NASA reveals instruments selected for Mars 2020 rover

The seven instruments selected for Mars 2020 (Image: NASA)

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has been trundling around the Red Planet for almost two years now, so the space agency is looking for a trade in. At a press conference in Washington DC, it announced the seven instruments selected to fly on the Mars 2020 rover mission that is scheduled to launch in July or August 2020 with a landing set for February 2021 at a yet to be determined site. The instruments were selected out of 58 proposals from US and international scientists and engineers, and represent a development cost of US$130 million.

The Mars 2020 rover uses the same basic design and engineering as Curiosity, which is currently exploring the Gale Crater region of Mars. While it will come with some improvements – such as newly designed wheels – the launch system, cruise stage, aeroshell, and Skycrane landing system will be almost identical to that used on its predecessor. Like Curiosity, the new rover’s power source will be a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) using the heat from the natural decay of plugs of plutonium-238 nuclear fuel.

The purpose of the mission is to study the geology of Mars, to seek out signs of ancient life, and conduct experiments related to the habitability of Mars for future manned expeditions. In addition, Mars 2020 will collect and store rock and soil samples in a container similar to one developed by the ESA, to be returned to Earth by a later mission.

A sample return container (Image: NASA)

The seven new instruments

Mastcam-Z: An advanced camera system, the Mastcam-Z is a new mast-mounted camera for the Mars 2020 rover that has zoom, panoramic and stereoscopic imaging capabilities. It’s used for mineralogical surveys and general imaging to aid rover operations. The zoom capability is a considerable advance because the current camera on Curiosity relies on two fixed-focus lenses and has great difficulty creating stereoscopic images.

SuperCam: The Super-Cam is an imaging device for studying chemical composition and mineralogy. It’s designed to detect organic materials in rocks and regolith at a distance.

Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL): This is an x-ray fluorescence spectrometer, which includes a high-resolution imager to study the fine-scale composition of surface materials for detailed detection and analysis. Mounted on the rover’s robotic arm, it can focus its x-rays on a surface sample and complete an analysis within minutes or even seconds while its imager records visual details to aid mineral identification.

Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC): SHERLOC is a fine-scale spectrometer that uses an ultraviolet laser for mineralogical studies and detecting organic compounds. According to NASA, it’s the first UV Raman spectrometer (named after the Raman scattering effect used) sent to the Martian surface.

"This instrument uses two distinct detection strategies," says principal investigator, Luther Beegle of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "It can detect an important class of carbon molecules with high sensitivity, and it also identifies minerals that provide information about ancient aqueous environments."

Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE): This is an experiment from MIT that will attempt to produce oxygen from the carbon dioxide in the thin Martian atmosphere. NASA hopes that this could one day lead to a way to provide explorers with oxygen without the expense of carting it from Earth.

Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA): A weather station to measure temperature, wind direction and velocity, barometric pressure and humidity, as well as the size and shape of dust particles in the air.

Radar Imager for Mars' Subsurface Exploration (RIMFAX): Mounted under the rover’s belly, this is a centimeter-scale ground-penetrating radar for studying subsurface features.

NASA says that Mars 2020 will spend at least one Martian year or two Earth years studying the Red Planet. The space agency hopes that data sent back by the robotic explorer will provide insights into the potential hazards from Martian dust as well as the prospect of manufacturing oxygen out of atmospheric carbon dioxide for breathing and rocket propulsion, which would greatly reduce the cost of sending people to Mars.

"The 2020 rover will help answer questions about the Martian environment that astronauts will face and test technologies they need before landing on, exploring and returning from the Red Planet," says William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. "Mars has resources needed to help sustain life, which can reduce the amount of supplies that human missions will need to carry. Better understanding the Martian dust and weather will be valuable data for planning human Mars missions. Testing ways to extract these resources and understand the environment will help make the pioneering of Mars feasible."

The press conference introducing the new instrument suite for the Mars 2020 can be viewed below.

Perlan ll project aims to fly a glider to the edge of space

Riding colossal stratospheric air waves, the Perlan ll glider is intended to fly to the edge of space

In an ambitious attempt to break every wing-borne sustained flight height record for a manned aircraft, the Perlan ll project intends to construct and fly a glider higher than any sailplane has gone before. Riding on the colossal stratospheric air waves generated over mountains, the team plans to fly their craft to more than 90,000 ft (27,000 m), which will shatter their own existing glider altitude record of 50,671 ft (15,400 m) set by Perlan l in 2008.

Former NASA test pilot, and now founder and CEO of the project, Einar Enevoldson, is basing the project's anticipated flight success on evidence he has collected over many years as a high-altitude pilot on a weather phenomenon known as stratospheric mountain waves. These mountain waves are ultra-strong airstreams that collide with the tops of tall mountain ranges like the Andes and are redirected straight up, creating great waves of air that a glider could potentially use to ride up towards the edge of space.

Enevoldson sought to prove this phenomenon, and in 1998 – in conjunction with meteorologist Dr. Elizabeth Austin – verified his assertions and discovered that it is two phenomena known as the stratospheric polar night jet and the polar vortex that create and sustain these mountain waves all the way up to an altitude of 130,000 feet (39,624 meters). Enlisting the financial help of the late adventurer Steve Fossett in his first attempt to exploit these powerful stratospheric air currents, Fossett and Enevoldson piloted the glider Perlan I to shatter the altitude record for gliders by ascending to 50,671 feet (15,460m) in 2006.

Now Enevoldson wants to completely blow away his own record by taking Perlan ll up to a height of over 90,000 ft (27,000 m) using these very same air currents. This time he plans to use a pressurized cockpit (the original Perlan l didn't have one, and the pressure suits that Enevoldson and Fossett wore weren't up to the task) and a small-windowed cabin so that he can get as close to the edge of space as possible.

Originally unsuccessfully floated on Indiegogo in 2013, the project was in danger of stalling until the the Airbus Group saw the merits and opportunities of Perlan ll, and have now partnered with them to provide technical and financial support for the project. Airbus announced their intentions at this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in.

"After a thorough evaluation of the engineering and scientific planning behind the Perlan Project, Airbus Group is convinced that this important mission will be a success," said Jean Botti, Airbus Group's chief technical officer. "We believe it is critically important for us to advance climate sciences and aerodynamic research. With the Airbus Perlan II mission we particularly see an opportunity to gain experience and data related to very high altitude flight – an area of interest for future aerospace applications."

Currently being constructed in carbon fiber, the Perlan ll will have a claimed wingspan of 84 ft (25 m) and designed to fly near transonic speeds if it is to maintain adequate lift in the thin air of the stratosphere. As such, the team also says that the glider will contain life support systems – including oxygen tanks, CO2 scrubbers and rebreather systems – and an airframe capable of sustaining heavy transient shock waves, whilst being both rigid and light.

All going to plan, the Perlan ll will also conduct high-level aerodynamic and other scientific research when it is launched, which at this stage is slated for sometime in 2016.

The video below shows the Perlan ll project's original project launch video.

iPipet uses an iPad to make a monotonous lab task better

iPipet is an iPad app that uses glowing dots to guide lab techs as they're pipetting

If you've ever worked in a laboratory, or even if you've just seen them on TV, then you're probably familiar with the important but monotonous task of pipetting. To make it easier and less prone to errors, a team at the MIT-affiliated Whitehead Institute has created iPipet, an app that allows an iPad to visually guide "pipetters" in their work.

