Battery-powered surgical lamp designed for developing nations

Battery-powered surgical lamp designed for developing nations: "While those of us living in First World countries may take an easily-accessible source of continuously-flowing electricity for granted, such is not the case in developing nations. Many communities have little or no electrical infrastructure, and experience frequent power outages."

Nanocomposite material gets stronger when stressed

Nanocomposite material gets stronger when stressed: "If someone does a lot of arm curls at the gym, the typical result is that the bones and muscles in their arms will get stronger. Recently, researchers at Houston's Rice University inadvertently created a nanocomposite that behaves in the same way. Although the material doesn't respond to static stress, repeated mechanical stress will cause it to become stiffer."

Eurotech launches Zypad WL1500 wearable computer

Eurotech launches Zypad WL1500 wearable computer: "Around the time I was hoping to swap my Olivetti typewriter for one of those new-fangled Apple Macintosh things, Seiko also created the UC-2000 wrist computer. The images of the device docked onto a QWERTY keyboard strapped to someone's arm still raise a smile even now."

Festo creates SmartBird flying robotic seagull

Festo creates SmartBird flying robotic seagull: "Festo has added to its robotic menagerie with the creation of a robotic seagull that weighs just 450 g (15.87 oz) and boasts a wingspan of 1.96 m (6.4 ft). Dubbed the SmartBird, the ultralight flying robot was inspired by the herring gull and can take off, fly and land autonomously, without the help of any additional drive systems."

Jabra pulls a triple with new in-car speakerphone

Jabra pulls a triple with new in-car speakerphone: "Jabra says that its new FREEWAY in-car speakerphone is the first to offer virtual surround sound through a three speaker configuration that provides quality audio when making and taking calls or listening to music."

First Orion spacecraft begins testing

First Orion spacecraft begins testing: "The first Orion crew module has begun testing at Lockheed Martin's Space Operations Simulation Center (SOSC) in Denver, Colorado. This 41,000 square foot research facility will test the ability of NASA's next-gen multipurpose exploration spacecraft to safely fly astronauts through the severe environments of deep space. Orion will be phased in as the sun sets on the Space Shuttle Program with the first orbital flight test planned for 2013 and first crewed mission by 2016."

BMW teams with Sixt for world’s first “premium” car sharing service

BMW teams with Sixt for world’s first “premium” car sharing service: "With much of the traffic clogging city roads made up of vehicles that carry a single occupant to work, sit idle for the day (usually attracting inflated parking fees) and then return home, driving in urban areas is a headache that just keeps getting worse."

earTones earphones feature Microban antimicrobial protection

earTones earphones feature Microban antimicrobial protection: "While the sound quality of over-the-ear headphones is generally much better than a set of earbuds, the convenience of using earbuds while on the go can't be denied. Many earbuds are fairly similar feature-wise, so the deciding factors for most people will usually be sound quality and price."

Home-built solar electric scooter fits in a suitcase

Home-built solar electric scooter fits in a suitcase: "Three years ago, Terry Hope was working as an engineer on a Canadian schooner. He wanted to take along an electric scooter, but was told by the captain that he couldn't bring aboard anything that couldn't fit in a suitcase. His response, naturally, was to set about designing an electric scooter that could fit inside a suitcase."

Scientists use bacteria to create fuel from sunlight and CO2

Scientists use bacteria to create fuel from sunlight and CO2: "Researchers from the University of Minnesota have announced a breakthrough in the quest to create a viable fuel alternative using greenhouse gases. The process uses two types of bacteria to create hydrocarbons from sunlight and carbon dioxide. Those hydrocarbons can in turn be made into fuel, which the scientists are calling 'renewable petroleum.'"

StemCAPtain - not a bike lock, but a bike CLOCK

StemCAPtain - not a bike lock, but a bike CLOCK: "Consider your bicycle's handlebar stem cap for a moment. It's right there in front of you as you ride, yet it tells you nothing. Colorado mountain bikers Graeson Lewis and Mike Hogan obviously thought that just wasn't good enough, and decided to put the humble stem cap to work."

Sifteo Cubes take interactive gameplay to a new level

Sifteo Cubes take interactive gameplay to a new level: "Earlier this month we featured some novel building blocks that help teach robotics to kids, and grew from a project at Carnegie Mellon University. Now it's MIT's turn, with the Sifteo Cubes – 1.5-inch gaming blocks sporting full color screens that respond to motion, and interact with the player and each other as they are moved around. Games and apps can be bought online and wirelessly transferred onto the cubes via an internet-connected computer or laptop."