T-ray antenna (via Tokyo Institute of Technology)

It may seem sometimes that we have exploited the vast reaches of the electromagnetic spectrum, but technologies like WiGig, are showing this notion is not correct at all. T-rays, or electromagnetic waves found in the terahertz band, have traditionally been used for imaging research like X-rays, but now researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology are developing a system to apply this technology to ultra fast data transmission.

The terahertz band actually makes use of the 300 GHz to 3 THz frequencies a range currently unregulated by telecommunication authorities. Using a frequency of 542 GHz the team achieved data transfers of 3 Gb/s using a device called a resonant tunneling diode (RTD). These results are higher than anything achieved so far in the terahertz band.

This device is revolutionary in the terahertz data transmission because of its small size of only 1 mm-squared and low power necessities.  RTDs are unusual in that the voltage across them can be decreased as the current increases. The RTDs generate waves in the terahertz band by making the diode inside them resonate.

Due to the energy usage, the Tokyo researchers hope to some day implement them in hand held devices for short-range data transfers. It is likely that terahertz Internet would work only in short distances of up to 10 m (33 ft), and this short range is something the researchers are trying to improve by making their devices resonate at higher frequencies, but this will also require more power.

It will take a long time before these devices are put in any device consumers can hold, but the future hopes for speeds of up to 100Gb/s, which blows current transfer rates out of the water at 15 greater than 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

Eavesdropper

Google's high-profile acquisition of Motorola Mobility is set to go ahead after regulators in China gave their official backing for the move. The deal, which is worth as much as $12.5 billion, means that Google will soon seize control of Motorola's patents.

Consequently, Google's ongoing battle with Apple has moved up another notch. Of course, Larry Page, the Google co-founder, is determined to ensure that the search engine giant soon competes on an even footing with Apple's iPhone, which currently dominates the lucrative smartphone market. Google has ambitious plans to extend its hardware business and this deal is seen as a key component of that.

Similarly, the takeover is seen as significant in terms of the continuing disputes over patents. Google is, of course, already the world's biggest maker of smartphone software and as a result of the acquisition, it will soon gain control of around 17,000 additional patents. With the new patents under its control, Google will be in a stronger position to protect Android devices in legal disputes with competitors, such as Apple.

The deal was first announced in 2011, but Google have been waiting on regulatory approval in China. In a statement, Google said: "Our stance since we agreed to acquire Motorola has not changed and we look forward to closing the deal."

Interestingly, though, the deal now puts Google in direct competition with other handset makers, like HTC, which work on the Android operating system. Under the terms of the deal, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said that Android software versions must be free and open over the next five years.

Additionally, it has been confirmed that Google will be required to report to an independent monitor in China on its progress in meeting the terms of the agreement.

There’s good news for those of you who need to destroy your data stored on your SSD’s quickly and efficiently in an emergency situation. RunCore (manufacturer of SSD’s) has unveiled their new line of InVincible Solid State Disc drives which feature two ways to ensure data destruction.

The first capability the drives feature is ‘Intelligent’ destruction which over-writes the data and returns the drive back to its factory default setting. According to the company there is no possible way to recover the original data stored on the drive once the drive is reset. This is the rather mundane approach as the second option for data elimination is much more fun and effective (as well as costly).

The second option of data deletion the drives feature is self-destruction. Essentially the drive over-volts itself and physically damages the NAND chips inside rendering the drive useless (like a bad CPU overclocking job). To initiate both data erasure and destruction, the InVincible drives feature a two push-button system that is physically attached to the drive with the green button for erasing and a red button for meltdown.

These new drives were designed for the military, as well as other companies and institutions where sensitive data is being used or stored, and come in varying sizes and capacities that can withstand a temperature range of -45 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The company hasn’t said when the InVincible line of will be available or how much they will go for, but chances are they will cost more than current SSD’s and be available before the year is out.

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I had the opportunity last week to talk to Dr. Xudong Wang from the University of Wisconsin about his research into energy harvesting using nanfibers.  By coincidence this came just a week after I talked to Dr. Krupenkin about his energy harvesting technology.  They are similar in that they generate energy using the electrostatic force to move current rather than by moving a wire through a magnetic field as in a traditional generator.

