Gizmag News - The ingenious Anthony Emergency Housing System

Welcome to the newsletter for gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine. These are the headlines for November the 10th, 2010. The ingenious Anthony Emergency Housing System The seeming increase in natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes floods and wildfires around the world has continued to highlight mankind’s need for emergency housing. Gizmag has reported many clever designs for emergency housing over the last decade, but Peter Anthony’s collapsible, lightweight mobile platform is the most viable we've yet seen for airdropping and rapidly-deploying housing for large numbers of people. Each self-contained 8' x 8' x 8' living space is constructed of composite material, and hence weighs less than 200 pounds, folds flat and can be assembled with a single spanner by two people in less than 30 minutes. Read More Software indentifies emotions in human speech Getting a computer to understand what a person is saying is one thing, but getting it to understand how they’re saying it is another. If we’re ever to see a system that truly comprehends the meaning behind the words – and not just the words themselves – then such systems will need to be able to put the words in context. Researchers from Spain’s Universidad Politécnica de Madrid are trying to achieve this by developing an application that allows computers to accurately recognize human emotions based on automated voice analysis. Read More Healthcare robot gives sponge baths While many movies and TV shows would have us believe that hospital sponge baths are only carried out by nurses at either end of the attractiveness spectrum, the reality is no doubt generally somewhere in between. In fact, I’m sure a lot of patients and even more nurses would prefer such tasks were handled by a robot. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology seem to have reached the same conclusion and have developed a robot that can autonomously perform bed baths to keep bedridden patients clean. Read More Fishy Farm combines horticulture, aquaculture, and vermiculture Oh, choices, choices... do you grow vegetables, raise worms or raise fish? Well, the just-released Fishy Farm is designed to do all three in one hit. The small-scale aquaponic set-up is based around an ecosystem in which fish-waste-infused water fertilizes the veggies and feeds the worms, which in turn filter the water before it returns to the fish. All that users need to do is feed the fish, top up the water, and gobble up the bounty... except for the worms. Read More Using solar power to keep truck drivers cool A trio of companies has joined forces to develop a truck cabin air conditioning system that uses solar energy generated from panels on the trailer’s roof area for its power. The i-Cool Solar system can save around 1.8 liters of light oil per hour when the truck is idle and reduce fuel consumption by about 1 percent when the truck is moving. If planned trials go well, we could see these units on highways in spring 2012. Read More Green Float concept: a carbon negative city on the ocean The idea of going offshore to satisfy our renewable energy needs isn't new, but the grand vision of Japan’s Shimizu Corporation goes way beyond harnessing green energy at sea for use in cities on Terra firma – it takes the whole city along for the ride. The company, along with the Super Collaborative Graduate School and Nomura Securities, is researching the technical issues involved in constructing its Green Float concept – a self-sufficient, carbon-negative floating city that would reside in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean. Read More Energy Sistem's Android-based Energy Tablet incoming Spanish consumer electronics manufacturer Energy Sistem has set a pre-Christmas release date for its new Android-based, 5-inch touchscreen tablet computer. The Energy Tablet i504 is powered by a Rockchip processor, can render video in 720p high definition, is Wi-Fi-enabled and has both internal storage and expansion opportunities. To the side of the display is a built-in webcam and an optical trackball. Read More Neighborhood watching with the Swinglet CAM high resolution flying camera With the help of the Swinglet CAM you can create your very own local aerial map a la Google Maps, or monitor wildlife distribution in a given area, or maybe just get a feel for what's going on in the neighborhood. The small, unmanned aerial vehicle can take off and land on its own and its integrated camera will snap high resolution images along a predetermined flightpath or as directed by remote control. Read More New apps offer possible autism breakthroughs iPad and iPod Touch application developers have recently created several programs which help aid the learning and development for children with autism. The success and usability of many of these programs has not only offered a new platform to help autistic children with their education, but can also offer much-needed relief to their parents. Autistic children are said to be adapting to these iPad programs like ducks to water, whilst the supervising parents can finally get some quiet time for a cup of coffee or to simply read the newspaper in peace. Read More Nestle Special.T – tea with added technology Tea is the world's most popular drink and for the last 5000 years was made by placing tea leaves in boiling water. Over the last fifty years, the convenience of the tea bag has captured more than 90% of the tea market in many countries and the evolution looks set to continue. The world’s largest beverage company is moving into the tea market for the first time, pioneering a new pod-style machine which calculates the perfect brewing time and temperature for each individual tea variety and reproduces the perfect brew every time. Throwing tradition to the wind in every way, the EUR129 (US$180) Special.T by Nestlé machine and EUR0.35 (US$0.50) pods will ONLY be sold via the internet, with fulfillment within 48 hours. Read More If you would like to refer this newsletter to a friend or colleague, please point them at our free subscription page. Please don't try to forward this email, as the formatting is unlikely to remain intact. And don't worry, we don't share email addresses. Please read our privacy policy if you are concerned. Watch for more of the best new innovations, ideas and practical technologies in your inbox. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at http://www.gizmag.com. 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