Harsh Tyagi

GSAT–7, India's First Defence Satellite, Successfully Placed in the Geosynchronous Orbit

2013-09-09T21:46:00.003+05:30

India’s advanced multi-band communication satellite GSAT-7, launched from Kourou, French Guiana on 30 August 2013, was successfully placed in the Geosynchronous Orbit with an altitude of about 36000 km above Earth’s surface on 3 September 2013. French Guiana is an overseas region of France on the North Atlantic coast of South America.

GSAT-7 was placed in the Geosynchronous Orbit after successfully completing the last of the three orbit-raising manoeuvres commanded from ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan. Later, on the same day, the communication antennae of GSAT-7, including the UHF Helix antenna, were deployed successfully. Thereafter, the GSAT-7 was put in its final orbital configuration, stabilised on its three-axis by the momentum wheels.

The GSAT-7 Satellite would reach its assigned orbital slot of 74 degree East longitude in the Geostationary Orbit within the next 10 days. It is planned that on 14 September 2013, the communication transponders in UHF, S, C and Ku bands will be switched on.

The GSLV Vehicle assembly and checkout would be completed at the Vehicle Assembly Building by the first week of December 2013 and the launch would take place by December 2013.

About GSAT–7

• It is an advanced communication satellite that will help by providing low bit rate voice to high bit rate data communication.
• Payload of the GSAT–7 is designed to provide communication capabilities to users in distant oceanic regions.
• Its solar arrays generate 2900 W of electrical power.

What is Geosynchronous Orbit?

Geosynchronous Orbit is also abbreviated as GSO. It is the orbit around Earth which has the orbital period of one sidereal day or around 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 seconds. This sidereal day matches the Earth's sidereal rotation period.

Do real-life friends make you happier than online friends?

2013-09-09T19:20:00.001+05:30

Tired of keeping up relationships with all your real-life friends? Wondering if Facebook friends could substitute? Unfortunately, science has some bad news for you. Based on a survey of 5,000 Canadians, these researchers have concluded that having more real-life friends is positively correlated with reported happiness (also known as “subjective well-being”), even after controlling for things like income. In contrast, the number of online friends (i.e., friends on Facebook who you never interact with in real life) is totally uncorrelated with happiness. Married? You might be happier with fewer friends than those who are single. But perhaps the most surprising finding was this one: doubling the number of real-life friends had the same effect on happiness as a 50% pay increase!

Comparing the Happiness Effects of Real and On-Line Friends

“A recent large Canadian survey permits us to compare face-to-face (‘real-life’) and on-line social networks as sources of subjective well-being. The sample of 5,000 is drawn randomly from an on-line pool of respondents, a group well placed to have and value on-line friendships. We find three key results. First, the number of real-life friends is positively correlated with subjective well-being (SWB) even after controlling for income, demographic variables and personality differences. Doubling the number of friends in real life has an equivalent effect on well-being as a 50% increase in income. Second, the size of online networks is largely uncorrelated with subjective well-being. Third, we find that real-life friends are much more important for people who are single, divorced, separated or widowed than they are for people who are married or living with a partner. Findings from large international surveys (the European Social Surveys 2002–2008) are used to confirm the importance of real-life social networks to SWB; they also indicate a significantly smaller value of social networks to married or partnered couples.”

Tour Highest Peak with Mount Everest 3D App

2013-06-03T07:09:00.000+05:30

How would you like to take a tour of Mount Everest without having to leave the comfort of your own house? Okay, this may not be something passionate mountain hikers would be pleased about, but it sure sounds appealing to the rest of us.
A new iOS app called Mount Everest 3D lets users take a close look at the world’s tallest mountain in eye-popping 3D, from any possible angle. And you won’t risk freezing to death either.

Mount Everest 3D was created by a German company called 3D RealityMaps. The application is based on high resolution WorldView satellite images and allows users to view various ascending routes, along with weather stations and base camps.
Using touch gestures on their iOS device, users will be able to navigate the mountain and view it in great detail from any perspective, in photorealistic quality, according to the official Mount Everest 3D website. The touch interface enables users to rotate and zoom the image and follow some of the most popular routes to the peak.
The application also offers detailed information about the weather on the mountain, along with a 2D view if you start feeling dizzy.
The Mount Everest 3D app was designed with the help of satellite imagery based on technology generally used for detailed space exploration. The interactive virtual tour it offers gives viewers access to highly accurate 3D images of the mountain, for a highly entertaining and realistic experience.
The application can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store (in German), but it does contain some in-app purchases that allow users to download info and maps to use without Internet connection. Onboard maps are $5.99.
And if you don’t own an iOS device, do not despair! You can still view Mount Everest in high resolution 3D on the Everest 3d website. All you have to do is download the free 3D RealityMaps software, install it and then lie back and enjoy the breathtaking scenery.

