Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Smile, my shirt wants to take a picture of you

If you ever wondered what exactly scientists are working on these days, a safe bet is to say “nanotechnology.”  Right now, M.I.T. scientists are working on fabric that could be used to take pictures.  Here’s how this works: the fabric itself can determine light properties like direction and wavelength.  The fabric has sensors to determine those properties.  With that data, if an image is projected onto the fabric, that image can be reconstructed by the researchers. 

Where would this kind of thing be used first?  If you guessed “the military,” you’d probably be right.  Instead of needing cameras with sensitive lenses, maybe a vest or sleeve could act as a camera.  Imagine how this could affect regular life.  Like something in store window?  You always have a camera at a convenient spot.  Maybe it would even cut down on crime since the fabric could be used to record an image of whoever came nearby.  [Source]

Want to report trouble?  There’s an app for that.

The city of Boston has introduced an iPhone app called “Citizen Connect.”  A person would use it to inform the city of trouble.  See some graffiti on the wall?  Snap a picture and send it off using Citizen Connect.  See a bus stop sign that got knocked over?  Simple, there’s an app for that.  No word if the application uses your location to determine where a particular repair is necessary.  [Source]

Trying to recreate a bird

When you look at a hummingbird, you see an animal that appears to float in the air.  When the U.S. Department of Defense sees one, they think, “We should build one for espionage purposes!”  AeroVironment has put together a robotic hummingbird that can be used to spy.  While no one would confuse the robotic hummingbird for a real one right now, it wouldn’t take that much imagination to cover the robot in a skin so it would be pretty much undetectable.  Put this together with the light sensing fabric and you’ve got a tiny, lightweight spying machine.  [Source]