A telephone exchange on wheels

Mobile Exchange on Wheels to bolster telecommunications in disaster areas

The need for communications during times of disaster is often incredibly important. In particular, internet services are especially vulnerable to destruction in the face of fires, floods and other natural disasters. Disrupted internet services could routinely take weeks or longer to fix in the past. Now, thanks to a new Telstra initiative, ADSL and other fixed line services will be able to remain connected, even after disaster has struck the local exchange.
MEOW - the portable ADSL2+ backup solution
The mobile exchange on wheels or MEOW, as it is creatively known - might look like an ordinary trailer from the outside, but inside - it's a fully functioning telephone exchange. The three-tonne unit can be easily pulled behind a 4WD or light truck and into critical areas of need without delay.
Speaking with David Piltz, who is the Executive Director of Integrated Network Planning for Telstra, the portable exchange can be operated by just two technicians, both of whom are in charge of activating and setting up the device.

The heavy-use trailer is DC powered, has its own air con system to cool the equipment and comes with an additional power generator for longer periods off-site.
The MEOW can provide up to 450 fixed line telephone services and over 300 ADSL2+ broadband services, at speeds of up to 20Mbps. Mr Piltz told us that they can usually get ADSL services back on the air within hours of the trailer's deployment. When not in use, the MEOW is always ready for duty. It's parked in 'hot standby mode', where it remains connected to the network at Telstra's Croyden offices in Melbourne. There, it can be deployed within 30mins of a disaster occuring. By comparison, when a physical exchange is badly damaged during a disaster, it can take up to a week to deploy spare equipment and have fixed line services running again from the area. However, the MEOW manages to plug that vital reconstruction delay gap by getting the job done in a few hours.

The mobile exchange, which is valued at more than $200,000 - is a country first. Telstra spokesperson Martin Barr told us that the idea came to engineers out of the recent black Saturday fires tragedy that struck Victorian towns earlier this year.

Google Wave- a revolution to virtual communication

Changing the way the virtual world communicates:

Must watch video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOHwPgMXsNY

E-mail has been dawdling along in much the same form since the early days of the Internet. In fact, e-mail now feels like a pretty stodgy, clunky and formal style of online communication these days. But hold onto your seats, because Google is about to turn e-mail on its head with the release of a revolutionary new technology called Google Wave that's due to start trickling into users' hands this September. Wave combines the strengths of e-mail with the immediacy of instant messaging and the collaborative power of social networking - and wraps that all up into a killer web application that can then be embedded into any web page or used as a private communication system.

Effectively, each piece of communication becomes a "wave" that is sent to another person or group of people. From there, rather than replying to the whole "email," other users can insert their responses at any point in the communication - and each keystroke appears on all the wave's users' screens immediately. It's like having an instant message conversation based on an email. And once you've commented into part of the wave, other users can respond to your comments, much like on Facebook, but in realtime.
Photo-sharing can be handled in much the same way, and once the photos are out there in a wave, other users can tag, comment and collaborate on them much the same as they could in a social network. There's lots of options as regards privacy etc - you can turn off the instant transmission of keystrokes, for example, to let you think your sentences over a bit more before others read them.

Check the presentation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itc4253kjhw

A robo pet which can see, hear, and feel

Image via Wikipedia

A solution for parents whose kids want a pet, and they don’t – A robo? A pet? = Pleo

The most lifelike robotic pet can see, hear, and feel your touch. Six computer chips process the input and produce lifelike reactions, such as crying if it’s left in the dark. Pleo moves naturally using 28 motors and joints—for example, arching its back when stroked. The dino also learns from experiences (such as staying away from your noisy canary) and displays emotions. You can even download behavioral-modification packs or use the free programming kit to customize its personality. $350; pleoworld.com

Every Pleo is autonomous. Each one begins life as a newly-hatched baby Camarasaurus, but that's where predictability ends and individuality begins. Like any creature, Pleo feels hunger and fatigue - offset by powerful urges to explore and be nurtured. He'll graze, nap and toddle about on his own -when he feels like it! Pleo dinosaur can change his mind and his mood, just as you do.