Putting it simply, pipetting involves using an eye dropper-like glass pipette to transfer precise measurements of liquid samples between sets of vial-like wells contained within trays known as well plates. Given its often mind-numbingly repetitive nature, however, mistakes can be made – if a sample accidentally goes from a "source" well into a "destination" well that contains one reagent as opposed to another, for instance, then the results of the experiment can be heavily skewed.

Robotic pipetting systems certainly do exist, although they're expensive, require trained personnel to set up, and are not entirely infallible themselves.

iPipet keeps human lab techs in the picture, but uses the iPad screen to help them keep track of what they're doing. They start by utilizing a spreadsheet interface to enter the protocol of their specific task – which samples need to go into which wells, that sort of thing.

That information is uploaded to the iPipet website, where it's used to generate two grid-style displays that are sent back to the iPad. The source and destination well plates are then placed over top of those displays. Individual glowing dots within the grids correspond to individual wells, illuminating them from below, showing users on a step-by-step basis which samples should go to which destination wells.

To keep the well plates aligned with the grids, users can download a file that will allow them to 3D-print a plastic adapter that fits over the tablet screen.

In a test of the system, humans using iPipet were able to perform almost 3,000 fixed-volume pipetting steps in about seven hours – by contrast, a robotic system was reportedly able to manage only half that number within the same amount of time.

iPipet was created in the lab of Yaniv Erlich, and can be downloaded from the project website. A paper on the research was recently published in the journal Nature Methods.

The program can be seen in use in the following video.

Hydrapak Stash collapsible water bottle stands up and packs into a pocket disc

The Hydrapak Stash will be available within the next few months in several colors

In 2013, Hydrapak introduced its SoftFlask series of soft-sided TPU water bottles designed to collapse into your pocket. The design seemed handy, but we wondered why the company chose to use a rather big, bulging bottom on a design meant to pack small. It addresses this shortcoming with the all-new Stash. The Stash's collapsible TPU body is paired with a flat bottom that snaps together with the top, making the packed bottle even easier to transport.

When you're at home or in town, you finish up your water and then put the bottle in the dishwasher or recycling bin. But when you're out jogging or hiking without a recycling bin or backpack handy, you're basically stuck carrying around a useless bottle.

The SoftFlask provided a nice solution to that problem, and the 25-oz (750-ml) Stash adds an extra level of convenience. In place of the uneven base of the SoftFlask, the Stash has a molded flat bottom welded to its TPU body. The bottom allows the bottle to stand up and also snaps together with the top when you collapse the body down, creating a disc measuring 2 in high and 3.5 in diameter (5 x 8.9 cm).

When you think about the option of carrying an empty, full-sized 25-oz bottle around on the last two miles of your run or hike versus sliding a disc in your pocket, the Stash's advantage is clear. Stash discs can also nest together, so you can store multiple bottles more easily. Even if you have a backpack or vehicle, a few collapsed Stash bottles can save a whole lot of valuable space over hard bottles of the same volume.

The BPA-free, dishwasher-safe Stash bottles will hit the market in late fall (Northern Hemisphere) in blue, orange, green and smoke colors. Each will retail for US$17.99 and come with a 43-mm screw top and nylon finger strap. Hydrapak also plans to offer a twist-lock bite valve accessory.

New study indicates dramatic fall-off in global crop yields by the year 2050

A new study predicts that global crop yields could fall by up to ten percent in the next 36 years (Photo: Shutterstock)

A new study has examined the potentially disastrous implications that a combination of global warming and air pollution could have on crop yields by the year 2050. The research is one of the first projects to take into account a combination of the two dangers, and highlights the humanitarian crisis that could arise should the threat not be tackled head-on.

The study, carried out by researchers from MIT, the University of Hong Kong and Colorado State University, focuses on four major crops that represent over half the calories consumed by the global population – rice, wheat, corn, and soy. It estimates that global crop yields will drop by around 10 percent by the year 2050 due to global warming, however the damaging effects of air pollution may be harder to quantify due to the difficulty in differentiating it from other damaging phenomenon.

For example, an estimated 46 percent of damage to soy crops previously believed to have been caused by global warming was reportedly actually due to air pollution. However, whilst the two phenomenon damage the crops in their own right, they are also inextricably linked. The rising temperatures caused by global warming is itself the catalyst that leads to an increase in the creation of plant-damaging ozone.

Furthermore, the study highlights that while individually air pollution or global warming would be damaging to global food production capabilities, together they pose a much greater threat, working in concert to detrimentally affect a much wider range of crops than either one could harm on its own. For example, corn crops are very susceptible to damage from heat created as a result of global warming, but less affected by ozone. Wheat on the other hand suffers in completely the opposite manner, and is easily damaged via interaction with polluted air.

According to the study, the effects of the damage will differ significantly by region. This is as a result of the type of crop present in that area, combined with the clean-air safeguards put in place by individual nations. For example, America has passed stringent air quality regulations, which it is predicted will limit the effects of the damage to crop output.

Whilst scientific advances are being made focusing on improving crop yield and quality, the fact remains that food production and distribution is still inefficient in dealing with undernourishment in less developed countries. The food shortage in Africa will only be exacerbated under current trends, with the study predicting an increase in undernourishment on the continent from 18 to 27 percent.

The end message is that world leaders must take the potential reduction in food production seriously, as they consider national air pollution and food security policy. A ten percent drop in crop yields, compounded by the unquantifiable damage caused by air pollution by the year 2050, is untenable at a time when we are predicted to need to produce 50 percent more food simply to sustain our planet's burgeoning global population.

Low-cost reading system enables visually impaired to hear graphical content

Dr Iain Murray and PhD student Azadeh Nazemi with the digital reading system they developed at Curtin University

From a contact lens that delivers tactile sensations to the cornea, to a 3D-printed ring that reads text aloud in real-time, advances in technology have opened up some groundbreaking ways for the visually-impaired to consume printed content. Researchers from Australia's Curtin University have now unveiled a low-cost reading device that processes graphical information, enabling the blind to digest documents such as bills, PDFs, graphs and bank statements.

"People who are blind are often blocked from certain career paths and educational opportunities where graphs or graphics play a strong role," says Dr Iain Murray, Senior Lecturer at Curtin University's Department of Electrical and Computing Engineering who developed the digital reading system with PhD student Azadeh Nazemi. "We hope this device will open up new opportunities for people with vision impairment."

The device measures 20 x 15 x 3 cm (7 x 6 x 1.1 in) and features a set of high contrast with tactile markings for navigation. Using pattern recognition, machine learning technologies and a range of segmentation methods, the system separates content into blocks of text and pictures that are arranged in the correct reading order.

These blocks are then identified as images, graphs, maths or text and extracted either though optical character recognition (OCR) or Mathspeak, a tool for verbalizing mathematical calculations. The information is then converted to audio format with navigation markup and can be translated into 120 different languages via the built-in speech engine. Audio instructions are also built into the device.

“Our system is easily operated by people of all ages and abilities and it is open source, meaning anyone with the skill can use and modify the software to suit their application,” Dr Murray said. He expects that the cost for the reading device will be as low as US$100 per unit, a price that could make it a very real solution for many, even in developing countries. He is now seeking philanthropic financing to get the device into production.