SmartWallit: Keep Track of Your Wallet & Phone

2013-04-22T20:38:00.001+05:30

We’ve all been through those moments of sheer panic when we pat our pockets or go frantically through our bag and can’t seem to be able to locate our wallet or phone. And the dread you experience when you realize you can’t remember where you left two of your most precious items. If you never want to feel like this again, the SmartWallit is the best solution for you!
The SmartWallit is a truly revolutionary gadget that connects your wallet and smarthphone via Bluetooth 4.0, helping you keep track of both. The accompanying application allows you to make the SmartWallit or the phone to ring if you cannot figure out their location. To make things even easier, the app will show you the distance between you and the item you are looking for.

You can also set the device to beep if you leave your phone or wallet behind. And if you just don’t want to worry about losing your wallet, the SmartWallit can be programmed to vibrate at regular intervals, to remind you that it’s still in your pocket.
The application will also keep a record of your payment history, logging all the dates when you opened your wallet, allowing you to revisit your payments when you can’t remember exactly what you purchased, where and when. The SmartWallit device can also be attached to other items such as your key ring and can act as a card holder if you just don’t want to take your wallet along.

SmartWallit has a range of 100 feet (about 30 meters) and is powered by a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery. The device is under 0.2 inches (5mm) thick, weighs 0.9 oz (25 grams) and measures 2.4 x 1.4 x 0.2 in (60 x 36 x 4.9mm). It is available in three colors (black, white and brown) and is currently on Kickstarter, where you can order it for a $49 pledge.
The device was designed by SmartWallit Inc., a company founded in the United States and now based in China. Manufacturers plan to finish development in June and start shipping in July, with an expected retail price of $60. The SmartWallit app works on all iPhones and iPod Touch devices with iOS5 and will be available for Android users later this year.

GIGS.2.GO The Paper USB Flash Drive

2013-04-17T21:17:00.000+05:30

How many times have you found yourself needing a flash drive really badly and not having one on you? Very soon, such worries may stay in the past, as the GIGS.2.GO new portable USB flash drive kit is coming to your aid!
The GIGS.2.GO basically consists of four USB flash drives arranged in a single package which is about the size of a credit card. Its small size allows the package to be carried around in the wallet, offering users easy access to a data storage medium when they need one.

Created by North Carolina product design studio BOLTgroup, this kit is made entirely of recycled paper pulp and is presented as a disposable USB data storage device. The material used is biodegradable, renewable, lightweight and cheap, making the end product quite affordable.
Each of the four drives is easily detachable thanks to the “tear and share” technology, making this an ideal product for large teams needing to share data or for emergency use in other situations. Whenever you need to share files some data, you can simply tear off a flash drive from the pack and save the data you need. Moreover, due to the fact they are made from paper, the sticks can be labeled with a pen or marker.

Each of the four thumb drives offers 1 GB of storage, which is a rather surprising capability for what is intended to be a single-use product. Although made of recycled paper, the sticks however seem sturdy enough to withstand repeated uses, which is always desirable for a USB flash drive.
An ideal data storage solution for business meetings, sharing music or videos or any other large files, this paper USB flash drive kit is yet in development, with no news on when it may be available for general purchase. We can only hope it will happen soon!

Microsoft Planning Touch-Enabled Smartwatch?

2013-04-16T20:30:00.001+05:30

You may already have a Windows phone or tablet, but what would you say about running your favorite applications on a highly wearable Windows device, such as a wristwatch? As the market for gadgets you can actually wear is expanding, Microsoft is reportedly looking to build a touch-enabled smartwatch.
The reports are yet unconfirmed, but it would make sense for the software giant to follow in the footsteps of its rivals which have announced similar plans. Apple, Samsung, LG and even Google are already working on developing such wearable gadgets.

Microsoft is rumored to have asked Asian suppliers to provide the necessary components for such a smartwatch earlier this year. The company is reportedly looking at using a 1.5 inch display for the device. However, it is yet unclear whether Microsoft will move ahead with the project. The company’s previous attempt to launch into the wearable gadgets market, by manufacturing a similar wristwatch device about ten years ago, resulted in failure when sales stopped in 2008.
Either way, there is a growing demand for wearable gadgets and one way or another, a smartwatch could actually be released on the market in the next couple of years, no matter who the manufacturer is. As smartphones are becoming bigger, people will be looking for smaller devices that have the same function but are more easy to carry around.
Smartwatches are however unlikely to function as independent computerized devices in the immediate future. They are more likely to be used in sync with smartphones and other devices instead of replacing them, at least at first.

A smartwatch from Microsoft could, for instance, allow you to connect wirelessly to your Windows devices and receive alerts about incoming emails, Twitter posts or phone calls, practically complementing the gadgets you are already using every day. Additional features could be added, such as allowing you to send text messages and take pictures. This would make the smart wristwatch a very useful gadget to have, offering wearers higher accessibility and portability than the current handheld devices.

Folding USB Solar Cells: Sun Power in Your Pocket..

2013-04-15T18:55:00.001+05:30

Does your phone have the nagging habit of dying on you when you need it most? Would you like to make sure none of your favorite gadgets will run out of juice ever again? With the folding USB solar cells kit, you can take solar power with you wherever you go and tap into it whenever you need to.

