A Practical Way to Make Invisibility Cloaks

The new printing method makes it possible to make a large sheets of metamaterials, a new class of materials designed to interact with light in ways no natural materials can. For few years, researchers working on these materials have promised invisibility cloaks. Metamaterials that interact with visible light have previously not been made in pieces larger than hundreds of micrometers. Metamaterials are made up of intricately patterned layers, often of metals. Rogers has developed a stamp based printing method for generating large pieces of one of the most promising types of metamaterial, which can make near infrared light bend the "wrong" way when it passes through. Materials with this so called negative index of refraction are particularly promising for making superlenses, night vision invisibility cloaks, and sophisticated waveguides for telecommunications. I think the night vision one so cool. Roger Illinois group starts by molding a hard plastic stamp that's covered with a raised fishnet pattern. The stamp is then placed in an evaporation chamber and coated with a sacrificial layer, followed by alternating layers of the metamaterial ingredients silver and magnesium fluoride to form a layered mesh on the stamp. The stamp is then placed on a sheet of glass or flexible plastic and the sacrificial layer is etched away.

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/37720/page2/

Lasers made from Human Cells

This laser is made up out of human cells. It consist of genetically modified human liver cells that can produce large amounts of green fluorescent proteins that are scattered throughout the cell. A cell carrying these proteins acts as the "gain medium", the part of the laser that amplifies light energy .Like any laser, the cell laser needs an energy source to increase the power of the light it can use. The researchers pumped the living lasers by pulsing the cells with light through a microscope. As light bounces around inside the cell and is re-emitted by the fluorescent proteins, it's amplified, increasing in power before being emitted in a beam. To keep the light bouncing around as long as possible, to gain as much power as possible, the scientist placed these cells inside a biocompatible optical cavity, a tiny, highly reflective, cell-shaped hole. Scientist also say that one day this can be the back bone of the internet.

Two New Tools for Self-Tracking

There is a new watch out that can track your every day regimen. It can also tell you where you are if you connect to a mobile device via wifi. The company takes a different tack on self-tracking, with cheap, sensor-laden stickers for everything from your toothbrush to the dog's leash. The sensors have an embedded accelerometer, along with an ultralow power wireless transmitter to send data on the object's movement to a central base station.

Talking to the Wall

Microsoft and the University of Washington researchers have learned a new way to use electromagnetic radiation and use it as a computer interface for creating walls touch-sensitive. Electromagnetic radiation is all around the air. This new type of techonology could allow people to control light switches, thermostats, security systems and TV's from anywhere in the house. This works by someone touching a wall with electrical wiring behind it and then he/she become the antenna that creates background radiation depending on the position of their body. After this occurs the gesture could be taken as a command to turn up the volume or something similar to that. Researchers have only discovered that only the body can be used to turn electromagnetic radiation into a signal for gesture-based interface.

Spdy, A faster web

Google has revealed the new web browsing called SPDY instead of the normal http. Google had made this so that the browser communicates differently with the servers making it faster. The SPDY sits between the user and the web and makes the pages load quicker by adjusting the code of the page. They made SPDY because one it would help with cell phones using google and they say that because the page will load quicker, more page views will become available.

A Blood Test for Depression

In san diego doctors have figured out another way to test for depression. they figured out that they can find depression in the blood pressure. The test measures changes in 10 biomarkers in the blood and feeds the results into what is called an algoritht. This then assesses four different body systems to compute the final score. With this they are able to show symptoms of diseases at its earliest possible form witch can lead to getting help before it turns serious in anyway. But with this only about 50% are diagnosed and treated.

Social Search, without a Social Network

"The company added social features that will let your friends help determine what ranks high in the search results you see. The approach requires Google to know the social connections of its users something that so far is not a core feature of the company's products or uppermost in the minds of people using them". Google's new social tool is the +1 button, which it wants you to click to signal which search results and Web pages you appreciate. If you use this tool your life for searching would be easier.

http://www.technologyreview.com/web/37241/?mod=chthumb

Sleep monitoring pajamas

Nyx Devices has created sleepwear that monitors the breathing patterns of the sleeper. It will be able to determine whether the person was in a deep sleep, light sleep, or are dreaming. There is nothing that must be attached to you, such as adhesives. Everything is built into the pajama shirt. The will help monitor your quality of sleep and assist in the advancement of knowledge on sleeping disorders. The company plans to release a commercial product which will cost you about $100. The overall goal is for it to be a commercial product, but Dr. Bianchi plans to use it on his patients as a substitute for all of the wires previously needed to accomplish the same goal.

