Popular Mech. 2015

LOCAL ARTISTS 3D-PRINTED WEARABLE ART
TECH
SCIENCE WHEELS HOME OUTSIDE
www.popularmechanics.co.za
GREAT STUFF
FEBRUARY 2015
RSA: R34,90
Other countries:
R30,61 excl VAT
TOXIC
SHOCKERS
WEVE MADE 150 000
NEW CHEMICALS.
WE TOUCH THEM. WE WEAR THEM.
WE EAT THEM.
BUT WHICH ONES

SHOULD WE WORRY
ABOUT?
SKILLS
A HOT RODDERS TOOLBOX

MAKE
DESIGN YOUR OWN APP
SA ROBOTIC
EXOSKELETON PROJECT
BOOST FOR PARALYSIS REHAB
THE GADGET
BROTHERS
TbEraSSTpoErtbDuds
Ja
be
Astrapho ector
t
e
d
g
lightnin hcam
Das
UPGRADE: COOL TECH
SMART TECHNOLOGY
SYNC with Bluetooth and voice control

Dual Zone Climate Control
Cruise Control
Steering Wheel Audio Controls
www.ford.co.za
Visit FordSouthAfrica
JWT64902
CONTENTS
FEBRUARY 2015
VOL 13, NO 7
BE THE FIRST TO KNOW
74
72 30
37
Cover caption: Even the most innocent, obvious objects and substances
hold hidden dangers. This page: Our homemade diamond-plate hot rodders
toolbox is hardy and easy to clean. Plus, it will add a dash of Mad Max to
any car project.
80
FEBRUARY 2015
FEBRUARY 2015
LOCAL ARTISTS 3D-PRINTED WEARABLE ART

TECH
SCIENCE WHEELS HOME OUTSIDE
GREAT STUFF
POPULAR MECHANICS
FEBRUARY 2015
RSA: R34,90
Other countries:
R30,61 excl VAT
TOXIC
SHOCKERS
SUBSCRIBE,
SAVE 25%
AND GET
a Dash 7 Quick Change

Multi Bit Screwdriver
worth R110 free!
WEVE MADE 150 000

NEW CHEMICALS.
WE TOUCH THEM. WE WEAR THEM.
WE EAT THEM.
BUT WHICH ONES

SHOULD WE WORRY
ABOUT?
SKILLS
MAKE A HOT RODDERS TOOLBOX

DESIGN YOUR OWN APP
VOLUME 13, NO.7
SA ROBOTIC
EXOSKELETON PROJECT
BOOST FOR PARALYSIS REHAB
THE GADGET
BROTHERS
TESTED
buds
Jabra Sport
hobe
Astrap
detector
lightning am
Dashc
52
UPGRADE: COOL TECH
42 18 46
22
How Your World Works
Upgrade
Tested
12
74 Thunderstruck: next-gen aircraft
42 Jabra Sport Pulse Wireless:

work out to the beat of your

heart, that is

Astraphobe Lightning Protection
system: advance warning

DOD VRH3 Dash Cam: silent
witness
High-speed photography:
faster than a speeding bullet
SA-designed anti-ram barrier:
stopping baddies in their tracks
Microdots: protect your own
Books: demystifying the Dark Net,
science and safari guides
Science
These everyday substances are all
around us. Should we be worried?
37 Stand tall

SA scientists dream of a homegrown

robotic exoskeleton for paralysis
victims
Tech
30 The Gadget Brothers

Meet the master tinkerers whose

innovations are helping change
the way we think
46 High tech meets high art

Local artists 3D-printed wearable

designs make waves
Panono panoramic camera:

all-round view
Wheels
56

24 Toxic shockers

How autonomous drive impacts

interiors
SYM brings on the heavies
Lamborghini Huracan driven
SsangYong rebirth continues
Hyundai hits the spot
Audi revives S1 moniker
GS-911 BMW scan tool
Skills
80
Project: Hot rodders toolbox

Make an app
Seal that gap
PM Workshop challenge
Features
Monthly
66 Loud and clear
4 Contact us
6 Editors notes
8 Letters
10 Time machine
18 Great Stuff
100 Do it your way
New-wave hearing aids help make

more sense of sound
72 A beautiful thing

Lifes a grind for this refurbed

coffee roaster
86 Confessional in the palm of

your hand: anonymous social
networking
52 Burning bright

Energy-efficient lighting that

celebrates democracy
74
FEBRUARY 2015
The high-tech innards of Panonos throwable Panoramic

Ball Camera, which looks set to make capturing panoramic
images much less hassle than in the past.
www.popularmechanics.co.za 3
u SUBSCRIBE NOW!
EDITOR: Anthony Doman
GROUP PUBLISHER: Neil Piper

EDITORIAL TEAM

Associate editor Sean Woods

Digital content manager Kate Simons
Journalist Lindsay Schutters

PRODUCTION AND CREATIVE TEAM

Group production manager Keryn Rheeder

Production manager Gronja Lennox

Art director Thea Woodman
Designer Sharon Gunst

Group smalls designer Relic Wessels

Group developer Cicero Joseph

BUSINESS AND SALES TEAM

Group national sales manager Andr Stadler
Group digital business manager Wendy Lucas

Sales manager Jesse Henney

Advertising sales executives Gauteng Joanne Thompson,
Patrick Kennedy, Nicky Lloyd,
Jackie Browning, Natasher Black

Durban Lindi van den Heever

Cape Town and PE Ingrid Versfeld

Advertising sales co-ordinator Linda Delport

Group marketing services analyst Thembi Mokoena

Media strategist Nokuthula Nkosi

Campaign managers Nawhaal Fakir

Yumna Galvaan
MARKETING, EVENTS AND
Group marketing and sponsorship manager

Group show manager

Group promotions manager

Audience development manager

Promotions manager
Group circulation and marketing designer
Group show and events operations manager

Group show and events sales consultant

Subscriptions operations

Subscriptions administration
SAVE
30%
12 DIGITAL
ISSUES
FOR JUST
R147
ACCESS ANY TIME,

ANYWHERE.
Visit www.popularmechanics.co.za/subscribe
Single issues are also available.
Be sure to rate & review us!
CIRCULATION
Dean Dicks
Richard Falconer
Chanelle Vivian
Katherine Miller
Amanda Africa
Robyn Shield
Kathryn Frew
Hanneke van Niekerk
Karin Mulder
Lynn Heiberg
GROUP SUPPORT
Chief operations officer Werner Schmidt
Finance manager Zanfre Gorgosilich
HR officer Emmelia Fouch
IT manager Alex Chetty
DIRECTORS
Paul Jenkins (Chairman), Tim Holden, Terry Moolman, Neil Piper,
Werner Schmidt, Cornelios Vamvadelis
PUBLISHED BY RamsayMedia (PTY) LTD
Company registration number: 1934/005460/07 ISSN number: 1682-5136
Cape Town head office: Uitvlugt, 3 Howard Drive, Pinelands, 7405
P O Box 180, Howard Place, Western Cape, 7450
Tel: 021 530-3100, Fax: 021 531-9495
Gauteng office: Caxton House, 368 Jan Smuts Avenue, Randburg, 2196
P O Box 78132, Sandton, Gauteng, 2146
Tel: 011 449 1100, Fax: 011 449 1104
Email address: popularmechanics@ramsaymedia.co.za
www.ramsaymedia.co.za

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE OR CONTACT US
Call: 0860 100 205, Fax: 0866 704 101 or 021 530 3143,
E-mail: subs@ramsaymedia.co.za
Online: www.magsathome.co.za or www.popularmechanics.co.za
Web site: www.popularmechanics.co.za
FOR OUR CURRENT SUBSCRIPTION RATES, SEE INSIDE BACK COVER

Published and distributed by RamsayMedia (Pty) Ltd by permission of Hearst
Communications Inc, New York, New York, United States of America.
We cannot be responsible for loss of unsolicited queries, manuscripts or photos. For return, they
must be accompanied by adequate postage. As a service to readers, Popular Mechanics publishes
newsworthy products, techniques and scientific and technological developments. Due to
possible variance in the quality and condition of materials and workmanship, Popular Mechanics
cannot assume responsibility for proper application of techniques or proper and safe
functioning of manufactured products or reader-built projects resulting from information
published in this magazine.
This offer closes 28 February 2015. Other subscription gifts and prizes do not apply to
this offer. By providing your details, you give Popular Mechanics permission to
communicate with you via email or SMS.
Total monthly sales: 38 081 (April-June 2014)

www.popularmechanics.co.za FEBRUARY 2015
E+I 19554
EDITOR'S NOTES
DEVIL IN THE DETAIL
Diablo GT: Unforgettable.
TOYOTA HILUX
COMPETITION
More than 1 700
readers entered our
Where2Next win-aToyota Hilux competition,
run in conjunction with Toyota
South Africa and our sister publications
Getaway and Leisure Wheels.
Weve chosen nine finalists three from
each publication. They are Whitney Warstler,
Anitha Regnard, David Middleton, Quintin
Beukes, Sisasenkosi Sibanda, Jeremy
Farquharson, Mike Murray, Mark Liprini and
Linton Schoenst. The winner will be chosen
by an independent judge in January 2015.
Watch this space!
COMPETITION WINNERS...
Details online at www.popularmechanics.co.za
YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST

LAMBORGHINI.
For me, that moment was 15 years
ago in Sardinia. Just the other day,
when I levered myself into the new
Lamborghini Huracan (picture left; see
Wheels, page 56), the memories came
flooding back.
My first was a Diablo, which as you
may know means Devil. The track-oriented rear-wheel-drive Diablo GT was
to be the last and greatest of the line
(though the 4wd VT released later
ultimately had the honour of being
last). It was arguably the greatest, with
its V12 stroked out to 6 litres, taking
outputs to 429 kW and 639 N.m. Just
80 GTs were made.
As the only South African on the
world launch I travelled alone; for
30 hours, from memory. I was pretty
wiped out on arrival and the prospect
of even a hotel bed seemed quite inviting. But my hosts insisted I go out for
a drive with one of their own.
So I squeezed in alongside wiry,
thirtysomething, personable Antonio
Leandro. There was the hint of a swagger
in his manner: you know, I drive karts
for fun and Lambos for a living.
We drove quite briskly up the freeway and back, before we exited to a
secondary road. Sideways, in a perfectly
executed power slide.
We were, as they say, proceeding
at a speed in excess of the islands nominal 80 km/h limit when up the road a
uniformed figure stepped out, palm
upraised. Antonio jumped on the brakes.
I didnt understand much about the
animated discussion with the carabinieri
that ensued, though I did recognise primavera and nuovo. By now the speed
gun was forgotten. Under the raised
bonnet, heads nodded gravely, lower
lips protruded. Eventually, reluctantly,
they waved us on with something that
sounded like it might have been the
local equivalent of Go with God.
At about the same time, a woman
driver, the local equivalent of a soccer
mom in a hurry, was brusquely waved
down. It looked like she was in trouble.
She was driving only a station wagon,
after all.
By the way, the GT was said to be the
first Lamborghini capable of more than
200 miles per hour, or in metric terms
320 km/h. I cant vouch for that, but I
do recall having seen 310 on the speedometer.

So it went for an hour or two, until,
now thoroughly awake but considerably
more tired out, I returned to the hotel for
my overdue nap.
Later that evening, when I headed into
the foyer for dinner it was obvious something was wrong. Havent you heard?
one of the other visiting journalists
hissed. One of their guys got killed.
Antonio.
Hed been taking a prospective customer out and, at fatally high speed,
rear-ended a vehicle that moved out in
front of him. The Diablo was a burnt-out
wreck, the passenger miraculously
alive. Antonio didnt make it.
Was it really worth going on?
Shouldnt we just pack it in and go home?
We stayed.
On a sunny Sardinian morning, a
twisty mountain road, the clack-clack of
the gearshift lever through the gleaming gate with its awkward dogleg to
First, made doubly awkward for someone accustomed to right-hand drive.
The bodys daunting width. The almost
complete absence of rearward visibility,
forcing the then-new idea of a rear-view
camera. (Without that camera, Id
probably still be making a 374-point
turn on that gravel side road we took
by mistake.)
And, of course, the sheer brutal
drama of it all. The explosion of sound
at start-up, the spine-tingling bellow
under acceleration, the thundering
performance.
The words came easily when the
time arrived to write up my memories
of the drive. And I chose to focus on
life, not death.
It was when I came to choosing pictures I felt a sudden chill. My press kit
showed a Diablo GT in that distinctive
Lamborghini orange. In various poses;
some driving, some static. There was
something terribly familiar about the
person at the wheel, though. Irony of
ironies: it was Antonio.
For one reason and another, you
never do forget your first Lamborghini.
anthony@ramsaymedia.co.za
LET TERS / WHAT S ON YOUR MIND?
FIXING CERTAINLY
WORKS FOR ME
ning
Win ter
let
I can vouch for the article written by Kyle

Wiens, Why we fix (July 2014). Back in the
1950s, my late father, Bob Apsey, used to
bring home copies of PM and scrapped
mechanical and electrical assemblies
scrounged from overhauled production
machinery. PM taught me to read. Stripping
down, and sometimes fixing, old machine assemblies taught me to think: What was the purpose of
this thing? and to develop dexterity in using tools.
Like Kyle says: Making something whole again
expresses what it means to be human: a demonstration
of our capacity to be resourceful, meet challenges and
solve problems.
My first investment in tools included a mini-lathe and
an oscilloscope. Now, when I come home from work at night
and drive into the garage I am greeted by the wagging tails of the dogs and an
array of all kinds of tools and gadgets winking at me to come and fix something.
And they have all paid for themselves in saved repair or replacement bills; some
tools have paid for themselves many times over.
If you find the concept of a mini-mill in your garage boring, you can always
convert it to CNC with a few stepper motors and sell it to your neighbour.
Its an interesting mental journey, worth the price of a plane ticket, and you
can get most of your money back.
NIGEL APSEY
CENTURION
Write to us, engage in debate and you could win a cool prize. This months best
letter wins a Timex watch from the Expedition range, valued at R2 999. Timex
has been keeping track of time since 1854 and exudes a sense of heritage and
classic style that merges impeccably with its advanced technology. There is a
watch to suit every facet of your lifestyle: for the athletic, the Sport category
includes watches suitable for running, gym or Ironman; for men who enjoy the
great outdoors, this category features Expedition watches, which wont miss a
beat when it comes to rugged adventures. For the trendy lot, Weekender merges
iconic style and fashion forward design that suits both men and women.
This months Timex prize features Indiglo night light, distinct fourth indicator
hand, an accurate digital compass with analogue display and adjustable declination angle for accuracy. Its also water-resistant to 100 metres. Price points
for the range start with everyday basics at R549 and go up to R3 499. For your
nearest stockist contact timex@tregerbrands.co.za. www.timex.com.
Send your letter to: Popular Mechanics, PO Box 180, Howard Place 7450, or
e-mail popularmechanics@ramsaymedia.co.za Please keep it short and to the
point. Regrettably, prizes can be awarded only to South African residents.
Have plywood, will create

Observing the Backyard Lounger project
in October 2014 set me reflecting on projects I had done.
One particular moment of pride was
seeing our very own F1 go-kart roll off
the assembly line. Photos (see left) are all
that remain of this once favoured winner of the constructors championship.
Point of interest is that it was fashioned
from a metre sheet of marine ply and,
8
barring the steering pivot bolt, had no

screws or nails to secure its assembly. Simple
mortise and tenon joints and generous
applications of cold glue were all it took
to maintain a sturdy structure. Both the
front and rear wheel axles simply fitted
through holes drilled into the supports.
The main design features were cutaways for the drivers elbows, grab-holes
for the assistant, a footrest and steering
rope brackets that governed the turning
circle. The brake option was not fitted.
The plan was drawn directly on the
sheet of marine ply as the project evolved
from the idea in mind. Firstly, the base
was sized to leave just enough material
for required sections such as the front
steering beam and two rope brackets,
the footrest, the seat, its front support
and backrest, plus the two side supports.
A strip of hardboard formed the curved
section glued from the nose up to the
footrest. This supplied the slender chassis
boom with more strength.
Materials required were a 1-metre
square of marine ply and a litre of cold
glue. The parts list comprised items such
as the steering rope, pivot bolt, nut and
washers, and two axles plus washers and
split-pins for the four wheels. Plastic garden
hose offcuts were used to space the wheels
away from the wooden structure. Finally,
a wood primer followed by two finishing
coats of paint protected the wood for the
many years of fun and joy.
How about a constructors championship competition of your own aimed at
bringing loungers closer to their children,
with the children forming the adjudication panel?
Unfortunately I will not be taking part
in the DIY Challenge as I have no drawings.
My project was built some 20 years ago
and the F1 Go-Kart has long since gone.
All that remains are the photos, which is
a pity, but it was fun anyway.
ROB SCHWARTZ
BY EMAIL
War is not inevitable

Despite the common knowledge that war
has been the number one technological
booster, particularly in the past century,
I find it disturbing that the author of
the December 2014 winning letter has
embraced the inevitable notion of warfare. Yes, we have been killing each
other for millions of years and it is still
happening randomly in greedy, uneducated and obsessed parts of our planet.
But its definitely not nave to think that
we will eventually evolve [as our faces
clearly did!].
Persisting with the view of war as a

natural human condition is problem
number one. War is the symptom, not
the cause. To make war you need a
crowd of obtuse individuals to execute it
for you. It is evident in the countries
largely free from warfare where the
focus lies: education, health and the
quest to prolong life not to end it.
Popular Mechanics is a great mag, but
I must admit that I also generally [out
of lack of interest, not ethics] skip the
parts concerned with [primarily American]
war tech.
HUGO
CAPE TOWN
Safety or looks?
Would you consider doing an article on
roll bars on bakkies? I read in a car magazine that roll bars are just cosmetic and
there is no way they can protect the occupants. Accompanying the article were
photos of a bakkie that had rolled. The
bar was just one tangled mess.
Most of us, the public, are under the
impression that the roll bar is there for
protection and that it will prevent the
cab from collapsing in a roll-over.
If this is not so, it will save lives if the
truth is told and then a real bar may
be designed that will protect us as we
believe it should.
ANDR PIENAAR
BRACKENFELL
WIKIPEDIA
Programming for pleasure and

profit
I am 13 years old. My interests are programming, mainly C++ and Python, and
computers in general. I find it really hard to
learn to code as a child, so I would like to
encourage other kids to start programming.
Parents always worry about their children
sitting in front of a screen playing computer games, but the computer actually
does have some educational purposes.
Programming may sound very threatening, but it is actually quite simple and it
helps with school as well. It is basically
algebra, so it will help schoolchildren in
Grade 7 and upwards.
There are some special programs for
younger children who may want to try to
create their own games. The great thing

about it is that you are learning while you
are having fun.
I would suggest starting with something like Scratch, which is dragging and
dropping blocks of simple code to form a
single program. Its good fun; you can
make crazy animations or entertaining
games. Scratch is perfect for those with
little Maths knowledge and teaches the
structure of programming.
Older children who are rather knowledgeable and want to dive straight into
programming should try something such
as Python. It is a simple yet powerful language and it is very versatile. Python has
special plugins, such as Pygame, for making games. It is a fully featured coding
language and is in fact used in Android.
Python is also often used in the game
Battlefield 2 in modding, etc.
The website www.codecademy.org has
interactive tutorials for several languages
such as Python, HTML and Ruby. All of these
are done through your browser. Its free,
too, so all you have to do is create an
account, choose your tutorial and get
started. Scratch is made by the MIT Kindergarten Lab and is free to download. There
are also many projects made by other
users available for download.
Programming is very important and we
need coders in many businesses. Think of
banking: if there are no coders, security
cant be updated, thus making the system
vulnerable to attack. Millions will probably
be stolen.
As you can see, programming is vital in
many aspects of business and it is rather
easy to get started. So, next time your
children ask to play video games, think of
introducing them to coding. You never
know; they might become the next Bill
Gates!
NICHOLAS WELLS
BY EMAIL
Check your water regularly

We had a persistent, very slight hissing
sound of water running in our bathroom
for a couple of weeks.
With the help of a local leak detection
firm and our regular plumber we now
have the source of the hissing found and
repaired.
It was a minute crack in the poly pipe
incoming feed, caused by a tile discarded
by a past builder 800 mm below ground
level. We were able to hear the hissing
only because the leak was spraying on
to our sewage outlet pipe, which in turn
transmitted the noise to the bathroom.
It occurred to me that, had the leak not
Its amazing what computers

can do
I enjoyed the letter from HB Waterman
of Durban in which he mentioned his
aunt getting a ZX Spectrum to communicate with family.
For your information, this can also
be done with a device a lot newer,
namely a Raspberry Pi. In fact, this
email is coming to you via a Raspberry
Pi B+!
The ZX Spectrum was the first
home computer I played with, more
years ago than I wish to remember.
But it did start me on a career in
programming.
ALF STOCKTON
VIA EMAIL
been spraying on to the sewer pipe, we

would never have been aware of the loss
of water.
My suggestion is that, once a week, it
would be a good idea to turn off all taps
and check the meter to ensure that the
dial is completely stationary.
NIGEL G SWEET
EDGEMEAD
Hope for the wheelchair-bound

Id like to contact your contributor John
Phillips (Keep on triking, November 2014)
to compare notes. The reason for my
interest is twofold.
My late Dad, as a Mountain Club member, had been reduced to a wheelchair in
his latter year or so and I used to take
him up the Newlands Forestry tracks to
get a change of scenery. This taught me
that wheelchairs do have a natural instability once off the flat.
I also have a work colleague who was
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis some
31 years ago. He is now reduced to a mere
ghost of his former self, but is hanging in
there gamely.
NAME WITHHELD
BY EMAIL P M
9
TIME MACHINE / IT MADE PERFECT SENSE AT THE TIME
1971
With all the fuss about autonomous cars, you would think this
kind of thing had never been
done before. Well, you would be wrong.
Back in November 1971, PM reported that
a driverless car had been operating at the
Road Research Laboratory, Crowthorne,
England. Buried just below the road surface
was a cable energised by alternating current.
Two sensors on the front of the car picked
up the signal, determining, by signal
strength, whether the car was veering right
or left. Corrections were made using an
electric motor that turned the steering
wheel. From photographs taken during testing it appears that (1) the car is a Ford
Cortina Mk 2 and (2) the back seat driver
was a known phenomenon, even in 1971.
1938
Age of the Aerial Monsters, PM USAs June 1938

cover story, recorded the dawning of a new aviation
epoch founded on powerful new engines. A single
new engine, we reported, bettered the total power output of
a trimotor transport from just a decade earlier. Different times,
different standards, though: it seems odd, in the Airbus A380
era, to see the description giant applied to that aerial juggernaut, the 42-passenger 5-crew Douglas DC-4.
1948
1929
Many of todays cars feature headlights

that help the driver see around corners by
illuminating to the side, as well as the
front, when the steering wheel is turned. But way
back in Great Depression days a New Zealand inventor had created an attachment that connected the
headlights to the front wheels so that they swivelled
into the curves. Sadly, even this novel idea wasnt
sufficient to enable investors to see, just around the
corner, the Great Crash of Wall Street.
10
To those two
certainties of
life death
and taxes cyclists
would definitely add a
third: punctures. Its
become fashionable to
re-inflate tyres using
CO2 bombs ostensibly
because they are more
convenient than pumps,
If pressed, racer dudes
would argue that
pumps are a little oldfashioned. Would it
surprise them, then, to
learn that gas cartridges were being used for exactly this purpose back
PM
in 1948. Whos old-fashioned now?
FEBRUARY 2015
BMW
Original Parts
www.bmw.co.za/
originalparts
Sheer
Driving Pleasure
ONE PART CAN CHANGE

THE OUTCOME.
This is a simple o-ring. Almost as big as your thumb. Seemingly insignificant.