We’re constantly told solar power, like other forms of renewable energy, is very expensive and complicated, but that needn’t be the case. The new easy to use, fold out solar USB charging system from Brown Dog Gadgets is an affordable and highly practical solution.

More power
The manufacturers have been designing and selling USB solar kits for a couple of years, but the new fold out system is more powerful, as it contains three small solar cells that output directly to an USB. The standard USB port allows the device to be used to power up all sorts of gadgets.
The solar cell kit will be available in three different models, based on the power output. The smallest will be the 5-Watt model which developers claim can power up an iPhone in about three hours. The 7-Watt model provides faster charging speeds and can power up your phone in just two hours. And the 10-Watt array produces enough power to charge your iPad.
But unlike previous USB solar kits from, these new fold out packages come with power banks in three sizes – 2600mAh, 500mAh and 10,000mAh – allowing you to power up your gadgets during the night as well. The power banks store energy either from the solar cells or any other USB source and are highly portable, functioning as batteries independently of the solar cells.
What makes the folding USB solar cell kit unique is the fact that it can be used in absolutely any setting, offering a low-cost power solution. Its simple, light design makes it possible to use at home, but also when you go camping, by hanging it on your backpack, on the tent or in a tree. The kit is also an extremely useful thing to have in case of emergency, as it can be used to power your phone or a flashlight when no other alternatives are available.

Robotic Valet: The Future of Parking

2013-04-10T19:28:00.000+05:30

These days robots are a lot more than just interesting characters in a science fiction film. Current models able to perform numerous tasks such as serving as cooks and waiters in a restaurant, and even vacuum and wash windows.

Automated Parking System

Boomerang’s Automated Parking System provides a way to store vehicles without needed assistance from humans, while maximizing storage space and cutting energy cost. The system is an innovative structure equipped with the company’s specially designed Rack and Rail System, which works hand in hand with the Robotic Valet to maneuvers the automobiles around the garage.

How it works

Drivers will pull their car into a parking bay that will place their vehicle into a large steel tray. Then the Robotic Valet, a large flat vehicular device, takes over from there. The robot, that is capable of lifting up to 7000 lbs., slides under the car and lifts it 2 inches the garage floor, and moves it to an available parking space by following a buried wire in the floor. Instead of needing to build ramps, the system moves the cars to upper levels by a lift. Also, there is no need for ventilation or light within the parking area, since all of the driving and parking is automated. When drivers are ready to retrieve their car, they can use their smartphone to alert the system.

Space Saver

The garages use AGV (automated guided vehicle) technology, and a full range of motion rack and rail system. This allows for higher density parking within the facility and the ability to park vehicles with the accuracy of quarter-inch. This system could bring value to real estate development projects and a more efficient parking solution in urban areas, considering that the system is only consuming approximately half the space of conventional parking garages.

Woudl you let a robot park your car?

Apple is Still the Most Admired Company

2013-03-09T13:45:00.000+05:30

It’s probably no surprise that Apple has once again snagged the top position in Fortune’s recently released list of the Top 50 World’s Most Admired Companies. This is the sixth year in a row that Apple has managed to grab the top honor. They managed to top both Google and Amazon, which came in second and third, respectively. The decision is voted on by a group of 3,800 executives and directors.

Apple was the clear choice for the number one position, despite experiencing its share of problems this year, including the failure of its Maps feature and problems with its stock price. Apple’s successes far outweighed any problems they may have weathered. Fortune called the company a “financial juggernaut” and reported that they posted $13 billion in net income last quarter, which made it the most profitable company in the world during that period. They also stated that, “The company has its fanatical customer base, and it still refuses to compete on price, making the iconic iPhone and iPad products that are still widely seen as prestige devices.”
Although the list is an international list of companies, American companies hold the top 13 positions. Other companies in the top five include both Coca Cola and Starbucks. Some have questioned the list, due to the scarcity of non-American companies in the top positions. Google was rated the second best company due to its being rated the most attractive place to work. Fortune also stated that Google grabbed the second place due to the expectations for Android OS to overtake Apple’s iOS as the number one mobile operating system in both the United States and Canada. Moreover, they stated that Google Play is also expected to move ahead of the App Store with the total amount of apps for both mobile and tablet.

‘Narayana Murthy and Infosys'

2013-03-06T19:18:00.000+05:30

The case study ‘Narayana Murthy and Infosys' describes how Narayana Murthy, set up India's leading software company - Infosys. Narayana Murthy turned a small software development venture that he had set up with his friends in 1981, into one of the leading companies of the country. Infosys grew rapidly throughout the 1990s Narayana Murthy distributed the company's profits among the employees through a stock-option program, and adopted the best corporate governance practices. All this earned him praise and respect. In 1999, the company became the first Indian firm to be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. In 2000, Infosys was poised to become a true global company.By 2000, Infosys' market capitalization reached Rs.11 billion and by 2001, Infosys was one of the biggest exporters of software from India. Narayana Murthy had built an organization that was respected across the country, with very strong systems, high ethical values and a nurturing working atmosphere.In February 2001, Infosys Technologies Ltd. (Infosys) was voted as the Best Managed Company in Asia in the Information Technology sector, in leading financial magazine Euromoney's Fifth Annual Survey of Best Managed Companies in Asia.