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/37606/

A Car Battery at Half the Price

A123 systems spun out a new kind of car battery called 24M. It is designed to make the vehicle go farther but cost almost half the price.24M intends to greatly reduce the inactive material in a battery. According to estimates in the new paper, its batteries could achieve almost twice the energy densities of today's vehicle battery packs.

The Invisible Iphone

Researchers in Germany are now working on a system that would let you perform such actions without even holding the Iphone. Instead of tapping the Iphone you would tap your palm to control the Iphone. The movements then transfer from the imaginary Iphone to your real phone. This is all made possible by a headband with a camera attached to monitor your movements. The camera "subtracts" the background and tracks the finger position on the palm. It works well in various lighting conditions, including direct sunlight. Software interprets finger positions and movements to the position of icons on a person's iPhone. 

Hold that Call, and Focus on the Road

Using you cell phone while driving is similar as to when you are drunk driving. Microsoft researchers are developing an in-car warning system, which would allow to to put a call on hold while driving requires most of your attention. Researchers said that the risks of an accident happing while you are using your phone and driving is reduced. Two researchers conducted an experiment and part of it involved a virtual route and it involved complicated road conditions. For example, heavier traffic, the warning system would sense it and if the driver was on a call the system would make an alert sound for both driver and caller to announce that the call would be placed on hold. Microsoft hopes to monitor the speed and the GPS location and it would track the driving risks in the area based on statistics.

Google wants to Control Your Home

Google has created a new device called a "Tungsten". It's a mobile device that is set to be able to control everything from your refrigerator, gym equipment, and lighting. This device allows you to play games with it even when playing action games involving gun shots then the room lights will be able to flicker along with it. Tungsten has a new software which it enables Android to interface with other objects. There are two appearances of this object, one is in a box form with lights on the edges and the other is in the form of a sphere. The device also must use WiFi for other objects and even for low connection objects. Android is an open source software so Google will make the hardware specifications open so other companies can make their own Tungsten.

Virtual View Beneath The Skin

Microsoft has created a handheld device that allows patients, in physical therapy, to see their injury and wounds easily. Doctors are hoping that this will make patients want to come back and finish their physical therapy because now they can see their progress. The device is said to be "somewhat low-tech" by Karlson who presented the device this past week in Vancouver. It comes in two parts. The first contains a handheld, or pico,a projector, an ordinary digital camera, and an infrared camera.The second contains a laser pointer and the control buttons. Most patients are interested in this product and they are hoping this device will become a success.

Paralyzed Man Stands with Aid of Electricity

Rob Summers, 25, was paralyzed from the chest down in a car accident in 2006. Due to recent experiments, Rob can now move voluntarily with the help of electricity. The procedure involves electric shocks to move down his spine to stimulate the spinal cord. With help, he can also take repeated steps on a treadmill and voluntarily move his hips, knees, ankles, and toes. Researchers say the advance is a breakthrough in the treatment of spinal cord injury, though they caution that it has only been tested in one patient.

Virtual View Beneath The Skin

Microsoft has created a handheld device that allows patients, in physical therapy, to see their injury and wounds easily. Doctors are hoping that this will make patients want to come back and finish their physical therapy because now they can see their progress. The device is said to be "somewhat low-tech" by Karlson who presented the device this past week in vancouver. It comes in two parts. The first contains a handheld, or pico,a projector, an ordinary digital camera, and an infrared camera.The second contains a laser pointer and the control buttons. Most patients are interested in this product and they are hoping this device will become a success.

Keyboards First. Then Grenades.

