Skyflash: Jetman-like wings designed to allow ground take off

Welcome to the newsletter for Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine. These are the headlines for February the 25th, 2013. Skyflash: Jetman-like wings designed to allow ground take off While most of us sit around grumbling and demanding to know, "where's my jetpack?", German Fritz Unger and a group of friends have decided to do something about it. On a shoestring budget they are building their own one-man, jet-propelled wing. Dubbed "Skyflash," it's meant to not only emulate the jet wing made famous by Jetman Yves Rossy, but to go one better by taking off from the ground instead of having to be dropped from an aircraft. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Affordable net zero: foam in, air conditioning out By prioritizing energy minimization, and taking a pragmatic approach to materials and insulation, client Dr. Jung Soik and architect Yang Soo-in of Lifethings were able to construct a net zero energy house, or one that produces more energy than it uses, on a reasonable (if not meager) budget. Upon completion, Dr. Jung had spent US$284,000 on Sosoljip, the house which now stands at a fishing village four hours to the south of Seoul, South Korea. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Volkswagen prepares to build the world's most fuel efficient production car Back in 2009, before the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt were ready for market, the world heard loud, overinflated claims of "367" and "230" mpg ratings. Talk is cheap, and actual EPA testing sent those ratings rocketing right back down to Earth at 99 mpg-e and 60 mpg, respectively. Volkswagen is the latest to get in on the 200+ mpg game, claiming its XL1 will be capable of 261 mpg (European cycle). Thanks to a radical approach that slashes weight, optimizes aerodynamics and wrings every last drop of fuel, Volkswagen may actually make good - or at least get close. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile AirGo seat concept aims to up the comfort in coach class Flying economy class can be about as enjoyable as being stuffed into a left luggage locker, but Malaysia-based engineering student Alireza Yaghoubi has come up with a new economy class air passenger seat design that departs radically from the one that's been used since the 1960s. Winner of the Malaysian national James Dyson Award, the AirGo concept aims to make seats less expensive, easier to maintain and as comfortable as the leather and free drinks before take-off jobs up in first class. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Russian meteor blast heard around the world When the Chelyabinsk meteor exploded high over Russia on February 15, it was a blast heard around the world. This isn't just a figure of speech. Though too low-frequency for human hearing, sound waves from the 500-kiloton detonation of the 17-meter (56-ft) rock were picked up in Antarctica – some 15,000 km (9,320 miles) away – by 17 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) infrasound stations dedicated to detecting nuclear explosions above or below ground. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile NASA's basement nuclear reactor If Joseph Zawodny, a senior scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center, is correct, the future of energy may lie in a nuclear reactor small enough and safe enough to be installed where the home water heater once sat. Using weak nuclear forces that turn nickel and hydrogen into a new source of atomic energy, the process offers a light, portable means of producing tremendous amounts of energy for the amount of fuel used. It could conceivably power homes, revolutionize transportation and even clean the environment. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Galaxy Note 8.0 vs. iPad mini If Samsung wants to convince the world that it isn't an Apple copycat, the Galaxy Note 8.0 isn't its best argument. Less than four months after the launch of Apple's (almost) 8-inch tablet comes a new 8-inch tablet from Samsung. But, despite the obvious parallels, these are two distinct slates – outside and inside. Read on, as we compare the specs (and other features) of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 and Apple iPad mini. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Google shows what it's like to use Google Glass With smartphones and tablets firmly embedded in mainstream culture, where will the fast-moving world of technology focus its attention next? According to two of its biggest players – Apple and Google – the future is in wearable computing. Apple is reportedly developing a smartwatch, while Google has been upfront about its smart-glasses, Google Glass. But what's it like to actually wear a pair of smart-glasses? Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile The Scuddy electric folding scooter stands up, sits down and trolleys The Segway never actually changed the way cities are built – or anything else for that matter – but to a certain segment of commuter, a small, light, zero-emissions mode of transportation remains quite attractive. The Scuddy is a German-built electric scooter that fits the bill. It folds up for easy transport, allows riders to sit or stand, and provides an attractive alternative to cars, bikes and motorcycles ... and Segways. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Sony reveals PlayStation 4 details After months of rumors and speculation, Sony has finally revealed the PlayStation 4 at a special event in New York City – well, details of the console, but not the console itself. The company revealed a wide range of impressive features for the new system, including a DualShock 4 controller that syncs with a 3D camera, games streamed from a cloud service, and the ability to play PS4 games on the PlayStation Vita. Here's everything you need to know about Sony's next gaming console. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile The Casple-Podadera city car knows when to fold 'em Somewhere between a steroids-infused shopping cart and a smart car exists the ever-so-tiny Casple-Podadera city car. With parking spaces at a premium in most European cities, the need to condense vehicles into tighter and tighter spaces is becoming an ever increasing economic and spatial concern. So unlike other inner-city cars, the cumbersomely named Spanish transporter brings with it a unique folding characteristic. