Tech Universe: Tuesday 26 April

The R3 Electric Trike Vehicle. Photo / Supplied

4 WHEELS IN 3: The R3 electric consumer vehicle from T3 Motion is a sort of 4-wheeled 3-wheeler. On the front are two wheels as in any car. At the back though is a single wide-stance wheel with two tires that improve traction, stability, and handling while providing increased energy efficiency. Lithium-polymer batteries give the car a range of around 150 Km. It's eye catching, for sure. More at T3Motion and video on YouTube.

TOW A BOAT: Just because a ship has engines doesn't mean it shouldn't be wind-powered too. Maybe there's no room for sails, but a kite could help it along, as with paragliding. SkySails can reduce a ship's average annual fuel costs by 10 to 35%. If the wind's fair sometimes fuel consumption can temporarily be cut by up to 50%. The currently available towing kite propulsion system can be used on cargo vessels with an effective load of between 8 and 16 tons. Now, how about someone adds solar energy for shipboard requirements? More at SkySails and video on YouTube.

SEEING EYE CAMERA: The Note-Takers is an ingenious camera and tablet PC combination that allows low vision students to see a whiteboard and take notes at the same time. The camera has a max 36x optical zoom and displays the whiteboard on one half of the tablet's screen. The other half is dedicated to handwritten notes. It's a simple but extremely powerful invention. Details at Microsoft and video on YouTube.

JACKET GUIDE: The Point Locus is a wearable tactile GPS system mainly intended for people with visual impairments. The jacket has voice recognition so the wearer can say where they want to go, and guides the wearer by vibrations on the arms. Put away that map: this jacket could be handy for a lot of people. More at FashioningTech and video on YouTube.

MAGNET MOUTH: If you don't have a larynx, perhaps through cancer, you can't speak. Currently such people often use a special valve in their throat to be able to say a few words. A team at the University of Sheffield is developing a device to detect and interpret facial movements and turn them into speech. It uses magnets in the mouth and an external headset. Ungainly, but a voice is a voice. More at NewScientist.

- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz