Voice activated recorders

Some weeks ago, we have showed you the latest model of digital video recorder by Flip, a manufacturer which is also inspiring its competitors for the launch of their new products. Vivitar has just introduced a model which, though with a smaller memory capacity compared to Flip (4Gb vs. 8), sports some characteristics which make it unique.

The size is equally tiny, and within just 11 by 6 centimeters, DVR 510 has all the features of a high-end miniature video recorder: a 1.8” display, 8X digital zoom, a built-in USB connector just like its competitors’ namesake, a 640×480 pixel resolution in AVI format, a TV output and a 2Gb in-built memory which, with a MicroSD card, can be expanded up to 4Gb.

What makes it one of a kind, though, is the night vision and, most of all, its waterproof shell which makes it suitable for shooting underwater footage. In fact, DVR 510 can be used at up to 5 meters of depth. It is by no means a professional underwater camera, but can surely be a useful accessory to shoot memories of your adventures during your seaside holidays.

Infrared night vision makes it suitable also for a wide range of potentials, such as a useful support for surveillance operations, or as a hidden camera for night videos, both leisurely and professional. All this, furthermore, comes at a very reasonable price. In fact, the retail price of Vivitar’s new toy starts at 50 dollars.

The global virus H1N1 fear does not seem to be slowing down, and while scientific research keeps running at full speed to provide us with reliable protections, the latest solution allows us to protect ourselves from the flu virus, and to do it in style!

Of course, when we are talking about extravagant solutions, they can only be coming out of Japan, where Haruyama Trading has just introduced its anti flu suit which, according to the manufacturer, can protect its wearer from H1N1. (Click on the link if you speak Japanese, otherwise… you just have to trust us!)

This suit, besides looking really smart, costs approximately 580 dollars, a reasonable price for a decent suit, and is available in four different classic colors. The main feature of the Virus Clean suit lies in its fabric, coated with titanium dioxide, a chemical widely used for production of toothpaste and cosmetics.

When exposed to the light, the chemical reacts, and the resulting agent can kill the virus upon contact. According to Haruyama, who have been working on the project for over a year, the protective characteristics of this suit remain unchanged after several cleanings, providing a long term protection.

Its actual usefulness has not yet been proven, but certainly the Asian countries, which have been hardest hit by the pandemic, would gladly welcome any protective measure with a certain effectiveness, especially in Japan where, according to recent statistics, the number of cases is approaching 25000.

Furthermore, if you can protect your health in style, why not do it? And shouldn’t it be useful, at least you will look good!

When you are visiting a city that you do not know, you may happen to leave your car somewhere, and then you may not be able to track it. Alternatively, if you are out on an excursion in the countryside, you may have trouble finding your correct orientation.

To assist you in cases like these and in many more occasions when a little support from above may be useful, ECCO has launched its GPS Locator, some sort of tiny GPS compass, as small as a normal key holder, which can mark your position, without transmitting it to the satellite.

Thanks to GPS Locator, you will be able to store up to 3 different locations; for example if you are visiting a new city, you can mark the position of your hotel, or a point of interest such as the main square, or more simply a restaurant you have seen along the way and where you would like to return when it’s time to eat; when you want to go back, you will just have to push a button, and within seconds your GPS Locator will give you the direction to take to find your destination.

This small GPS compass, in spite of its small size, is capable of connecting to 32 different satellites, in order to ensure extreme accuracy in assessing your position, minimizing time losses which might create problems, especially if you are on the outside, the weather is getting worse and need to find your way before darkness falls.

GPS Locator is on sale at Amazon for 99 US dollars plus shipping.

Whenever we leave our home, even if just for a short time, we should always keep in mind that, like it or not, the threat of burglars is always present in our cities. For this reason, as we mentioned a few weeks ago, it is always useful to install an anti-theft system, possibly of a technologically advanced type, which can keep our home safe during our absence.

Unfortunately though, not everyone can afford to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to protect their home. In such cases, a cheap and efficient solution has been created by a Vassar University student, who created a remotely controlled door opener for his dorm room.

Thanks to this amateurish protection system, you do not need to have a key to open the door, just push the button on your remote and open it from outside!
The remote works on a small motor which moves a printer head carriage borrowed from an old needle printer. By pushing the button, the printer head moves from right to left, and it also moves a lever connected to the door knob… and the trick is done!

This simple yet efficient security system grants access only to those equipped with a remote control, and gives you the opportunity to remove the handle on the outside of your door, preventing any unauthorized visitors from sneaking in.

Of course, as explained, this is by no means a professional protection, which would not work, as it is now, on armored doors, but if properly changed can also have a potential for higher security doors. In the end, we might have doors with no external handles, basically impossible to attack for burglars!

Usage of USB keys is more and more widespread, and with capacities comparable with those of a normal hard drive, it is mandatory to make sure that the files we carry along with us are protected from any possible intrusion. Currently, the highest level f protection is certainly the one offered by Smart Key, manufactured by Mobiu.

The first characteristic that meets the eye is the presence of a SIM card, which allows for a two-tier security thanks to the usage of its chip and of a PIN code, as if it were a credit card, for authentication. In fact, upon first usage of the key, you are requested to create a four-digit PIN, which you will need to use at each future access, along with the SIM card to be inserted into the slot on the USB key, in order to use its file management and synchronization software.

When you use the key on a host computer, files are temporarily saved on the key’s memory, and uploaded again when closing, in order to avoid saving any version of the file on the host machine, and also not leaving any trace at all, such as for example the filename in the recent documents list.

Furthermore, Smart Key comes with its own preinstalled software suite, including a word processor, a spreadsheet manager and so on, compatible with Microsoft Office, in order to be independent from the host computer and keep a high privacy level.

Currently, Smart Key is being sold online starting from 143 Dollars for a 1GB capacity, and can include a subscription to MobiRooms, a file sharing service which allows you to share your documents with other users, who are of course equipped with a Smart Key as well.

New technologies are constantly taking inspiration from nature and its shapes when developing new solutions, especially in the surveillance field, and in particular in video surveillance. One of the latest examples shows as a result a tiny flying video camera shaped like a samara, or maple leaf, informally nicknamed “helicopters” because of the way they fall to the ground, rotating just like the rotors of a miniature helicopter.

Engineering students from the Maryland-based Clark School have created a miniature camera, mounted on an equally small helicopter, shaped just like a maple leaf, and stabilized through the use of a miniature motorized rotor and a small tail.

In a few words, this small tail, shaped like a comma, works just like the tail rotor of an helicopter, with a difference: while a tail rotor prevents the helicopter from spinning around itself, the tail of this micro helicopter is designed to keep it spinning, maintaining a constant rotation and generating a push.

Thanks to its engine with its small size, it is possible to launch several micro cameras, for example from a plane, and control them remotely. On the leaf’s body, a miniature needle camera is installed, which thanks to a wireless transmitter can send images to a remote receiving station, and is suitable for being used in surveillance operations, or for example to gather aerial images in war zones or during covert military or civilian espionage actions.

Our cars and trucks, apart from using up energy and polluting the environment by producing carbon monoxide, can also be used to produce energy, and more specifically, kinetic energy, that is, the energy that comes from their very motion.

The problem is that, so far, there was no technology that could be used to gather this kinetic energy, in order to store and use it. This gap is now filled by Motion Power, an energy gathering system made up of an array of panels, that can be placed on the road near highway exits, tolling stations, service stations, or in short in all those places where the cars are dispersing energy by slowing down.

By driving on these panels, the energy is transferred towards a harnessing and storage system. The system has been recently improved, resulting in a 25-fold performance increase if compared to previous versions of Motion Power.
The old version, in fact, was giving its best when a slowing car was driving over the panels, while the energy created by a fast drive through was basically lost due to the high speed.

