3D printing is a process of making 3 dimensional structure of any shape from a digital model. The first ever working 3D printer was build in 1984 by Chuck Hull of 3D Systems Corp and now after so many hard working years 3D printers are finally available for domestic use. Providing it domestically is a major break through in the world of technology..It will not only change the fact that you need furniture, a pair of shoes or a machine part it will change the way you acquire these items. Instead of wasting your precious time to go out shopping these things, you can just print them at home 3D printers deposit multiple layers of plastic or other materials to make almost anything. The technology takes a model from your computer and sends it to your home 3D printer that will create your item using plastic filament. Filament comes in spools of various colours and is fed in to a heated extruder, which moves in several directions putting layer by layer on top of each other until the object is created. These printers are causing waves everywhere, with technology used across the world now.
Thursday, 2 October 2014
3D Printers
3D printing is a process of making 3 dimensional structure of any shape from a digital model. The first ever working 3D printer was build in 1984 by Chuck Hull of 3D Systems Corp and now after so many hard working years 3D printers are finally available for domestic use. Providing it domestically is a major break through in the world of technology..It will not only change the fact that you need furniture, a pair of shoes or a machine part it will change the way you acquire these items. Instead of wasting your precious time to go out shopping these things, you can just print them at home 3D printers deposit multiple layers of plastic or other materials to make almost anything. The technology takes a model from your computer and sends it to your home 3D printer that will create your item using plastic filament. Filament comes in spools of various colours and is fed in to a heated extruder, which moves in several directions putting layer by layer on top of each other until the object is created. These printers are causing waves everywhere, with technology used across the world now.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
The Galaxy Note series has always lived under the moniker of "Samsung's other flagship phone" but that doesn't mean in anyway that it's newest installment the Note 3 is any less impressive. Like it's predecessors the Note 3 continues the trend of the oft-criticized "phablets". So without further ado lets dive in
Size and build
The Note 3 measures 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm, which is about the same height, half a millimetre narrower and a full millimetre thinner than the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. More impressively still, the 168g weight is a full 15g lighter than last year’s model.
That’s partly down to the plastic casing on the back. It’s cunningly fashioned to look like leather, complete with stitching details but when you peel it off you see how slim and, er, plasticky it is.
Even so, this is a more sophisticated look than many of Samsung’s recent phones can muster (step forward, the Samsung Galaxy S4). And although it’s a thin, light back plate, it fits so perfectly there’s no creak when you flex it.
It won’t be to everyone’s taste but it’s certainly a well-built phone. What’s more, the glossy metallic edging and gloss white frame round the screen look chic and classy. The Note 3 comes in a bunch of colours. They include white, black and pink.
FeaturesThis is a Note, so there’s a stylus built into the body, called the S Pen. It’s so you can annotate the screen, for instance. As you pull it from its snug holster the Note 3 recognises you’ve done this and launches a special menu called Air Command. The options in the menu include Action Memo.So, for instance you can scribble a phone number down on the screen. Then the phone recognises that’s what it is and offers you menu options including a phone dial icon. Touch this and it’ll phone your scribbled number. Cool, huh?
A line of an address can lead you to a map, too. Other S Pen options include Screen Write which takes a grab of what’s on screen and lets you annotate this. The S Pen also lets you scribble on screen and the handwriting recognition does an okay job of translating it into text.
Samsung has put a lot of its trademark apps into the Note 3 including the excellent S Translate which lets you speak in one language and hear the phone speak them back in another. It’s very useful and works splendidly.
This is the first phone to work with the Samsung Galaxy Gear smart watch. It’s a good combination. With a screen this size you may well find yourself in situations where you want to keep the Note 3 in your pocket or bag, in which case being able to read the first line of a text or email on your wrist is easier, not to mention making a call on it.
Screen
The display this time around is 5.7 inches – last year it was 5.5 inches. It’s bright and sharp. And because it’s a Super AMOLED screen, it’s amazingly vivid. Sometimes eye-searingly so. This is a Full HD screen, just like the Samsung Galaxy S4, though the pixel density is obviously a little lower as this is a bigger display. Even so, it looks great.
Even the default lock screen is a joy. It’s a splash of brightly coloured paints (think Rothko but giddy with happiness). As your finger hovers over the display to wake the screen, your nearby but not touching finger seems to swirl the paint colours. Touch it and the effect is amplified as the screen unlocks. You can waste a lot of time and battery life playing with this.
Camera
The 13MP sensor on the Note 3 is decent enough, managing good shots in average light and excellent ones in brighter lighting conditions. Good, then, but not the standout feature here. That’s because there’s a video camera here too and it shoots in 4K resolution.
Twice the resolution of HD in each direction, then. The results looked pretty spectacular on an HD TV but actually playing back your 4K footage in full resolution requires a 4K TV, which aren’t that common just yet. Still, it’s something for the future.
Performance
Running on Android version 4.3 the fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor is superbly whizzy and as a result this is a speedy phone that never slows down. There are a lot of really nippy handsets now, such as the new iPhone 5s, and though in day-to-day terms it’s good to have web pages that open quickly and quick animated effects throughout, it’s when apps are developed to make use of this speed that we’ll really see the difference. For now, though, this is a fast handset.
Battery
A phone this size has plenty of need for power with all that screen real estate to light up. On the other hand, there’s room for a big cell. So the 3200mAh battery on board delivers a lot of juice. On light usage this phone will easily last you a day and a half, while heavier use will still see you glide through the day to recharge it overnight.
Samsung quotes 420 hours of standby or 21 hours of talktime. Both seem pretty extreme but the reality is this is not a phone that goes to sleep at lunchtime.
Verdict
The real question with a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is whether you think it’s more convenient to carry a phone or tablet or a combination of the two.
