Canon reveals the zoom-centric PowerShot G3 X

The Canon PowerShot G3 X is a relatively compact camera with a massive zoom

Canon teased in February it was working on developing a compact camera with a 25x optical zoom and a one-inch-type sensor to add to its G-series line-up. The firm has now revealed more details about the 20-megapixel PowerShot G3 X which will be released in July and offers a massive 24-600-mm equivalent lens. The enthusiast-focused camera will also boast a tilting LCD touchscreen and a hot shoe.

The PowerShot G3 X is all about its lens, it covers a whopping 24-600-mm equivalent which means it has massive zoom potential. However, a variable maximum aperture of F2.8-5.6 means it will have limited uses at longer telephoto lengths. The chances are you'll hit the F5.6 maximum aperture well before you get to the 600-mm equivalent focal length. When shooting at those lengths, users will at least be able to make use of the image stabilization to help smooth out the inevitable wobbles.

Inside the new shooter there's a one-inch-type 20-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor. This is the same size as those used in the Nikon 1 series like the J5 or the Sony RX100 IV, and much bigger than typically found on fixed lens cameras with big zoom like the Canon PowerShot SX520 HS. This should ensure better image quality, especially in lower light situations, and thanks to the DIGIC 6 processor with iSAPS technology, the G3 X has an ISO range of 125 to 12,800 to allow use in a variety of lighting conditions.

The camera can also shoot at a reasonable speed of 5.9 fps (frames per second) or 3.2 fps with autofocus. A 31-point AF system with features including Face Detection and Object and Face Select and Track should ensure fast and reliable focusing. On the video front, Full HD 1080p video recording is also possible at 60/50/30/25/24 fps and the camera has jacks for a microphone and headphones, which are a must if you want to ensure quality audio, too.

Physically the camera is relatively compact, given its specifications, but it's not going to be vying with the Sony RX100 IV for a spot in your pocket. It measures 123.3 x 76.5 x 105.3 mm (4.6 x 3 x 4.1 in) and weighs 733 g (25.8 oz) and features a chunky grip along with manual controls and control dials which should keep enthusiasts and settings-tinkerers happy. Other design features of note include a built-in flash alongside a hot shoe.

The rear the camera benefits from a tilting rear screen 3.2-inch touchscreen with 1,620,000 dots. However, it lacks a built-in electronic viewfinder, with the optional (and bulky) add-on EVF-DC1 coming with a hefty US$250 price-tag.

The PowerShot G3 X is said to be weather sealed, with Canon choosing to describe it as equivalent to the EOS 70D rather than provide any specific details. Built-in Wi-Fi and NFC make it easy to both share images or control the camera remotely.

The Canon PowerShot G3 X will be available next month priced at $1,000.

You can check out a promo video for the new camera below.

post from sitemap

Robo-mate exoskeleton aims to lighten the load for industry

Robo-Mate is the first industrial exoskeleton

The development of powered exoskeletons has so far been largely restricted to the laboratory, the military, and areas such as rehabilitation therapy. This kind of technology also has obvious potential in industry, where constant heavy lifting is still very much a part of many working lives. Recently in Stuttgart, the Robo-Mate project unveiled an exoskeleton designed specifically for industrial use that can make 10 kilos feel like 1.

One of the often overlooked benefits of modern technology is how much backbreaking labor workers are spared. It isn't too long ago that even so-called high tech industries required an astonishing amount of lifting and carrying. Even plastics factory making small household items required as much manual labor as a metal works turning out petrol engines. Mechanisation and automation have done away with a lot of this, but according to the Work Foundation Alliance, 44 million workers in the EU alone still suffer from musculoskeletal disorders. In some industries, workers still lift 10 tonnes a day.

The reason why this still happens on a daily basis is that not every task lends itself to automation. Some involve making things on a very small scale or others involve complicated, unpredictable moves, like dismantling a car, that are well beyond even the most advanced robots. The result is human beings literally having to do the heavy lifting, with all the physical wear and tear that implies. It also has knock-on effects for employers trying to retain workers, health care systems, and even the ability of countries to keep jobs from going abroad.

Robo-Mate project began in 2013 as a consortium of twelve research institutes and companies in seven European countries. The idea is to produce a powered exoskeleton that acts as a support frame that can reduce the physical workload for assembly and disassembly work by a factor of ten.

The Robo-Mate exoskeleton is made up of series of inter-supporting modules for the arms, trunk, and legs. The arm modules actively support the wearer's arms, taking the load, so it feels only a tenth of its real weight. Attached to the arm modules is the trunk module, which supports the back and spine and prevents twisting or slipped discs. Meanwhile, the leg modules support the inner thighs and act like a seat while squatting, so holding the load requires no additional strength.

According to the project team, the key to developing the exoskeleton was using software to simulate tasks involving assembly and disassembly, and then identifying the stresses placed upon the body. This allowed the team to sort out what tasks the exoskeleton is suitable for by considering it and the body as a single unit.