Oxwall

Oxwall is free and open source community software distributed under the Common Public Attribution License. It is written in PHP and is used as a platform for social networking and community sites.

The default Oxwall software core contains basic community features that include uploading/sharing content, friends networking, profile and page layout customization, user and content management, built-in SEO. Oxwall comes with several default themes that are customizable with admin dashboard tools.

The Oxwall core is extensible by plugins. The plugins are available at the Oxwall Store, and are provided both by native and third-party developers. Plugin installation is performed via the admin dashboard.

Oxwall software requires a web server capable of running PHP 5.2.6 or higher, Apache 2 or higher and MySQL 5.0 or higher.

On Mar 31, 2011 Oxwall was added to Softaculous software collection, and is now available for quick installation on any hosting account supported by Softaculous hosting partners.

With the release of software build 1.6 on January 8, 2014, Oxwall officially announced the support of its in-house Mobile Browser Version, optimized for performance in major mobile browsers currently available on the market.

History

Oxwall software was initially developed by Skalfa LLC, a commercial organization, as a platform for the hosted social network builder - Wall.fm. The private testing started in 2009. In January 2010 the company launched a public beta of Wall.fm, and in August 2010 it released Oxwall as an open source project to create a competitive advantage for the hosted service.

In February 2011 (Oxwall 1.0.4) Skalfa LLC stakeholders donated the intellectual rights and Oxwall trademark to a non-profit organization - Oxwall Foundation - in order to make the project purely open source.

Oxwall foundation

Oxwall Foundation is an independent non-profit organization founded in 2011 to continue development of the Oxwall software and oversee all related long-term projects. Oxwall foundation staff is the team of developers that initially worked on the product at Skalfa LLC.

Executive board[edit]

• Emil Sarnogoev, Chairman

• Sardar Madumarov, VP Technology

• Denis Juikov, VP Operations

Development team[edit]

• Sergey Kambalin

• Egor Bulgakov

• Evgeniy Podyachev

• Zarif Safiullin

• Yulka Sarnogoeva

At present, Skalfa is the main donator of Oxwall Foundation.

Community

Oxwall software has a community of users and developers interacting on the Oxwall Market and forum. Oxwall users can get support assistance, report bugs and post feature suggestions on the forum moderated by the Oxwall staff.

Oxwall Club

In October 2011 Oxwall Foundation launched Oxwall Club, an alliance of officially recognized communities providing local software promotion and support to Oxwall users. Oxwall Club members receive advanced software news and additional support from Oxwall Foundation.

Plugin development

Oxwall software provides an advantage of simplified programming interface, which allows to develop and integrate plugins without making changes to the main core. Oxwall software is supplied with all necessary documentation on plugin development.

MyVidster

Screenshots

About MyVidster

You can now experience social video bookmarking and sharing in the palm of your hand! The MyVidster app gives you access to the most recent, popular and newly bookmarked videos from the MyVidster community. You can download your favorite videos to your phone, access your existing bookmarks, queue and subscriptions. Come join one of the fastest and largest video sharing community on the internet.

 

MyVidster, collect the videos you love

 

Recent changes:

5.80

Sorry for all the updates. This fixes the issue where the app would sometimes crash when it connects to Chromecast.

 

5.75

Fix bug that would crash the app on older phones running Android 2.3 and lower.

 

5.70

Added Chrome cast support!

Improved playback for Youtube Videos.

Bug and crash fixes.

Minor IU improvements.

 

Zcan Wireless cuts the cord on scanner mice

The 2.4 GHz Zcan Wireless runs on a rechargeable lithium battery and packs Dacuda SLAM Scan scanner inside

Hong Kong-based company Design to Innovation (DTOI) has developed what it is claiming is the world's first wireless scanner mouse. The Zcan Wireless is designed as a standard optical mouse, but does away with the cord and packs a miniaturized scanner, enabling users to instantly scan images and text.

We've seen a number of mice that double as scanners emerge over the last couple of years, with the launch of products like LG's LSM-100 and the IRIScan mouse for Windows. It now appears the technology can be miniaturized to the point where a battery and wireless communications technology can also be squeezed inside, without compromising on size and comfort.

The Zcan Wireless communicates wirelessly via 2.4 GHz frequency when used as a mouse and connects to a computer via Wi-Fi for scanning. It is powered by a rechargeable lithium battery and features a scanner that uses SLAM Scan software that allows real-time processing of text and images, instant editing, as well as easy sharing of contents. The software was developed by Swiss company Dacuda, who used it in its own PocketScan portable wireless scanner.

Connecting via Wi-Fi and swiping the mouse over a document or image will see it appear instantly on the user's monitor. At present, the Zcan Wireless is compatible with Windows 7 and 8, Mac OS X 10.6 or higher, third-gen iPad and second-gen iPad Mini, with iPhone 5/5S support slated for the end of the year.

Scanning images and text at a resolution of up to 400 dpi, files can be saved as Excel, Word, PDF, TXT JPEG, TIFF, PNG or BMP files. It also supports more than 199 different languages through Optical Character Recognition (OCR), a neat little feature which, when linked Google Translate, allows text to be instantly translates into different languages and read aloud.

The team is looking to raise US$30,000 on Indiegogo to scale up production, develop Android drivers and bring the Zcan Wireless to market. An early pledge of $79 will have one of the wireless scanner mice shipped your way in October, if the campaign runs as planned.

You can check out the team's pitch video below.

Range Rover Sport SVR claims new Nürburgring record

A Range Rover Sport SVR is claimed to have lapped the Nurburgring in just 8 minutes and 14 seconds

Land Rover is claiming a new lap record for a production SUV on the renowned 20.8 km (13 mile) Nordschleife circuit at the Nürburgring in Germany, with its Range Rover Sport SVR completing the circuit in just 8 minutes and 14 seconds. If verified, this time is equal to one set by a BMW Alpina B3 Biturbo Coupé in December of 2008, and represents a mighty fast lap time for any car, let alone an SUV.

Debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June this year, the Range Rover Sport SVR runs an upgraded version of Land Rover's standard 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine that has been fine-tuned to output 550 PS (542 hp). With a 40 PS (39 hp) increase over the existing V8 supercharged version and handling characteristics sharpened for the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the SVR engineering team were on a mission to wring out the vehicle's sports potential.

"The Nürburgring is a benchmark for vehicle development and testing, and cars become stronger, more durable and faster over its 13 miles (20 km) and 70-plus corners," said Mike Cross, Chief Engineer Vehicle Integrity. "We wanted to see whether an SUV could behave like a performance car in this challenging environment. The results are spectacular and the Range Rover Sport SVR has demonstrated outstanding on-road performance capabilities."

Which, given that it beat an unofficial lap time of 8 minutes 24 seconds set by a BMW X6 M, sounds a bit like gloating, as well as something like a challenge to the upcoming turbocharged W12 powered Bentley SUV to try to do better.

To achieve its unofficial record, Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations team are claiming to have produced the most performance-focused Range Rover Sport ever and, judging by the apparent improvement work and claimed capabilities, this seems to have been achieved.

