CIDesign

Bookmarks for Computing and Interaction Designers

Oct 27, 2011 3:01pm

British man’s prosthetic arm doubles as Nokia C7 dock

Smartphones have changed our lives, sure, but for those with only one arm, the touchscreen-centric devices can be a downright nuisance. Trevor Prideaux of Somerset, England has worked out of a solution, with help from Nokia and some folks in the medical community. A prosthetist built the 50-year-old catering manager a limb with a cradle for his Nokia C7, allowing Prideaux to operate the phone with a single hand. Prideaux told The Telegraph that he’d initially approached Apple for assistance with the project, eventually settling on Nokia after the Finnish handset maker agreed to help out.

[Image source: The Telegraph]

British man’s prosthetic arm doubles as Nokia C7 dock originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Next Web | source

The Telegraph | Email this | Comments

from Engadget http://engt.co/uTFFVw

Oct 25, 2011 10:31am

DIY e-bike hack gets washing machine motorization, stuck on permanent spin cycle (video)

Do all dead washing machines go to meet that lonely Maytag repairman in the sky? Nope, some of’em get their guts repurposed for use in hipster transportation, otherwise known as bicycles. At least that’s what one fed up, frugal Munich denizen did to avoid that German’s city costly PT fees. It’s not what you’d call an elegant hack, as our DIYer’s had to haphazardly rig up his washer’s 300W motor to the bike’s frame and stuff two clunky 12Ah batteries into a sidebag off the back tire. Still, it appears to get the job done, spinning at a max of 3000rpms with an ~~ejector button~~ on / off switch affixed to the right hand brake. We’re not sure how well or reliably this modjob fares on busy roadways, so for the time being we’ll just stick to Vespas. Check out the video after the break for an unmoving portrait of this eFahrrad.

Continue reading DIY e-bike hack gets washing machine motorization, stuck on permanent spin cycle (video)

DIY e-bike hack gets washing machine motorization, stuck on permanent spin cycle (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hack A Day | source

DIY: Tech Gadgets | Email this | Comments

from Engadget http://engt.co/tXvUBx

Oct 25, 2011 10:31am

Solar Ship takes to the skies powered by good deeds and sunshine (video)

The Solar Ship is a little bit airplane, a little bit blimp and all good intentions. The hybrid dirigible combines the cockpit and landing gear of a plane with the top of a blimp, the latter of which is lined with solar panels. The green vehicle can take off from and land on short runways, an ideal feature in a craft designed to deliver supplies to areas hit by natural disasters or with otherwise rough terrains. The ship will come in three sizes, and the company will be offering up more public demonstrations next year. If you can’t wait that long, however, you can check out a test run after the jump.

Continue reading Solar Ship takes to the skies powered by good deeds and sunshine (video)

Solar Ship takes to the skies powered by good deeds and sunshine (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inhabitat, The Toronto Star | source

Solar Ship | Email this | Comments

from Engadget http://engt.co/tt87UM

Oct 24, 2011 11:47am

Post-it watches

PA Design sells die-cut post-its shaped like wristwatches, gummed so they can be joined at the wrist. A cute way to put notes where you’re sure to glance at them.

Montre Post It Pense bête [pa-design.com]

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from Boing Boing http://bit.ly/q4eA4x

Oct 24, 2011 11:47am

Willie Nelson reads poem for Occupy Wall Street protesters

Video Link: Willie Nelson and his wife wrote this poem in solidarity with the “Occupy” movement. “We’re the ones we’ve been waiting for,” they read. Disclosure: I love this totally awesome dude, and he can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned. (via Greg Mitchell’s excellent OWS liveblog at The Nation)

from Boing Boing http://bit.ly/oV5Y7w

Oct 21, 2011 3:16pm

ThinFilm and PARC demo printable, organic CMOS circuit, inch us closer to an ‘internet of things’

ThinFilm and the legendary PARC (of mouse and GUI fame) announced they have produced a working prototype of a printable circuit that incorporated organic, rewritable memory and transistors. The resulting integrated circuits are essentially CMOS “chips” that can be printed on large rolls at extremely low cost. The most obvious application of the technology is in NFC chips, but the small price and size could find the printable circuits turning up as everything from price tags to freshness sensors on food packaging. Sure, the idea of an “internet of things” sounds a bit cheesy, but there’s no denying the allure of a world where practically everything is “smart.” Check out the full PR after the break for a few more details.