On January 28, 1986, a single faulty o-ring brought down an entire space shuttle,
mid takeoff. In a complicated chain, it takes only one part that isnt as sophisticated
and meticulously crafted to compromise the whole machine. Dont take chances.
Insist on BMW Original Parts, because without genuine parts, its simply not a
BMW anymore. For more information visit www.bmw.co.za/originalparts
All BMW Original Parts carry a 2-year unlimited mileage warranty.
IRELAND/DAVENPORT 76899
BMW ORIGINAL PARTS.
HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS

ASTEROIDS
IRON DOME
GENIUSES
RESTORING ART
AUDIO
G R E AT U N K N O W N S
LIGHTS, CAMERA, (SLOW-MO)

ACTION!
Meet the Phantom Flex4K the worlds most
advanced high-speed cinematic camera.
BY S E A N W O O D S
he sequence involving Robert Downey Jr escaping through

the woods amid exploding trees in the movie Sherlock
Holmes: A Game of Shadows is arguably the best slowmotion action footage ever seen on a cinematic screen. It was
shot on a Phantom ultra high-speed camera. The latest variant to
leave manufacturer Vision Researchs US production
plant, the upgraded Phantom Flex4K, is now available locally to tease our home-grown advertising and
movie industries with thoughts of another beguiling
option to help boost their visual creativity and woo
audiences..
As you can imagine, operating the Phantom Flex4K
is nothing like filming with your average family
handicam. Costing around R1,8 million (depending
on the exchange rate), this is one serious piece of kit.
We met up with Falk Eggert from High Speed Worx,
the proud owner of the first Flex4K camera to land
in the country, as he and his colleague Johan Horjus
underwent certified training under the watchful
gaze of Vision Researchs Nick Long.
From what I could tell, the two-day training session
seemed more like fun than training. Exercises
included the two guys slapping each other in the
face, sing stuff in the swimming pool and smashing
fruit and vegetables to bits with a hammer. For me,
watching the playback of Horjus catch a flat hand
on his chops was the most illuminating sequence.
Captured at 2000 frames per second, and filling a
whopping 64 GB of data for the 5-second clip, it
showed in minute, pin-sharp slow-motion detail
how the skin on his cheek then nose folded, buckled
and rippled as the force of the strike followed
This sequence of images, showing an airgun pellet shattering an egg in minute
through. I honestly didnt think facial skin could
detail as it passes through, is just one example of the kind of assignment Vision
exhibit such fluid dexterity it looked hilarious.
Researchs Phantom Flex4K high-speed cinematic camera can handle.
Underneath all the laddish shenanigans, there
was a serious side. Phantoms local agent, DVISs
Werner Grundlingh, explains: All the Phantom
cameras operate basically the same, but the Flex4K has so many
dynamic range and low noise which translates into excellent
extra features. When a clients spending millions on a project,
image quality and low-light performance. Capture, trigger,
youve got to get the footage right first time.
playback and save controls can be found on both sides of the
Capable of capturing 4K footage at 1000 fps, and even faster
camera in order to provide a seamless workflow for different
2K clips at 2000 fps, the Phantom Flex4K boasts up to 64 GB of
environments. Connectivity options include Bluetooth (range:
internal RAM. Its CineMag IV storage system can be kitted out
up to 100 metres), Ethernet port and a 4-pin Hirose output for
with two 1 TB flash drives (allowing one to be removed and
a monitor. And, for the first time on a Phantom, the camera
content downloaded while youre busy filling the other). At 4K
can be set to write either RAW or compressed files directly to
resolution the camera offers super-35 mm depth of field. The custhe CineMag.
tom 10 megapixel sensor captures intricate detail with impressive
For more information visit www.highspeedworx.com
12
FEBRUARY 2015
MOVIES
PHANTOM FLEX4K SPECIFICATIONS

PIXEL SIZE:
SENSOR SIZE:
LENS MOUNT:
INTERNAL RAM:
RECORDING MEDIA:
SIZE (L X W X H):
WEIGHT:
FEBRUARY 2015
6,75 micron
27,7 x 15,5 mm
PL (standard), Canon EOS, Nikon F/G
Up to 64 GB
Phantom CineMag IV (up to 2 TB)
29,2 x 14 x 12,7 cm
5,33 kg
CRIME
HOW YOUR
WORLD WORKS
STOPPING BADDIES
IN THEIR TRACKS
Mall robberies showed a sharp spike
towards the end of 2014. Hardest hit
was the Western Cape. Conclusion: we
need to get smarter about many
aspects of crime, from predicting to
prevention and deterrence. And, not
least, stopping the bad guys from
making a getaway.
14
here cant be a more security-conscious nation than South

Africa. A sad fact of life in this country is that dealing with
crime is an inevitable and often burdensome drain on the
household budget.
But the focus was taken away from domestic crime towards the end
of 2014 by a minor plague of heists at shopping malls and commercial
centres. One man believes he has the answer.
Dean Lazarus, below, is the man behind a novel barrier idea developed by his company, Spider Wire. Lazarus, who has a security background in both Australia and South Africa, moved back here around 5
years ago.
He noticed most mall attacks had common features:
A vehicle would be used to carry out the attack or robbery
In the case of a robbery, the criminals would escape in one or more
vehicles.
I began a conscious effort to look out for the security measures at
shopping centre access and exit points, Lazarus says. Without exception, not one shopping centre had any real means of stopping a vehicle
travelling at high speed from either entering or exiting the premises.
What most facilities had was a simple arm barrier. Its a type of barrier designed not to stop vehicles, but merely to deter someone from
not paying for their parking. During one mall robbery in Centurion,
the criminals just drove straight through the arm barrier.
So what about those fancy spike barriers, then?
Well, I hate to break this to anyone who has installed them: they
FEBRUARY 2015
are not designed to stop any vehicles.

They are merely designed to puncture
someones tyres.
On regular tyres, he says, you should be
able to drive up to 5 km on deflated tyres
that have been punctured by spike barriers.
Thats ample time to be able to reach
another getaway car.
If you have run-flat tyres, you will be
able to travel in excess of 50 km on your
tyres after they have been punctured. In
other words, they are just as ineffective
as those standard arm barriers.
He began to research products from all
over the world and was
drawn to a type of barrier
referred to in the security
industry as an anti-ram barrier
or road-blocker. To give you
an idea of just how impressive these barriers are, their
testing involves smashing
vehicles of different sizes
into the barrier at up to
80 km/h. The barriers would
stop the vehicle dead in its
tracks. Understandably, he
got excited.
That was before he found
out what building them
involved and what they cost. All of them, he discovered, use either
hydraulics, pneumatics or electro-mechanical systems. That means
they are complex, expensive to build and expensive to repair.
The companies I approached had barriers starting from around
R600 000 all the way to over R1 million per barrier system. Of course,
these companies could state that they had tested their product under
an international standard known as PAS 68. What exactly is PAS 68?
In short, it is a test in which a vehicle of a certain size (depending
upon which test the company chooses to do) is rammed into a barrier
at the aforementioned 80 km/h. If the barrier stops the vehicle, the
company gets a certificate and flaunting rights.
Theres one catch: the test costs the equivalent of about half a
million rand.
Lazarus hit on the idea of saving costs by using a standard design
of a vehicle-mounted winch to pull up the barrier. He commissioned
the work to an engineer (now his colleague). The significant advantages of the patented design that emerged are, he says, threefold:
1. No expensive mechanical, pneumatic and electro-mechanical systems

2. Minimal repair costs.
3. Simple installation. The design has its own reinforcing built in. It
needs little more than a 360 mm trench, filled with concrete.
How well does it work? In the absence of a budget for a PAS 68

test, they designed their own. Admittedly, it took place at a makeshift
test site in Heidelberg, Gauteng. Admittedly, it lacked sophistication.
But by all accounts it was a blast.
They hooked up a late 1980s Toyota Cressida to a remote control.
Between 1,7 and 2 tons of vintage Toyota, with none of todays
sophisticated crumple zones, it was effectively a piece of solid steel
travelling at speed. At 70 km/h, it slammed into the barrier.
FEBRUARY 2015
Irresistible force meets immovable object.

Immovable object wins
Says Lazarus: The results were amazing. The barrier stopped the vehicle
dead in its tracks. It was what we in the
security industry call zero penetration.
The engine block was squashed and
pushed into the front seats.
Practical implementation of the barrier
would make life easier for everybody except the bad
guys, he says.
Lazarus envisages the control room operator pressing
a single button to activate barriers at all exit and
Instead of the complex hydraulics,

pneumatics or electromechanical actuation
used by sophisticated, expensive barrier
systems developed overseas, this design
uses a simple winch.
entrance points. Nobody could leave or enter. By
vehicle, anyway.
Whereas the barrier would normally be flat or
closed at shopping malls, security areas such as
embassies would use the barrier in the normally Up
position, and lower it using access control, he says.
With steel in many parts of the barrier up to 30 mm
thick, it could also act as an effective shield for security
personnel in the event of armed attack.
Lazarus dreams of having his barriers at every shopping centre or high-security facility in the country.
The other advantage to our winch-operated
design is that its flexible and interfaces easily with
other systems. Best of all, the system they have
devised should, he says, cost no more than about
R200 000.
To find out more, visit spiderwire.co.za
CRIME
HOW YOUR
WORLD WORKS
ON THE DOT
Microdots, standard on all new cars and
popular as a security measure on household items, are the newest recruit to the
war on rhino poaching.
This March, a new weapon will be enlisted in the
war on rhino poaching: the microdot. Already in
common use on new cars (its legislated), livestock
and big-ticket household goods, microdots will
provide an investigative tool that may help curb
this scourge.
Microdots on animals are not new. They are
widely used on livestock, where it is applied to
their horns and hooves using non-toxic adhesive.
We would use 3 000 to 5 000 dots per animal,
says Recoveri Microdots Philip Opperman.
Although the dots wont necessarily stop the rhino
slaughter, they will allow investigators to track
back to specific herds or localities and provide
evidence that might help clamp down on criminal
activity.
Dotting has had a marked effect on theft of
motor vehicles and motorcycles, Opperman says.
Theres been a downward tend since 2006; in the
three years before 2012/13 an average annual
decrease of 9,2 per cent was recorded.
With criminals and syndicates using sophisticated
technology to assist their crimes for example,
remote signal blocking devices to disable electronic
car locking systems asset protection has become
as important as private security companies and
sophisticated alarm systems, says Opperman. Asset
tagging can be employed on most movable objects
such as cars, motorbikes, cycling bikes, laptops and
electronic goods. The tiny tags around 1 mm in
diameter and up to 15 000 per item are hard to
see with the naked eye (a UV light is needed to
read them) and almost impossible to remove.
Each dot contains 9 lines of data that includes
such information a unique Asset Identity Number
(AIN). This enables a stolen item to be linked to its
rightful owner through a comprehensive asset
register. That means less risk and, ultimately,
cheaper insurance.
Opperman says he has seen a massive increase
in the uptake of microdotting in the past 18 months.
Dots can even be used to mark copper cable at
factory level. In fact, they form part of the conductor design by etching an alphanumeric number
sequence on the cable at intervals. Its possible to
identify as little as a metre of stolen cable.
Unfortunately, as crime in some sectors has
decreased, in other areas it has gone up. Theres
16
Microdots are available in a

range of packages to suit applications ranging from automotive
(sprayed on at accredited fitment
centres) to household items and
now, even rhino.
been a major upswing in truck hijackings and yellow metal thefts, he

explains. The latter refers to big earthmoving and construction equipment.
These guys come along with flatbeds after the construction site closes at 3 on
a Friday afternoon. They have a whole weekend. In two days they can be in
Zimbabwe, Mozambique or Namibia. With entry level price for these machines
about R600 000, you see the extent of the problem. To combat this, the big
machines are dotted using welded-on tags and are stencilled all over.
A domestic kit for the average household, covering the 5 typical big assets
(flatscreen TV, computers and so on). The Big 5 account for 80 per cent of
insurance claims, Opperman says. This kit, in DIY form, costs R199 and contains
1 000 dots. Larger kits are available.
Aftermarket application of dots for older vehicles costs R499 and is done at
accredited fitment centres. The dots, in solution, are sprayed on. As a proactive
means of preventing theft, a warning sign is supplied, Opperman adds.
www.recoveri.net
FEBRUARY 2015
BOOKS
HOW YOUR
WORLD WORKS
THE DARK NET

By Jamie Bartlett
William Heinemann
Price: R465
In the early 1990s, the cyberphunk mailing list
acquired a new member by the name of Proff. It
didnt take long for Proff to become adept at
the insults, critiques and political intrigue that
characterised this home of what Bartlett describes
as rugged libertarians. In real life and well
have cause to revisit that term Proff was a gifted
young Australian programmer, Julian Assange,
whom we now know as the man behind
WikiLeaks.
Thats just one of the countless titbits contained
in Bartletts exploration of the Dark Net, those
behind-the-curtain zones of cyberspace whose
hallmarks are secrecy, deception and not a little
anarchy. In his quest to understand the shadowy
interstices between the vast slabs of the common
or garden Net, Bartlett consults hackers, trolls, anarchists, political activists,
online sex peddlers, Bitcoiners seeking a new economy or a new world order
more or less, the kind of people parents warn us about.
Its origins are not all in shadowy cabals, though. Some emerged from perfectly
respectable, if radically minded, individuals in the IT industry and academia. The
common thread: they were mostly very smart indeed.
Bartletts efforts to dig deeper into the Dark Net do require him to dwell on
his interactions with some of its denizens, but this can sometimes overshadow
his attempt at explanation of the phenomenon. After all, one can take only so
much personal involvement with people who frankly dont have a life (I will
probably be trolled and bombed online now).
The scary implication is that, to many of its denizens, the Dark Net has become
more real than real life. Bartlett asserts that, in the end, it comes down to freedom to choose and its up to the individual to make the right choices. But he
confesses to the uneasy feeling that its all too easy to get sucked into the dark
depths of cyberspace. Approach with care, then.
LEGENDARY SAFARI GUIDES

Suzie Cazenove
Bookstorm
Price: R212
A guide can make or break the safari experience,
says veteran tour operator Cazenove. And legendary is perhaps the appropriate word to describe
some of the rugged, colourful characters brought
to life in these pages. Clearly in love with her
subject, Cazenove has updated her previous book
on guides to chart the changing face of safaris in
sub-Saharan Africa, tracing its origins and development from the rather crude early days when training involved being plied with drink and then
having to work with a hangover the next day, or
shooting an impala and bringing it back unaided.
By her telling, that certainly reflected the work hard, play hard
ethic at Londolozi. Yet when she draws her word pictures of
these distinctive individuals and she really is able to draw stories out of them their deep attachment to the wild is evident.
FEBRUARY 2015
THE SCIENCE BOOK

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley
Price: R350
Neatly packaged into bite-sized chapters
that retain the essentials without dumbing down unnecessarily, The Science Book
takes a historical view of the subject from
its origins in ancient Mesopotamia and
Greece around 600 BCE.
Its bright, engaging layout is copiously
illustrated and nice touches include In
context sidebars and boxes listing relevant historical information by date.
Where necessary, and in larger chapters,
a particular individuals contribution may
be detailed: for example, Murray Gell-Mans
work in particle physics.
This is a worthy addition to the curious
minds bookshelf. Its logically laid out,
clear in its approach and comprehensive
in its scope. If there is a quibble, its that
some might argue that it doesnt shed
sufficient light on contributions to science from the East, notably China.
She has plenty of anecdotes of her own, too.

One in particular had me smiling at the thought
of her watching Nelson Mandelas release from
prison, on a generator-driven TV set at a Skeleton
Coast guest farm, while perched in the family living
room between two cheetahs and Elvis, a large
male baboon.
Not content with a mere praise song to Africas
enchanting beauty and a homage to its safari
guide legends, Cazenove also weighs on the topical issues of poaching, hunting, transfrontier
parks, as do her interview subjects. Judging by their endlessly
fascinating tales and wealth of knowledge and passion, if youve
ever been left unmoved by your experience of African wildlife,
PM
perhaps you just werent in the right hands. AD
HERES THE NEWEST GEAR YOULL WANT TO OWN
C O M P I L E D B Y S E A N W O O D S S E A N W @ R A M S AY M E D I A . C O . Z A
GREAT STUFF
ors
d
E itoice
ch
MYKRONOZ ZESPLASH SMARTWATCH

Smart arm candy
Wearable tech is the current big thing. That said, if you want to get up to speed with the latest gadget trend,
we suggest you check out the Swiss-designed smartwatch from MyKronoz, the ZeSplash. Connecting to iOS and
Android handsets via Bluetooth, this water-resistant smartwatch boasts a capacitive colour touchscreen, along with
an integrated microphone and speaker giving it the ability to act as a wireless dialler and allowing users to handle
calls directly from their wrists.
You can also listen to music stored on your mobile device via its built-in speaker, remotely voice-command your
phone and take voice memos with its recording feature. And, when your phones out of range, this nifty little device
gently vibrates. Oh, it also features a built-in pedometer that tracks daily steps and calories burned. Price: about
R3 000. Contact Gammatek on 011-201 0800 or visit www.gammatek.co.za
18
ROLEX OYSTER
PERPETUAL
SEA-DWELLER 4000
Man, thats deep
You can tell a lot about someone

by the bling that adorns his wrist. For
example, if hes wearing Rolexs all-new
Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller 4000 you
can pretty much assume that he is
financially secure and strongly believes
in meticulously designed precision.
This 40 mm technical divers watch is
waterproof to a depth of 1 220 metres and
features the latest in Rolex innovation Cerachrom
bezel insert in ceramic, long-lasting Chromalight luminescence,
paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring, Oysterlock safety clasp
and Glidelock bracelet extension system. Most importantly, it
features the helium escape valve patented by Rolex back in 1967.
This ingenious safety deice releases helium from the watch case
as the gas expands during the decompression phases of deep-water
saturation dives, while preserving waterproofness. As youd
expect, it comes with a high-precision self-winding mechanical
movement. Price: about R111 300. Visit www.rolex.com
WD MY CLOUD MIRROR
Safe and accessible
Storing content on multiple devices such as laptops,
PCs, smartphones and tablets can be a frustrating
exercise. How many of us have lost count of where
weve stored our photos, music and movies?
Fortunately, WDs My Cloud Mirror featuring dual
drives that provide up to 12 TB of capacity provides
one centralised storage point for all your familys
digital content, allowing you to store, share, access
and upload files from any location using WDs My
Cloud app for iOS and Android mobile devices.
With Mirror Mode (RAID 1), all files are automatically
duplicated on to the second drive for extra peace of
mind. Alternately, you can opt for RAID 0, spanning
or JBOD modes for faster performance and maximum
capacity. WD SmartWare Pro offers options for how,
when and where you back up your files. Plus you can
transfer files between your personal cloud, Dropbox
and other public cloud accounts via the free mobile
app. Prices range from around R4 800 for 4 TB up
to about R9 000 for 12 TB. Visit www.wd.com
CASIO G-SHOCK GPW1000

Stay in sync
Seasoned long-haul travellers know only too well the feeling of missing a
connecting flight because you hadnt adjusted to local time. Casios latest
G-Shock GPW1000 watch not only boasts the same level of toughness as
previous models, but also features a decidedly new tech twist: the ability
to adjust automatically to local time zones. This is done by combining
Multiband 6 capability (to receive any one of six time calibration signals
transmitted from different locations around the globe) with a receiver that
acquires position and time information from GPS satellites. While flying,
this can be disabled by switching to Flight mode.
The moulded fine resin frame underpins its legendary good looks and
tough exterior; its waterproof down to 200 metres. A solar charging
system converts a range of light sources into usable power.
Price: about R19 000. Contact James Ralph on 011-314 8888 or visit
www.jamesralph.co.za
FEBRUARY 2015 www.popularmechanics.co.za19
GREAT STUFF
CANON POWERSHOT G7 X
Serious snapper
Dont let the small form factor of Canons new PowerShot G7 X lull you into
thinking its only good for happy snaps this is one serious shooter that, in many
respects, offers an experience comparable to that of DSLRs. From professionallooking portraits to macro close-ups, its quality 24 mm wide-angle and bright
f/1.8 2.8 4.2 x optical zoom lens with 9-blade aperture allows creative types
to achieve beautiful background blur. When combined with its large 1.0-type
sensor this pocket-sized camera excels in low light providing users with the
flexibility to capture images confidently with vividly realistic colours and low
noise, even at ISO 12800. And, thanks to the responsiveness and superior
speed of DIGIC 6, Canons most powerful image processor to date, it has a
continuous shooting rate of 6,5 fps.
Its fast autofocus system includes 31 focus points that can be conveniently
changed via the cameras large rear tilt-up touchscreen. Other cool features
include 5-axis intelligent image stabilisation, Full HD video capture, Wi-Fi and
NFC connectivity and a customisable Lens Control Ring to control critical
photographic settings. Price: about R6 000. Contact Canon on 011-251 2400
or visit www.canon.co.za
GARMIN VECTOR S POWER SENSOR

Power it up
Power-measuring devices have become de rigueur for seriously competitive
cyclists, who agonise over such minutiae as watts per kilogram in an effort
to maximise their workouts. Typically these devices measure the force exerted
on the rear hub or calculate power output based on chain deflection. Garmins
Vector S power sensor pedal instead directly measures the power put into
each pedal stroke by looking at the force on cyclists left pedals. First, it
measures the deflection in the pedal spindle as cyclists pedal. Then, by
comparing that measured deflection to a factory calibration, it can determine how much force cyclists are applying to the pedal. Measurements are
taken hundreds of times per second, and the force sensor and related
electronics are permanently and securely sealed within the left pedal spindle.
Measuring total power and cadence, it sends all data to compatible
Edge cycling computers or other ANT+ enabled devices. The system
includes the left pedal with embedded power meter, a right pedal without sensor, pedal pod and related hardware. And, with additional arm
clearance (in thickness and width), it fits almost any bike. Price: about
R13 000. Contact Garmin on 011-251 9999 or visit www.garmin.co.za
20
LOCKLATCH SECURITY LATCH

Open, but secure
Necessity is without a doubt the mother of invention. If youve
ever struggled to balance our need for security with our need
for fresh air, youll understand why the LockLatch came about.
Its designed to allow free-flowing air into your home without
compromising security by securing open doors and windows in
position. And get this: it was invented as a result of a Brazilian
experience by a South African, Anthony Bairos. Having fallen
victim to a spate of burglaries while sailing along the coast of
Brazil, Bairos devised this latching system.
As its name indicates, LockLatch is simply a lockable latch
that allows you to adjust the gap from 8 to 16 cm to provide
small pet and air access. Made from stainless steel with a satin
finish, it fits all doors, windows and hatches horizontally and
vertically. Oh, and it works for baboons, too. Prices range from
about R300 to R330 depending on the size you go for. Contact
LockLatch on 082 447 2809 or visit www.locklatch.co.za
MOTOMIA TERRA 250

Bush whacker
Do you like the look of MotoMias motard-styled, dual-purpose terra-strada TS
250, but would prefer a bike with more dedicated off-road capabilities? If so,
youre in luck. According to MotoMia, numerous requests have been received
from customers interested in spoked rims for more serious off-road work. Their
solution: their all-new terra 250. Like the terra-strada, it features mono-shock
rear suspension, upside down front forks, powerful disk brakes up front and on
the rear, 249 cm3 four-stroke motor with an output of 14 kW (at 7 000 r/min) as
well as a 10-litre fuel tank. In fact, its almost identical bike to the TS, except for
spoked rims, the larger 21-inch front wheel and more off-road oriented knobbly
tyres, that is. It also features analogue instruments (unlike the digital console on
the terra-strada). Price: about R17 500. Contact MotoMia on 0861 668 664 or
visit www.motomia.com
HUAWEI HG532F ADSL ROUTER

WITH 3G
Stay connected
Remaining online when your ADSL goes down is a
cinch when you have Huaweis latest ADSL router,
the HG532f with 3G. Thanks to this nifty device,
next time your neighbourhood has been pillaged
by cable thieves youll still able to enjoy YouTube
or get some work done all you need to is plug in
a 3G dongle and carry on as normal.
Specwise, this wireless ADSL 2+ router delivers
ultra-stable and reliable connectivity with high-speed,
high-performance wireless transmissions of up to
300 Megabits per second. Its also said to offer
excellent wireless coverage and increased range
thanks to its powerful external antenna, as well as
wired connectivity with four 10/100 M adaptive
Ethernet interfaces. Other features include Wi-Fi
Protected Access support, encryption and a built-in
firewall for an extra layer of security. Price: about
R550. Contact distributor Drive Control Corporation
on 011-201 8927 or visit www.drivecon.net
SONY MDR-XB950T BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES

All about the bass
Party animals who like to shake it up, even when theyre not in a club, should
check out Sonys new MDR-XB950BT headphones the first Bluetooth model
in their Extra Bass (XB) range. Their big 40 mm driver units feature high magnetic density neodymium magnets for effortless reproduction of the deepest
sub-bass wobble. Want it to go lower still? Then just activate the Electro Bass
Booster and instantly accentuate lows to club-like levels. Plus, the Advanced
Direct Vibe Structure seals space between the driver unit and eardrum to
ensure tightly focused direct reproduction of sub-bass sounds.
Ergonomics are taken seriously, too. The ear pads are crafted with new
soft-touch cushions that nestle comfortably around a wide range of head
shapes and the around-ear cavity allows the outer ear to keep its natural shape
while delivering full-range sound directly to your eardrum. The built-in Li-Ion
rechargeable battery is said to be good for up to 20 hours of play. Price:
about R2 500. Visit www.incredible.co.za
GREAT STUFF
SWISS MOBILITY RUGGED POWER PACK

Power to go
Looking for a mobile charger that can take a bruising? Then look no
further. Swiss Mobilitys Rugged Power Pack is both dust- and waterresistant, making it the ideal gadget companion to take along on your
next adventure. And, if thats not enough for you, its shock-resistant
shell boasts military-grade MIL STD 810G drop protection, too.
Its 6 000 mAh lithium-ion battery pack will comfortably
charge smartphones, tablets, cameras and the like. It comes
with two separate USB rapid charging ports (1 amp and 2,1 amp)
to accommodate tablets and phones. It can also charge two
devices at once and features dual LED safety lights, along
with a battery life indicator. Price: about R660. Contact
Mantality on 011-462 5482 or visit www.mantality.co.za
BRYTON RIDER 60T GPS

