Universal mirror makes you more visible than ever

As a child, I dreamed of getting my hands on an invisibility cloak similar to the one that Harry Potter would don at Hogwarts to get around unseen. I thought I was one step closer to my dream when scientists developed a cloaking technology with new engineered materials back in 2006. Now, they are creating things that do the exact opposite: Making everything more visible.

The Universal mirror uses metamaterials, the same stuff used in their invisibility technology, to reflect light at the same angle it comes from. The result is that you can see your own reflection clearly wherever you stand in front of the mirror. A conventional mirror bounces light at 90 degrees. An invisibility cloak, on the other hand, "bends" light around the object, making it invisible to the naked eye.
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Bye, bye spark plugs, hello lasers?

London's Daily Telegraph newspaper is reporting that Ford is working with the University of Liverpool to develop a laser ignition system for internal-combustion engines. That's right: Engines with lasers strapped to their heads.

The laser beam is delivered by a thin, fibre-optic cable to a focusing lens that would take up much less space than a spark plug, allowing engineers greater flexibility in designing valves and cylinders.

The laser beam can be split to ignite the fuel mixture from multiple points deep in the cylinder--as opposed to a spark plug which is located either at the top or bottom of an engine--making for a more efficient burn than a spark plug can achieve, reducing emissions and getting better fuel economy. Another advantage to the laser system is that part of the beam can be reflected to a receiver and used to gather data on the fuel mixture and the quality of the burn.
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Gates believes Natal will bring gesture recognition to Windows

Microsoft doesn't just want to bring gesture recognition to the Xbox with Project Natal. It also wants the technology in Windows, according to a very good source--Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.

In an interview with CNET News this week, Gates talked about a world in which depth-sensing cameras such as the one Microsoft is adding to the Xbox allow people to control their PCs, game devices, and televisions.
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Snack machine of the 21st century

If you're wondering what it's like to walk up to a vending machine and grab yourself a quick snack in the 21st century, let's just say your experience won't be radically different. But if Samsung and Kraft have their way, we could see eye-popping 46-inch touchscreens replacing plastic see-through panels in the future.

Instead of punching a combination of letters and numbers on a physical keypad on the machine, you simply tap on the screen to get to your desired calorie reduced snack.

Nutritional information is literally a finger touch away, although we suspect most people would conveniently ignore that. There's also a flip screen option for the vertically challenged, so the products at the top will switch places with those at the bottom.
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Soon, a miniaturized robot that swims up your bloodstream for repairs

For those who remember the sci-fi classic Fantastic Voyage back in 1966, or have seen reruns, it seems the future has finally caught up with the past. Israel's best from the Technion University have taken a leaf out of Hollywood's book, and turned into reality what was previous a fantastical premise by Isaac Asimov, about a miniaturized sub injected into a dying man’s bloodstream to provide medical treatment.

The submarine in this instance has been replaced with a 1mm robot made using Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology. In layman terms, it has no engine and works with the help of a magnetic field wielded on it from outside the patient's body. Incredibly, this already tiny bot will soon pack on tools and a camera eye to help it do a better job.
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