Tech Universe: Thursday 24 February

ALL IN THE BRAIN: A proof of concept experiment at the Free University of Berlin had a driver control a car's travel simply by thinking of which direction to go. The driver first wore a special cap with sensors to detect brain patterns while training software to recognise specific thoughts. On a test-drive he was able to control the car's direction by thought alone. Keep this away from the ADD folks, please. Details at Autonomos-Labs and video on YouTube.

SMELLOSCOPE: The Nasal Ranger is like a small telescope that you sniff, rather than look through. It's a teflon tube with carbon-based filters, holes of various sizes and a mask that goes over your nose. Filtered air mixes with ambient air in various proportions. The user can determine just how smelly the air is, and potentially prosecute industries failing to comply with regulations. "Here, smell this: it's
horrible!" More at NewScientist.

SKIN VIEW: German researchers are developing a handheld scanner that reports within minutes on whether your lifestyle is healthy or unhealthy. The gadget projects light onto and into the skin. The backscatter reflected off the skin shows characteristics that let the researchers see if the subject has stopped smoking and drinking, for example. Medical tricorder v0.1a. More at Charite.

VISIBLE PHONES: The Emporia Elegant Plus cellphone has xtra-large keys and large resizable text, and it speaks to you. Polyphonic ringtones, extra-strong vibration and a flashing ringer mean you'll never miss a call. Smartphones are wonderful, but if you can't read the tiny text, or find all the possibilities overwhelming then maybe a simple phone like this is the one for you. More at Emporia.

NAVY RAY GUN: The US Navy is developing a new free electron laser gun that can burn through 6 metres of steel per second. The supercharged electron beam is powered by a prototype accelerator receiving a sustained 500 kilovolts of energy. The wavelength of the beam can be tuned for different applications. Once it's been made small enough it may be used on a Navy destroyer. Free the electrons! More at FoxNews.

- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz