General Motors and Segway plan to take a two-wheel concept vehicle for a spin around New York City on Tuesday.
The prototype vehicle, called Project PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), is designed to ease congestion and pollution problems in cities. It is based on the Segway Personal Transporter but holds two people, instead of one, and lets them sit, instead of stand.
A PUMA runs on lithium ion batteries, can reach 35 miles per hour, and can travel up to 35 miles between charges.
It includes some high-tech touches, including GM’s wireless OnStar communications technology that lets a passenger locate other drivers in a city.
The two-wheeler is meant to address the mounting problems of urban car transportation, according to the two companies that plan to unveil the vehicle at an auto show in New York.
Now is the future. Honda has just unveiled an electronic helmet that allows the wearer to control the Asimo robot without moving a muscle. Scary and awesome at the same time. Check out the possibilities.
I have yet to try this app, but from what I read it sounds somewhat genius. I mean, sometimes you just need a clean bathroom that isn’t out of order, and doesn’t include a line of every Starbucks customer within a four block radius. So this app apparently tells you where the nearby restrooms are, and whether or not they are open; including ratings and features. This is all sponsored by Charmin, so I’m sure they have some agreements with the companies in the listing as to only stock Charmin toilet paper- perhaps? Genius though. I’m going to download it right now, even though I only use public restrooms as a very last resort kind of thing..
TED has become one of my favorite sites because of the creative and innovative ideas the community is pursuing. Take a look at this new technology straight out of the Minority Report… sort of. Yes Microsoft created the same gesture technology encased in a table, but this is the same gesture technology gone mobile. For just $350 you can make ANY surface your playground.
Ron Winter’s drum website urges even the dumbest of drummers to get their type on and blast out a track. Frustrated secretaries who can bang out 85 words a minute might just be ready to show down Asian computer nerds and their nimble fingers. Ipod battles and Guitar Hero now seem so clunky in comparison.
Designed by Silke Hilsing, Impress is a flexible display that consists of foam and force sensors. It works with the parameters position and time like other touch screens as well, but in addition to that, it reacts, above all, on the intensity of pressure.
The evolution of screens… never thought that was possible. I wonder if we can make a trampoline mat using this idea soon. Lose weight while you design. It will be pretty nerdy exercise.
Being a pretty avid reader (And loving NYC’s Library service), I’ve always envied the people on the subway I see reading the Amazon Kindle. It’s an awesome device, with eInk, which beautifully and faithfully reproduces printed text. And there’s a growing library of titles appearing on Amazon, for a lot cheaper or equivilent to a paperback.
The problem for me is the device is in the $300 range, which is pretty steep for a bookreader, that doesn’t do much more, with a 16-greyscale shade screen. But an iPod touch, which is roughly around the same price (which I own) can function a million other things, just like it’s big brother the iPhone.
So this is a pretty big deal to me. I’m sure for you too.
