Friday 29 January 2016

Vauxhall's sleek GT Concept draws on the past for a vision of the future

STU ROBARTS
JANUARY 28, 2016
17 PICTURES

The GT Concept is described as purebred, pared-down and avant-garde (Credit: Vauxhall)

Vauxhall and Opel have revealed their vision of the sports car of the future. The GT Concept has ultra-sleek black and grey styling, with red highlights. Despite its forward-thinking design, it draws inspiration from the 1966 Vauxhall XVR and the 1965 Opel Experimental GT.

"In the mid-Sixties, Vauxhall and Opel created their own interpretations of a lightweight sports car - the XVR and the Experimental GT - both of which were thoroughly modern with dynamic sculptural forms," says Mark Adams, Vice president of design in Europe for Opel and Vauxhall. "It's certainly difficult to reinvent iconic concepts like these, but just as each was avant-garde back then, so too is this GT Concept today – absolutely pure, minimalistic, yet bold and uncompromising."

In addition to being called avant-garde, the GT Concept is also described as purebred and pared-down. It has no door handles, with access to the car instead granted via a touchpad. Large doors extend forward to the front wheels, opening into the arches, and have seamlessly integrated side windows. The windscreen, meanwhile, flows back into a glass roof.

Side mirrors have also been done away with. Instead, two cameras mounted behind the wheel arches are used to provide visibility. Images from the cameras are relayed to monitors in the cabin. Elsewhere, integrated headlamp / indicator units have what Vauxhall calls a "three-dimensional beam," that is said to allow for glare-free high-beam driving.

The Concept GT is rear-wheel drive with a front-mid engine configuration. It has a six-speed sequential transmission operated by paddles on the steering-wheel. The car is powered by a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine that kicks out 145 PS (143 hp) and a maximum torque of 205 Nm (151 ft-lb). This allows it to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in under eight seconds and top out at 134 mph (216 km/h).

The Concept GT will debut at the Geneva International Motor Show in March.

Source: Vauxhall

This self-filling water bottle is the ultimate in vaporware

Austrian startup Fontus is developing a novel water bottle that is vaporware in just about every sense of the phrase. Not only does it not yet exist in the marketplace, but it is claimed to literally pull water vapor out of the air to fill itself.

Harvesting water from the air via processes like condensation has been practiced in various ways for eons, of course. In recent years, we've seen a James Dyson award go to an Australian irrigation system that works on the same principle, as well as a lightweight bamboo tower that grabs its own water. But the ability to do so basically on-demand and on the go could be a big deal for hikers, bikers and just about anyone with limited access to clean drinking water.

Fontus was also a finalist for the Dyson award in 2014, for its design using solar energy to create a condensation chamber that converts humidity extracted from the air into drinking water. When humid air flows into the device, it hits a series of hydrophobic surfaces that cause water droplets to form while a filter keeps dust, bugs and debris out.

The company claims the bottle, which it plans to release in two models – the Airo and the cycling-specific Ryde – can produce 0.5 quarts (0.5 liters) in a single hour.

Recently, the company received funding from the Austrian government to continue development, and plans to launch the product to the masses via a crowdfunding campaign in March.

While promising, there's still a long road between even an award-winning prototype and mass production, especially when crowdfunding is the chosen method of bringing a new product to market. The company says it plans to release third-party white paper data soon, that will include "reference temperature, humidity settings, duration, and resultant volume of water created."

Validation tests are also in the works, which Fontus hopes the crowdfunding campaign will help pay for.

We'll continue to watch this one with interest, and hope that this one can make the leap from vaporware to real vapor-harvestingware. In the meantime, more information is available in the video below.

Source: Fontus

TheOUTlet pops the need for power strips

The proliferation of electrical devices means that plug sockets are in increasing demand. Socket splitters and power strips can be used to solve this problem, but can be bulky and unsightly. An innovative socket design called theOUTlet, however, provides more socket space at the push of a button.

TheOUTlet employs a similar pop-out functionality as the Pop-Out Outlet. Whereas that model was conceived to hide socket holes when not in use, however, theOUTlet is aimed at providing more places to plug appliances into.

Designed by US startup Secret Sockets, theOUTlet looks and functions like a typical double plug socket. When pressed, though, a button on the fitting allows the central unit into which the sockets are set to "pop out" from the rest of the fitting, and provide two additional sockets. The additional sockets can be hidden away discreetly until required.

Secret socket says theOUTlet fits standard electrical boxes and can be installed in a matter of minutes. It has a low-profile design with a similar look and feel to conventional socket fittings. The fittings are also tamper-resistant, childproof and can be installed in any orientation.

