HOUSE THAT WALKS

A House That  Walks:-

                                                                    Don't want to leave home than take home with you....

 Houses are normally fairly stationary objects, and that's not considered a bad thing. But innovation never stands still, and a new prototype house that can walk on six legs has been built . The house is ten feet high, powered by solar panels, and is outfitted with a kitchen, toilet, bed, and wood stove. Last week, the house, a collaboration between MIT and the Danish design collective N55, took a journey through Cambridgeshire in England as part of an art project at the Wysing Art Center. Designed to move at the muscle speed of a human, the house walked at about five kilometers an hour around the 11-acre campus.

Samuel Kronick, an MIT student, designed the legs and wrote the software so that the house can move.

"Leg systems require a software algorithm to calculate the position of each articulated element based on the desired location of the foot," says Kronick. "This process is called inverse kinematics (IK). IK algorithms are fairly well-developed for rotary joint systems, like servo-based hexapod walkers, but since we came up with the tetrahedral legs, I had to write my own IK system."

The six legs provide high stability even over unpredictable terrain. And, with high motor function, the house can turn left and right, move forward and back, and even change height as needed. Kronick says the walking house is a first of its kind, although there have been Russian folktales that describe walking houses. N55 says the walking house is meant to be an ecological concept that is not harmful to the environment and inspires nomadic excursions.

Kronick says he would love to test the walking house in Africa with a herd of elephants, and has ideas about an amphibious version that can float on water as well as walk on land.

"We plan to make the house walk well and reliably enough that you could program a set of GPS waypoints via the onboard computer, remotely from an iPhone or over the internet through a Google Maps interface or similar, and have the house follow that path," he says.

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3D - PEN

Three Dimensional Printing :-

                                                                              Who says we can't write in air  Inventors Max Bogue and Peter Dilworth have invented a unique pen that draws in the air.

A colorful spool of plastic thread is fed into the pen.

The thread is then extruded as heated plastic that cools and solidifies instantly as it exits the tip.

This allows solid 3D structures to be drawn on any surface or from any surface into the air.

The pen, called a 3Doodler, weights approximately 7 ounces (198 g) and is 7 inches (17.7 cm) long. It requires no technical knowledge or software and plugs into an electrical outlet.

Max and Peter have received over 2.2 million dollars worth of advanced orders for their three dimensional printing pen.

They expect to fulfill those orders and launch the product in the fall of this year.

The co-inventors met while working for WowWee, a company based in Hong Kong that develops consumer technologies.

Peter consulted WowWee as an independent inventor. He had previously worked on robotics at MIT and contributed to a number of innovations including the infamous Uno Dicycle motorcycle.

Max was an R&D project manager with WowWee and has extensive experience in bringing products to market.

Here is some examples of this pen great work:-

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ROBO-BEE

Fly-sized Robot Takes First Flight

Flies have tiny wings and even tinier brains, yet they are capable of flying swiftly and agilely through even turbulent air. How do they do it?

And could we create a robot capable of doing the same?

That's the question that's been buzzing around Harvard professor Robert Wood's head for 12 years now. And finally, after years of testing and the invention of an all-new manufacturing technique inspired by children's pop-up books, Wood and his team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have created a robot the size of a penny that is capable of remote-controlled flight.

You'd think that the smaller something is, the easier it'd be to make. But there's a point at which making things smaller becomes harder rather than easier, which is why making a functional fly-sized robot has proved such a challenge.

The so-called RoboBee flaps its wings approximately 120 times per second, almost faster than the eye can track, and is capable of hovering and flying horizontally in multiple directions like a helicopter.

At 80 milligrams, which is less than one-twentieth the weight of a dime, the robot is so small that traditional components of flight-capable machines simply wouldn't work, so the team had to create new ones.

"Large robots can run on electromagnetic motors, but at this small scale, you have to come up with an alternative, and there wasn't one," Kevin Ma, a co-lead author and graduate student at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said in a statement.

In place of electromagnetic motors, the team used ceramic strips that can expand or contract when hit with an electric field, a technique known as piezoelectricity. 

