Future of Engineering

Remote Control Not Needed - Control Your TV With Hands

2008-09-26T03:45:00.000-07:00

Consumers will soon be able to control their TV screens or home entertainment systems simply by waving their hand, thanks to technology developed by Toshiba's Cambridge Research Laboratory in collaboration with the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering.

People tend to get nostalgic about those happy yesterdays. But if I were to ask - would you like to travel back to the stone age(that is life without AC and remote controlled TV), most of you would decline. Because life in the 21st century is all about existing in a remote controlled atmosphere.

Wiki says that the first remote intended to control a television was developed by Zenith Radio Corporation in 1950. The remote — officially called "Lazy Bones" was connected to the television set by a wire.

That's so clumsy!

The engineers of yesterday knew that too. That's why they invented the wireless remote controlled gadgets. Engineers of today have taken it one step further by creating the hand controlled TV.

"Using the Toshiba experimental TV viewers are able to interact with the display system simply by gesturing with their hand. Once the viewer is in front of the display screen, the system will ‘see’ them and invite them to take control of the display simply by raising their hand. As the system can robustly track their hand even under different lighting conditions, the visitor can enjoy controlling the on-screen cursor."

The gesture interface signals the arrival of a new era in the age of wireless communication. The remote control hasn't gone out of fashion yet. But the day isn't far when I'd be using my hands just like a choirmaster to keep things going according to my way.

Surely, we've come a long way from the good old days.

Yesterday,
I just needed a remote
to switch and play
Now I need
just my hand to
surf away.
Oh! I believe in Today.

Source - Cambridge Network
Image - Cambridge Network

Eat Silk: 'Edible Optics' Can Save Your Life

2008-09-22T04:10:00.000-07:00

Researchers at Tufts University and elsewhere are using silk to create sophisticated optics that may eventually warn that the spinach you were about to eat is contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

Warning
Danger: Do not eat!

In the near future, a similar kind of warning would appear when you try to open a packet of infected food.

The delicious food on the plate tempts the eye to take the plunge. But it does not see the hidden world of microbes that can lead to a tummy ache. Statistics show that food poisoning kills about 5,000 Americans every year. Though you take extra care while preparing food, food poisoning might strike when you least expect it. But don't lose heart. Help is on the way in the form of silk.

Silk?!
Yes. That's right. Silk has undergone an amazing makeover that surprises its own scientific creator.
"It was serendipitous," said Fiorenzo Omenetto, associate professor of biomedical engineering and physics at Tufts. "We didn't really set out with this in mind, to make optics out of silk."

Ok. What exactly does it do?

In the Tuft's lab, a silkworm's cocoon is boiled in water to produce liquified silk. Instead of weaving it into fabric, protein is extracted from it. After the removal of toxic materials in the protein the purified material is poured into molds that create unique nano-scaled surfaces.

These nano sensors can detect the presence of various substances, like E. coli. Light passing through the sensor will appear as a specific color, depending on which substance is detected.

These nano films made from silk are biocompatible, biodegradable, nontoxic and bio edible. When the nano film is put on a bag of spinach, it would detect the presence of various substances like E. coli.Light passing through the sensor will appear as a specific color, depending on which substance is detected.

Now you can gladly go ahead and eat the spinach. There's no need to search for the film and throw it away. Being edible the nano film can be eaten too. You won't see nor taste it. That's nano technology for you.

Thanks to nano, I can have my cake and eat it too.

Detect Virus in 60 Seconds to Find a Cure

2008-09-10T05:13:00.000-07:00

Virus detection can't get simpler than this. A powerful technique invented by University of Georgia scientists detects the disease caused by a virus within 60 seconds.

We have found a cure for a lot of diseases. Yet panic strikes when a viral outbreak occurs. People panic because time plays a major role in curing a disease. Traditional testing takes time. One has to wait for atleast a day or two before the report arrives. Within that time the damage would have been done.