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Frenchman nails perfect backflip ... in a Mini Despite what you may have seen in movies and TV shows, cars aren't generally much good for aerial acrobatic work. That hasn't stopped professional skier and rally driver Guerlain Chicherit combining his two areas of expertize to become the first person in the world to perform an unassisted backflip in a car and execute a perfect landing on a bed of fresh powder snow. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Nikon announces the D7100, its new flagship DX DSLR Nikon has revealed a new enthusiast-level flagship DX-format camera, the 24.1-megapixel Nikon D7100. The much-awaited update to the aging D7000 has a professional-level 51-point AF system, and continuous full resolution shooting at 6 fps. Notably, the camera also does away with the optical low pass filter – meaning it should be able to capture sharper detail than cameras with a similar resolution. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile HubDock makes it easier to remove a bike's back wheel Probably just about all cyclists will agree – removing your bike's rear wheel is a hassle. You have to open and loosen off the quick-release, pull the derailleur cage and chain back out of the way, smack the axle loose of the dropouts, and then guide the cassette cogs around the now-dangling chain. Your hands get dirty in the process, plus you get to look forward to repeating everything in reverse when putting the wheel back on. California-based inventor Leonard Ashman figured that the process ought to be easier, so he created the HubDock – it lets you remove your back wheel, without even touching the drivetrain. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Softkill's intricate 3D printed ProtoHouse is all about the plastic London-based architecture team Softkill Design has entered the race to create the first 3D printed house. Unlike the first plans for 3D-printed houses that emerged at about this time last year, Softkill thinks that the future of 3D printed housing lies in prefabricated components rather than printing houses whole using vast uber-printers on site. By using plastics rather than sand or concrete, Softkill may just have hit upon a concept that actually feels... 3D printery. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Samsung Galaxy S4 release date confirmed? The Galaxy S IV is coming. This we've known for a while. What wasn't so clear was exactly when Samsung would reveal the successor to the world's most popular Android device. Today we appear to have the answer, as multiple sources are pointing to an announcement coming in less than a month. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Hail Protector – The external airbag for your car According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, approximately 250,000 cars are damaged by hail every year in the U.S. alone. The average cost of repair comes in at just over US$3,100, so what's a person to do to protect their vehicle when rain takes the form of ice sculpted golf balls? The obvious solution – airbag the car. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile McLaren reveals P1 engine details – and it's a hybrid We've seen the early images and taken a peek at the carbon fiber interior, but now McLaren has seen fit to let slip the finer details of just what's powering the P1. The long-awaited successor to the mighty F1 will sport both a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, and an electric motor – each of which combine to push out a total of 903 bhp, and 900 Nm of torque. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Review: 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display When Apple released the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display last June, it started at US$2,200. When the 13-inch model arrived last October, it rang up at only $1,800. Progress, I suppose – but still a pretty penny. Now, however, Apple has dropped the prices on all Retina MBPs, and the entry level is now $1,500. With its more affordable price tag, perhaps you're eyeing its gorgeous 2,560 x 1,600 screen. Is it worth it? Read on, as we review the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile 300 million dollars out of thin air: Bitcoin turns four and approaches $30 value This could turn out to be one of the most remarkable stories of our era – or one of the biggest scams in human history. Bitcoin, the anonymous digital currency, is more than four years old now, and a single bitcoin has gone from being worth literally nothing in 2009 to being worth nearly US$30 at current market values. Here's a quick primer on the Bitcoin system, how some anonymous programmers managed to create 300 million dollars out of thin air, what you can do with bitcoins, and a few words of warning. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Bacterial colonies lend whole new meaning to "smartphone culture" A relatively straightforward classroom experiment this may be, but the fascinating (and beautiful) images produced by students at the University of Surrey when they imprinted their smartphone onto a bacterial growth medium will inevitably give owners of similar devices pause for thought. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile AMG and Cigarette Racing produce the world's fastest and most powerful electric boat Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing have launched their latest collaboration at the Miami International Boat Show. The 38-foot Top Gun Cigarette Racing hull is powered by an AMG electric drive pumping out 2,220 horsepower (1,656 kW) and 2,210 ft-lb (3,000 Nm) of torque for a top speed in excess of 100 mph (160 km/h or over 86 knots). The electrics are taken nearly whole from the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive – the world's fastest and most powerful production electric car. 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