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Festo Didactic. Vuzix's "Smart" Sunglasses Merge Virtual Information With Real World. Share on Tumblr Email Augmented reality —the ability to superimpose virtual data onto real-world environments—is appealing in theory, but typical head-mounted displays have the subtlety of a sledgehammer to your forehead. Vusix , a video-eyewear company from Rochester, NY, has invented an electronic headset that looks—and works—like a pair of designer sunglasses. Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, the Internet-connected “Smart” device uses holographic film to serve interactive content right before your eyes. Besides changing the way you work and play, not to mention interact with your assorted gadgets, the Smart also has potential applications in military ops , emergency response, and disaster management .

Featuring a sleek wraparound design, the Smart can be used indoors or out, at night or in full daylight. Quantum Levitation 720p. Centre de producció d'Arts Visuals. 8 Current Technologies That Will Shape Our Future. Rick Chin is the director of product innovation at SolidWorks, where he develops new products and researches how technology will make us smarter, simplify daily tasks and seamlessly fit into our everyday lives.

8 Current Technologies That Will Shape Our Future

In 20 years our technology will reach a level of personalization that will enhance every moment of our lives. We’ll be more physically comfortable with the furniture we sit on and the products we hold; only the most relevant and personalized information from friends and family will reach us; and our movement in the digital world will be near telepathic.

I foresee several of today’s technologies as relevant to this particular vision of the future. They will evolve to not only be more powerful, but also more integrated with one other. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, tlnors. Powering insect cyborgs with an implantable biofuel cell. Research into developing insect cyborgs for use as first responders or super stealthy spies has been going on for a while now.

Powering insect cyborgs with an implantable biofuel cell

Most research has focused on using batteries, tiny solar cells or piezoelectric generators to harvest kinetic energy from the movement of an insect's wings to power the electronics attached to the insects. Now a group of researchers at Case Western Reserve University have created a power supply that relies just on the insect's normal feeding. Recognizing that using a real insect is much easier than starting from scratch to create a device that works like an insect, Case Western Reserve chemistry professor teamed up with graduate student Michelle Rasmussen, biology professor Roy E.

Ritzmann, chemistry professor Irene Lee and biology research assistant Alan J. Pollack to develop an implantable biofuel cell to provide usable power for the various sensors, recording devices, or electronics used to control an insect cyborg. Harvesting energy from insects in quest to create tiny cyborg first responders. An insect fitted with a piezoelectric generator to harness energy from the insect's wings (Image: Erkan Aktakka) Image Gallery (2 images) Insects have served as the inspiration for a number of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) that could be deployed to monitor hazardous situations without putting humans in harm's way.

Harvesting energy from insects in quest to create tiny cyborg first responders

Now researchers at the University of Michigan College of Engineering are proposing using actual live insects enhanced with electronic sensors to achieve the same result. The insect cyborgs would use biological energy harvested from their body heat or movements to potentially power small sensors implanted on their bodies in order to gather vital information from hazardous environments. To harvest energy from insects, the researchers have designed a spiral piezoelectric generator that converts the kinetic energy from the insect's wing movements into electricity. About the Author Post a CommentRelated Articles. Gravity Stool. The Digital Section of My Resume - QR Code. IMTR. Mogees - Gesture recognition with contact-microphones.

Controlled Quantum Levitation on a Wipe'Out Track.