The purpose of this blog is because kids these days use a lot of weapons on video games and/or smart phones and by using this the officers want to make advanced programs for soldiers who used these games growing up and help them use it as a routine to train them for war while it being a virtual but realistic training exercise. They came up with an contest to see who can make the best app for soldiers to use for things like sniper awareness.

Virtual View Beneath The Skin

Microsoft has created a handheld device that allows patients in physical therapy to see their injury and wounds easily. Doctors are hoping that this will make the patients want to come back and finis their physical therapy. The device is said to be "somewhat low-tech" by Karlson who presented the device this past week in vancouver. It comes in two parts. The first contains a handheld, or pico, projector, an ordinary digital camera, and an infrared camera.The second contains a laser pointer and the control buttons. Most Patients are interested in this product and they are hoping this device will be a success.

A Laptop that Knows Where You're Looking

There is a new laptop by Lenovo which it can sense where the user is looking. It uses the users eye motion to sense where they are looking. This is helpful because where you're reading a text at the bottom of the screen and you don't feel like scrolling down with your mouse the laptop will scroll down by itself with just your eye motions. Also when you aren't looking at the computer it will dim down to save some power. Tobii, a swedish company provided the eye motion software and prototype. The inventor want to make the navigation on the computer more natural. So far only 20 have been made. The computer works by having two cameras at the bottom of the screen one to track the pupil and the other to provide light to make a glint in the eye to make it easier. It is 0.5 degrees accurate. This is a prototype to also test out how ready eye tracking is ready for the market.

How chronic wounds may heal faster

It's obvious that chronic wounds heal faster than those of lesser damage, but what would you say if there was an agent that could speed the healing of these wounds. This would be such a huge advancement in the health of humans. For example, deadly infections could be  much more preventable because these wounds would have less exposure to the diseases and germs. This is done by inserting a bacteria called Clostridium histolyticum which produces collaganese and when added to the cells it causes a reaction allowing them to move faster. If this is made a reality, it can be used to assist troops on the battlefield, and all others who are in similar situations, it would make the world a much safer place.

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/37371/?ref=rss&a=f

Reprogrammable Chips Could Enable Instant Gadget Upgrades

"The new chips—made by a startup called Tabula—are a cheaper, more powerful competitor to an existing type of reprogrammable chip known as a field programmable gate array (FPGA)".This chip can be reconfigured to implement new designs, thus allowing device hardware to be upgraded. The technology needed to build stacked, 3-D chips is still restricted to research labs. Instead Teig found a way to make a chip with just one level behave as if it were eight different ones stacked up. Cycling between up to eight different layouts at up to 1.6 billion times per second.


http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/37406/?p1=A1

Practical Nanotube Electronics

Researchers have found a new way to make nanotube transistor arrays. They are promising for making display control circuits because its more efficient than silicon and can be arranged on very flexible surfaces. Before this creation it took much longer to make the nanotubes, but now they are much easier to make using the carbon nanotubes

Watson Goes to Work in the Hospital

Watson, the IBM supercomputer that appeared on Jeopardy has a new job. The same kind of analytics platform IBM developed for Watson is being used to help monitor and diagnose babies in Intensive Care Units. Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto is using a system called Artemis, which uses the special analytics platform, to collect the data needed to help diagnose these babies. The system can measure the babies blood pressure, temperature, heart rate and breathing rate. It can also access data from medical records, such as the baby’s birth weight.

Can an Algorithm Spot the Next Google?

A program called quid takes words and phrases from documents and constructs a technology genome that describes the primary focus of each of those 35,000 entities. The genomes are used by investors to find hints about interesting companies or ideas. These genomes can represent the seeds of new technology sectors. With these hints, technology is able to advance making things more advanced and most easier.

Emerging Technology

Apple is now looking into three dimensional cameras for their phones and ipods etc. Embodiment, separate luma, chroma and 3-D image sensors may be used to acquire the 3-D effect.The systems and methods may involve image sensing, capture, processing, rendering and/or generating images.

