Applications
Carnegie Mellon develops zooming technique for entering text into smartwatches
May 1, 2013 11:07 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsTechnology blogs have been abuzz that smartwatches may soon be on their way from companies such as Apple, Google, Samsung and Microsoft. But as capable as these ultra-small computers may be, how will users enter an address, a name, or a search term into them?
China automaker to open electric bus plant in CA
May 1, 2013 10:42 am | by JOHN ROGERS, Associated Press | News | CommentsA Chinese company whose mantra is Build Your Dreams plans to build all-electric buses in California's Mojave Desert. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris and officials of BYD Automotive scheduled a news conference Wednesday to announce plans to open the first Chinese-owned vehicle manufacturing plant in the United States.
Russia charging NASA $70 million per rocket seat
May 1, 2013 10:01 am | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | News | CommentsNASA is paying $424 million more to Russia to get U.S. astronauts into space, and the agency's leader is blaming Congress for the extra expense. NASA announced its latest contract with the Russian Space Agency on Tuesday. The $424 million represents flights to and from the International Space Station aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft....
Slim, 2.5-inch, 5-mm hard drives and solid state hybrid drives tout solid state hybrid drive technology
April 30, 2013 5:26 pm | Western Digital | Product Releases | CommentsWD, a Western Digital company is shipping what it asserts are the world's first ultra-slim 2.5-inch, 5 mm hard drives and solid state hybrid drives (SSHD), which are designed for integration into the slimmest devices and space-constrained computing environments. With 500 GB of storage capacity and
Varistors offer higher surge current ratings in smaller disc sizespplications
April 30, 2013 5:05 pm | Littelfuse, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsLittelfuse has introduced the LV UltraMOV Series of low voltage, high surge current, radial leaded varistors. They provide an ideal circuit protection solution for lower DC voltage applications by offering higher surge ratings than ever before available in such small disc sizes.
DC/DC converters fully approved to both EN 60950 and EN 60601
April 30, 2013 4:50 pm | MicroPower Direct, LLC | Product Releases | CommentsAvailable immediately from MicroPower Direct, the MA600MHI series is a family of compact, 6W DC/DC converters fully approved to both EN 60950 and EN 60601. They are specifically designed to meet the stringent isolation, reinforced insulation and low leakage requirements of medical grade equipment.
NVision helps honor a fallen hero
April 30, 2013 4:40 pm | News | CommentsNVision recently volunteered its 3D laser-scanning services to help Sarasota sculptor Greg Marra create an exact replica of the rifle that former Navy Seal Chris Kyle used while in the military. Christopher Scott “Chris” Kyle is widely considered to have been the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history with over 150 confirmed kills.
A tale of two lamps
April 30, 2013 4:19 pm | by Karl Stephan, Consulting Engineer, Texas State University, San Marcos | Blogs | CommentsA few months ago, my wife bought a lamp at an office-supply place to light up the table where my father-in-law plays dominoes with us. He’s 87 and his eyesight isn’t what it used to be, so having lots of light in the right place is important. The ceiling light doesn’t quite do the job.
One step closer to a quantum computer
April 30, 2013 11:52 am | by Linköping University | News | CommentsProfessor Weimin Chen and his colleagues at Linköping University, in cooperation with German and American researchers, have succeeded in both initializing and reading nuclear spins, relevant to qubits for quantum computers, at room temperature. The results have just been published in the renowned journal Nature Communications.
Energy-saving smartphone sensor registers the ambient brightness
April 30, 2013 10:57 am | Osram Opto Semiconductors | Product Releases | CommentsOsram Opto Semiconductors has expanded its portfolio of proximity and ambient light sensors with a new, extremely powerful version with low power consumption. The compact SFH 7776 digital sensor registers the ambient brightness – even behind dark smartphone covers....
A revolutionary shape changing smartphone that curls upon a call
April 30, 2013 10:22 am | by Queen's University | News | CommentsResearchers at Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab have developed a new smartphone – called MorePhone – which can morph its shape to give users a silent yet visual cue of an incoming phone call, text message or email. “This is another step in the direction of radically new interaction techniques afforded by smartphones based on thin film..."
Cleveland Clinic research shows Internet-based program effective in reducing stress
April 30, 2013 10:13 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe use of Internet-based stress management programs (ISM) effectively reduce stress for a sustainable period, according to a Cleveland Clinic study published recently in Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Online stress management programs aim to increase accessibility for individuals affected by chronic stress at a lesser cost than traditional methods.
Smart TV: Will Moore’s Law define TV architecture?
