The Zero Contact system is Nissan’s proprietary technology, and uses the electromagnetic induction method. Testing performed and reported by Nissan claim about 80-90% efficiency when compared to charging the EV with a standard cable.

When a vehicle with the appropriate integrated charging equipment parks on the Zero Contact Charging System mat, the above-ground supply unit’s coils transmit current using magnetic force. The current is then sent to the receiver’s coils on the EV. Parking doesn’t even need to be that precise – the EV can still charge even if the supply unit isn’t perfectly aligned with the receiver.

No word yet on pricing or availability.

Source | Picture: Response.jp.

Like the prize inside a Crackerjacks or kids’ cereal box, Siri, Apple’s voice-controlled digital assistant, is the raison d’être for buying an iPhone 4S, especially if you already own a 4.

A cult of personality has already arisen around Siri. Numerous bloggers have cited her snappy answers to stupid questions, such as “What are you wearing?” “Where can I hide a body?” “Open the pod bay doors,” “Will you marry me?” “What are you wearing?” etc.

But I hope you aren’t thinking of buying an 4S just to get a really fancy Magic 8 Ball. Siri does a lot more than wittily answer esoteric questions. She could represent the first true user interface paradigm shift since the iPhone and its capacitive touchscreen, and perhaps since the Mac and the Graphical User Interface 27 years ago.

And like any paradigm shift, Siri will change how you behave, and introduce a whole new set of social rules of engagement.

One of the new apps that Apple released with the new iOS 5 software is Find My Friends, which lets you pinpoint the location of your friends who also use the service. And it just claimed the life of its first marriage.

In the terrifying event that an astronaut finds themselves floating away from their space station, there’s not a lot they can do. But some scientists are hoping to develop tractor beams, that old sci-fi mainstay, as a way to make sure they can make it back.

This here is a custom Xbox 360 controller mod that replaces plastic with wood, leather and brass. Oh, and the Xbox button in the middle? It’s now a keyhole.

Doc Brown’s time traveling DeLorean will be gracing roads again in 2013. The DeLorean Motor Company is partnering with Epic EV to build an all-electric car that’ll be updated with necessities like an iPhone dock. Can’t cruise down the freeway in a DeLorean without blasting the Back to the Future theme, now can ya?

Even in this age of pervasive cell phones and GPS systems, it’s possible to get lost. And not lost like “do I take a left or a right to get to Denny’s,” but the kind of lost where if you don’t get found, you’re likely to die of exposure and/or be eaten by a bear. This little piece of fabric could put your mind at ease, enabling rescue anywhere on Earth.

Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! While walking through the throngs of gamers, cosplayers, and geeks at the New York Comic Con this past weekend, we came across some of the best looking homemade costumes we’ve ever seen. We’re always super impressed by how much time and work fans put into their costumes.

One costume that stood out was this Ghostbuster’s Hello Kitty Proton Pack. The guy wearing it was at the convention with his crew of regular Ghostbusters, but it’s pretty obvious that he won the hearts of everybody upon suiting up.

In August of 1883, an astronomer in Mexico named José Bonilla spotted hundreds of fuzzy objects passing in front of the sun that nobody could explain. A new analysis of these observations suggests that what Bonilla saw was anywhere from a billion to a trillion tons of comet passing as close as a few hundred miles from the surface of the Earth.

The Cubestormer II has squashed all (human) records for solving the Rubik’s Cube. That’s right, we’ve been bested. To see just how fast it was solved, check out the video below.

Collecting 1 million iPhone 4S pre-orders was mighty impressive, but Apple’s not done picking up new record awards. The company just announced it’s sold over 4 million iPhone 4S since it officially went on sale on Friday.

The Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver has delivered its usual array of outrageous audio gear, but this shockingly priced turntable would have to go pretty high on anyone’s list.

We love crazy audiophile gear at Dvice, and few audio products are as crazy as Jack Woo’s Brooklyn NY built tube amps made just for driving headphones. Now Jack has topped himself, with his 234 mono amps, which are designed to make even the most difficult to drive headphones sing.

Gabriel Wartofsky hopes his pedal-assist electric folder will help reveal what he calls “the hidden magic” of commuting by bicycle to the American public … and, after two years of trying, it seems like his innovative design is finally ready for prime-time production.

The pre-production prototype of Wartofsky’s e-bike (below) remains true to the original concept art (above) with a low step-through design, innovative flip-n’-fold articulation, and higher-quality pedals, hand controls, and seat than we’re used to seeing on electric bikes (even those from big OEMs like Yamaha, Mercedes-Benz, and the artsy Euro bikes).

Another “better than we’re used to seeing” feature in Wartofsky’s bike is the artfully “hidden” li-ion battery pack, capable of providing up to 250W of pedal-assisting current over a 15-40 mile range (depending on how much pedaling v. assisting is going on). Take a look up there – you can hardly see it! Because of the hidden battery and subtle motor, this is the first ebike that doesn’t shout “ELECTRIC BIKE!” at passers-by, which (like Buick’s eAssist not being called “hybrid”) may actually help to attract potential buyers who don’t want to stand out from the crowd quite that much.

Wartofsky’s project is part of the larger “Conscious Commuter” project, which hopes to “shape the future of urban mobility by solving the ‘first and last mile’ commute problem” by providing an easy, fun, and efficient way to travel that “first” and “last” mile from home to train/bus and bus/train to office. The storage/charging kiosks Wartofsky envisions (below) certainly look good enough to make believers out of casual cyclists, I think, and Wartofsky seems to be converted, himself. “It’s inherently compatible with other modes of transportation, so it facilitates car pooling, public transit and even travel by air,” he explains, adding that “electric (pedal-assist) ensures you won’t sweat in business attire and a chainless drive eliminates the risk of damaging clothing.”

Here’s hoping the last hurdles have been, um … hurdled (sorry), and Wartofsky’s vision comes to a city near you rather sooner than later.

Source | Photos: Conscious Commuter, via TechVehi.