Energy From Footsteps? Totally Possible With Pavegen

Simply put, you step on a Pavegen tile and it powers a small lithium battery. The energy stored can then be distributed to nearby city-owned infrastructure like street lamps or traffic lights. At least that’s the set up Pavegen are aiming to transform. This might be in a sidewalk near you sooner than you think.

Pavegen Systems are a small company who want to bring sustainable solutions to a crowded sidewalk somewhere. Thanks to the abundance of (mostly wasted) kinetic energy produced by purposeful everyday footwork, Pavegen tiles absorb countless steps and convert these into a viable power source. Problem is, when pedestrian traffic vanishes at certain hours—like night time for example—what then?

Turns out Pavegen is also designed to store energy. Each tile is made of recycled materials and stainless steel, engineered to be weather proof as well. They’re also tough enough to withstand lots of pressure. Probably the best place for Pavegen are large metropolitan areas. London and Tokyo come to mind. In fact, Pavegen’s biggest client to date is the upcoming London Olympics.

iPort LaunchPort chargers your iPad2 wirelessly

Charging your devices is always a tedious process, especially if you’re using wires and cables, and if you don’t want to deal with wires anymore, company iPort has released an interesting wireless charger for iPad 2, that might be perfect for you.

Latest charger from iPort is called LaunchPort and it is comprised out of three parts: a hard case for your iPad 2 with a built-in inductive charger, BaseStation charger that can be placed on any flat surface and a WallStation charger that mounts on your wall. As for the system, it works simple, and all that you have to do in order to recharge your iPad 2 is to place it on BaseStation or WallStation and the recharging process will start automatically.

If you’re tired from wires, iPort LaunchPort can be the perfect wireless charger for you, and we should see iPort LaunchPort available in the fourth quarter of 2011. As for the price, it remains unknown at the moment.

Helmet that Charges Cell Phones Using Solar and Wind Power

The latest invention coming from Pragnesh Dudhaiya and Aalok Bhatt, two students studying electrical engineering at the Nirma University in Ahmedabad, is a helmet that can be used as a cell phone charger.

By harnessing solar and wind energy, the helmet is able to charge a cell phone in about 40 minutes. The students announced that they are going to file for a patent for their latest invention. It is worth mentioning that the number of accidents in the city increases and more people get serious injuries due to the fact that they do not wear helmets.

According to Pragnesh and Aalok, their helmet will motivate people to use head protection while on the road. To be able to come up with the innovation, the students needed only three days. During the day the helmet uses solar energy to charge a cell phone, and at night it harnesses wind energy. Pragnesh mentioned that the price for helmet will be Rs. 1,000 (about $22).

Microsoft confirms USB 3.0 support for Windows 8

All PC users are waiting for Windows 8 with anticipation because it will feature all sorts of improvements, and if you’re waiting for Windows 8 as well, then we’re happy to inform you that Microsoft has just confirmed USB 3.0 support in Windows 8.

Today, most devices are using USB 2.0 connectivity, but as you know, that technology will surely be replaced with USB 3.0 in the near future, so it’s really no surprise to see that Windows 8 will have USB 3.0 support. We also have to mention that Microsoft won’t add USB 3.0 support on top of the USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 software stack, and it will write entirely new software stack for USB 3.0 instead, while keeping the USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 stacks separated.

Support for USB 3.0 in Windows 8 isn’t anything unexpected since we’re seeing more USB 3.0 devices with each passing day, but if you don’t own any USB 3.0 devices, don’t worry, Windows 8 will still have support for USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 devices.

Sulsa - World's First Plane Created Using 3D Printer

Making objects using 3D printers is not new today. Recently a group of researchers from the University of Southampton managed to come up with the world's first 3D printed aircraft.

The team also managed to make the plane is just one week. They also carried out the first test flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The trial took place at a site north of Stonehenge.

It would be interesting to note that the cost of the project was GBP5,000 and the name of the plane is Sulsa (short for Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft).

In order to make the plane more lightweight researchers decided to design it without undercarriage. They also equipped their aircraft with an electric-motor, making it eco-friendly. The wingspan of the UAV is 1.5 meters and it was printed out using hard nylon provided by 3T RPD, a company from Greenham Common, Berkshire.

According to the group of researchers led by Andy Keane and Jim Scanlan, 3D printing could bring a revolution in the field of aircraft design. They believe that in the future an unmanned plane might be printed out and built in just a few days.

Thanko Presents UDGZDC8M - Device that Combines Binoculars and Digital Camera

One of the most popular gadget developers in Japan, Thanko, recently unveiled a device called sophisticatedly UDGZDC8M, which combines binoculars and digital camera.

The gadget boasts a 4x digital zoom (8x zoom for binoculars). You can expand its memory using an SD/MMC card, with the device supporting up to 16GB.

In addition, its 8Mp digital camera can shoot photos at a resolution of 4,032×3,024. Among other features you can find a 1.5-inch TFT LCD and a USB 1.1 port.

You will also be able to shoot AVI videos in QVGA quality (320×240 at 30fps).

The device weights 450 grams and is available for $ 284.79.

World's First Self-Thinking Unmanned Stealth Aircraft

The world's largest defense contractor, BAE Systems, which also focuses on security and aerospace, has presented its semi-autonomous unmanned stealth aircraft called Taranis.

Using this new-gen aircraft it would be possible to bring cargo to the enemy's territory without notice and without any pilot. But the most interesting feature is that Taranis can think for itself.

The presentation of the aircraft took place in the U.K. where Taranis joined a number of other stealth unmanned aircrafts that are currently in the development stage.

It is worth mentioning that the unmanned stealth aircraft represents a part of the British initiative for the Ministry of Defense.

Some special equipment for the aircraft has not been developed yet and the first prototype will not carry weapons, but it will include two weapon bays.

"Should such systems enter into service, they will at all times be under the control of highly trained military crews on the ground," stated the British defense contractor.