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December 27, 2005
Gyroscope sets course to fight cancer
Miniaturised gyroscopes more commonly found in missile guidance systems can make sensitive biosensors for fast cancer diagnosis.
Micro-gyroscopes comprise a chip with a vibrating disc the size of a sand grain mounted at its centre. The vibrations are highly sensitive to acceleration, so the chips can be used to detect motion in rockets, aircraft and anti-lock braking systems in cars.
But now Calum McNeil and his colleagues at the University of Newcastle in the UK have created a gyroscopic disc less than 0.1 millimetres across that can be used to "weigh" proteins, which allows it to identify particular proteins produced by cancer cells. The disc targets the kind of protein that binds to a DNA coating on a cross on the disc's surface.
Posted by Vishwakarma C. K. @ 07:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 19, 2005
Eliica
The Eliica, short for Electric Lithium-Ion battery Car -- that can do 0-60 in four seconds is faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo, and accelerates at 0.8 Gs. It's also around 5 meters in length, 2400 kg in weight, and has eight wheels. Yes, it's made in Japan. The 10 hour recharge (and the price, over $300,000) are the primary drawbacks.
Watch a video.
Posted by Vishwakarma C. K. @ 07:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 13, 2005
Intelligent Energy Control
What is good with self-learning systems is that they keep getting better and better over time. An energy conservation solution, from Lightwave Technologies, using artificial intelligence could provide big savings for Irish industry.
Complete Article
Posted by Vishwakarma C. K. @ 06:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 11, 2005
Neuroscientists break code on sight
n the sci-fi movie "The Matrix," a cable running from a computer into Neo's brain writes in visual perceptions, and Neo's brain can manipulate the computer-created world. In reality, scientists cannot interact directly with the brain because they do not understand enough about how it codes and decodes information.
Now, neuroscientists in the McGovern Institute at MIT have been able to decipher a part of the code involved in recognizing visual objects. Practically speaking, computer algorithms used in artificial vision systems might benefit from mimicking these newly uncovered codes.
Posted by Vishwakarma C. K. @ 04:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 10, 2005
GlovoLogy
In Singapore, the project GlovoLogy is aimed at utilizing an electronic Data Glove and a Pocket PC (“PPC”) Phone to enhance a hearing- or speech-impaired person’s ability to communicate more freely with the world.
The hand signs of a hearing-impaired person will be captured and converted into voice and the speech of a hearing person will be converted into text. This revolutionary approach will enable a two-way communication via wireless transmission to take place, where both parties can be either communicating face to face or using a mobile phone.
Posted by Vishwakarma C. K. @ 03:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Telerobotic Construction Challenge
NASA is offering two new $250,000 prizes to stimulate advances in the use of robots in planetary exploration and automated construction.
One, called the Telerobotic Construction Challenge, aims to promote the development of semi-autonomous robots that can build complicated structures with minimal remote guidance from human controllers.
Posted by Vishwakarma C. K. @ 08:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 08, 2005
Shimmering colours which change with temperature
Nail polish and expensive cars can nowadays shimmer in many colours, thanks to progress in the field of colloid chemistry, the chemistry of small particles. The bright colours in modern finishes are created because the light is reflected at layers of regularly arranged colloid particles. Individual colours are either removed or strengthened; the thickness of the layers -- what is known as the "lattice constant" -- determines the colour. Because we can nowadays tailor the spherical shape and the surface of the particles, we can produce optimised crystals with the desired lattice constant in the range of visible light.
The team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, led by Dr Wang, has now produced particles that do not interact with their neighbours in spherically symmetric ways. So they placed a colloidal crystal on a surface (image 2) and bombarded it with reactive ions, reducing the particles in the upper layer to the desired size and expanding the free surfaces between the colloids.
Complete Article
Posted by Vishwakarma C. K. @ 08:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 07, 2005
Sony super fuel cell film
More good news for those of us still waiting for practical fuel cells for our gadgets; Sony has developed a new technology that it says could help produce the world’s most efficient DMFC (direct methanol fuel cell) yet.
Posted by Vishwakarma C. K. @ 08:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 06, 2005
Nanotechnology's Dilemmas
Nanotechnology can learn much from history. As the biotechnology industry recently discovered, ignoring public policy and social issues – namely, possible heath and environmental hazards from genetically modified foods – invites a public backlash that crippled progress and sent corporate stocks plummeting. If nanotechnology is billed as the "Next Industrial Revolution",1 then it also must raise a host of important social and ethical questions that we need to consider now.
Posted by Vishwakarma C. K. @ 07:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 03, 2005
Smart toys
The hierarchy of toys used to be simple: He-Man was master of the universe, Barbie was queen of the catwalk, and Ken, well, he was just a loser. But take a trip to your local toy store and you'll quickly discover that the toy world has changed significantly.
He-Man has been conquered by Robosapien V2 ($299), a 55cm-tall humanoid robot who has the ability to see, communicate and pull off slick dance-floor moves.
Posted by Vishwakarma C. K. @ 07:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
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