Unveiled on February 7, 2006, the company has stopped making new pleo’s as of April 17th, 2009. Will this amazing product revive?

Check the website: http://www.pleoworld.com/
Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleo
Check video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6LCEFr8SxQ&NR=1&feature=fvwp

In 2005, Senario proudly introduced a distribution deal with Ugobe. Currently, Senario is the only distributor in the U.S. with Pleo stock. Currently Pleo is available on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Pleo-Dinosaur-UGOBE-Life-Form/dp/B000RWEGCO. There’s even a cool 2.5 minute video about the creation of the lovable dinosaur.

Pleo will also be available for purchase at the Sharper Images online store in September. The retail price is $349.99.

A robo pet which can see, hear, and feel

Image via Wikipedia

A solution for parents whose kids want a pet, and they don’t – A robo? A pet? = Pleo

The most lifelike robotic pet can see, hear, and feel your touch. Six computer chips process the input and produce lifelike reactions, such as crying if it’s left in the dark. Pleo moves naturally using 28 motors and joints—for example, arching its back when stroked. The dino also learns from experiences (such as staying away from your noisy canary) and displays emotions. You can even download behavioral-modification packs or use the free programming kit to customize its personality. $350; pleoworld.com

Every Pleo is autonomous. Each one begins life as a newly-hatched baby Camarasaurus, but that's where predictability ends and individuality begins. Like any creature, Pleo feels hunger and fatigue - offset by powerful urges to explore and be nurtured. He'll graze, nap and toddle about on his own -when he feels like it! Pleo dinosaur can change his mind and his mood, just as you do.

Unveiled on February 7, 2006, the company has stopped making new pleo’s as of April 17th, 2009. Will this amazing product revive?

Check the website: http://www.pleoworld.com/
Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleo
Check video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6LCEFr8SxQ&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Out-door tile which purifies air

Air Purifying Tile
Oxygena is like no other tile, the only one which contains titanium dioxide, a precious element which reacts totally naturally to gas pollutants and degrades them, leaving them totally innocuous. The Oxygena line of floor tiles from Italian firm Gambarelli eliminates contaminating gases through its surface. Titanium dioxide reacts to and eliminates polluting gases thus rendering them harmless. When solar rays hit the surface of the tiles, titanium dioxide (thanks to its photo catalytic properties) produces active oxygen, which then oxidizes polluting gases. The gases are transformed into nitrate ions which, combined with water or other elements, become eco-efficient.

Oxygena was created for outdoor use (buildings, balconies, walkways) but can also be laid internally in baths and kitchens and rooms in general. Product ranges have been produced specially for town and city councils for building piazzas, pavements, roundabouts, hospitals, schools and airports.

OXYGENA HAS ALREADY RECEIVED FOUR MAJOR MUNICIPALITY OF TAVERNELLE IN THE PROVINCE OF FLORENCE HAS BUILT THREE ROUNDABOUTS WHICH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ELIMINATING THE POLLUTION CAUSED BY VEHICLE TRAFFIC. A PUBLIC SWIMMING A SCHOOL IN THE TOWN OF CHIASSO ALSO “VERONICA VERDE” SHOP GROUP, THAT WILL LAY OXYGENA IN ALL ITS SELLING POINTS, ARE THE MORE RECENT WORKS.


To read more click: http://www.gambarelli.it/catalogue/pdf/Catalogo_Tecnico_Oxygena.pdf

New software to replace keyboard and mouse

Image via Wikipedia

Software to replace keyboards?
Triggerfinger has developed software that turns any game controller into a replacement for a keyboard/mouse for a media PC, laptop/mobile and Game Console. The software was developed to provide freedom from the onscreen or QWERTY keyboard found on most computers and the use of a hand held input device eliminates these problems by putting the keyboard/mouse in the palm of your hand. Experts in Human Factors think the acceptable threshold for text input is 15 wpm. Triggerfinger research shows an inexperienced user with an hour of instruction on a Triggerfinger-enabled device exceeds this established base line.