STAR TREK PHASER REMOTE CONTROL
Beam me up Scotty
Granted, the battle for ultimate control of the telly remote can become
quite heated, but that doesnt mean we have to take things too seriously
on the home front. The Star Trek Phaser Remote Control is a case in point
it lets you explore strange new channels, seek out old Star Trek reruns
and boldly watch TV like no mans ever watched before. Painstakingly
3D scanned from the last remaining Phaser prop in existence, used nearly
50 years ago by William Shatner in his role as Captain James T Kirk, this
ridiculously detailed 1:1 scale screen-accurate replica is as close as it gets
to wielding the real thing.
Happily, its not just a fine collectable model to proudly display on a
shelf. Its also a fully programmable gesture-based universal remote control
using advanced infra-red technology to control everything from TVs and
DVD players to stereos and iPod docks. The only thing it cant do is actually
vaporise alien life forms or family members with terrible viewing tastes.
Price: about R3 700. Contact Yuppie Gadgets on 021-593 0000 or visit
www.yuppiegadgets.com
22
Know where youre at

Whether you want audible route guidance while pedalling your way to an unfamiliar destination, or a reliable
monitor of fitness levels while training for the Cape
Town Cycle Tour, Brytons Rider 60T GPS for cyclists
has you covered.
Its turn-by-turn voice guidance system, delivered via
a wireless Bluetooth headset, ensures you never end
up facing a hill you hadnt planned on tackling. Preloaded
tests and workouts (it comes with eight customisable
data screens), assist with training. Other features include
a runtime of 16 hours, real-time altitude chart, barometer, preloaded Road Explorer maps and seven heart
rate zones. Weighing just 106 grams, its also waterproof and comes with a bike mount, along with a
heart rate monitor and speed sensor. Even better, no
installation or activation is required; just switch it on
and go. Price: about R5 700. Contact Action Gear on
011-781 1323 or visit www.actiongear.co.za
PM
HOW HARMFUL ARE THEY?
TOXIC
SHOCKERS
Our food, furniture and frankly everything
else are contaminated with industrial
compounds but how harmful are they?
AKE a bite out of a fresh apple:

theres nothing as healthy or natural.
The problem is that science tells us
otherwise: sensitive tests reveal that
pretty much everything in the modern
world fresh fruit included comes with
a cocktail of chemical extras. Some of these
extras are welcome, but others are not.
Consider that apple. In a study by the
US Department of Agriculture, almost
every apple tested contained residues of
insecticides, fungicides and herbicides.
Look hard enough and it is much the
same story whichever food you examine.
Nor is it just our eating habits that expose
us to these pollutants we pick up tiny
doses from cosmetics and paper, from the
cushions and fabrics we sit on, the water
we drink and the air we breathe.
Before you choke on your snack, bear
in mind that most of these doses fall well
below the levels considered harmful by
regulators; others dont have any discernible
effect on the human body. But there are a
few whose safety is disputed both by experts
and in the popular press. Over the next five
pages, we explain what we know about
nine of the most frequently suspected
substances.
24
FEBRUARY 2015
Antimicrobials
Want to keep your mouth fresh, armpits smelling
sweet and feet fungus-free? Triclosans antimicrobial
clout has a wide reach: it is added to many products
including soap, toothpaste and cosmetics. But, in
1998, a report suggested that triclosan might be
contributing to antibiotic resistance. Then, in 2007,
concerns emerged that the antimicrobial might alter
hormone regulation in rats.
Triclosan has since been scrutinised closely by regulatory bodies and scientists globally. The concern in
the rat studies was that triclosan disrupted the
endocrine system in particular thyroid function
when the rats were fed high doses of the stuff.
Animal models dont necessarily translate to
humans. However, the US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is keeping a close eye on triclosans
potential health effects: it has brought forward its
scheduled review by 10 years. The EPA reports that
there is a low-level risk to some aquatic life, particularly algae, from water that has triclosan in it. There
are even indications that triclosan may not make
hand-washing more effective a number of manufacturers, among them Johnson & Johnson and
Procter & Gamble, have decided to eliminate the
ingredient from their products.
This year, Minnesota became the first US state to
legally restrict its use. In Europe, the question of
antibiotic resistance is still being investigated. The
European Commissions Scientific Committee on
Consumer Safety says that triclosan is still safe to
use, but admits there are gaps in knowledge.
VERDICT
iSTOCKPHOTO/CHRISTOPHER BADZIOCH AND BLACKRED
Theres no direct evidence that triclosan damages human health, but its under close scrutiny.
Katharine Sanderson
STAIN RESISTERS
First produced industrially in the
1940s, these substances are marvellous at repelling grease and
water, but a number of studies
show that we all carry traces of
them in our blood. Two of the
most common PFCs found in
humans and the environment are
perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
and perfluorooctanoic acid
(PFOA).
Thanks to their long molecular
backbones and super-strong carbon-fluorine bonds, these chemicals are remarkably difficult to
break down and so they persist
in the environment for years.
Animal studies suggest that longchain PFCs may alter hormone
levels and cause cancer. Human
studies suggest that these chemicals may lead to thyroid disease
and raised cholesterol levels
among other things.
In 2009, PFOS was added tothe
list of chemicals bannedunder an
international environmental treaty
called the Stockholm Convention
onPersistent Organic Pollutants.
Eight major manufacturers have
signed upto a US Environmental
Protection Agency programmeto
eliminate theuse of PFOA by 2015.
Manufacturers have switched
to shorter-chain PFCs, which
should degrade more easily. Yet
these chemicals are also a cause
for concern. Take perfluorobutane
sulfonate (PFBS). This is broken
down in our bodies in days, so
experts had not expected it to
accumulate inside us. Yet a

2012 Swedish study found that
the concentration of PFBS is
increasing dramatically in our
blood, doubling every six years
although concentrations remain
relatively low.
There are other mysteries to
solve. While the levels of PFOS
and PFOA in blood are falling,
PFOA concentrations have not
declined as much as predicted.
Scott Mabury at the University
of Toronto in Canada suggests
that might be because other
fluorinated chemicals are converted to PFOA in our bodies.
Chemicals called polyfluoroalkyl
phosphate esters, widely used
in greaseproof food wrappers,
could be one source, he says.
These chemicals have been
detected in human blood,
and animal studies suggest
they can transfer from packaging into food.
Worse, Mabury says that tests
on blood reveal a number of
organofluorine compounds of
which almost half cannot be
identified. This suggests there
are new chemicals on the market
that we have not measured yet.
VERDICT
A widespread, persistent family of chemicals with evidence
of impact on human health.
Emma Davies
Of 5,7 million tons of pollutants released in North America:

n 1,8 million tons considered persistent, bioaccumulative or toxic
n 970 000 tons known or suspected carcinogens
n 857 000 tons considered reproductive or developmental toxicants
UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME
FEBRUARY 2015
In 2004, journalists and consumers got

in a spin over chemical preservatives
called parabens, when a study suggested
that parabens were present in 20 breast
cancer tissue samples, and linked the
disease to cosmetics such as deodorants
(Journal of Applied Toxicology, vol 24,
p 5). This sparked a long-running debate
about the safety of parabens.
But evidence that links them to breast
cancer has been elusive. Regulatory
bodies, including the US Food and
Drug Administration and the European
Unions Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, maintain that, although
parabens are thought to disrupt the
endocrine system, the low doses in
cosmetics are safe. Whats more, most
underarm deodorants dont contain
parabens.
In 2012, another study into a possible
link between parabens and breast cancer
from the same researchers prompted
UK charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer
to speak out. This research has serious
flaws and provides no proof to suggest
that women should be concerned about
parabens. Alan Boobis, director of the
Public Health England Toxicology Unit
FIREFIGHTERS
at Imperial College London, agrees:
Parabens really arent very harmful, he
says. Animals exposed to really quite
high levels experience no adverse effects,
he says. That is a consistent finding.
Despite a lack of pressure from regulatory bodies, cosmetics companies have
started to remove parabens and other
chemicals from their products. Its
because of public pressure, says Boobis.
VERDICT
Theres no convincing evidence that
parabens in cosmetics damage
human health. KS
COSMETICS PLASTICS
Phthalates are often added to plastics to increase
their flexibility, but also turn up in a huge variety
of other places, from pill coatings to printing inks.
As a result, low levels of this group of chemicals
are found in almost all of the people tested by
the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bad news? They have been identified as possible
disrupters of the human endocrine system, but
their health effects at low concentrations are
unclear. Exposure at high levels is linked to lower
sperm count and anatomical deformities in newborns, although this link has also been seen in
groups exposed to regular levels of phthalates.
Our knowledge of phthalates largely comes
from animal studies, says Laura Vandenberg at
the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
VERDICT
Phthalates effects on human health are
unclear. They are so widespread that they
are difficult to avoid. ED
26
Making furniture and fabrics resistant to

fire seems like a no-brainer. Yet many
flame-retardant chemicals pose a serious
risk to health. One group the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) comes in
hundreds of forms, from penta- to decabrominated diphenyl ethers.
Until recently, these substances were used
in a vast array of products, from electronics
to bedding. Many have now been banned
or withdrawn in the EU and the US over
concerns about reduced fertility and impaired development in children. However,
concentrations of PBDEs in people in North
America have doubled every few years
since the 1970s, and relatively high levels
are found in house dust.
How the chemicals escape from furniture
is still a big unknown, says Heather
Stapleton, an expert on flame retardants at
Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
They may get into air pockets in cushions,
she says, and enter the air when someone
sits down. Foam can also rub off to form
dust, she adds.
Linda Birnbaum, director of the US
National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences in North Carolina, is particularly
worried by another chemical called tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), which has
largely fallen under the radar despite
being used in phenomenal quantities
worldwide. Research from the US National
Toxicology Programme showed that TBBPA
causes cancer in rodents.
There is also evidence that the chemical
is an endocrine disrupter, affecting both
thyroid hormones and oestrogen signalling,
says Birnbaum. She has found that TBBPA
can inhibit an enzyme that metabolises
oestrogen, leading to elevated levels of
the hormone in the body. TBBPA is often
used as a substitute for the banned decaBDE, primarily in electronics, but too little
is known about the new chemicals replacing
banned retardants, says Birnbaum. For
some of the chemicals, what little information we have is very concerning, she
says. Take chlorinated tris (TDCPP), which
was banned from use in childrens pyjamas
in the 1970s after it was found to cause
cancer in animals. This chemical is still used
in furniture, often as a replacement for
penta-BDE.
VERDICT
Harmful retardants remain widespread.
New ones may need more testing. ED
FEBRUARY 2015
iSTOCKPHOTO/PLAINVIEW
PARABENS
PESTICIDES
Tests showed
12 000 out of
77 000 samples
from 500 different foods contained pesticide
levels exceeding
European legal
limits
EUROPEAN FOOD
SAFETY AUTHORITY
iSTOCKPHOTO/ANDYLID
METALS
There might be no lead in
vehicle fumes nowadays,
but it is still getting into
our bodies. Lead is reemerging as a problem,
says Alan Boobis, director
of the Public Health England
Toxicology Unit at Imperial
College London. Lead
exposure has dropped
dramatically since the
1970s, especially in the
EU after it was banned
in petrol and regulated
in pipes and paints.
But all the lead that has
been released over the years
has made it into the soil, and
so we end up eating it in our
food. The main culprits are
cereals, with vegetables and
tap water also contributing.
Avoiding lead is virtually
impossible. In 2010, the
European Food Safety
FEBRUARY 2015
Authority (EFSA) reduced

its recommended threshold
for lead in the body, and
concluded that a measure
that used to be called a
provisional tolerable weekly
intake was no longer appropriate. There is no safe
blood lead level, says
Boobis. Even at low levels,
lead seems to be associated
with lower IQ, he says.
Babies and children are
most at risk.
Mercury too, remains
a concern. Unlike lead,
mercury accumulates in
the food chain and toppredator fish are our main
dietary source. Too much
mercury can result in developmental damage in babies
and small children. A new
study shows that mercury
levels have tripled in surface
waters, especially around

Iceland and Antarctica, yet
this represents just a quarter
of the amount released
by industry. The rest, researchers suggest, is probably in ocean sediments.
The one place where
mercury is closest to us is
possibly the place where
we should fear it least:
mercury amalgam tooth
fillings. The amount of
mercury that comes out is
so low it has little effect,
says Boobis.
VERDICT
Guilty as charged.
Mercury intake can be
reduced by avoiding
predatory fish. KS
Many pesticides are designed to poison

nervous systems, but toxicologist Rudy
Richardson at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann
Arbor says we shouldnt worry too
much: these neurotoxins are not
wantonly sprayed on our food. These
compounds are probably the most
strictly regulated of all types of chemical substances. Yet even regulators
dont always agree on risks the herbicide atrazine, for example, is banned
in the EU, but widely used in the US.
Traces of pesticides are now widespread in the environment. The US
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that most Americans have very low concentrations of
organophosphate pesticides in their
urine, and surveys by the US Department of Agriculture have found that
many kinds of fruit and vegetables
contain tiny amounts of pesticide
residues. Although these are below
levels deemed dangerous by regulators, pesticide use is on the up. This
worries environmental scientist Laura
Vandenberg at the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst. Pesticides
are designed to be biologically
active, she notes.
Studies link exposure to organophosphate pesticides in pregnancy to delays
in childhood development and autism,
and suggest they may also play a role
in cardiovascular disease. A review of
epidemiological studies published in
Lancet Neurology suggests that a
common organophosphate pesticide,
chlorpyrifos, can damage human
brain development (Vol 13, p 330).
And according to Linda Birnbaum,
director of the US National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences in
North Carolina, there is evidence that
pesticide exposure may increase the risk
of developing diabetes and obesity.
In 2012, the EU completed a review
of 1 000 pesticides that led to the withdrawal of about 700 older chemicals
from the market. The US Environmental
Protection Agency has a programme
to speed up the registration of new,
safer alternatives to older pesticides.
VERDICT
Pesticides can be harmful.
Despite tight controls, they do
get into food. KS
BURNT FOOD
In 2002, Swedish researchers reported that
acrylamide, a chemical linked to cancer in
rodents, is present in some cooked foods at
surprisingly high levels. Acrylamide forms
when plant-based foods rich in carbohydrates
are baked, fried or roasted at high temperatures. The chemical is created as part of a
browning reaction involving sugars and an
amino acid called asparagine, and adds to a
foods appeal by creating flavour and colour.
Since acrylamide is highly water-soluble,
it is absorbed from the gut and then distributed to tissues. Animal studies suggest
that acrylamide has the potential to cause
cancer, possibly by forming a substance
called glycidamide in the body, which is
widely distributed into tissues.
According to the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) Panel on Contaminants in
the Food Chain which has pored over
vast numbers of studies foods such as
chips, breakfast cereals, biscuits and breads
all contain acrylamide. Its draft report,
released for consultation in July 2014,
states that eating acrylamide potentially
increases the risk of developing cancer
and reveals that coffee and fried or roast
potatoes are the worst offenders.
Some research also links the chemical to
effects on the nervous and reproductive
system in rodents. A recent study by a
collaboration between the Norwegian
Institute of Public Health and Stockholm

University suggests that pregnant women
exposed to higher levels of acrylamide had
smaller babies. Yet the EFSA makes it clear
that studies have not demonstrated
acrylamide to be a human carcinogen.
That hasnt prevented a lawsuit in the
US claiming that food manufacturers had
failed to warn consumers about the dangers of acrylamide. As a result, acrylamide
must be labelled in consumer products in
California and some manufacturers have
agreed to reduce levels of the chemical in
their foods.
Unfortunately, acrylamide is nigh on
impossible to avoid if you enjoy tasty,
starch-rich foods. But there are ways to
limit consumption. Toast can be eaten
golden rather than darker brown, and
research has shown that a short espresso
has less acrylamide than a lungo, which
takes twice as long to prepare.
For now, the EFSA recommends avoiding
overcooking and excessive crisping. Dont
burn it, lightly brown it, goes the advice.
20 kilograms of
pharmaceuticals
flow down Italys
Po River daily
MARIO NEGRI INSTITUTE
FOR PHARMACOLOGICAL
RESEARCH
VERDICT
Despite lingering concerns, acrylamide in food is not a confirmed
carcinogen in humans. ED
BPA
28
toxicant. Yet although BPAs

impact has been confirmed in
animals, its action is hard to
prove in humans, in part because
our bodies rapidly convert it to a
form that exhibits no oestrogenlike activity.
While some researchers and
campaigners argue that current
safety levels are not stringent
enough, attention is turning to
BPAs replacement, bisphenol S.
This has a similar structure and
one study says it may also act
like oestrogen. BPA is just one
of many potential endocrinedisrupting chemicals we are
exposed to.
In 2013, 85scientists signed a
document demanding tougher
regulation in Europe. The
Berlaymont Declaration on
Endocrine Disrupters pointed

to rising levels of cancer, plus
brain, thyroid and reproductive
problems, and suggested that
the rate of increase in endocrinerelated diseases cannot be explained by genetics or lifestyle
alone.
VERDICT
BPA may be just one of
many endocrine disrupters
damaging human health. KS
iSTOCKPHOTO/TOAST: AKHAJON/COFFEE: ELENATHEWISE
Packaging and till receipts

(including credit card machines
and ATMs) contain the compound bisphenol-A. After tests
by the US Centres for Disease
Control and Prevention found
BPA in more than 90 per cent of
Americans, and the US National
Toxicology Programme expressed
concern over its effects on the
brains and behaviour of young
children, the Food and Drug
Administration banned the
chemical from babies bottles
in 2012.
In Europe, a similar ban
came into force in 2011, and
the committee for risk assessment at the European Chemicals
Agency, which advises EU regulators, announced that BPA is a
presumed human reproductive
FEBRUARY 2015
UP TO OUR NECKS IN CHEMICALS
In 2004,
4,9 million deaths
were attributable
to exposure to
selected chemicals
WHO
FEBRUARY 2015
Understanding the risks posed

by additives and contaminants
seems like a mission impossible.
For a start, most chemicals are
only tested in animals, and then
at high doses, so their impact
on humans isnt clear. At the
same time, industries make
and use synthetic chemicals in
so many different forms that,
without a step change in the
way we assess them, there is
little chance of quantifying the
risks they pose, says Julian
Cribb, an Australian journalist
and author of Poisoned Planet.
Even the exact number of
chemicals marketed globally is
unknown, Cribb says. One
guide is the number registered
with the EU which stands at
around 144 000. Of these,
roughly a third are thought
to be harmful, says Cribb, but
the vast majority have not
been assessed for human or
environmental safety.
There are other challenges.
The chemicals industry is set
to triple in size by 2050, with
manufacturing shifting from
North America and Europe to
nations in Asia and South
America. Many of these places
currently lack robust safety
regulations.
There have been some successes in the long-term cleanup of our environment. Many
countries no longer use asbestos or tetraethyl lead, and the
Stockholm Conven-tion lists 25
nasties that are banned or being
eliminated from use, including
DDT, dioxins and PCBs.
Others are under review. Yet
this list represents just a few
pixels in a megapixel image of
global toxicity, Cribb warns.
At the current rate it will
take around 50 000 years to
assess the remainder.
Scientists have begun to plot
a course of action to tackle this
task more swiftly. In the US,
for instance, the Toxicology in
the 21st Century (Tox21) programme aims to make testing
faster and cheaper. Created by
the National Institutes of
Health, the Environ-mental

Protection Agency and the
Food and Drug Administration,
Tox21 aims to examine how
10 000 different chemicals
affect human health.
To do this, it will use highthroughput screening made
possible by robotics and powerful computers to run huge
numbers of chemical tests.
Computers can then seek
patterns that reveal how
chemicals disrupt pathways
in human cells, and gauge
their impact on human health.
This will allow us to make
decisions without extensive
animal testing, says Linda
Birnbaum, director of the
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in
North Carolina.
This strategy offers another
benefit. It could reveal if tiny
amounts of toxic chemicals
interact with each other to
make us ill the so-called
cocktail effect. This question
has troubled experts for many
years. Conventional tests examine one chemical at a time, but
in the real world we face mixtures of chemicals at doses
below those usually thought
damaging, such as in vehicle
exhausts and cosmetics. Yet
there is good evidence for an
additive effect in which minute
amounts of, say, endocrine
disrupters can act together
to do harm.
The European Commission
is in the process of identifying
which combinations should be
assessed as a priority. Along
with high-throughput screening,
this may finally offer a way to
navigate the complexities of
chemical safety.
My hope is that within 10
years well be able to make
decisions based on Tox21,
says Birnbaum.
Emma Davies and Katharine
Sanderson are science journalists
based in the UK. (c) 2014 Reed
Business Information UK. All
Rights Reserved. Distributed by
Tribune Content Agency, LLC PM
Mike (left) and Dan

Dubno in Mikes home
shop in New York City,
with the robot he built
30 years ago.
30
FEBRUARY 2015
by
SCOTT EDEN
PHOTOGRAPHS
BY
DALE MAY
Mike and Dan Dubno are master tinkerers whose innovations

have altered global finance and television news. But their greatest
creation is Gadgetoff a chaotic festival where technologys
biggest names gather to flaunt prototypes, blow stuff up, and
peer straight into the future.
FEBRUARY 2015
g r e at m o m e n t s
at g a d g e t o f f
A DOZEN YEARS AGO, when Mike Dubno was

looking for a home on Manhattans Upper West
Side, a realtor showed him a six-storey brownstone
on a serene cross street not far from Central Park.
The building was nice enough, but what really
seduced Dubno was something the engineering
inspector mentioned. He noted that a previous
owner had divided the building into multi-family
dwellings, and in so doing had installed 400-amp
electrical service. You know, the engineer said,
you could run a machine shop in here.
One of Dubnos priorities after moving in was
to excavate a quarter-million kilograms of bedrock
to convert his dim, 19th-century grotto of a basement into an 83-square-metre workshop roughly
the size and shape of a railroad apartment. Dubno
then installed a Smithy lathe and milling machine he
would control by a computer he built from scratch.
He has a Jet drill press capable of 5 000 r/min, which
he concedes is a ludicrous drill press for an individual
to have. He has an Epilog laser cutter and a MakerBot 3D printer. He has a TIG (tungsten inert gas)
welder and a MIG (metal inert gas) welder and a
Hypertherm torch with a 30000-degree beam of
ionised plasma. An industrial-grade air-filtration
system with a 1-micron filter sucks stuff the
superfine particulate dust that results from matter
thats been cut by a plasma torch, say out of the
air. When he fires up the Oneida vacuum that
powers the system (This is overkill by a lot), it
emits a rising, multipitched whoosh not unlike the
sound effect used for death rays in B movies.
On the rooms several benches are motherboards
32
From top: Robotocist

Helen Greiner; a Gadgetoffguest in a virtual-reality
sphere; artist and fabricator
Neal Ormond makes
bananas flamb with
a flamethrower.
in varying stages of deconstruction, a Short Circuitesque robot Dubno built 30 years ago when he
was 20, powerful magnets that if not stored properly will suck large metal things across the room, a
length of copper pipe to be used in a magic trick
(Dubno sometimes helps his friend, the magician
Michael Chaut, build devices for shows), and an
Antikythera mechanism an ancient Greek device
sometimes called humanitys first computer. Dubno
fashioned one of the only accurate working models
in existence out of Lucite using his laser cutter.
Dubno, now 52, is a college dropout and autodidact software programmer who rose to become
the chief technology officer of Goldman Sachs.
Depending on whom you ask, he is slightly more
or less intense about various forms of gadgetry
than his brother, Dan, 55, a former CBS News producer. In 1998, Dan came across a speech given by
Al Gore in which the then-vice president mused
about a satellite-based photo- and data-collection
system that could render every centimetre of the
Earth into a vast digital online map. Dan, who had
used technology to enhance the news since arriving
at CBS in 1989, was intrigued. What I wanted was
the ability to zoom in from outer space to any area
in the world, Dan recalls. Say an earthquake
happened, or whatever terrible thing it was I
wanted all this metadata and real data so we
could illustrate what was going on before our
cameras could even get to a place.
He discovered an obscure startup called Keyhole,
which was developing software that could create
a Web-based map of Earth composed of high-resolution satellite images. He also found satelliteimagery companies actually taking such photographs.
He merged the two technologies and used the
result on the CBS Evening News in 2003 when
the United States invaded Iraq, showing Saddam
Husseins strongholds and targets of bombing raids
well before the networks competitors had such
capabilities. As the first person to bring data-visualisation technologies like 3D graphics, touchscreens
and high-resolution satellite imagery to television,
he transformed the news. He later introduced
Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page to
Keyholes technology. Not long after that the company bought it and turned it into Google Earth.
The Dubnos have fashioned and hacked and
fabricated and tinkered with many remarkable
things, and have imagined many more. But the
most amazing thing theyve ever built is something you cannot touch at all.
THE WHOLE THING STARTED more than a decade

ago, when Mike introduced his brother to Greg
Harper, a technology consultant then doing work
for Goldman Sachs. Both men were serious gadget
heads, and competitive about it. When they first
met in Mikes office at Goldman, each strove to
outdo the other by pulling yet newer or still more
FEBRUARY 2015
exotic gizmos from his pocket or briefcase, like

the knife, gun, cannon, missile, nuke sequence
in a Tom and Jerry cartoon. You might think Dan
would have had the advantage, being a networknews producer with a big-time journalists access
to technology companies and government labs.
He was known at CBS as such a keen technologist
that he wound up on camera as
Digital Dan, reviewing the newest
gadgets on two of the networks
programmes, including The Early
Show a role he leveraged opulently
for access to the inventors and
designers responsible for the
technology he discussed.
But Harper, it turns out, was a
worthy adversary a gadget mans
gadget man, according to Dan, a
kind of amateur historian of consumer
electronics and himself an inventor.
Harper holds 21 patents and played
a role in developing streaming video
and the software that became Windows
Media Player. His New York City duplex
apartment is stuffed with TRS-80s and
Altair 8800s and Revox reel-to-reel
tape recorders and Gordon Gekkoera Motorola DynaTACs and firstgeneration Walkmans and PalmPilots
all the once-hot technological artifacts that Harper cant bring himself
to toss. In a barn outside the city
Harper stores enough archaic technology to fill three 8-metre moving
trucks. Greg is a psycho, Dan says.
The two had so much fun sparring
they started getting together regularly
over dinner. Mike served as mediator. Soon other
technophiles heard about the gadget one-upsmanship sessions and asked to join in. They called
the gathering a Gadgetoff, and at some point it
occurred to them that it would be more interesting
if they could invite the actual human beings who
had invented the things they were showing off.
What kinds of ideas might emerge, as if from a
breeder reactor, during such confabulations?
The Dubno brothers began to scale up Gadgetoff
in December 2004 in the living room of Mikes
town house. Among the 27 attendees was Helen
Greiner from iRobot with her early bomb-disposal
military robot, which wreaked mild havoc on the
Dubno furniture. A Silicon Valley mogul arrived
with three rather conspicuous companions
young, slim, fashionable women, short of skirt,
high of heel, and as out of place in that milieu
as an actuary at Cannes. They chatted aloofly
until someone commandeered the robots remote
control and drove the machine a menacing
armoured device that appeared capable of opening fire towards the ladies at a rapid pace. They
shrieked as it cornered them. It wasnt really
FEBRUARY 2015
IF THERE WAS A MOTIVATION BEHIND