As tablet/phone hybrids go, the Samsung Galaxy note 3 is hard to beat. The screen is gorgeous, the processor means it’s mighty fast and the camera is excellent – especially the 4K video recording. Battery life is more than decent and the features offered by the S pen stylus are neat. And the handwriting recognition is good. If you like a big screen, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is worth a look – it’s the best phablet yet.
Photo Credits: http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/Oct2013/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review.html
http://gearpop.com/blog/reviews/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review
Monday, 29 September 2014
Ariel Atom
U haven't heard of Ariel Motor Company, have you ?
Let me explain their expertise to you . . .
Accelerating to 100 km/h from a standing start in just 2.89 seconds, believe me, you do not want to drag race this monster. This is mainly because the Ariel Atom weighs a mere 612 kg.
The Ariel Atom is an exoskeleton car, meaning that the external frame, being made of steel, aluminium or carbon fiber tubes is clearly visible, so the car lacks a roof and other features on ordinary aerodynamic road cars. Due to this the car has a high coefficient of drag (0.40), then again the weight of the car compensates for that, allowing the car to stop to rest from 160 km/h in 3.8 seconds. :O
The Exoskeleton(Chassis) |
Seriously ? Because Bugatti accelerates to 100 km/h in 2.46 seconds. This would make it the quickest road legal car available today. Then again the Bugatti costs over 2 million dollars and well Ariel is well under a 100 grand, quite a bargain there.
The car isn't the fastest car in the world with a top speed of 275 km/h, but its sheer accelerating is a spine chiller.
PhotoCredits : https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPn95Ui5hGrRW5qZevD6hPZFzbh4AfvmdzUjjdNr9awJy4grlGv8ATz3pDizJfRFyug0YzkIj5JNP50nzSTFd1fWUqBcs7NUsTw4w0L8zevHlD39rB-2K9AR7rZ-gT-msct4_0dpBT2Y/s1600/2011_ariel_atom_f34_fd_1004102_1600.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/berts-atom.jpg
Sunday, 28 September 2014
Sony Smart Watch 2
Sony's original SmartWatch last year didn't get too many people excited, but with the Samsung Galaxy Gear hitting the shelves and Apple's long-rumoured iWatch getting closer, the time is clearly ripe to release an updated version to stay in the increasingly high-stakes smart watch game.
Design
Like the Gear it's designed as an addition to a smartphone, rather than as a standalone device. It's not quite as capable as Samsung's model (it doesn't have a camera, for example), or as powerful; but it's lighter, has considerably longer battery life and can be used in conjunction with more devices. It's water resistant (IP57 rating, which should be good for up to 30 mins at a depth of one meter), which makes it a bit more practical for wearing out and about though you'll still want to take it off before you go swimming.
There are presently over 140 apps available for the SmartWatch (much more than the Gear), though it's the usual mix of pretty goods and so-whats, including exercise apps, games, languages and remote controls. Some, like the very limited and glitchy map app, are free, but others, including WhatsApp Alerts, cost a fee.
Email notifications are supported, and we tested with Gmail and Microsoft accounts (although it's worth noting you can't reply to them on the device). Currently Microsoft Exchange and Hotmail/Outlook emails only work for notifications if paired with a Sony Xperia Z1, as Sony has adapted its implementation of Android to support it; other Android devices cannot support Microsoft's email technology currently. Some software is also dependent on being used with Sony-created software. The music playback controls, for example, only work with Sony's Android music player; playing, pausing and skipping Spotify is a no-go area. Disappointing.
The 1.6-inch screen is the same size as the Gear's but it offers a lower resolution of 220x176 pixels -- not great, but it's fine for viewing updates and notifications. The battery life is considerably better than Samsung's competitor: leave it on all the time and you should get three to four days out of it, extending to a week or so if you switch it off at night.
Charging is via a standard microUSB slot hidden behind a rubber cover on the side. It powers up by pressing the outsize silver button on the side, which matches aesthetically with the power button on Sony's Xperia handsets.
Conclusion
It's cheaper and lighter than the Galaxy Gear, and it has more social networking apps at launch, immediately making it more useful and less of a toy than Samsung's device, and the subtler style will be a bonus for many. It's not perfect and it's important to bear in mind this is very much a consumption device for getting notifications and updates, but it is useful at times. It needs to evolve quickly, with a lot more apps, to keep pace with developments over the next few months. A fun product for early adopters, but not quite for the mainstream just yet.
Photo credits : http://www.technobuffalo.com/2014/08/13/sony-smartwatch-3-android-wear-rumor/
http://www.tested.com/tech/456562-sony-smartwatch-2-improves-upon-its-predecessor-still-android-only/
http://www.clove.co.uk/sony-smartwatch-2
http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/accessories/smartwatch-2-sw2/
Call of Duty Ghosts
With the Modern Warfare trilogy laid to rest, Call of Duty: Ghosts marks a new chapter for the world’s favourite first-person shooter. It certainly talks a good game - promising further refinements to the series’ winning multiplayer action, including maps with destructible environments, whizzy new game modes and more customization options for your virtual soldiers. But are these promises mere apparitions?
OLD FAVORITES
Let’s cut to the chase. Regardless of the rhetoric, Call of Duty is not about pushing back the frontiers of game design. It’s the Status Quo of games - unadventurous and predictable yet entertaining all the same. So it’s no surprise that Ghosts’ multiplayer relies on the familiar favourites, with the Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Free-for-All and Infected modes all making (welcome) returns.
There is more freedom to personalize soldiers, though, including the long-overdue option to play as a woman. There’s enhanced movement, too, so you can now leap over obstacles like a Parkour master and lean out of cover. These are minor upgrades in the grand scheme of things, but they're welcome all the same.
NEW MODES
Alongside the classics, Ghosts has four new competitive multiplayer modes. Hunted has ill-equipped players fighting for control of zones to win better weapons. Search & Rescue is a Search & Destroy remix in which you respawn fallen allies by collecting their dog tags.
