Tokyo Flash – if you haven’t already heard of them – is a little design studio that creates crazy concept watches. Some are VERY eccentric, some are VERY nerdy. . . and some, well, some are just properly awesome!

This particular watch is all awesome. Very clean and sleek, with the e-paper display wrapping around your wrist. So cool! These watches aren’t for everyone, but if you have a untamed watch fetish as I do, Tokyo Flash certainly has something you’ll like.  No, these aren’t your Patek Phillippe, Rado, or Omega watches, as prices range from about $40 usd to $250. But that is what makes them so fun!  For times when you want to wear a really funky watch, but don’t want to be ‘that guy’ with a $5000 watch all the time. These make great everyday watches, AND will get noticed WAY more often than your 007 series Omega, that I promise.

“ At last, a concept design that is extremely simple to read. Hours, groups of 10 minutes and single minutes are shown in three sections; each line indicating an hour, a group of 10 minutes or a single minute. The date is shown in the same way. Within this simple display, the time is also shown in binary – great for those who like a challenge.
A USB rechargeable design that uses a combination of materials to create the case and strap; stainless steel merges into rubber and the e-paper display is embedded within…“

Now about the time. Have you figured it out yet?  It’s the same time on every picture here… Let me help you out;  it’s 2:37pm on February 24th.  JEEZE!

Check out the rest of their watches here!

[ Sources: Tokyo Flash Blog ]

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” Painting Cell Phone Jammer with Remote Control – covertly and completely blocks mobile phone signals in an 80 meter radius. “

If I was loaded, I would totally buy a few of these for my place. Even if it was just to prank / annoy my cellular-addicted friends. This thing is really cool!

“  Powerful and effective, this cell phone jammer effectively disables any cell phone and will stop all signals on the GSM, CDMA, DCS, PHS, and 3G bands without interrupting any other electronic device. With the included remote control, users can turn the device on and off for instant jamming and unjamming. Also included is sensitivity control for partial and selective blocking of any mobile phone signal. ”

• High powered signal jammer designed for use against mobile phones
• Jams GSM, CDMA, DCS, PHS, and 3G signals – separately or all at once!
• Works in an 80 meter radius
• Remote controlled
• Additional 3D painting cover

This is suggested for library’s, meeting rooms, government buildings, and even the ultra paranoid tin-foil-hat types.  Other than the horrid print, it’s a cool product. I think I’ll put a Dali print over it.

Get yours today for $151.40 USD.

[Source: ChinaVision.com]

Self Decontaminating Surface

So your battalion is in the Middle East pushing the enemy back when all-of-a-sudden some asshole decides to use a deadly chemical agent to bomb the crap out of you and your men. Not only is this attack ruining your allotted tan time, but now all your men are contaminated with hazardous “stuff”.

Good thing the friendly private contractors of DARPA have nearly perfected Self Decontaminating Surfaces. From infrastructure like tents, brick and mortar, and sand bag bunkers to random objects like your gun, electronics, and clothing, all your inanimate objects will clean themselves!

Nano-technology is really cool and scary all at the same time. At least now you can tan in peace knowing that any fallout will be magically scrubbed away by your little US funded nano-buddies (just cover your skin up when you tan, okay?).

Structural Amorphous Metals

Aluminum alloy? So 1990′s.  Titanium alloy? Pul-lease!  Adamantium? Fictitiously obsolete.  If you’re not an amorphous metal, you’re just another one of those “ium” metal-alloys of the old-school.

Welcome to the future, where traditional alloys have been left in the past for amorphous alloys; a super light, super strong, corrosion resistant alloy that will revolutionize many of the products we use today AND will use in the future. Even crazier, this new method of forging allows amorphous metals to retain its original shape, even when forcible bent.  (Ever see the video of the crazy shape retaining foil from the Roswell, New Mexico crash?  THIS IS THE SAME SHIT! )

What is Amorphous Metals?