GADGETOFF, IT WAS AN INQUISITIVENESS SO
PURE IT WAS ALMOST NIHILISTIC. THEY
SIMPLY WANTED TO FIND OUT WHAT
THE BEST MINDS WERE UP TO.
designed for the insides of beautiful, nearCentral Park houses, Greiner says today.
The following year the event ballooned to
90 people, who mingled over shrimp cocktail and
platters of finger food mostly purchased at Costco.
Two world-class hackers chatted amiably with Mark
Seiden, a cybersecurity consultant for multinational
corporations essentially a hacker hunter. On the
cellphone of MIT professor Sandy Pentland was an
app to which people submitted themselves like a
polygraph test a real-time speech feature analysis
application, according to a description by its creators at the MIT Media Lab which was designed,
Dan Dubno recalls, to determine if someone is
boring. Guests sporadically went out into the
cold to race one another towards Central Park on
prototype Segways that inventor Dean Kamen had
brought. An object the size of a small car that
shouldnt have fitted through the door loomed
in the dining room. It was a two-man submarine
built to photograph surfers in Hawaii. Among
those also displaying innovations were gastromolecular chef Homaro Cantu with his experiments in
edible printing and MacArthur genius Erik Demaine
Dan at the
computer that
operates the
milling machine
in his brothers
lavish workshop.
with his computational origami. There was no

common theme among all these items save for
one: like most things presented at Gadgetoff,
they all offered a glimpse of the future.
WORD OF THE EVENT part show-and-tell, part

screwball colloquium spread quickly through the
overlapping Venn diagram worlds of technology,
science and DIY maker culture. The Dubnos had
relied on the same kind of large-scale nerd humour
that motivates university pranks, but for the future
they imagined something more ambitious: a daylong jamboree of human ingenuity that would
include the worlds most stimulating inventors,
designers, programmers, hackers, craftsmen,
machine builders and masterminds.
Attendance would be by invitation only not
that that was limiting in any way. The Dubno
brothers arent exactly name-droppers. Or, rather,
they do name-drop, but only because it would be
difficult for them to recount their exploits without
mentioning their many co-conspirators this or
that renowned scientist or inventor or Silicon
Valley bold-faced name who winds up having an
important role in the story. Mikes Antikythera
project, for example, originated with Danny Hillis,
a computer scientist, inventor, and former Disney
Imagineer who is now designing and building
something called the 10 000-Year Clock under
the auspices of a brainy but vaguely defined
think-tankish organisation called The Long Now
Foundation. The brothers have come to sit at the
hub of a network of connections that spans so
many people in so many fields and subfields of
science and technology and engineering that you
could create a game called Six Degrees of Dubno.
I think there are two degrees of Dubno, says
Kamen. One is Mike and the other is Dan.
Partly this is the result of Gadgetoffs popularity.
With each successive event the brothers found it
easier to amass a list of invitees that attracted still
more innovative minds. That was one of the best
parts about Gadgetoff the quality of the people
who were there, says Astro Teller, the artificialintelligence scientist and head of Googles secretive
advanced-research arm, Google X (and grandson
of theoretical physicist Edward Teller, who is
referred to as the father of the hydrogen bomb).
They aggregated around themselves some of the
most creative people I have met in my life, says
Yossi Vardi, the Israeli venture capitalist best
known for backing the startup that popularised
instant messaging. As Dan puts it, We have a
history of collecting innovators.
They wound up hosting former Microsoft CTO
Nathan Myhrvold; Red Whittaker, the Carnegie
Mellon roboticist; Gary Lauder, a venture capitalist
and scion of the Este Lauder fortune; Martin
Eberhard, cofounder of Tesla Motors; and MakerBot
cofounder Bre Pettis, who brought his first-gener-
34
g r e at m o m e n t s
at g a d g e t o f f
From top: The control

box for a newly unveiled
robot; oversize Tesla coil
towers provide fireworks;
a test drive of the EyeWriter, which allows
users to draw using
only their eyes.
ation 3D printers. Jeff Bezos came to observe and

politely dodge questions about Amazons next
move. If there was a motivation behind Gadgetoff,
it was an inquisitiveness so pure it was almost
nihilistic. There was no point beyond curiosity. No
talk of progress or of fixing the planet. They simply
desired to find out what the best minds were up
to. If you want to know what the future looks
like, Dan says, befriend the people inventing it.
The pursuit of knowledge for the sake of invention seemed natural enough. The Dubnos grew up
first in Brooklyn, then the Bronx (both attended
the famed, elite school Bronx Science), with a father
who worked for nearly 50 years as a patent attorney.
Herbert Dubno also knew electrical wiring and
carpentry and car engines. For fun, he plumbed.
With one arm. He lost the other in an accident on
a New Jersey farm as a young man. He went back
to school in his 50s just because he was curious.
Somehow he got New York Medical College to
let him in, Dan says. (He completed the course
work but did not receive a medical degree.) He
taught us you could learn anything about anything, and you shouldnt be intimidated by any
field, Dan says. His ethos was not only can you
do it yourself, you must.
In the late 1970s, when he was 15, Mike became
so engrossed in computer programming that he
found a summer job at a small Wall Street investment house writing code for custom software that
could track clients trades. His parents, aware of
their sons blossoming interests, had bought him
a NorthStar Horizon microcomputer, the kind with
toggle switches on the front. My dad equated it
to a piano, he says. If your kid is gifted musically
which I was not youd get him a piano. This
was my piano.
When it came time for university, Mike lasted less
than an academic year at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, even though the university paid him to
tutor other students in computer programming.
He says, I didnt understand that school was supposed to be for my benefit. He entered the workforce, taking temporary code-writing gigs at Merrill
Lynch and then Chase Manhattan Bank. He also
worked at one of New Yorks first retail computer
stores, called Digibyte, a major Atari distributor.
Once, several Atari people came to give a demonstration and wound up asking Mike to help them
design a new game. Later someone from Atari called
and said there had been a mix-up; the company
already had 20 people in-house working on it. I
said, well, theres a problem, which is that Im done.
And the guy says, thats tough luck. And I said,
either you pay me or I sell it, but its not tough
luck. Mike found a manufacturer and sold the
discs himself to retail outlets. He called his game
Megalegs. Atari called its Centipede. They hit the
market around the same time, and reviews in
some gaming journals called Megalegs superior.
Atari sued Michael Dubno, age 20, and although
FEBRUARY 2015
he won a small settlement, the

encounter ended his nascent videogame enterprise.
Several years later he was hired as
an independent contractor by one of
Goldman Sachss new partners: the
economist and mathematician Fischer
Black, he of the BlackScholes equation,
the algorithm used to price options
that is now a cornerstone of modern
finance. (Its basically a heat-diffusion
equation, Mike explains.) Black
became Mikes mentor. In 1986 the
young programmer wrote the code
for one of Wall Streets first automatedtrading programs. A year later, after
the Black Monday crash, some blamed
computerised systems like Goldman
Sachss. In 1991, Mike wrote the riskmanagement program, still in use
today, to which various experts have
attributed the firms escapes from the
various financial crises of the past 20
years. It wouldnt be a stretch to say
that he programmed the immune system of the
vampire squid. By the time the company went
public in the 1990s, hed made partner. In 2005,
with Gadgetoff blossoming, he retired.
AFTER THE 2005 GADGETOFF, the founders

decided that their gathering had outgrown Mike
Dubnos brownstone. The following year they
moved it to Governors Island, in New York Harbour,
the first time the decommissioned Coast Guard
base was used for such an ambitious event. It was
there that Gadgetoff achieved its mature state.
The islands sprawling indoor and outdoor spaces
meant plenty of room for larger machines and
more outrageous exhibitions, many with dubious
or zero utility, including the latest work by Didi
Vardi, brother of Yossi and perhaps the worlds
greatest designer of Rube Goldberg machines,
who created a kinetic sculpture using lasers, golf
balls, wire coils, and mirrors.
There were also exhibits of probable far-reaching
utility. At the 2007 Gadgetoff, held on the grounds
of the Liberty Science Centre in Jersey City, New
Jersey, attendees got a look at the first self-driving
cars designed by Red Whittaker and his protg
Sebastian Thrun, who led the autonomous-vehicle
initiative at Google X. Rodney Brooks, the MIT
professor emeritus who served as a subject of, and
who gave the title to, Errol Morriss documentary
Fast, Cheap & Out of Control, was a return attendee.
At Gadgetoff there were fast things and cheap
things and out-of-control things. Future instalments
would include a catapultslingshot siege engine,
known as a trebuchet, which launched all manner
of items hundreds of metres across a field, and a
jet-powered motorcycle built by Chris Hackett, the
FEBRUARY 2015
dreadlocked lord of an artist-maker combine called

the Madagascar Institute. Its surprisingly easy to
make a jet engine, Hackett says. An inefficient
one, that is.
At another instalment, Hackett brought a jetpowered swing ride whose engine was so loud (and
thus inefficient) that nearby residents complained
to the police. This was the events spirit: the somewhat haphazard juxtaposition of the beneficial
and the absurd.
It sounds extreme, but Dan and Mikes view is
people dont blow things up enough anymore,
Teller says. Theres something about that Nasainspired juvenile hacking that used to go on. With
Gadgetoff, they got you re-excited about being
silly with technology. It drives a lot of learning. It
drives creativity.
Gadgetoff reached its zenith in 2009. Five hundred
people flocked to a former home for retired sailors
called Snug Harbour, on Staten Island. It was by far
the largest Gadgetoff. Costs ran well into the six
figures (in dollars!). The event was never for profit,
and the Gadgetoff brains trust often waived entrance
fees, which were only meant to cover costs. If you
want to ask real inventors to come, and theyre
hauling a Doppler machine to New York City all
the way from Florida, you cant charge them an
entrance fee, says Greg Harper.
Ever since its launch in Mikes living room,
Gadgetoff had included an array of presentations.
If you couldnt bring your gadget, or if you had
no gadget but an area of inquiry or body of work,
you could give a talk. You had three minutes.
Except for the guys from DARPA, Dan says. We
gave them seven. Thats DARPA, as in Defence
Advanced Research Projects Agency, as in the R&D
lab of the Pentagon.
Mike welds a
piece of steel
in his home
workshop that
would make the
average engineering works
operators
eyes pop.
FOR ALL ITS HIJINKS and

invention-for-the-sake-ofinvention zeitgeist, Gadgetoff
always included certain military-industrial-complex types
and others whose appearance
hinged on the invite-only
nature of the event. (Media
coverage was mostly banned.)
Pablos Holman, a well-known
hacker who once demonstrated at Gadgetoff a Yagi
antenna hed rigged so he
could decrypt a Wi-Fi network and take control of
someones computer from
3 kilometres away, says,
Ive met billionaires at
Gadgetoff. Reclusive ones.
The truth is, Gadgetoff is
good for the world. It seems
like this big party, but weve helped each other.
Its like a community of people that wouldnt
have known each other otherwise.
Dan Dubno has mentioned, in somewhat vague
terms, his dealings with In-Q-Tel, which is essentially
a venture-capital shop financed by the CIA. An
outsider may, given recent developments involving,
for example, Edward Snowden, have questions about
this. But Dan skirts this line of inquiry, noting that
identifying a US intelligence agent is a crime.
There were people who worked for various
intelligence agencies who presented is all hell say.
Various intelligence agencies? The CIA too?
There were guys who worked for various intelligence agencies consultants for various intelligence
agencies, among other things who presented, at
various points.
Presented secret government technologies?
No. But... Ive attended things where people
who have represented other governments have
showed me stuff that is unbelievable.
THEN, AFTER FOUR LARGE-SCALE Gadgetoffs, the

show abruptly ended. Mike came out of retirement
in 2010 to take a job as head of global markets
and research technology at Bank of America, and
the workload meant he wouldnt have much time
for Gadgetoff. Neither Dan nor Greg Harper wanted
to do it without him. The brothers are close in this
way. They tend to complete each others sentences
or, when not doing that, point out how the other
is wrong on some technical point. But during Mikes
hiatus, Dan, who retired from CBS in 2008, has kept
the Gadgetoff spirit warm, he says, by producing
similar events for Google.
Still, half a decade has now passed. Moores law
states that the processing power for computers will
double about every two years, advancing various
capabilities along with it. And with so many new
lines of technology having bloomed in the interim,
an intense hankering has taken hold of Gadgetoffs
36
Above: The power supply

and motor control board
Mike built to operate an
invention called a Sand
Table, which involves
making art with a magnetic ball. Right: An
assortment of the tools
that enable his passions.
founders. Recently Mikes workload has diminished.

The time for another Gadgetoff may be near.
Everyone is begging us to do it, Dan says.
Asked if he would travel from Tel Aviv for another
Gadgetoff, Yossi Vardi says, If needed, I will be the
second person from this region to walk on water.
The Dubnos and Harper become visibly excited
when discussing a Gadgetoff relaunch. (Harper
actually hops up and down in his seat.) They say
2015 is likely. Theyre scouting locations in and
around New York Citys waterways. Id be really
interested to see, if they restarted it, what they
were trying to do that was new, Astro Teller says.
The world has updated in some interesting ways
in the last few years.
The founders want to include ever-more-relevant
fields of inquiry: microrobotics, drones, big-data
predictive models, cyberwarfare, alternative energy,
climate-change antidotes. Theyll rely on their
network to point them towards the truly innovative and the purely bizarre. Whats great, Dan
says, is that the people who came to previous
Gadgetoffs curate the event as much as we do.
If anything is to be changed, it will simply be a
matter of more. Crazier, faster, more stuff, more
inventors, Dan says, sounding very much like an
inventor himself, preparing the world for his latest,
biggest, and most spectacular creation.
PM
FEBRUARY 2015
Standing
tall
On February 20th, Andrew Merryweather plans

to walk his bride Robyn down the aisle. It will
be a special day, of course. But this will be
extra special because he is a tetraplegic, C5/6
motor complete spinal cord injury. The reason
he can walk and stand is a robotic exoskeleton
suit. Merryweather (left) is the poster boy for an
intensive programme, spearheaded by the
Cape Peninsula University of Technologys
Human Performance Lab.
Improvements in therapy and rehabilitation
techniques will be just the start. The goal is to
develop a local technology base with the
potential to create a South African robotic
exoskeleton suit.
One of the more high-profile examples of
these exoskeleton suits spreading influence is
former Springbok rugby great Joost van der
Westhuizen. Wheelchair-bound since being
struck down by the degenerative disease
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, he was able to
stride haltingly on to the Ellis Park turf at halftime during the rugby international between
South Africa and New Zealand last October.
Its hoped that those similarly afflicted, and
many others besides, will benefit from CPUTs
proposed research. After all, its aimed at making a profound impact on the lives of ordinary
people who might otherwise be doomed to a
life in a wheelchair or bed.
BY ANTHONY DOMAN
PHOTOGRAPHS: SEAN WOODS
FEBRUARY 2015
The professor
Jonas, the cyborg creation of science fiction
author Gene Wolfe in Book of the New Sun, is a mechanical
being who finds that the best replacements for his wornout body parts are, in fact, the biological originals on
which they were modelled. For clever design, it seems,
nothing beats human arms, legs and organs. Its a story
that intrigues Simeon Davies; drawing inspiration from
nature is something that really, really excites him.
Tall, solidly built and with a confident, purposeful air,
Professor Davies seems more professional sportsman than
fusty academic. It wouldnt surprise you to learn, then,
that professional beach volleyball not only features in his
pedigree, but also formed the basis for his doctoral studies.
(Incidentally, the game is unique in being the only competitive sport officially played on sand.)
As head of the Department of Sport Management at the
Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Davies combines
his sporting interest with a keen interest in Human Factors. After earning a
Human Movement Studies degree from
London University, he opted to take a
year or two off to do some research.
That led him to Rhodes University for
further study and onwards to the
University of Zululand. A stint at an
ergonomics company followed, but the
itch to research led him back into
acadaemia.
Although its hardly the ivy-clad
Hollywood version. His empire is a
somewhat rundown brick building in
the less salubrious parts of Mowbray,
on the lower slopes of Table Mountain.
It was an old Western Cape Education
Department Phys Ed building. Before
we took over, it was pretty much used
When I first saw Andrew
for storage. In an almost bizarre coinwalking, that was a goosecidence, when his mother-in-law came
to visit she realised that she had
bump moment.
trained there as a teacher.
This is sports-mad SA, so sport
enjoys a degree of focus at the Human Performance Lab.
They work on everything from the cardiovascular and anti-oxidant benefits of Rooibos (watch this space) and what makes a good Test batsman (the
same thing, apparently, that makes a good sniper: the ability to narrow
brain activity to shut out everything that doesnt matter. Oh, and it seems
Sudoku helps, too.)
As mentioned, a longstanding interest of Davies is the utilisation of
natures properties. This encompasses areas such as biocatalysis natural
catalysts that transform organic compounds to biomimicry. Its the
latter that is most relevant to the Merryweather case, of course.
A lot of insects have extra-skeletal support, for instance. He foresees,
in future, body assistance systems that look more natural and organic
than looking like Robocop. (Or Matt Damons Max da Costa character in
Elysium.) This will entail bringing in specialists in mechatronics and industrial design to create that more natural look and feel.
And Davies is looking further ahead at the wider implications of his
academic discipline of human kinetics. Hes keenly aware that marketing
and money play a pivotal role in his vision of exposing the liberation of
the disabled to a wider audience.
I admire the way Andrew Merryweather is positioning himself, says
Davies. You need media exposure.
Merryweather, he says, was like a lot of people in his situation. You
believe you are in a wheelchair forever. In Merryweathers favour was
38
Professor Simeon Davies (top) heads the Human

Performance Lab at CPUT. Above: Getting Merryweather
strapped in and ready to go is a two-person job.
that he had a lot more activity in his legs.

Regular rehab sessions with him led to thoughts
of tapping into various projects around the
world aimed at getting the wheelchair-bound
back on their feet. But they were hellishly
expensive.
It was about that time, at a Human Factors
conference in the US, that Davies saw for the
first time what the Americans were doing, particularly with regard to their efforts at military
rehabilitation as well as physical enhancement
for the able-bodied.
It blew him away.
Andrew seemed like a good fit for that kind of
technology. Also, he had reached a kind of plateau,
a sticking point, in his rehab.
The subsequent acquisition of the suit has
allowed us to position the Human Performance
Lab in a way that would not normally happen,
Davies says.
FEBRUARY 2015
Top: Dr Sacha West is leader of a project that

may see a homegrown exoskeleton capability.
Raeeq Gamieldien helps pilot Andrew
Merryweather in his exoskeleton suit and helps
set up the Biodex diagnostics and therapy
machine.
In the field of human kinetics, then, there is lots

to do and many people to assist. We have to be
able to help lots of other people. We have had a
couple of cases serious shotgun injuries to the
head and neck.
Why the focus on walking, though?
Sometimes you have projects that have universal appeal. Getting people to walk again is a huge
thing. It is a liberating thing for people who are
trapped in wheelchairs or beds.
When I first saw Andrew walking, that was a
goosebump moment.
They have positioned the project as a key research
imitative, which has also entailed a submission as a
Prestigious Project at CPUT and the feedback has
been very encouraging. The next stage is to build a
project around the suit, inviting Masters and PhD
students to take part.
Ultimately, hes looking to South African technology to champion a project that would have universal
appeal across cultures possibly even nations.
FEBRUARY 2015
THE PROJECT LEADER

It would be entirely natural, on meeting Sacha West in her working
environment, to picture her as a typical gym bunny. Natural, but a mistake.
The bare, tanned upper arms, the dark hair tied up in a ponytail, the diffident yet focused gaze, the singlet, sweatpants and trainers paint a convincing picture. Its when she reaches forward in greeting that you realise
you may have missed something. The handshake is unusually firm. Not
quite crushing. But carrying more than a hint of steel.
Oh, and thats Doctor Sacha West, by the way. Besides a doctorate in
Exercise Science and a CV that includes studying at UCTs MRC Exercise
Science and Sports Medicine Department, Sports Science Institute of
South Africa, Dr West is one of a few people in Africa registered as an
Ekso trainer with the FDA, says her boss, Professor Simeon Davies. Thats
as in US Food and Drug Administration.
She has also been pencilled in as lead researcher in a project that could
have far-reaching implications for the rehabilitation of the physically disabled. The end goal: a homegrown, uniquely modular exoskeleton system,
modelled on whats already available, that could bring mobility within
reach of the previously immobile.
40
FEBRUARY 2015
THE CATALYST
Walking with the exoskeleton suit is regulated via body

movement, hand switches and assistant at the rear
controls.
Dr West currently holds down the day job of

CPUTs human performance lab manager. Watching
as assistant Raeeq Gamieldien straps Andrew
Merryweather into his robotic suit, she notes that
its not entirely practical and not an easy one-sizefits all solution.
We have to do an assessment on each individual,
she says. Its not universal. We have to change the
settings for each individual - upper leg length, lower
leg length, hip width those are parameters set by
the manufacturer. It needs help to strap on, too.
As leader of the nascent CPUT project, she is
working with colleagues at the Sports Science
Institute of South Africa, which has acquired the
same suit. Others besides Merryweather have had
the opportunity to use their suit, she says. We
have a woman who had an accident at 18 years old.
She is now 42, and took her first steps since the
accident.
What has their programme changed for those
exposed to it?
There are physiological changes improvements
to bladder function, muscle tone and cardiovascular
fitness. If anything, the most profound change is
psychological: the ability to stand and look people
in the eye.
FEBRUARY 2015
You would expect Andrew Merryweather to

be profoundly bitter about the attack that
left him confined to a wheelchair, with effectively one-and-a-half limbs at his disposal,
while his eight attackers walked free after a
high-profile court case. Yet not even the prospect of the ongoing civil suit being fought on
his behalf seems to quell his philosophical,
even upbeat, demeanour.
On the contrary, without apparent irony
he declares, I have been very fortunate.
Thats how we described Merryweather
in Stand and deliver (PM, February 2013).
Left a tetraplegic after a horrific attack,
he had only limited movement in one
arm besides the complete lack of movement in his legs.
A dedicated band of fundraisers, medical staff and rehab personnel has helped
him regain his feet and, in a sense, his
freedom.
Both the technologically sophisticated
and the home-made were enlisted to get
to this point. For instance, to raise and
suspend him over the treadmill on which
he spends hours weekly, a rudimentary but
effective lift and gantry arrangement
was constructed by his stepfather. Its centrepiece is a boat hoist. Old
school works! Merryweather smiles.
Off to one side stands his sophisticated eLegs exoskeleton suit. A little
further way is a Biodex sports diagnostics machine that has been repurposed into a rehab device.
When we first met Merryweather two years ago, he was preparing to go
off to the UK to undertake training on an exoskeleton suit that would
effectively grant him independence. The suits that are available are phenomenal. Basically, it comes down to deciding whether you want complete
independence, or would be satisfied with rehab.
They tried hard. But in the end, the massive costs involved proved to be
an insurmountable obstacle. One suit cost 50 thousand pounds. Thats on
top of a training fee of 5 000 pounds.
He returned uncharacteristically depressed. It seemed the end of the road.
But his journey wasnt finished.
What they ended up with instead was a set of eLegs. The prototype of
what eventually became the Ekso Bionic exoskeleton suit, this effectively
second-hand suit was available at a very affordable rental package.
The suits user walks by leaning lateral and forward (closely mimicking
the natural human gait) or using controls under the right-hand crutch.
Andrews injury prevents him from leaning forward, so when in motion he
has to be walked and stabilised by an assistant.
Its far from ideal. But at that stage it was a decision between no suit
and some suit, says Merryweather. So we decided to go for it.
And how.
Last October, he smashed the exoskeleton record of 2 500 steps an hour
by recording an amazing 3 154 steps in an hour. He took part in the Cape
Times Big Walk.
We did stuff it was not actually designed for, Merryweather says impishly. I dont know if they are very happy with us. Remember, this is a
device designed for rehabilitation, not individual mobility as such.
They are moving beyond therapeutic use of this technology and into
wider research. There are many questions to be answered. How will this
benefit ageing populations, for instance?
But for Andrew Merryweather there is only one question he is interested
in. He plans to be standing up when its asked on February 20. And he has
PM
his answer all prepared: I will.
JABRA HEADSET
DASH CAM
ASTRAPHOBE
TESTED
THE ESSENTIALS
CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth 4.0,

NFC; microUSB
(charging)
HEART RATE MONITOR In-ear
COMPATIBILITY iOS
FEATURES
Remote control,

music playback

controls, Dolby
sound
16 g
WEIGHT
BATTERY
5 hours
PRICE
R2 399
www.jabra.co.za
TESTED
42
COMPILED BY THE EDITORS > popularmechanics@ramsaymedia.co.za
JABRA SPORT PULSE WIRELESS

A coach in your ear
Now heres an example of
convergence I didnt see coming.
Jabra, the Danish company
best known for its headsets
has created an entirely new
category: Sportbuds. (Actually,
thats just a word I made up.)
You may have noticed that
many joggers overcome the
loneliness of the long-distance
runner by plugging in their
earbuds. As background noise,
clearly motivational music
(Gonna Fly Now) trumps
the rumble of passing traffic.
Disclaimer: I prefer to run with
my ears au naturel. That way, I
can at least hear whats about
to hit me.
At any rate, as existing earbud
designs werent necessarily
intended to stay put during
workouts, manufacturers produced sports-specific models. At
the same time, sports geekery
was already beginning to take
hold, in the form of sportswatches that use GPS, heart
rate monitors and sophisticated
software to provide in-depth
workout analysis. Some of
these devices even told you
the time of day, if you knew
where to look for it.
Eventually, sportwatch functions entered the mass market
as smartphone apps. The only
problem was that, increasingly,
the gadget-festooned jogger
was beginning to look like
somebody taking an ECG on

the run.
Enter the Sport Pulse Wireless.
Not only does this do away
with the need for headset
cabling, it also eliminates a
piece of equipment: the heart
rate monitor belt. Its optomechanical sensor, built into
one of the earpieces, looks
into the blood vessels around
the ear to detect heart rate
directly, as opposed to the
chest strap type of monitor,
which detects the bodys
minute electrical impulses.
Naturally, water and the
Sport Pulse are not necessarily
great er buds. Not just for
the obvious reason, either. While
running in the rain wearing the
buds, I discovered that moisture
hampers its ability to detect
heart rate accurately. A little
sweat doesnt seem to matter,
though.
The buds are connected
behind the head by a short
wire containing a remote control thats able to skip tracks,
take calls and check workout
details. Of course, you do have
to take your mobile along for
the ride, run or walk and connect it to your buds via the Jabra
Sport Life app. Workout data
can be uploaded to online services such as Strava to analyse
and compare with others.
The Sport Pulse uses ear-
Convenience; voice prompts; HRM accuracy; app features

Fit takes getting used to
wings to help locate the buds
in the ear; Small, Medium and
Large are supplied. Although
it became easier over time, I
never quite got used to the
procedure. Also, perhaps its
just my ears, but for me there
was a degree of discomfort
that I was happy to live with
on, say, an hour-long run, but
wouldnt necessarily tolerate
longer than that.
What I did like was the nagging voice in my ear. Theres
nothing quite as satisfying for
the ego as hearing,You are
ahead of your target pace. Slow
down. (Admittedly, this is not
something that happens often.)
I actually preferred hearing my
pace and lap alerts, I found, than
peering at my wrist to get them.
The Sportlife app provides
the kinds of data logging and
analysis, even on the go, that
should be familiar to users of
conventional workout loggers
such as sportwatches. That
includes realtime tracking of
your route, displayed on a map.
Even more intriguing is the
facility for the user to self-test.
Built into the device are sophisticated testing procedures that
ordinarily would entail a visit
to a laboratory. You can find
out your VO2Max, measure
accurate resting heart rate,
and take a simple orthostatic
heart rate test to indicate if
you are overtrained.

I must confess I didnt make
much use of the Sport Pulses
music features, apart from a
brief tryout that confirmed good
connectivity and excellent sound
quality. What I will say is that I
was happy to wear the buds
without music to be more aware
of my surroundings and at the
same time to get those audible alerts.
For anybody who enjoys
working out wearing earbuds,
the Sport Pulse may just be a
gamechanger. Anthony
Doman
DOD VRH3 Dash Cam

Silent witness

Compact dimensions;
Video quality
Lightweight, plasticky
finish; clamping mechanism; add-on GPS
Were all law-abiding roadusers

who never speed, park illegally or
make U-turns where we shouldnt.
Now that weve got those misstatements of fact out of the way, lets
not dwell on why its become more
and more necessary to record the
occasionally weird behaviour on
our roads.
For some time now, two-wheeled
riders have been doing this, partly
to show where theyve been, but
increasingly as an aid to recalling
events some of which can be illegal.
In some places, apparently, its a
requirement for motorists (Russia
comes to mind). Tech-savvy South
Africans are starting to catch up
with the trend, as evidenced by
the growing number of dash cam
videos now available on the Web.
The DOD VRH3 is a lightweight
device in a fairly compact form factor
that carries out continuous video
recording while you are operating
a vehicle. It fits a range of uses or
reasons, from fleet management to
simple journey recording. Given its
high-quality picture, its also usable
as part of a proper video.
For the most part, the VRH3 is an
interim step quite a notable step,
it must be said towards full black
box operation. In other words, it
offers many of the features that we
have come to associate with the
device used to record flight details
on aircraft.
So the VRH3 firstly records video.
On the move, the device continuously
harvests video footage of the roads
and surroundings. It is probably
regarded as most useful in the event
of an accident, as video evidence.
The dash cam can be fairly unobtrusively mounted high up on the
cars windscreen below the rear-view
mirror. The suction mount is included
as part of the package; once locked
into position the camera itself is really
hard to remove, though.
The wide viewing angle comfort-
44
ably covers the areas to well to the

side of the main action ahead of you
and video quality is good. Recording
starts automatically thanks to a
built-in motion detector/g sensor.
Even when the vehicle is stopped
in the event of a crash, say its
possible to start recording manually.
A Parking surveillance mode is possible, though only when a permanently On power source is available.
Location data can be included in
the recording, but you will need an
add-on GPS antenna. The unit accepts
a MicroSD card as its storage medium
as there is no on-board storage,
Recording is continuous loop,
overwriting the oldest data, so you
always have the latest events
recorded and it offers full HD
recording. Anthony Doman
THE ESSENTIALS
RESOLUTION
FRAME RATE
CONNECTIVITY
PRICE
www.syntech.co.za
1080p Full HD
60 fps
AV out, mini-USB, mini-HDMI
R1 370
TESTED
THE ESSENTIALS
DISTRIBUTORS
Kalahari.net and

selected retailers
PRICE:
R1 399
www.astrophobe.co.za
Jacsech Astrophobe
iSTOCKPHOTO/WOLFELARRY
No flash in the pan

Anyone who lives in Gauteng
will testify to the fact that,
during the summer months,
lightning storms are common.
The stormy season brings along
with it some pretty spectacular
thunderstorms and lightning
strikes can be seen lighting up
the sky on a regular basis. National Geographic even named
Johannesburg Lightning Capital
of The World.
Although these electrical displays can be beautiful and the
rain can be much needed after
Easy to set up; configurable

Nothing worth mentioning
a hot summers day, lightning is

a menace to your phone and
ADSL line as well as the delicate
equipment attached to them.
The chance of your line being
subject to a massive surge in
electricity sooner or later is
almost a certainty. Replacing
your equipment can be a costly
and irritating exercise a new
modem will set you back anywhere between R500 and R1 000
and you will be stranded without Internet access for a few
days at best.
The Astrophobe Lightning

Protection System, made here in
South Africa, is a new approach
to the problem. It tracks storms
up to 40 km away and, as soon as
the storm is in range, the Astrophobe will alert you via its LCD
screen and an optional audible
alarm. Should the storm approach closer than a predefined
limit, your line is automatically
disconnected. Once the storm
dissipates, the line is automatically restored.
The Astraphobe protects all
equipment directly connected

downstream of your incoming
line from surges present.
So, does it work? In short,
yes. I tested it over a period of
a month up on the Highveld.
During that time, it was subjected it to at least half a dozen
thunderstorms and it performed
perfectly.
Its easy to install and configure, too. Importantly, it also has
the benefit of being computercontrolled, with user-defined
preferences. Jesse Henney
46
FEBRUARY 2015
High tech
meets
high ART
3D
Hardly the background of somebody youd expect to find

working in the world of creative art. But dont let preconceptions get in your way: she describes herself as a designer, artist and engineer in that order.
For Janse van Vuuren, 3D printing is a means to an end,
a way of seamlessly combining these seemingly disparate
interests to express her creativity. She has designed lighting, jewellery and acclaimed artworks, among them the
Chrysanthemum Centrepiece chosen by the Design Indaba
as The Most Beautiful Object in South Africa 2009. For good
measure, she has done post-doctoral work in medical
implant design.
Her latest career choice: fashion designer.
I designed the first multi-material multi-colour 3D
YORAM RESHEF
printing has moved way

beyond prototyping. The
additive process is being
used to manufacture perfectly functional items (guns come to mind) and
now were even talking printed cars
and houses. It seems were limited only
by our imaginations.
Actually, thats not strictly true. But
some people with truly imaginative
minds are using 3D printers in innovative ways to create designs of such
exquisite beauty they can be described
only as works of art. Those you see on
these pages are the product of one
such inventive mind, which happens
to reside right here in South Africa.
Michaella Janse van Vuuren is
acknowledged internationally as a
rather special talent. To start off with,
she holds a PhD in electrical engineering.
What happens when an

electrical engineer who is
actually an artist meets a
3D printer? Beautiful things
happen, thats what
FEBRUARY 2015
The Classic and Extreme Serpent shoes designed for the

Eve character are inspired by the Bible. The serpent belt
below is Eves coat of arms.
Re-inventing Eve
The artistic inspiration behind the fashion pieces centres on the Biblical
printed fashion pieces in the world,
story of creation. Eve is seduced by the serpent, brings about the fall of
says Janse van Vuuren.To underparadise and brings punishment and suffering upon all her descendants.
stand just how groundbreaking
In this collection, I reinvented her as the master of the serpent. Free,
this undertaking was, consider
powerful, sexual and in control. So whether she chooses to wear only her
that she worked with Stratasys
classic serpent shoes with her business suit. or chooses to go extreme,
then-latest Object 500 Connex 3
she can be anyone she wants to be, the author of her destiny. And as the
printer six months before the pubcollection is customisable both in colour pallette and fit, it does not matlic release of this revolutionary
ter what shape or size she is, from waif to voluptuous. It will always be a
multi-material multi-colour machine.
perfect fit with colours to match her mood. Her Stained Glass Corset
The pieces made their debut at
was designed in collaboration with Stratasys and Turlif Vilbrandt of
the first 3D Print catwalk show at
Uformia, whose software was used to scan and import body data to fit
the New York 3D Printshow during
the corset automatically.
last years New York fashion week.
The way she describes it, the items
were brought to life by a virtual
collaboration over three contithe sculpture, distances between parts and mechanical
nents and made their debut in a
functionality have to be meticulously planned before I
third. I managed and collaborated
move on to the computer. I use software programs to
on the project with the Stratasys Materials R&D (based in Israel, but
translate the idea into a printable digital design.
a global company) and Uformia (Norway), she says. We spent
She emails her finished design to a local or international
many hours of hard work collaborating. I was doing the 3D digital
manufacturer. The sculptures are then built up by fusing
sculpture and CAD designs from South Africa, Dr Daniel Dikovsky
thin layers of nylon powder. When the print build is finand Tal Ely from Stratasys on the Objet500 Connex3in Israel,
ished the powder is removed and the object magically
andTurlif Vilbrandtfrom Uformia on customisation in Norway.
emerges from the heap of deposited powder.A few days
Janse van Vuuren says her diverse interests enable her to create
later the completed sculptures arrive at her door.
sculptures that are technically complex and artistically competent. I
Unpacking is always, she says, a tense moment.
focus on design for 3D printing or additive manufacturing. I love the
Her favourite material and process is selective laser sinchallenge of creating something that is imagined and then designed
tering. The polyamide or nylon material is well suited to
on computer and seeing if my idea printed out as envisaged.
creating movable parts, relatively robust depending on
The first time I hold the design in my hand is when the finished
the thickness of the part, and with the texture and look
product comes out of the 3D printer, she says.
of coral.
She starts creating her sculptures by visualising the object. This
She started her New York collection by looking at
is then translated on to paper, and after a series of sketches its
Natures ability to combine different materials. She also
transformed into a technical drawing. This drawing dictates the
marvelled at the jellylike beauty of underwater creameasurements and dimensions needed to translate the artwork
tures and studied shoes, fashion and art.
into the computer. Planning has to be painstaking: The scale of
And, of course, she had the opportunity to play with
48
FEBRUARY 2015
The stained glass corset was created by

using a software import of scanned body
data that automatically fitted the corset
to body scan data. A custom pallete was
designed to create a stained-glass effect.
PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY: YORAM RESHEF

PHOTOSHOOT WITH MODEL:
3D DESIGN MICHAELLA JANSE VAN VUUREN
CUSTOMISATION UFORMIA
3D PRINTING STRATASYS CONNEX3
MODEL, LERATO MOLOI, HEADS MODELS
PHOTOGRAPHER MERWELENE VAN DER
MERWE STUDIO (NIKON AMBASSADOR)
ASSISTANT THEMBA MOKASE
HAIR AND MAKEUP MARILYN DU PREEZ
CLOTHING DESIGNER CLIVE RUNDLE
FEBRUARY 2015
Portrait of the artist
Michaella Janse van Vuuren obtained a PhD in electrical

engineering from UCT. Shehas been involved in additive
manufacturing since 2006 when she did postdoctoral work
in custom implant design and rapid prototyping at CUT in
Bloemfontein. Since then, she has combined her engineering
with art and design. Global audiences get to see her 3D
print at some of the worlds top collectible design fairs and
galleries. Through her initiative Agents of the 3D Revolution,
a collective of the most innovative international 3D print
designers and artists, she wants to ensure that the revolution
reaches everyone. Its not just that 3D printing. And its not
just that the emerging digital technologies help us do things
more efficiently. Digital technologies offer revolutionary new
modes of practice. Agents of the 3D Revolution share the
philosophy that, to harness this potential, creatives need to
explore beyond the confines of traditional disciplines,
boundaries and training.
Find out more: nomili.co.za, facebook.com/agentsofthe
3drevolution
theObjet500 Connex3. It was

clear that using the new
machines technology to the full
would require a new way of
thinking. What makes the
Objet500 Connex3different is
the ability to control both the
material properties and the colour. In the same 3D print you
can have very rigid and rubber
parts and all the strengths in
between. The parts can vary
from opaque to clear and colour
can be used to create beautiful
pallettes. The possibilities are
endless.
The printers unique triple-jetting technologycombines droplets of three base materials
to produce parts with virtually unlimited combinations of
rigid, flexible and transparent colour materials as well as
colour digital materials. The material properties themselves were adjusted to be more rubbery to facilitate
bending.
Janse van Vuuren believes she has barely scratched the
surface of the new machines possibilities. Not only is
this technology able to replace traditional methods of
manufacturing, but it enables one to manufacture in a
completely new way. The ability to include different
material properties and beautiful jewel-like colours in a
single print run is absolutely ground-breaking. She likens
50
The fish bracelets use a mechanical

hinge method to bend the bracelet
around the wrist. The fish scales are
placed on top of each hinge.
it to paint on a canvas,
describing it as a powerful
tool for engineering and creative expression.
Its a form of creative
expression that is taking the
global stage by storm. My
horse marionette, along with
the Krizant.MGX (wall sconce)
and some of my abstract sculptures, has been on display at
the London Science Museum
since 2013. The exhibition was
extended until 2015.
The Museum of Science and
Industry in Manchester also
displayed her work in an exhibition that was the highlight of the
Manchester science festival towards the end of 2014. The pieces are
due to be on show until 2015.
But although the world is hungry for more, home is where the
muse is. My studio is on a smallholding outside of Pretoria, surrounded by the African bush, which serves as the inspiration for my
work, she says.
Theres one other vital ingredient: a broadband connection. My
window to the world is the Internet. With 3D printing I have become
part of the software supply chain; where digital files instead of
physical objects are traded. Its a technology that transcends the
boundaries between design, the arts, sciences, architecture, technology, medicine and engineering.
PM
FEBRUARY 2015
Ra zor Bumps
Ir r it ation
NEW
Micro Cut s
Finally, the end of shaving irritations

NEW: The first range by Eucerin for ver y
sensitive and problematic male skin.
Based on the latest medical skin science:
Anti-germ silver ions fight shaving irritations
Anti-inflammator y Licochalcone visibly
reduces irritated skin and ra zor bumps
Clinically proven to soothe and calm irritated skin
Available at Dis-Chems.
Consumer Ser vices 0860 102 091
Burning
BRIGHT
It was a situation heavy with irony
some of it unintended. Symbolic of a nation
emerging from darkness into light, the
theme Celebrate 20 years of democracy!
seemed perfect for a planet-friendly lighting competition. Particularly one sponsored
by Eskom.
Problem is, as the Energy Efficient
Lighting Design Competition drew to a
close, the country was plunged back into
darkness, literally. The under-strain electricity
network forced load-shedding back on the
national agenda.
Still, that would probably have given
South Africas lighting designers from
amateur to pro, schoolchild to adult
added impetus. For the past several years,
they have intrigued and sometimes amused
with their highly individual takes on energyefficient lighting in this biennial competition.
For 2014, many took the theme to suggest
that they should adopt a more organic,
natural feel to offset the often clinical hightech involved in making devices more energyefficient. So, there were plenty of natural
fibres, coarse textures and beads in lumi-
AS LOAD-SHEDDING
BITES AND THE LIGHTS
GO OUT, INVENTIVE
SOULS ARE LOOKING AT
INNOVATIVE AND
OFTEN AESTHETICALLY
STRIKING WAYS TO
STRETCH YOUR ENERGY
RAND WHEN IT COMES
TO LIGHTING.
naires with an ethnic or environmental

theme. Seashells and wood were juxtaposed with tiles, bottle caps and polystyrene. But the high-tech approach was
evident in the use of wire, metal, granite
and glass.
Can energy-efficient lighting look good
as well as functional? Thats a question that
was answered pretty conclusively by many
entrants. For instance, although theres
nothing particularly decorative about a
compact fluorescent lamp, it can be quite
versatile if you consider the range of shapes,
colours, sizes and warmth available in CFLs.
These days, increasingly, that also applies
to LEDs.
52
FEBRUARY 2015
Full-time students at tertiary institutions (universities,

colleges, design centres and schools of design).
Winner: ASHLEY ADAMI, 2nd-year student in industrial
design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
(CPUT) with Nimbus.
The winners
The Nimbus light, initially designed for the kitchen table,

can be used comfortably in any given environment. The
light is cost-effective and sustainable and is made from
bamboo and 12 V strip LEDs. As well as being functional
and aesthetically pleasing, it seeks to create an emotional
response and echoes the ethos of form follows feeling.
The beam of light communicates a sense of community
and unity as the light was made to be shared. Cost: R455.
Graphic designers, architects, electrical engineers,

product designers, researchers and anyone with a
passion for design. Winner: STEPHEN PIKUS of
Johannesburg with Bright Spark.
This versatile multi-functional lamp is made primarily
from recycled vehicle filters. It can be used as a table
top/bedside lamp or a hanging pendant light. Reflecting
the 20 years of democracy philosophy, there are many
colour, shape, function and size options and Bright
Spark can be reproduced on a large scale by SMMEs or
community projects with very little capital outlay or
experience. Cost: from R590.
A special discretionary award, made across

categories, for a promising Previously
Disadvantaged Individual (PDI) designer. The
winner here was ESTHER SHAIDI from Nelson
Mandela Metropolitan University with Ubuntu
Lamp.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ETIENNE DU PREEZ/THE LIGHT FOUNDRY
The Ubuntu light is centred on the ideal of Ubuntu

and how this can be expressed within a feminine
context. The idea was then born from the different
female body types Hourglass, Pear, Apple and
Ruler. A thread detail is woven into the dot pattern
cut into the light fixture to represent the idea of
Ubuntu, an interconnectedness between the
women of the community. The dot cutout detail references itself to South African design,
relating to the Xhosa dot pattern that is found on the beautiful faces of Xhosa women.
Cost: R3 700,20.
FEBRUARY 2015
Promising young designers from secondary

schools and FET or independent colleges,
between the ages of 14 and 20. Winner:
MEGAN LAUGHTON, Grade 12, Stellenberg
High School, Bellville, with Shredded Lantern.
The free-standing Shredded Lamps hexagonal
wooden base and a steel frame create 12 trapezium windows covered with randomly woven
shredded telephone directory paper. The black
writing on the white page creates a strong
contrast, symbolising the segregation during
apartheid. The telephone numbers on the paper
are also symbolic of the connections people have
managed to form in the democratic South Africa. The crossing and overlapping shreds of
paper, as well as the strong steel frame, creates a sense of stability in our democracy. The
design is environmentally sustainable as it re-uses old materials. Cost: R580.
PROFESSIONALS
South Africa was one of the first
countries to legislate old-fashioned
conventional incandescent lightbulbs
out of existence. Although they are
still freely available cheaply and
provide a pleasant natural glow,
incandescents do suffer from serious
drawbacks. Specifically, relatively
short lives and high electricity
consumption.
Modern equivalents are still more
expensive to start off with, but they
last much longer and use much less
electricity. A big complaint about
earlier designs was clunky looks and
ugly, harsh light quality: thats
changing fast. Theyre getting
cheaper, too.
The competitions main
goal is to show that efficient
lighting doesnt have to be
industrial; it can be sexy
enough for the most stylish
of contemporary homes. But
to win a competition like
this takes more than just a
bright idea and a way with a
jigsaw. The challenge, after
all, is to integrate energyefficient light sources with
outstanding design solutions.
Entrants not only have to design and
build a working prototype, but also
need to prepare a budget. Besides
giving the judges an idea of an
entrys practicability, it helps increase
the likelihood of seeing the item in a
showroom soon. Each entry has to
accompanied by a sketch and a photograph and has to comply with strict
safety and quality standards.
The 2014 competition awarded
total prize money of R200 000 in
three categories requiring innovative, original and unique energy-efficient light sources for the home. As
well as cash awards of up to R40 000,
the category winners, runners-up
and finalists also received tablets.
Entries came from a wide spectrum of society across the country:
university lecturers and students,
professional interior designers, architects, electrical contractors, lighting
specialists and engineers. During the
first round of online judging, a panel
of top judges faced the difficult task
of selecting the finalists based on criteria such as aesthetics, innovation,
uniqueness, cost-effectiveness, manufacturing, marketing, job creation
potential and overall energy efficiency. The final judging of participants
took place in Johannesburg, where
semi-finalists had to present their
lamps to a panel of judges.
54
Minkyu Lee and Min Ju Park:

Gum nut light
This project symbolises a respect for
resources by using energy-saving bulbs,
recycled plastic, gum nut from the
Corymbia calophylla tree and sloughedoff seed pods. This project also pays
homage to the solar system and its
bounteous provision: the Sun at its centre,
radiating life-giving light and heat, and
the trees that convert carbon dioxide to
oxygen, providing food, building material,
shelter and shade. It aims to demonstrate
that the needs of the human race can be
met without recklessly sacrificing and
destroying those resources.
Cost: R1 181,60.
Phillip Fouch:
Picking Up the Pieces
In 2014, the North West
Province suffered the
worst drought in 80
years. Bones of animals,
conquered by drought,
scattered the land. My
idea was to embrace the
symbol of this devastation and transform it into
a depiction of hope, life
and prosperity as South
Africans have been
picking up the pieces
to reconcile, rebuild and
reanimate our rainbow
nation. This ceilingmounted light consists
of 20 animal vertebrae,
suspended with stainless
steel cables from a main
threaded bar. Electrical
lug connectors are used
to connect the vertebrae
to the stainless steel
cables. An LED strip
light is situated in the
marrow cavity of the
vertebrae. Cost: R5 000.
Okuhle Nongogo:
Hands of Unity
This environment-friendly
luminaire is made from
materials that include wire
and soft drink cans. The
lampshade is decorated
with hands cut from soft
drink cans, bound to the
wire frame with wool; the
hands have been painted
black and white. The base
of the lamp is made up of
two Xs, one black and the
other white. The hands on
the lampshade depict the
date 27 April 1994 in sign
language and the Xs at the
base of the lamp symbolise
the voters cross. Cost: R80.
Andrew Gilmour:
Tick
The simple application of a
mark on a form indicates a
freedom of choice and the
right to decide an outcome.
This was the inspiration for
the tick LED Luminaire. Its
design uses an aluminium
base to house the LED lowvoltage driver and LED
strip. A frosted Perspex diffuser follows the profile of a
tick in an abstract manner
to follow the design intent.
The clean lines and polished base provide a contemporary modern aesthetic
suited to the integration of
LED technology in a luminaire. Cost: R973,90.
FEBRUARY 2015
students
Johannes Goosen: Eclipse Lamp
Like the Moon, South Africa is a country constantly changing and transforming into
something unique and beautiful. This inspired the multi-purpose Eclipse. Lamp and
luminaire screens can be individually adjusted to create anything from task lighting to
romantic mood lighting. By adjusting the arm, the user can manipulate the height and
direction of the lamp. All parts can be user-assembled without using any permanent
joinery methods. Plywood of 6 mm thickness was used because of its cheapness and
aesthetics; the 3 mm steel base is sourced from an offcuts bin. The luminaire uses a
40 W CFL. Each component can be separated at end of its life cycle and repurposed
or recycled, reinstating the concept of cradle to cradle. Simple and effective, it suits
the various needs of a modern South Africa. Cost: R1 865.
Holly Hamlyn: Eternity Light

