Gizmag News - The Top 10 things you CAN'T have for Christmas 2009

Welcome to the newsletter for gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine. These are the headlines for December the 14th, 2009. The Top 10 things you CAN'T have for Christmas 2009 There's only 14 sleeps 'til Christmas, but unless you're planning on discovering a large oil deposit or a long lost Spanish Galleon in the very near future, you may struggle to scrape together the funds required to tackle this little wish list. Each year we take a look back at the most over-the-top examples of emerging technology to have graced our pages in the past 12 months. So without further ado, here's our pick of what you can't have for Christmas in 2009. Read More Volvo S60 automatic pedestrian safety system hits the brakes if you don't Gizmag has written a few pieces about the forthcoming Volvo S60 which is due to be released in 2010. In this installment we look at the newly-developed pedestrian alert system being incorporated into the stylish sedan. So, put aside your thoughts on the sleek Scandanavian-inspired lines, the visionary interior, the comfort and power - which has been described by Volvo as “a thrilling blend of drama and sensuality” - and delve into the realm of safety for those in and around the vehicle. Read More Gestural interfaces make touch screens look so ‘last year’ The gestural interface used by Tom Cruise in the movie Minority Report was based on work by MIT Media Lab’s Hiroshi Ishii, who has already commercialized similar large-scale gestural interface systems. However, such systems comprise many expensive cameras or require the user to wear tracking devices on their fingers. To develop a similar yet cost effective gestural interface system that is within reach of many more people other researchers at MIT have instead been working to develop screens with embedded optical sensors to track the movement of the user’s fingers that could quickly make touch screens seem outdated. Read More U.S. Trademark Office fast tracking ‘green’ patents Recognizing there’s now a sense of urgency in saving the planet, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will pilot a program to accelerate the examination of certain “green” technology patent applications. According to the USPTO the move is designed to “accelerate development and deployment of green technology, create green jobs, and promote U.S. competitiveness in this vital sector.” Read More REX - robotic beast of burden hits the market The military potential of robotics has long been one of the primary driving forces in the funding of research and development in the field. Aerial UAVs transformed armed conflict so dramatically that a new wave of robotic military capabilities are being readied for the battlefield in the hope of providing a similar competitive edge. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) recently began showing a battery-powered robotic beast of burden which can carry up to 200 kilograms, run three days without a recharge, and follow and respond to the voice commands of its master. Though designed for use on the battlefield, REX has myriad commercial applications in agriculture, manufacturing, and beyond. Read More Intelligent blood bags optimize supplies and prevent dangerous mistakes During high-risk medical operations surgeons keep blood supplies at hand so that they are ready to face possible emergencies; but blood bags can only be reused if the cold chain has been maintained, meaning that a portion of such a precious and limited resource routinely goes wasted. To face this problem, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have proposed intelligent blood bags with an embedded a radio chip that constantly monitors temperature and checks for blood type compatibility with the patient, avoiding possible mistakes. Read More WiGig Alliance: ten times faster wireless on the way It seems our already speedy wireless connections are set to get a whole lot faster with the Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) announcing the completion of its unified wireless specification. Using the currently unlicensed 60GHz spectrum, the technology is set to provide data transmission rates of up to 7Gbps – more than ten times that of current 802.11n Wi-Fi. Read More Fast charging i-Miev for the UK As Mitsubishi's iMiev electric cars become available to the public next year, the UK will be the first to benefit from technology that will see the Lithium-ion batteries recharged to 80 percent capacity in just 30 minutes. Mitsubishi UK will be the first company in Europe to showcase the city car's fast charging capabilities. Read More Methane levels may point to life on Mars New research has strengthened the possibility that biological life may exist beneath the surface of Mars. Scientists from Imperial College London have shown that the level of methane on the Red Planet can't be explained by meteorites in the atmosphere. This leaves the theory that microorganisms are producing methane gas as a by-product of their metabolic processes as one of the remaining possible explanations. Read More 3rd gen iPod shuffle gets internal waterproofing Just a few weeks ago Swimman announced that it had waterproofed the in-line controller on Apple's proprietary earphones for the 3rd generation iPod Shuffle. Now the company has turned its attention to the device itself, protecting it from water damage to a depth of 25 feet without adding weight or bulk. Read More Driving the Spira 3-wheel prototype The Spira three-wheeler is a unique vehicle. It's one of the finalists in the Automotive X-Prize but its frugal fuel consumption and low emissions are only part of the vision of making it a car for the people. The Spira starts with a scooter, uses everything but the frame, and all those parts bolt into a foam composite tub to create a lightweight (137 kg) three-wheeled two-seater with immeasurably greater crash protection for the occupants. Gizmag visited the Spira's home in Thailand to drive what inventor Lon Ballard hopes will become a machine for the people, and came away mightily impressed. Read More Brabus to debut 200mph SUV at Dubai Auto Show Dubai is the land of the mega-wealthy and purveyors of exceptional machinery often stage world debuts there for their latest uber-exclusive toys. This week the Dubai International Motor Show gets underway and the pick of the toys-for-very-rich-boys will be the world's fastest street-legal SUV. The BRABUS GLK V12 is powered by a 740 bhp twin turbo twelve-cylinder engine, has a top speed of 200mph (322kmh) and the base model starts at US$580,000. Be careful with the options though, or you'll give the bank manager a heart attack. Read More Windows Mobile 6.5 reviews are in: better, but not good Recent mobile coverage at Gizmag HTC Dragon to put Android on the Snapdragon chipset? HP Mini 311 gets benchmarked App Store hits two billion downloads AT&T launches MMS support for the iPhone 3G and 3GS The Vertu Constellation Ayxta: yours for just 4,900 Euros BlackBerry Desktop Software for OS X coming very soon NTT's TOUCH WOOD concept phones Intel's Core i7 Mobile processors bring desktop performance to the road If you would like to refer this newsletter to a friend or colleague, please point them at our free subscription page. Please don't try to forward this email, as the formatting is unlikely to remain intact. And don't worry, we don't share email addresses. Please read our privacy policy if you are concerned. Watch for more of the best new innovations, ideas and practical technologies in your inbox. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at http://www.gizmag.com. 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