At the same time, the team also says that it has not compromised the SVR's all-terrain capabilities (a twin-speed transfer case provides high and low gear ratios and the vehicle has the same 850 mm wading depth as other Range Rover Sport models), or the high levels of comfort of the original vehicle.

The Range Rover Sport SVR will arrive in Land Rover showrooms around the world sometime in 2015. Pricing is yet to be announced.

The video below shows the Range Rover Sport SVR strutting its stuff on the Nürburgring.

Sync Smartband is designed to keep tabs on the family

The Sync Smartband is intended for use by both parents and their children

It seems that wearable devices are trying to pack more and more functions into smaller forms, and a new one called Sync Smartband is shooting for being more than just your typical fitness band. From exercise tracking to keeping tabs on children, the Sync Smartband is trying to carve out a niche as a wearable for active parents and children.

Many of the features offered in the Sync Smartband involve tracking fitness, like others on the market. It tracks steps, calories, and sleep patterns. However, what makes it interesting is the location services that allow parents to receive notifications if their children wander too far away.

The main selling point of this particular band is called Digital Zone. With this, parents can set a certain area for their children to stay in, and if they leave, parents get a notification. Of course, if the children do wander away and the notification pops up, parents can track the location of the wrist band to find their kids.

The fitness tracking features are pretty standard, with the notable exception being that parents are able to track the activity levels of their children. In a world where less time is spent outside playing, this feature allows parents to make sure their kids are actually getting some physical activity.

The wristband also stores emergency contact information. Using this feature, others who are authorized through the application can access doctors' contact info, family contacts, and other information.

The wristbands themselves come in two sizes, one for adults, one for kids. The creators expect about three months of battery life on a CR2032 battery, depending on usage. It also uses Bluetooth Smart technology for communicating with a smartphone. This promises a 150-ft (45.7-m) outdoor range and a 50-ft (15.2-m) indoor range.

The team behind Sync is seeking funding on Indiegogo. It has a US$50,000 goal and is already fairly close to meeting that goal with over a month left in its funding campaign. Buyers interested in preordering a Sync Smartband for themselves can do so for a pledge of US$69 while the early specials last. Once those run out, the price jumps to $89. Once the bands ship next February (assuming they reach production), the final retail price is expected to be $129.

The Indiegogo pitch video below provides more information on the Sync Smartband.

Biohackers are developing a vegan cheese

The researchers have engineered yeast to produce casein, a milk protein

Many people say they can’t go vegan because of their addiction to dairy. But that excuse could soon be past its sell-by date if a team of biohackers in California succeeds in scaling up production of a cheese that contains no animal by-products. They call it Real Vegan Cheese. Their aim is to offer a sustainable food alternative with the same nutritional value – and taste – as non-vegan cheese.

The collective, open-source effort is made of members of two biohacker collectives called Counter Culture Labs (Oakland) and BioCurious (Sunnyvale). The research group is using synthetic biology to engineer brewer's yeast into a casein (milk protein) production unit.

The process starts with yeast being grown in a bioreactor, followed by the purification of the protein that the yeast produces. The casein is then combined with oil, vegan sugar (refined sugar may contain cow bone) to feed the ripening bacteria, and water to produce a sort of vegan milk. This milky mix is the raw material for the vegan cheese, which is then processed using a traditional cheese-making technique.

In order to turn the yeast into an efficient casein production unit, the researchers have studied animal genomes to create their own casein genetic sequences, which are optimized for use with the yeast. There are difficulties in using yeast as a protein production unit, because the proteins the researchers want are designed by nature for animal systems. Yeast's cellular machinery is less efficient compared with that of some milk-producing animals. To solve that problem, the researchers intend to incorporate kinase enzymes that could make yeast-derived milk proteins perform like animal milk proteins.

Another aspect of the project is that, being in total control over the DNA sequences, the researchers can play around with the variants of the four main proteins found in cheese, and design the product according to the health needs of consumers. One of the possibilities the researchers are contemplating is narwhal cheese, presumably mostly for the novelty factor. The genome of this type of whale has not been sequenced yet, but the University of California at Santa Cruz has sent an expedition to the Arctic to do just that. The real vegan cheese teams hopes to work with the narwhal researchers and study the mammal's casein genes.

The reference to animals does not mean the cheese is not 100 percent vegan, though. The genes are inspired by mammals, but the organisms and growth mediums are completely animal-free.

For those who worry about safety issues and who are averse to the idea of genetically modified organisms (GMO), the researchers say they have taken those concerns into account. They explain that no GMO goes into the cheese, as the milk protein is separated from the GM yeast.

Besides those concerns and technological hurdles to produce the right type of milk to make the cheese, there are several regulatory requirements that the researchers will have to deal with before they deliver any vegan cheese to the world, which is their ultimate goal.

Right now they are in Phase I, working on the production of an initial cheese sample. Next they will take their project to the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) taking place in October.

They hope to brew a big batch of yeast at the end of the project, and have enough cheese protein for one small cheese, which they will send to supporters of their current Indiegogo campaign. Funding packages offer a range of perks from T-shirts (US$35) to a biohacker lab coat ($100) as well as a nut-based vegan cheese-tasting session ($300 for two), among others.

The research is being made available on a wiki as it happens and licensed under free and open licenses. Any patents will be released into the public domain. The researchers are volunteers and proceeds from the funding campaign cover material costs and work space.

Besides ethical vegans, animal-free cheese is good news for people who suffer from lactose intolerance but appreciate cheese. Also, plant-based cheese is more sustainable than its animal equivalent as animal agriculture is cited by the UN as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The vegan cheese team explain their plans in the video below.

How to share a hard drive across your Wi-Fi network

Here's a look at sharing a hard drive across your network using your Wi-Fi router

Have you ever wondered what that USB port on your Wi-Fi router is for? Most modern routers have at least one or maybe two, and today we'll take a look at how to set it up with a hard or flash drive that you can use to share content across your local network.

Note: For this article I'm using a Cisco Linksys E4200 Wi-Fi router. The interface for each router manufacturer will, of course, vary, and have different options for sharing the drive. Here's a look at using Windows to access the drive, which is the same process for any router with a connected USB drive, despite its internal software features.

Choose a hard or flash drive to share

The first thing you'll want to do is find a hard drive or flash drive that you want to use to hold data that you're going to share with everyone. One thing to consider before selecting a drive is to check your router's documentation to see if there are any storage limitations – certain routers do have a storage cap.

Of course you'll be able to get more data at a cheaper price if you use an external hard drive. But if you only have a few things to share, then a flash drive will do. In this example I'm using a Centon 64 GB DataStick Pro.

After settling on a drive, I recommend formatting it using Windows. Some routers offer the ability to format the drive using built-in software, but I've had the best luck formatting it with Windows.

To format the drive in Windows, connect it to an open USB port on your PC, find it in Computer (called This PC in Windows 8), right-click on the drive, and select Format. A quick format should do in most cases, and while you're at it, give the drive a memorable name so you know what it contains. This step isn't entirely necessary, but if you can, it's nice to start with clean gear.

Access the router

To get to the router settings, open any browser on a computer connected to your Wi-Fi network. Then type in the appropriate IP address of the router to get into it. Usually it will be something like 192.168.1.1 – again, if you're not sure, check the router's documentation.

