LCD That Scans Fingerprints

auo_uv

AU Optronics Corp has unveiled a new LCD panel that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. Each pixel is equipped with 4 optical sensors, so a 320×240 screen would have a scanning resolution of 640×480. They have also experimented with different sensors, such as UV. You can see an LCD panel that detects and displays the UV index above. Why did they use a secondary display to show the data though?

[via Gearlog]

Multi-Color Fog Spreader

fog_spraed

Though we’re pretty sure this was meant for Halloween, we think it would be a perfect addition to your election night party. [marc92] shows us how he built a fog spreader with red or blue lighting. Fog machines generally spit out the fog from a single point, relying on the breeze to spread it around. [marc92] wanted it spread a little more evenly, as well as some nice mood lighting. He built a pipe system that would emit fog from a much larger area. Mounted on the pipe are red and blue LEDs.  Mix this with some of the election lighting systems and you’re set for a party. We know this is an extremely simple project, so it should give you plenty of time to get out and vote before the polls close.

Election Night Holographic Interviews

obama_holo

Instead of the normal head in a window or split screen display used when interviewing remote guests, [Wolf Blitzer] will be interviewing 3d holograms. Supposedly, they will be recording in a way that allows for 360 views to be projected on stage with [Wolf]. We’ll have to wait and see exactly how they plan to pull that off, but our suspicion is that it will be similar to the Gorillaz live performances. Join us after the break to watch one.

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Inductive Charging Going Mainstream

The recent announcement of Psyclone’s TouchCharge kit has us moderately excited. Though inductive charging has been used in electric toothbrushes for ages, we have yet to see it infiltrate the rest of our lives. The kit is a bit pricey at the moment, but it is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, you have to have an adapter for your specific product and their selection is pretty limited right now. Why not make your own to power your devices?  Warning: it is written from the perspective of [Arnold Schwarzanegger].

Update: Is the TouchCharge kit inductive? It appears to require contacts to touch the base.

Rapidfire Wii Mod

AcidMods is at it again. They just can’t bare having to push the fire button over and over on their own. They’ve made a rapid fire mod for the wii. They said the mod wasn’t too difficult as Nintendo labeled everything nicely on the PCB. We like that they have added the back light on the button to tell you that you’re in rapid fire mode.

[Thanks Mark]

Wooden Retro Keyboard Build

[phirzcol] sent us this cool step by step build of a retro looking keyboard, Inspired by [Von Slatt] and his work. [phirzcol] starts with a standard keyboard and removes the keys. He steams some wood to wrap the keyboard, then finishes it off nicely. The process of making the keys looks pretty grueling. Each key has 4 parts which have to be hand cut and assembled. A blue accent light is a nice touch as well.  The keyboard looks pretty good, but we’d like to try typing on it for a while to see how usable it is.  If it looks like too much effort, you can actually buy it on ebay.