Nanofiber energy harvesting uses materials that develop a charge when mechanical compression deforms their crystalline structure.  This happens in materials made of atoms with a high disparity of charge.  The compression causes one side of the material to have more atoms of a positive charge while the other side has more negatively charged atoms.  PVDF is common material with this property.  It can develop several volts when compressed.

Dr. Wang is researching ZnO because it can be grown into nanofibers and it is not toxic to the human body, so it may therefore lend itself to powering medical implants.  Nanofibers can be located in an assembly in which wires or other nanofibers brush against them, causing them to develop a charge.  This charge can be collected and stored in a battery or capacitor. 

The ZnO nanofibers typically only develop hundreds of millivolts, which makes it harder to harness than energy from PVDF.  How to collect charge efficiently from low-voltage sources is outside Dr. Wang's focus.

The energy from airflow can be harvested from a thin film using this property by allowing the film to oscillate in the wind.  This has been demonstrated with PVDF.  If researchers can make this work with very thin films using nanotechnology, tiny amounts of power could be harvested from the airflow associated with respiration.  It would be good to see a productive use for a phenomenon that has become a metaphor for general engineering failure owing to the case of Galloping Gertie.   

This technology touches me personally because my mother-in-law has a pacemaker.  Her doctors are monitoring its battery's charge.  Replacing the battery requires surgery, which can always be risky in people with health problems.  So deciding at which point to change the battery becomes tricky decision.  One application Dr. Wang talked about was pacemakers.  The heart undergoes a lot of motion from which energy could be harvested.  If this technology could provide even some of the power for a pacemaker, it would be a huge benefit to patients. 

As with all energy harvesting, my impression is someone needs to find a "killer app" for it.  I'm not clear whether enough charge could be collected from nanofibers to put a dent in a pacemaker's energy budget.  It will likely find applications that the reasearchers haven't even considered. 

Digital language translators are used every day. However, there is one dialect that still eludes the automation.

Engineering students, Ranjay Krishna, Seonwoo Lee and Si Ping Wang, from Cornell University are attempting to develop a very different type of translator, one that helps those who cannot make use of auditory signals. The students have created a sign language translator that converts hand gestures to their corresponding letter symbol and sound.

This translator is in the form of a glove for the hand and circuitry that fasten to the forearm. The glove itself contains nine flex sensors, four contact sensors, one x-y axis accelerometers and one z-axis accelerometer. The flex sensors are positioned around the upper/lower knuckles and the contact sensors at the tips of the fingers to distinguish between gestures. The accelerometers are needed because some letters vary only on movements of the hands and other letters vary only on the orientation of the hand.

An ATMega644 Microcontroller is used to analyze the signal from the electromechanical sensors and send transmission requests to the transmitter. The device is made wireless using a Radiotronix transceiver. All of this makes up what they call the Detection Unit, and it is simply strapped to the forearm.  The signal is then received by the base station with outputs the results to an LCD screen as well as transmits the signal to a computer via USB where it can also be outputted as sound through the computer speakers. The students used Matlab, Java and C for all their coding.

As far as can be seen, this device only converts gestures to letters so more development is needed for those gestures that represent nouns or actions but no doubt this is a start towards a world where we can all communicate a little easier.

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Microsoft has unveiled a revolutionary piece of kit that could transform the consumer electronic market over coming years. Using the new augmented reality system, consumers working in different locations would be able to collaborate on tabletop projects. The device, in essence, allows them to share objects that they can both handle.

The device, which is known as MirageTable, has been demonstrated at a conference in Austin, Texas. The firm also outlined details of the project on the firm's research site. The impressive system gives the illusion that the two parties are working together seamlessly. However, Microsoft researchers concede that even more work needs to be conducted before the kit can reach the consumer market.

