help. Thanks to a number of collaborations with fashion mavens such as Diane von Furstenberg and Tory Burch, stylish wristbands, smartwatches and even Google Glass are getting gorgeous upgrades. Here are nine gadgets that are actually smart and chic.
READ MORE: 9 Fashionable Wearables for the Sartorially Savvy | Mashable
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