Continue reading ThinFilm and PARC demo printable, organic CMOS circuit, inch us closer to an ‘internet of things’

ThinFilm and PARC demo printable, organic CMOS circuit, inch us closer to an ‘internet of things’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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from Engadget http://engt.co/pyl6Zs

Oct 18, 2011 7:31pm

OmniTouch projection interface makes the world your touchscreen (video)

Sometimes you just want to make notes on your forearm. Put that permanent marker down though, because PhD student Chris Harrison et al at Microsoft Research have created a new system that allows touchscreen interaction on hairy and uneven surfaces. It uses a short-range depth camera instead of the infrared sensor we’ve seen on similar devices, which allows it to gauge the viewing angle and other characteristics of surfaces being used — and it can even handle pinch-to-zoom. There’s a video after the break, if you fancy a bit of wall-based digital finger painting.

Continue reading OmniTouch projection interface makes the world your touchscreen (video)

OmniTouch projection interface makes the world your touchscreen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chris Harrison | Email this | Comments

from Engadget http://engt.co/p5XC4z

Oct 18, 2011 7:31pm

Microsoft’s PocketTouch prototype is like x-ray vision for your fingers (video)

Is it more gauche to pull out your phone in the middle of a date, or to draw a bunch of crop circles on your pants? That’s the question we were asking ourselves after coming across PocketTouch — a new Microsoft Research prototype that lets you manipulate your handset without ever removing it from your pocket. Developed by researchers Scott Saponas, Chris Harrison and Hrvoje Benko, the device essentially consists of a customized, multitouch capacitive sensor hooked on to the back of a smartphone. This sensor is capable of picking up gestures through fabric, allowing users to execute a wide array of eyes-free, gesture-based functions (including simple swipes and alphanumeric text) without ever having to actually whip out their phones. To do this, the team implemented what it calls an “orientation-defining unlock gesture,” which helps the prototype get its bearings, before testing the capacitive sensors across different fabrics. According to Microsoft, the outcome “exceeded expectations,” though there’s no word on when or if this Goliath of a device could ever hit the mainstream. Head past the break to see a video of a man playing tic-tac-toe on his pants.

Continue reading Microsoft’s PocketTouch prototype is like x-ray vision for your fingers (video)

Microsoft’s PocketTouch prototype is like x-ray vision for your fingers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GeekWire | source

Microsoft Research | Email this | Comments

from Engadget http://engt.co/prENog

Oct 18, 2011 7:31pm

Kinect Turns Any Surface Into a Touch Screen

Researchers combine a Kinect sensor with a pico projector to expand the possibilities for interactive screens.

A new prototype can transform a notebook into a notebook computer, a wall into an interactive display, and the palm of your hand into a smart phone display. In fact, researchers at Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University say their new shoulder-mounted device, called OmniTouch, can turn any nearby surface into an ad hoc interactive touch screen.

from Technology Review RSS Feeds http://bit.ly/gsMJzK

Oct 18, 2011 7:01pm

SideBySide makes tiny projectors fun again (video)

Kids these days just don’t get thrilled by tiny projectors the way they used to. Disney Research is hoping to address the problem with its new SideBySide prototype, a pico projector that interacts with images projected nearby. The device outputs both visible and infrared light, while a built-in sensor detects the latter, allowing it to react to the image. The team showed off a handful of applications for the technology, including a few games, drag and drop file sharing and the ability to change perspectives on a 3D model. Non-interactive video after the jump.

Continue reading SideBySide makes tiny projectors fun again (video)

SideBySide makes tiny projectors fun again (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wired |

Disney Research | Email this | Comments

from Engadget http://engt.co/qjzGq0

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