Magura releases hydraulic rim brakes for road bikes

When most people think of hydraulic brakes on bicycles, they probably picture modern mountain bikes with disc brakes. As early as 1987, however, German bicycle component manufacturer Magura was making hydraulic rim brakes for mountain bikes. These featured the arms and rubber pads that we currently associate with V-brakes and cantilevers, but they were hydraulically activated. Now, 25 years later, Magura has released an aerodynamic hydraulic rim brake system for lightweight time trial and triathlon bikes.

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The new system is called RT8 TT - RT for Road Team, and TT for Time Trial.

In order to get the aerodynamics just right, Magura collaborated with Cervélo, the Canadian high-end road bike manufacturer. Cervélo is known for its research into bicycle streamlining, and in fact recently unveiled what it claims is the world's most aerodynamic time trial/triathlon bicycle, the P5 ... which has integrated RT8 TT brakes.

The system consists of carbon fiber levers, joined by sealed-system hoses to "extremely stiff" aluminum brake bodies. Flowing through those hoses is Magura's wonderfully-named Royal Blood mineral oil. Unlike the DOT braking fluid used in many mountain bike systems, it apparently doesn't need to changed, and is non-toxic. Like those other systems, however, RT8 TT is said to be essentially maintence-free and impervious to dirt, dust and water. The pads will still need to be changed, but this is a relatively simple procedure.

Low maintenance is nice, but according to Magura, the big selling features of RT8 TT are its high braking power, fine modulation, light weight and aerodynamics. Friction losses are reportedly minimal, meaning that even a slight touch of the levers will activate the bodies. Weight-wise, the entire system tips the scales at 495 grams. For comparison, a complete Shimano Dura-Ace TT/TRI cable-activated brakeset is 381 grams, not including cables and housings.

The Cervélo P5 will be the only bike to feature RT8 TT for the 2012 racing season, but it should be available for use on other makes of bicycles after that. Deep-pocketed cyclists can purchase the system on its own as of this June, for EUR 599 (US$770). For EUR 499 ($642), they can instead go with the aluminum-levered RT6 TT system. In the near future, Magura will additionally be introducing the RT8 mechanical-to-hydraulic converter, for installing the hydraulic brakes on bikes with existing mechanical levers. A cheaper RT6 converter is also on the way.

New gallstone-removing endoscope promises fewer gallbladder removals

When someone has gallstones, treatment typically involves the removal of their gallbladder. This is usually done laparoscopically, in a procedure known as a cholecystectomy. A group of scientists from the Second People's Hospital of Panyu District and Central South University in China, however, have created an endoscope that they say is able to locate and remove gallstones while leaving the gallbladder intact.

The device has an ultrasonic probe at its tip, that is used to locate the stones. It can reportedly even find small ones, embedded in the lining of the gallbladder. While it isn't entirely clear how the endoscope deals with larger stones (one would assume it blasts them apart), it is able to suck up fine, "sludge-like" stones using its horn-shaped "absorbing box."

Should laparoscopic surgery be necessary, an integrated fluid channel can also be used to inject water into the gallbladder, to increase the size of its interior cavity. The device has standard interfacing hardware, so it can be connected to typical camera systems worldwide.

In clinical trials conducted at two hospitals, there was found to be little difference in the surgical safety of the new endoscope, and one commonly used for cholecystectomies. Additionally, its flexibility, reliability and image quality were reported to be better.

GM’s Windows of Opportunity project turns car windows into interactive displays

In-car DVD players and handheld game consoles have proven a godsend to parents looking to avoid the regular cries of "are we there yet?" from kids in the back seat. Similar to Toyota's "Window to the World" concept, GM's "Windows of Opportunity" (WOO) project looks to advance back seat entertainment even further. The project saw the automaker giving researchers and students from the FUTURE LAB at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel free reign to design applications that rear seat passengers would interact with through their side windows, which act as interactive displays.