Things step up a gear with the Kamikaze action of Cranked, where players explode if they don’t follow up a kill with another within 30 seconds. Blitz is another goodie - a contest to score by entering the enemy team’s zone. It’s like rugby. With guns. And it's pretty awesome.
SQUADS AND EXTINCTION
Beyond the competitive arena are two more new multiplayer modes, the first of which - Squads - is baffling. It lets you create squads of automaton soldiers that you then lead into battle against teams created by other players. There’s some good A.I. on show but we can’t see the point when matches with real people are just a couple of button presses away.
The other mode is Extinction, a co-operative campaign that takes Left 4 Dead, swaps the zombies for alien hordes and then strips out all the personality. It’s serviceable but very forgettable.
BIGGER MAPS
Ghosts introduces the concept of ‘dynamic maps’ to the series. These allow players to lay traps, shoot open gates, destroy walls and interact with the environment. But alas, it’s more liberating on paper than in practice. What can and can’t be done is tightly controlled so the novelty quickly fades as you get to know the maps.
On the plus side the maps are larger and less constricted than in previous Call of Dutys - a shift that favours team work over lone mavericks and makes for slightly slower battles. We like it, but more frenetic Call of Duty fans might be disappointed.
ACTION MOVIES
Finally, there’s the solo campaign. It’s a tale of orbital death rays, a remote-controlled dog and a Venezuela-led invasion of the USA - an improbable feat for a country currently struggling with a national toilet roll shortage.
It’s very silly but makes up for it with loud bangs, big explosions and outlandish moments ripped out of the 1980s action movie playbook - think space station gun battles and escapes from collapsing skyscrapers. While it re-treads well-worn ground, it rattles along at such a pace that it’s easy to get sucked in, even if none of it will stay with you for longer than a few minutes.
VERDICT
By the skin of its teeth Ghosts is another enjoyable dose of Call of Duty. The new competitive multiplayer modes, the refreshed movement and larger maps are welcome developments but the Squads and Extinction modes fail to impress and, as ever, it’s the tried and tested Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed options that really thrill. It’s good enough, but there’s little here to make Ghosts an essential purchase.
Photo Credits : http://www.superbwallpapers.com/call-of-duty-ghosts/
http://www.videogamer.com/xboxone/call_of_duty_ghosts/features/article/xbox_one_review_call_of
_duty_ghosts_and_battlefield_4.html
http://www.edge-online.com/review/call-of-duty-ghosts-review/
Sunday, 21 September 2014
9ff
9ff GT9-CS |
(in Dortmund) at
9ff sells the cars as a whole or they may even sell the tuning parts as kits.
Their models include :
- 9ff T6 - Built upon the chassis of 911 (996) Turbo. This car can easily break the 400 km/h barrier.
- 9ff GT9 - based on Porsche 911 (997) GT3, this car is fitted with a heavily modified 4.0 liter engine, capable of up-to a whomping 1120 bhp. The car takes a total of 3.8 seconds to reach 100 km/h from a standing start. The beast tops out at 409 km/h, faster than Bugatti Veyron. To make the car even more efficient, the interior is stripped of all the technical gizmos and gadgets.
Just 1400 PS, nothing special, move on . . .
GT9-R - This spin-off was even faster, with a top speed of 414 km/h and 0-100 km in just 2.9 seconds. The GT9 had another spin-off from GT9-R, called GT9 Vmax. The Vmax is powered by a 4.2-liter, twin-turbocharged flat-six engine that delivers a total of 1,381 bhp, reaching out for 437 km/h. It is the fastest car available on the road today.GT9-CS - It is a track day version of the GT9, with only one example built. - 9ff Speed9 - This model is based on 911 Turbo, producing 700 bhp hitting over 400 km/h. The roof of the car has been chopped of, making it a convertible Turbo.
- 9ff GTurbo 1200 - This 1200 hp (1000 bhp) monster is based upon 911 GT2 and accelerates to 100 km/h in 2.8 second, speeding to 395 km/h. Costing around $285,000, the GTurbo 1200 is disguised in a beautiful orange and black paint-job.
- 9ff V400 - The twin turbo boxer-6 engine produces 828 bhp taking the car to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds.
9ff V400 - 9ff GTurbo 750 - 9ff based this car on 911 GT3 RS, squeezing out 750 bhp out of the 3.8 liter engine.
- 9ff GTronic 1200 - Another 9ff car based on the 911 Turbo Cabriolet, accelerating to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and the top speed governed to 375 km/h.
- 9ff ff GT-T900 - What happens when you start tuning a SuperCar ? Well a monster is the result.
GT-T900 is based on the Carrera GT, only 1270 ever produced by Porsche. The engine is tuned to give an output of 900 bhp, instead of the 600 somthingish in stock, which is mainly achieved by the Bi-Turbo convertion done by 9ff.
PhotoCredits : http://www.carsshow.net/wallpapers/2013/05/2005-9ff-V400-based-on-Porsche-911-996-GT2-7-800x960.jpg
http://img4.sportauto.de/9ff-GT9-CS-Frontansicht-fotoshowBigImage-7c532cc5-565094.jpg
http://i.infocar.ua/img/news-/73849/foto_015.jpg
http://www.automobilesreview.com/img/9ff-gt-t900/9ff-gt-t900-09.jpg
Thursday, 18 September 2014
Amphicar
The perfect definition for an Amphicar ?
Well this
is the closest one can get : Amphibious + car = Amphicar . . .
As the name suggests, Amphicar is an amphibious vehicle, introduced in 1961. Its four cylinder 1150cc Triumph engine was capable of about 38.3 hp which was redone and tuned to give 43 hp at 4750 rpm, later versions of the car produced 75 hp with 1300cc/1500cc engine. Allowing the car to clock in at 110 km/h on land and 7 knots in water.
One owner quoted "We like to think of it as the fastest car on the water and fastest boat on the road.". The car is set quite high in relation to dry ground, providing ground clearance for the water proof under carriage and the propellers (for movement in water).