Triggerfinger Software works across various platforms - a smart phone enabled with Triggerfinger Software eliminates the need for a mini qwerty keyboard and 12 button keypad. Game equipment manufacturers such as Logitech and Thrustmaster have invested considerable resources to improve the gaming experience. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have new consoles that make gaming more enjoyable for even the casual player. Triggerfinger Software elevates these products to an even higher level of useful operation.

Media PC
The benefits of using Triggerfinger Software in home with a media PC are numerous. A home owner is able to consolidate the TV remote, keyboard/mouse for internet navigation, and game console hardware requirements with a Triggerfinger enabled game controller. This provides a cost savings as well as the elimination of electronic gear that messes up mom’s living room.

Check out the original website with videos: http://www.triggerfingersoftware.com/
Read more at: http://www.gizmag.com/go/5951/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=62d8cf112d-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email
Watch video: http://www.triggerfinger.biz/videos/video.html

Biogas plant run solely on waste

First-ever biogas plant to run purely on waste

Researchers have developed the first-ever biogas plant to run purely on waste instead of edible raw materials — transforming waste into valuable material. The plant generates 30 percent more biogas than its predecessors. A fuel cell efficiently converts the gas into electricity.

“In our pilot plant, we exclusively use agricultural waste such as corn stalks – that is, the corn plants without the cobs. This allows us to generate 30 percent more biogas than in conventional facilities,” says IKTS head of department Dr. Michael Stelter. Until now, biogas plants have only been able to process a certain proportion of waste material, as this tends to be more difficult to convert into biogas than pure cereal crops or corn, for instance.

This is not the only advantage: The time for which the decomposing waste material, or silage, is stored in the plant can be reduced by 50 to 70 percent. Biomass is usually kept in the fermenter, building up biogas, for 80 days. Thanks to the right kind of pre-treatment, this only takes about 30 days in the new plant.

The researchers have also optimized the conversion of biogas into electricity. They divert the gas into a high-temperature fuel cell with an electrical efficiency of 40 to 55 percent. By comparison, the gas engine normally used for this purpose only achieves an average efficiency of 38 percent. What is more, the fuel cell operates at 850 degrees Celsius. The heat can be used directly for heating or fed into the district heating network. If the electrical and thermal efficiency are added up, the fuel cell has an overall efficiency of up to 85 percent.

Read Full article at: http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/energy_engineering/electricity_straw_126673.html

Wind turbines at your rooftop?

Wind Turbines for urban rooftops:

Aeroturbines are Wind turbines designed for urban settings. Invented by University of Illinois industrial design professor, Bil Becker, Aeroturbines are a new development in wind turbine technology. These can be installed on existing rooftops or built into the architecture of new buildings to provide clean renewable electricity at its site of consumption.

The first renewable energy, wind supported, multiunit, urban, small building in Chicago Illinois is the Maurceri residence. The special difference involves the use of Areotecture Aeroturbines, which quietly and safely generate wind electric power without interfering with neighbors and wildlife at neighborhood rooftop levels.

The special design vision for this project came from a strong collaboration with the clients Frank and Lisa Maurceri, the firm Wilkinson Blender Architecture Inc. and the talented design/build team of Aerotecture International Inc. The combined contributions of the two 1000 watt Aeroturbines working with a 5000 watt solar electric array has the potential to power all the needs of the building over a one year period.

Aeroturbines are uniquely suited to urban environments because they are:
• Noise and vibration-free
• Safe for birds
• Able to utilize multi-directional and gusting winds
• Self-regulating (no overspeed protection required)
• Low maintenance
• Made from low-cost and readily available materials

Aerotecture Paradigm:
• where wind farms are big, we are small
• where wind farms are rural, we are urban
• where wind farms avoid buildings, we attach to them
• where wind farms seek single monster units, we deploy many units
• where wind farms are hundreds of miles from their 'users', we are right there.

The structural features of the Aeroturbine allow for its easy integration into new or existing buildings: the modular/stackable cages are additive and can be mounted in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal orientation.

Read more at: http://www.aerotecture.com/ourvision.html
Check Video: http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,4&vid=http://wttw.vo.llnwd.net/o16/wttw/c2n/041508d.flv

Wind turbine inspired by whales!

WhalePower's new wind turbine technology owes its performance to what it has learned from from studying just what makes the humpback whale so aerodynamic.The average humpback whale weighs about 36 tons, yet it is one of the most graceful swimmers, divers, and jumpers in the sea.

Frank Fish, whose field is biomechanics, actually came about his observations of the humpback whale serendipitously when he saw a sculpture of a humpback with what he thought were misplaced tubercles on the whale's flipper. The artist had placed them on the "leading" edge of the flipper, not on the underside of the flipper, where Fish "knew" they should be because of his study of fluid dynamics (i.e, smooth edges are most aerodynamic).
The artist was correct, however, and Fish's further research indicated that at least part of the science of fluid dynamics was wrong. The tubercle placement on the humpback whale's flippers and tail is a major part of the reason the great mammal is so aerodynamic - or as MIT's Technology Review called it, hydrodynamic.
The technology, licensed by Envira-North Systems Ltd, first became available in energy saving fans, ventilators (Hurricane turbines), and even curtains.

Now WhalePower is applying its TubercleTechnology to create wind turbines.
This tubercle design operationally keeps air attached to the blades, thereby managing the flow of air and increasing the lift of the blade -- two areas of concern in the development of wind turbines. To date, in fact, no wind turbine performs better in low wind conditions; low wind can literally shut down a smooth-edged turbine. Additionally, Tubercle Technology offers quieter operation, greater stability, and with little to no tip stalling.
WhalePower's Tubercle Technology is one of the finalists of the INDEX Awards 2009.

To read more go to: http://www.enviranorth.com/whalepower.html

Paper thin Printable batteries with no outer metal casing

Paper thin Printable batteries with no outer metal casing

Power Paper printable batteries will work exactly like a traditional battery, but it will be nearly as thin as a piece of paper. A Power Paper cell can generate 1.5 volts of electricity, which is about the same output as a watch or calculator battery.

It's amazing to watch as computers and other everyday electronic devices become thinner and thinner.
Yet, as new technologies are slimming down the size of electronic devices, power supplies have not slimmed down at the same pace. For a long time, batteries were bulky and heavy. Now, a new cutting-edge battery is revolutionizing the field. It is thinner than a millimeter, lighter than a gram, and can be produced cost-effectively through a printing process.

Power Paper, an Israel-based company, has recognized the need for a thinner power source that will not only power electronic devices, but also fit into disposable devices like games, greeting cards, smart cards, luggage tags and some medical devices. The near future promises to bring us books that will be filled with digital paper, which will display the text of any book we wish to read. Embedded in this ink will be the components of tiny, paper-thin batteries.

A Power Paper cell will be 0.5 millimeters thick, and several cells can be used in combination to provide more power. Here's how it will work:
• A zinc and manganese dioxide (MnO2) -based cathode and anode are fabricated from proprietary inks. In a battery, the cathode refers to the positive terminal and the anode refers to the negative terminal.
• Standard silkscreen printing presses are used to print the batteries onto paper and other substrates.
• Power Paper batteries are integrated into production and assembly processes of thin electronic devices.

It was developed by a research team led by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Baumann of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS in Chemnitz together with colleagues from TU Chemnitz and Menippos GmbH. “Our goal is to be able to mass produce the batteries at a price of single digit cent range each,” states Dr. Andreas Willert, group manager at ENAS.

Because ink is used to produce Power Paper, the batteries are considered dry, and don't need the metal casing that conventional batteries do to contain harmful, toxic chemicals. This lack of casing allows electronics manufacturers to utilize the power source in many shapes and sizes.