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
With his sound management skills, Narayana Murthy seemed to have taken Infosys to the pinnacle of success with the following key success factors :
1. Leadership team : The leadership team needs to balance vision with practical experience. In most cases, a technology start-up will have a visionary and/or a technical genius (most often, these are the founders) in place from day one. However, all to often, the leadership team is not rounded out by people who actually know how to run a business and how to drive sales. Building a strong balanced team can be one of the trickier aspects of creating a successful start-up because it necessarily requires the visionary and the technical genius (founders) to admit their practical shortcomings and give up some of the control of the business. The idea behind a start-up is often somebody's "baby" and, quite naturally, they want to control every aspect of its development. Once you move these people away from micromanaging the business, the start-up begins to have a chance.

2. Well-conceived business plan : This is an area where the practical experience of a well-rounded leadership team gives the start-up a leg up. The business plan needs to be practical and detailed. The business plan provides the blueprint for the growth of the company. Perhaps more importantly, the business plan is how you demonstrate the viability of the business to third party investors.

3. A strong product : It is a given that the product needs to be special – something that will differentiate itself from the universe of competing products - but there are other important factors. Ideally, the product will be one that can be protected by patent. If the products cannot be protected by a patent, then the start-up has to be positioned to capitalize on being the first to market. Absent patent protection, being the first to market and capturing as much market share as you can before the copy-cats arrive is the next best thing. The product needs to have a ready market meaning that there is a market for it and that either there is no real competition or that the product allows the company to differentiate itself from the competition.

4. Scalability : The scalability of the business may not be critical to the success of every business, but it is critical to drive a start-up to a large scale business. In other words, if the goal is to become a large, valuable company, scalability is key. However, if the goal is a little less lofty, then scalability is a little less important.

5. Adequate capital :. Without adequate capital, the business will struggle. Perhaps the business will have phenomenal sales, but be unable to deliver the product. Or, the business may build the product, but lack the cash to adequately market it. Or the business will be unable to attract the leadership team it needs and the team it has is diluted to ineffectiveness. Or, the business is unable to capitalize on its "first-to-market" status. While it is true that the management team for a start-up has to be versatile and willing to wear different hats, a capital-starved start-up can force the dilution of the management team to the point of everything being done poorly. Quite obviously, in many cases, the luxury of having adequate capital does not exist from day one. Finding the capital in a timely way can be very difficult. The more that can be done to address the other four points, the easier it will be to find capital.

Launch of Infosys
Narayana Murthy obtained his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Mysore in 1967 and his Master's degree in Technology from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1969. He started his career as head of the computer centre at IIM, Ahmedabad.In 1972, he went to Paris where he was part of the team that designed a 400-terminal, real-time operating system for handling air cargo for Charles De Gaulle airport. Narayana Murthy was a left-wing activist and mingled with French communists during his stay in Paris but his outlook changed while traveling around Europe. He believed that the only way to pull India out of poverty was to create more jobs, by setting up new companies.In 1975, he returned to India and joined Systems Research Institute, Pune,(Maharashtra). He then headed Patni Computer Systems Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, (Maharashtra) before founding Infosys in 1981, along with six other professionals.

The Strategist

From the beginning, Narayana Murthy focused on the world's most challenging market - the US. He had two reasons for this. First, there was no market for software in India at the time. He believed that Indian software companies should export products in which they had a competitive advantage.In 1987, Infosys entered into a joint venture with Kurt Salmon Associates (KSA), a leading global management consultancy firm. KSA-Infosys was the first Indo-American joint venture in the US.

People Management

Analysts felt that one factor which helped Infosys to grow at a faster pace than others was the low employee turnover.The turnover rate at Infosys was around 11% as opposed to industry average for software companies' of over 25% during the 1990s.Infosys' retention capability was a function both of its rigorous selection procedures as well as proactive HRD practices. About 80% of the middle and senior level executives were promoted from within the organization...

Corporate Governance and Infosys

Analysts felt that Infosys became one of the most respected companies in India, through its corporate governance practices, which were better than those of many other companies in India. Narayana Murthy's move to adhere to the best global practices was driven by his vision to become a global player. Infosys adopted the stringent US Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP) many years before other companies in India did...

Leaders in the Making
Narayana Murthy set up a Leadership Institute in Mysore, India, to manage the future growth of Infosys. The institute aimed at preparing Infosys employees to face the complexities of a rapidly changing marketplace and to bring about a change in work culture by instilling leadership qualities.
I would like to end with a comment from Sri Narayana Murthy: He said, “It is our vision at Infosys, to create world-class leaders who will be at the forefront of business and technology in today's competitive marketplace...
This has been at the forefront of their corporate culture !!!

