Peoples Republic of South Devon

Concept and reality

September 19th, 2008

The weekly technology column from those gurus of geek at Plymouth’s at Orange Crate

In these fast moving, technology-driven times the line between concept and reality is often blurred. The journey from an initial, ideological drawing to a real, purchasable product has never seemed such a short jump, and it is sometimes difficult to see where the fantasy idea ends and the latest technology begins.

A significant part of my job involves keeping up to date with the latest gadgets, technology, and IT advances, and I find myself checking up on a surprising number of stories to confirm if the subject matter actually exists, or is still in its ‘tomorrow’s world’ stage.

So with that in mind, take a look at these offerings and see if you can guess which are still in their design stages and which are already available to the public…

First up, the Modu phone is designed by an Israeli company and heralded as a new wave of smaller, more customisable mobile telephones. Weighing in at under 4.5g and measuring just 72×37×8mm, not only is the Modu a phone, it is the integral part of the Modu system which includes laptops, navigation systems, mp3 players and cameras. It acts as the central component for all of these systems, allowing the owner to completely integrate every part of their technological life by just slotting it in. Sounds great, but does it actually exist?

Staying with the idea of phones, heavyweight player Nokia have recently released details of the ‘Morph’ (see the top image). Constructed entirely from flexible materials, its structure allows it to be folded or rolled up to prevent damage – putting your phone in your back trouser pocket then sitting down will suddenly become both less expensive and less painful. By making use of advanced nanotechnology, the device is self cleaning – repelling water, dirt, and even fingerprints! On top of all this the Morph is also partly solar powered and can sense elements of the environment around it such as pollution levels. Sounds too good to be true, but is it?

Now for something totally different: High Power Microwave Weapons, or e-bombs, herald yet another new era of warfare. For once, however, it isn’t about killing indiscriminately (or even at all). An e-bomb is designed to emit a short but powerful burst of electromagnetic pulses that can take out computer systems, networks, radars etc without causing any damage to people or buildings. This means they can potentially be used in populated areas to take out enemy infrastructures without harming civilians. Real life or Hollywood?

Lastly we have the Dew Camera. Developed by NEC, the Dew is accurately described as a ‘life recording interface’. By observing vocal rhythms, gestures, and hand movements, it becomes aware of emotional states and automatically takes pictures at opportune instances, ensuring that you never again miss a single special moment. The pictures are instantly transferred to a remote server so you can retrieve them later on at your leisure.

So are these wonderful products real, or still concepts?

Modu phone – Real product (well, almost). Alleged release date of October 1 in Israel, Italy and Russia.

Nokia Morph – Concept stage. Released alongside the ‘Design and Elastic Mind’ Exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art to illustrate advanced technologies and their potential values to every-day users.

E-bombs – Real (or as far as we can tell). Have been in development since the 1980’s and, although expensive to construct, the USA, UK, China, Russia, and France all run projects to further develop them.

Dew Camera – This is still a joint concept of NEC and SGI Japan. But one day…

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Entry Filed under: technology