Sunday, September 28, 2008

Mitsubishi Plans Ferocious MMR25 Rally Racer for Year 2025 [The Future Is Awesome]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/404322185/mitsubishi-plans-ferocious-mmr25-rally-racer-for-year-2025

In the year 2025, a scant 17 years from now, all cars will be electric. But according to Mitsubishi's entry into the LA Auto Show's latest design challenge, some will even tear up the Salt Flats, looking like bionic insects with the cruelest of intentions. Each wheel of the proposed MMR25 Rally Racer gets eight little wheels for omnidirectional movement, and there's no such thing as windshields in the future, replaced—naturally—by Star Trek tech. Here's the run down, plus the sickest rendering of a non-existent product I have ever seen:

Yes, the MMR25 will have nine motors in each wheel, one to spin the main structure and eight more to control smaller embedded wheels for traction while deftly maneuvering along the highway, maybe even driving sideways. Special "oblique aerodynamics" mean that the sideways driving won't be penalized by wind resistance, either.

There's no glass: It's too damn heavy, and you won't need it, what with visual information coming in via a crazy camera array that feeds a 360-degree panoramic screen that surrounds your "pod."

It's plenty power efficient, too, getting 1,000 miles per charge out of lightweight composite-nano-fiber-jiggied lithium-based batteries. (Now word on explodeyness, but presumably that's solved too.)

We're gonna go one step further and guess that the electric charge itself will come from just an hour or two under the hot sun, thanks to efficient solar cells. But ha ha, that would just be ludicrous, right? [Jalopnik]


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The History of Computing as Told by Pixelated Dancing Scientists (and Jim Guthrie) [Buckle Up]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/405036337/the-history-of-computing-as-told-by-pixelated-dancing-scientists-and-jim-guthrie

You might think the history of personal computing is way too complex to explain in under four minutes. But Canadian animators Superbrothers teamed up with singer-songwriter and all-around awesome dude Jim Guthrie to create this amazing music video that'll prove you wrong. The story: two heavily-pixelated scientists have a dance battle that echoes the transition from primitive '60s computers to today's cloud computing. The video is after the jump.


DOT MATRIX REVOLUTION* from superbrothers on Vimeo.[io9]


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Motorola shows off X24 WiMAX concept module for cars

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/404269691/

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While folks 'round these parts are only just now getting their first real taste of WiMAX, Motorola is already looking towards a WiMAX-filled future, where it hopes devices like its X24 concept module will let even your car tap into all that bandwidth floating through the air. Apparently, the device is designed specifically with advanced automotive telemetry in mind, although, as Motorola's Manash Goswami mentions in the interview available at the read link below, the company also isn't ignoring the possibilities for in-car entertainment and other applications. It also sees the chipset at the heart of the X24, the WTM1000, being used in an even broader range of consumer devices, and not just ones made by Motorola. Look for more word on that to come out of the WiMAX World conference next week.

[Via jkOnTheRun]
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Dell silently sneaks out 23-inch S2309W 1080p LCD monitor

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/404428507/

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We're not sure what's up with Dell and its displays, but for whatever reason, it actually prefers to sneak new stuff out and just let you try to find it. After pushing out a swank new WUXGA projector with nary a peep, the Round Rock powerhouse has now hosted up a new 1080p LCD monitor dubbed the S2309W. Granted, the display is currently only on the firm's Canadian site, but we reckon it's only a matter of time before it makes it to other markets. As for specs, we've got a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, 5-millisecond response time, 300 cd/m2 brightness, 1,000:1 contrast ratio and DVI / VGA inputs. No price is mentioned, but it should be shipping in under a fortnight to those who figure out a way to buy it.

[Thanks, Alex]
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New research aims to speed up MRAM in a future you'll never live to see (probably)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/404610586/

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A month after German researchers announced their latest breakthrough in MRAM design, physicists at Japan's Tohoku University now say that it is possible to use an electric field to manipulate the magnetic domains in a semiconductor -- eliminating moving magnets from MRAM completely. MRAM designed using the electric field method would be faster -- and would use less energy -- than earlier variations on the technology, thus making our lives easier and generally more awesome. Of course, none of this stuff actually exists yet, and it's still got fierce competition from competing ideas (like IBM's racetrack memory), so for now we'll just have to stay content with the four 128k chips we scraped out of our old XT.

[Via MRAM Info]
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Video: ASUS N10 netbook gets hands-on treatment, plays COD4

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/404697328/

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We knew the ASUS N10 was a burly fellow when we took some street corner shots of it earlier this month, but we never even thought to toss Call of Duty 4 on there and waste away a solid 12 hours in online war zones. Thankfully, the blokes over at Mobile Computer did think to try that, and the results weren't half bad. 'Course, that discrete NVIDIA GeForce 9300M graphics set didn't hurt, and if you're sick enough to really buy a netbook for gaming, this one should probably be atop your list. At any rate, a rather in-depth hands-on video awaits you in the read link -- go in expecting keyboard impressions, disappointment with the glare, and a few good minutes with an FPS and you'll leave happy.

[Thanks, Rex]
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Salvador DaBot: robot portraitist extraordinaire

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/404728706/

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Leaps and bounds have been made with Sylvain Calinon's robotic portrait artist since we first caught a glimpse of this amazing AI being -- and no, we're not just referring to the stylish beret and mustache. Now dubbed "Salvador DaBot", the portraitist has developed far more advanced conversation skills, along with a voice that sounds a lot less like Steven Hawking. We kinda miss that feather pen he was sporting before, but his movement's a lot more natural now and his new marker seems to have helped his drawing style -- similar to old-school comic art. See this awesome little guy in action after the break.

[Via Sylvain Calinon]

Continue reading Salvador DaBot: robot portraitist extraordinaire

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Google patent keeps airwaves competitive by selecting the cheapest

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/404796049/

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Google's persistent interest in ensuring that the US' 700MHz spectrum would give rise to a network open to any and all devices reinforced its belief that carriers can and should be nothing more than the proverbial "dumb pipes" -- leave the content and hardware to the people who know how to do it and don't necessarily have a vested interest in the carriers' bottom line. That attitude foretold that it had some interesting ideas up its sleeves (this is Google, after all), and while it's never been entirely clear what those ideas are, Android's "please use it, it's free" attitude certainly plays a role. Here's another piece of the puzzle: rather than be tied down to any one carrier, why not keep changing carriers in real time based on whomever's going to give you the best deal? A new patent filed by Mountain View's finest proposes exactly that, bringing together heterogeneous technologies -- "community-wide" networks like WiFi and WiMAX along with GSM, CDMA, and so on -- and an "auction system" that would let the user select (or allow the phone to automatically select) the best deal at the moment depending on their needs (available features or minimum speeds, time limits, and so on). It's an amazing idea that totally turns the contract concept on its head, and it's an idea that carriers would fight to the death. We're not seeing it happening, but hey, Google, we like the cut of your jib.

[Via textually.org and New Scientist]
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ASUS doles out gold and blue Eee PCs

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/405035756/

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With the introduction of the well-received N10, we thought maybe -- just maybe -- ASUS was moving beyond its disgusting obsession with mutilating the Eee brand. Instead, we're now faced with fresh hues of two old faces: the blue 901A and the gilded 900A. Looks as if all the internals have remained the same, though there's no indication what kind of premium (if any) you'll have to pay for your color of choice.

[Thanks, Sascha]
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