The problem of building these parts at a fly-sized scale was also an enormous obstacle. For example, the robot has no onboard power source — instead, it receives electricity via a thin wire connected to an external battery.

To build the other parts, the team looked for inspiration not from the natural world, but from children's pop-up books and origami.

Their solution is a groundbreaking technique that involves layering and folding sheets of carbon fiber, brass, ceramic and other materials, and then using extremely precise lasers to cut these sheets into structures and circuits. After that, the sheets can be assembled into extremely small but entirely functional devices in a single movement, just like a children's pop-up book.    

Wood and his team devised the pop-up technique in 2011, publishing a paper on it in February 2012. And last summer, after years of failed prototypes, the first RoboBee took flight in a Harvard robotics lab at 3 a.m.

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Kill The Need For Flash In Camera

New Camera Sensor Eliminates Need for Flash

No flash? No problem. A new imaging sensor could soon make it possible for photographers to take clear, sharp photos, even in dim lighting.

Created by a team of researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, the new sensor is highly sensitive to both visible and infrared light, which means it could be used in everything from the family Nikon to surveillance and satellite cameras. 

The sensor, which is 1,000 times more sensitive to light than the imaging sensors of most of today's cameras, gets this high photoresponse from its innovative structure.

It's made of graphene

GRAPHENE is a super strong carbon compound with a honeycomb structure that is as flexible as rubber, more conductive than silicon and which resists heat better than a diamond.

Graphene, which is a one atom-thick layer of the mineral graphite, has already earned a reputation as the building material of the future. Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov took home the Nobel Prize in physics in 2010 for their work with the compound.

The inventor of the new sensor, Wang Qijie, an assistant professor at NTU's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said this is the first time that a broad-spectrum, high photosensitive sensor has been made using pure graphene.

"We have shown that it is now possible to create cheap, sensitive and flexile sensors from graphene alone," said Wang. "We expect our innovation will have great impact not only on the consumer imaging industry, but also in satellite imaging and communication industries, as well as the mid-infrared applications."

Wang said the key to his new sensor is the use of "light-trapping" nanostructures that use graphene as a base. The nanostructures hold onto light-generated electron particles for much longer than conventional sensors.

This results in a stronger than usual electric signal, which can be processed into an image, like a photograph captured by a digital camera.

Most of today's camera sensors use a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor as a base. But Wang said that his graphene base is far more effective, producing clearer, sharper photos.

And, according to Wang, he even took current manufacturing practices into account when designing this new sensor. In principle, the camera industry will be able to keep using the same process to make its sensors, but simply switch out the base materials for graphene.

If the industry chooses to adopt his design, Wang said it could lead to cheaper, lighter cameras with longer battery lives for all.

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INVISIBLE CAR

'Invisible' Mercedes car

Everyone from Harry Potter has already got an invisibility cloak. 

But scientists have now figured out how to make an entire car disappear. 

Using optical camouflage technology boffins at Mercedes Benz created the illusion that their new zero emissions F-Cell car is not even there at all. 

Taking the principal that to see through something you need to see what's behind it, they covered the driver's side of the car in mats of LEDs, and mounted a digital SLR camera on the opposite side of the vehicle.

The camera shoots video on the passenger side of the car and the video is displayed in real time on the driver side of the automobile. 

This ingenious approach, originally pioneered by scientists at the University of Tokyo, works on the same principles of the blue screen used by TV weather forecasters and Hollywood filmmakers.

The idea also mimics the iPad 2 Halloween costume that seems to displays a gaping hole in the human body.

The next conundrum-what to do with an invisible car ? Take it on a week long tour of Germany, obviously. 

In Mercedes' promotional video, stupefied Muggles stare and fall about in shock as the team put the car through its paces along the highways of Hamburg and the bridges of Bavaria.

Meanwhile online. while some pessimistic YouTube users were wary, anticipating that invisible cars would no doubt lead to brutal crashes, others fantasised about bring able to park anywhere at all, without getting a ticket.