There were some drawback, nothing serious, like water may pour in through the body if the body was rusted or had undercarriage damage DURING BOATING. So if the bilge pump doesn't keep up with the leakage, there may be some serious problems, and you swimming skills might be tested there !
Some adventurous owners even took on some challenges, crossing the Yukon River in Alaska and the English Channel.in the 1960s. In addition, the Amphicar's unique design made it quite popular in the film industry, as it appeared in a total of 5 Hollywood movies in just four years !
The car is not a usual one, it travels on land, swims in water, is a coupe, has a rear mounted engine, is a convertible and crazy muffins, it has headlights which comply with 'Coast Guard Regulations'. :O
What else could you ever want ? :P
Due to its amphibious character and unique attributes, even after 40 years the Amphicar is often praised and kept as a prized and preserved novelty collectible automobile today.
Adding to that, only 3878 Amphicars were ever built(99 converted to Right Hand), so if you find one in your life, by all means find a way to try it out.
(Additional info = http://www.amphicar.com/Rescue.htm)
Photo Credits : http://autocognito.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1961-amphicar.jpg
http://worldcarslist.com/images/amphicar/amphicar-770/amphicar-770-05.jpg
The transition |
is the closest one can get : Amphibious + car = Amphicar . . .
As the name suggests, Amphicar is an amphibious vehicle, introduced in 1961. Its four cylinder 1150cc Triumph engine was capable of about 38.3 hp which was redone and tuned to give 43 hp at 4750 rpm, later versions of the car produced 75 hp with 1300cc/1500cc engine. Allowing the car to clock in at 110 km/h on land and 7 knots in water.
One owner quoted "We like to think of it as the fastest car on the water and fastest boat on the road.". The car is set quite high in relation to dry ground, providing ground clearance for the water proof under carriage and the propellers (for movement in water).
There were some drawback, nothing serious, like water may pour in through the body if the body was rusted or had undercarriage damage DURING BOATING. So if the bilge pump doesn't keep up with the leakage, there may be some serious problems, and you swimming skills might be tested there !
Some adventurous owners even took on some challenges, crossing the Yukon River in Alaska and the English Channel.in the 1960s. In addition, the Amphicar's unique design made it quite popular in the film industry, as it appeared in a total of 5 Hollywood movies in just four years !
The car is not a usual one, it travels on land, swims in water, is a coupe, has a rear mounted engine, is a convertible and crazy muffins, it has headlights which comply with 'Coast Guard Regulations'. :O
What else could you ever want ? :P
The original brochure (Amphicar 770) |
Due to its amphibious character and unique attributes, even after 40 years the Amphicar is often praised and kept as a prized and preserved novelty collectible automobile today.
Adding to that, only 3878 Amphicars were ever built(99 converted to Right Hand), so if you find one in your life, by all means find a way to try it out.
(Additional info = http://www.amphicar.com/Rescue.htm)
Photo Credits : http://autocognito.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1961-amphicar.jpg
http://worldcarslist.com/images/amphicar/amphicar-770/amphicar-770-05.jpg
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
3 Future Car Technologies That Truly Have a Chance
source:http://www.technologyreview.com/sites/default/files/images/tesla.2x519.jpg
In the automobile industry, innovation is all the rage these days. The latest advancement is only as good as the next thing .coming down the line. Hence the industry is constantly bringing us new technologies, whether it be for safety, entertainment, usefulness or simply for pure innovation.
Many new car technologies are either specifically built for safety or at least have some sort of safety focus to them. Some of the latest car innovations we've found are some truly exciting technologies that could revolutionize not just the automotive industry but human transportation in general.
So what's in store for future cars? Well, we don't know for sure, but based on what's currently being tested and what's on the road today, we have an idea of some new technology that will most likely make it into production. Some of it will help keep us safe, some will give us information like never before and some will let us kick back and just enjoy the ride.
1 :Cars Which Communicate With The Road And Each Other
Car manufacturers and the U.S. government are seriously looking into and researching two technologies that would enable future cars to communicate with each other and with objects around them.
source:http://www.carshowroom.com.au/articlephoto/550/20121023143011732.jpg
Imagine approaching an intersection as another car runs a red light. You don't see them at first, but your car gets a signal from the other car that it's directly in your path and warns you of the potential collision, or even hits the brakes automatically to avoid an accident. A developing technology called Vehicle-to-Vehicle communication, or V2V, is being tested by automotive manufacturers like Ford as a way to help reduce the amount of accidents on the road.
V2V works by using wireless signals to send information back and forth between cars about their location, speed and direction. The information is then communicated to the cars around it in order to provide information on how to keep the vehicles safe distances from each other. At MIT, engineers are working on V2V algorithms that calculate information from cars to determine what the best evasive measure should be if another car started coming into its own projected path. A study put out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2010 says that V2V has the potential to reduce 79 percent of target vehicle crashes on the road [source: Green Car Congress].
But researchers aren't only considering V2V communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, or V2I, is being tested as well. V2I would allow vehicles to communicate with things like road signs or traffic signals and provide information to the vehicle about safety issues. V2I could also request traffic information from a traffic management system and access the best possible routes. Reports by the NHTSA say that incorporating V2I into vehicles, along with V2V systems, would reduce all target vehicle crashes by 81 percent [source: Green Car Congress].
These technologies could transform the way we drive and increase automotive safety dramatically. Good thing car companies and the government are already working to try to make this a reality.
2 :Self Driving Cars
The idea of a self-driving car isn't a new idea. Many TV shows and movies have had the idea and there are already cars on the road that can park themselves. But a truly self-driving car means exactly that, one that can drive itself, and they're probably closer to being a reality than you might think.
In California and Nevada, Google engineers have already tested self-driving cars
on more than 200,000 miles (321,869 kilometers) of public highways and roads [source: Thrun]. Google's cars not only record images of the road, but source:http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1421885/thumbs/o-SELF-DRIVING-CAR-facebook.jpg
computerized maps view their road signs, find alternative routes and see traffic lights before they're even visible to a person. By using lasers, radars and cameras cars can analyze and process information about their surroundings faster than human can.