There is a basic 15 A version available for US homes, with 20 A and GFCI versions being developed for use in garages and outside the home. Versions with USB sockets are also planned.

A Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign is underway for theOUTlet. At the time of writing, individuals who pledge from US$28 can receive one of the fittings, assuming all goes to plan with the campaign and roll-out. Shipping is expected from October.

The video below is the Kickstarter pitch for theOUTlet.

Sources: Kickstarter, theOUTlet

Fi70 Bluetooth speaker looks like it's missing a mini TV

There's no shortage of Bluetooth speakers jostling for a place in your shopping cart, making it a challenge to stand out. Fluance is hoping to catch your eye with the unusual looks of the Fi70, and please your ear with a 3-way driver system powered by a 280 W integrated amplifier.

The company's largest Bluetooth speaker to date, the Fi70 sits on its own pedestal and features a hand-made wooden cabinet designed to reduce music-spoiling resonance for what Fluance promises to be a natural, warm sound with an accurate response. The enclosure also has bass reflex porting to the rear. With the stand, dimensions come in at 29.5 x 11 x 36 in (749 x 279 x 914 mm), with a back-breaking total weight of 81 lb (37 kg).

The mains-powered speaker system is said to be the first wireless speaker to host two 8-inch woofers, with two 1-inch neodymium dome tweeters and two 5-inch woven glass fiber midrange drivers completing the throwing muscle. The frequency response starts at 30 Hz and runs up to 20 kHz, with a crossover frequency of 150 Hz and 2.5 kHz.

With all that room-filling sonic potential, it is somewhat disappointing that Fluance has elected to only include Bluetooth 2.1 wireless technology (albeit with aptX support) and not add something with enough bandwidth to comfortably handle hi-res music playback, but there is a built-in FM/AM tuner and a 3.5 mm auxiliary audio jack. There's also an optical input which could see the system used to enhance console gaming or replace TV soundbars.

Touch controls to the top can be used to adjust settings, such as EQ, and there's a USB charging port that allows listeners to top up mobile devices while enjoying the tunes.

The Fi70 is available now in bamboo, black ash or walnut finishes for US$499.99.

Product page: Fluance Fi70

Gene-editing tool may prevent blindness

A team of researchers is working to turn the powerful CRISPR gene-editing tool towards treating a serious eye disease. Early results are promising, with the team successfully correcting the mutation that causes the condition in cells outside the body.

Retinitis pigmentosa is relatively common, affecting around 1 in 4,000 people in the United States and Europe. An inherited condition, it causes the retina to degrade over time, eventually leading to blindness. The current recommended treatment for the condition is for the patient to up their vitamin A intake, but the measure doesn't cure the disease, instead only slowing its progress.

The new research, being conducted by scientists at the Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the University of Iowa, is looking at tackling the condition using a gene-editing tool called CRISPR. The tool has proved extremely useful in recent studies, where it's been tasked with everything from combating muscular dystrophy to helping find new treatments for cancer.

For the new project, the team created stem cells from skin samples taken from a single patient with the retinitis pigmentosa. Though grown in the lab, the cells still play host to the defective gene that causes the condition, which the researchers were able to correct, outside the body, using the CRISPR tool. The particular type of retinitis pigmentosa used in the experiment is an excellent candidate for the treatment, as a common mutation is responsible for 90 percent of cases, making it easier to target the offending gene.

While the breakthrough may initially not seem like a big deal, the treatment potential could be huge. With the mutation successfully eradicated from the stem cell, it can then potentially be transformed into retinal cells. These could then be transplanted back into the patient to treat the vision loss, with little risk of the cells being rejected by the host.

"We still have some way to go, but we believe that the first therapeutic use of CRISPR will be to treat an eye disease," said CUMC associate professor Stephen Tsang. "Here we have demonstrated that the initial steps are feasible."

This study isn't the first time that the scientific community has looked to CRISPR to tackle retinitis pigmentosa. Earlier this month, a team from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centerused the tool to attack the disease in laboratory mice, with very positive results.

The findings of the new research were published in the journal Scientific Reports. For more on the study, you can take a look at the video below.

Source: CUMC

Snorkel Dive keeps young divers on a safety leash

While simply gearing up and jumping into the water may be one way for kids to learn to scuba dive, Snorkel Dive Innovations believes there's a safer method. Its patent-pending approach incorporates a tethered system with adjustable depth limits of from 0 to 6 meters (20 feet), giving young divers the opportunity to build experience and technique while becoming more comfortable with diving at their own pace.

