You might remember the vintage looking 9 volt battery box. This Electromagnetic Field Detector is another old new device by Hacked Gadgets Forum member JingleJoe. Have a look at the forum thread for lots more pictures and some more videos. If you want to purchase it you are in luck, it was just posted on eBay!

"The wood started new, but I gave it my patented aging process and now you can see for yourself that it looks 100 years old! The meter is a genuinely old one, rewired to show the fields detected. The device runs on 9 volts of raw, untamed electricity from a battery compartment in the side, I built the inner circuitry from parts I scaveneged from old circuit boards, it works a charm! I made sure to use solid brass nails and brass screws in construction of the case. The main electromagnetic detector is made from a pan handle, it is connected to the main device by fabric-flex (made form a shoelace ) "

In the latest AV Technology magazine there is a great article about the latest technology in eye tracking and micro displays. Fraunhofer is developing some interesting technology that we are sure to see incorporated into all of our gadgets in the next 5 or 10 years. Subscribing to the AV Technology magazine is free as long as you are in the USA. Hacked Gadgets does receive a small payment for each subscription to any of our Free Magazine Subscriptions so we appreciate the support from all who subscribe to the free magazines that we offer.

“The data eyeglasses can read from the engineer’s eyes which details he needs to see on the building plans. A CMOS chip with an eye tracker in the microdisplay makes this possible. The eyeglasses are connected to a PDA, display information and respond to commands.

The chip measuring 19.3 by 17 millimeters is fitted on the prototype eyeglasses behind the hinge on the temple. From the temple the image on the microdisplay is projected onto the retina of the user so that it appears to be viewed from a distance of about one meter. The image has to outshine the ambient light to ensure that it can be seen clearly against changing and highly contrasting backgrounds. For this reason the research scientists use OLEDs, organic light-emitting diodes, to produce microdisplays of particularly high luminance.”

Thanks to t0n10 from Poland for sending in this cool project tip. Often bigger isn’t better, but when it comes to binary clocks. Bigger is definitely better! Have a look at the massive binary clock that the guys at Wroclaws Technology University made. 

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I can’t imagine loosing my hand but now there are some interesting options. You could get a hook for the good old pirate look or get this Robot Hand the can Feel!

Via: Servo Magazine Blog

"A team of scientists from Italy and Sweden has developed what is believed to be the first artificial hand that has feeling. It has been attached to the arm of a 22-year-old man who lost his own hand through cancer. Researchers say it works by connecting human nerve endings with tiny electronic sensors."

Hacked Gadgets went to Island Tech 2009 which was on Vancouver Island British Columbia Canada to check on the technology that was being demonstrated. It was an interesting feeling to be able to touch the fastest bicycle in the world! Designed by VARNA of British Columbia, it looks like this bike can’t be beat. Thumbing through the binder of newspaper clippings and event pictures shows that this technology is no over night success but rather the result of years of dedicated work towards excellence.

"2009 Men’s 200m Flying Start

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There is some great innovation coming out of the Elevator Space Race. The University of Saskatchewan’s Space Design Team has been in it from the start and has some promising technology. The video describes the monumental task quite well. It goes to show that with some prize money on the line a task as challenging as the space elevator is something that many will choose to pursue.

Via: Space Elevator Games

"The University of Saskatchewan Space Design Team (USST) is a team of highly motivated physics and engineering students and professionals. Building on a tradition of success, we aim to go higher and faster! The engineering challenges are great, requiring the skills of a variety of disciplines. Our success to date has relied on a multi-disciplinary approach, and expanding that approach can only make us better. Our climber makes use of solar cells to receive beamed power, and has an incredibly light superstructure. Although light, the compact design allowed us to handle wind quite well. The robot’s brain (the logic needed to follow the rules) is a microcontroller, programmed by U of S students. As the competition becomes more intense, the limitations of individual spotlights are becoming apparent."

This 5kV Induction Gun can shoot aluminum rings with some intense force. I have seen flying ring toys before which fly nice and straight. I wonder if the ring design is better than the typical bullet shaped projectiles we see on most of these guns.

"First portable induction accelerator in Russia. Capacitor energy 500j 5kV voltage, ring speed about 200m/s "