How to Be More Productive with Your Smartphone

2013-02-05T20:33:00.000+05:30

People often state that you only use 10 percent of your brain. While that may or may not be true, it is definitely possible that you only use 10 percent of your smartphone. You should ask yourself if you are getting the most out of your smartphone. Often, people use their smartphones to waste time. However, a smartphone can be a great tool for actually saving time and increasing your productivity. If you want to be more productive with your smartphone, you may want to consider making sure that you have the right apps to help you with your goals.

In order to be more productive with your smartphone, you need to prioritize. What is most important to you? There are a multitude of types of productivity apps, for both iPhone and Android phones. The most important thing to do is to find the app that best suits your specific needs. There are mobile scanning apps, such as JotNot Scanner, which could help you to keep your books in order. Or if you procrastinate listening to your voicemail, you can use an app like Google Voice. Their visual voice mail would allow you to quickly read through a message. Use your smartphone to link to the cloud. Cloud based computing can save you time by allowing you to access your files with your smartphone, so that you can continue to work even while on the go.
Even simple changes can help you to get the most out of your smartphone. One simple thing you can do is to make sure you are using your calendar and notification options to the fullest. However, make sure that you only use notifications for things that are truly important, so that your phone isn’t constantly interrupting you and thereby decreasing your productivity. Another simple thing you can do is to use your camera to take photos, rather than taking the time to type out notes. You can then email yourself the picture of the information you need. These steps are easy, fast, and free, and they allow you to be more productive with your smartphone.

Google’s Autonomous Vehicles Could Be A Game Changer

2013-01-29T19:25:00.000+05:30

While Apple and Google continue their patent wars in the smartphone space, it may be Google’s autonomous (driverless) vehicles that propel the search giant to the head of the technology pack.

“The driverless car has broad implications for society, for the economy and for individual businesses. Just in the U.S., the car puts up for grab some $2 trillion a year in revenue and even more market cap. It creates business opportunities that dwarf Google’s current search-based business and unleashes existential challenges to market leaders across numerous industries, including car makers, auto insurers, energy companies and others that share in car-related revenue.”

But it is not just about driving. Google is and will always be a software-centric company and it is focused on drawing attention to its product. If Google can take a drivers eyes off the road it could mean longer times spent browsing the internet. Mobile data continues to increase in use and a customer using a Google driven vehicle with Google connectivity will be more likely to connect to Google service. Imaging sitting in traffic for your 90 minutes commute to work and instead of staring at the cars in front of your vehicle you power up your smartphone and surf the web, watch YouTube videos and use other Google based internet platforms and other services.

Google autonomous vehicles could also save lives. Google has already claimed that it can greatly reduce the 34,000 deaths and 240,000 hospitalizations that occur every year. And while we would never recommend a drunk driver getting behind the wheel, Google’s new technology could provide a safer way for those drinkers to get home if they refuse a cab or other help.

The team at Mother Jones also notes that Google’s autonomous vehicles could lead to more carpooling because of their efficiency which would mean a big environmental impact could be on the horizon. By allowing a drivers vehicle to handle the driving better gas mileage and less wear and tear on vehicles could also be witnessed.

With $2 trillion in annual sales Google’s Autonomous vehicles could be a game changer for the company and in terms of technological advances the search giant is killing its competitors.

Asus Offers Windows 8 Android Jelly Bean Hybrid

2013-01-15T20:06:00.000+05:30

Imagine a PC that runs Android and Windows 8, and you can switch between them by the flick of a switch. Asus not only created this hybrid, they made sure it was a powerhouse. The Asus Transformer All-in-One contains plenty of features that PC or Android could not have supported alone; the transformer has been dubbed as having a split personality and will be available in the market within the first quarter of 2013, which is to say in a couple of months.

The Asus Transformer All-in-One has the following features:

Nvidia Tegra 3 Quad-Core Processor
3rd generation Intel Core (i3, i5, and i7 will all be available in different versions of the product)
18.5″ IPS 1080p display (maximum resolution 1920 x 1080)
10 Point Multi-Touch Support
Undockable Tablet with a battery life of about 5 hours
PC Base Station
Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
Secondary Display Support

Those are just the features that make this hybrid stand apart. The Asus Transformer All-in-One is a commendable attempt by Asus to bring the best of both worlds together on a single platform. Asus announced this hybrid at CES 2013, and has successfully invoked curiosity in several circles.
While the 18.5 inch tablet is mounted on the PC base station, you can switch between Android and Windows 8, place your wireless keyboard and mouse under the monitor, and use it as any other PC. The display is slick, and the powerful processors ensure this system could handle anything. The Windows 8 has a touch friendly interface, so even docked; the touch screen factor comes into play.
You can undock the tablet from the PC base, and it automatically turns into a Tablet running on Android. If you are near the PC base, you could still switch to Windows 8 mode, as the base will connect with the Tablet through WiFi. The size and weight of the Tablet can be a bit of problem, as most people are not used to carry 18 inch Tablets with them.
For people that do a lot of travelling and are consistently using their Tablets while in transition, this may not be the best option. However, people that need a powerful PC and the occasional tablet need to look no further.
The Asus Transformer All-in-One is announced at a time when Nvidia introduced Tegra 4. Considering how powerful Tegra 4 processor is, maybe Asus would look into replacing Tegra 3 with Tegra 4 in their next batch of hybrids to make it lighter and smaller.
Since this is the first of its kind in what we can hope to be a long line of hybrids, this can be considered as a technology of the future. There are talks of possible future hybrids that may be able to run both operating systems simultaneously, but it all depends on how Asus Transformer functions and how it is received in the market. Gamers might want to look into this device once it hits the stands.