The first prototype of the Robo-Mate exoskeleton was unveiled in a demonstration at Fraunhofer IAO in Stuttgart on 12 June, but the team says that a great deal of work still needs to be done. Currently the safety requirements of the exoskeleton are being evaluated and streamlined case for the unit is being developed as part of an effort to make it more acceptable with workers as an everyday tool.

“We’re not looking to make superheroes," says Dr. Leonard O`Sullivan, a specialist in ergonomics and product design at the University of Limerick in Ireland. "We want to develop a helper that supports production workers in their everyday work and keeps them healthy."

Source: Robo-Mate

post from sitemap

Scalevo wheelchair uses retractable tracks to climb stairs

The Scalevo wheelchair at its first public demo (Credit: Scalevo)

We've seen tracked wheelchairs before, that are able to take on steep or uneven terrain. For regular surfaces, however, wheels make more sense. That's why a group of students from ETH Zurich and the Zurich University of the Arts are creating the Scalevo electric wheelchair, which features wheels for cruising and tracks for climbing stairs.

When on smooth ground, the Scalevo balances Segway-style on its two wheels – this setup aids in agility, allowing it to make sharp turns. Upon reaching a flight of stairs, however, its twin rubber tracks descend from its undercarriage to carry it over them. In order to keep the user level while this is happening, a set of pistons tilt the chair back relative to the tracks, compensating for the slant of the stairs.

The mechanical and electrical engineering students now have a working prototype and are planning to use it next year in the Cybathlon, an ETH-sponsored race for disabled athletes using assistive devices. There's no word on whether or not they plan on commercializing the technology.

The wheelchair can be seen in use, in the video below. Although it climbs stairs pretty slowly right now, the team hopes to ultimately attain a speed of one step per second.

post from sitemap

Electrospun nanofibers may make for better delivery of healthfood supplements

A technique known as electrospinning is showing promise as a way of providing health-food ingredients with protection as they pass through the digestive system (Credit: Robert Lamberts, The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited)

Packing food with nutrients, vitamins and other supplements to improve our health sounds like a simple enough idea, but protecting them as they pass through the digestive system isn't all that easy. While various methods have been employed to encase compounds for more effective delivery, a new technique is showing great promise as a means of keeping them intact. Scientists claim that coating the ingredients in nanofibers created through a process called electrospinning can provide a better safeguard, and could lead to delivery of improved health supplements.

Electrospinning is a technique we have seen in various forms across a number of areas of scientific research. It involves drawing a fluid through an electric field which serves to break the liquid down into microscopic fibers, typically on the micro- or nanoscale. It has been used in the development of dissolving tampons designed to protect against HIV, antibacterial materials and a potential replacement for scar tissue in the heart.

Its promise in the food industry stems from the fact that it can be carried out at room temperature using wet materials, and doesn't require overly complex chemistry. According to scientists from England's University of Lincoln, this gives it an advantage over existing methods of encapsulating supplements, which can damage the structure and the bacteria, as it better caters to the sensitivity of the materials.

The upshot of this is a potentially improved way of controlling the release of chemicals in the body, as the supplements can be better protected while being produced and also as they make their way through the digestive system.

Despite this promise, however, it is still early days. Dr Nick Tucker from the School of Engineering at the University of Lincoln and leader of the study, is looking to build partnerships in the industry to learn more about the possibilities. He says work is needed to advance both the electrospun nanofibers themselves and ways of actually integrating them with foodstuffs.

The research was published in the journal Food Hydrocolloids.

post from sitemap

"Whale tails" could use waves to make ships more efficient

The whale tail-equipped model, being tank-tested in Norway (Credit: Marintek/SINTEF)

Ordinarily, when a ship is heading into waves, those waves cause it to work harder. An experimental new setup known as a "whale tail," however, utilizes wave action to actually help ships move forward, allowing them to use less fuel when tackling rough seas.

The whale tail is being developed by a team from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), working in partnership with Rolls-Royce and British companies Seaspeed and MOST. Led by NTNU postdoctoral fellow Eirik Bøckmann, the researchers have been testing a miniature version of the system on a model ship which is towed through a 200-m (656-ft) wave tank at the Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute.

Although it's called a whale tail, the system actually looks more like a set of hydrofoil-like fins, and it's located at the front of the ship below the waterline.

As the main body of the ship is moved up and down by wave action, the two foils move with it. Due their unique shape, however, they generate lift that helps push the vessel through the water – just as a set of flukes do for a whale.

Scaling up from the model, it has been calculated the foils would reduce wave resistance by 9 to 17 percent if used on a full-sized vessel at wave heights of under three meters (9.8 ft). They should likewise help cut down on heaving and pitching by about the same amount – the figures would likely be higher if the hull shape were optimized for use with the whale tail.

While the technology is mainly intended to make ships more fuel-efficient (for now, at least), the Wave Glider aquatic robot already relies entirely on a wave-powered propulsion system.

post from sitemap