The new rapid detection system takes care of it in a superfast manner. It uses surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy to measure the frequency of near-infrared laser light as it scatters off viral DNA and RNA. After a swab of a person's nasal passage, the technique can detect individual virus particles quickly and identify many types.

Each virus has a unique molecular fingerprint. The fingerprint is determined based on the nucleic acid sequence. The laser light highlights this unique fingerprint which clearly identifies the virus and the disease. Once the disease is identified, treatment can begin.

Nothing can escape the eye of the laser beam. Even a single virus can be detected. This technique is sure to be helpful in a terror-struck world. When love diminishes in the earth all kinds of terrorism would spread. Bioterrorism would be one of the methods employed by hate filled people to wreck the peace of others.

When that happens, this laser technique would save the day in an Incredibly Supermanish kind of way.

Source - Aip.org

Easy to Create Special Effects in Home Videos

2008-08-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

What's the common factor amongst these films - Spiderman, Hulk & Superman? You'd immediately say 'Super hero'. But what makes them super on screen? No, it's not their flying, diving and crashing skills that create a big impression. It's their special effects.

Production houses can afford to spend millions on special effects. But it is not possible for an amateur trying his/her first stint at photography and editing.

Unwrap Mosaics a prototype software from Microsoft offers a simple and easy solution. A video is simply a sequential collection of frames or still images. If special effects have to be applied to an object, each and every frame where the object appears has to be edited separately. This is a laborious and time consuming task.

Unwrap Mosaics was developed by Rav-Acha, Andrew Fitzgibbon, Pushmeet Kohli and Carsten Rother. It virtually strips the skin from a selected object in a video, producing a 2D surface that can be easily edited using photo-editing software.

Rav-Acha and his co-workers have successfully tested their software on a range of videos. "There are professional tools that can do these kind of edits but it's an incredibly skilled procedure," says Fitzgibbon. "We believe that with this procedure anyone should be able to edit video."

Using this software, the editor can sit back and relax after making changes to a single frame. The software takes care of applying the changes to all the frames. For instance, if you add a hat and boots to your cat video in frame one, the changes appear till the end of the video.

Now everybody has the chance to create a home edition of Hancock, the super guy of the 21st century.

Source - Unwrap Mosaics

Emotional Robots - Understands Your Moods, Tears and Anger

2008-08-20T04:50:00.000-07:00

The Terminator: Why do you cry?
John Connor: You mean people?
The Terminator: Yes.
John Connor: I dont' know. We just cry. You know, when it hurts.
The Terminator: Pain causes it?
John Connor: No, it's when there's nothing wrong with you, but you cry anyway. You get it?
The Terminator: No.

A robot can think, analyse, calculate, perform actions, crawl, walk, dance and even play football. So what differentiates a robot from a human being?

Well it isn't programmed to have a cute little red heart, the symbol of love that's supposed to be the epicenter of feelings & emotions. That's why the Terminator couldn't understand the depth of a tear-drop.

Feelix Growing tries to bridge the gap between robot and humankind. It is developing software empowering robots that can learn when a person is sad, happy or angry.

Using cameras and sensors, the very simple robots being built by the researchers – using mostly off-the-shelf parts – can detect different parameters, such as a person's facial expressions, voice, and proximity to determine emotional state.

The main idea is, by being more in tune with human emotions, giving the impression of empathy, the robots should be more readily accepted by the people they may one day serve.

The Terminator: I know now why you cry,
[terminator wipes johns tear]
Guess what? It is something I can do too!

Source - ICT Results

Scientists Develop Eye-shaped Camera, Paves Way For Bionic Eye

2008-08-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University have developed an electronic-eye camera.

(newscom.com)">There are lot of developments happening in the world of digital camera. So, what's so unique about this electric-eye camera?

The answer lies in its curved nature. Currently when photos are taken, the picture is clear in the middle but at the edges it is blurred. The curved technology ensures that the entire picture is clean and clear.

"This is the first time we've demonstrated a camera on a curved surface to really make it look like a human eye," said Yonggang Huang of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

Wow! So why didn't they think about this earlier?