Wiki explains:

“An amorphous metal is a metallic material with a disordered atomic-scale structure. In contrast to most metals, which are crystalline and therefore have a highly ordered arrangement of atoms, amorphous alloys are non-crystalline. Materials in which such a disordered structure is produced directly from the liquid state during cooling are called “glasses”, and so amorphous metals are commonly referred to as “metallic glasses” or “glassy metals“.

” An amorphous metal is an alloy combining elements of differing atomic diameters.  The differing atomic diameters and unusual composition prevents the atoms from arranging in a regular crystalline structure (like normal metal alloys). The atoms have no easy way to slip by each other under deformation, resulting in a very hard material. “

This is exciting stuff because it’s already here, and MANY labs are experimenting with it everyday.  It won’t be long before we will see this technology make it to main-stream consumer goods. DARPA explains some of the many uses for this tech:

“…..achieve combinations of mechanical properties that provide revolutionary improvements compared to those of comparable conventional alloys. Amorphous-composite hybrid materials that have the stiffness of beryllium and twice the strength will be demonstrated in space applications. Bulk amorphous alloys that have strength, fatigue, and corrosion properties better than titanium will be demonstrated in turbine applications.”

Power Swim

SAS, Navy Seals, and CAN-TF2 have all got BIG upgrades from this technology already. What’s interesting about it is its lack of pushy buttons and electric gizmos.  This human powered unit helps underwater covert soldiers reach their destination using only a fraction of the previously required energy.

DARPA says:

” When used properly, the device allows swimmers to cover a given distance up to 150 percent faster than with fins, while using the same amount of energy. Much of that boost in metabolic efficiency is due to the muscle groups used. The swimmer is essentially relaxing into a slightly bent position, instead of forcing or pushing the foils through the water. This takes the emphasis off the small muscle groups used to kick, and allows larger muscle groups, such as the glutes and quads, to take over. During tests, it typically took around 2 hours for Navy SEALs to fight the urge (and years of training) to move forcefully and learn the PowerSwim’s unique motion. “

Like I said, this bad boy is already in use today!

Molecular Electronics

In the future that DARPA sees, we’ll all have nano-computers inside our bodies. It will regulate everything from medicine, surgery, and bodily functions to harvesting electricity, knocking out rogue genes, and having awesome Iron Man augmented reality.

Moore’s Law dictated the inevitability of the penultimate size of a CPU. And right when it seemed like we were reaching that point, molecular electronics blows this theory out of the water. For the time being.  It’s all really quite insane.

“Innovations in drug delivery through nanoparticles, select gene knockout, and portable sensing and testing devices… Research in harvesting excess vibration energy from nanowires, and converting this energy into electricity. “

Let your imagination run wild, because this opens to door to literally a plethora of sci-fi style technologies!

Real World Reasoning

I would love to see how this technology evolves into the future, as this is a pretty crazy computer rendering programme. Imagine you’re a general and you wanted to run simulations on possible methods of attack in any area of the world. This DARPA lead initiative would call on the use of a highly sophisticated software engine designed to use real-world data (satellite, photo, textual..etc) and intuitively reproduce a replica of the battlefield in question. Not only will this reproduction be visual (presumably with sweet 3D glasses), but the programme goes a step further to include interior layouts, and how physical objects would interact with the surroundings / simulations.

From DARPA’s proposal:

“Create 100 km(squared) per hour of highly realistic immersive 3-D representations of the air/land/sea mission space from ISR data for any tactical environment, generate one city block of geo-specific building interiors and exteriors , and realistically model the interaction of physical objects.”

Stay tuned for the 3rd and 4th edition next week and the week after. Furthermore, by now you must love me… so you should really use the RSS thingy below and get on the ChromeDome subscription-wagon.

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How-to video first, then on with the tom-foolery.

This next video is how you get laughed at. DON’T TRY THIS, or you will be laughed at.

Ebay: LED Throwie thrift centre.

LED’s: Here’s a pack of 200 various LEDs for £6.50
CR 2032 Battery: Here’s a bulk order of 200 for £21.95
Magnets:  Here’s a pack of 100 magnets for £7.30

Cost per throwie from ebay? About £0.17 per unit.    (which equals  0.198 euros, which makes my very first statement bang-on-the-money!….literally)

[Sources:  Graffiti Research Lab]

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Agnilux was a new start-up company that opened its door less than a month ago. It was a collaboration of industry leading minds sought from the upper echelons of techno-corporate America. These genius’ hailed from the likes of: Apple, P.A. Semi (which was acquired by Apple), and TiVo.  It was a potent group put together to develop industry leading server hardware, most likely a chip(s).  What happens when you put together such a dynamic group of genius? . . . Google acquires you.  Was this Agnilux’s desired result?  My intuition points to yes, but my conspiracy side thinks this is a story of corporate head-hunting on a monumental level … a big “F-U” to Apple, if you will.

It was only March 26, 2010 that Dan Dobberpuhl, founder and CEO of PA Semi (which Apple purchased in 2008) had reportedly left Apple to join Agnilux as their CEO. Likewise, sources also report that PA Semi principal Amarjit Gill also had plans to join the Agnilux ranks, as well as Mark Hayter (whom both had resigned from Apple earlier this year or late last year).

The conspiracy starts right here… P.A. Semi developed the chips for the iPad.

Did these P.A. Semi (now Apple) executives legitimately leave Apple to form a new company to grow and prosper from?   Did the three buddies from P.A. Semi come together to form a new company, very much a replica model of how P.A. Semi was?  That doesn’t sit right with me.   Maybe Google coaxed these former Apple employees to disband and re-amalgamate as an independent entity? Maybe Google wanted them, and the creation of Agnilux was the way around any clauses in Apple’s employment contracts… You see where I’m going with this now.

VS.

Mastery of Corporate Espionage and VIP Acquisition.

Here is how I believe the story went:  Through long term communication and relationship building with Google’s Ministry of Truth business development dept over several months, Apple’s best and brightest chip architects performed precision corporate mutiny…with the help of Google.

Google is no stranger to company acquisition, and I am sure they were well aware of  P.A. Semi and their products (they just didn’t have anything Google wanted at the time, I’m sure).  It’s also no secret that P.A. Semi devised and created the chips for the iPad after their Apple acquisition in 2008.  Now Apple had something that Google wanted: inside information.  Enter the sneaky Google acquisition of P.A. Semi’s genius’ behind the A4 chipset.

Hypothetically speaking; it’s obvious that the three P.A. Semi employees (then Apple employees) quit to “pursue their own independent dreams” as founders of Agnilux. As I am sure quitting and going right to Apple’s foe is forbidden, contractually speaking.  However, I am equally sure there are no contractual clauses that prevent anyone from quitting to start their own business… and if said business was to be acquired by a large conglomerate, it’s purely an act of God *wink-wink*… right?  . . .Yeah, exactly.

Less than 25 days after Agnilux opens their doors, they’re snatched right up by Google. Coincidence? …I say suspicious.

…and what about that one lonely TiVo chip maker that’s part of Agnilux? Oh, I haven’t forgot about you. Google TV people, Google TV!

[Sources- Processor, peHUB, CNET]

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ComScore (a leader in measuring everything digital) released results from their MobiLens study, and the facts are grim if you’re invested in Tomtom or Garmin.  Apparently EU citizens of UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, and France have realized an increase in mobile GPS usage by 68% over this time last year.  With more people consulting their smart-phones for directions than ever before, it makes you wonder if Tomtom and Garmin are being lead up the river by their own product (or lack of innovation?). Everyone please pay your last respects to portable GPS units.

Do you remember what mobile phone you had in 2008? (I do!)  In the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008, GPS technology was being adapted for smart-phones (and some dumb-phones). Albeit primitive, you were able to determine your coordinates and basic directions to most destinations. Typically your phone, carrier, and location ultimately determined your GPS experience at that time.  Tomtom and Garmin still had the upper hand in turn-by-turn directions and detailed maps.  As Tomtom and Garmin pushed this “you get what you pay for” mantra they saw a decline in business and scrambled to get back their lost market share.  They both released expensive apps for smart-phones (about €40) which would give turn-by-turn navigation right on the mobile devices. That seemed like a novel idea, and people bit for about 4 months until Google announced it was releasing Google Maps and their own turn-by-turn navigation for all smart-phones, for free. The very next day, both Garmin and Tomtom shares fell about 20% (and kept dropping).