Hi tech: Scientists have now figured out how to make an entire car invisible

Mind blowing: Using optical camouflage technology boffins at Mercedes Benz created an illusion

See though: Scientists covered the driver's side of the car in mats of LEDs, and mounted a digital SLR camera on the opposite side of the vehicle

How it works: The camera shoots video on the passenger side of the car and the video is displayed in real time on the driver side. It can also be lit up with a pattern or message

Ingenious: The approach originally pioneered by scientists at the University of Tokyo works on the same principles of the blue screen used by TV weather forecasters and Hollywood filmmakers

Preparation: Mercedes-Benz engineers kit out the car with LEDs

While Mercedes-Benz claims to be ready to mass produce hydrogen-powered vehicles, the cost of production is still prohibitive. 

Engineers have created a low-cost catalyst for hydrogen production, but the actual cost of the vehicles is out of reach for most European and American customers,digital trends.com reported.

A Mercedes-Benz F-CELL car can travel up to 250 miles using an electric engine equivalent to 134 horsepower. 

Commercial hydrogen-powered cars may not arrive for real until 2015, analysts anticipate, the major problem in the US being the cost of establishing proper equipment at gas stations.

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SEE THROUGH WALLS

Researchers See Through Walls With 'WiVi'

Want X­ray vision like the man of steel?    A technology that lets you see behind walls could soon be built in to your cell phone.

MIT professor Dina Katabi and graduate student Fadel Adib have announced Wi­Vi, a demonstration of a technology that uses Wifi to allow a viewer to "see" a person moving behind a wall. (Wi­Vi stands for "Wi­Fi" and "vision.")

Previous work demonstrated that the subtle reflections of wireless inter signals bouncing off a human could be used to track that person's movements, but those previous experiments either required that a wireless router was already in the room of the person being tracked, or "a whole truck just to carry the radio," said Katabi.

The new device uses the same wireless antenna as is found in a cell phone or laptop and could in theory one day be embedded in a phone. 

The trick is canceling out all interfering signals – Wi-Fi doesn't just bounce off humans, but also walls, floors, and furniture. And those signals are 10,000 to 100,000 times more powerful than the reflections off a human body.

Katabi's wi­vi sends out two wireless signals, one of which is the inverse of the other. In what Katabi calls "interference nulling," the two signals cancel each other out unless they hit a moving target – such as a human.

"To silence the noise, we change the structure of the Wi-Fi signal so all the undesired reflections cancel," she said.

The device is meant to be portable so, for example, a person worried that someone was hiding in the bushes could do a quick scan for her personal safety.

Wi­Vi could also serve as a high tech baby monitor or help Superman – or just cops – catch baddies.

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Pen Computer

                                     Your Computer In    Just 5 Pen

Pen computer refers to a user-interface using a pen (or stylus), rather than devices such as a keyboard, joysticks, monitor or a mouse.

In the revolution of miniature computers, scientists have made great developments with bluetooth technology…Pen Computer is the forthcoming computers you can carry within your pockets.

This “pen computer” produces both the monitor as well as the keyboard on any flat surfaces from where you can carry out functions you would normally do on your desktop computer.

The concept of pen computer includes 5 pens technology with different functions. For eg. one pen will produce a monitor and other will produce a keyboard. Same as projectors do.

 

What you will have to do ?

You will be able to use the produced virtual keyboard just same as your todays keyboard. The pens itself will recoganise what you are typing or what operation you want to do. Then pen computer will itself display all your working on the virtual monitor that is being produced by another pen attached to it.

 

It will work same as of todays computers or laptops do, but in a virtual manner. The concept and pictures shown is a prototype of pen computer.

The whole computer functionality is in these 5 pens hence making it small, easy to carry. You will be able to carry this pen computer in your pockets.