Sony Xperia Z hands-on

2013-01-13T20:23:00.002+05:30

Watch out Samsung! There's someone gunning to dethrone you in the Android smartphone space, and more importantly, it looks as though they're getting started ahead of everyone. That's right folks, it's none other than Sony who is shaking things up here at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. Just as the leaks have shown in the last month or so, Sony's upcoming flagship is indeed for real!

Simply known as the Sony Xperia Z, it’s the Japanese company’s dubbed flagship device – and boy does it have the impressive specs sheet to live up to that recognition! Certainly we’re drooling over its wicked hardware, which consists of many lovable elements that would crush most of the existing line high-end smartphones on the market right now, but interestingly enough, it merely matches some of the stuff we’ve seen already put forth by the HTC DROID DNA most recently.

First and foremost, the Sony Xperia Z travels in a different path from some of the other Xperia branded devices we’ve seen in the last year. Even though it might retain some of the Xperia design DNA, it’s a little bit different this time – mainly because it’s sporting a glossy finish with its casing, as opposed to some sort of cleaner looking finish. Of course, it’s a big magnet for things such as fingerprints and smudges, but to tell you the truth, it’s soundly solid with its construction. At the same time, Sony has been able to keep its profile relatively thin. Overall, it’s undoubtedly a handful to hold, but when you combine its sharp industrial design with its sturdiness, which includes being waterproof and dustproof, it’s a safe bet to assume it’ll withstand a lot more punishment than some of its highly esteemed rivals.

Turning on the Sony Xperia X, our eyes relish the vibrant screen it’s packing along. Specifically, it’s a 5-inch 1080p display that’s using the Mobile BRAVIA 2 engine, which simply comes to life with its high contrast, robust color reproduction, and sharp viewing angles. Right away, it’s really the centerpiece of the Sony Xperia Z, since it’s the first thing to really catch our eyes from afar.

Under the hood, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor coupled with 2GB of RAM is running the show. Although it’s able to win us over with its mostly responsive performance, we’re still seeing some sluggishness perusing around the UI – though, it’s worth noting that this is a pre-production model we’re scoping out, so it could be other software bugs that can be the culprit behind it. Rounding things out, it’s impressively packing along a 13-megapixel auto-focus camera that features an Exmor RS sensor, LED flash, and 1080p video recording. Additionally, it’s carrying along 4G LTE connectivity, a microSD card slot, 2,330 mAh battery, and NFC.

With this particular pre-production model, it’s running Sony’s specific custom UI, an updated version of Timescape of course, which definitely packs its own set of eye candy, but from our cursory exposure, it doesn’t seem to be drastically different in terms of comprehensive functionality. Oh yeah, did we mention that it’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, with an anticipated software update to 4.2 sometime after launch?

In the greater scheme of things, Sony neglected to provide an exact price point and release date for this monster, but it’s currently slated for a Q1 release, which means it can potentially be out any time before March. Needless to say, time might be working against this one indeed launches later in March, but if it really wants to take the crown by force, they need to get this one out sooner than later – with a price point that’s no doubt on the aggressive side as well.

Symantec Launches Mobility Solution Specialization For Channel

2013-01-11T13:59:00.001+05:30

Symantec has introduced new mobility solution specialization and cloud enablement offerings for its channel partners in India.

The company launched a dedicated mobility channel specialization program that will allow partners to offer Symantec’s enterprise mobility products to their customers.

The mobility solution specialization will cover the full Symantec Mobile Management Suite and will provide partners access to opportunity registration, expert resources, enablement programs, and accreditations in a multi-tier model.

The specialization also gives partners a unique position to help overcome the challenges BYOD presents by offering a complete set of solutions, thus adding multiple opportunities for value-added services and revenue streams.

For its vision on cloud, company launched resources for partners such as CloudSmart e-learning course, the Symantec Cloud Security Essentials Training in which the company shares cloud knowledge and best practices for building and protecting clouds, helping customers design and architect a comprehensive cloud data security strategy based on Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) guidelines.

Symantec’s enhanced subscription-based licensing program (ExSP) is a subscription-based licensing model. The program offers Symantec partners the choice of buying Symantec software in a monthly subscription-based model, providing them with greater flexibility in how they deliver solutions to their customers. The program rewards service partners for their growth by reducing licensing costs as their volume of business increases. The Symantec ExSP Licensing Program is open to partners enrolled in Symantec’s Partner Program who are qualified service providers.

Said Amitabh Jacob, Director, Channels, Symantec, India & Saarc, “The new specialization and cloud enablement offerings provide partners with the tools and resources to increase their marketability and drive additional revenue.”

“Customers are increasingly asking us to help them address challenges such as BYOD and manage disparate mobile devices securely within the corporate network as well as the cloud,” said Sunil Dalal, Managing Director, Softcell. “We are excited to build expertise in the mobility and cloud programs to address these opportunities and generate value for our customers.”

"Cloud computing as a technology trend is seeing a lot of interest from customers. However, not many are aware of how they can take advantage of the cloud effectively,” said Prashant Mudbidri, Director, Logix InfoSecurity. “Symantec’s new cloud enablement offerings are a welcome move to enhance our skills and reinforce customer confidence in our capabilities to assist them in leveraging the cloud model.”

Intel Unveils New Motherboard Roadmap.......

2012-12-29T09:30:00.000+05:30

Intel sees a healthy desktop market in the days ahead, and is readying its channels to address new opportunities in this market. The chip major has affirmed that it will keep working with the system builder channel for the motherboard business and will drive innovation in the space.

“Our biggest message is that 2013 will be an exciting year for the desktop business, and you will see bigger innovations happening. The desktop market is not dead, it’s simply evolving,” said Taha Mughir, Worldwide Customer Marketing Manager, Intel Client Board Division.

Mughir said that Intel will unveil a new form factor called Next Unit of Computing in the country. The 4-inch x 4-inch motherboard features an integrated Core i3 with 7-series chipset, mini-PCIe slot, mSATA slot, two SO-DIMM slots and three USB ports. Power is supplied by an external AC/DC adapter, but there is also a small 2-pin header for optional internal power supply.

“We have already launched the product in other markets and are excited about introducing it in India. In the US, a full-fledged system without monitor and OS, but having a 80/120 GB SSD drive, is retailing at $399. We expect similar pricing from our system builder partners here,” he said.

According to Mughir, Intel sees four other form factors existing simultaneously. “The ATX form factor will be around as the enthusiast/gaming segment needs a larger form factor, Micro ATX will remain for the mainstream desktop market, the mini ITX for the Atom and PC-like embedded market, and the thin mini ITX for the AIO.”

He forecast that AIOs will gain a dominant marketshare to the extent of 30 percent by 2014. “We now have 7-8 strong suppliers of building blocks (such as chassis) for this market, and building block costs are coming down.”

He added that channels must look beyond the value PC market to stay ahead of the competition. Mughir identified markets such as high-end gaming and workstations, PC-like embedded, and AIOs as the three market segments where system builders are likely to dominate. “We have introduced new models for the PC-like embedded market, and now have embedded form factors supporting up to Core i7. Though we have partners building solutions for nearly 200 niche segments, we have identified PoS, digital signage and surveillance as the three key markets for our channels.”

Meanwhile, Intel has released solution recipes (popularly known as cookbooks) which allow resellers to build solutions for these target markets.

Mughir said that in 2013 Intel will launch Haswell, the next generation of the Core series of processors. He also said that next year the mainstream motherboard chipset market is likely to see a transition from the H61 to H67/77.

Flying on Sunshine........

2012-12-26T08:02:00.000+05:30

Once futuristic visions, solar sails now take off............

When it comes to futuristic space travel, few concepts are more romantic than sailing on sunlight. Soar above Earth, unfurl a jib and tack your way through the solar system all the way to interstellar space.
Solar sails have been a mainstay of dreamers since Johannes Kepler, who speculated four centuries ago that ships would one day be powered by “heavenly air.” But sun sailing is no longer fanciful fodder for visionaries. Recent technological advances have moved solar sailing from science fiction to science fact.

After keeping scientists in suspense, NASA’s NanoSail-D (illustration shown) fanned out in space earlier this year. Solar sails like this one may be the future of space travel.

Last year, Japan’s space agency launched the world’s first solar sail into interplanetary space; its metal-coated membrane unfurled and caught the light to begin sunjamming. And with help from tiny “nanosatellites” that allow scientists to pack folded-up sails in spacecraft no bigger than a loaf of bread, NASA this year sent its first sail skipping through Earth orbit.
Look overhead at the right time of night, and you can spot the gleaming streak of NASA’s NanoSail-D as it tumbles closer to Earth, mission accomplished. Within the next few months it will incinerate in the atmosphere in a bright flash.
In addition to the Japanese and U.S. efforts, the privately funded Planetary Society expects to launch its own sail next year, as does a satellite design team based at the University of Surrey in England.

Solar sail enthusiasts have waited decades to see such flights. And one day, they hope, solar sails will perform tasks other spacecraft cannot: hover above Earth’s poles to monitor climate change, flit near the sun to watch for solar storms, drag space junk out of orbit like a cosmic maid or even journey to a nearby star.
“As far as solar sails go, we are on the cusp of history,” says Dean Alhorn, an engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., who leads the NanoSail-D mission. “We are ready now with the technology to make these happen.”