If self-driving cars do make it to mass production, we might have a little more time on our hands. Americans spend an average of 100 hours sitting in traffic every year [sorce: Cowen]. Cars that drive themselves would most likely have the option to engage in platooning, where multiple cars drive very close to each and act as one unit. Some people believe platooning would decrease highwy accidents because the cars would be communicating and reacting to each other simultaneously, without the on-going distractions that drivers face.
In some of Google's tests, the cars learned the details of a road by driving on it several times, and when it was time to drive itself, it was able to identify when there were pedestrians crossing and stopped to let them pass by. Self-driving cars could make transportation safer for all of us by eliminating the cause of 95 percent of today's accidents: human error [source: Truong].
Although self-driving cars may seem far off, GM has already done its own testing and some people believe that you'll see some sort of self-driving car in showrooms in the next decade.
3 :Augumented Reality Dashboards
source:http://www.lightninglaboratories.com/tcw/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/SXSW-gene-final.014.jpg
GPS and other in-car displays are great for getting us from point A to point B, and some high-end vehicles even have displays on the windshield, but in the near future cars will be able to identify external objects in front of the driver and display information about them on the windshield.
Think of the Terminator, or many other science fiction stories, where a robot looks at a person or an object and automatically brings up information about them and can identify who or what they are. Augmented Reality dashboards, AR for short, will function in a similar way for drivers. BMW has already implemented a windshield display in some of their vehicles which displays basic information, but they're also developing augmented reality dashboards that will be able to identify objects in front a vehicle and tell the driver how far they are away from the object. The AR display will overlay information on top of what a driver is seeing in real life.
So if you're approaching a car too quickly, a red box may appear on the car you're approaching and arrows will appear showing you how to maneuver into the next lane before you collide with the other car. An augmented reality GPS system could highlight the actual lane you need to be in and show you where you need to turn down the road without you ever having to take your eyes off the road.
BMW is also researching the use of augmented reality for automotive technicians. They produced a video where a BMW technician uses AR glasses to look at an engine, identify what parts need to be replaced and then shows step-by-step instructions on how to fix it.
AR is also being researched for passengers as well. Toyota has produced working concepts of their AR system that would allow passengers to zoom in on objects outside of the car, select and identify objects, as well as view the distance of an object from the car using a touch-screen window.
4 :Airbags That Help Stop Cars
source:http://www.boston.com/cars/newsandreviews/overdrive/2010/03/08/mercedes-braking-bag-esf-2009.jpg
Ever since airbags were been added to vehicles, they've continued to make their way around the inside of our vehicles. We now have curtain airbags, side airbags, knee airbags, seat belts airbags and even ones that deploy under us. Maybe all of us don't have them in our cars, but they're on the road. And Mercedes is working on a new way to use airbags that moves them away from a passive safety measure and makes it part of an active safety system.
Mercedes is experimenting with airbags that deploy from underneath the car that will help stop a vehicle before a crash. The airbags are part of the overall active safety system and deploy when sensors determine that at impact is inevitable. The bags have a friction coating that helps slow the car down and can double the stopping power of the vehicle. The bags also lift the vehicle up to eight centimeters, which counters the car's dipping motion during hard braking, improves bumper-to-bumper contact and helps prevent passengers from sliding under seat belts during a collision.
What gives this kind of airbag potential as a future technology is that it uses existing vehicle safety systems. Although Mercedes has been working on this technology for several years, it isn't available on any production models yet and may not be seen on the road for another few years.
With the current evolution of airbags and their pervasiveness within the automotive world, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine future cars using airbags to not only protect passengers, but to actually stop cars as well.
5 :Energy Storing Body-Panels
source:http://cdn2.independent.ie/migration_catalog/article25177853.ece/8b921/ALTERNATES/h342/2010_energy_i
Exxon Mobil predicts that by 2040, half of all new cars coming off the production line will be hybrids [source: Kahn]. That's great news for the environment, but one of the problems with hybrids is that the batteries take up a lot of space and are very heavy. Even with advances in lithium-ion batteries, hybrids have a significant amount of weight from their batteries. That's where energy-storing body panels come in.
In Europe, a group of nine auto manufacturers are currently researching and testing body panels that can store energy and charge faster than conventional batteries of today. The body panels being tested are made of polymer fiber and carbon resin that are strong enough to be used in vehicles and pliable enough to be molded into panels. These panels could reduce a car's weight by up to 15 percent [source: Volvo].
The panels would capture energy produced by technologies like regenerative braking or when the car is plugged in overnight and then feed that energy back to the car when it's needed [source: Volvo]. Not only would this help reduce the size of hybrid batteries, but the extra savings in weight would eliminate wasted energy used to move the weight from the batteries.
Toyota is also looking into lightweight energy storing panels, but they're taking it one step further and researching body panels that would actually capture solar energy and store it in a lightweight panel [source: Bey].
Whether future body panels collect energy or just store it, automotive companies are looking into new ways to make our cars more energy efficient and lightweight.
In the automobile industry, innovation is all the rage these days. The latest advancement is only as good as the next thing .coming down the line. Hence the industry is constantly bringing us new technologies, whether it be for safety, entertainment, usefulness or simply for pure innovation.
Many new car technologies are either specifically built for safety or at least have some sort of safety focus to them. Some of the latest car innovations we've found are some truly exciting technologies that could revolutionize not just the automotive industry but human transportation in general.
So what's in store for future cars? Well, we don't know for sure, but based on what's currently being tested and what's on the road today, we have an idea of some new technology that will most likely make it into production. Some of it will help keep us safe, some will give us information like never before and some will let us kick back and just enjoy the ride.