If only we think about how many millions of vehicles are driving on our roads every day, we can imagine that gathering even just a small fraction of that energy could have an absolutely tremendous impact on production of electricity for households and industries, and all this, in an absolutely clean way, without polluting the air and the sea to produce power.

It was originally born as a wedding present from a university researcher who wanted to surprise his friends, but GPS Puzzle Box, in fact, could have a potential for many more applications in several fields.
It is a real modern version of the “treasure box” we read about in many adventure books, with the difference that it is not protected by a secret code or hidden in some faraway island, but it will open automatically only when it is taken to a specific place.

The GPS Box is a carved wooden box, of the sort you would find in any Middle Eastern street market, but on its lid it sports a display and a button.

By pushing this button, you will be able to see the distance from the point where the box will automatically open (but not the direction!). the button can be pushed up to 50 times, and once you reach this limit you will no longer be able to open it, so a bit of logic is required to find out the right direction to take.

It looks very easy like this, although the practical usage of such a box might fail some of us. The prototype was born as a wedding present, concealing a USB key with some books in PDF format, and the opening location was a place dear to the newlyweds.

But just try to think that such a system, if applied for example on a safety suitcase, could be used to send documents of an extremely confidential nature, and making sure that they are opened and read only in the right place and by the right people.

At this point, applications for this GPS security system could be practically endless… and yes, they might even include a wedding present!

With winter coming soon, it is the time to think about protecting yourselves from the elements. Aside from giving you a touch of the unmistakable Italian style, Ermenegildo Zegna gives you the opportunity to stay warm, while protecting the environment.

In fact, their new Ecotec Solar Jacket, besides being made up almost completely from recycled plastic, is also equipped with two small removable solar cells, located inside the sleeves, which can be connected to a small battery charger in the inside pocket.

Thanks to this battery charger, you will be able to recharge your mobile phone or your MP3 player, and most of all, you will do it by using clean energy! Furthermore, the two solar cells are also used to keep you warm, as they are powering a small heater located in the jacket’s collar, which will protect you from any cold-related illness.

The material that makes up the outer fabric and most of the finishes is entirely coming from recycled plastic. The solar cell can be recharged with only 5 hours of direct sunlight, and since the cells can be removed, you will be able to recharge the cell even while you don’t have the jacket on you, for example placing the panels near the window while you are at work.
To ensure maximum flexibility, it is also supplied with an adaptor which makes it compatible with most of cellphones and MP3 players available on the market.

Thanks to Ecotech, Zegna makes once again a statement in the technological wear sector, after launching its Bluetooth-equipped jacket a couple of years ago. Ecotech’s price has not been disclosed yet, but sure enough, all environment-conscious lovers of Italian fashion will rush to get one!

In order to constantly stay in touch with curious kids, patients in need of assistance or workers inside a big factory or a wide open working space, Ekahau has just introduced its WiFi wristband which, unlike the electronic ones used for prisoner surveillance, does not interfere with its user’s privacy.

In fact, this bracelet, similar in shape and size to a watch, sends a signal to its control unit only when the user pushes its big red button located on the top. The signal can be sent, for example, by a worker who just accomplished a task, or by a patient who needs help from hospital nurses.

Once the signal is sent, the control station will receive details of the wristband’s position, with an accuracy level of approximately 2 meters, both in open spaces and indoors; this will allow for an immediate intervention in case of a medical emergency.

When used for work, T301W can be useful also to send a vibrating alert, useful to remind its wearer about an upcoming deadline or task to be carried out. At this point, once the task is successfully accomplished, the staff member will push the red button and inform the control center accordingly.

Such a monitoring system, similar for example to GPS trackers used for Alzheimer patients, might be used not only in hospitals or companies working over large areas such as mines, but also in large shopping malls or amusement parks, to make sure that the children visiting it are able to enjoy their experience without getting lost.