62892363
submission
rtoz writes:
Google’s research division "Google X" has started another moonshot project named as "Baselne Study".
The baseline study project will collect anonymous genetic and molecular information from 175 people and later thousands more to create the complete picture of what a healthy human being should be.
The baseline study will help researchers detect killers such as heart disease and cancer far earlier, pushing medicine more toward prevention rather than the treatment of illness.
According to Google, the information from Baseline will be anonymous and its use will be limited to medical and health purposes. Data won't be shared with insurance companies.
62856519
submission
rtoz writes:
Researchers at MIT have designed a simple water filter by peeling the bark off a small section of white pine, then inserting and securing it within plastic tubing.
So, If you’ve run out of drinking water during a lakeside camping trip, there’s a simple solution: Break off a branch from the nearest pine tree, peel away the bark, and slowly pour lake water through the stick to get the safe drinking water.
This simple xylem filter can filter most types of bacteria, the smallest of which measure about 200 nanometers. However, the filter probably cannot trap most viruses, which are much smaller in size.
Approximately 3 cm3 of sapwood can filter water at the rate of several liters per day, sufficient to meet the clean drinking water needs of one person.
62787933
submission
rtoz writes:
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Apple a patent for a smartwatch named as iTime.
Apple filed for this patent in July 2011.
The details of the this patent with the title "Wrist-worn electronic device and methods therefor" are matching with the speculation regarding a so-called iWatch smartwatch.
This iTime device can interact with Computers and Mobile phones.
According to the patent documents, the iTime's electronic wristband acts as a docking station for a device similar to the iPod Nano.
In one embodiment, the watch is able to receive a notification initiated by a nearby phone, then alert the user to the event through audio, visual or vibrations. Once alerted, the user has the option to take out their Phone or dive into the notification directly on the watch, whether it be onscreen or through audio output like system speakers or headphones.
Smart watches provided by Samsung and LG are already available in the market. But many people are eagerly waiting for a smart watch from Apple.
62744567
submission
rtoz writes:
Researchers at MIT have developed a new spongelike material structure which can use 85% of incoming solar energy for converting water into steam.
This spongelike structure has a layer of graphite flakes and an underlying carbon foam. This structure has many small pores.
It can float on the water, and it will act as an insulator for preventing heat from escaping to the underlying liquid.
As sunlight hits the structure, it creates a hotspot in the graphite layer, generating a pressure gradient that draws water up through the carbon foam. As water seeps into the graphite layer, the heat concentrated in the graphite turns the water into steam. This structure works much like a sponge.
This new material is able to use 85 percent of incoming solar energy for converting water into steam. It is a significant improvement over recent approaches to solar-powered steam generation. And, this setup loses very little heat in the process, and can produce steam at relatively low solar intensity. i-e if scaled up, this setup will not require complex, costly systems to highly concentrate sunlight.
62734329
submission
rtoz writes:
The social robots like this one "JIBO" are getting ready to be part of our family within few years. It seems lot of people are showing interest for buying this kind of family robots. The official video about JIBO got more than 2 million views within few days. And, it collected more than 900% the goal from crowd-funding. And, most of the News websites published articles about this this new robot.
All these things clearly indicate that the Social Robots will be part of our family within few years.
Whether our privacy will be getting affected in anyway if we allow these social robots in our family?
And, whether Governments can use these robots for spying purpose? Or, whether these robots itself can do any harm to human?
62700693
submission
rtoz writes:
A special class of tiny gold particles can easily slip through cell membranes, making them good candidates to deliver drugs directly to target cells.
A new study from MIT materials scientists reveals that these nanoparticles enter cells by taking advantage of a route normally used in vesicle-vesicle fusion, a crucial process that allows signal transmission between neurons.
MIT engineers created simulations of how a gold nanoparticle coated with special molecules can penetrate a membrane.
62685069
submission
rtoz writes:
Google has released LiquidFun 1.1 with many new features such as browser-based Test bed, and two news games named as VoltAir and LiquidFun Paint.
LiquidFun is a 2D rigid-body and fluid simulation C++ library for games based upon Box2D. It provides support for procedural animation of physical bodies to make objects move and interact in realistic ways.
62583231
submission
rtoz writes:
Researchers from Seoul National University, South Korea, have designed a robotic wheel based on the origami 'magic ball pattern,' which is a traditional technique used to create folded paper spheres.
This Robotic wheel can change its radius to create larger wheels to climb over things, and shrink back to a smaller size to squeeze under obstacles
The diameter of the wheels grows and shrinks automatically to enable the robot to either be strong or speedy.
The origami wheel can enable the robot to be both speedy and strong because it expands and shrinks in size automatically.