Read more at: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/other-gadgets/power-paper2.htm
Or at: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12932-nanotube-tangles-power-printable-batteries.html

Credit card sized inhaler

An inhaler as thin as a credit card

A 22-year-old student has invented an asthma inhaler which is small enough to fit into a wallet or purse.
Mild asthma sufferer Adam Bates, from Witney, Oxfordshire, created the 6mm- thick Thinhaler as an alternative to the inhalers most sufferers carry. "I wanted the inhaler to fit in with the lifestyle of someone who has asthma," said the design student. The inhaler is the same shape as a credit card and contains between 50 and 100 doses of dry powder medication. The final year student at Brunel University said: "A friend of mine told me how when she went to the pub or to clubs she didn't want to take her inhaler. "She always had a credit card with her, though, so I thought if I built an inhaler as small as that she could fit it in her pocket or purse."

Bates says the Thinhaler will not be any more expensive than those already on the market, and could cost as little as £2-3. It uses dry-powder medication, which is used by some inhalers currently on the market, and lasts for 50 to 100 doses. Most inhalers on the market can be used for 100 to 200 doses but Bates says he has had feedback that the smaller doses of the Thinhaler are outweighed by its other benefits. The Thinhaler concept won a prestigious D&AD Yellow Pencil Student Award last year.

About 5.1 million people in the UK have asthma, which equates to about one in 13 adults. There are four types of commonly-used inhaler at present: the metered dose device, turbohaler, spacer, and accuhaler.

paraSITE - an inflatable shelter for the homeless

The paraSITE - an inflatable shelter for the homeless that runs off expelled HVAC air

Artist Michael Rakowitz’s ongoing ParaSITE project provides portable inflatable shelters for homeless people. ParaSITE shelters utilize the vents and ventilation systems from buildings for both temperature and warmth.
When warm air leaves the building, it inflates the shelter’s double membrane and simultaneously heats it. ParaSITE inflatable homes have been built and used by over 30 homeless people in Boston and Cambridge, MA and New York City.
The temporary owners of these homes got a lot of questions from confused police officers who weren’t sure whether the ParaSITE inflatable shelters were breaking the law. The structures were designed to be more like a sleeping bag or a body extension than a tent, however, and were thereby deemed legal.

Rakowitz has now been nominated for a prestigious Index Award for the paraSITE and his work is far from finished.

Read more at: http://www.gizmag.com/go/4455/

Medical emergency? Your bracelet will provide info to mmedics

MEDICAL ID: Wear it as jewellery- necessary in case of emergency!
Universal Medical ID UK was established to serve medical communities and people around the world by offering quality medical IDs which allow healthcare professionals to give prompt, precise diagnosis and treatment during an emergency. A medical ID provides information which could save your life in an emergency. With medical conditions, drug and food allergies, prescribed medicines and emergency contacts engraved onto the surface, a medical ID bracelet or necklace guides paramedics and doctors in giving you appropriate, timely diagnosis and treatment when you cannot speak for yourself.

Why are medical IDs critical?
• Medical IDs effectively communicate a person's needs during an emergency and can eliminate the guess work in treating a person who cannot communicate.
• If a person cannot speak for themselves, a brief description of medical facts engraved on a medical ID can ensure appropriate and timely care, eliminate trips to the hospital, reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and prevent minor emergencies from escalating.
• Medical IDs empower those living with chronic conditions or allergies and those taking a number of different medications to take control of their health.
• Medical IDs can reduce medical errors and reduce medical costs.
• A medical ID serves the same purpose as an SOS talisman, bracelet or necklace.
Who should wear a medical ID?
Medical identifications can be an unexpected benefit in an emergency. Anyone living with chronic or rare medical conditions; people with allergies such as food, drug or insect; and those taking multiple medicines or blood thinners benefit from wearing a medical ID.
Below is a list of some of the conditions and circumstances that warrant wearing a medical ID:
• Diabetes
• Cardiac problems and implants (angina, atrial fibrillation, pacemakers)
• Treatment with anticoagulants (warfarin)
• Drug allergies
• Food allergies (such as peanut)
• Insect allergies (such as bee stings)
• Alzheimer's disease, memory impairments
• Hypertension
• Stroke risk
• Pulmonary conditions (asthma, COPD)
• Kidney failure
• Emphysema, breathing disorders
• Anaemia, blood disorders • Epilepsy, seizure disorders
• Hearing, visual or mental impairments
• Children with special needs (Autism)
• Tourette Syndrome
• Surgery, transplant and cancer patients
• Clinical trial participation
• People taking multiple medicines
• Rare disease/Blood Type
• Sickle Cell Anaemia
• Caregivers
• Gastric Bypass Surgery

Read more about this at: http://www.universalmedicalid.co.uk/uk/frequent.php

A Robotic Bat Built from Smart Materials

Robo-bats With Metal Muscles May Be Next Generation Of Remote Control Flyers
Researchers hope to use the tiny flying machine for surveillance.

Researchers at North Carolina State University have created a small robotic bat using "smart" materials.

Micro-aerial vehicles can maneuver in small spaces and could be ideal for surveillance tasks. Robert Wood at Harvard has worked for nearly a decade on a robotic fly, and researchers in Germany and England are building dragonfly robots. But designing and building such small flying machines is tricky. They tend to be aerodynamically inefficient, and it's hard to mimic movements like the flapping of wings mechanically.
To create their "robo-bat," the NC State researchers analyzed a bat's muscular and skeletal system, and then used rapid prototyping technologies and smart materials to recreate it.

Seelecke explains that the research team is also using smart materials for the muscular system. "We're using an alloy that responds to the heat from an electric current. That heat actuates micro-scale wires the size of a human hair, making them contract like 'metal muscles.' During the contraction, the powerful muscle wires also change their electric resistance, which can be easily measured, thus providing simultaneous action and sensory input. This dual functionality will help cut down on the robo-bat's weight, and allow the robot to respond quickly to changing conditions--such as a gust of wind--as perfectly as a real bat."
Read more at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707093625.htm

Self-healing body parts for automobiles

Damaged car? It will soon self-heal!

You cut yourself in the finger - and a few days later your skin has completely healed again. Biological organisms have an amazing ability to automatically initiate self-healing and self-repair when they sustain damage. Imagine self-repairing cars, planes, bridges or buildings. These materials could be of particular use in structures that are at present impractical or impossible to repair, such as electronic circuit boards, implanted medical devices or spacecraft. Self-repairing materials would have a massive impact on virtually all industries, lengthening product lifetimes, increasing safety, and lowering product costs by reducing maintenance requirements. Thanks to nanotechnology, these visions are coming closer to reality.

Nickel titanium is a shape memory alloy. The material, if deformed while cool, returns to its undeformed shape when warmed. Other shape-memory alloys (SMA) have since been discovered. Some of these alloys include CuSn, InTi, TiNi, and MnCu. TiNi alloys and copper-based alloys are the most commonly used. It has been found that they can recover substantial amounts of strain, and/or generate significant force, when changing shape.

Smart materials actively respond to the stimulus of mechanical stress imposed on the material, causing the compromised region to self-heal and restore partially or completely, the properties of the material. Applications of self-healing materials span several sectors: composites, building and construction materials, foams, films, coatings, plastics, concrete, etc.
Each individual type of smart material has a different property which can be significantly altered, such as viscosity, volume, and conductivity. The property that can be altered influences what types of applications the smart material can be used for.
Within the next few years a number of cars will possess body parts—such as air dams and handles—made out of shape memory alloys. Self-cleaning glass and scratch-resistant panels will also become the norm. Slightly longer term, self-healing rubber -- such as BASF is developing—will be incorporated into cars.