Designed to represent unity by using a combination
of basic shapes, Eternity has a circular hollow base
encasing the LED driver and supporting two oxidised
brass poles, which join together, forming a triangle.
A ball and socket joint is welded in the centre; the triangular shape is mirrored by two more poles topped
with a hollow, polished brass ring. The strip LED light
is placed inside this ring. The circle is positioned at
the top of the two triangles and contains the light,
making it the key element in my design, emphasising
unity. Any point on the ring is equidistant to the centre,
demonstrating social and political equality for all racial
groups. The structure creates a silhouette of an hourglass to represent time and the progress made
throughout the 20 years of democracy, showing where
we were to where we are now. Cost: R2 533,06.
SCHOOLS
Melissa Liane Lange:
Its a Long Walk to Freedom
This designs boot and
protea flower, made from
beads and wire, portray the
cultural heritage of the
nation. Embedded in the
boot are 20 low-powered
flashing LEDs. The boot
represents Nelson
Mandelas long walk to freedom, before figuratively
walking South Africa into
democracy and freedom.
The black and white beads
used as the stigma of the
protea flower represent a
united rainbow nation as
portrayed in the South
African flag. The energyefficient LED light fitted in
the protea resembles everyone living under the same
light irrespective of colour,
race, religion or background. The protea flower
grows from the roots within
the boot upwards, to where
it blossoms into job creation,
democracy and freedom for
all. Cost: R448.
FEBRUARY 2015
Karla Swanepoel: Rising Hope

The message that this design brings across is that all
people have received a voice after the 1994 elections.
Its coloured cord represents the rainbow nation with
different racial and cultural groups. Diamonds are truly
South African and symbolise richness, which should
be accessible to all South Africans. The black-andgold cord is associated with the shirts that Nelson
Mandela wore and the gold symbolises the wealth and
happiness that all South Africans can share after
1994. The black framework is symbolic of the prison
in which so many South Africans were bound to
before the first democratic elections. Cost: R750. PM
WHEELS
HOT RIDES
TOP TECH
BIKES
SCAN TOOLS
Compiled by
ANTHONY DOMAN
anthony@ramsaymedia.co.za
AUDI S1
GET READY FOR LIFTOFF
The last time the designation S1 adorned an Audi
was back in the 1980s, signifying the car that
handily saw off the rest of the competitors in the
world rally championship. Now its back on a rather
different car, albeit one with links to that ur-S1.
The companys quattro all-wheel drive has never
before been offered in a car that competes in the
premium A0 segment. The new S1 truly embodies
the pocket rocket ethos, says Audi.
Lets examine that statement. High-output
engine? Check. Bracing performance? Check.
Sporty running gear? Check. Pocket-sized? Check
but those pockets had better be deep.
Audi says the S1 can reach 100 km/h from
standstill in 5,8 seconds. Top speed is 250 km/h
and, for what its worth, average economy is
7 litres/100 km.
Like all Audi S models, the Audi S1 also comes
with quattro permanent all-wheel drive on board.
At its heart is a hydraulic multi-plate clutch located
THE ESSENTIALS
ENGINE
2,0 turbo
OUTPUTS
170 kW/370 N.m
TRANSMISSION 6M
PRICE
From R 442 000
56
on the rear axle. Its specifically tuned control software boasts a

decidedly dynamic set-up. The electronic differential lock with the finetuned wheel-selective torque control is a function of the Electronic
Stabilisation Control (ESC). It features two-stage deactivation and supplements the work of the multi-plate clutch with additional finely
metered braking intervention on the inside wheels the interaction of
both systems makes for extremely agile, precise and stable handling.
Besides the Quattro drive, the S1 gets reworked suspension (fourlink at the rear as opposed to the compound link set-up on the regular
A1), new electromechanical power steering and variable dampers.
Lookswise, the S1 features new Xenon Plus headlights LED taillights
with new graphics and specific detailing.
FEBRUARY 2015
HYUNDAI IX35
HITS THE SPOT
The noticeable thing about the new turbodiesel
version of the ix35 is that it isnt, well, noticeable.
It just goes about its business with an unfussed
efficiency that suggests that Hyundai have got the
balance just right with this one.
A new 1,7 Premium model takes the number of
versions of this hugely popular SUV to 7. Like most
of the local ix35 range, its sourced from an ultramodern factory in the Czech Republic.
Designed to Euro 5 emission standards, in addition to putting out lower emissions than its 2.0
Elite stablemate, this 1 685 cm3 engine generates
sufficient output to move the ix35 along quite
smartly.
Although available only in 2WD, the 1.7 feels quite comfortable on less than perfect
roads. Our test route took us through areas Id not been to before in the winelands,
including quite a bit of gravel in moderate condition. It coped well and rode comfortably.
We expect this derivative to appeal to an SUV buyer who is looking for the benefits of
a frugal turbodiesel engine, but at a more affordable price and with a specification level
that still offers the luxury driving experience that made the ix35 a top-seller for us, says
Stanley Anderson, marketing director of Hyundai Automotive SA.
SSANGYONG TIVOLI
THE REBIRTH CONTINUES
The cute little XIV-Air and XIVAdventure crossovers we saw at the

Paris Motor Show will be launched into
the growing B-segment market this year
as the SsangYong Tivoli. South Africa
will get the vehicle during the course of
FEBRUARY 2015
THE ESSENTIALS
ENGINE
1,7 TD
OUTPUT
85 kW/260 N.m
ECONOMY 6,5
DRIVETRAIN
FWD, 6M
0-100
12,4 s
PRICE
R359 900
this year after its January 2015 debut on

its home territory in Korea. It will be the
smallest and cheapest vehicle from
SsangYong, now owned by Mahindra
Automotive, part of the Mumbai-based
international conglomerate Mahindra &
Mahindra. In looking forward to entering a significant growth sector of the

market, Mahindra SA, CEO Ashok
Thakur promised competitive pricing.
Engines for the Tivoli are expected
1,6-litre petrol and diesel.
WHEELS
TOYOTA MIRAI
WELCOME TO A GREENER FUTURE
Toyota says its new fuel cell car Mirai the name means future in Japanese signals the
start of a new age of vehicles. The cars environment-friendly powertrain uses hydrogen
to generate electric power.
Mirais Toyota Fuel Cell System (TFCS) combines fuel cell and hybrid technologies. It
includes Toyotas new, proprietary fuel cell stack and high-pressure hydrogen tanks. The
TFCS is more energy-efficient than internal combustion engines and emits no CO2 or pollutants when the vehicle is driven, Toyota says. It is said to have a generous cruising
range and a hydrogen refuelling time of about three minutes.
Hydrogen can be generated from many different natural sources and man-made by
products even sewage sludge. It can also be created from water. Whats more, it can
SYMS LATEST
be created by means of natural, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind
power. When compressed, it has a higher
energy density than batteries and is relatively easy to store and transport. All of
this adds up to useful potential for power
generation and a wide range of other
applications. In Toyotas view, fuel-cell
vehicles can generate their own electricity
from hydrogen, which means they can be
a key contributor to making a future
hydrogen-based society a reality and
accelerating energy diversification.
There are no plans for a local introduction at this stage: South Africa lacks the
necessary fuelling infrastructure.
Between 50 and 100 units of the Mirai
will be produced annually.
BRING ON THE HEAVIES
None of those wimpy 125 cm3 machines

here: two big-bore scooters headline the
latest additions to the SYM line-up, on
the basis that although smaller-engined
commuter machines have their place, that
place is not the urban sprawl. Bigger, more
powerful machines are simply better suited
to highway travel and longer commutes.
According to the local distributors, the
MaxSYM 600i and 400i add freewaygobbling performance to the usual scooter
attributes of comfort, convenience, decent
weather protection, economy and a more
genteel riding position than that of a
motorcycle. Both have CVT transmissions,
dual front disc brakes with twin-pot callipers and ABS, twin halogen projector
headlights with auto activation, handlebar levers adjustable for span, seats with
lumbar support for both rider and passenger, two dashboard cubby holes, LED
instrumentation, and storage under the

seats for two crash helmets. The windscreens are height-adjustable, and both
have main and side-stands.
A third new model, scheduled to arrive
early this year, is the SYM 600 QuadRaider
4x4. Its described as a useful workhorse
quad at a competitive price that should
be of interest to farmers, hunters,
fishermen and other outdoors types.
Engine is a liquid-cooled 565 cm3 singlecylinder that produces 15 kW and 34,5
N.m, mated to a CVT transmission with
two- and four-wheel-drive modes
plus a low-range option.
THE ESSENTIALS
ENGINE
liquid-cooled fuel-injected single-cylinder
OUTPUT KW
24,5 (400i); 30,3 (300i)
WHEELS
15 front, 14 rear
TOP SPEED KM/H
143 (400i); 160 (600i)
PRICE TBA
58
FEBRUARY 2015
LAMBORGHINI HURACN
DONT WASTE IT
Is this a Countach?
Khaki shirt, khaki shorts, boots, quad bike, greying at the
temples: farmer. Well, you didnt need the deductive powers
of Sherlock Holmes, considering that he had just puttered
across the road from the farm entrance opposite.
Youre giving away your age, I shot back. Right brand.
But only somebody our age would bring up a name from the
1970s. This is the new one. The Huracn.
He pursed his lips. Nodded his head. Twisted the throttle
open a crack, made a loop and put-puttered away. His body
language made his thought as clear as if he had uttered it:
Ja-nee, boet. Ja-nee.
The new baby Lamborghini is not for sissies. Like its forebears, its a firebreathing throwback to the days before
well, before sanitised, safety-first, self-driving cars.
Flip the angular red cover on the centre console and press
the Start button. Gaarrrhuump. Trundle out of the parking
area. Behind your head, tikkata tikkata tikkata tikkata. Ease
down on the right-hand pedal to thread into the thinning
post-rush-hour traffic, whoooaaaaaaa the turbo starts to
sing whaaaaaeeeee. Underneath, mmmrrrrrrr. Check mirrors, blind spots (plenty of those) and now! Nail that pedal
to sneak into that gap in the fast lane and...
Holy Mother of!
This thing isnt even in Sport mode yet.
Excitement is hardwired into the Lamborghini Huracn.
Driving it is an occasion. An occasion not to be wasted. It can
make you smile. Sometimes, its a smile thats actually a little
scared.
Oh, of course it can be driven in traffic. But who would
want to?
This is a car for driving fast, on the most challenging roads
you can find. If you want to tootle around, get a golf cart.
The Huracn does not so much tootle as hustle. And hurtle.
The V10 drivetrain provide massive urge. In standard mode,
kickdown is instant and acceleration electrifying. In Sport, its
simply shattering.
Swoop down into a favourite sequence of bends (I did, several times) and feel the utterly predictable adjustment in line
as you back off, tickle the throttle a little harder, back off
again. Watch an inquisitive double cab climb all over your
FEBRUARY 2015
rear bumper. Roll your eyeballs, plant your right foot, and out
of the corner of your eye watch the Hilux shrink into a dot in
your mirror, at something approaching warp speed. Laugh out
loud. Slow to a crawl. Watch the double cab blunder past. The
driver isnt smiling.
THE ESSENTIALS
BODY AND CHASSIS
SUSPENSION
TYRES
ENGINE
OUTPUT
DRIVE
TOP SPEED
0-100 KM/H
0-200 KM/H
PRICE
aluminium, carbon fibre, composites

double wishbone
20-inch 245/30 front, 305/30 rear
V10 5,2-litre
449 kW/560 N.m
AWD, 7A (double-clutch)
>325 km/h
3,2 s
9,9 s
R4,75 million
WHEELS
GWM BAKKIES
GOING BIG
GWM sees its restructured Steed line-up, more

attuned to local requirements, as a distinct
boost for its South African prospects. Thats
come about thanks to closer co-operation
between GWM South Africa and Great Wall
Motors in China, says GWM SA Brand Manager
Hannes Oosthuizen. The line-up tweaks he is
referring to include a rear diff lock as standard
on some models and a new, cheaper turbodiesel engine.
For 2015, GWMs bakkie range popular
Steed 5 in several iterations, from workhorse
to leisure-oriented double-cab,
along with the new Steed 6
as a double-cab flagship.
Massive improvements have
apparently been made to
ride refinement in the 5E,
particularly with regard to
damping out extraneous
noise even to the extent
of new, quieter windscreen
wipers. The 5E also gets sharper looks and seat comfort has been upgraded.
According to Oosthuizen, the new WGT engine, which is mated with a 5-speed
manual transmission, has been heavily tested locally. It will feature initially in the
new baseline Steed 5.
The WGT uses less sophisticated turbo tech and control systems for its 78 kW
output. Torque peaks at 225 N.m from 1400 to 2800 r/min. Claimed fuel consumption in single-cab configuration is 8,1 litres/100 km.
THE ESSENTIALS

ENGINE

PRICE
Steed 5
2,2 petrol
78 kW diesel
From R154 900
Steed 5E
2,4 petrol
105 kW 2,0 diesel
From R230 000
Steed 6
105 kW 2,0 diesel
From R294 900
SUZUKI DR-Z70
Grown-ups shouldnt have all the fun, so the DR-Z70 is designed specifically for
young riders. It is, says Suzuki, the perfect tool for youngsters learning the fundamentals of riding or simply developing their skills.
That said, its no slouch. The four-stroke, air-cooled 70 cm3 engine delivers
plenty of torque. It drives the wheel via an automatic-transmission for smooth,
controllable power. Convenience features include an electric starter with handlebar start button in addition to the regular kickstart.
The steel-framed DR-Z70 is the lightest of its starter-motor equipped class
rivals, according to Suzuki: it weighs just55 kg. Nippy handling is a given, with
10-inch wheels, inverted telescopic front fork with 97 mm of wheel travel and a
linkless rear swingarm.
Of course, there has to be the occasional downside: for those periods when
you happen to have been grounded (yes, we know, it was someone elses fault)
the DR-Z70 comes with a keyed ignition to provide maximum parent control.
Price: R21995.
60
FEBRUARY 2015
LEXUS LF-C2 CONCEPT

PURE AND SIMPLE
Lexus says this 2+2 roadster design study
unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show captures
key themes in a strong future style direction for
the brand. Its said to have been derived from
a pure and simple sports coup idea. (I think
they meant roadster: its designed roofless.)
According to Lexus, the exterior styling was
influenced by the way surface shapes interact
with different types of light. The golden finish
was created using a multi-layered paint process
involving a primer coat, followed by silver, clear
coat, then yellow, which reflects off the silver.
The exterior styling extends into the luxurious
cabin, which has a look of restrained elegance.
The central video monitor is controlled by a
remote touchpad and a classic analogue clock
sits in the centre.
FEBRUARY 2015
61
WHEELS
HOME FROM HOME

Relaxing travel lounge or mobile office:
the luxury saloon of the future will provide the option of autonomous driving,
offering people totally new freedom. In
future, the car will take on more than
ever the character of an individual retreat
in urban traffic. Mercedes-Benz provided
a virtual preview of what the future holds
with an innovative interior concept for an
autonomous luxury vehicle presented at
its Tech Day in Sunnyvale, California, with
the theme of Autonomous Mobility.
The event forms part of a regular dialogue, facilitated by Mercedes-Benz, on
the future of mobility. Previous topics
have included How Utopian is the future?
and Robotics.
The trailblazing interior of the future
also demonstrates new dimensions in
communication and interaction with the
vehicle. Mercedes-Benz has already
turned the vision of autonomous driving
into reality with the S 500 Intelligent
Drive and the Future Truck 2025, and is
62
IN FUTURE, THE CAR WILL FURNISH ITS OCCUPANTS WITH

AN INDIVIDUAL RETREAT IN URBAN TRAFFIC
now pursuing its work on concrete ideas for the future shape of autonomous driving.
Autonomous vehicles will be commonplace and socially accepted in the cities of
the future. This new dimension in mobility will be accompanied by social and technical
changes. With the new luxury-class interior concept, the car of the future will be
more than purely a means of transport rather, it will become a variable and private
area of retreat in increasingly dense urban traffic. By virtue of this new form of travel,
the occupants of autonomous vehicles will have the freedom to put their time spent
travelling to even more varied use.
We are convinced that autonomous driving will be a central factor on the way to
comfortable, accident-free driving, says ProfessorDr Herbert Kohler, head of corporate research and sustainability and chief environmental officer for Daimler AG.
Autonomous driving relieves pressure and stress in driving situations usually regarded
as tedious for example in tailbacks, in inner-city areas or on long journeys. At the
same time, it opens up new ways in which people can make the best use of their
time on the road. Kohler adds: The time spent in the car acquires a totally new
quality. This is in keeping with the growing desire for privacy and individuality in a
crowded and hectic urban environment.
MOBILE LIVING SPACE, LUXURY LOUNGE

For their interior concept design, the engineers, designers and futurologists evolved
an interdisciplinary scenario and thought through the freedom, that autonomous
driving brings: more space, more time, more ways to interact. At the same time, the
interior reflects the typical Mercedes interpretation of Modern Luxury.
With this visionary interior concept we are defining the luxury of the future,
AUTONOMOUS
TURNING.
S 500 INTELLIGENT
DRIVE observes
right-of-way rules.
STEREO CAMERA
DETECTING AND
REACTING TO
OBSTACLES.
Situation-based
adjustment of
the route.
by means of gestures or touch displays.

The system automatically recognises the
wishes of individual occupants for information or the selection of control functions by detecting eye, hand and finger
movements.
The vehicles surroundings, whether
pedestrians, other road users or the local
buildings, are also brought into the interior and portrayed as fluid all-round
information on displays. Embedded in a
totally new sense of space inside the vehicle, Mercedes-Benzs user experience
strategy aims to systematically combine
intuitive use with the design idiom.
Information, interaction and communication are the connecting lines between
man, machine and the surroundings.
Visions are necessary to drive the
social discourse on mobility and the
design of the urban environment ahead,
says Professor Dr Herbert Kohler. With
our innovative interior concept of a luxury
lounge for an autonomous vehicle of the
future, we are giving a specific outlook
on our ideas of future mobility. This interior concept forms an essential part of a
new overall vehicle concept that we will
be unveiling at the Consumer Electronics
Show in Las Vegas.
INTELLIGENT DRIVE
STEREO CAMERA
observes Gorden Wagener, head of design at Daimler AG. We have achieved a symbiosis of the virtual and real worlds and realised the most intelligent solutions in highly
aesthetic design.
The pivotal feature of the innovative interior concept is its variable seating. Four
rotating lounge chairs allow a face-to-face seat configuration. This enables the front
passengers to turn around and talk directly to the other passengers while on the move.
Alternatively, they may focus their attention towards the front as necessary for manual
driving. An extendable steering wheel offers the driver an appropriate options.
THE NEW DEFINITION OF CONVENIENCE

One central aspect of the innovative interior concept is a continuous exchange of
information between vehicle, passengers and the outside world. The interior becomes
a digital living space that is comprehensively networked as an integral part of the
intelligent vehicle system. The occupants are able to interact intuitively with the vehicle
FEBRUARY 2015
Pioneering is in the Mercedes-Benz DNA.

The stated aim from the company that
invented the automobile is to develop it
further, from a self-moving (automobile) vehicle to an independent (autonomous) vehicle. In its research and
development activities, that means going
well beyond the purely technical aspects
of automated driving. Various scenarios
are anticipated, with the focus on people.
Semi-autonomous driving is already a
fact on public roads today. Several
Mercedes-Benz models feature systems
such as Stop-and-Go Assist, which automatically follows tailback traffic and
provides steering assistance. Theres also
automated parking.
In August 2013, the Mercedes-Benz S
500 Intelligent Drive based on the new
S-Class and equipped with technology
that was more or less production level,
covered 100 kilometres completely autonomously. Then, in 2014, the Future Truck
2025 travelled at up to 80km/h in traffic
on the German autobahn. The company is
also licensed to carry out autonomous
vehicle testing on public roads in
California and at the USAs largest test
facility, the Concord Naval Weapons
Station, whose network of metalled roads
is similar to a citys.
Source: Mercedes-Benz
63
WHEELS
GS-911 WI-FI SCAN TOOL

ANALYSE THIS
A LOCAL TEAM OF DEVELOPERS HAS
UPDATED AN INNOVATIVE SCAN TOOL
FOR BMW BIKERS, TINKERERS AND
EXPEDITION RIDERS TO MAKE IT EVEN
MORE DESIRABLE
Like some of mankinds greatest ideas, it

started with a group of young bucks and
talk of a road trip by bike. In a flash of
insight, or perhaps of wet-blanketness,
one wondered aloud: Great idea. But
what if we break down?
Fortunately, not only did biking win the
day, but the breakdown thought led to
an innovative portable scan tool that can
fit in the palm of your hand.
The GS-911 Wi-Fi allows devices with
a browser and Wi-Fi to talk to their
bikes control units and components. This
approach is becoming highly relevant in a
bike ecosystem increasingly reliant less on
fuses than on fault codes to indicate fault
conditions.
The tool is made entirely in Somerset
West, in the Western Cape, by Hexcode.
With a background in engineering and
experience in vehicle diagnostics, in about
2000 Hexcodes Stephan Thiel developed
a diagnostic tool for VW/Audi products.
That product has proven to be the companys bread-and-butter product.
The GS part of their bike scan tools
name is borrowed from BMWs GS range.
At the time that we were thinking of a
name, our product offered only emergency
functionality, says the companys operations director, Zol Hll. The recognised
emergency number, 911, seemed like a
good choice.
Although it sold well from the time of its
2007 launch, clients wanted more than just
emergency functions. (These are embedded
in the GS-911 Wi-Fi; in combination with a
smartphone app, it allows viewing and
clearing of fault codes and real-time viewing of sensor and control unit values.)
Thats led to an updated version with considerably more functionality. Wi-Fi opens it
up to any device that has a browser. Its no
longer OS-specific, Hll says.
It mates with the bikes diagnostics
CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS
dock, located under the engine cover, via

a bayonet locking system, and interfaces
with a PC for full service functionality,
The SA market is fairly small, but the
Euro and US markets are huge, Hll says.
In the US, Right to Repair legislation
makes it illegal to restrict maintenance
to authorised dealers.
To date, they have sold about 10 000
GS-911s. But theres scope for growth:
BMW sells about 100 000 bikes annually.
Says colleague Peter-John Freeman:
Theres definitely a demand for some of
the other touring bikes such as KTM. The
US is another big market.
The thing is, people use these bikes in
very out-of-the-way places. The tool gives
them peace of mind. And you dont have
to be the best mechanic. You can phone for
specialist assistance about repair, knowing
that you have identified the fault.
Hooked up to a bike, the tool is able to
switch individual components on and off,
such as the fan, to test them. It also monitors the status of the various systems in
real time.
Service
Cloud
Emergency
Updates
Windows GS-911 PC app + Wi-Fi infrastructure or USB + Internet
Any device with browser + infrastructure + Internet

Any device with Wi-Fi and browser, i.e. phones and tablets
64
WHAT IS IT USED FOR?

Reading control unit information and fault
code values, clearing fault codes, resetting service reminders, viewing live sensor
values, logging and graphing data, testing and calibrating components, and
more.
WHO NEEDS ONE?