And, it is possible to control the shape of the wheel using only a few actuators.
The scientists think their innovation could one day be used for interplanetary rovers as the wheel can be folded up and 'inflate' itself.
62547453
submission
rtoz writes:
The online retail giant Amazon has announced that it's launching an e-book subscription service named as "Kindle Unlimited."
For $9.99 per month, Kindle Unlimited offers more than 600,000 books and thousands of audiobooks across a range of devices.
There are number of popular titles listed, including Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the Hunger Games.
Currently it's available for US customers only. We can access "Kindle Unlimited" from http://www.amazon.com/kindleun...
And, amazon is sending email to kindle publishers about this subscription plan.
All books enrolled in "KDP Select" with U.S. rights will be automatically included in Kindle Unlimited.
"KDP Select" authors and publishers will earn a share of the KDP Select global fund each time a customer accesses their book from Kindle Unlimited and reads more than 10% of their book.
62540045
submission
rtoz writes:
Researchers at MIT have developed a robot that enhances the grasping motion of the human hand. This wrist-wearable robot gives two extra fingers to our hand.
The robotic fingers are at either side of the the hand — one outside the thumb, and the other outside the little finger.
A control algorithm enables it to move in sync with the wearer's fingers to grasp objects of various shapes and sizes.
With the assistance of these extra fingers, we can grasp objects that are usually too difficult to do with a single hand.
62477935
submission
rtoz writes:
An MIT professor has developed Jibo, a social robot that can act as a personal assistant, speak, learn, and interact with people in a 'humanized' fashion.
This robot is being marketed as "the world's first family robot."
"Jibo" comes packed with algorithms to learn and adapt to people's habits. It can communicate in tones and cues closely resembling human interaction. It can take photos and video, and deliver hands-free messages and reminders. It can even read and tell stories.
Standing a mere 11 inches high and weighing just 6 pounds, Jibo is designed as a bridge between robotics and the home.
Jibo Inc. plans to expand Jibo's abilities through both in-house software updates and third-party features developed through the JiboAlive software development kit (SDK) program.
This Time article says, "That Jibo Robot Does the Same Stuff as Your Phone, but People Are Freaking Out Anyway"
62375965
submission
rtoz writes:
Last year, MIT researchers discovered that when water droplets spontaneously jump away from superhydrophobic surfaces during condensation, they can gain electric charge in the process. Now, the same team has demonstrated that this process can generate small amounts of electricity that might be used to power electronic devices.
This approach could lead to devices to charge cellphones or other electronics using just the humidity in the air. As a side benefit, the system could also produce clean water.
The device itself could be simple, consisting of a series of interleaved flat metal plates.
A cube measuring about 50 centimeters on a side — about the size of a typical camping cooler — could be sufficient to fully charge a cellphone in about 12 hours. While that may seem slow, people in remote areas may have few alternatives.
62363753
submission
rtoz writes:
Seven companies including Google's Nest Labs, Samsung and ARM announced that they've joined forces to form Thread Group and develop Thread, a new IP-based wireless networking protocol.
Unlike many existing technologies or IoT approaches, Thread is not an application protocol or a connectivity platform for many types of disparate networks. Thread is an IPv6 networking protocol built on open standards, designed for low-power 802.15.4 mesh networks. Existing popular application protocols and IoT platforms can run over Thread networks. A version of Thread is already being used successfully in Nest products today.
The Thread Group is open to new members and offers two tiers of membership, Sponsor and Contributor.
Few days back, Thread Group member Samsung joined with Intel to form another group named as "open interconnect consortium" (OIC)
AllSeen Alliance is another group led by Qualcomm, and microsoft is member of this group.
Apple is working on its own framework named as "HomeKit" for connecting household devices.
62307595
submission
rtoz writes:
In the movie "Terminator 2," the shape-shifting T-1000 robot morphs into a liquid state to squeeze through tight spaces or to repair itself when harmed.
Now a phase-changing material built from wax and foam, and capable of switching between hard and soft states, could allow even low-cost robots to perform the same feat.
The material developed by MIT researchers could be used to build deformable surgical robots. The robots could move through the body to reach a particular point without damaging any of the organs or vessels along the way.
The Robots built from this material could also be used in search-and-rescue operations to squeeze through rubble looking for survivors.
62218621
submission
rtoz writes:
A London based company "This Place" is launching a new app "MindRDR" for providing one more way for controlling Google Glass. It will allow the users to control the Google Glass by their thoughts.
This MindRDR application bridges the Neurosky EEG biosensor and Google Glass. It allows users to take photos and share them on Twitter and Facebook by simply using brainwaves alone.
"This Place" has put the code of this app on GitHub for others to use it and expand on it.