Details of how the system works are provided on Microsoft's research site. The firm explained that using a 3D-video projector, consumers are able to beam images onto a sheet of curved white plastic. Thereafter, camera sensors are used to track the direction of each person's stare. They are also used to capture the shape and appearance of objects. And using shutter glasses, consumers are able to see the object in three dimensions, thereby rendering geographic boundaries obsolete for some people.

In a statement, the researchers said they were "motivated by a simple idea: can we enable the user to interact with 3D digital objects alongside real objects in the same physically realistic way and without wearing any additional trackers, gloves or gear".

Although the prospect of the MirageTable reaching the consumer market remains some way off, Microsoft researchers are optimistic about the future of the project.

"In our system, the user can hold a virtual object, move it, or knock it down, since all virtual and real objects participate in a real-world physics simulation," the research team said. "The unique benefit of this setup is that two users share not only the 3D image of each other, but also the tabletop task space in front of them."

However, the research team's positivity surrounding the project was tempered somewhat by the acknowledgement that simulating realistic grasping behaviours given depth camera input "remains an open research problem".

PlanetSolar leaving Vieux Port (Via marcovdz)

Sometimes a simple idea or dream can lead to massive accomplishments. For Rapheal Domjan, his thought of  building a solar ship did just that.  MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, a unconventional yacht, traveled around the globe in 585 days using only solar energy to power its journey. In a quadruple record breaking feat, the ship stopped at 28 countries along the way promoting solar energy and exploiting its power. The ships demonstration of solar power will lead to many new boating innovations and will revolutionize the way ships are built.

Craig Loomes and his team designed the 40 person 'PlanetSolar' optimizing energy collection, aerodynamics, propulsion, and materials used. The ship is extremely durable , and light due to its carbon structure and also is the biggest solar powered ship built to date. Additionally, it is 35 meters long and 23 meters wide and boasts a large array of solar panels upon its top, nearly every surface. The solar panels bring in a 22.6% yield that allows for a maximum engine output of 120 kW and an average output of 20 kW. The solar panels charge a row of 6 large lithium-ion batteries that give them a maximum energy density. With the impressive completion of the solar only commute, soon many ships will be equipped with solar powered systems similar.

Working on the ship brought together a team of diverse people including electrical engineers, physicians, sea captains, and ship builders. Navigating around the globe brought them to many different places along the way. Though most of the stops were around the equator for maximum sunshine harvesting. The global adventure showed just how powerful solar energy can be. For now, the ship is resting at Hercule Harbour in Monaco soaking up rays in the sun. Solar energy is an option that may be too appealing to pass on for the future of sea faring ships.

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LED Wishing Star art show (via Tokyo Hotaru)

LEDs have been used to create some of the world’s most interesting art. One of the more impressive pieces was showcased at the Licht Festival in Belgium last year, showcasing the cathedral of light. This year brought another large display of LEDs from Panasonic for Tokyo’s Hotaru Festival (Firefly Festival) which celebrates an age old tradition of…well…watching fireflies along river-banks. Panasonic took part in the ‘Symphony of Light’ celebration by releasing 100,000 ‘wishing star’ LED free-floating balls into Tokyo’s Sumida river which was complemented by the illuminated Tokyo Sky Tree. Each ball contains an individual LED which is powered by a tiny solar-cell and rechargeable battery making them fully self-sustainable and reusable. The piece is strikingly similar to what Mother Nature does naturally with bioluminescence.

Bioluminescent bloom of plankton, Maldives (via Doug Perrine)

Illuminating art can be found in nature and also uses self-sustainable energy like Panasonic’s ‘wishing star’ LED balls. These however rely on a chemical reactions (chemiluminescence) rather than solar to emit light. Plankton (much like the firefly) use a group of chemicals, known as luciferins, that oxidize and set off a catalyst called luciferase which produces ‘cold light’. Many of this plankton wash up on various shores where lucky on-lookers can appreciate a fantastic light-show like that recently found on Vaadhoo Island in the Maldives. Both of the displays were impressive in their own right, but only one of them was edible which edges Mother Nature as the winner of the illuminated art shows!

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More of the Panasonic Tokyo art show: