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Sci-tech

eXasis Transparent Car
Rinspeed's eXasis looks cool enough for us to forgive their horrid use of capitalisation. The car is constructed from aluminum and plastic, and most of the control panel is touch sensitive. As I understand it, the use of clear, conductive Baytron allows the elimination of most simple wiring. But is there a practical application? You tell me. How many times have we all wondered whether that was a person-or just a scarecrow-that we just ran over?

Rinspeed eXasis Powered by Weber Motor MPE 750: Integrating such a powerful turbo charged engine into the Rinspeed product version eXasis was an outstanding technical challenge. Along with the minimised package and rear engine position, challenges are linked to the thermal and dynamic performance capability. The vehicle is capable with conventional gasoline as well as with Bio-Ethanol (E85). The answer to this technical challenge is to position the gear box underneath the engine. Thus an extremely short drive train is realized. This ensures, in combination with the small installation height of the turbo charged engine, an outstanding vehicle weight distribution. In respect to the dynamic performance capability the engine is also a sight for sore eyes: with turbo charging, double throttle body and intercooler a 110 kW (150 hp) engine with comparatively low 7.000 rpm is accomplished. This engine's performance is equivalent to that of 147 KW/l (200 hp/l) engine. That's pretty cool for this car.

A Reinvention of the Bottle Cap for Hypochondriacs
What will those packaging geniuses think of next? The VIZCap is their latest flight of fancy, a bottle cap that stores vitamins and fizzies away from that liquid, high and dry so they won't lose any of their potency. When you're ready to quaff that revitalising energy drink in all its vitamin supplement/herbal glory, push down on the cap and those dry ingredients are released into the liquid below, effervescing and/or dissolving their little hearts out. It'll be enough commotion to really make it seem like something big and curative is happening.

The VIZCap's creators, a cryptically named group calling itself AFGL, say they're "taking on the behemoth beverage industry," apparently hoping to sell their bottle caps to those evil mega-corporations by calling them names. Good luck, guys.

2nd Generation iRiver Clix
The update to the iRiver Clix is finally available. This iPod nano competitor has a 24-hour music and 5-hour video battery life. It also has a 2.2-inch AMOLED screen and support for MPEG, MP3, WMA, OGG, WMV, MPEG4 and more. The 2GB model is $149, the 4GB model is $199 and the 8GB model (available later this summer) will be $249. The jury is still out on this player, but it has the same price tags as its iPod counterpart, but can also do video and has a longer battery life. Interesting, indeed.

Compiled by IMRAN H. KHAN

Source: Gizmodo Online