In step one, kids are swimming at surface level while connected to a safe, wave-free air supply. This allows them to watch and learn from more experienced divers who are swimming below, but still using the same system.

Kids can then move to step two where at 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6.5 feet) they learn slow ascends, how to clear their ears, and basic dive techniques while still tethered to the system and with an experienced diver.

By the third step, kids are learning to be more comfortable at depths of 2 to 6 meters (6.5 to 20 feet) while building experience to prepare them for their first formal scuba training course.

Snorkel Dive Innovations said that its approach is not intended to replace formal scuba training or the Junior Open Water certifications. The company expects to release more information, including technical specifications and pricing, later in February. A crowdfunding campaign on either Kickstarter or Indiegogo is planned for later this year.

Source: Snorkle Dive Innovations

Folding, modular rotor blades designed for giant wind turbines

Sandia National Laboratories has revealed its plans for the extreme-scale Segmented Ultralight Morphing Rotor (SUMR). The turbines are built to deal with the extreme conditions of an offshore farm, featuring a folding build to cope with high winds.

The majority of current US wind turbines produce between 1 and 2 MW of power, using blades around 165 ft (50 m) long, and even the largest commercially-available models are only capable of 8 MW output, with rotors measuring 262 ft (80 m). Sandia plans to make its new blades much larger, two and half times that of any rival, producing a whopping 50 MW of power.

Of course, when you're building that big, there are some significant challenges to overcome. Manufacturing and transporting large scale rotor blades is expensive and logistically difficult. To combat that, the new blades can be manufactured in segments, lowering costs and making them much easier to transport.

The new design also places the turbines downwind of the tower, rather than in the upwind position of conventional designs. When dangerously high winds strike, the blades are able to fold in to avoid damage, opening back out to take maximize energy production once the weather calms down.

The design is also inspired by the way that palm trees move in storms. The trunk features a segmented build with a series of cylindrical shells, which able to bend in the wind without compromising segment stiffness.

Exascale turbines such as this could have a huge impact on green energy production. The research was funded by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy program, and could provide a good way to reach its plan to provide 20 percent of the country's energy from wind by 2030.

"The US has great offshore wind energy potential, but offshore installations are expensive, so larger turbines are needed to capture that energy at an affordable cost," said the lead blade designer on the project, Todd Griffith.

Source: Sandia National Laboratories

Oculus Rift vs. Samsung Gear VR

After two rounds of developer kits for both devices, the consumer versions of the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR are either here (Gear) or almost here (Rift). Sounds like a good time to compare the features and specs of Oculus' two VR headsets.

Host device

If you're looking at these devices for the first time, the first thing to know is that the Oculus Rift connects to a highish-end gaming PC, while the Gear VR is powered by a Samsung Galaxy smartphone that you insert in the headset: the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 5or Galaxy S6 edge+, or the 5.1-inch Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge.

That makes the Rift the much more powerful device. With that said, it's surprising how close some Gear VR games/experiences get to what you see on the Rift, and Oculus execs say the Gear may only take a couple of years to catch up with where the Rift is today.

Wireless

Being powered by a smartphone, the Gear VR has the advantage of being completely wireless. With the Rift, a cord stretches between the headset and a USB port on its PC mothership.

Portable

Being wireless and smartphone-powered means the Gear is also the portable option: it's easy to throw into a backpack and take to a friend's house or on a trip.

You could technically do that with the Rift, but it means lugging around a PC and sensors along with the headset and cables.

Positional tracking

This, however, is a huge advantage that the Oculus Rift has over the Gear. The Rift includes an optical sensor (camera) that plugs into your PC. It detects the headset's position in space, so when you lean your real upper body forward (or stand up, or crouch down ...) you lean, stand or crouch in the virtual world.

When you try to do these things with the Gear, the world moves with you. The Gear only detects your head's rotation – everything from the neck down is controlled by a gamepad.

Bundled gamepad

Speaking of gamepads, you'll need to supply your own Android controller for the Gear VR. If money is no object, we recommend the US$62 Steelseries Stratus XL. If you want a solid budget option, the $29 Moga Hero Power gets the job done too.

The Oculus Rift includes a wireless Xbox One gamepad in the box.

Oculus Touch

In the second half of 2016, Rift owners will be able to buy Oculus Touch, the terrific motion controllers that make you feel like you have hands inside virtual worlds. They use a combination of grip sensors, haptic feedback and traditional buttons to let you do things like pick up and fire virtual guns and manipulate a wide range of other objects in first-person games.

The Gear VR doesn't currently have any motion control options.

