Earpiece Keeps You Awake at the Wheel
Those who log a lot of late-night road hours will be interested in the Drive Alert Master, designed to keep drivers from falling asleep at the wheel. The earpiece detects the tilt of your head when you start to doze off and emits a beep to jar you awake. You program the sensitivity -- it can alert you when your head tilts anywhere between 15 and 30 degrees. The earpiece features a comfortable design and long battery life for hours of use. This costs USD 15.

Dolls help Alzheimer's patients
British researchers say dolls and teddy bears help people with Alzheimer's disease interact and communicate with others. Reporting on their findings at a British Psychological Society Conference, a team from Newcastle General Hospital said the dolls appeared to alleviate the patients' agitation and distress as well as reduce withdrawal. In the small-scale study, 14 nursing home residents were given a doll or a teddy bear and assessed over a 12-week period. Researchers found the patients interacted better with staff and other residents as a result of the props. Clearly, using a doll doesn't reverse dementia, but it did seem to improve quality of life, says Dr. Ian James who worked on the study. We found people who wouldn't have spoken at all before would speak. The director of information for Britain's Alzheimer's Society calls the research exciting and innovative, adding that it shows how important it is to engage people in meaningful activities in all stages of dementia.

Remote Control Car Starters
Those in colder climates frequently have to risk freezing themselves to warm up their cars. Directed Electronics remote starters let you start your car without having to brave the elements, and unlike many remote starters, these have a mile range, so they'll work even if you parked down the street. The three models -- Viper, Python and Clifford -- also perform a host of other functions, from popping your hood to sounding your car alarm. They'll be available from this month for USD 550.

Put Your Pictures on the Map
Sony Electronics has announced a device that lets you plot your digital images to a map. The GPS-CS1 GPS device couples with the time stamp from a Sony camera or camcorder to pinpoint the latitude, longitude and time of your photos after they're downloaded to a PC. You can then organize your photos geographically and showcase your globe-trotting adventures on an online map. The GPS-CS1 will be available next month for USD 150.

Prototype Tricycle Falcon-II
Tokyo Institute of Technology doctoral student Ryusuke Yamaguchi (R) unveils a prototype model of an electric all-terrain tricycle, named the "Falcon-II", equipped with two in-wheel electric motors to drive real wheels independently and enable it to pitch a maximum of 20cm independently to clear gaps, at the college's advanced robot exhibition at the campus in Tokyo. The machine, which can be operated by remote-control, was developed for relief disaster assistance and for personal use.

Compiled by IMRAN H. KHAN

Source: Wired and Webindia123

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