1 :Cars Which Communicate With The Road And Each Other
Car manufacturers and the U.S. government are seriously looking into and researching two technologies that would enable future cars to communicate with each other and with objects around them.
source:http://www.carshowroom.com.au/articlephoto/550/20121023143011732.jpg
Imagine approaching an intersection as another car runs a red light. You don't see them at first, but your car gets a signal from the other car that it's directly in your path and warns you of the potential collision, or even hits the brakes automatically to avoid an accident. A developing technology called Vehicle-to-Vehicle communication, or V2V, is being tested by automotive manufacturers like Ford as a way to help reduce the amount of accidents on the road.
V2V works by using wireless signals to send information back and forth between cars about their location, speed and direction. The information is then communicated to the cars around it in order to provide information on how to keep the vehicles safe distances from each other. At MIT, engineers are working on V2V algorithms that calculate information from cars to determine what the best evasive measure should be if another car started coming into its own projected path. A study put out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2010 says that V2V has the potential to reduce 79 percent of target vehicle crashes on the road [source: Green Car Congress].
But researchers aren't only considering V2V communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, or V2I, is being tested as well. V2I would allow vehicles to communicate with things like road signs or traffic signals and provide information to the vehicle about safety issues. V2I could also request traffic information from a traffic management system and access the best possible routes. Reports by the NHTSA say that incorporating V2I into vehicles, along with V2V systems, would reduce all target vehicle crashes by 81 percent [source: Green Car Congress].
These technologies could transform the way we drive and increase automotive safety dramatically. Good thing car companies and the government are already working to try to make this a reality.
2 :Self Driving Cars
The idea of a self-driving car isn't a new idea. Many TV shows and movies have had the idea and there are already cars on the road that can park themselves. But a truly self-driving car means exactly that, one that can drive itself, and they're probably closer to being a reality than you might think.
In California and Nevada, Google engineers have already tested self-driving cars
on more than 200,000 miles (321,869 kilometers) of public highways and roads [source: Thrun]. Google's cars not only record images of the road, but source:http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1421885/thumbs/o-SELF-DRIVING-CAR-facebook.jpg
computerized maps view their road signs, find alternative routes and see traffic lights before they're even visible to a person. By using lasers, radars and cameras cars can analyze and process information about their surroundings faster than human can.
If self-driving cars do make it to mass production, we might have a little more time on our hands. Americans spend an average of 100 hours sitting in traffic every year [sorce: Cowen]. Cars that drive themselves would most likely have the option to engage in platooning, where multiple cars drive very close to each and act as one unit. Some people believe platooning would decrease highwy accidents because the cars would be communicating and reacting to each other simultaneously, without the on-going distractions that drivers face.
In some of Google's tests, the cars learned the details of a road by driving on it several times, and when it was time to drive itself, it was able to identify when there were pedestrians crossing and stopped to let them pass by. Self-driving cars could make transportation safer for all of us by eliminating the cause of 95 percent of today's accidents: human error [source: Truong].
Although self-driving cars may seem far off, GM has already done its own testing and some people believe that you'll see some sort of self-driving car in showrooms in the next decade.
3 :Augumented Reality Dashboards
source:http://www.lightninglaboratories.com/tcw/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/SXSW-gene-final.014.jpg
GPS and other in-car displays are great for getting us from point A to point B, and some high-end vehicles even have displays on the windshield, but in the near future cars will be able to identify external objects in front of the driver and display information about them on the windshield.
Think of the Terminator, or many other science fiction stories, where a robot looks at a person or an object and automatically brings up information about them and can identify who or what they are. Augmented Reality dashboards, AR for short, will function in a similar way for drivers. BMW has already implemented a windshield display in some of their vehicles which displays basic information, but they're also developing augmented reality dashboards that will be able to identify objects in front a vehicle and tell the driver how far they are away from the object. The AR display will overlay information on top of what a driver is seeing in real life.
So if you're approaching a car too quickly, a red box may appear on the car you're approaching and arrows will appear showing you how to maneuver into the next lane before you collide with the other car. An augmented reality GPS system could highlight the actual lane you need to be in and show you where you need to turn down the road without you ever having to take your eyes off the road.
BMW is also researching the use of augmented reality for automotive technicians. They produced a video where a BMW technician uses AR glasses to look at an engine, identify what parts need to be replaced and then shows step-by-step instructions on how to fix it.
AR is also being researched for passengers as well. Toyota has produced working concepts of their AR system that would allow passengers to zoom in on objects outside of the car, select and identify objects, as well as view the distance of an object from the car using a touch-screen window.
4 :Airbags That Help Stop Cars
source:http://www.boston.com/cars/newsandreviews/overdrive/2010/03/08/mercedes-braking-bag-esf-2009.jpg
Ever since airbags were been added to vehicles, they've continued to make their way around the inside of our vehicles. We now have curtain airbags, side airbags, knee airbags, seat belts airbags and even ones that deploy under us. Maybe all of us don't have them in our cars, but they're on the road. And Mercedes is working on a new way to use airbags that moves them away from a passive safety measure and makes it part of an active safety system.
Mercedes is experimenting with airbags that deploy from underneath the car that will help stop a vehicle before a crash. The airbags are part of the overall active safety system and deploy when sensors determine that at impact is inevitable. The bags have a friction coating that helps slow the car down and can double the stopping power of the vehicle. The bags also lift the vehicle up to eight centimeters, which counters the car's dipping motion during hard braking, improves bumper-to-bumper contact and helps prevent passengers from sliding under seat belts during a collision.
What gives this kind of airbag potential as a future technology is that it uses existing vehicle safety systems. Although Mercedes has been working on this technology for several years, it isn't available on any production models yet and may not be seen on the road for another few years.
With the current evolution of airbags and their pervasiveness within the automotive world, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine future cars using airbags to not only protect passengers, but to actually stop cars as well.