April 30, 2013 9:57 am | by Paul Gray, Director of European TV Research, DisplaySearch | Blogs | CommentsThe TV until now has evolved at a pace largely detached from Moore’s Law, an observation that the number of transistors on a unit area of integrated circuit doubles every two years. Its consequence is that computing power doubles per unit of cost in the same time.
TriggerSmart Childproof RFID Smart Gun
April 30, 2013 9:12 am | Videos | CommentsTriggerSmart has developed and patented a user-unique Childproof RFID Smart Gun. Basically, only the authorized user can fire the weapon, and the gun is harmless in the hands of a child or an intruder in the home. This video demonstrates their technology.
LED fixture features 10,000 lumen output while drawing only 150 watts
April 29, 2013 4:59 pm | Larson Electronics Llc | Product Releases | CommentsLarson Electronics has announced the release of an explosion proof LED area light designed to provide durable and reliable illumination with versatile mounting capabilities. The HBLP-1MLED-TRN Trunnion Mount Light Fixture features 10,000 lumen output while drawing only 150 watts....
ECN's exclusive interview with Digikey on LEDs and the state of the marketplace
April 29, 2013 4:16 pm | by Robbie Paul, Lighting Sales Director, Digikey | Articles | CommentsSolid state lighting is continuing its solid growth across a range of industries and applications. ECN recently spoke to Robbie Paul, Lighting Sales Director at Digikey to discuss the solid state lighting market and the latest LED trends.
‘Internet Of Things’: An opportunity for intelligent device manufacturers
April 29, 2013 3:25 pm | by Steve Schmidt, Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy, Flexera Software | Blogs | CommentsThe “Internet of Things” is a phrase used to describe how the internet will link traditional smart devices, and a wide range of additional physical assets to allow these endpoints to generate and share data. Nearly every product will have an IP address and communication capability — not just networking and telecommunications devices...
HotSpot Episode 10: Numi, The King of Toilets
April 29, 2013 2:09 pm | Videos | CommentsThis week on WDD's HotSpot: Kohler announces Numi, a feature-packed toilet that makes the bathroom the place to be. With a Bluetooth receiver that allows users to directly stream their music from a smartphone, the porcelain throne also features an SD card....
Computer scientists suggest new spin on origins of evolvability
April 29, 2013 10:54 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsScientists have long observed that species seem to have become increasingly capable of evolving in response to changes in the environment. But computer science researchers now say that the popular explanation of competition to survive in nature may not actually be necessary for evolvability to increase.
Germ-zapping 'robots': Hospitals combat superbugs
April 29, 2013 10:39 am | by MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer | News | CommentsThe rise of superbugs, along with increased pressure from government and insurers, is driving hospitals to try all sorts of new approaches to stop their spread: Machines that resemble "Star Wars" robots and emit ultraviolet light or hydrogen peroxide vapors. Germ-resistant copper bed rails, call buttons and IV poles...
B787 1st test flight in Japan since battery fire
April 29, 2013 10:29 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's All Nippon Airways has successfully conducted its first test flight of the Boeing 787 aircraft since battery problems grounded the planes earlier this year. Ray Conner, president of Boeing's consumer airline division, and ANA President Shinichiro Ito were aboard the flight Sunday.
Guns are only as ‘smart’ as we are
April 29, 2013 9:48 am | by Stephanie Carmichael, Contributor | Blogs | CommentsI’m uncomfortable with the phrase "smart gun." Maybe that’s because the words make me think of Skynet in Terminator, or the great lesson to man about the dangers of artificial intelligence gussied up in a blockbuster action-movie franchise. While it’s probably not going to rebel and nearly exterminate all of mankind, in the wrong hands, real-world technology can become a tool for evil.
A look back at Lightfair 2013
April 26, 2013 4:54 pm | by Chris Warner, Executive Editor | Articles | CommentsCold weather has been hanging on well into April here in the northeast. But if you were in Philadelphia this week, you would be forgiven for walking around wearing sunglasses – especially indoors at the Pennsylvania Convention Center – a sure sign that Lightfair is in town.
AT&T to sell home automation, security packages
April 26, 2013 11:48 am | by PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsAT&T Inc. is launching its home security and automation service in 15 cities Friday, with an eye toward getting customers hooked on security cameras, thermostats and locks they can control from phones and tablets. AT&T's "Digital Life" packages will be sold in cellphone stores in markets including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami.
Samsung profit at record high on smartphone boost
April 26, 2013 11:46 am | by YOUKYUNG LEE, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSamsung Electronics said Friday its first quarter profit jumped to a record high as smartphone sales remained strong despite the April launch of an updated version of its flagship Galaxy phone. Sales of consumer electronics usually slow in the first three months of the year after the holiday shopping season...