They did. And also tried to implement it. But to their dismay when microelectronic components were transferred onto a curved surface it broke under pressure.

Transferring microelectronic components onto a curved surface without breaking them was the task before Huang and Rogers. Guess what? They've found a simple solution to prevent breakage.

"Huang and Rogers developed a mesh-like material made up of tiny squares that hold the photodetectors and electronic components. The squares are connected by tiny wires that give each component the ability to mold to a curved surface."

This fantastic development goes beyond vacation photos.The device could be used to make better imaging equipment, such as curved sensors to monitor brain activity that follow the contours of the brain. It could even be used in the development of an artificial retina or a bionic eye.

Source - PC Pro
Image source - Newscom.com

Fabric-friendly 'Microcapsules' Hide Unpleasant Body Odors

2008-08-05T04:20:00.000-07:00

Researchers in Portugal have created a "microcapsule" filled with perfume and embedded in fabric maskS unpleasant body odors when using textile products.

Actors have sported double-roles on screen to show off their skills. (Sometimes they do it to test our patience.) Now our clothes have decided to do the same. They've made a fashion statement. Now they want to make a scented statement. And they surely have caught our attention.

These microcapsules need no introduction. They have been used already in scratch-and-sniff stickers and peel-apart fragrance samples. But the textile industry has kept off from this scented technology for a good reason. They knew that current versions make use of formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent. Surely there would be no takers for such clothing.

The textile industry didn't use it. But the lingering fragrance refused to leave. And they couldn't stop thinking about it. So they turned to science to freshen up their attire.

"The researchers identified polyurethane-urea, a type of environmentally-friendly plastic that is compatible with fabrics, as a solution. They used the material to prepare microcapsules containing limonene, the familiar scent abundant in lemons and widely-used in perfumes, and applied the capsules onto wool and polyester samples."

In laboratory tests, the microcapsules showed good performance in terms of prolonged fragrance production and durability. There's a time for everything. Now, it's time to say goodbye to perfumes and deodarants. For your clothes, tailored to perfection would be performing a great double-role.

Source - American Chemical Society

Military Can Get Info Directly From the Brain of Soldiers

2008-08-05T03:54:00.000-07:00

Military Developing Brainwave Binoculars

Military binoculars may soon get information directly from the brains of the soldiers using them.

The brain is constantly processing images but most get filtered out. All the things identified by the brain doesn't make it to the conscious level.

The Pentagon wants to use the full potential of the brain, so it has awarded contracts to two defense firms to develop brainwave-aided binoculars. It hopes that soldiers can detect threats from miles farther away with the intelligent binoculors.

"Electrodes on the scalp inside a helmet will record the user's brain activity as it processes information about high-resolution images produced by wide-angle military binoculars. Those responses will train the binoculars over time to recognize threats."

Sensics, Inc., a Baltimore-based maker of panoramic head-mounted displays won $6.7 million and HRL Laboratories received $4.3 million for their research.

Source - Lasvegassun

Harness Self Rights Face-Down Unconcious,Drowning Victims

2008-07-25T02:27:00.000-07:00

Industrial Designers Develop Harness to Provide Spine Support During Water Rescues

From small beginnings come great things. That's exactly what has happened at the University of Virginia Tech. A simple assignment has led to the creation of a life saving product.

Everyday the swift water rescue team is up against a mission that looks as difficult as Mission Impossible. Rough waters and an unconcious vitim means just one thing - disaster is just around the corner. Putting their life on the line they struggle to save lives.

Rescue doesn't stop with pulling out a victim. It's important to pull out the person without causing further physical injuries. That isn't a easy task. To minimise injury during rescue, the Hydrospine has been designed.

The Hydrospine is a rigid frame designed for use in water rescue situations, especially in fast-moving rivers. It is made from structural foam, a neoprene liner, nylon strops, buoyant buckles, and buoyant foam. It is intended to replace the metal framed harnesses currently used by rescue workers to stabilize accident victims with possible spinal injuries. The metal-free frame allows doctors to perform MRI and other scans at the hospital without removing the patient from the protection of the brace. The brace is designed to right itself if tipped upside down in the water, protecting the victim from drowning.