Then you should be asked for the router's login information. If you're still using the default settings like "admin" for both the username and password, take this opportunity to set it to something more secure. You don't want just anyone being able to access your network or the drive you add to it.

Now, in the router's settings, look for a heading called drive storage, file sharing, or something similar. There you will see the information on the drive that you connected to your router.

Access the drive connected to router

To be able to read and write to the attached drive, open the Network folder on Windows. Then clear the path at the top of Windows Explorer and enter \\ followed by the router's IP address. For example: \\192.168.1.1 as shown below. The drive will show up in Windows Explorer as a shared folder with the name you gave it. You will need to enter the router path for each computer you want to connect to the drive. If you're prompted for a username and password, use the same credentials you used to log into the router.

You'll be able to use the drive exactly like one connected to your PC. You can create folders, copy videos, music, documents, and more. And you can do this from any computer as long as you open Network and type in the router path address that you did in the step above.

If you're going to keep the drive attached to your router and continue to use it, you're not going to want to enter in the router path each time. To make things much easier, just map it as a network drive – it's not as complex as it sounds.

Right-click the drive and select "Map network drive" and give it a drive letter that isn't already being used, make sure "Reconnect at sign-in" is checked, then click Finish. After that, any time you restart and connect your desktop or laptop computer to the network, the drive connected to the router will appear.

Also, if you want easier access to the drive, you can create a shortcut on the desktop.

Remember that everyone connected to your Wi-Fi network will be able to access that drive (provided you've mapped it on all systems), so make sure you aren't putting anything too sensitive on it. This is a great solution for families who want to share music, videos, and photos among all computers in the house. It provides yet another way to back up your data, too.

Samsung and LG put 105-inch curved UHD TVs up for pre-order

Samsung's UN105s9W is now available for pre-order in the US for US$120,000

Following LG and Samsung both unveiling their contenders for the world's largest curved Ultra HD TV at CES earlier this year, the game of one-upmanship between the Korean electronics giants continues. Samsung announced last week that it was starting to take pre-orders for its model, and LG has quickly followed suit.

Both 105-inch offerings support 3D content and boast 5K resolution of 5,120 x 2,160 pixels, outdoing the 4K standard of 3,840 x 2,160 by around three million pixels and leaving the 1,920 x 1,080 pixels of Full HD sets far behind. With 4K content, let alone 5K content, still thin on the ground, both sets make use of up-scaling technology to increase the quality of lower-resolution content.

And being 21:9 aspect ratio screens, everything other than CinemaScope content will leave some space at the sides. However, both models allow that unused space to be put to use, with LG's 105UC9 allowing the space to be filled with additional info or programming details, while Samsung's UN105S9W features the company's Quad Screen Multi-Link feature that allows the screen to be split into four to display live TV, streaming video and the web all at the same time.

LG's unit also incorporates a 7.2 channel, 150 W sound system and surround sound system developed in partnership with Harman Kardon, while its Smart TV features are powered by LG's webOS platform.

Samsung is attempting to future-proof its model with a swappable One Connect Box that will allows users to maintain compatibility with future standards without needing to buy a whole new TV. Buyers will also be eligible for the "Samsung Elite Service," which will see Samsung Field Engineers pay a visit to set up the TV and explain its features.

Samsung's UN105S9W TV is built to order for US$119,999.99, with US customers able to place an order for it now. LG's 105UC9 will be available for pre-order to customers in South Korea from this week, with exact pricing and availability to be announced locally. There's no word on wider availability for Samsung's set, but LG plans to roll its unit out in other markets in Q4 of this year.

Silent Power PC ditches the fan for a "cool" copper afro

The Silent Power PC uses an open-air metal foam heatsink for passive cooling

The Silent Power PC is claimed to be the first high-end PC able to ditch noisy electric fans in favor of fully passive cooling. In place of a conventional fan, the unit uses an open-air metal foam heatsink that boasts an enormous surface area thanks to the open-weave filaments of copper of which it is composed. The Silent Power creators claim that the circulation of air through the foam is so efficient in dissipating heat that the exterior surface temperature never rises above 50° C (122° F) in normal use.

Whilst a little unusual in appearance with what looks like a large metallic fiber kitchen sponge sitting on top of it, the hardware the Silent Power PC claims to contain is conventional enough. With an Intel quad-core i7-4785T 2.2 GHz processor, 8 or 16 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GTX 760 graphics card, and the usual array of USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, HDMI, DVI, and audio ports, along with Windows 8.1 as standard, the Silent Power PC certainly has the specifications of a "normal" machine.

The real innovation is in the cooling system. With the copper foam sitting on top of the chassis, the Silent Power PC’s heat dissipation is claimed to be 500 times greater than that offered by conventional fin-type heatsink systems and is more than sufficient to maintain adequately low operating temperatures. The design also features a reverse-layout compared to normal PCs – the CPU and GPU are on the top of the stack, rather than in the bottom of the case – to aid in heat dissipation.

And it is small. At just 160 mm (6.2 in) wide, 100 mm (4 in) deep, and 70 mm (2.75 in) tall, the case is very compact – without its bouffant coppery locks, of course. To achieve these compact dimensions, the designers had to ditch the machine’s internal power supply in favor of an external one, but it also means that the unit is claimed to weigh a mere 1.5 kg (3.3 lb).

One more feature to differentiate the Silent Power PC is an inbuilt sensor that the team says can detect movement to wake the unit up from standby as the user approaches. Conversely, if the user leaves the proximity of the device, the sensor detects the lack of movement and automatically locks the system after a predetermined amount of time.

Currently still only a prototype, German startup Silent Power is running its own crowdfunding campaign with a goal of €45,000 (US$60,000) to get the unit into production. Funding is sought via donations or by pre-ordering of one of three versions of the PC: €699 (US$930) gets you the base 8 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD version, €769 (US$1,030) gets the 26 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD model, whilst €1,159 (US$1,550) will land you the top-of-the-range 16 GB RAM, 1,000 GB SSD PC.

Provided everything goes to plan, the Silent Power PC team says that production should begin sometime in the European spring of 2015.

Edison offers affordable and Lego-compatible robotics education

Easy-to-program Edison is a palm-sized bot, compatible with Lego bricks and packing a suite of sensors

With robots set to play a more prominent role in society in the coming years, it makes sense to find fun ways to educate youngsters on the technology. To that end, Thomas Alva has developed Edison, a palm-sized, bright orange, programmable robot compatible with Lego bricks that is intended as an affordable introduction to programming and robotics.

Named to reflect its "inventive spirit," Edison features a host of sensors and runs on open source software. Each small bot is programmable and interacts with the world via IR transmitters and receivers, line tracking, barcode reading, playing sounds and music, and sound detection. One Edison can communicate with another over IR, with the units also able to be programmed to by controlled via TV and DVD remotes.

It’s in Edison’s open source programming tool where the micro action really happens. Edware, similar to Scratch and other graphical drag-and-drop programming languages, allows users to create programs for Edison that users can upload to the bot via their computer’s headphone jack and a cable that ships with the robots. Edware is already available for download for Windows only, though Linux and Mac versions will be provided later.

While Edison can only store one program at a time, driving over barcodes can trigger pre-programmed functions, such as following a flashlight, avoiding obstacles, staying within a border, following a line and driving by sound, thereby providing a simple way to chain up interactions for the bot.