Apple's new link controls the way you hear your music

Apple's newest patent will alter the users music based on their environment. For example, your activities, pictures, and use of the accelerometer will tell the iPhone how to produce variations of the music in your library. In an excerpt from the patent, Apple states that mood and behavior strongly relates to the tempo of the music you listen to. One way for the phone to determine your mood is based on the pace that you walk or if you are exercising/running. The excerpt states, "In fact, some studies have shown that sedative music (low tempo) is great for stretching but bad for strength training, and that stimulating music (high tempo) is good for strength training but bad for stretching."For something that seems like it would be so far in the future to become a reality, Apple has a very well developed idea and the future of this technology is not very far away.

http://www.macnews.com/content/apple-files-patent-music-synchronization-arrangement-think-applenike

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/emergingtech/apple-patent-uses-photos-to-alter-music/2498?tag=mantle_skin;content

iMobots

UC Davis is commercializes a mobile robot that can function like an inchworm. This robot can raise one end of its figure into a platform an it has a camera on the end of it. he patent-pending iMobot could be used as a testbed tool for engineers studying control systems for individual robots or groups of robots. Unlike most commercial robots that are designed for a single purpose, iMobots operate as durable subunits that can function alone or be configured for a specific task. A single iMobot model has four controllable degrees, with two joints in the center section and two wheels, one on each end.

When Exercise Is Too Much of a Good Thing

This article was a study of 27 endurance athletes vs. 20 non-endurance athletes. "The different groups underwent a new type of magnetic resonance imaging of their hearts that identifies very early signs of fibrosis, or scarring, within the heart muscle. Fibrosis, if it becomes severe, can lead to stiffening or thickening of portions of the heart, which can contribute to irregular heart function and, eventually, heart failure'.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/when-exercise-is-too-much-of-a-good-thing/?scp=1&sq=When%20Exercise%20Is%20Too%20Much%20of%20a%20Good%20Thing&st=cse

Wearable Sensor Reveals what Overwhelms You.

There's a new wearable stress sensor that shows anxiety and it gives you an almost exact number. This device is called a Q Sensor by Affectivia. The sensor is a wristband similar to a watch with a button on it's center. This button changes color to show the battery level of the sensor. There are two silver electrodes that sends out an electric current and it runs to your skin and measures it conductance. Skin conductance rises and so does your stress level. It is being used for autistic children and other scientists want to help out drug addictions and post traumatic stress. On the sensor there is also an accelerometer to keep up the users motion. Scientist also would like to create a smart-phone app for the sensors data to be sent to the phone and let the user know if they're stressed or relaxed.
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/32446/page2/

Car Hacking

On this blog it has been shown and proven that cars are able to be controlled wirelessly. The cars were hacked by hacking threw syncs and the hands free calling using bluetooth syncs wirelessly. The persons car was controlled by a smart phone and was able to control the locks to brakes in the car. They repeatedly called the car over 100 times in till they were able to access the car and control it by getting into the computers system. They planned that if people can do this they will be aloud to force the car to send its position over GPS and then be able to unlock it and steal it without force. This is a pretty cool thing but highly dangerous.

Emerging Technology

A new type of computer is now being created. This computer that was created by a company called Lenovo (IBM) can now read your eye movement through hidden cameras beneath the screen of the computer. These cameras can tell where you are looking on the screen and can be controlled using your eyes. This is supposed to make computer usage much quicker and easier than using a mouse and/or trackpads. This prototype is suppose to be very accurate. These computers are going to be expensive, so the company must sell these units at a high volume in order for the computers to be affordable for the consumer.

Bionic Eyes

Bionic Eyes





A new invention for people with eye diseases or people who have lost eyesight have new hope. A new implant has emerged that may partially restore vision. "It marks the beginning of an era in which sight will be restored at ever more astonishing levels," says Robert Greenberg, president and CEO of Second Sight, the California company that developed the device. So far it is developing in Europe but its making its way around the world. The down side to this new invention is its price. It can cost up to 115,000$. This implant is actually a camera placed on glasses and it corresponds to signals sent through the wire attached. Read more through this link. http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/35064/?p1=MstRcnt

Private Space Shuttle

NASA's commercial crew development program will be funding multiple companies who can create a new space shuttle that can carry people and supplies into orbit. The Sierra Nevada Corporation has received the most money from NASA, $20 million to build the Dream Chaser. The Dream Chaser will hold eight people and be able to transport them into "low-earth orbit" which is where the space station is located, it will also be able to land on airport runways. Its carbon fiber body and design will allow for less intense exposure of the passengers and equipment to gravitational force. If the company continues to accomplish their goals for the Dream Chaser, it will be launched into orbit in 2014. It will be launched by the Atlas-V, a launch booster made by the United Launch alliance company.