"The biggest thing we did was provide flotation, so if the unconscious person should become face down in the water, it will flip them over and keep them in the correct position in the water," said Varnerin.

Source - Virginia Tech

Find Bombs With Highly Sensitive Explosives Detector

2008-07-14T05:21:00.000-07:00

War and bloodshed has been here since the days of Cain and Abel. Till the 19th century warriors met on the field to prove their might. But the creation of bombs has redefined war. No place on earth is safe anymore. Explosives can be here, there or anywhere. And if you can't spot it, you can't control it.

To tackle terrorism, scientists have created a sensor chip that detects hydrogen peroxide vapor, which is often used in homemade explosives. It does this by monitoring the electrical conductivity of a thin metal film. The chip is made of two different thin films - one made of a cobalt compound and another made of a copper compound. When the chip was exposed to various fumes had responded in a similar manner. But when it was exposed to hydrogen peroxide vapor the films showed a difference in electrical conductivity.

When the sensor reveals this difference, you can easily spot the masked bomb. This is sure to fulfill the requirements of the bomb squad. Usually they have resorted to X-ray examination of luggages which wouldn't detect plastic or non-metallic devices. Sniffer dogs have helped out in various places, but come with a high price tag.

Source - DBIS

Paint That Can Prevent Plane Crashes

2008-07-14T05:11:00.000-07:00

Undetected damage, like tiny cracks, flaws or weak points, is a big problem on airplanes. Now, chemists are testing a new paint that changes color to instantly reveal damage on planes.

Everyday an airplane is carefully inspected for flaws before it sets out on its daily mission. Yet visual inspection isn't hundred per cent fool proof. It's easy to miss out hidden damages on them. A cheap and simple solution has been found to keep an aircraft safe and sound.

"Microcapsules containing a colored dye are mixed together with aircraft paint. If the paint is scratched, dented, or struck the capsules break, releasing the dye. The change in color pinpoints damage. Visual inspections are easier and more accurate."

Initially this technology will be used in military aircrafts. Later on it will be used in commercial and private planes. The invention doesn't stop here. This color changing paint will soon find its way to the packaging industry to create tamper resistant packaging.

Source - DBIS

Chewable Jewelry - Safe For Babies, Stylish For Moms

2008-07-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

You can't stop babies from pulling your necklace and putting it in their mouth. But it's unsafe to let them carry on. So you take the road most travelled by moms - quit wearing jewels till the kids grow up. That's a tough decision for a fashion consious mom.

Dentist Helen Bloom Smith decided to take the road less travelled when she spotted the teething problems of her twin nephews. Her decision has led to the creation of Dr. Bloom Inc., a company that manufactures original teething and nursing jewelry known today as Dr. Bloom’s Chewable Jewels ™.

"This teething jewelry is made of food-safe silicone, the same material used to make baby bottles and teething toys. It is designed to look like sleek resin or stone, but gently give way on baby's gums and are dishwasher-safe.

All of the parts, even the cording that holds the pendants, are made of products approved by the Food and Drug Administration and are free of latex and phthalates, controversial chemicals used in plastics that some say are linked to hormone disruptions and other health problems."

Individual necklaces cost $16, sets of three bracelets cost $18, a bracelet-necklace combo costs $19 and a bracelet-keychain pairing costs $20. Check out her site to get info about the various product options, colors and packages.

Smith runs the company Dr.Bloom Inc., along with sister Joy Bloom Wright and friend Mary Wheeler Settlemier. Having tasted success in her first venture, she hopes to expand this feature into other safe baby products.

Smith's venture proves yet again that 'the road not taken has made all the difference'.

Source - Nola.com

Tongue-controlled System Assists Individuals with Disabilities

2008-07-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

System allows them to operate powered wheelchairs and computers

The novel system developed by engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology allows individuals with disabilities to operate a computer, control a powered wheelchair and interact with their environments simply by moving their tongues.

