Is LG's double-sided reflective display a prototype for next-gen book readers?

lg_reflective_displays.jpg

Though LG seems to be about to pull out of the OLED business, it has been pushing another new technology which could be very useful for powering the next generation of digital readers and other mobile devices.

At the International Meeting on Information Display, it’s shown off a 15-inch double-sided reflective display with a resolution of 512 x 384 pixels, and a 13.3-inch reflective display with 1,280 x 800 resolution. These ECB-mode displays could be used in mobile devices that can be used easily in bright light/sunlight…

Interzone: get air quality reports on your mobile phone

mobile_phone_air_quality_tester.jpg

Interzone, currently in prototype form, is a sensor which could be attached or built in to a mobile phone to give it the ability to monitor the surrounding air quality.

That way, you’d not only be able to look at the smog hanging above the streets of London, but measure it too. Nothing like a scientific reading to give to your doctor as proof that’s why you’re wheezing your way around the capital…

Scientists working on 1.5-metre long climbing robotic snake

snake.jpg

Forget snakes on a plane, for soon there could be snakes in your drains – robotic snakes, that is, which can climb vertical pipes, cleaning them or looking for leaks.

Norwegian scientists are working on a one-and-a-half metre long aluminium-clad robot is constructed with multiple joints, plastic wheels, and a camera, and is programmed with algorithms that tell it how to navigate pipework, and what tasks to carry out while in there…

Martin Buehler's prototype jockey-ridden hopping robot will guarantee you look like a moron

robot-jockey-racing.jpgRemember those insane little hopping-machines in playgrounds, shaped like little animals attached to springs, and you sit on it and can jump up and down by about 5 inches? This is the adult, Jackass-esque version. Hours of fun! Hours spent in A&E!

According to the designer, Martin Buehler, it’s a ”prototype jockey ridden hopping robot that controlled forward speed, hopping height, and pitch balance, the jockey did sideways balance and steering.” I had to read that sentence over about five times before it made sense, you too?

Check out the video of it…

Top five IFA 2007 stories from Tech Digest

IFA is well and truly over, with most Berlin-bound geeks back in their natural habitats, in our case, Shiny Towers. If you missed our coverage last week, and over the weekend, here are the top five most news-worthy stories. Expect these products to be rolled out over the next few months.

1.) LG’s ‘Design Art’ LCD TVs
– two models, the LF75, LB75, with the first model coming in 1080p Full HD and 10,000:1 contrast ratio, and the latter model packing a still-impressive 720p/1080i and 8,000:1 contrast ratio. Three HDMI 1080p inputs and LG’s Intelligent Eye technology which ‘optimises brightness and contrast according to ambient light’ are also included…