Japan frontrunner to get International Linear Collider

Welcome to the newsletter for Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine. These are the headlines for December the 27th, 2012. Japan frontrunner to get International Linear Collider According to Nature, Japan is the frontrunner for the planned International Linear Collider (ILC), for which Europe and the United States are also in the running to host. Scientists and engineers are already examining potential sites in the island nation for the US$7 to $8 billion machine, which is intended to complement the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The head of the global design effort for the ILC, physicist Barry Barish, presented finalized blueprints at a ceremony in Tokyo earlier this month. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Cushion-coated iSAVE-SC1 electric vehicle is a soft touch It might not win any beauty contests, but this electric vehicle developed by students at Hiroshima University would be my pick if I had the choice of which car I was going to be involved in an accident with. Instead of relying on interior airbags to cushion the driver during a collision, the iSAVE-SC1 is essentially a drivable cushion that should soften the blow for driver and pedestrian alike. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile "Virtual body technology" lets users walk in someone else's shoes Despite improvements in telepresence, most virtual "traveling" amounts to little more than staring at a screen and listening to headphones. In an effort to bring the other three sense to bear, the Ikei Laboratory at the Tokyo Metropolitan University Graduate School of System Design is developing what it calls "virtual body technology." Unveiled at the Digital Contents Expo 2012 in Tokyo last October, the system claims to use all five senses to provide an immersive virtual experience akin to inhabiting another person's body. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Apple changes MFi policy in response to POP charger Kickstarter campaign Last week, after Apple pulled the plug on the POP multi-device charging station crowdfunding campaign, the device was set to claim the dubious honor of becoming the largest refund from a Kickstarter project to date. After exceeding its funding goal almost three times over, Apple informed the device's creator, James Siminoff, that its licensing rules wouldn't allow a device that featured both Lightning and 30-pin adapters. Apple says it has now reviewed its specifications, possibly giving POP the green light. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Bicymple looks set to hit the road via crowdfunding route Back in October, we first got a glimpse of a minimalist bicycle called the bicymple that looked to simplify the design of a product that was first brought to market in the late 1800's. To get his creation on the road, Josh Bechtel, has gone the crowdfunding route, and the project is already well on the way to meeting its funding goal after just a few days. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile SpaceX's Grasshopper VTVL takes a 40 meter hop The SpaceX Grasshopper vertical takeoff vertical landing (VTVL) testbed has successfully flown to a height of 40 meters (131 ft), hovered for a bit and subsequently landed in a picture perfect test on December 17, 2012. The Grasshopper had previously taken two hops less than 6 m (20 ft) in height, but the latest test was the first that saw it reach an altitude taller than the rocket itself, which is a modified Falcon 9 orbital launch vehicle. The flight lasted 29 seconds from launch to landing, and carried a 1.8 m (6 ft) cowboy dummy to give an indication of scale. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile "Biological concrete" promotes vertical gardens An ivy covered building is a lovely thing, but ivy roots can rip into brickwork and the vines are a highway for vermin looking for a way inside. Modern vertical gardens try for the same aesthetic effect with some added environmental advantages, but they're often complicated things full of hydroponics gear and difficult to maintain. An alternative is being developed at the Structural Technology Group, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, where a team led by Antonio Aguado has come up with a "biological concrete" designed to act as a substrate for vertical gardens that is simple, low maintenance and requires little or no attention. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile PredictAD software promises early diagnosis of Alzheimer's Scientists at VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland have developed new software called PredictAD that could significantly boost the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Artiphon teases first images of wooden-bodied INSTRUMENT 1 for iPhone There is no doubt that smartphone- and tablet-based apps have had a huge impact on music creation. While there seems to be plenty of plastic devices that extend functionality and creativity beyond the touchscreen (from the toy-like Fingerist to the iTar), if you yearn for wood then you're options are a little less abundant. After spending two years in development, the first images of Artiphon's intriguing, hardwood-bodied INSTRUMENT 1 for iPhone have been released ahead of a product launch in early 2013. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at http://www.gizmag.com. If you would like to switch to our weekly newsletter, click here If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter please click here to unsubscribe. COPYRIGHT GIZMAG (C) 2012