Maysam Ghovanloo, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering along with graduate student Xueliang Huo has developed the tongue-operated assistive technology, called the Tongue Drive system.

A rice grain sized magnet is attached into an individual's tongue by implantation. Once this is done the user can control the movement of a cursor across a computer screen or a powered wheelchair around a room.

Magnetic field sensors are mounted on a headset outside the mouth or on an orthodontic brace inside the mouth. This detects the movement of the tongue. The output signals are then wirelessly transmitted to a portable computer, which can be carried on the user’s clothing or wheelchair.

Hands and feet are connected to the brain through the spinal cord. Whereas the tongue is directly controlled by the brain through the cranial nerve. The movements of the tongue are also fast and accurate making it the most preferred choice by the researchers.

Results indicate a 100 percent accuracy for six individual commands. Based on the results one can definitely say that the future looks promising for this system.

Most people with severe disabilities have the will power to take on the world just like everybody else. What really dampens their spirit is the dependency factor. Sometimes they have to depend on friends and loved ones to carry out their everyday tasks. This system will make life easy for the individual and the caregiver.

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

They sure do.

Source - Gatech.edu
Watch a video of Ghovanloo describing the Tongue Drive system and its applications here.
Watch a video of Huo operating a powered wheelchair with the Tongue Drive system here.

Sythetically Designed 'Wimpy' Polio Virus Protects Against Disease

2008-06-30T04:06:00.000-07:00

Scientists' creation of the weak virus signals the beginning of a new era in vaccination.

A team of molecular biologists and computer scientists at Stony Brook University have designed and synthesized a new class of weakened polioviruses. They have used a synthesizing method with computer software to systematically re-code the poliovirus genome.

In order to artificially synthesize a virus the genome has to be decoded first. But decoding a polio virus that had almost (10442) possibilities isn't a simple task. Therefore, using a powerful computer algorithm, the team found particular re-codings of the genome predicted to weaken the virus.

"The researchers made hundreds of small mutations in the genome that perfectly preserved the viral proteins but changed the way those proteins were encoded by RNA (ribonucleic acid), so that pairs of amino acids were added by transfer RNAs (tRNAs) that rarely work together in normal proteins. They call the process “Synthetic Attenuated Virus Engineering,” or “SAVE.” The resulting virus contains completely authentic, wild-type poliovirus proteins."

The most highly decoded virus will be weakened, so it will no longer infect cells anymore. Thus a virus modified using ‘SAVE’ technology might act as a vaccine by providing immunity against the normal virus. The innumerable alterations in the code ensures that the virus would never regain its wild nature.

Positive results have emerged from testing done on mice. Currently researchers are keen on using it in animal vaccination, after further exploration it can be used in human vaccines too.

Synthesis of an artificial virus throws open the possibilities of mutating other virus strains too. That surely looks like a giant leap for Molecular Genetics and vaccination.

Source - Commcgi.cc.stonybrook.edu

Ford Says Goodbye to Fuel Tank Screw Cap; Easy Fuel, Easy Go

2008-06-30T03:48:00.000-07:00

'Every time a fuel cap is either lost or not screwed on properly, that equates to evaporative emissions entering the environment,' said Brian Aitken, a Ford fuel systems supervisor.

That's not it. It dirties your hand too.

Engineers at Ford have developed a product known as Easy Fuel to keep your hands clean. Easy Fuel is a capless fuel-filler system - it eliminates the need for a fuel tank screw cap.

The novel design uses an integrated spring-loaded flapper door that is held closed by two latches that can only be released by a standard-size unleaded fuel nozzle. When the nozzle is inserted into the filler neck, the latches release to open up the flapper door. When the nozzle is removed, the doors close automatically.

This innovative system prevents the loss of fuel and also saves time. Positive response from customers has prompted them to to offer the Easy Fuel system as standard equipment across the Ford.

Easy Fuel was introduced on the 2008 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer, and will be offered as standard equipment on the all-new 2009 Ford F-150, Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS.

