Sensors

Cameras

Sigma Sticks Its Top DSLR Sensor Into Compact Cameras

11:15AM Yesterday | Mario Aguilar

You probably know Sigma for its inexpensive alternatives to brand-name lenses, but the company also makes some fine digital cameras. The newly rebooted DP-series compact cameras pack the same sensor technology as the company’s excellent $US3300 SD1 DSLR. More »


Science

Simple Sensor Could Stop Li-On Battery Fires

12:30AM January 11, 2012 | Jamie Condliffe

Li-on batteries feature in most of the mobile electronics we use because they pack far higher energy density than their competitors. But until now there have been a whole heap of problems with those same batteries overheating, and even catching on fire. More »


Gaming

What Kinect For SNES Might Have Looked Like

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12:30PM December 17, 2011 | Logan Booker

Technically, we use muscles all the time to control games (and express our anger at them, if you’re the gamepad-throwing type), but when’s the last time you strapped sensors to your pythons and fist-clenched Mario into stomping goombas? Probably never, unless you’re one of the soldering wizards at Advancer Technologies. More »


Cameras

I’d Kill To Have This Sharp Stabilised Camera Sensor On My Phone

5:38AM December 9, 2011 | Jesus Diaz

After watching this demonstration video, I’m amazed by how incredibly good Sharps’ new stabilised camera phone sensor is. It’s on the Aquos SH-01D phone, but it should really be standard in every single phone out there. By law. More »


Cameras

Sharp Sensor Will Unblur Shaky Smartphone Shots

6:13AM December 2, 2011 | Andrew Liszewski

Sharp’s boasting that their new 12.1MP sensor module is the world’s thinnest, allowing it to squeeze completely unnoticed into newer, svelter smartphones. What users will notice is its built-in optical stabilisation, reducing the amount of blur in their photos. More »


Cameras

DSLR Sensor Size And Crop Factor: Why You Should Give A Damn

3:00AM November 8, 2011 | Andrew Liszewski

If you’re in the market for a new camera, have your eye on a fancy DSLR, and care about more than just the price, you’ll want to take a few minutes and peruse this tutorial from the folks at LensProToGo. In the video they explain what terms like sensor size, crop factor and depth of field mean, and illustrate how each one can affect the photos or videos you’re shooting. More »


Science

Scientists Can Make Bomb Detectors With Inkjet Printers

12:30AM November 1, 2011 | Adrian Covert

When properly designed, explosives detection sensors are really expensive. But researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a cheap, ammonia-detecting sensor that can be manufactured with an inkjet printer and some paper. More »


Science

Breathing Heavy After An Earthquake May Save Your Life

1:01PM September 21, 2011 | Kelly Hodgkins

Earthquake rescues are difficult. Rescuers try to listen for victims, spot them with cameras and use dogs to sniff them out. Someday, they may use metabolite sensors to pick up their stench. More »


Science

The World’s Largest CMOS Sensor Is Recording Meteors At 60fps

10:20AM September 20, 2011 | Kwame Opam

Last year, when we asked what could possibly need an 52sqcm low light sensor, Canon replied with “Space stuff”. Totally proving them right, the Schmidt telescope at the University of Tokyo’s Kiso Observatory now employs it to records faint meteors in the night sky. More »


Gadgets

The Fireball That Could Save Firefighters’ Lives

1:40AM September 14, 2011 | Kwame Opam

Firefighters are awesome, but it doesn’t change the fact that the job puts their lives on the line. This Wi-Fi ball, courtesy of Intel, has sensors built-in that, if thrown into a burning building, could keep our bravest out of harm’s way. More »