SATURDAY, APR 13, 2013

9 TECHTONIC
NOT GEEK TO ME
NO STRINGS ATTACHED
t looks like a guitar from some sci-fi flick, wielded by an alien, Van Halen, in a futuristic pub on a galaxy far, far away. But the Kitara by Misa Digital is a serious instrument, with 24 frets and six rows of buttons, each corresponding to a musical note. Playing it involves depressing the notes on the fret board just like you would on almost all-stringed instrument while strumming and sliding on its multi-touch LCD screen. And you can even connect it to a MIDI device. Tech socialists will be pleased to know that the Kitaras software is open source, and that it runs on Linux. Sadly, the model seen here is no longer in production, but newer models will be up for launch soon. Still, those wanting to pick this axe can buy one for $900 (`49,000 approx) through online retailers. Roll-over Beethoven and Hendrix just rolled in his grave.

PORTABLE AND POTABLE

he Lifesaver is capable of filtering a whopping 4,000 litres of water! And already, these bottles, weighing a mere 635 gms each, have been used in Haiti and Pakistan to provide safe, potable water to those afflicted by hurricanes and earthquakes. Independently tested by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, this technological marvel uses a 15-nanometre diameter filtration system that can remove bacteria, viruses, cysts, parasites, fungi and other microbiological waterborne pathogens; purifying up to 2.5 litres of water per minute. The resulting H2O complies with all British, US and European drinking water regulations. And in case youre wondering, these Lifesavers are equipped with technology that shuts the cartridge off upon expiry, preventing contaminated water from being drunk by the user. So, on an average, if you drink the recommended eight litres of water every day, this will last you for 500 days. Not a bad deal for $180 (`9,800 approx), eh?

THE FUTURE IS NOW

Stuff that seems futuristic, but already exists
SAVIO DSOUZA

IF YOU NEED IT, PRINT IT

ep, you can do that. 3D printers have been in existence for quite a while now, and you can actually pick up a 3D printer for your desktop. US-based Makerbot and Stratasys are among the larger manufacturers of these printers, with prices starting as low as $2,199 (`1.2 lakh; printing material cost extra). And you can even go open source and build a RepRap 3D printer yourself. Regardless, once you have one of these printers and access to 3D models freely available on the internet due to a burgeoning population of enthusiasts you can print almost anything, and we mean anything. Our favourites are the European Aerospace and Defence Groups (EADS) Airbike, and the Urbee 2: the worlds first 3D printed car built by US-based RedEye On Demand and its parent company, 3D printer maker Stratasys, in collaboration with engineering group KOR EcoLogic.

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER
elieve it or not, but at least three versions of the Iron Man suit exist. Two of them, the HULC by Lockheed Martin and the XOS 2 by Raytheon, are being built for military purposes. The third suit, called HAL 5 by Cyberdine Inc, will be used to rehabilitate the disabled. All these are in the form of exoskeletons that are designed to give their wearers almostsuperhuman strength. And already, in tests, the HULC and XOS 2 have enabled average users to carry nearly 100 kgs of equipment for extended periods of time. Like in the Iron Man suit, sensors in the HULC and XOS 2 detect movement in the wearer. This is then amplified by the suit; its titanium structure and hydraulic power augmenting the wearers abilities. Similarly, HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) detects bio-signals on the surface of the skin through its sensors and synchronizes its movements with the wearers muscle movements. This suit is expected to be applied in fields such as medical rehabilitation and physical training support, heavy labour support at factories, and rescue support at disaster sites. All these suits have already undergone preliminary testing and now the race is on to build a sustainable power supply for these exoskeletons, much like Tony Starks Arc Reactor. Researchers indicate that with continued support, a form of powered exoskeleton suit could be in place within five years.
Top: HULC; Above: HAL5

