by Ardrich
July 8, 2011 in News Roundup
UK scientists have managed to create every chocolate lover’s dream – a chocolate 3D printer.
The design industry has already been using 3D printing with plastic and metal but, thanks to researchers at the University of Exeter, the technology now gets a delicious addition.
by Ardrich
May 23, 2011 in News Roundup
(from left) Rev. James Webber, Chairman of Action for Better Access, with Chris Beveridge, Voluntary Disability Liason Officer Blackpool FC and John Kelly, Vice Chairman and Co-founder of Access Network Equality.
Football clubs in the UK are set to excel in following web accessibility guidelines with the help of a new cyber charity.
‘Action for Better Access’ uses cutting edge ROKTALK technology to convert text to speech in several different languages.
by Ardrich
May 18, 2011 in News Roundup
Thanks to new technology, McDonald’s customers in Europe will no longer be greeted by a sullen-faced teenager at the till.
The fast-food chain is bringing in touchscreen terminals and swipe cards in its 7,000 European restaurants, replacing cashiers and the use of banknotes.
Steve Easterbrook, president of McDonald’s Europe, said average transactions would be three to four seconds shorter for each customer.
by Ardrich
April 14, 2011 in News Roundup
The iPad 2 and iPhone 4 can now deliver 3D effects without the need for glasses, thanks to French researchers.
The technology, which relies on the front-facing cameras on the devices to monitor the movement of the user’s head, was developed by Jeremie Francone and Laurence Nigay, from the Engineering Human-Computer Interaction research group.
by Ardrich
April 8, 2011 in News Roundup
Teesside University’s annual student exhibition showed North East companies a glimpse of the huge pool of talent there is to tap into.
NMM went along to the EXPOTEES 2011 main event on Wednesday. Here are some of the projects we found interesting.
Audio graphics tablet
James William Fletcher demonstrating his work, a software system that can turn any surface into a graphics tablet.
by Ardrich
April 4, 2011 in News Roundup
The way technology is going, Google’s April fools’ spoof may not actually have been an obvious fake to those immersed in the digital industry.
In a world of constant updates, some are getting suspicious we are just generating new technology for the sake of it.
by Ardrich
March 9, 2011 in News Roundup
Ever wondered about the origins of your melons?
Thanks to new technology you can now find out.
A new camera, developed by NEC, recognises different types of fruit and can tell you when and where it was grown.
by Ardrich
March 4, 2011 in Features
Ever heard of Near Field Communications? So have we, but we didn’t really know much more about it than that it’s got something to do with swiping mobiles across… surfaces to… exchange information?
To find out what it can actually do and how it will affect our lives, we turned to Martin Emms, a PhD student at Newcastle University’s Centre for Cybercrime and Computer Security.
Do we need to understand this NFC thing or is it just one of those acronyms that will fade away if no one cares?
“NFC will soon be one of those ubiquitous technologies that we cannot do without, ranging from RFID stock control to the BMW car key which contains your whole world in one device”, he said.
by Ardrich
March 3, 2011 in News Roundup
Future computer users could control the mouse simply by moving their eyes across the screen.
A new laptop prototype, developed by Swedish firm Tobii Technology, tracks the gaze of the user taking the ‘wireless’ concept to the next level.
The computer projects two invisible infrared lights at the user, and two hidden cameras look for the reflections off the eyeballs and retinas.
by Ardrich
November 9, 2010 in News Roundup
Forget clunky key-cards, mobile phones will open hotel doors in the future.
This is if an experiment by Swedish hotels and lock company Assa Abloy with the latest mobile technologies proves successful.
Clarion Hotel in Stockholm is embarking a four-month trial using short-range radio technology to speed up the checking-in process.
