Toluu

Gizmodo

Gizmodo, the gadget guide. So much in love with shiny new toys, it's unnatural.

Sony's Enormous Bravia Zoetrope Caught Zoetroping [Ads]Today

Samsung Webcam Sensor Handles 720p, Fits Inside Your Laptop Bezel [Webcams]Today

It's not the the advent of 720p webcamming that we're seeing here—it's just a change that means that it won't have to look like this, and will probably come built into mainstream notebooks. Samsung's new 1/4in CMOS sensor is claimed to produce a 720p images at a full 30FPS, and VGA (640x480) video at 60FPS. Samsung manages to preserve low-light performance at such resolutions and framerates on such a small sensor using a technique called "binning", whereby certain pixels are sometimes deactivated and grouped together to help gather light for active pixels. In other words, if you're, uh, Vlogging in the dark, your webcam stream might look like it's 720p, but in reality a significant number of pixels might be clumped together. But at least you'll be able to see them. The sensor was designed with integration into laptops and desktops in mind, and should go to manufacture in the first half of '09. [Samsung] Note: actual sensor not pictured

Brain Surgeons Give Mute Man Second Chance to Speak [Brain Surgery]Today

Brain surgeons at Boston University have enabled a mute man to speak again by implanting an electrode into his brain. The electrode senses when he's thinking about vowels and reproduces them using a speech synthesizer.

The man first lost his ability to speak after head trauma caused extensive bleeding into the pons area of his brain stem. BU researchers loaded him into a fMRI machine and asked him to attempt to produce specific vowels. After determining that his brain still worked regularly, they implanted an electrode directly onto its speech production parts.

The electrode itself is a marvel of science, containing neurotrophic factors which allow tissue to grown into and around it. While it sounds kind of gross, this stabilizes the electrode and allows it to reside long-term in the brain. It can only sense vowels right now, but the BU team is hoping that this type of technology will let mutes produce words directly in five years or so. [The Future of Things]

17-Month Trip In Solar Taxi Ends At UN Climate Change Talks in Poland [Solar Taxi]Today

After 17 grueling months, Swiss adventurer Louis Palmer's around-the-world trip in a solar-powered car is finally over. Altogether, he traveled 32,000 miles and across 40 countries.

Palmer, who touched down at UN climate change talks in Poznan, Poland, said the feat proved that solar power was a viable alternative to carbon-based fuel sources. Though to do what Palmer did, you'd need to drive a tiny three-wheeler tugging along a solar array almost as big as the car itself.

While the car probably needs a major redesign (and perhaps some more solar panel breakthroughs) to even inch close to becoming a regular on highways, it did disclose some promising technology. The car reached 55mph speeds and could travel for 300km on a single charge. Through the 17 months on almost non-stop driving, it only broke down twice.

Though this car's adventure is over, Palmer's not ready to give up eco-driving yet. He's planning a trip with six vehicles around the world in 80 days (ha!) that would draw power from hydro, geothermal and wind energy. [BBC]

Homebrew iPhone App Lets You Reward Sparky From Afar [Homebrew]Today

Wonder what your pets are doing when you're not home? Here's a simple homebrew iPhone app that'll allow you to spy on your dog, and shower him with treats, no matter where you are!

With a CD-R spindle, some cardboard and wood scraps, a giant syringe, a webcam, and some glue, Stephen Myer created the body of a doggy-treat dispenser. He then used ioBridge's beta hardware—which included a pre-made servo smart board and a fill-in-the-blank type web interface—that created a widget and javascript for him.

After pasting the javascript into his iPhone, Myer also embedded streaming feed from a webcam on his dog's kennel, so that he would be able to see what his dog is up to when it thinks no one is watching. If Sparky is being a good boy, Myer could press a button that will give Sparky a treat! However, if Sparky is misbehaving, I have to wonder if this application can get the dispenser to smack Sparky with a broom. Although this application is not for purchase, Myer's blog has step-by-step instructions on how to turn your iPhone into your very own dogwatcher. [Cygnet via