Handset-Enabled Rice Cooker from Panasonic !

Panasonic has recently unveiled the world's first rice cooker that can be controlled with the help of a smartphone. The handset can be used to set the timer, select the type of rice, as well as choose cooking variations.

In addition, the device is connected to the company's cooking cloud server, which makes it possible for the use to get access to a wide variety of recipes.

The rice cooker is available for $600 and the smartphone makes use of Android operating system and Japan's FeliCa-brand of NFC technology to communicate with it.

New Seagate Technology Makes 60TB Hard Drives A Reality

Seagate has announced this week that they have become the first hard drive manufacturer to achieve the milestone storage density of 1 terabit per square inch, or 1 trillion bits) per square inch. The new technology now paves the way for hard drive to expand in size from today 3TB drive up to a massive 60TB in size, over the next 10 years.

Seagate was able to create the break through in hard drive storage by using heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology, the next generation of recording technology for hard drives. Mark Re, senior vice president of Heads and Media Research and Development at Seagate explains:

“The growth of social media, search engines, cloud computing, rich media and other data-hungry applications continues to stoke demand for ever greater storage capacity,” – “Hard disk drive innovations like HAMR will be a key enabler of the development of even more data-intense applications in the future, extending the ways businesses and consumers worldwide use, manage and store digital content.”

Toshiba demonstrates revolutionary Copier that prints using erasable toners

Toshiba Tec takes earth friendliness to the next level with their latest innovation: a copier that uses erasable toner.

Using a color erasing device (which is also built-in feature of the revolutionary copier), the print disappears, allowing the paper to be reused for up to multiple times. “The toner… loses its color when heated, so this technology makes it look as if the printing has disappeared. With this system, one sheet of photocopy paper can be used at least five times, so this product combines economy with ecology,” according to the group.

What’s more impressive is that even if one erases the print from a sheet of paper, the person can opt to save the data pending to be deleted through the device’s scanning capability. The copier also detects which sheets can be reused or otherwise.

Toshiba Tec aims to release the copier in winter, with future plans to release a color version of the device. The group however discloses that they have not set the price yet, although they are assuring everyone that the whole process of copying and erasing is cost-effective, if not similar to costs of present systems being used.

one2TOUCH foldable full-sized NFC keyboards for smartphones and tablets

Norway-based one2TOUCH is offering silicone keyboards that connect to smartphones and tablets simply by laying the mobile device on top - no pairing required. The keyboards feature "Touch & Type" functionality and have a pad that the device can rest on. In the case of one smartphone keyboard, a pad in the center where the phone rests separates left- and right-hand keys. A second model requires the phone to rest along the top edge of the keyboard in order to connect. Once sitting on the keyboard, the phone connects to the keyboard via NFC and is ready to receive input. The silicone keyboard is waterproof, and folds to fit into a bag or pocket.

The design works universally among most smartphones as there is no phone-specific cradle. However it does require a driver to be installed on the mobile device. The company says these will be available for download from the Android Market or the App Store. The Android driver will be available first with a driver for Apple devices released when Apple releases NFC capable devices.

Currently one2TOUCH has a distribution partner in Japan and is also looking for partners in the U.S. and European markets. Pricing details are not yet available.

The video below from one2TOUCH shows the keyboard in action.

Engineers use LEDs and a camera to create an 'invisible' Mercedes

When Mercedes wanted to promote its new fuel cell vehicle, instead of placing it squarely in front of everyone in the world, the company decided to make the car invisible.

Using optical camouflage technology boffins at Mercedes Benz created the illusion that their new zero emissions F-Cell car is not even there at all. Taking the principal that to see through something you need to see what's behind it, they covered the driver's side of the car in mats of LEDs, and mounted a digital SLR camera on the opposite side of the vehicle.

A Mercedes-Benz F-CELL car can travel up to 250 miles using an electric engine equivalent to 134 horsepower. Commercial hydrogen-powered cars may not arrive for real until 2015, analysts anticipate, the major problem in the US being the cost of establishing proper equipment at gas stations.

Mercedes says its hydrogen-powered drive system is “ready for series production,”. However, fuel-cell technology is still notoriously expensive, partly because hydrogen is a difficult fuel to store and transport. The materials needed to create a viable fuel-cell are still hovering in the pricey stratosphere.

Practicality aside, we applaud Mercedes and its efforts to create a vehicle with zero emissions and less impact on the environment, and admire the lengths to which these artists went to bring home that point.

D-Shape - 3D Printer Able to Build Houses !

With the growing popularity of 3D printers, it is no wonder more and more things, such as toys and chess figures are being made using additive manufacturing. However, previously only small or medium products were created using 3D printing.

Enrico Dini, the founder of Monolite UK, decided to come up with a machine that could build a whole house using the same technology. His invention is called D-Shape "robotic building system" and it is able to print a 2-story building with stairs, partition walls, columns, dome and even piping cavities. The material used for printing represents a mix of sand and an inorganic binder.

An interesting thing about the material is that it not only boasts a close resemblance to marble, but also has the same physical properties and a durability that is superior to that of reinforced concrete.

The structure is built using the process that most 3D printers apply, with the only difference being the size of the machine and its outcome. Everything is created in one work session, with the printing process starting at the bottom and up.

In a year the machine is able to build a structure measuring 2,500 square meters (26,910 sq ft), an equivalent of a 12 two-story building. This is about four times faster than the time traditional methods need to build an equivalent.

Despite the fact that all the features of D-Shape in theory make the device a powerful tool in building, the inventors so far did not print a proper house with their machine. It might take some time before the technology evolves and actually proves it can build real houses.

China's New Skyscraper to Be Equipped with World's Fastest Elevator !

The Shanghai Tower in China will be a 2,073-ft-tall structure with 128 floors. It was designed by San Francisco-based architects at Gensler and its bullet-shaped elevators were constructed by Mitsubishi.

The skyscraper will be China's tallest building and it is expected to open in 2014. To be able to provide a comfy and safe ride, the elevators were equipped with the latest technology Mitsubishi could come up with.

The elevators will be able to run at a speed of 1,080 meters-per-minute (more than 40 mph). Those at Khalifa (that are currently considered to be the world's fastest) are moving at 700 meters a minute (around 26 mph).

Such an impressive speed is reached thanks to a new type of bundled cord composed of plastic-covered steel strands that provide "higher intensity [thresholds] than conventional rope for safe operation despite the greater weight of longer ropes." In addition, the elevators boast ceramic brakes able to resist the high amount of heat; a shock absorber located at the bottom of the elevator shaft; and a number of other features that will deal with uncomfortable vibration and offer sound insulation.

In addition, the air pressure control system will reduce ear discomfort.