Along its faces are Lego-compatible plates that allow the robots to be scaled up into a fancier creation, or even combined into a train or double-decker bot for a more complicated system. Each bot is powered by a set of AAA batteries, which should keep them going continuously for over an hour.

Edison is being developed by Australian company Microbric, which previously produced other lines of robots, including a modular set that clipped together, and has turned to Kickstarter to bring Edison to market. And the pledge price does seem affordable: AUD$39 (US$36) for a single bot and cheaper for multiple units for a family or classroom. If all goes well, the company plans to begin shipping Edison to backers by December.

In the company’s Kickstarter pitch video below you can see Edison get run over by a car and still move – and also educating children.

Fitle gives users a 3D avatar of themselves for virtually trying on clothes

Fitle is a new service that aims to provide users with a 3D avatar of themselves with which to try on clothes when shopping online

A new service is promising to end the uncertainty of how clothes will look or fit when shopping on the web. Fitle aims to provide users with a 3D avatar of themselves with which to "try on" clothes online. The company says it will eventually offer the world's largest clothes database via partners.

A number of technologies have already been created aimed at helping people to judge the look at fit of clothes when shopping online. Fits.me is a solution developed for online retailers that allows people to input their measurements and dress a virtual mannequin to gauge clothing fit. Verisize, meanwhile, provides users with size equivalents across clothing brands.

While these tools can be useful, Fitle says that it can create a 3D avatar of an individual that not only looks like them, but that is morphologically exact. Indeed, it claims to provide a 99 percent accurate representation of the user.

Fitle avatars are created using the height measurement of a user and four photos of them. An algorithm is used to extract more than 50 parameters based on how a user looks, while another is used to create a 3D reconstruction of the user. Fitle says the end results are photo-realistic.

The company also uses its recognition and reconstruction algorithms to digitize clothing from its partners. By doing so, Fitle says it is able to generate "accurate 3D versions of clothes based on their dimensions, size and material," and that users can therefore be confident that the look and fit of the clothes on their avatars will be true to life.

Amongst the other benefits that Fitle says its technology will provide is the ability to show users only clothes that will fit them and that match their style, based on previous purchases. Users can scan the barcode of existing clothes to see what they would look like when paired with online items, if the existing item has already been digitized. Clothes can also be saved to a virtual wardrobe in order to try out different outfits or to see how certain items will match with potential purchases in the future.

Fitle says that it has the catalogs of over 250 partner brands already digitized. Partner catalogs are kept up-to-date with new items, changes in price and product availability.

The company is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the industrialization of its 3D clothes modeling process, to increase its partner network, to further improve its accuracy and to run beta testing of the technology. Individuals can pledge to receive, amongst other things, a smartphone case, a watch or beta access to the site. The campaign looks set to miss its target, but Fitle says it will launch regardless. It is due to go live first in the US and France by February 2015.

Fitle's Kickstarter pitch video can be seen below.

Soundsight headphones put HD video recording on tap

The Soundsight wireless headphones with video recording capabilities

Walk through just about any Hi-Fi retailer and before too long you're sure to come across a huge section bursting with personal audio gear. There seem to be headphones and earphones for every taste and budget, including wired and wireless units and models that offer just that little bit extra. So how does a newcomer to the headphones game make a splash in what would appear to be a very well stocked marketplace? Say hello to the Soundsight cans, which are billed as the world's first video recording smart headphones.

The Soundsight wireless headphones feature an integrated camera with a CCD sensor capable of recording 1080p HD video to digitally capture the world around you as you bop your head to your personal soundtrack streamed over Bluetooth from a paired smartphone or music player. The wide angle lens can be rotated over 270 degrees using the circular grip ring on the outer earcup housing.

The smart cans have been designed by Stephen Chase with WoodenShark & Idem Finland Oy for use alongside Android and iOS devices via the Soundsight mobile app. To start your point of view recording, just tap the "S" button in the middle of the grip ring.

Users can save footage to the connected smart device or opt to live stream recorded content at 640p 24 fps to friends and family over Bluetooth. The app can also edit, trim and apply effects to recorded video, users can prepare music to run with the recorded video, and a ColorTune feature can automatically suggest tunes by matching video colors to music notes.

As for the sound quality, the company details dynamic drivers with a frequency response of 16 Hz to 20 kHz that are promised to deliver studio quality audio, with the added bonus of noise cancellation.

Elsewhere, there are six microphones, a 6-axis accelerometer/gyro and a USB port for charging or audio out. The built-in 800 mAh Li-ion battery is reported good for 4 hours with all the bells and whistles in operation, or 18 hours if just used as active noise canceling headphones.

The Soundsight headphones come with 3.5 mm coiled and straight cables for wired music playback, are available in titanium and onyx color options, and are currently up for pre-order at a limited special price of US$349, which will rise to $499 when they go on sale next year.

Have a look at the promo video below for a quick overview of what to expect.

Wearable pupillometer could detect dangerous diabetic condition earlier

A prototype of the pupillometer

Diabetic autonomic neuropathy is a condition that can occur in both type 1 and type 2 diabetics, compromising the autonomic nerves that control the gastrointestinal system, the heart and other vital organs. Among other things, it can cause arrhythmias, fainting, incontinence and an increased risk of bacterial infections. Thanks to a device being developed in Taiwan, however, it may soon be possible to detect the condition earlier, thus limiting its effects.

Ordinarily, doctors look for diabetic autonomic neuropathy by tracking changes in a patient's digestive speed, heart rate and blood pressure. According to a team of scientists at National Chiao-Tung University and National Taiwan University Hospital, this approach often doesn't catch the condition until considerable damage to nerves and organs has already occurred.

Their system instead uses a small wearable device that hangs on a pair of eyeglasses, and which monitors changes in the size of the patient's pupils over a period of half an hour in a doctor's office. Known as a pupillometer, it stimulates the pupil by shining four colored lights into it (white, red, green, and blue), and then analyzes the light that's reflected back from the eye.

Using this technique, it measures 10 parameters relating to pupil diameter and response time. Five of those parameters are tellingly affected by diabetic autonomic neuropathy, due to the fact that the pupil's circular and radial muscles react in response to signals sent by the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system, respectively.

A pupillometer testing setup, with the device on the left and an eye model on the right

"Compared to the existing diagnostic techniques, the pupillometer is a more reliable, effective, portable and inexpensive solution for diagnosing diabetic autonomic neuropathy in its early stages," said project leader Mang Ou-Yang, of National Chiao-Tung University.

The device is currently still in prototype form. It is hoped that once clinical trials are complete, it could be commercially available by the end of the decade.

A paper on the research was published yesterday in the journal Applied Optics.

TouchPico Android PC projects a touchscreen on the wall

The developers say that the TouchPico's main aim is to disrupt the educational market

Gizmag is no stranger to pocket-sized image projectors. We've shared the first baby steps from the likes of Microvision and TI, right through to integration in smartphones and even more recently in portable computers. Now the palm-friendly home-theater-sized display thrower has taken another leap forward with the launch of TouchPico, a portable projector-packing Android computer that can transform any flat surface into a big touchscreen display.