Top: Makerbots Replicator 2 Above: Kor EcoLogics Urbee 2

ou see it in the movies all the time: touch surfaces that magically appear out of nowhere and can be used to interact with computers. But guess what? This technology is already at your doorstep. Take Ubi, for instance. This software by Ubi Interactive works with computers running Windows 8, a Kinect motion controller, and a projector to turn almost any surface into a 3D multi-touch screen. So users can gesture in front of a projected display of a Win 8 laptop, and the software will work along with the Kinect sensor to create a touch interface on the projected wall! And then theres this nifty device called the Celluon Magic Cube that creates a virtual laser keyboard that can work via Bluetooth with tablets and smartphones. The gizmo uses a laser beam to generate a full-sized laser keyboard. Users can tap on the projected key images to generate key strokes (with real tapping sounds). These are recognised by a proprietary optical recognition mechanism and converted into text on the screen. And all this cool tech isnt even too expensive. The Magic Cube can be picked up for less than $150 (`8,200). How cool is that?

SMART SURFACES

HEARING WITHOUT EARS

id you know there are devices that let you hear sounds through the bones in your head? No kidding. In fact, bone conduction headsets have been available for nearly a decade (surprised?), and even before that, one of the first users of this technology was believe it or not Ludwig van Beethoven! The 18-century composer, who was almost completely deaf, discovered he could hear music through his jawbone by biting a rod attached to his piano. The same principle is used nowadays in bone-conduction units: Whatever we hear is due to sound waves that travel to our eardrums. Our eardrums then convert these waves into vibrations and transmit them to the inner ear. But sound can also travel to our inner ears via vibrations transmitted to the bones on our head. This not only leaves our ears free to hear ambient sounds in hazardous surroundings like traffic, but also reduces the risk of ear-drum damage. Earlier this year, Panasonic unveiled their RP-BTGS10 bone-conducting headphones. Then there are specialised companies such as AfterShokz, Audio Bone and iHeadbones, which have similar products. And if patent rumours are to be believed, the new Google Glass will also sport similar technology. Who Panasonic knows, with this giants blessings, we might see this niche RP-BTGS10 technology breaking into mainstream quicker than it Google Glass would otherwise.

The Magic Cube

SQUBA DIVER

he only chance people ever had of owning a submersible car in the past was to join the British MI6 and have the avuncular Q hand over the keys of such an automobile. Thats right, were alluding to James Bond and his underwater car from the 1977 Hollywood

thriller The Spy Who Loved Me. But now, a Swiss company called Rinspeed has built the sQuba the worlds first real submersible car thats capable of diving up to a depth of 10 metres. The vehicle is powered by three motors in the rear: one for propulsion on land, and the other two to drive the screws for underwater motoring. Of course, it is also water-tight and pressure-resistant enough to be able to move like a fish in water. Whats more, the sQuba gets its power from lithiumion batteries, making it a zero-emission automobile. And it even comes with energy-saving LED lighting and rotating license plates the type that we spies like. Sadly, this cool piece of engineering is not for sale yet, but its only a matter of time, we think

IS IT A BIRD?
this twin-seater is capable of flight speeds of up to 185 kmph. The idea, its inventors say, is to fly into your nearest airport, fold your wings up, and then drive right to your home to park into your garage. And already, over 100 Transitions have been pre-booked at an anticipated base price of $2,79,000 (`1.5 crore approx), with delivery expected in the very near future. In preparation, Terrafugia has moved testing from its parking lot to a motor speedway in the neighbouring state of New Hampshire. Did we hear a groan from the ATC?

ts been the subject of pop-sci for the longest time and on the wish list of every daydreamer stuck in a traffic jam. But the flying car is no longer a pipe dream. Already, a US-based company called Terrafugia has a working prototype called the Transition. And last October, it showcased the vehicle to 300 employees, customers, investors and government personnel at Lawrence Municipal Airport in Massachusetts. Chief Test Pilot Phil Meteer put the vehicle through its paces: driving and flying, and then driving again. In fact,