 They’re really just a simple casing with an unbalanced drive shaft and a motor, but for such an unassuming device, the vibrator has some tremendous taboos associated with it. Most of these prejudices hinge on packaging and purpose– the vibrator in a pager is the same basic device as its stimulating and lurid cousin, but suffers no stigma. But the society has its taboos misplaced; the pager uses its mechanical oscillations for the questionable purpose of distracting drivers on high-speed motorways, whereas the “vibrator” was originally designed for a noble medical purpose: the treatment of hysteria.
Continue reading…
|
Architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars spent the last six years working on the development of a magnetic floating 
Lockheed Martin engineers have designed and built a prototype nine-aperture wide-field imaging telescope that overcomes the increase in mass, volume and cost associated with large single-optics telescopes for space-based applications. The ability of a telescope to resolve fine detail is a direct function of its light-gathering power. Larger apertures — mirrors or lenses — gather more light and provide greater resolution of detail.
Condition monitoring of machinery lubricants is an established method of predicting and avoiding impending machinery breakdown. Now, with Kittiwakes’ Ferrous Debris Monitoring technology, worn machinery parts can be identified early and replaced before any serious damage occurs.
Cybernetic senses have been the subject of science fiction for decades. The idea of using sophisticated technology to repair damaged bodies, or even to enhance normal ones, has a tremendous appeal – but how far have we progressed towards that goal?
Just unveiled last week, the Solarin Turtle is “the world’s first solar-powered scooter,” according to the company that developed it, Solarin Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd. While they might be right, we’ve seen at least one DIY version before; still, it’s good news for anyone interested in saving gas and cutting down on emissions.
DDD Mobile, stereoscopic 3D software for mobile telephone handsets, has been delivered on the Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) OMAP high-performance, ultra-low power consumption wireless applications processors.
Active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) technology for military and industrial applications that allows devices to operate at temperatures as low as -40C with nearly instant-on capability has been developed by Kopin Corp., Taunton MA, the largest US manufacturer of microdisplays for mobile consumer and military electronics.