Source - Ford

New Food inspection technology Detects Unwanted Particles in Packed Food

2008-06-30T03:20:00.000-07:00

New inspection X-ray technology developed by European researchers is helping to ensure that the only thing in people’s dinners is the food itself.

A perfect dinner at home can be spoiled when you start seeing things that you aren't supposed to see. I'm not talking about spooky sixth sense stuff here. It's about the plate in front of you.

What you see is not what you always get when you open food packed in containers. You order a boneless fillet but find a fish bone in it. Small foreign bodies and packaging defects are frequently not detected by food producers, but things could change with the new X-ray technology.

"The technology developed by the Modulinspex project uses low-energy X-rays to produce highly detailed images of food products and packaged goods. The images are then scanned via inspection software that can automatically detect any irregularities accurately and quickly.

The X-ray images have a resolution of 0.1 millimetres – 16 times better than existing high-power systems, making it possible to detect objects as small and fine as a herring bone."

The technology is similar to the X-ray inspection systems used in airports. In the food industry, the system is customized for various foods as the requirements of the food products varies significantly.

This X-ray inspection is sure to improve the quality of the food on your plate. And what you see is what you'll get. There would be no surprises.

Source - Science Daily

Miracle Material Shields Against X-ray And Gamma Emissions

2008-06-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Exposure to ionizing radiation is considered to be dangerous for humans. But all humans are exposed to some radiation simply by living on earth. When an exposure occurs over an extended period of time, it is referred to as "Chronic Exposure". This can be reduced by creating a barrier between the radiating source and the individual known as shielding.

Radiation Shield Technologies (RST) has achieved a breakthrough in personal radiation protection using nanotechnology. This revolutionary technology is currently produced as full body suits, gloves and boots and is marketed under the name Demron, but is commonly known as the miracle material.

Demron not only protects against particle ionizing/nuclear radiation (such as Beta and Alpha), but does what no other full body radiation protection can do: shield against X-ray and low-energy Gamma emissions. Demron is also non-toxic and completely Lead-free.

Lead aprons are used currently by medical professionals. But it tends to crack when bent or folded. Demron rectifies all these problems and ensures protection for the wearer.

The only downside is the weight of the material - a 36” x 30” blanket weighs approximately 60 lbs.

Source - Radiating Shield Technologies
Read the report of the test here.

Airless Tires Designed For Military Purposes

2008-06-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

“Developing tires that will allow vehicles to continue to roll no matter what is thrown at them — even roadside bombs — is a real priority for the military and could be the difference between life and death for our troops in the field,” says U.S. Rep. Dave Obey.

Fueled by the needs of the U.S. Department of Defense, Resilient Technologies,LLC in collaboration with The University of Wisconsin-Madison has worked on a $18 million project to develop an airless tire. For two years they have tested out hundreds of prototypes before hitting the jackpot.

Photo: The honeycomb design of tires (Resilient Technologies LLC)

An airless tire cannot resemble a normal one. It has to be specifically designed to handle the pressure. And when they were on the lookout for inspiration, a bee buzzed in to act as their muse. The bee's humble honeycomb became the inspiration behind the design of the tire. They narrowed down on this design because it helps to ease the stiffness of the tire and also enables it to transmit loads uniformly.

"The patent pending Resilient design relies on a precise pattern of six-sided cells that are arranged, like a honeycomb, in a way that best mimics the “ride feel” of pneumatic tires."

Right now they just want to satisfy the requirements of the military, but soon hope to create airless tires for all the riders around the world.

Source - The Wisconsin Idea

First Accessibility Tool Lets Blind Surf The Net From Anywhere

2008-06-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

Tool converts written text to an electronically generated voice.

Visually impaired people surf the net with the help of special screen-reading software which they install in their desktops. But they cannot use the net on the go.

A new software, called WebAnywhere, tackles this problem effectively. The tool developed at the University of Washington turns screen-reading into an Internet service that reads aloud Web text on any computer. It will run on any machine that has a sound card.

