CompuLab is introducing fitlet – a miniature 0.22l fanless quad-core PC that is not only packing more features than any other PC in its class, but is also designed from the ground up for unprecedented openness: Memory, storage, networking, extension cards and operating system can all be easily installed and upgraded by the user.

The Linux version of fitlet was developed with the Linux Mint team and will be available under the “MintBox Mini” brand.

fitlet is powered by latest AMD low-power APU and is built into a sleek, passively-cooled ruggedized housing. Three fitlet models are offered in various configurations ranging from a plug-and-play Windows PC to a barebone system priced at $129. All models come with a 5 year warranty.

via fitlet press release.

When you’re on the path to becoming a power user, you begin to notice certain things that the average person might not. One of those is the difference between typing on a sweet mechanical keyboard with luxurious key action versus pounding away on a run-of-the-mill squishy plank that relies on mushy membranes to register your keystrokes. The difference may seem subtle to the uninitiated, though even casual typists can recognize that there’s something inherently superior about typing on a mechanical keyboard, even if they can’t pinpoint what exactly it is.Of course, we know it’s the mechanical key switches that are responsible for elevating the typing experience. These are better than the rubber domes found in membrane keyboards that used to dominate the market in a number of ways, including feel, responsiveness, and durability.

via Know Your Type: Five Mechanical Gaming Keyboards Compared.

We present a method for creating three-dimensional haptic shapes in mid-air using focused ultrasound. This approach applies the principles of acoustic radiation force, whereby the non-linear effects of sound produce forces on the skin which are strong enough to generate tactile sensations. This mid-air haptic feedback eliminates the need for any attachment of actuators or contact with physical devices

via Rendering volumetric haptic shapes in mid-air using ultrasound – University of Bristol.

Lockheed Martin is developing an exoskeleton that transfers all the energy used to the ground, thus allowing you to lift heavy loads without using batteries.
FORTIS Exoskeleton · Lockheed Martin.

The Parallax Propellor 1 microcontroller has been completely open sourced.

Propeller 1 Open Source | Parallax Inc.

Open-source metal 3-D printer – Appropedia: The sustainability wiki.

Soldier receives UK’s first mind-controlled robot arm – News stories – GOV.UK.

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Moverio/Home.do

3D ScanningFast, Easy and Low-costWith Skanect, capturing a full color 3d model of an object, a person or a room has never been so easy and affordable. Skanect transforms your Microsoft Kinect or Asus Xtion camera into an ultra-low cost scanner able to create 3D meshes out of real scenes in a few minutes. Enter the world of 3D scanning now!

via Skanect by Occipital | 3D Scanning Made Easy.

This machine uses lasers to scan a small object, allowing you to replicate it in a 3D Printer. It’s an early adopter thing that costs $1400,- but allows you to print stuff without any knowledge of 3D modelling.

Digitizer | 3D Scanner | 3D Scanning | MakerBot.

A very clear howto on creating your own PCB and how to plan and execute your design.

How to Make the Perfect PCB – Part 1 – Michael Leonard.

By printing layered objects within the structure of an object you can put more information inside it to be read with a millimetric radar.

Microsoft Has Invented a Way To Embed Data in 3D Printed Objects.

The makerbot scans items using cameras and laters and saves the 3d model so that you can replicate it later on a 3d printer. http://store.makerbot.com/digitizer.html

It uses various plastics, meaning you can print in various colours and should cost between $1500 – $2000. Fabbster is a German comapnymand the product looks very good.

Cable-Tec Expo: DOCSIS 3.1 to Blaze Trail Toward 10 Gig Speeds | Cable Television News | Broadcast Syndication | Programming | Multichannel.com.

Turns out that yes, darker websites consume less power.

Blackle vs. Google Monitor Power Consumption Tested – PCSTATS.com.

CUPERTINO, Calif. – March 19, 2012 – Seagate (NASDAQ:STX) has become the first hard drive maker to achieve the milestone storage density of 1 terabit (1 trillion bits) per square inch, producing a demonstration of the technology that promises to double the storage capacity of today’s hard drives upon its introduction later this decade and give rise to 3.5-inch hard drives with an extraordinary capacity of up to 60 terabytes over the 10 years that follow. The bits within a square inch of disk space, at the new milestone, far outnumber stars in the Milky Way, which astronomers put between 200 billion and 400 billion.

Seagate reached the landmark data density with heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), the next- generation recording technology.

Seagate Reaches 1 Terabit Per Square Inch Milestone In Hard Drive Storage With New Technology Demonstration | Seagate.

Unlike conventional flat solar cells, Sphelar® cell takes on a spherical shape, which makes it capable of power generation with greater efficiency. This tiny solar cell, measuring a mere 1-2 mm across, holds huge potential for smart and green society.

Spherical Micro Solar Cells | Products | Kyosemi Corporation.

Specifications include an ARM® Cortex™-A9 (1GHz) CPU from Samsung, an ARM Mali™-400 MP (Quad-core, 1.2GHz) GPU, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, HDMI output and the Android operating system. It decodes MPEG-4, H.264 and other video formats and display HD graphics on any HDMI equipped screen. Operating systems supported to date include Android Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich as well as Ubuntu. On-screen content can be controlled a wide variety of ways – wirelessly using smartphones with an app, Bluetooth peripherals like mice and RF remote controls; or by leveraging a notebook’s integrated keyboard and touchpad.

Cotton Candy Forum – Fxi launches cotton candy developer site, takes pre-orders.

Developed by Finn Magee these speakers are built for posters, are as thick as paper and are flexible. It’s called the flat sound series.

© Finn Magee 2011.

Leaf spine has no tiers and allows data between server nodes to communicate much faster with lower latency. In an age of cloud computing where there is lots of data communication between servers or nodes inside the network, have to go up and down through the tiers is inefficient.

No more tiers for flatter networks • The Register.

Speed Up Your SSD By Correctly Aligning Your Partitions.

Wow. tiny tiny ARM PC It runs Quake III too!

Raspberry Pi | An ARM Linux box for $25. Take a byte!.