Enabling ordinary objects to become extraordinary tools via an internet connection is the next frontier of high technology. The Internet of Things keeps growing and expanding with the introduction of Knocki, a stick-on sensor that lets you – you guessed it – knock to initiate programmed actions. It eliminates the need for switches, buttons, and remote controls.

As long as it’s within wi-fi range, the Knocki can be stuck to just about any solid surface and activated with a pattern of knocks and taps on that surface. One knock on the dresser can tell the device and its app to turn on your sound system in the morning to get you up and moving. Three spaced-out knocks on the bedside table could tell Knocki to start the coffee brewing.

The system works by detecting vibrational patterns on a surface via an accelerometer. There’s no chance of the Knocki “hearing” environmental sounds like clapping and mistaking them for commands because it doesn’t operate on acoustic cues. The internal software can analyze knocks or taps to determine if they were intentional or if they were, for example, just you knocking over a coffee mug.

In addition to activating various gadgets around the house, the Knocki can be programmed for home security. You can tell it to text you if someone knocks on your front door or to call an ambulance if you tap out a specific pattern. The Knocki doesn’t even have to be in plain sight to work; you can mount it under a table or inside a cabinet. It has a range of up to six feet when mounted on wood and 3-4 feet when mounted on stone or other very hard surfaces – meaning you don’t have to knock directly beside or on top of it.

The creators of the system envision it being used outside the home environment, as well. They say it could be helpful in restaurants to let diners knock on the table to get their server’s attention. That would probably be the most annoying possible use (for the servers, anyway), but it’s a cool idea nonetheless. Knocki is available for pre-order on the company’s site.

The post Knock, Knock: This Module Wants to Smarten Your House first appeared on Gajitz.

Navigating your way through an unfamiliar city can be challenging and stressful, especially when you’re visually impaired. This little handheld device from Yale postdoctorate engineer associate Adam Spiers shifts it shape to point you in the right direction so even if you can’t see, you can get accurate directions to your destination.

The current version of Animotus is connected wirelessly to the location sensors on your clothing that work with other sensors mounted on the walls of your surroundings. In the future, it will connect to your smartphone for real-world guidance. It’s a haptic device unlike any other – rather than relying on vibrations like most, you simply hold it in your hand and feel as the top part pivots to lead you.

Other sight-impaired assistive devices rely on sound to help navigate, which can be a problem since cities are generally noisy already and hearing their surroundings is a big part of getting around for visually impaired people. Spiers recently supplied the device for an interactive play based on an 1884 book by Edwin A. Abbott called Flatland. Audience members became participants by holding onto an Animotus which led them, in complete darkness, around the “stage,” which was actually the inside of a church.

Infrared cameras showed the audience members making their way through the set at speeds nearly as fast as walking in a brightly lit space. At the end of the performance, participants liked the navigation devices so much they wanted to keep them. Spiers says the Animotus is a long way from being produced commercially, but he’s encouraged by the positive response so far. He envisions the device as someday being a simple way for both sighted and visually impaired people to navigate without having to constantly pay attention to a smartphone’s directions.

The post Feeling Your Way: Device Changes its Shape to Navigate first appeared on Gajitz.

The elusive concept of a space elevator has been around for more than a century, but until now it’s been difficult to imagine having the technology to actually make it happen. Canadian company Thoth Technology has been granted an American patent for an inflatable space elevator jutting 12.4 miles into the sky from Earth’s surface.

The goal of a space elevator isn’t to provide a roadway all the way to the moon or another destination. It’s all about elevating a space vehicle high enough that it won’t need as much lift as it would if it were taking off from the ground. A conventional launch requires rockets and a lot of heavy fuel to lift the vehicle. If the launch were to take place miles above the planet’s surface, there would be less of a gravity struggle to deal with, less fuel to use up, and a much lower cost to launch.

Using the Thoth elevator as a lift-off and landing place, the company estimates that space flights could use up to 30 percent less fuel per launch. The elevator’s platform would act as a place to launch, refuel, land, and relaunch – making space travel just a little more like conventional passenger jet travel.

The elevator, if ever constructed, could dramatically cut down on the cost of launching supplies and people into space. In the patent, the 20 km high structure is made of inflated sections held in place by pressurized gas. We’ll be interested to see how that construction stands up to the rigors of being so very tall and anchored to the Earth. In any case, the patent is a starting point, and the company can refine the details from there.

The post Going WAY Up: Inflatable Lift Will Cut Space Travel Costs first appeared on Gajitz.

Playing on our inherent love of all things small, shiny, motorized, and novel, Japanese company Cocoa Motors has come up with a brilliant little motorized vehicle. They say it’s the world’s smallest electric vehicle, and they just might be right – it’s around the size of a MacBook (one of the larger-screened models, but still) and looks just as sleek.

The WalkCar operates on the same steering principles as the Segway. You simply lean your body in the direction you wish to you. Leaning forward propels you, swaying slightly to the left or right steers the device deftly around obstacles, and judging from the video, jumping straight off of it like a frightened cat is what makes it stop.

The inventors say that the WalkCar is powerful enough to push a heavy load in front of you on a hand truck or even to drive someone around in a wheelchair. But the device is so light that you can carry it around in a backpack or shoulder bag with no discomfort.

We immediately became lost in thoughts of how many rad Halloween costumes we could make using this bad boy to create the appearance of floating above the ground. The catch, though, is that the WalkCar is still in the prototype stage and not yet available for purchase. Cocoa Motors will start a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for production – watch their site for more news.

The post Float Around on This Lightweight, Laptop-Size Scooter first appeared on Gajitz.

The past two decades have brought about some incredible – and very expensive – advances in prosthetic limb technology. A prosthetic leg can now contain microprocessors, gyroscopes, and hydraulics to give the amputee a completely natural gait. In India and other developing nations, having a leg amputated usually means a lifetime with a stiff, unmoving prosthetic. MIT associate professor of mechanical engineering Amos Winter wants to bring a low-tech solution to people in developing countries who don’t have $50,000 to spend on a top-of-the-line leg.

Winter and his associates published a paper detailing their research on the ideal torque that a prosthetic leg should produce in order to replicate the gait of a natural knee. Working off of that research, the team was able to build a prototype of a working prosthetic leg that uses simple elements like springs and dampers instead of high-tech electronic components.

Their low-tech prototype uses a spring to slightly bend the “knee” as the leg moves; two dampers stop the leg from swinging backward and slow it down during its forward movement just before the heel hits the ground. Using this simple system, the prosthetic leg allows for a much more natural gait than the typical non-dynamic prosthetic leg. The researchers have begun testing their invention with above-the-knee amputees in India and hope that, once refined, their prosthesis will cost only a few hundred dollars.

The post MIT’s Low-Tech, Low-Cost, High-Performance Prosthetic Leg first appeared on Gajitz.