Under Richard Ladner's supervision, Jeffrey Bigham, a UW doctoral student in computer science and engineering was able to create this tool that has become the first accessibility tool to be hosted on the Web.

Usually free screen readers have to be downloaded and installed before you can use it. But in some places like public libraries or museums there could be download restrictions. Webanywhere doesn't have to be downloaded. It processes the text on an external server and then sends the audio file to play in the user's Web browser.

Because there is no installation involved, there is no need for technical support. Everytime you visit the site you get the latest version.

You can access WebAnywhere here.

Fireproof Wool Clothing Offers Protection Against Fire Related Injuries

2008-06-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

One fine day Jeanette received a request from the U.S. military. No, she wasn't entrusted to save the world single handedly from the bad guys. She had to find a heat-resistant material that can be worn by the troops. With great determination she embarked on this interesting mission.

Now Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist Jeanette M. Cardamone has discovered and patented a heat-resistant material that can be incorporated into wool and other fabrics to match the flame resistance of commercial firefighters' uniforms.

Earlier she had created the "biopolished" wool that is both machine-washable and itch-free. Now, " working with visiting scientist Anand Kanchagar, Cardamone improved the flame retardancy of the biopolished wool by treating it with a heat-resistant polymer that is stable, easy to process and highly tolerant of extreme temperatures.Early tests have shown that the burning behavior of the polymer-treated ARS wool compares to a 50/50 blend of wool with Nomex, the fabric currently used in protective firefighting gear."

Synthetic materials can stick on to the wound, whereas wool turns to ash. This makes it an ideal choice for the troops and firefighters. Biopolished wool aims to make the attire much safer. Currently they are collaborating with interested companies to enhance its virtues.

Source - Science Daily

Face Acts As Remote Control, Speeds and Slows Video Playback

2008-06-28T04:23:00.000-07:00

A computer science Ph.D. student Jacob Whitehill can turn his face into a remote control that speeds and slows video playback.

The inception of online teaching has drastically changed the education field. Face-to-face interaction is minimised in this approach. Robotic technology hopes to take it one step further by introducing robotic teachers.

The only drawback is that a robot cannot understand the expressions of a confused student.It would go on teaching even if the student looks puzzled with the lesson. In order to tackle this Whitehall's pilot study explores the utility of facial expression as a feedback signal from student to teacher.

To achieve this he has studied the facial expressions of people who participate in a lecture. Using video conferencing software he collects the facial expressions of the students.

From here, Whitehill would then train a user specific model that predicts when a lecture should be sped up or slowed down based on the spontaneous facial expressions a person makes.

Their results have shown that automatic facial expression recognition is already a useful feedback signal for intelligent tutoring systems for two concrete tasks:perceived difficulty estimation, and preferred speed prediction. As expression recognition technology improves, its usefulness in ITS will continue to grow.

The work is being presented in June 2008 at the Intelligent Tutoring Systems conference and at the IEEE International Workshop on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition for Human Communicative Behavior Analysis.

Read the Abstract of the project here.
Image Credit: UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering

World's First Power Assisted Suitcase

2008-06-28T03:22:00.000-07:00

'Wheelie cases were a great step forward, but they came out 25 years ago, and this is the first real innovation since then,' says Clive Hemsley, the case's inventor.

Live Luggage (liveluggage.com), a small firm from Henley-on-Thames, has created the world's first power assisted suitcase. A flat motor technology has been built into the wheels which makes a case loaded with 30kg of luggage as easy to move around as a conventional wheelie case holding 3kg.

This is possible because of the way the handle and the wheels have been designed. The handle centers 85 per cent of the weight centered around the wheels and doesn't transfer it into the user's arms. The battery holds on for a mile and a half. Then it can be easily recharged with a plug in charger.

It has an inbuilt live locator ID system that helps you to locate the suitcase in the event of loss. Nothing can put you off from getting your hands on this innovative case except the price.Yes, you've got to shell out £700 to get one. But researchers are already working on creating affordable cases for all.

