Huey the Chameleon - a lamp that changes colors to match its surroundings

Huey the Chameleon - a lamp that changes colors to match its surroundings: "Suppose you just love the sage green color of your new desk blotter, and think 'If only I could instantly make my whole office this color.' Well, now you can ... sort of. The designers over at ThinkGeek have created a gizmo called Huey the Color Copying Chameleon Lamp, that automatically 'reads' any color that it's placed upon, then glows in that color."

Lizard-inspired robot can swim through granular material

Lizard-inspired robot can swim through granular material: "When the sandfish lizard wishes to escape predators, it can actually dive beneath the surface of the sand, and then swim through it. Inspired by the sandfish, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have created an undulating robot that can likewise swim through a granular medium. While that medium has so far consisted of quarter-inch plastic balls in a lab setting, the team hopes that their robot – or one of its descendants – could someday be used to tunnel through debris to rescue earthquake victims."

Lubricheck will let drivers know when their oil needs changing

Lubricheck will let drivers know when their oil needs changing: "Imagine if every time you bought a pair of socks, you automatically threw them out after six months, regardless of their condition. While you would certainly always have newer socks, you would also likely end up throwing away quite a few pairs that could have lasted a while longer."

Firebird intelligence gathering aircraft makes pilots an optional extra

Firebird intelligence gathering aircraft makes pilots an optional extra: "Although the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as Global Hawk and Raven for military information gathering has increased sharply in the last decade due to the maturation and miniaturization of enabling technologies, conventional piloted aircraft can still be a better option depending on the mission at hand."

Thin-film flexible 'Paperphone' created

Thin-film flexible 'Paperphone' created: "Researchers from the Human Media Lab at Canada's Queen's University have created a fully-functioning floppy E-Ink smartphone, which they also refer to as a paper computer."

TV in a Card brings video to brochures and greetings cards

TV in a Card brings video to brochures and greetings cards: "It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and a moving picture worth even more. Now a company in the UK is enticing businesses to go beyond the confines of eye-catching text, colorful graphics and product photos with TV in a Card."

Intel's 3-D transistors to keep pace with Moore's Law

Intel's 3-D transistors to keep pace with Moore's Law: "NASA, the double-helix model, Elvis ... there's a long list of things that emerged during the 1950s which still resonate strongly in 2011, but none more so than the humble silicon transistor."

Veltop turns regular 'open top' bikes into convertibles

Veltop turns regular 'open top' bikes into convertibles: "You have to admire the people who commute by bike – regardless of the weather – although riding in the rain seems to involve a choice between getting soaked, or wearing a lot of rain gear and still getting a wet face."

The Chip Scale Atomic Clock makes atomic time-keeping portable

The Chip Scale Atomic Clock makes atomic time-keeping portable: "Atomic clocks are one of those things that most of us have probably always thought of as being big, ultra-expensive, and therefore only obtainable by well-funded research institutes."

Jaguar teams with Williams F1 to produce US$1.5 million C-X75 Hybrid Supercar

Jaguar teams with Williams F1 to produce US$1.5 million C-X75 Hybrid Supercar: "Jaguar's stunningly beautiful C-X75 hybrid concept 
that wowed Salon L'automobile last October in Paris, 
is to be produced in a limited edition of 250 vehicles with prices beginning at GBP700,000 (US$1.15 million) and running to GBP900,000 (US$1.5 million)."

Researchers simulate schizophrenia in a computer

Researchers simulate schizophrenia in a computer: "One of the theories regarding the cause of schizophrenia suggests that, due to an excessive release of dopamine, the brain remembers too many irrelevant things. Schizophrenics are then overwhelmed by the vast amounts of facts, thoughts and memories all crammed together in their heads, and start processing them into conclusions that aren't based in reality."

Farseeing inventor pioneered computer music

Farseeing inventor pioneered computer music: "Renowned computer generated music innovator Max Mathews has died at the age of 84. Back in 1957 Mathews wrote the program that enabled an IBM 704 mainframe computer to play a composition lasting 17 seconds – an achievement recognized as one of the first examples of digital synthesis of music on a computer."