The computing heart of the TouchPico runs Android 4.0, with support for native Android apps and full access to Google's Play store, and features a 1.6 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor, 1 GB of DDR3 RAM and 4 GB of internal solid state memory. Users wanting to boost the provided storage can connect a thumb or external drive via USB OTG, though built-in 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and HDMI allows content from a computer to be displayed on the wall and controlled using the Mac or PC peripherals, or from a smartphone or tablet (with displayed content controlled from the smart device's touchscreen).

The device's 0.3-in DLP projector puts out at least 80 lumens, and its RGB LED lamp is reported to have a 20,000 hour usage life. It has a native resolution of 854 x 480 (WVGA), offers a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and a color temperature of 6,500 K. The throw ratio is given as 1.6:1, and the TouchPico is claimed capable of producing a display area of up to 80 diagonal inches. It also caters for touch interaction.

The computer/projector mash-up's IR camera converts input from an emitter in the supplied stylus into onscreen coordinates, essentially transforming a 40 frames per second projected image on a wall or table top into a huge touchscreen display.

The TouchPico's pocket-friendly size (which is described as about the same size as a Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone, and just a little heavier) means that boardroom presentations need no longer depend on a heavy wired projector that can take an age to set up and use.

It can also double as an interactive whiteboard, take movie entertainment from room to room without risking any back strain moving a big screen TV around, and throw apps and games onto the bedroom wall. The developers say that its main aim, though, is to disrupt the educational market by producing an inexpensive shared resource that brings lessons to life.

Though the device has its own speaker, there's a stereo audio jack for routing audio to headphones or powered speakers. The integrated Li-Pol battery is claimed to last for up to 2.5 hours, and there's an included tripod mount for use with a third party tripod.

The TouchPico is reported ready for manufacturing, but to make that happen the development team has launched a flexible funding campaign on Indiegogo. Backers will need to pledge at least US$309 (over $100 cheaper than the estimated retail price) for a projector and stylus. There's also a developer pledge level which allows for early access to the system.

The funding campaign ends on August 26 and, if all goes according to plan, the first production units will be shipped out during the latter half of October. While pushing toward production of the TouchPico, the team is also working to bring a Pro version into being that will put out 400 lumens, and which is aimed at educators.

Have a look at the pitch video below for an overview of the TouchPico project.

Choosing the best camera for your 2014 vacation

Gizmag helps you choose the best camera for your next vacation

What camera will you take on your next vacation? Maybe it needs to be small enough to carry as you trek to Machu Picchu, or survive underwater when you go scuba-diving in the Bahamas. It might need enough zoom to get up close with animals on a safari in the Maasai Mara, or the low-light image quality to capture the streets of Paris at night. Let Gizmag help you choose the best camera for your next vacation.

We'll start off by guiding you through some of the things you might want to think about when shopping for your ideal vacation camera, including considerations of how you want to use the camera, and what you want to photograph. Then we'll take a look at some of the best and most suitable vacation cameras currently on the market, the ones we'd consider putting in our suitcases.

Things to consider:

Size and Weight

Do you want to take photographs while on holiday, or are you going on holiday to take photographs? Unless you're going on a photo-centric vacation, or travel with a photography assistant, you probably don't want to be lugging a big and heavy DSLR (and associated lenses) around all the time. The chances are there would be times you left it in your hotel room, and ended up shooting with your iPhone anyway.

The quality of more compact and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras nowadays means you don't have to give up great image quality to go easy on your back. Many can rival all but the best DSLRs, and are certainly a step up from your smartphone. And remember, the best camera is the one you have with you, not the one in the hotel safe.

Focal Length and Maximum Aperture

When thinking about what lens your vacation camera needs, you'll want to consider focal length in combination with your potential subjects, and how you want to photograph them. For example, if you want to fit in a landscape, you might need a 24-mm, or 21-mm equivalent lens. At the other end, if you want to zoom in on distant subjects, you might need a 70-mm, 200-mm, or even 400-mm equivalent lens.

You should also consider the maximum aperture of the lens, as this impacts how well it will perform in some shooting conditions, and the ability to control the depth-of-field. If you want to shoot with a shallow focus, or in lower light conditions where you can't use a slower shutter speed or bump the ISO, the lens will need a fast enough maximum aperture. This could mean it needs to be F4, F2.8, or F2, at the desired focal length, depending on the camera's sensor size.

For more information on focal length and aperture, check out our camera lens guide.

Autofocus

The subjects you want to photograph while on vacation will determine what you need in a potential camera when it comes to autofocus. Will you be primarily photographing still landscapes and architecture, or will your autofocus needs be more demanding, such as photos of surfing or surprisingly fast kids running around a beach? Also, will you need fast and accurate focusing in lower-light situations?

Cameras which use contrast detection autofocus tend not to be as fast as those which use phase detection, but can feature modes such as face-detection. Hybrid autofocus systems use a combination of phase and contrast detection.

Megapixels and Sensor Size

There was a time when the megapixel-count was one of the first things you looked at when buying a camera. But now, consumers have realized that it's not all about resolution. Anything around or above the 12-megapixel mark will be enough for most people in terms of detail, unless you want to crop heavily, or print huge images to hang on your wall.

What's arguably more important is the physical size of the sensor. As a very basic rule, the bigger a sensor a camera has, the better quality images it will be able to produce, in a wider variety of shooting conditions. Most dedicated cameras feature larger sensors than smartphones and therefore can take better quality images. However, bigger sensors also mean bigger cameras and bigger lenses.

For more information on how sensor size impacts image quality and other factors such as equivalent focal lengths, check out our guide to camera sensor size.

Video

While we're not looking specifically at camcorders in this guide, it's worth remembering that many cameras nowadays are perfectly capable of shooting quality video footage. While they might not all be up to producing a cinematic masterpiece, many of the cameras shoot Full HD video, which will be more than good enough to record how daft Uncle Jim looked flailing about on that banana-boat in Tenerife.

Depending on how important vacation videos are to you, you might want to think about whether you need a camera capable of working with an external microphone or headphones for monitoring audio levels. If you're taking things really seriously you might even want a camera with clean HDMI out for external recording.

Wireless Capabilities

Sharing images while on vacation is different to when you are at home and have your computer and card reader at hand. Cameras which feature built-in Wi-Fi, or even connected cameras that have their own data plan, make it easier to make sure colleagues back in the office know that you're lazing on a beach sipping a cocktail while they have their heads buried in an Excel spreadsheet.

Wireless capabilities can also come in handy when you want to be in the picture yourself, but don't have anyone to take the photo for you. Many cameras can now be remote-controlled via a companion smartphone app … perfect for getting that shot of you pretending to hold up the Tower of Pisa, even if you are on your own. GPS can also be helpful for geo-tagging your images.

Toughness

It's not just if you plan to go scuba-diving or skiing on vacation that you might need a tougher-than-usual camera. The beach, with all its sea and sand, isn't generally that nice to cameras. Another reason you might want a camera which can withstand the odd knock is if younger children might also be taking photos with it.

Though there are cameras specifically designed to withstand extreme conditions, many waterproof and shockproof devices have a limited image quality. So, unless you need full-on waterproofing and shock-resistance, you might be better served by a sturdy camera which is weather- and dust-proof.

Manual Controls and Viewfinder

Many holiday-makers simply want a vacation camera which they can point and shoot, to record a moment, and then move onto the next cocktail. But others want to slow down and take control, manually adjusting settings like aperture and shutter speed to produce the photograph they want to take.