With 21 million people between 5 EU states accessing GPS last year on their smart-phones, it paints a grim picture for the future of proprietary GPS units.  Personally, I believe there is a market for  Tomtom and Garmin units, it’s just a MUCH smaller market than it was before. Who knows, future innovation paves the way for new competition – will Tomtom and Garmin re-energize their brands with new innovation? For their sake, I hope so.

[Sources - comScore, Yahoo! Finance]

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Welcome everyone to the land of awesome robots, and one amazingly huge building. I bet you thought I was going to say Japan…?  I’m actually talking about Spain. Since when did Spain have the need for such technological prowess? What do they have to prove?

Oddly enough, these robots were devised for practicality rather than novelty, which actually excites my want for a promising Sci-Re (Science Reality) World.  The Santander Group’s Financial Complex in Madrid, Spain is one of the biggest banks in the World. The building is so huge and complex that people regularly got lost trying to find where they’re going. Enter the robots.  In the main lobby is a LCD screen that asks you where you’re wanting to go, once you input your coordinates one of these little helpers comes over to show you to your boardroom.  Very cool!

Upon my first glance, I thought this was actually a unit you sit in and it autonomously takes you around the complex. It is not such a unit (but when one comes to fruition we will know we’ve realized our Sci-Fi dreams). These little guys are knee high and can navigate the entire complex while minding stationary and moving objects, even fellow robots.

My observation and question: It obviously operates with wirelessly provided instructions… Who will be the first to hack one and enslave it to do endless coffee runs? I will call my robot slave Mr. Cylon.   Wait, . . . Is this how Battle Star Galactica started?

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Researchers have developed self-powered nanometer-scale sensing devices by combining piezoelectric nanogenerators with two types of nanowire sensors.  These devices are able to draw power from different mechanical sources around them, which is all possible thanks to the piezoelectric effect.

The piezoelectric effect allows a specific material, usually a type of crystal, but also certain ceramics and even bone, to produce electrical potential from mechanical stress.  The effect is closely related to a change of polarization density within the material’s volume.  An electrical potential is created when one of these specific materials is put under stress.  If enough stress is put on the material, it can cause its electric dipole moments to shift, causing a change in the overall electric field within the material.

A changing electric field leads to an electrical potential, which results in electricity being produced.  The stress necessary for these nanogenerators is minimal, which makes the devices very enticing.  This will allow them to be used for many small-scale applications, including water testing and detection of ultraviolet light among other things.  They are not only able to power themselves, but are also almost completely self-reliable.  Tests have shown that they can operate for long periods of time without any loss of generating capacity.

The Nanogenerator

The actual devices themselves are made up of about 20,000 Zinc-Oxide nanowires per generator.  They can produce upwards of 1.2 volts of output voltage and are fabricated with a chemical process designed to facilitate low-cost manufacturing.

The nanowires can be grown chemically on substrates that easily flex or fold, and this can be done at temperatures under 100 degrees Celsius, which will allow for lower-cost fabrication and growth on just about any substrate.  The actual fabrication process requires nanowires to be grown both vertically and laterally in a very specific orientation which allows maximum electrical potential to be produced.

The new nanogenerator and nanoscale sensors open new possibilities for very small sensing devices that can operate without the need of batteries, powered by the mechanical energy harvested from their surrounding environment.

Energy sources include the motion of tides, sonic waves, mechanical vibration, the flapping of a flag in the wind, pressure from shoes of a hiker or even the movement of clothing.  Simply building very small devices is not sufficient anymore.  It is necessary for many devices like this to perform independently of outside sources.  This is exactly why these self-sustainable devices are sought after.

Source: [Science Daily]