History

Pen computer has very deep historical roots. The depth of these roots can be quite surprising to people who are only familiar with current commercial products. For example, the first patent for an electronic tablet used for handwriting, the telautograph, was granted in 1888. What is probably the first patent for a system that recognized handwritten characters by analyzing the handwriting motion was granted in 1915.The first publicly demonstrated system using a tablet and handwriting text recognition instead of a keyboard for working with a modern digital computer dates to 1956.

Can anyone say, “Goodbye laptops!” My answer will be Not till now until this technology comes for public use

Looks like our computers are out of date..again! What you think kindly give your views........

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iWatch

The twenty first century witnessed a paradigm-shift in the eletronics and computing world. Many equipments which are synonymous with big sizes has now been reduced to very small devices performing smarter functions. One of the device is the Apple bluetooth watch.

Though this device is not yet in the market,people who are familiar with Apple’s explorations are saying that the company has been experimenting with wristwatch-like devices made of curved glasses. Consequently,the question in the mind of industry watchers and consumers is how that glass can curve around human body.The possibility has been established with the engineering technology breakthrough made by Corning,a glass manufacturing company for iphone and other smartphone devices who made a glass that can effortlessly curve without breaking.

Nobody knows what the final design and its feature will look like,people who are familiar with Apple’s style says that the device will operate on Apple’s IOS platform;Siri,Apple maps, a built-in pedometer and NFC chip.They are also saying that Apple bluetooth watch is the right opportunity for companies like Cupertino who has been patenting for over 2 years to experiment.

Furthermore,they say that a microstrip cellular antenna which would allow the watch to be used for standalone calls and data has already been patented by Apple and will be included as a feature of the watch. The product must be affordable for it to appeal to the lower income market.Apple must choose an inexpensive, interchangeable leather strap as it did with its sixth generation ipod Nano instead of a luxury expensive metal.

Nobody knows when the device would be released into the market,expectation is high that it would make its debut in early to mid 2013.According to Bloomberg,Apple is serious about the watch and has already hired a team of managers,members of the marketing groups,software and hardware engineers who previously worked on the iphone to help build this new portable device.

It is therefore obvious from Apple’s preparation on this device and its antecedent that it is equipped to release into the market a watch which could essentially do what most of today’s fitness bands could do,from measuring of human pulse,body activity and much more.

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Maglev

Maglev is the one stop solution and revolutionized transportation medium of the 21st century. Maglev stands for Magnetic Levitation and is the methodology adopted to float trains on a guide-way utilizing the basic principles of magnets, thereby, allowing the train to gain both lift and thrust. These trains provide fastest way to travel hundreds or thousands of miles transporting both mass and medium in just matter of hours, instead of days or weeks). Maglev could become the mass transport medium of the future in preference to other conventional modes including airplanes. We will further see in this article how electromagnetic propulsion works, different types of maglev trains and where we could enjoy this futuristic mind-blowing experience.

Electromagnetic Propulsion

The theory of ‘opposite poles attract and like poles repulse’ is employed in electromagnetic propulsion to create the thrust and levitation for the train. The track on which the train moves is lined with a metal coil and magnets are installed on the belly of the train. Electric power is used to create the magnetic field with the help of the metal coil lining and the pre installed magnets to achieve propulsion required to move the train. Weather conditions are not a deterrent for the movement of the train and the absence of friction enables faster movement.

In the conventional system of wheeled trains, high speed trains cause great friction resulting in huge maintenance cost for the wheels and tracks apart from consuming large volumes of fossil fuels. Maglev thus offers a relatively cheaper mode of mass transportation at minimal running and maintenance costs. With most metropolitan cities growing at a fast pace, Maglev thus deserves to be the transport medium for the future.

Maglev trains are currently in operation on a commercial scale in Shanghai (transrapid) and Linimo (Japan). Levitation technology can be beneficially employed in several other areas requiring propulsion like in ships or moving conveyor belts in some industries. The existing rail infrastructure and particularly the tracks are unfit for Maglev. The huge cost of developing all new tracks is a significant factor that could slow down the progress of Maglev. Inspite of this, many nations around the world have taken serious note of Maglev and have launched trial projects of varying degrees.