5 :Energy Storing Body-Panels
source:http://cdn2.independent.ie/migration_catalog/article25177853.ece/8b921/ALTERNATES/h342/2010_energy_i
Exxon Mobil predicts that by 2040, half of all new cars coming off the production line will be hybrids [source: Kahn]. That's great news for the environment, but one of the problems with hybrids is that the batteries take up a lot of space and are very heavy. Even with advances in lithium-ion batteries, hybrids have a significant amount of weight from their batteries. That's where energy-storing body panels come in.
In Europe, a group of nine auto manufacturers are currently researching and testing body panels that can store energy and charge faster than conventional batteries of today. The body panels being tested are made of polymer fiber and carbon resin that are strong enough to be used in vehicles and pliable enough to be molded into panels. These panels could reduce a car's weight by up to 15 percent [source: Volvo].
The panels would capture energy produced by technologies like regenerative braking or when the car is plugged in overnight and then feed that energy back to the car when it's needed [source: Volvo]. Not only would this help reduce the size of hybrid batteries, but the extra savings in weight would eliminate wasted energy used to move the weight from the batteries.
Toyota is also looking into lightweight energy storing panels, but they're taking it one step further and researching body panels that would actually capture solar energy and store it in a lightweight panel [source: Bey].
Whether future body panels collect energy or just store it, automotive companies are looking into new ways to make our cars more energy efficient and lightweight.
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
VolkWagen XL1
VolksWagen XL1 |
VolksWagen developed this "Super Efficient Vehicle" (SEV) in 2011 with a diesel plug-in hybrid power-train. With 111.1 km/Lr fuel consumption, it is well deserved to be a SEV. Also known as !-litre car, it uses a two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine which is capable of 35 kW (47 hp) and 121 N.m of torque, displacing only 800 cm3 . The rear-wheel drive car is equipped with a 7-speed D.S.G. (Direct-Shift Gearbox) . . . Impressive ? Maybe, but there is more to come !
The electric motor clocks in at 20 kW (27 hp) and 100 N.m of torque. It can drive the car independently in addition it can work simultaneously with the turbo-diesel combustion engine to propel the car forward. The streamlined body adds to its efficiency (coefficient of drag is just 0.186). The car tops out at 158 km/h, with 0-100 km/h in 11.9 s, that's really not a problem, keeping in mind that the car travels 100 km in only 0.9 liters of diesel.Volkswagen plans to produce only 250 examples. It is has an expected range of 50 km (all electric). If the car runs on diesel alone, it is capable of 50 km in one liter.It wont win many drag races for you, but if you have the money for it (146,000 $ !!!!), probably you wont even care about the consumption, getting to the point, you need to get this toy if you have the $$ for it cuz it's a cool thing to drive around.
Photo Credits : http://concept.carwallpapers.cc/wp/volkswagen/2011-xl1/Volkswagen-XL1-Concept-2011-1280x800-016.jpg
http://goautomedia.cdn.on.net/gallery/volkswagen/xl1/2013_02_22_volkswagen_xl1_24.jpg
Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q708 Gaming Laptop
The new
Toshiba Qosmio has left all the gaming PC,s behind.. It is the latest from
the company's gaming range, complete with a 17-inch widescreen display, Intel
Core 2 Extreme QX9300 quad-core processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and both a 128GB SSD
and 320GB 7,200rpm SATA hard-drive. It also offers NVIDIA's new Geforce 9400M
chipset with Hybrid SLI, as seen in the latest Apple MacBooks.
Its Quad core processor allows it to run any latest graphic intensive game smoothly.Its processor is equipped with latest 45nm intel technology which give an excellent mobile gaming experience.Thats not all, the DDR3 RAM provides the gamers with fast frame rates and high intensity visuals.
It has a ful
size keybord with 10 key-pad, four cardon stereo speakers and HDMI and display port connectors. DisplayPort
flat-panel displays in a resolution up to 2560×1600, while HDMI extends full
1080p support to HD displays.For Connectivity it has wifi and
Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, while the USB 2.0 ports support Sleep-and-Charge for
powering portable gadgets even when the X305 is switched off.
In my opinion it,s a complete gaming package. Such high speed and graphics were never found in agaming PC.
Photo : www.ecoustics.com
In my opinion it,s a complete gaming package. Such high speed and graphics were never found in agaming PC.
Photo : www.ecoustics.com
Apology
People I had to add a pop-up add, sorry for the inconvenience, gotta keep the blog running somehow, will appreciate your support.
Hybrid Electric Cars
a Porsche Panamera Hybrid drivetrain |
Well they are not really gasoline powered, nor do they fully run on electricity . . .
They use two engines to give the overall power of one, for example Toyota Prius has a gasoline engine which produces 106 hp (horse power) with a 67 hp electric engine(motor) to produce a total of 173 hp. The electric motor is responsible for get the car moving, or in some hybrid cars it is active all the way up to about 50 km/h.Then the gasoline engine takes over as the economy speed for gasoline engines is around 100 km/h. As the car brakes, the movement of the wheels charge the battery, via a flywheel, for future use. In addition when the car is at rest, for example on a traffic light, the car shift to electric mode(Eco Idle), the gasoline engine shuts down, saving fuel and hence increasing the car's average !This allows for a more efficient car, for example an average hybrid car drives in at 20 km/Lr, where as an average sedan (gasoline) like Honda Civic gives around 10 km/Lr. That's TWICE as efficient !!!Advantages of Hybrids :* it has electric regenerative brakes that means that one has to change the brake pads after 160,000 km* the simple transmissions is chap to maintain, no fluid change till about 100,000 km* in addition, the companies (or even certain countries) provide a 10 year battery warranty(or more) which means that it can be replaced free in that 10 year period !!* it is mechanically simpler and more reliable than a regular car* Hybrids are very fuel-efficient.Disadvantages* it cost relatively more than an average comparable car . . . like Civic
Photo Credits : http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/images/2008/01/07/porsche_panamera_hybrid_graphic_7.jpg
Monday, 15 September 2014
Call Of Duty Black Opps 2 VS Ghosts
The call of duty series is very well known among teens who like to play video games for passing time.Now some people might be wondering which of the COD game is better black opps 2 or ghosts so im gonna be giving a comparison of the two.