Some cameras make this easier to do than others, and some are only good for shooting in fully automatic modes. If you want to make use of full manual controls, it's worth thinking about how you want to do this. Are you happy menu-diving to make adjustments, or do you want direct physical controls to some settings?

Depending on how you like to use your camera, you'll also want to think about whether you'd be better suited to a camera with a viewfinder (optical or electronic) or are happy just using the rear monitor for composing shots. Either way the quality of that rear monitor is still important, as you'll probably be using it to review your shots at the end of each day.

Top cameras for your vacation

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 M3

If you've decided your ideal vacation camera needs to be extremely portable, but still have a massive jump in quality from your smartphone, the Sony RX100 III is well worth consideration. It measures a pocketable 102 x 58 x 41 mm (4 x 2.3 x 1.6 in), weighs just 290 g (10.2 oz) and features a (large-for-a-compact) 1-inch-type (13.2 x 8.8 mm) 20.1-megapixel CMOS sensor.

This is paired with a 24-70-mm equivalent F1.8-F2.8 lens and a pop up electronic viewfinder. The camera also has an ISO range of 125-25,600 and can shoot at 10 fps. It's capable of recording Full HD 1080p footage at 60/50 fps, and built in Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity makes sharing images or video instantly easy. The RX100 M3, which uses contrast-detection autofocus and features a tilting 3-inch TFT LCD monitor with 1,229K dots, costs US$800.

Alternatively … If you want a bigger zoom (25-600-mm equivalent) in an equally small package, and don't mind a smaller (1/2.3-inch-type) sensor, the considerably cheaper $400 Olympus Stylus SH-1 is worth a look.

Canon PowerShot D30

So you think your vacation camera might need to go underwater or survive the odd knock? The Canon PowerShot D30 could be the tough-camera for you. It's waterproof to impressive depths of 25 meters (82 ft), shockproof to drops of up to 2 m (6.5 ft) and freeze proof to -10° C (14° F). It also has built-in GPS for tagging the location of your photos and videos.

Measuring 109 x 68 x 28 mm (4.3 x 2.7 x 1.1 in) and weighing 218 g (7.7 oz), the D30 features a 12.1 megapixel 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CMOS sensor with a 28-140-mm equivalent F3.9-F4.8 lens. The $330 camera can also shoot Full HD video at 1080p 30 fps, has a 3-inch TFT LCD monitor with 461K dots, and uses contrast-detection autofocus.

Alternatively … The $350 Nikon AW120 is an almost equally tough camera which has a slightly wider and faster lens (24-120-mm equivalent F2.8-F4.9), but also features built-in Wi-Fi for easy image sharing and remote shooting.

Ricoh GR

If you've decided that you want top-notch image quality and portability, and don't mind giving up a zoom, the Ricoh GR is an intriguing proposition. It packs a 16.2-megapixel DSLR-like APS-C (23.6 x 15.6 mm) sensor into a small 117 x 61 x 35 mm (4.6 x 2.4 x 1.4 in) and 245 g (8.6 oz) body. Paired with a fixed 28-mm equivalent F2.8 lens, it's able to deliver exceptional image quality.

The discrete camera has easy access to full manual controls and uses a contrast-detection autofocus, which recently received a firmware boost. Optional optical viewfinders are available and the rear 3-inch TFT LCD has 1,230K dots. While it lacks built-in Wi-Fi, it's compatible with Eye-Fi SD cards for wireless sharing. The $700 camera can also shoot Full HD video.

Alternatively … The retro-styled Fujifilm X100S is another camera with an APS-C sensor aimed at photographers who don't need or want a zoom. While slightly larger, and $1,300, the X100S has a 35-mm equivalent F2.0 lens, and looks as good as it performs.

Panasonic Lumix FZ1000

The Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 is not like bridge cameras of a few years ago. While it still has a permanently attached versatile super-zoom lens (25-400-mm equivalent F2.8-F4), it also uses a large (for a bridge camera) 1-inch-type (13.2 x 8.8 mm) 20.1-megapixel sensor for increased image quality, and boasts an OLED 2,359k dot electronic viewfinder.

Measuring 137 x 99 x 131 mm (5.4 x 3.9 x 5.2 in) and weighing 831 g (29.3 oz) the $900 camera is one of the biggest we're recommending, but the do-it-all device can also shoot 4K resolution video at 30/25 fps, and Full HD 1080p video at 60/50 fps. It's free-angle 3-inch LCD monitor has 921K dots. There's also built-in Wi-Fi for sharing and remote shooting, and its contrast-detection autofocus is boosted by Depth From Defocus technology.

Alternatively … If you like the idea of a camera that has a large focal length range, but want something smaller, lighter and cheaper, and don't mind a smaller sensor and reduced image quality, the $400 Pentax XG-1 might be worth checking out.

Fujifilm X-T1

If you simply can't bear the thought of not having an interchangeable lens camera at your side, you might find the Fujifilm X-T1 a good vacation companion. The retro-styled X-mount shooter features a 16-megapixel APS-C (23.6 x 15.6 mm) sensor, along with a built-in viewfinder and physical manual controls, for composing shots in a more traditional manner, and a Hybrid autofocus system.

Costing $1,300 body-only, the X-T1 measures 129 x 90 x 47 mm (5.1 x 3.5 x 1.9 in) and weighs 440g (15.4 oz) before you add a lens, of which there are a growing number to choose from. Some, like the mouthful that is the Fujinon XF 18-135-mm F3.5-F5.6 R LM OIS WR, even have weather-proofing to match the X-T1. It has a tilting 3-inch LCD monitor with 1,040K dots. Built-in Wi-Fi is on hand for wireless sharing or remote shooting, and the camera can record Full HD 1080p video at 60 fps.

Alternatively … If you want an even tougher interchangeable lens camera, the Nikon 1 AW1 is capable of surviving whatever your holiday can throw at it, and even shooting underwater. It costs $750 with a 30-74-mm equivalent zoom lens.

Your current camera

We don't know what camera you already have, but you do, and that's important because it presumably means you already know how to use it, and are comfortable doing so. That's what you want from any camera you take away ... otherwise you could spend most of your vacation scratching your head and looking at an instruction manual.

If your current camera is still up to the job, taking it away, rather than buying a replacement, might mean you've got a bit extra cash to do more things while on vacation. If you want to take your current mirrorless or DSLR camera, think about whether you need to take all your lenses, and what gear you'll be happy carrying around.

Alternatively … Your smartphone! Yes, we've given you a selection of cameras which will comfortably out-shoot your phone, but we all know the one camera you're realistically going to have at hand all vacation. Do you need another?

Summing up

There you have it, a selection of cameras which would be comfortable shooting any vacation, whether it's a city-break or lazing on a beach somewhere. Hopefully this guide has helped you identify what to look for in your ideal vacation camera, and offered a few suggestions.

It might be that you want to travel light and a compact is the way forward, or that you need a massive zoom and a bridge camera is the one for you. Maybe your camera always gets wrecked on vacation and this time you'll opt for a tough-cam, or you want to take an interchangeable lens camera, maybe even your current DSLR set-up.

Whatever you choose, we hope you have a good break.