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IOS 7

Wow! So here’s introducing the mobile OS from a brand new outlook!! At its Worldwide Development Conference, Apple CEO, Tim Cook said that it is the largest change in iOS since the introduction of iPhone. Apple launched it’s latest operating software for iPhone and iPads, the ios7.

The OS supports an illustrative refurbished look and feel. It seems that the iOS 7 has been created just to look beautiful and anything that is designed so beautifully tends to look super marvelous. The motive of Tim Cook was to create an experience that is simpler, beautiful, more useful and more enjoyable. iOS7 is an authentic representation of simplicity.

Now coming to the features:

There are some super exciting and tantalizing eye-catching features of apple iOS7.

1. The first exclusive key feature is the new redesigned flat icons. The apple iOS7 has a new slide-up control panel, new fonts, new icons and new crystal clear bars which make it an eye-delight.
2. The next key feature is the new renovated Siri feature with a new male voice. Siri offers the facility to access Twitter and Wikipedia.
3. The third feature is the extraordinary and useful changes to the Safari. As we know, the Safari is a web browser of Apple phones and now there is a redesigned new tab interface. There is a utility of one-tap access to Safari favorites of the user.
4. And now, the fourth exciting feature is the beautiful new camera app which has automatic square camera for instagram shots. There is an included feature called ‘moments’ for all photograph lovers where the new images get arranged according to the location and time.
5. The next feature is the gesture back button for all apps which makes it more convenient for usage.
6. Another awesome addition to the key features of iOS7 is that there is an automatic app updating available. Users no longer have to manually update apps which save a lot of time for the users who are too busy.
7. Next feature is a new card multitasking feature with a 3D interface. When the phone is tilted, the perspective changes automatically. Moreover there is a control center and a test version is available to developers’ starting. This gadget is similar to the proverb used to describe a girl “beauty with brains”.

The apple iOS7 is a perfect phone for gadget freaks as it is both beautiful and efficient in terms of use!!

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Lifebook 2013

In this IT age typically consists of different gadgets like smart phone, tablet PC, digital camera and laptops. We everyday use these devices for our work, to get entertainment, enjoy our hobbies, save our memories and share and socialize with our friends and family. Now to complete all these desires first you have to purchase all these gadgets but the problem comes into light when one starts struggling to manage and keep all of them synchronized with our data. Sometimes it really looks like messy  condition for youngsters and busy people.

To come out of such a tension making condition fujitsu has introduced a concept of all-in-one device and this device is named as “LIFEBOOK 2013”. Originally the concept is derived from the Mr.Prashant Chandra, a designer who submitted his design in a competition held by Fujitsu. That designer’s concept Fujitsu Lifebook would come with slots to insert a smart phone, tablet, and digital camera. The LIFEBOOK 2013 is basically a next level laptop which will provide slots for the connectivity to different specified gadgets that will be provided with LIFEBOOK. According to Mr.Chandra, “The proposed Lifebook is a laptop computer concept based on the principle of ‘shared hardware’.”

In the current design the lifebook has a slot for camera on the outer side of LCD panel and a slot for phone & music player is there and a special feature is that Lifebook doesn’t have a keyboard of its own instead it uses tablet as its keyboard. Once the tablet is slotted into its place it starts working as a keyboard, one can use it as a sketchpad with a stylus or can use it as a secondary display (just like larger Nintendo DS). The most advanced step in this revolutionary device is that all the devices can share their processing capability and storage section simultaneously to give you a wonderful experience of entertainment and working. For example if you want to store songs you don’t need to store it in your phone (music player) and laptop separately because your laptop will automatically synchronize your playlist in your phone.

In this way your laptop will work as a centralized unit for all your gadgets. The LIFEBOOK 2013 sounds like a next generation of information technology which will greatly help to reduce hardware wastage and to improve the processing limits. Additional benefits which will affect its market stand is its price as per the surveys the cost of one LIFEBOOK2013 will be less than total cost of all those gadgets. So in conclusion this concept is cost effective power packed device for technology geeks.

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