Watch the smart materials demo at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU-dChOfkAg
Also in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape_memory_alloys
Read more at : http://corporate.gitverlag.com/media/article/169475/Dow_CMI0509.pdf

Wheelchair steered by brain waves

Toyota makes a wheelchair steered by brain waves:
Toyota and Japanese research foundation RIKEN have teamed up to create a revolutionary wheelchair steered by mind control. This remarkable development is one of the first practical uses of EEG (Electro-encephalogram) signals.
Designed for people with severe disabilities, the Toyota/RIKEN wheelchair is fitted with an EEG detector in the form of a electrode array skull cap, a cheek puff detector and a display that assists with control. To turn left, right and move forward, the driver simply thinks about the movement and the wheelchair instantly and seamlessly responds. To stop the wheelchair, the driver puffs his/her cheek. A detector on the face picks up the signal and immediately stops the wheelchair. This form of braking is necessary for safety reasons as a puff detector is more reliable than the EEG reader.

Why brain waves are difficult to work with
Previous attempts all around the world to use brain waves to control devices have only been partially successful. One of the biggest problems with EEG signals is that on the surface of the skull they are in the order of micro-volts (millionth of a volt) and prone to electrical noise. Another problem is that reliable and repeatable placement of EEG electrodes on specific areas above the brain is hard to achieve.

The breakthrough
Toyota and RIKEN have made a breakthrough in the field by refining the analysis algorithms, signal processing and noise elimination to the point that their device can detect discreet thought processes and use them to trigger events such as driving a wheelchair forward, left or right.

Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VPY1d2t_FE&feature=player_embedded
Read more at: http://www.gizmag.com/toyota-wheelchair-powered-brain-waves/12121/

Plant that fakes illness

Plant That Pretends To Be ILL
A plant that pretends to be ill has been found growing in the rainforests of Ecuador. The plants feigns sickness to stop it being attacked by insect pests known as mining moths, which would otherwise eat its healthy leaves.

It is the first known example of a plant that mimics being ill, and could also explain a common pattern seen on plant leaves known as variegation.

The discovery is published in the journal Evolutionary Ecology.

Variegation is familiar to gardeners and affects many species of plant. Variegated plants have different coloured patterns on the leaf surface, produced by a variety of causes.

One of the most common is when cells in the leaf lose chlorophyll and their ability to photosynthesise, appearing white.

In theory, plants with variegated leaves should be at a disadvantage, because of this restricted ability to photosynthesise.

But a chance discovery by a team of botanists suggests this may not be true after all. Instead, some variegated plants may be mimicking illness to avoid being eaten, putting themselves at an advantage.

Idea with potential for cross fertilization? Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8108000/8108940.stm

Enhanced Fingerprints on gun after being wiped

Image via Wikipedia

English physicist John Bond has developed a technique for analyzing fingerprints on a gun after it's been wiped clean! Dr John Bond, who works with Northamptonshire Police, realised that because sweat corrodes metal surfaces, fingerprints could be 'seen' on bullet casings and other metal surfaces even after they were wiped clean. Bond applied an electrical charge and a fine carbon powder to a gun's corroded part, revealing a fingerprint pattern. Police are already using the four-month-old technology to reopen some cases.

An excerpt from an interview with him:
Reporter - How does your new technique work?
John - What we’ve been looking at is a phenomenon we’ve found that fingerprint deposits will tend to corrode metal surfaces. There’s some constituents in the fingerprint deposit that on metals like brass and copper will corrode the metal to an extent that even when you’ve then got rid of the residue totally you can sometimes actually see an image of where the fingerprint was in the metal or, where that’s not possible, we’ve developed a technique to actually enhance that corrosion and make the fingerprint become visible again.
Reporter - So how do you visualise the fingerprint in the form of its corrosion pattern on that surface?
John - We take the metal and apply an electrical potential to it at the order of 2500V. We then apply a very fine conducting powder, very similar to photocopying toner powder. What we’ve discovered is that that will preferentially adhere to the metal at the points where the corrosions occurred which are coincident with the original fingerprint ridge pattern. You get an image of where the fingerprint was in this black powder.

Read in greater detail: http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/926/