To inspire the students and let their creative juices run free when creating their applications, GM made it clear that it didn't have any immediate plans to put interactive display windows into production vehicles. However, the company said if they were to be put into production, they would likely use electronically charged "smart glass" technology, which can reflect projected images and is capable of variable translucence and transparency.

To demonstrate their applications, the students produced a full-scale functional prototype of a rear passenger seat and side window. The window was given multi-touch and gesture sensing capabilities using motion and optical sensor technology developed by interactive media display company EyeClick.

Otto:

Here's a selection of the apps the students came up with:

Features an animated character that is projected over passing scenery that responds to the car's speed, the weather and the landscape in real time.

Foofu:

Essentially an update of an old favorite with passengers able to draw on colored window condensation.

Spindow:

Literally provides a window to the world by letting passengers select a location on an interactive globe and projecting images from other user's windows at that location in real time.

Pond:

Lets passengers stream and share music with other cars on the road, download tracks, and display messages written on the window with passengers in other cars.

"Traditionally, the use of interactive displays in cars has been limited to the driver and front passenger, but we see an opportunity to provide a technology interface designed specifically for rear seat passengers," said Tom Seder, GM R&D lab group manager for human-machine interface. "Advanced windows that are capable of responding to vehicle speed and location could augment real world views with interactive enhancements to provide entertainment and educational value."

Whether any of the applications ever actually make it into production vehicles remains to be seen, but GM 's Omer Tsimhoni says such projects are invaluable as working with outside designers "brings fresh perspective to vehicle development. WOO is just one of many projects underway at GM that could reinvent the passenger experience in years to come."

Optimus Pad LTE becomes LG’s first LTE-capable tablet

Since the release of the G-Slate and Optimus Pad last year, tablet offerings from LG have been pretty thin on the ground. Now the company has announced it will be releasing its first LTE-capable tablet in its homeland next week. The Optimus Pad LTE is powered by a Qualcomm 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and comes running Android 3.2 (Honeycomb). It also features the same True HD IPS technology that debuted on LG's Optimus LTE smartphone but with the 1280 x 720 pixel resolution now spread over 8.9-inches worth of display.

In announcing the new LTE tablet, LG claims that tablets generate five times more traffic than the average smartphone, so tablet users will likely appreciate LTE's faster connectivity. In addition to being the company's first LTE-capable tablet, LG claims the Optimus Pad LTE is also the first tablet in the world to support micro SD memory cards of up to 32 GB. This is on top of the 32 GB of onboard memory already included in the device.

Other specs include an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera for shooting HD video, and a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video calls. It also features HDMI and DLNA connectivity and is powered by a 6,800 mAh battery. The unit measures 245 x 151.4 x 9.34 mm (9.64 x 5.96 x 0.36 in) and weighs 497 g (17.5 oz). It will be released in Korea next week priced at KRW880,000 (approx. US$774). Now word on plans for a wider release as yet.

Village Defense reinvents Neighborhood Watch with real time communication

If you've ever lived within the bounds of a Neighborhood Watch footprint, you have no doubt been astonished by the amount of crime in your community. Neighborhood Watch newsletters in most locales carry lists of burglaries and worse and their locations, all of which are in your neighborhood. For centuries it seems, our lack of ability to coordinate and distribute that information has hampered the reduction of crime.

Neighborhood Watch was revolutionary and through its newsletters, brought a much higher awareness of crime in the community, even if people heard after the event, it was better than not hearing at all.

Real time communication, in the context of combating neighborhood crime, is a game changer and may yet turnout to be quite significant in societal terms. Man has gathered together in communities for protection for 10,000 years, yet despite the recent proliferation of neighborhood watch organizations, the protection afforded by a modern neighborhood is still modest.

Just as repressed communities around the globe are attempting to use social software to organise themselves, the implementation of social software to make communities safer seems like a significant leap forward in living standards.

Social software start-up Village Defense has created software that links neighbours to form a real-time communication system - one phone call notifies all neighbors (by text or phone) when a crime or suspicious activity is in progress. In the first pilot study of the new system, the increased awareness, greater availability of witnesses and shorter response times facilitated by Village Defense saw crime rates dropped 58% in the first year.

iConvert Scanner turns hard copies into digital documents on an iPad

While the promised paperless office has yet to eventuate, scanners are still a standard piece of equipment in most workplaces - even if that workplace happens to be the road. With many a road warrior these days packing an iPad in their arsenal, it's not surprising to see the release of the iConvert Scanner for iPad from Brookstone. After slotting an iPad (1 or 2) into the dock on the top of the device and starting the iConvert app, documents fed into the front feeder slot can be scanned and appear instantly on the iPad's display to be saved as JPEGs in the device's photo library.

The iConvert's feeder slot can take documents from 2 to 8.5 inches (5 to 21.6 cm) in width and scan them at up to 300 dpi resolution. Once the document has been saved to the iPad's photo library you can email, print or delete it, or edit it on one of the many image editing apps available from the App Store. As can be seen in the video below, the unit itself is compact enough to not take up too much room in a bag and appears to be battery-powered, which would make sense for a unit designed to be portable - although just how many scans yo'll get before needing a recharge remains to be seen. The iConvert app will be available as a free download from the App Store.

100 Years Ago: The Amazing Technology of 1910

1910 brings new ways to clean, travel

The dawn of 2010 promises more amazing developments in the world of technology. Already, tourists can visit space, for a price, nearly everything and everyone is going digital, and medical science continues to test the boundaries of what makes us truly human.

One full century ago, the new technologies that had people talking were considered just as groundbreaking. Electricity led the charge of developments that were changing the way people lived every day, with transportation and chemistry not far behind.

As the clocks of 1909 ticked towards 1910, more exciting inventions were just around the corner.

The first decade of the 1900s was an exciting time to be alive, with inventors continuing to make major strides in all disciplines.
The early years of the century saw the general public finally able to enjoy the fruits of what was achieved in electrical engineering during the previous century. By 1910, many suburban homes had been wired up with power and new electric gadgets were being patented with fervor. Vacuum cleaners and washing machines had just become commercially available, though were still too expensive for many middle-class families.
The telephone was another hot new commodity in 1910, with millions of American homes already connected by manual switchboard. Those who did not have a phone to call their neighbor still had to rely on the paper for their news, however; though radio technology was in its infancy, regular broadcasts were still several years away.
In transportation, those first years of the 20th century began the age of the airship, marked by a craze for dirigibles such as the Zeppelin and the Wright Brothers' historic flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903. Henry Ford introduced his landmark Model T in 1908, making automobiles available and affordable to the masses for the first time.
Chemistry also charged full steam ahead in 1910. Advances in the use of gases chilled the world out with the release of the first electric refrigerators and air-conditioning units, while French inventor Georges Claude harnessed neon in glass tubes and debuted neon lighting in Paris, changing the face of seedy advertising forever.
Other new inventions, both influential and inane, that were making waves one century ago included:

• Bakelite plastic
• Escalators
• Teabags
• Cellophane
• Instant coffee
• Disposable razor blades

The best thing before sliced bread
The world was modernizing quickly by 1910, but some everyday things we take for granted now were then still just a glimmer in their inventors' eyes.
Men were still relying on buttons and women on painful corsets until 1913, for example, when clothing technology got a boost with the development of the zipper and modern brassiere. Unfortunate zipper accidents likely healed better with the invention of the modern Band-Aid, which came about seven years later.
Steel turned rusty until mid-decade, when the stainless variety ushered in a new era of efficient gun barrels and, later, shiny appliances.
Finally, though the pop-up toaster first hit the market in 1919, the public had to wait almost ten years for its practicality to be fully realized. The "greatest thing" of the modern age, the one invention against which all others are now compared—sliced bread—was born in Missouri in 1928.

Game-Changing Technology: Their Material Sucks — And That’s Good

Is this the magic bullet for water pollution?

On May 9, 2010, oil continued to flow from a damaged offshore oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite shows the slick on Sunday afternoon.

CREDIT: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team

Paul Edmiston, a chemistry professor at Wooster College in Northcentral Ohio, started out looking for a compound that would help detect explosives at airports. What he found instead was a material that hates water but loves hydrocarbons like oil with a passion.

He dubbed the new material Osorb because it can expand up to eight times it original volume like a sponge, lift 20,000 times its own weight and suck oil or other hydrocarbon pollutants out of water without leaving any trace of itself in the environment. It and the hydrocarbons it removes can also be reused.

The discovery and commercial development came just in time for it to get its baptism by fire when it was pilot-tested during the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year. It worked. And a potential game-changing technology was born.

Edmiston knew it would. The Eureka moment came in 2005when Edmiston and his students were conducting research to develop an optical sensor for explosives under a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Colleen Burkett, one his students, was testing a batch of ground-up, nanoengineered glass made from a silicon and benzene polymer. When she added acetone, a solvent commonly used in fingernail polish remover, the glass immediately changed shape and swelled up as it absorbed the acetone, a hydrocarbon. She ran to Edmiston.

“Dr. Edmiston, you’ve got to come to see this,” she said.

When they looked at the results, she asked Edmiston, “Did I mess up?”

The answer was a resounding “No.”

“It was a sort of Eureka moment,” Edmiston recalled. “Like a lot of inventions it wasserendipitous. It’s halfway between window glass in your car and the caulk in your bathtub. It’s a mechanical process, not chemical. It’s a sponge that doesn’t give off anything of its self. It’s really a nanomachine.”

Two years of further research and commercial development followed, helped by additional funding from NSF, including a NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant.

 In 2008 Edmiston rolled the dice to form a company to manufacture and market Osorb, Absorbent Materials Co. (ABSMaterials). The company was profitable by its second year and now has 20 full-time employees and is exploring additional uses for this revolutionary new manufactured material.

“With patents in hand, the IP and a little bit of seed money from my own personal finances and money from the state of Ohio, I founded the company,” he said.” As an inventor and a scientist, you have to make a leap. It involved a phone to my parents to ask them if they could lend me money and looking at my mortgage to see how much money I could get out of it and form a company.”

Unlike the chemical dispersants that are spread on oil spills, Osorb is not a toxic chemical that remains in the water; it works better when the oil-contaminated water is brought to it and processed in a contained environment. For the Gulf spill pilot test. Edmiston and his crew mounted two funnel-shaped vortex tanks on a trailer.

Osorb and the crude-contaminated oil were mixed in the first tank and the resulting filtered water was returned to the environment. The oil-soaked Osorb was then transferred to the second tank where it was treated to separate the petroleum for reuse or disposal. The Osorb was then rinsed and ready for reuse.

“It’s a sponge that doesn’t give off anything of itself,” Edmiston said. “You reuse the Osorb over and over again. The original stuff that Colleen synthesized is still fine today.”

• Today, Osorb is being used in a number of advanced water treatment systems, including a Superfundsite where Osorb is being used to treat groundwater contamination around an Ohio plant that manufactured ammunition during World War II.
• A catalytic version of Osorb combined with iron is being injected into the ground where it breaks down trichloroethylene(TCE), an industrial solvent that is a significant cause of groundwater pollution, and dechlorinatesit to produce ethane gas — colorless, odorless, nontoxic, but flammable.

But the largest opportunity for Osorb is produced water, Edmiston believes. Produced water is the water that is co-extracted from wells with petroleum and natural gas and is estimated to be 800 billion gallons in volume per year. Often saturated with hydrocarbons, produced water is one of the most vexing pollution problems because effective treatment is difficult.

With onshore wells, the produced water is injected into the ground; offshore, it is returned to the ocean.

“Oil and gas wells are a major source of contaminated water,” said Edmiston. “One of the largest waste streams in the world is produced water.”

Osorb can change that calculus, Edmiston believes, and become the game-changer in water remediation that an environmentally challenged planet needs.