Therefore from now on, travel with ease not with a burden behind your back.

Novel Device halts a Migraine Right In Its Tracks

2008-06-28T03:12:00.000-07:00

According to the American Headache Society:

* Every 10 seconds, someone in the United States goes to the emergency room with a headache or migraine.
* More than $1 billion is spent on over-the-counter medications to treat headaches and Migraines.
* The lost work due to migraine disease costs more than $13 billion every year in the U.S.

These mind boggling statistics are enough to trigger a headache. But don't lose hope. Technology has stepped in to meet the needs of the headache prone society. Scientists at The Ohio State University Medical Center have invented a novel electronic portable device that stops it right in its tracks.

"The noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulator (TMS) device sends a strong electric current through a metal coil, which creates an intense magnetic field for about one millisecond. This magnetic pulse, when held against a person's head, creates an electric current in the neurons of the brain, interrupting the aura before it results in a throbbing headache."

Side effects and other complications are common in most drugs used for headaches. Whereas the TMS device offers a safe and painless solution. Since clinical trials do not indicate any adverse complications arising from the use of the device, one can look forward to the portable headache arrester to make its way into our homes soon.

Source - OSU Medical Center

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Tartalo - Polite Robot Knocks to Enter & Works Where GPS Fails

2008-06-25T04:47:00.000-07:00

Explores Places Where GPS Doesn't Work

Knock! Knock! The wolf rapped on the door.
"Who's there?" cried Grandma from her bed.
"It's me, Little Red Riding Hood..."

In the 21st century there's going to be a twist in the tale. Grandma opens the door to let in Tartalo, an autonomous robot designed by Basilio Sierra's team in the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). This 1.5-metre tall robot can find its way around a new building, identify doors and ask permission to enter.(Very polite robot isn't it?)

"The biomimetic algorithms mean Tartalo gains information on a new building by exploring and taking in points of reference. As this would normally require huge amounts of data, this has been simplified by programming Tartalo to recognise common structures: room, corridor, front hall and junction. After learning the position of all of these, the machine creates a topological map that the operator can then give specific labels to."

Infrared lasers helps the robot in avoiding obstacles in its path. It gauges the size of the corridor or doorway with the help of a single-eye camera. This enables it to negotiate its way through narrow spaces. But it cannot open doors. That's why it stops by to knock with its feet.

Currently the Autonomous Robotics and Systems research team is keen on increasing the prowess of Tartalo. They want it to follow the instructions carefully and also learn to recognize faces, voices and objects. This robot would be extremely useful in places where GPS doesn't work.

Wonder if parents of the future would use Tartalo's story to teach good manners to their kids.

Source - The Engineer Online

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No Pain, No Blood - Chip Monitors Diabetes Easily

2008-06-25T04:31:00.000-07:00

Traditional methods to monitor the blood sugar level are usually painful. Patients have to prick their skin to squeeze out a blood sample on to a test strip. When this strip is inserted into a blood meter it reveals the level of blood sugar in their body. Most patients do this twice a day, but some have to do it several times per day. It is sure to test anybody's patience and endurance level.

This will be a thing of the past if one starts using the B-FIT a tiny prototype chip (Bio-Flips Integrable Transdermal MicroSystem) invented by the researchers at Georgetown University. B-FIT is a small biosenser device that can be worn anywhere in the body.

It painlessly removes a patient's outer-dermis, by using a 'micro-hotplate' (or micro-heater), which measures about 50 microns square. For 30 milliseconds, the hotplate is turned on to a temperature of 130oC. Then it makes a tiny pore in the skin, through which interstitial fluid can rise. The biosensor then reads the glucose levels in the sample fluid through tiny electrodes coated with a substance that reacts specifically to the glucose.

Sounds hot and painful. In reality the patient doesn't feel a thing. Being funded by the DARPA this was initially designed for military purposes and now it is being designed for normal use too.

Hope to see you soon little chip. For you are sure to win the hearts of diabetics all around the world.

Source - Georgetown University