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/27094/

Watson

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/26409/?p1=A4
Watson is a PC that IBM had created to compete on jeopardy. Watson had competed recently and actually did pretty good. He had came in second place. Then from what IBM has said so far, it seems Watson's life is about to get considerably less glamorous. The computer's DeepQA software is intended to be used by businesses to offer help desks for customers.From what IBM has said so far, it seems Watson's life is about to get considerably less glamorous. The computer's DeepQA software is intended to be used by businesses to offer help desks for customers.

Ferris Bueller

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Ferris and his friends skip school and find themselves attending an afternoon Cubs game. In the clip, Broderick(Ferris Bueller) actually catches a foul ball from his field-level seat near the left field foul pole. Fans of the movie have questioned the movie and have speculation that Bueller was actually at a real cubs game because of its real feeling. Watch the video on top of this page.

The Smallest Computing Systems Yet

A team led by Charles Lieber, a professor of chemistry at Harvard, and Shamik Das, lead engineer in MITRE's nanosystems group, has designed and built a reprogrammable circuit out of nanowire transistors. Several tiles wired together would make the first scalable nanowire computer, says Lieber. Such a device could run inside microscopic, implantable biosensors, and ultra-low-power environmental or structural sensors, say the researchers there have been doubts about the practicality of nanowires and nanotubes as actual computing systems. "There had been little progress in terms of increasing the complexity of circuits," says Lieber.The researchers made a single tile, with an area of 960 square microns containing 496 functional transistors. It is designed to wire to other tiles so that the transistors, in aggregate, could act as complex logic gates for processing or memory.

Emerging Technology: Give your Dashboard the Finger

A new emerging technology is being developed for drivers to use their dashboard without taking their hands off the wheel and keeping their eyes on the road. They are still in the prototype interphase which uses several sensors to detect the movement of the right index finger as it disrupts an electric field. This project was based on a musical instrument that can be played without being touched. There are electromagnetic sensors located on the dashboard that detect finger movements which allows the driver to hold the wheel in a recommended ten to two position. Researchers used car stimulator and glued antennas on the dashboard right behind the wheel.The system so far has an 86% accuracy for 10 gesture movements. They also will add a speech recognition to allow people to dictate text messages in the car but they don't want to encourage drivers to do anything else other then drive.

A new computer program has been made to satisfy people. the new 3D HD computer monitors and the new program 3D vision letting the people able to play there new favorite 3D games on the computer. This will be a new stage in technology making games more life like and realistic.

This video is about the new game being released soon called homefront. The Japanese have taken over and you have to get your country back.

Solar Powered Android Phone

The Chinese phone maker, Umeox mobile is working on a solar powered cell phone for the user that is usually away from an electrical outlet. It will be available for use in the United States and Europe. Too bad it'll take 17 hours for a dead battery to fully charge ! ! ! ! Unfortunately, there has not been much success inthe past with solar powered phones. For example, have you ever heard of the Digicel Coral-200-Solar phone? Probably not. Even popular brands like Samsung have tried it and failed.

The concept is brilliant if it can be perfected. For example, a 17 hour charge is ridiculous, thats more than half a day! Because it is an Android phone, apps will most likely increase usage time and run the battery down quickly. An option to charge from a wall as well was not mentioned but would certainly increase the phones value

Mineral Shows Electronic Properties

So I found out that there is a mineral called Molybdnite. It's used as a lubricant but is now showing extraordinary electronic characteristics when in two-dimensional strips.Researchers in Switzerland found this out.This minerals is a semiconductor which means it provides discrete energy levels for electrons to jump through—a property known as its bandgap. I think that this might save us energy in many ways hopefully.