Plus: Mini-projectors finding their way into smartphones. And an ecomill that’ll really save on your energy bill
Mind Controlled Wheelchair
You know how in some versions of X-Men
Prof. Xavier is able to control his wheelchair with his telekinetic abilities?
It makes you wish that it was that easy to give mobility to those that
paralyzed. But if Toyota has anything to say about it, it may very well become that easy. Toyota has teamed
up with researchers in Japan to create the world’s fastest EEG sensor. The prototype is capable
of interpreting specific brain waves in as little as 125 milliseconds. That’s
virtually instantaneous, allowing user’s to command the chair to turn left of
right on a whim. The command to stop the chair is for the user to simply puff
out their check, an action tracked by a separate component. The technology has
largely focused on tracking brain waves associated with imaginary hand and foot
operations, but Toyota hopes to develop a similar devices that is based on
emotional feedback. Toyota hopes to see the chair go into commercial production in the health
care industry.
Projecting Phones
Portable projectors are picking up steam
these days. Whether it’s an add on for the iPhone or an appendage to your
laptop, these shows-on-the-go devices can really come in handy. So it’s
interesting to see the potential for one more thing to be rolled into the
all-in-one smartphone as researchers reveals a miniature OLED projector capable
of fitting into most cell phones. The current prototype can display a
monochrome image at 10,000 candelas per square inch, while the colour image is
half that brightness. There’s no word on when or if the technology will make it
to the market, but it really seems as though it’s only a matter of time.
The Woodway EcoMill
In a way, treadmills are a funny thing.
They consume energy just so you can expend energy. Well, the Woodway EcoMill
hopes to rectify that. Free from power cord, this EcoMill charges its batteries
from your exercise-energy, ensuring your workout is entirely off the grid. What’s
more, the Woodway EcoMill is already commercially available. So, what’s it
doing in this ‘Looking Ahead’ feature? With it’s $8,500 price tag, you’d best
start looking ahead by padding your savings account if your interested in
picking up this eco-friendly exercise machine.
I think that this mind-controlled wheelchair is an incredible invention. Think of how it will help paraplegics and others that cannot push a button or spin a wheel.
It is a fantastic idea for a wheelchair..it will atleast give all these people a much desired freedom of movement and not being dependent on anyone to push the chair or use your own hands for it.