Workshop pros, of course. Enthusiasts.
And expedition riders who head off to
isolated places.
HOW IS IT TESTED?
Behind a nondescript door in Hexcodes
ground-floor workshop are arrayed a
couple of dozen BMW motorcycles that
serve as rolling testbeds.
On bikes that have intelligence built

in, we can do self-tests, says Hll. ECU
information can come in handy when
buying bikes second-hand, too. You can
check mileage and even if the bike has
been dropped, using information from
the bikes lean sensor, he says.
A Cloud-based version is being phased
in during the course of the next year or
so. This might provide some of the fullfeatured versions functionality within
reach of anyone with a sick bike, a smartphone and an Internet connection.
Price: for the Pro version R7 495; the
enthusiast equivalent is R4 195.
PM
www.hexcode.co.za
FEBRUARY 2015
BUILT FOR A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES

With legendary Honda reliability, youre assured a future filled with memorable
CR-V moments. To find out why the Honda CR-V was 2014s top selling SUV
DDB SA 39995/E
worldwide, book a test drive at your nearest dealership, or at Honda.co.za today.
LOUD AND
CLEAR
Capable of smartphone connectivity, geotagging and pairing with
computers: could this really be a hearing aid? New-wave devices to
assist the hearing-impaired are worlds away from clunky old-school
designs.
BY MAGGIE MARX
Maggie, come in, come in Can you hear me?

my colleague whispers into my iPhone. Her voice sounds faint,
but Im 80 metres away, so thats probably no surprise. What is
surprising: I can hear her, although Im pretty severely hearing
impaired.
I can hear her whispering into my ear because the Trulink
app on my iPhone is streaming the sound recorded by my
phones microphone straight to the Starkey Halo hearing aid
Im testing out.
A hearing aid needs to be replaced roughly every five years
in part because they dont last much longer than that, but
also because peoples hearing impairment usually worsens systematically and their needs change as technology (luckily)
advances. My Oticon aid and I are nearing the end of our road
together, so Ive been investigating some new options.
Most of the patients who consult my audiologist, Chelsea
Strang, are elderly and not too fussed about advancing technologically. So, when Chelsea saw I had an iPhone, she got this
look of someone introducing The Walking Dead to a probable
new fan. She rattled off the aids specifications and showed
me the app. As she talked, my jaw dropped. In five years, the
landscape of hearing aid technology had changed dramatically.
All the aids from various manufacturers she showed me had
features that Id never think to add to a hearing aid.
Stuff like smartphone connectivity, geotagging your hearing
aids settings to various locations and pairing with your computer,
66
Apps such as Siemenss touchControl (opposite, main picture) and

Starkeys Trulink interact with hearing aids such as the Starkey Hero
(opposite, bottom) to enhance hearing far beyond the abilities of the
designs previously used. One significant benefit is the ability to customise specific modes, from listening to music to enabling the user to focus
on a speaker or sound in a noisy environment such as a restaurant,
above.
FEBRUARY 2015
FEBRUARY 2015
PHOTOGRAPHS: WWW.SIEMENS.COM/PRESS,STARKEY.COM
Crystal clear audio at your fingertips

ReSounds Linx (www.kind2hearing.co.za) streams sound
from Apple devices. Wearers can talk on the phone and
listen to music in quality stereo sound without the need for
additional remote controls, accessories or pendants. A dedicated app allows preset volume levels and audio tone
controls, as well as geotagging to assign and
adjust to the acoustics of
frequently visited places
such as home, work and
favourite restaurants. The
companys smallest wireless receiver-in-ear hearing aid (below), it costs a
hefty R32 000.
LOCAL TECH IS A
HIT, TOO
utting-edge hearing
aid tech doesnt have
to originate abroad. Two
locally developed systems
specifically aimed at the
hearing impaired won
plaudits at the 2014 SAB
Social Innovation Awards.
The awards are aimed at benefiting women, youth, people
with disabilities and people living in rural areas.
Smartphone hearing test HearScreen (top and above) was
placed joint third overall, earning R350 000 in the process.
HearScreen is patented software that transforms any smartphone into a calibrated device for early identification of
disabling hearing loss. It reduces costs by more than 80%
compared with existing devices.
Thanks to its automated test sequences and interpretations
it has one significant benefit: operators need not be trained.
There are other advantages that include environmental noise
monitoring for quality control and a cloud-based server for
remote data monitoring and surveillance.
Safe and Sound Technology was given a seed grant of
R150000 for whats described as an external sensory device
for the hearing impaired alerting the user to environmental
sound through vibration.
TV and landline. This gives the user absolute control over what
shed like to hear and how loud she wants to hear it.
And according to Dave Fabry, vice president of audiology and
professional relations at Starkey, this connectivity will only be
increasing: In the future hearing aids will seamlessly integrate
with other wearable devices. Think of the movie Her the
hearing aid will be more of a personal hearing assistant than a
stand-alone device.
Starkeys Halo surprised me. Im used to a hearing aid just
amplifying sound, but by pairing it with my iPhone I could listen to Siri trying her best to read my Afrikaans SMSes to me,
stream audio (music, GPS instructions and phone calls) straight
to my ear and also adjust my sound requirements for every
room or setting I find myself in. The live microphone function
allows the user to stream live from the phones mic. It even has
a Find my hearing aid feature. Luckily thats one feature I
didnt have to test out.
68
Because my right ear is completely dead and no hearing aid

or operation can make it remotely more useful than to be the
second bearer of my earrings, I wear an aid only in my moderately impaired left ear. The TruLink app can, however, sync two
aids perfectly.
Chelsea explains that there are three main types of hearing
loss and that all three can vary in severity: Conductive hearing
loss involves damage to the outer ear, ear drum or middle ear.
Sensorineural involves the vestibulocochlear nerve, the inner
ear, or central processing centres of the brain. A mixed hearing
loss involves a combination of these two.
Thats why matching a patients hearing loss to the perfect
hearing aid is no mean feat. Audiologists have to balance the
patients preferences and lifestyle with a budget and still provide enough power to the impaired ear(s).
Whichever aid the patient gets fitted with is still an incredible
piece of technology.
FEBRUARY 2015
BRAINHEARING
TECH FUSION HELPS MAKE

SENSE OF SOUND
ound by itself is just, well, noise.

Making sense of sound is the
tricky bit.
To address this, hearing aid manufacturer Oticon has developed what it
calls BrainHearing (graphic, right).
According to Tally Sherban, a Client
Relations Executive at Oticon South
Africa, the brain uses four key audiological features to make sense of
sound:
Sound input from both ears helps
the brain orient itself in the environment.
The ability to separate relevant
sounds from competing noise.
Knowledge of where to focus in
noisy sound environments.
Sound recognition.
For the brain to make sense of
sound, we have to allow both ears to
work together, to keep the natural
sound level differences occurring at
each ear. Its about preserving the
Only 1 in 4 people with hearing loss actually take the time to address
important details of sounds while
their hearing loss, research shows.
maintaining as much of the surrounding
environment as possible. From there
we prioritise speech information over
tinuously and seamlessly. This enables the
spatial sound. This helps support the brain
other sounds and allow the hearing device
individual to organise sounds and to orient
in separating voices and sounds from each
to deliver varying degrees of directionality,
themselves within their surrounding by letother. The user has the freedom to focus by
Sherban says.
ting both ears work together with the brain
understanding speech over other noises,
BrainHearing fuses several technologies
constantly and in real time (spatial
engaging in conversation and switching
under control of a sophisticated quad-core
sound). It also allows them to hear better in
focus when necessary (free focus). An addisignal processing platform, Inium. Its the
challenging environments by preserving as
tional feature, YouMatic, helps make
first platform that makes it possible for two
many of the unique characteristics as possounds more recognisable.
hearing instruments to communicate consible of a sound to work alongside
All hearing aids comprise four basic components, Fabry says.

One or more microphones to pick up speech and other environmental sounds;
Circuitry (usually digital) to enable the hearing aids to be
adjusted for individual hearing losses to ensure that soft sounds
are audible across a wide frequency response (from 200 to
8 000 Hz);
A receiver or speaker to present the amplified sounds to the
hearing aid user; and
A battery/power supply typically a small 1,5-volt pill style
battery.
Companies such as Starkey, Oticon and Belltone are constantly
undertaking research to enhance these basics as much as possible.
Because of this, a hearing aid doesnt come cheaply. They can
cost as much as R40000 each.
Oticons Streamer Pro device enables people who use Oticon
wireless hearing instruments to connect to an iPhone via the
Oticon ConnectLine App. Streamer Pro is worn around the neck
and acts as an intermediary device to connect Bluetooth-enabled
devices to Oticon hearing instruments.
The device enables users to switch to a variety of input sources,
with individual volume adjustment. Audio streaming is possible
FEBRUARY 2015
from TV, landline and office phones and personal microphones

directly to hearing devices. Specific hearing modes can be personalised and named for easy identification such as restaurant,
office or sports.
Recently at the 59th International Congress of Hearing Aid
Acousticians, EUHA, in Hanover, Germany, Siemens presented
the new model of its Ace hearing aid. This smallest Siemens
behind-the-ear hearing system is now based on the new hearing instrument platform binax, also presented at EUHA. With
this, for the first time, the user can remotely control the aid
wing the touchControl app, which is available for Apple and
Android smartphones. Ace wearers are now able to adjust
the volume, sound settings, program selection, and the
tinnitus noiser in Ace hearing aids inconspicuously via their
smartphone.
Ace, which is only 2 cm long and weighs about 20 grams, can
be tuned to the specific hearing preferences of both new and
experienced wearers. Its fully automatic and adapts functionality
continuously to changing listening situations and listening needs.
The touchControl app is compatible with all Siemens hearing
instruments available on the new binax platform.
The biggest problem facing hearing impaired people today,
PARTS OF A HEARING AID

1. Microphone
2. Flexible printed

circuit board
3. Battery
4. Receiver
5. Antenna
though, isnt the price. Rather, its the stigma and their own
misconceptions regarding hearing aids, says Fabry.
The average patient waits seven to 10 years after learning
that they have hearing
loss (to get an aid). This is perhaps the
HR_AOC_Advert_G-SYN
2014-12-09T10:42:31+02:00
biggest challenge. Hearing aid technology exists today that can
help people lead more active, fulfilling lives, but the stigma
associated with hearing loss and hearing aids still persists for
many, he explains.
Fabry also warns that untreated hearing loss have been correlated with increased cognitive decline.
Chelsea agrees: Research is telling us more and more that
the sooner the better. When you cant hear whats going on
around you, your mental sharpness and communication abilities
suffer. The earlier you start using hearing aids, the quicker
youll notice benefits.
I got my first hearing aid, a huge Belltone that barely fitted
in my ear, only when I was 12. Thats because all kinds of smart
people were telling my parents all kinds of stories. Things like
my brain would melt because of all the sound, or that I should
probably be attending a school for deaf children. Finally, a very
wise doctor told them to just get the kid a freakin aid and
be done with it.
Ill admit, it did take a bit of getting used to. I (or maybe the
angsty tweens piled on top of me) once broke it into little pieces
in a touch rugby match; I stepped on it a few times and took it
for a couple of showers and swims. But it was worth it. I heard
my own footsteps for the first time yes, my mom did cry I
was astounded at the sound a zipper makes and how loudly I
actually speak.
I obtained two language degrees after attending mainstream
schools. I now get to appreciate live music (Foo Fighters anyone?)
and go to the movies when I get the chance. My speech is
near perfect and I have very few issues communicating. And
now Im on my third hearing aid, looking for the fourth. I think
Im going to get a shocking pink one because of all the stigma,
you know?
PM

Lethal speed,
deadly precision.
AOC G2460PG 24
G-SYNC TM Gaming Monitor
www.aoc-europe.com
2014 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA and NVIDIA G-SYNC are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation
in the United States and other countries. 2014 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY and CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE
are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Pinnacle Micro (Midrand) - Tel: +27 (0)11 265 3232 Omega Africa (for SADC) - Tel: +27 31 564 8030 - Email: marketing@omega-africa.com
Esquire Technology - Tel: +27 (0)11 594 0000
12 ISSUES FOR ONLY R314
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE 25%

You'll also receive a Dash 7 Quick Change
Multi Bit Screwdriver worth R110 FREE!
No need to dig around in your toolbox to find the right screwdriver head
in the right size: the DASH 7 comes as standard with 7 quarter-inch (6 mm)
Hex Powerbits. Although compact, its still a versatile, no-nonsense tool, with
anodised shank and solid handle for extra durability.
PLUS FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION!
To extend your annual subscription for only R272 and receive all the benefits
of the above offer, simply call 0860 100 205, quoting 15/02/SP/PM
www.popularmechanics.co.za/
subscribe
POP to 32698
R1,50 per SMS
This offer closes 28 February 2015 and applies to print subscribers with a South African address only. Stock of the gift is subject to availability and while stocks last. The colour
of the gift that you receive will be selected at random and may not be specified. Print subscribers can claim a FREE digital version just contact us to confirm the e-mail
address for the link. For foreign rates and other great offers, visit www.magsathome.co.za
A BEAUTIFUL THING
72
FEBRUARY 2015
FEBRUARY 2015
Manufacturer: Probat-Werke von Gimborn Maschinenfabrik GmbH

More: www.truthcoffee.com, www.taketheplunge.info
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICKEY HOYLE. SHOP DESIGNER HALDANE MARTIN
Born in postwar Germany, this cast iron and steel creation was rescued from obscurity, stripped and
restored at the instigation of coffee culture crusader David Donde. Today, renamed Colossus, it occupies
centre stage in one of Cape Towns more stylish coffee joints.
Whats truly beautiful about this machine, though, is that it is green. Most roasters are gas, some electric;
but biofuel is used in Colossus to roast the beans in Truths signature Resurrection raises the dead to decaf
Antithesis. The fuel is sourced from pioneering waste oil recyclers BioGreen (www.biogreen.co.za). We wrote
about them way back in 2010.
Manufacturer Probat makes roasters to this day. Colossuss classic 1940s design combines the best of the old
and the new; its drum rotating on a horizontal axis in the oldest, most traditional form of slow roasting has
been thoroughy updated with the addition of computer control.
The steampunk ethic permeates the headquarters of Truth Coffee as does the heady aroma of the latest
brew in the up-and-coming fringe of the city CBD. Designed by Martin Haldane, it has been the only
African finalist in the World Restaurant Bar Design Awards.
Donde believes that Truth is the only roaster in Africa, possibly the only one in the world, roasting completely on waste fuel. He is also enthusiastically supportive of the ethical coffee movement, which campaigns
against unethical treatment of farmers and workers in the industy. Why? At Truth we want to do the right
thing, he says. If that helps produce great coffee that also makes you feel good, who are we to argue?
Industrial can be beautiful, too. Especially when it involves that most noble of beverages, fine coffee.
PROBAT COFFEE ROASTER
N E W I D E A S T H AT C O U L D C H A N G E T H E W O R L D l Compiled by THE EDITORS popularmechanics@ramsaymedia.co.za
UPGRADE
CAL POLY AND NASA AMELIA
THUNDERSTRUCK
Residents of Thunder City (the usual name of airport-adjacent

suburbs) the world over rejoice: the fruit of the California
Polytechnic State Institutes research grant with Nasa is starting
to ripen. The Advanced Model for Extreme Lift and Improved
Aeroacoustics, or AMELIA, has completed wind tunnel fabrication.
Nasas future aircraft project aims to trim down to the most
viable models for the next generation of commercial aeroplanes
and AMELIA with its short takeoff and landing talents looks to
be in the running for a role as a Boeing 737 replacement circa
2025. This means more compact airport runways and reduced
community noise on takeoff and landing. While it remains a
subsonic aircraft, it does meet all the requirements for the
aircraft of the future, so itll be lighter on jet fuel and play
better with the environment.
What these tests really did for us was to generate data

for an aircraft configuration that wont necessarily be
flying, but will certainly look quite a bit different to
what were seeing now or have seen in the past,
Cliff Horne, a NASA acoustics engineer at Ames.
The 1 134 kg aluminium and steel model was meant to

test, for the first time together, three aircraft design
features that usually cause conflicts with each other.
74
A ME L I A
BA L L CAMERA
With its pair of jet

engines riding on
top, it looks like an
airplane that has
its wings bolted on
upside down. But
this innovative
1/11th-scale model
recently tested by
NASA in a California
wind tunnel might
represent the future
of commercial
aviation.
Measurements of the air flow and noise taken during

the wind tunnel tests seem to hint that AMELIAs
design does offer a potential solution for fuel economy
and runway length problems, but the tests true
value is that information gathered with the model
will help engineers craft new airplanes in the future.
PANONO PANORAMIC BALL CAMERA

TOSS, SHOOT AND SHARE
Until recently, creating panoramic photos required snapping several images

with a single camera, then painstakingly stitching them all together a
tedious exercise thats about as mind-numbing as watching paint dry.
Thankfully, Panonos throwable Panoramic Ball Camera looks set to make
capturing panoramic images much less hassle than in the past. Oh, and no
stitching is required.
Berlin-based startup Panono broke the German record for the most successful
crowdfunding campaign when it raised over R14 million in early 2014 to develop
their quirky orb-shaped wonder. Since then, the company has completed its
final mechanical design and the first electronic prototypes are in production
and will soon undergo testing.
This grapefruit-sized, ball-shaped camera features 36 camera modules
embedded around it that fire simultaneously at the highest point when the
camera is thrown onto the air. The end result: fully spherical, 108-megapixel
panoramic images. Once captured, viewing the images on a mobile device via
the free Panono App provides users a unique immersive experience in which
they move through the images simply by tilting their device up and down,
left and right, and all around as if theyre inside the shot.
Thanks to supporter feedback, the final product boasts some cool new
features. In addition to taking images by throwing and on a selfie stick or
tripod, it now features attachment points for ropes, allowing users to hang
the camera from ceilings, trees or whatever they like. An indicator light has
been added to let photographers know whether conditions such as lighting
76
and rotation were optimal for capturing

a quality image. Plus, a new stitching
algorithm has been completed and is said
to be yielding seamless panoramas.
Other features include a robust, waterresistant housing (designed to withstand
drops from normal throwing heights),
built-in accelerometer, Wi-Fi connectivity,
along with a manual shutter trigger and
settable timer.
Says Jonas Pfeil, inventor, co-founder
and president of Panono: Its exciting to
be just months away from realising a dream
that began in 2011 to create a whole new
world of photography, one in which the
photographer is literally at the heart of
each image in a fully spherical shot that
captures everything and everyone in every
direction.
Panonos Panoramic Ball Camera, scheduled
to become available around March this year,
is expected to cost around R6 300. For more
information, visit www.panono.com
Its exciting to be just months away from realising a dream that began in
2011 to create a whole new world of photography, one in which the photographer
is literally at the heart of each image in a fully spherical shot that captures
everything and everyone in every direction.
travel
plan your holiday great offers & prizes kiddies activities

fun for the whole family adventure activities beer tent
live music travel theatre with expert advice latest gear
free entry for mercedes-benz key holders local cuisine
enter our Zanzibar competition, valued at R10 000
inspiration
LO
RE
show
NS
FO R D W I N E
TE
cape
TA
S
E
Unlocking your travel dreams

fun family travel
MARCH 13-15 2015

FRIDAY 10AM-6PM SATURDAY 9AM-6PM SUNDAY 9AM-5PM
LOURENSFORD WINE ESTATE, SOMERSET WEST
Tickets are available at the gates or online. Adults R70, pensioners
and students R40, kids 12 and under free
getawayshow.co.za
HOT RODDERS TOOLBOX
WORKSHOP CHALLENGE
MAKE AN APP
P R E V E N T I N G WAT E R I N G R E S S
A hot rodders
toolbox
Our homemade diamond-plate toolbox is
hardy and easy to clean. Plus, it will add a
dash of Mad Max to any car project.
80
FEBRUARY 2015
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JARREN VINK
SKILLS
SKILLS
My buddy Bob Lucchesi inspired

this metal box. He used one
just like it in his racing days
to tune up his dragster. He
would remove the engines carburettor
and eight spark plugs and rack them
neatly in the box to keep everything
orderly during tune-ups. With a backstory like that, this box will be treasured in any gearheads garage.
STEP 1
MAKE THE TRAY

Make the five box panels using a jigsaw
and a Bosch T227D aluminium saw
blade. Crosscut the four supports from
a length of L-shaped aluminium. Youre
going to attach the L-shaped supports
around the bottom panels perimeter
to hold up the sides and ends. Clamp
the bottom supports to the ends of
the bottom panel, and bore 4 mm
bolt holes through the supports where
they meet the panel. Use a 118-degree
twist drill bit to bore these holes. Bolt
the end supports to the bottom panel.
Do the same for the side supports.
Next, clamp the end panels in place,
and bore 4 mm bolt holes through
the supports and the panel. Bolt the
end panels in place. Complete the body
by repeating this procedure with the
sides.
Crosscut the inner and outer corner
supports, and bore 3 mm pilot holes
through them and the corners of your
box so that they make a sandwich: inner
support, box corner, then outer support.
Mount the supports by driving sheetmetal screws through all three pieces.
ware stores and is a good tool to have

around. Install the supports by bolting
them to the ends of the box, then slide
the handle through its holes. Next, drill
two 3 mm holes through the handle,
one just behind each support. Cut
threads in the handle with a 3 mm tap.
Fix the handles position in the supports
by threading machine screws through
the holes. The box can now be loaded
with a carburettor, plugs or something
less greasy. Candy canes, maybe.
TIP
Aluminium may be
softer than steel, but it
can be tough to work with
because its particles build
up on saw blades and drill
bits. To prevent this, use a
cutting lubricant designed
for non-ferrous metal,
such as AlumTap.
MATERIALS
PART
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
QTY.
1
2
2
2
1
4
4
2
2
DESCRIPTION
MATERIAL
DIMENSIONS
Bottom panel
End panel
Side panel
Handle support
Handle
Corner support (outer)
Corner support (inner)
Bottom support (end)
Bottom support (side)
Diamond-plate aluminium
Aluminum flat stock
Steel-tube closet rod
Aluminium angle
Aluminium angle
Aluminium angle
Aluminium angle
1,5 x 203 x 406

1,5 x 76 x 203
1,5 x 76 x 410
3 x 51 x 216
25 x 445
3 x 25 x 76
3 x 25 x 47
3 x 25 x 203
3 x 25 x 356
FASTENERS
1 22-piece pkg 9 mm No. 6 pan-head sheet-metal screws
1 100-piece pkg No. 6-32 x 12 mm round-head machine screws with nuts
D
STEP 2
ILLUSTRATIONS BY GEORGE RETSECK
ADD A HANDLE
Crosscut the handle supports. Use a
pair of compasses to mark the top
curve; cut it with a jigsaw. Next, bore
a large hole into each support for the
handle to slide through. Use a bimetal
hole saw or a step drill, a conical bit
with notches cut into it (each notch
makes a different-size hole). Crosscut
the handle using a plumbers tubing
cutter, which is available at most hard-
FEBRUARY 2015
I
C
A
SOFTWARE
The author at his computer with his

brain food of choice. He spent hours here
developing his new app, Bacon Now.
SO YOU
WANNA
MAKE
AN APP?
Who hasnt had a great idea for
a smartphone tool but not the
slightest idea where to begin?
BY ERIC KESTER
82
AT 2 AM on my ninth day of troubleshooting, I lost my mind. I had expected

to face some obstacles as an amateur
app developer, but I hadnt foreseen
this. Alone in a room whose landscape
comprised ziggurats of crude design
sketches and empty Red Bull cans, I
was wrestling with a picture of bacon
dumplings. It didnt have enough dots
per inch for an Android smartphone
screen, and I didnt have a version of
Photoshop that would let me fix it.
Even if I got my hands on a friends
copy, I was looking at doing this all
over again for the larger screen of the
iPhone 6. And then God only knew if I
would find the resolve to dream up
special features for the 6 Plus. Frustrated
and over-caffeinated, I switched tasks,
checking to see if my apps interactive
map worked. It geolocated me into
the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I
slammed the laptop closed.
I blame my exasperation on the
increased ease of entry into the appdevelopment market. Having a world-
changing idea is so common its almost

a side effect of smartphone ownership,
but only in the past few years have
regular people been able to turn concepts into reality. Five years ago I would
have had to know Objective-C, the
programming language for Apple
iOS coding. But in 2010, dozens of
user-friendly app-creation platforms
appeared. In January 2010, there were
120 000 published iOS apps. Twelve
months later, there were more than
350 000 in the iTunes Store. Last year,
more than 6 million app developers
existed in Apples ecosystem.
If I was going to make a million dollars, which was (obviously) the plan, I
needed my idea to capture the publics
imagination. That idea? Bacon Now, a
geolocation app that would provide
directions to restaurants serving critically acclaimed bacon dishes in US cities,
starting with New York. The app would
also include geofencing features: If a
user wandered within 100 yards of,
say, a bacon-infused bourbon cocktail,
his phone would buzz with an alert.
Idea in hand, I spent a non-refundable
$99 (about R1 100) developer fee on
an account through Apples developer
Web site. This granted access to a
Software Developer Kit, where the
actual programming takes place, and
a video tutorial for learning some
basics. I started playing the first video:
The G-L resolve-multisample-framebuffer Apple has now become at
this point there is an expectant pause,
as if the narrator were about to reveal
the exceedingly simple secret to success
in programming the G-L blit-framebuffer, he concludes. Its pretty simple. I slumped back in my chair.
So I needed help. Thankfully, theres
a lot of it out there. On a Pinterestlike site called dribbble.com, I found
dozens of designers who could build
Bacon Now, customised with whatever
features my cholesterol-lined heart
might desire, for around R1 000 an
hour, or R100 000 in total. There was
another option, appmakr.com, that
would allow me to design an app the
same way I would a blog on WordPress
or Tumblr: choose a few premade
tabs; customise some colours, pictures,
and headers; and the app is essentially
complete. The downside: its full of
distracting ads.
In the end I went with Bizness Apps.
FEBRUARY 2015
PHOTOGRAPH BY NATHAN PERKEL
SKILLS
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALMASTY
SKILLS
For R650 a month this service offered
tabs that I could customise for each
dish, a premade GPS-enabled map that
I populated with my own data points,
and a feature that let me draw circles
around each restaurant for geofencing.
Within the design dashboard was a
simulator I could use to see instantly
how my app functioned, like the Preview
button in WordPress. When I was done
I hit Publish, and my entire app was
compressed into a bite-size file, ready
to upload to app stores. The whole
thing couldnt have been easier.
Or so it seemed until I was in my
50th or 60th hour of troubleshooting
and tinkering, lubricating my aching
eyeballs with industrial-strength eyedrops. Whenever I ran into a question
I didnt know the answer to (is white
font on a black background a design
faux pas? If your app frequently crashes
at the load screen, is that a design faux
pas?) I looked for advice at lukew.com,
the Web site of Luke Wroblewski, a
product director at Google whose
Web site aggregates advice from
expert app developers.
Sometimes I came away with solutions.
Always I came away with new ideas.
What if I added background sounds of
bacon sizzling, or a section for usersubmitted photos? These ideas would
lead to new questions, and eventually
Id be digging for answers within
Bizness Apps cavernous user forum.
Most beginner-app threads, I found,
start with I have this problem followed by a flurry of responses along
the lines of Me, too! followed by,
well, nothing else. At that point Id
email my Bizness Apps account manager, Jade, who was very helpful. She
even occasionally logged in to my
account to fix a bug herself, though
I got the sense that any more intervention would require me to buy the
premium White Label package for an
additional R100 per month.
This continual loss of money was as
disheartening as the loss of time. With
a R7 800 annual fee to Bizness Apps,
R1 100 for Apples developer fee, R275
for Androids developer fee, R440 to
purchase hi-res images for the apps
icon, and R165 for the apps home page,
my expenses totalled nearly R9 800.
Apple and Android take about 30 cents
for each purchase of the 99-cent (about
R1,09) app, so to break even Id have
FEBRUARY 2015
TOTAL: R9 757
Expenses incurred:
(a) Bizness Apps annual
membership, R7 788
(b) Apple developer fee, R1 089
(c) image licensing rights, R440;
(d) Google Play developer fee, R275;
(e) domain for app home page, R165
Bacon Now helps people with two vital

tasks: finding nearby bacon (1), and
learning about popular bacon dishes (2).
WHEN I WAS DONE I

