Top TechTop Tech #149: Laser Shaver, Motion Simulator, Brain Relaxer
Important innovations in science and technology
By Paul Worthington
Friday’s Top Tech:
• Laser Shaves Hair
• Ultimate motion simulator ride
• Wearable relaxes your brain
Laser Shaves Hair
It’s not a cutting laser blade like a light sabre or something that severs whatever it contacts… instead the Skarp destroys the specific color molecules in hair — and only those molecules.
The $159 low-powered laser (a single AAA battery)will not burn or otherwise harm skin— it won’t even cause the irritation a standard blade does, as there’s no physical contact.
Reportedly it’s invented by the same guy who came up with the laser hair removal treatment used in dermatology clinics.
Ultimate motion simulator ride
I love the Disney simulation ride in which you soar above California — and soon we may be able to enjoy a much more moving experience thanks to virtual reality headsets — and cable-driven parallel robots.
Developed by Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and Fraunhofer IPA, the contraption “is the first one capable of transporting humans while at the same time setting new standards in terms of workspace, acceleration and payload for a motion simulator.”
The cable-driven motion simulator uses eight steel cables attached to winches, and can accelerate “at 1.5 times gravitational acceleration along freely programmable paths.”
The large workspace and dynamic capabilities “make the simulator suitable for a wide spectrum of virtual reality applications, they add, including driving/flight simulation and “investigation of basic perception processes in humans.”
Wearable relaxes your brain
A connected headset measures your relaxation and modulates music to “train your brain” and alleviate stress.
Paris-based myBrain Technologies says its Melomind offers an interactive and sensorial experience. The headset electroencephalogram lets you use neurofeedback “…to be conscious of unconscious brain mechanisms, the core origin of stress, and to learn how to control it… This process is based on the ability of the brain to adapt itself and improve targeted intern mechanisms such as stress management. What is important is to have the correct and efficient ‘feedback’. That is personal empowerment.”
$299 mumbo-jumbo, or worthwhile? Anyone tried this or something like it?
Relax in Nature
Now is the best time to get out of your crowded city, enjoy the natural beauty of a private home in the Sierra Nevada, and leisurely explore nearby Yosemite National Park.
You’ll be comfortable in a large and fully-stocked house with a great mountain view from the deck, a sunroom patio with an indoor hot tub, and an outdoor pool — all on 15 acres of mountain forest.
All for less than $200 per night.
