Assorted tech, part 1

Swiss MiniGun Not Intimidating, But Could Still Kill You
	A miniature pistol (a replica of Colt) that shots custom-made miniature bullets. Small, but still lethal.
Lipstick Pistol - The Kiss of Death
A KGB weapon invented in the 1960s, this device shoots a single 4.5-mm round
The Steerable Guided Gun Pod system for aircraft
	Current weapons pods on aircraft are fixed. This proposed system allows the gun to be maneuvered in a manner that prevents the gun from taking out a piece of the aircraft itself. Related articles: http://www.i-inventer.com/2006/07/31/the-steerable-guided-gun-pod-system/
The Fish-N-Flush Toilet
	Wrap a fish tank around a toilet bowl and you get... this. Amusing, if you like fish watching you do your business. Cost is about $400(US).
Standing wheelchair gives disabled a new view of life
	This wheelchair allows the user to stand up, reducing the psychological effect of having to look up to people all the time, as well as allow them access to items that were out of their reach when they were forced to remain in a sitting position. The result is a liberating experience for someone without the full use of their legs. The technology is similar to that used in the Segway. Related Articles: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/standing-wheelchair-design-194407.php http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/16/standing-wheelchair-offers-heightened-opportunity-for-paralyzed/
Autonomous miniature smart lens mimics human eye
	This lens uses hydrogels that respond to physical or chemical stimuli to change shape, allow the lens to dynamically respond to stimuli. In addition to potentially replacing the human eye's lens, this device could be used in a wide range of applications where varying lens focus is important.
The world’s most secure front door
	Worried about break-ins? This $2,500(US) door could be the answer. It's bullt-proof, fireproof, can't be cut through using conventional cuttingwelding tools, and protects against explosives. The door uses biometrics (fingerprint analysis) and bloodflow (to ensure the finger is from a living person) before it allows someone entry.
The Hover Creeper floats on thin air
	Oen problem with conventional creepers (what mechanics use to slide under cars) is that they can be tripped up by things like bolts an d cables on the garage floor. This creeper is power by compressed air and is able to support up to 300-lbs. The mechanic activates it to slide along the floor, then shuts the fans down so that the creeper becomes a stable base from which to work. Several ports on the creeper allow the mechanic to make use of the compressed air to power tools.
Transition Personal Air Vehicle
	The Transition is able to share roads with conventional automobiles, but when the wings drop into place it becomes a plane with a 27-ft wingspan. It has a top speed of 130-mph and a range ot 500-miles, and is expected to achieve 30 miles per gallon in either car or airplane mode. The asking price is expected to be about $150,000 and should be on the market by 2009. Related Articles: http://www.gizmag.com/go/5910/

Assorted tech, part 2

Military Plans Cyborg Sharks
The US military is exploring the idea of using neural implants to remotely control sharks. Part of the implant would direct the shark to perform certain actions while others would monitor neural patterns arising from the shark's senses to gain some idea of what the shark is perceiving.
Turf Mat
	This matt, available for less than $50(US) per square foot, consists of Korean velvet grass in a rubber matt, complete with irrigation channels. Intended for us as roofing tiles (where they provide excellent thermal insulation), they could easily be adapted as flooring. Imagine having living grass in your living room.
Nokia Silence Booth
	This booth is intended for use as a phone booth at concerts, airports, or anywhere you need a quiet spot to talk. The double-chamber design deadens sound from the environment, leaving you in blissful silence.
Forehead Retina Sensor
	I published this recently in F2F, but this link has more information (that will be added to the F2F post). This device uses tactile sensors to represent a scene as it would be if you passed it through an edge detector. More specifically, the image is broken down into three colour channels before edge detection is performed. The reason for this is that image colour can be approximated by using three types of receptors in the skin. Merkel cells sense pressure and are used to represent red by varying the pressure applied (more pressure, more red). Meissner cells detect low-frequency oscillations and are used to represent green. Pacinian cells detect high-frequency oscillations and are used to represent blue. Related articles: http://www.siggraph.org/s2006/main.php?f=conference&p=etech&s=forehead
SPOT-NOSE electronic nose
	A layer of olfactory receptor proteins are placed on a microelectrode array to form an electronic nose. The microelectrodes measure changes in the proteins in reponse to the presence of certain chemicals. The human nose uses about 1,000 different proteins and can distinguish more than 10,000 different odours. Scientists hope to ue this to improve the sensitivity of current detection systems, allowing them to identify spoiled food, the presence of blood, explosives, or drugs.