HIT PUBLISH, AND MY
ENTIRE APP WAS COMPRESSED INTO A BITESIZE FILE, READY TO
UPLOAD TO APP STORES.
THE WHOLE THING
COULDNT HAVE BEEN
EASIER. OR SO IT SEEMED
UNTIL I WAS IN MY
50TH OR 60TH HOUR
OF TROUBLESHOOTING
AND TINKERING.
to sell just over 100 apps per month.
Considering Apple users download
2 billion apps a month alone, this figure
seems achievable.
But that stat needs a bit of context:
two-thirds of smartphone users download zero apps per month, and the top
7 per cent of most active users account
for nearly half of all downloads purchases that consist mostly of Top-25
apps with huge marketing budgets.
Search bacon in the app store and
youll see Bacon Now buried beneath
other dreamers work, including an
app called Bacon Farts (Now with 76
Awesome Fart Sounds!). This is almost
as demoralising as my Android stats
page, which tells me that, since the app
went live a few days ago, Ive tallied
only one download. (Hi, mom.) Its too
soon to tell how Ill do in the Apple
App Store, but I think its safe to say
that Peanut Butter Now is delayed
indefinitely.
Though Bacon Now has so far fallen
short of my R10 million goal, I can say
that a non-programmer building a basic,
functioning app is most definitely, sort
of, doable. Bacon Now does what I
planned, and while it wont have Google
knocking on my door, its not visually
offensive. So Im satisfied. I, a person
who has only ever been called a computer genius after resetting his parents
wireless router by turning it off and then
on again, have joined the revolution. I
made an app, and you can buy it.
SKILLS
HOW TO
Preventing water
ingress
A lesson I picked up from my father, whos

been teaching me home projects since I
was 3. BY LYNDIE GREENWOOD
G
T IP!
A masonry
patch this small
can crack if its not
kept moist. Spray
down the foundation wall and sidewalk with a hose to
keep them from
pulling too much
moisture out of the
lip as it dries. As
the lip cures, either
cover it with
plastic or gently
moisten with a
watering can.
rowing up, whenever

there were odd jobs to
be done around the
house, my dad would
always have me help.
Once, when teaching me
how to fix a leaky tap, he
showed me all the parts, and something in my head just clicked. Its
not a magic trick. Theres a certain
way these things work, and usually
theres not much to it. Ever since then
Ive had a certain mentality. If I can
look at something for a minute, I can
probably figure out how to fix it.
My dad still lives in my childhood
home in Toronto. Theres a concrete
lane between our house and our
neighbours that runs alongside our
foundation, and eventually my dad
decided to stop the moisture that
had been slowly coming in through
it. As always, he showed me how.
Even the slightest gap between
your foundation and a concrete
sidewalk can lead to leaks. If you
have a basement, thats a serious
problem.
First, clean out the dirt and weeds
that may have accumulated against
the foundation wall. Then use a
concrete or a low-shrink grout to
build a lip over the gap about 5 cm
up the wall and 5 cm on to the sidewalk, with a slope of 45 degrees. Its
a simple fix, but an important one.
The daughter of a plumbing and

general-construction inspector for
the city of Toronto, Lyndie Greenwood
now stars in Sleepy Hollow, the story
of Ichabod Crane, a Revolutionary
War soldier summoned back to life
in the present day to try to stop the
also-resurrected Headless Horseman
and the impending apocalypse he
brought with him.
84
PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW ECCLES
OUR EXPERT
FEBRUARY 2015
WIN! WITH OUR HOME WORKSHOP CHALLENGE

ANNOUNCING:
THE POPULAR MECHANICS
HOME WORKSHOP CHALLENGE
For 113 years Popular Mechanics has pushed the limits of
what we can achieve in our workshops, whether its making
a rolltop desk or shaving cream. Throughout, weve always
had the same goal: inspire craftsmanship and creativity.
Now were putting the challenge to you and there are
prizes. A few times a year, youll find a contest. The directions
will be specific. Victory wont be easy. But just by giving it a
shot, you will test and improve your skills at making, building
and creating. And you might win some cool stuff.
CONTEST NO. 1
Construct something using a single sheet of plywood.
PARAMETERS:
our item(s) must be made out of one

Y
1,2 x 2,4 m sheet of plywood.
The plywood can be any type, and you
can cut it as many times as you like.
Youre free to use any type of fastener.
A little
Glue, screws, nails, bolts, clips, hinges
inspiration:
a plywood umbrella.
and brackets are all okay.
Cumbersome but
You can augment your project with
functional.
wheels, handles, metal tubing, or any
other sort of hardware, but no other timber is permitted.
Include at least two high-resolution photos and one drawing of your
project, along with instructions on how to build it (jpeg or PDF files
preferred).
p ri z e :
The winner will receive a Makita DHP458ZK Cordless 18V Lithium-Ion

Impact Driver Drill Kit, valued at R6 794. This top-of-the-range Makita 13 mm
impact driver drill features a battery indicator that displays the remaining battery
charge; twin LED lights that illuminate when the trigger is pressed and 3 functions
drilling, hammer action and screw driving. The DHP458ZK provides plenty
of power for those demanding tasks, with 21 torque settings to choose from,
giving you perfect control and maximum torque of up to 91 N.m. It is extremely
compact, with a two speed metal gearbox and steel keyless chuck. It features
a rubberised grip, an extended side handle for greater control, a reversible
belt clip for both left- and right-handed operation and a twin bit holder.
The prize includes: 1 x Makita DHP458ZK
impact driver drill (supplied in a handy
carry case) with 2 x 4,0 Ah Makita Li-Ion
batteries (BL1840), which recharge in
36 minutes, and a Makita compact fast
charger (DC18RC).
For further information visit www.makita.
co.za, like Makita on Facebook MakitaPowerToolsSA or call 011 878 2600.
Your project will appear in a future issue of Popular Mechanics.
Email your plans and a picture of the results to

popularmechanics@ramsaymedia.co.za by 31 January, 2015.
Official rules can be found at popularmechanics.com/workshopchallenge
FEBRUARY 2015
CONFESSIONAL
IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND

Sure, people say some nasty things
in anonymous apps, but the good
far outweighs the bad.
By RACHEL METZ
MIT Technology Review
(TNS)
MIT Technology
86
FEBRUARY 2015
I want to quit Google,
playing usernames, Secret denotes the original poster

of any given secret with a crown icon; each commenter
gets a random icon ranging from a wine glass to what
the message on my iPhone read. Its boring here.
appears to be either a dollop of soft-serve ice cream or
Posted by an anonymous user in San Francisco to the confessional
a pile of poop.
app Secret, the message quickly gained attention; after four days, it
With fewer choices, Secret feels more sedate than
had received 78 comments, ranging from just means youre not on
Whisper, and more manageable. When I first tried the
the right project to I quit Google, and it was one of the best decisions
app in February, it was brimming with juicy tech-industry
of my life. At times, the original poster chimed in, saying things like:
gossip, but that seems to have dropped dramatically.
Ive been there a long time. Many jobs. The company no longer values
Lately, my Secret feed has been humming with posts
initiative, and promotion is very slow.
about love, sex, work and relationships, such as I think
Many of us are addicted to sharing status updates on Facebook,
Im too selfish now to be in a relationship since Ive
photos on Instagram, and thoughts on Twitter. But real, raw honesty
never been in one and Im well into my 30s. The recent
is tricky online. Its hard to say what you really think when your true
addition of a polling feature has resulted in lots of annoyidentity is attached, especially if your post could get you in trouble,
ing yes-or-no questions. (My network includes many
either now or years down the line. That bored Googler on Secret wouldnt
Silicon Valley types, which means I see tech-centric
be likely to voice those thoughts online under his or her real name questions like Would you use a social network launched
even if doing so could be therapeutic or even lead to other job options.
by Yahoo?) There are also serious posts one person
Thats why anonymous social apps like Whisper and Secret come as
suffering from depression said he or she had finally
a relief. Yes, anonymity and self-disguise have always been available
started seeing a therapist and was taking medication. It
on the Web, from early chat rooms to newspaper and blog comment
was warming to see that post elicit a support-groupsections to the darkest corners of 4chan. And yes, commenters have
like response of congratulations and encouragement.
often used that cloak of anonymity to say things that are meaner than
I was feeling so positive about Secret, especially
anything theyd have the guts to say to someones face.
after hearing that some people were
Here, though, the combination of anonymity, the simit to organise dinner parties with
Even if the people on using
plicity of a focused app, and the intimacy of a smartphone
strangers, that I decided to see if the
screen makes sharing your deepest, darkest thoughts and
good vibes engendered by the app
the other end didnt
commenting on others strangely satisfying. The more I
could translate to real life. I posted
really know me, I felt
used these apps to confide, the more it felt like having a
an invitation to anyone in my extended
tiny confessional in the palm of my hand. Occasional trolls
that I could be honest social network to meet me after work
be damned, I got hooked on the rush of comments and
at a cocktail bar in San Franciscos Soma
with them and get
likes that came with a juicy confession. Even if the people
neighbourhood. Positive comments
real sympathy.
on the other end didnt really know me, I felt that I could
poured in, with several folks saying
be honest with them and get real sympathy.
MAIN PIC: iSTOCKPHOTO/LOLOSTOCK; iSTOCKPHOTO/PALTO
DRINKING WITH STRANGERS
With Whisper, sharing is easy: you type whatever you want

and the app suggests a photo based on your message often
one that doesnt quite match the topic. Other peoples posts
show up with several lines of bold text and an image, risking
sensory overload. Scrolling through Whisper is like looking
at snippets from countless strangers diary entries, only
here youre encouraged to respond.
Posts are visible to anyone using the app, and many of the
more popular ones are searingly honest. On a recent day, a
quick look yielded I just found out my boyfriend was born
a girl; My son is officially older than my boyfriend; and It
makes me sad when I see my two-year-old pretend to inject
meds into her stomach to be like her mommy. Fuck diabetes!
People do respond sympathetically to all kinds of posts
everything from one users admission that he or she cries
about little things like when theres no milk left in the fridge
to anothers lament about people being unaccepting of
homosexuality.
Still, I preferred Secret, which looks simpler and sticks to
a smaller social circle. The app has two tabs. One shows secrets
from your friends and friends of friends (though you cant see
who these people actually are the app matches you with your
social network by looking at the contacts on your phone and
finding those who are using Secret). The other tab displays
secrets from people who are nearby and posts that Secret
has decided to show you for reasons that arent made clear.
You can comment only on the posts made by friends or
friends of friends and on certain posts rolling in from those
near you. This gives Secret an intimate feel. Rather than disFEBRUARY 2015
they would attend and others saying they wished they were close
enough to pop by.
I arrived at the bar excited to meet my new friends. But after I
drank alone for an hour and a half, only one commenter showed
up. I wasnt mad at anyone I had no idea whom to be mad at.
But while anonymity can make people unreliable, it can offer some
good surprises. My eventual companion told me her real name was
Taleen Alexander. After a rough day, she just felt like having a conversation with someone she didnt know. It turned out we had a lot in
common: we both grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and went
to the same university (UC Berkeley), where we majored in the same
subject (English). Because it wasnt the kind of thing either of us
normally do, and because well probably never see each other again, it
felt exhilarating to talk about what was really going on in our lives.
THE ICKY UNDERBELLY
Keeping these apps fun and useful inevitably means fighting with
trolls who make nasty comments and issue personal attacks. I didnt
find this kind of dreck pervasive, but its not hard to find, and I can
see why parents would be concerned about impressionable teenagers
using apps that encourage anonymous interactions. Its much easier
to be a jerk when you never have to reveal your identity.
That said, I dont think Secret and Whisper should consider it their
responsibility to wear kid gloves when dealing with the under-18
crowd, and they do appear to be working to minimise the bad stuff.
Secret urges users to say something kind when commenting, and
it lets you delete ugly comments responding to one of your posts. I
also noticed a fair number of reminders sprinkled throughout the
app urging me to help keep the community safe by flagging posts
that dont adhere to Secrets rules.
When I tried to publish a post with a picture of the singer Ariana
Grande, an alert popped up asking whether I was posting about
someone, warning me that defamatory, offensive, or mean-spirited
posts violate Secrets terms and may be deleted. The warning needs
work, though: I got the same message when I posted a photo of some
delicious marcona almonds.
Despite the appeal

of anonymous posting, its not always
unfettered. Secret,
for instance, redflags what it deems
defamatory or offensive matter, like the
Ariana Grande post
below.
Its much easier to be a jerk when you

never have to reveal your identity.
On Whisper, there wasnt such in-your-face emphasis on keeping
mean content off the app, but it was easy to call out jerks: an icon
at the top of each post lets you flag or hide the post or report a user
for bullying, impersonating someone else, or spamming. Whisper
also uses both software and people to weed out inappropriate posts
and says it doesnt let users write posts with peoples real names in
them. (I was able to publish one, but it had been deleted by the
next morning.)
The efforts appear to be working. Whisper says negative comments
and posts make up a single-digit percentage of the apps total, which
reflects my experience.
But even seeing an occasional ugly comment slip through seems
like a small drawback considering the overwhelming number of sincere,
reflective, self-deprecating, confused, commiseration-seeking ones.
So much of what we say and do online is preserved permanently,
and in life offline we still have to watch what we say at work and
even around friends and loved ones. Apps like Whisper and Secret
let you blow off steam or share your most private thoughts before
(or instead of) sharing them in person. Speaking up in these digital
spaces can bring out the trolls, but its often followed by compassion
PM
from others, and a sense of freedom and relief.
Copyright 2014 Technology Review, Inc.
Distributed by MCT Information Services
88
FEBRUARY 2015
BUYER'SGUIDE
FEBRUARY 2015
To advertise in Buyers Guide contact Joanne, Lindi or Patrick on

011 449 1100 or email: popbuyersguide@ramsaymedia.co.za
BUYER'SGUIDE
90

FEBRUARY 2015
BUYER'SGUIDE

CFP TECHNOLOGIES
Electric motors & Drives
Speed Control for your Machinery,

Pumps, Conveyors, Fans, Mixers, etc
Variable Speed Drives for Electric Motors (VFDs or VSDs)
Single phase input, three phase output models. 0.18 Kw - 4 Kw
Three phase input, three phase output models. 0.18 Kw - 1000 Kw
Electric Motors
Single Phase: 0.12 Kw - 7.5 Kw Three Phase: 0.18 Kw - 330 Kw
Website: www.cfptech.co.za
Email: cjvdb@mweb.co.za
Tel: 082 8570324
FEBRUARY 2015
BUYER'SGUIDE
92

FEBRUARY 2015
BUYER'SGUIDE
FEBRUARY 2015

BUYER'SGUIDE
94

FEBRUARY 2015
BUYER'SGUIDE
FEBRUARY 2015

BUYER'SGUIDE
96

FEBRUARY 2015
BUYER'SGUIDE
FEBRUARY 2015

BUYER'SGUIDE
98

FEBRUARY 2015
BUYER'SGUIDE
FEBRUARY 2015

D O I T Y O U R W AY / U S E F U L , C L E V E R T I P S F O R Y O U R H O M E
WINNING TIP
SEND US
YOUR HINT
GET A GRIP
AND SCORE!
Cover the edges of self-cut sanding

sheets (for your orbital sander) with
rubbery insulation tape. This gives
the clamps better grip on the sanding
sheets, especially on the rougher
grit ones. They wont come loose
as often and you can sand to your
hearts content.
TOMMIE THERON
KLERKSDORP
Out, damned spot

Near the end of most woodworking
projects, mention is made of sanding all
the face marks off. This sounds straightforward, but can take quite a long time
(and hard labour) for either hand or
machine sanding.
Over the years, I have found a much
quicker and easier method for removing
pencil marks on timber. My solution can
be found in most stationery drawers or
school pencil cases.
Using a soft (HB) pencil, when drawing
your marks, make them lightly. Then, use
a hard eraser preferably across the
grain to rub them out. This works
extremely well and marks are removed
in a jiffy.
CLIVE SHEA
EDGEMEAD
Floored
For all the guys out there jumping on
the pallet wood bandwagon or any bigscale project, for that matter: draw your
design directly on your concrete floor,
with a pencil, in the garage or workshop.
This makes it easier to keep track of your
progress while ensuring that everything
is square and lined up.
If you are not sure that your square
(or rectangle) is squared up, just measure
diagonally from one corner to the other.
If these two lengths are the same, youre
good to go.
WIN
Another advantage: the pencil marks

are easy to clean up afterwards.
PHILIP FOURIE
DURBANVILLE
Save the wall

How often have we wanted to hang
something on the wall facing the workbench? Instead of looking for a masons
drill and making a mess, I screwed a large
board to the wall. Now it is an easy job
to attach anything with the odd screw.
Theres no drilling or dust to clear up;
just a quick job and all is complete.
LEWIS COLMAN
UVONGO
Send us your best home, garage, workshop and general DIY hints and win!
This months best tip wins a 28-piece
Gedore Motorists Toolkit worth R3 000.
The kit includes five open-ended spanners (size 10 x 11, 12 x 13, 14 x 15,
16 x 17 and 19 x 22), a ratchet with
socket and extension, adjustable
wrench, universal pliers, torch, tape
measure, notepad and pen, 2-ton tow
strap with shackles, multitool and pouch,
flat screwdriver, two Philips screwdrivers
and an electricians screwdriver. Thats
more than enough to cope with most
breakdowns and maintenance jobs.
Gedore SA underwrites its hand tool
product quality proposition by offering
a lifetime guarantee against inferior
materials and workmanship on all
products manufactured. For further
information, visit www.gedore.co.za
Send your tips to:
PM Do It Your Way, Box 180, Howard
Place 7450, or e-mail popularmechanics
@ramsaymedia.co.za Please include your
name, address and contact number.
Regrettably, only South African residents
are eligible for the prize. Prizes not
claimed within 60 days will be forfeited.
Clean up without waste

Dont waste your cotton cloths by using
them to clean your hands after a messy
silicone job. Instead, wipe your hands
with an old plastic shopping bag and you
will be amazed how easily and quickly it
removes all the sticky goo.
PAUL JOLLY
MATSAPHA, SWAZILAND.
Pest control on a budget

I had a problem with rodents in my roof a
while ago. I tried all the usual poisons and
tricks without success until I stumbled across
something simple that actually works.
Take about half a cup of pool chlorine
granules and scatter some around the
area where the little beasts run around.
Put the rest in a small area around the

entrance to their playground.
The fumes, it seems, are too strong for
their sensitive noses. It wont be long and
they will no longer bother you.
ROB TYRER
LYNDHURST PM
RESERVATION OF COPYRIGHT
The publishers of Popular Mechanics reserve all rights of reproduction or broadcasting of feature articles and factual data appearing in this journal under Section 12 (7) of the Copyright
Act, 1978. Such reproduction or broadcasting may be authorised only by the publishers of Popular Mechanics. Published by RamsayMedia Pty Ltd for the Proprietors, Popular Mechanics (SA)
Pty Ltd, Uitvlugt, Howard Drive, Pinelands, Western Cape. Distributed by RNA, 12 Nobel St, Industria West, Johannesburg, and printed by CTP Gravure, 19-21 Joyner Road, Prospecton,
Durban. Apple Mac support: Digicape tel 021 674-5000.
100
DWFCOLL BS/518378
S o m e t i me s s to p p i ng to ch an ge
a t yre j u s t i s n t a n op t ion .
NEW
Bridgestones DriveGuard is an affordable, quality Run Flat tyre

designed for all popular vehicles and designed to keep you on
the road. DriveGuards unique Run Flat technology ensures that
you can travel up to 80km an hour for 80km on a flat tyre.
DriveGuard tyres are available in sizes 15 inch & larger.
Tread Smartly. Choose Bridgestone.
treadsmartly.tv
THE DISAPPEARING RHINO.

ITS A VIRTUAL REALITY.
South Africa is losing rhino on a daily basis through poaching. Its the most
significant conservation issue faced by the country and time is running out.
At Investec, we couldnt just sit back and see this unique animal vanish off the face of the earth.
In 2012, we set up Investec Rhino Lifeline which aims to raise awareness of the rhino crisis and
respond through education, rescue and prevention initiatives. Were working with a number of trusted
partners to make a difference, and we can do more with your support. Find out how you can help
give the rhino a lifeline at investecrhinolifeline.com.
You can also donate directly to Rhino Lifeline:
Account name: The Wilderness Foundation Trust | Bank: Investec Bank Limited |
Branch name: 100 Grayston Drive | Branch code: 580105 | Account number: 10011642313 |
Please remember to include your reference based on the area of focus
you are donating to (Rescue, Education, Prevention).
In partnership with

Popular Mech. 2015

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Popular Mech. 2015

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

LOCAL ARTISTS 3D-PRINTED WEARABLE ART

SCIENCE WHEELS HOME OUTSIDE

BUT WHICH ONES

A HOT RODDERS TOOLBOX

UPGRADE: COOL TECH

SYNC with Bluetooth and voice control

BE THE FIRST TO KNOW

LOCAL ARTISTS 3D-PRINTED WEARABLE ART

SCIENCE WHEELS HOME OUTSIDE

BE THE FIRST TO KNOW

a Dash 7 Quick Change

WEVE MADE 150 000

BUT WHICH ONES

MAKE A HOT RODDERS TOOLBOX

UPGRADE: COOL TECH

How Your World Works

74 Thunderstruck: next-gen aircraft

42 Jabra Sport Pulse Wireless:

Meet the master tinkerers whose

46 High tech meets high art

Local artists 3D-printed wearable

Panono panoramic camera:

How autonomous drive impacts

Project: Hot rodders toolbox

66 Loud and clear

New-wave hearing aids help make

Lifes a grind for this refurbed

86 Confessional in the palm of

Energy-efficient lighting that

The high-tech innards of Panonos throwable Panoramic

EDITOR: Anthony Doman

GROUP PUBLISHER: Neil Piper

ACCESS ANY TIME,

Total monthly sales: 38 081 (April-June 2014)

DEVIL IN THE DETAIL

Diablo GT: Unforgettable.

YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST

do recall having seen 310 on the speedometer.

LET TERS / WHAT S ON YOUR MIND?

I can vouch for the article written by Kyle

Have plywood, will create

barring the steering pivot bolt, had no

War is not inevitable

Persisting with the view of war as a

Programming for pleasure and

create their own games. The great thing

Check your water regularly

Its amazing what computers

been spraying on to the sewer pipe, we

Hope for the wheelchair-bound

TIME MACHINE / IT MADE PERFECT SENSE AT THE TIME

Age of the Aerial Monsters, PM USAs June 1938

Many of todays cars feature headlights

ONE PART CAN CHANGE

This is a simple o-ring. Almost as big as your thumb. Seemingly insignificant.

BMW ORIGINAL PARTS.

HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS

LIGHTS, CAMERA, (SLOW-MO)

he sequence involving Robert Downey Jr escaping through

PHANTOM FLEX4K SPECIFICATIONS

here cant be a more security-conscious nation than South

are not designed to stop any vehicles.

1. No expensive mechanical, pneumatic and electro-mechanical systems

How well does it work? In the absence of a budget for a PAS 68

FEBRUARY 2015 www.popularmechanics.co.za19

FEBRUARY 2015 www.popularmechanics.co.za21