Starting with the visuals we can see that black opps 2 has better colours which seem to pop out making it a bit easier to spot the enemy while in ghosts the colours are a littile grayish and make it harder to spot the enemy.
In ghosts only a couple of weapons are useful and the rest suck,one can't even kill the other guy.On the other hand the weapons in black opps 2 are pretty good and one can very easily become comfortable with any one of the weapons may it be an smg,lmg,shotgun or even a sniper.
There is a big glicth in the spawning in multiplayer and ofetn someone else would spawn right into you.Also the maps in ghosts are really very big and for a small group the players would spend most of the time finding eachother.
Ghosts has a bit better campagin but they did not add zombies to it which is a big loss as that is a very well favoured game mode.even some authorities have reported that almost twice as many people play black opps 2 than ghosts.
Photo Credits: http://www.product-reviews.net/2013/09/25/cod-ghosts-safeguard-vs-bo2-zombies/
http://www.structuregaming.com/2013/08/05/call-of-duty-ghosts-doubles-black-ops-pre-orders/
http://thekoalition.com/2013/05/what-we-want-from-call-of-duty-ghosts/
Sunday, 14 September 2014
Active Steering
Active Steering mechanism |
This is not the conventional steering system, it is much more, it's a variable ratio steering system, a new breakthrough in vehicular technology !Most of the modern vehicles use this system, but it is most commonly found in BMW vehicles. This allows a variable steering ratio. Meaning that at lows speeds (or at rest) a little input at the steering column would give a relatively sensitive response (the wheels of the car turn at a greater angle). Whereas at higher speeds a relatively larger input at the steering wheel would give a less sensitive response. This is achieved by a power assisted rack and pinion steering gear, a double planetary gear system in the steering column, and an electric actuating motor.
Active steering gives a whole new image to the steering system in cars. It utilities a double planetary gear system located at the base of the steering column (rack) to facilitate driver independent steering of the front wheels.Is it any good ?Oh yes it is, the variable steering ratio makes parking (specially parallel parking) much easier, as less force is to be applied to the steering wheel to achieve a greater degree of turning. In addition, active steering reduces over steering at higher speeds, as it acts as a counter-steer applied by the electric motor! This means there is even more yaw stability control, without compromising the forward speed of the car (no brakes are applied to balance out the vehicle)
Any Cons
The active steering is unable to provide any support in case of an under-steer.Is it Safe ?Yes it is quite safe! In case of a malfunction, the electric motor shuts down, and the steering is set back to a fixed ratio steering system.If one has a problem with the system, it can be turned off easily, by a dash mounted switch (suitable for track days).
Photo Credits : https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiny-kiHjXKphDVmwPGfn-t0mHXnsma26jf7rnOnyOroNG60Hiufz3h2wLV_o49wv-5Akucow7PPwZixs3n6WAyu9eCDdedF4_N50ZKoslbZEISsw_OSom3x1nEvVVnRbdLbCGfAUiCYTE/s1600/Copy+of+6802229-0-large.jpg
Saturday, 13 September 2014
The 2013 Lexus RX 450h
Cranking an effective cloaking device!
The 2013 Lexus RX 450h is
an outstanding and most fuel efficient SUV released by the Company with superb driving
experience, crisp handling, luxurious interior, hi-tech navigation system and a
lot more!
What’s Lexus RX 450h?
The
2013 medium five seater Lexus RX 450h SUV comes loaded with some incredible notable features such as New front-end
styling , new F sports performance, hybrid (RX 450h) versions, FWD or AWD,
Optional head-up display and 10 airbags. Lexus RX 450h comes with a 2-speed CVT w/OD
and auto-manual transmissions thus
making it a smooth and easy drive. Performance and agility have been honed to
perfection in Lexus
RX 450h.
Lexus RX 450h – Smoother and Efficient!
2014 SUV Rankings – we know what’s best for you!
According
to the 2014 SUV Rankings, it is a full on dose of snobbery, with generous
spacing and sporty styling. And then, raising the bar even further, it is a
much buy SUV with exhilarating power, astonishing fuel economy, breathtaking
smoothness and premium, sumptuous and roomy interior design and detail.
Sneak peek into Lexus RX 450h:
The standard Lexus RX 450h SUV comes
with 18-inch wheels, automatic headlights, LED running lamps, fog lamps and
keyless ignition. Inside there is an automatic dual-zone climate control, a
power tilt steering wheel, eight-way power front seats and sliding rear seats.The
Lexus electronic features includes the Safety emergency communications system,
an iPod/USB audio interface, Blutooth phone and audio connectivity, and a
nine-speaker sound system with a six-CD changer, radio, and an audio jack. The
Display Back-up Monitor Lexus RX 450h SUV has
an add on feature of a rearview camera, a larger central display screen,
Bluetooth phonebook download capabilities, and the Touch electronics interface.
Unwrapping Luxury - sumptuous Interior:
The Premium Lexus RX 450h SUV
comes with a sunroof, power-folding mirrors, roof rails, a rearview camera,
leather seats. But its on all RX 450 h also have installed automatic wipers, xenon headlamps and
ventilated front seats plus a navigation system and voice controls.
The Rx 450h luxury version comprises of LED headlamps, 10-way power
front seats, a heated wood/leather steering wheel, upgraded smog-sensing
automatic climate control recirculation system.
On the Road – as smooth as silk!
The 2014 SUV
Rankings rated Lexus RX 450h as the most sturdy and reliable SUV on twists and turns, crooked bumpy roads and steep highways. With a
breathtaking smooth acceleration, Lexus RX 450h is the best medium SUV to buy!
With the RX Hybrid, a guy has two things to brag and boast about: it’s Lexus and a hybrid!
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