Remote/touchpad

The Gear VR has a touchpad on the right side of the headset, which you can use to make selections and control action in some games (we much prefer gamepad controls, though, as holding your hand to your right temple can get tiring).

We haven't used it yet, but the Oculus Rift includes a small handheld remote to help make home screen selections when you don't have your Xbox controller handy.

Built-in headphones

The Rift also has built-in headphones with spatial audio (so if an explosion happens behind you to your left, it will sound like it's coming from behind you to your left).

The Gear VR requires you to plug in your own headphones or earbuds. Otherwise it will use your phone's speaker, which will sound lousy.

Build

Both headsets use a combination of fabric and plastic, though the Gear only uses fabric on the part that hugs against your face (the rest is plastic). The Rift has fabric in other places, to conceal invisible LEDs that help with motion tracking.

Colors

No different color options for either – it's a black Rift or white Gear.

Display resolution

The Gear VR has the higher per-eye resolution, but based on our hands-ons, there's no noticeable downgrade in visual clarity on the Rift. On the contrary, because the PC can power much richer visual images than the Gear, the Rift ends up looking much more impressive on the whole.

Display type

OLED displays are the current standard in virtual reality, owing largely to their low persistence (so when you move your head quickly, there's no noticeable motion blur).

Field of view

We don't know the exact field of view of the Oculus Rift, but Oculus execs have said that it's no lower than anything they've shown us before. We interpret that as meaning it's at least 110 degrees diagonally, which was the FOV of the first Rift development kit (DK1).

The Gear VR has a 96-degree field of view when you're using either the Note 5 or Galaxy S6 edge+. If you're using one of the smaller Samsung phones (Galaxy S6, GS6 edge) then that goes down a little bit. It isn't a dramatic difference, but we do notice a slightly higher sense of presence (feeling of being somewhere else) when using the larger/wider FOV Galaxy phablets.

Refresh rate

Higher frame rates also add to the sense of presence in virtual reality, and the Rift comes in at a higher 90Hz.

Interpupillary distance (IPD)

As its name suggests, IPD measures the distance between your pupils. On the Gear, this is fixed but covers the range listed above. You can adjust this on the Rift, so if there's an unusually small or large distance between your eyes, you can find just the right fit (this helps tighten up the resulting stereoscopic image).

Glasses

If you wear glasses, you can keep them on underneath either headset, though it isn't necessary on the Gear because of the next category.

Focus adjustment

There's a wheel on top of the Gear that lets you tweak the lens focus, giving glasses-wearers the option of leaving them off.

Console support

Though it won't at launch, at some point the Rift will support wireless streaming from an Xbox One to Rift/PC. And it sounds like Oculus is open to supporting a direct (physical) connection between Rift and Xbox at some point further down the road.

Room-scale VR

Oculus isn't centering its marketing around this the way HTC is with the Vive, but after Oculus Touch launches later this year, you'll have the option of using a second positional sensor to have larger-scale, free-roaming experiences on the Rift. It isn't yet clear, though, how much (if any) Oculus content will be tailored to this in the near term.

Software (host device)

Both devices use Oculus Home software to buy and download content – and of course that's a Windows-based platform on the Rift and an Android-based one on the Gear.

Bundled games

The Oculus Rift will ship with two AAA-quality games – third-person platformer Lucky's Tale and first-person space shooter Eve: Valkyrie – in the box.

You could say the Gear VR has some bundled games as well, since there are some high-quality games in the Oculus Store that don't cost a thing (two Herobound games for starters), but Samsung and Oculus aren't promoting any of them as being "bundled with" the Gear.

Release

The consumer Gear VR launched late last November, while the first Oculus Rift pre-orders start shipping late March. Current Rift orders are (at time of publication) estimating a July ship date.

Starting price (headset only)

If you already own a 2015 Samsung flagship smartphone, then the $99 Gear VR is a no-brainer purchase. The much more powerful Rift rings up for a heftier $599, which includes the headset, sensors and cables, the two games and Xbox controller.

Starting price (host device)

If you're either building your own PC or buying one of Oculus' partner bundles (Rift + PC) then the host PC comes out to roughly a $900 minimum (the Asus PC shown is merely one example; it doesn't matter what brand PC you use, as long as it meets Oculus' minimum specs).

By far the most expensive part of the Gear VR is the Samsung phone, though you can buy those on carrier installment plans to help ease the blow. The listed prices are approximate for the Galaxy S6; any of the other three phones will likely ring up for a bit higher than that.

For more, you can read Gizmag's latest hands-on with the Oculus Rift and our full review of the Gear VR.