Your social brain

2012-12-25T08:25:00.001+05:30

Nerve cells notice mistakes and learn from others’ desires................

Some nerve cells snicker at mistakes. Others compel a person to want someone else’s stuff. By studying these phenomena, scientists are learning more than just where schadenfreude and jealousy lie in the brain; they’re gaining an unprecedented view of how social influences can worm into a person’s head.
Such new results carry researchers beyond studying the brain in isolation to studying it as a social actor. Ultimately, this work could help forge a deeper understanding of how the brain learns by using the behavior of others as a guide.
Earlier this year, Japanese researchers uncovered a small group of nerve cells that fire when a macaque witnesses another monkey making a mistake. These cells, located in the front of the brain, remained silent when a monkey made an error itself, but howled when the monkey saw a partner screw up (SN: 9/8/12, p. 12). Humans probably have similar cells, says study coauthor Masaki Isoda, now at Kansai Medical University in Osaka, Japan.
Finding cells that respond to another animal’s error but not to the monkey’s own mistakes was a surprise, showing that the cells behave distinctly from those in the brain’s mirror neuron system. A collection of nerve cells that are active while a subject is both doing and observing another doing, the mirror neuron system has been proposed as a way for the brain to make sense of the actions of others. But these new results, and others like them, paint a more complex picture.
Other research reveals more about how the mirror neuron system helps the brain learn from others. In a different social setting, mirror neurons team up with another system in the brain — the bean-counting system — to make an object in someone else’s possession automatically more desirable (SN: 6/30/12, p. 12). French researchers found that candy, tools and clothes in someone else’s hands held more allure than an untouched object, a copycat phenomenon called “mimetic desire” by the philosopher René Girard.
This automatic upgrade happens in two steps, the researchers found: Initially, the mirror neuron system detects that someone else has something of interest. Then, that information gets sent to the brain’s value-assigning system, which adjusts the value of the object upward.
Although these traits — coveting possessions and nitpicking mistakes — are things parents teach their children not to do, they may serve an important function, researchers say. Watching what other people do wrong and what they acquire can yield valuable information about how to get along in this world.

For New Lamps, An Unlikely Energy Source: Gravity

2012-12-24T08:17:00.000+05:30

As long as you reset a weight every 30 minutes, you can have a continuous, battery-free light source.

Kerosene lamps used in off-grid, rural areas are a major problem. They're bad for people's health and the environment's. One startup's solution is to tap another, greener resource, something we all have in abundance: gravity.
The invention, GravityLight, does exactly what the name suggests: It keeps a light going through the power of gravity. As an attached weight falls, it pulls a cord through the center of the light, powering a dynamo. That dynamo converts the energy from the falling weight into power for the light. (It's the same idea as a hand-cranked device, just more vertical.) The weight can be set in a few seconds, and as it slowly reaches Earth, enough energy is generated to keep a light working for 30 minutes. As long as it's set every 30 minutes, it makes for a green, battery-free, continuous stream of light. Other, similar devices like battery chargers could be used through the same process, too.
The inventors say the gadgets can be sold now for less than $10, which would make a return on investment for owners three months after dumping kerosene lighting. And speaking of investments, the group has already shattered the goal for its Indiegogo campaign, meaning we'll hopefully see these in action soon.

http://vimeo.com/53588182

Flying Robots by Professor Vijay Kumar at TED 2012

2012-11-02T20:25:00.001+05:30

Professor Vijay Kumar is the Deputy Dean for Education in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, where he is doing his work in robotics, blending computer science and mechanical engineering to create the next generation of robotic wonders.

Vijay Kumar and his team members Daniel Melligner and Alex Kushleyev from GRASP (General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception) Labs presented these flying robots (AKA Robot Quadrotors) during his speech at TED 2012.

Professor Vijay Kumar and its team’s Flying robot quadrotors performed the James Bond Theme by playing various instruments including the keyboard, drums and maracas, a cymbal, and the debut of an adapted guitar built from a couch frame. The quadrotors play this “couch guitar” by flying over guitar strings stretched across a couch frame; plucking the strings with a stiff wire attached to the base of the quadrotor. A special microphone attached to the frame records the notes made by the “couch guitar”.

These flying quadrotors are completely autonomous. It means the humans are not controlling them; rather they are controlled by a computer, infra-red lights and cameras which are programmed with instructions to play the instruments. the flying robots are designed to mimick the swarming behaviors of birds, fish and insects. Figuring out how to move in unison without crashing into obstacles, or one another, is a critical skill for robot teams to develop, especially since they may one day be used to survey landscapes, build structures, provide support, or even play music.

Each quadrotor weighs just barely over a pound and can deliver a thrust of a little over 2.5 pounds. Team members of Professor Vijay Kumar, Alex Kushleyev and Daniel Mellinger has formed a company called KMel Robotics that will design and market these quadrotors.

3 Effective Leadership Lessons That I Learned As A Child..

2012-10-29T18:48:00.000+05:30

When I was growing up, the kids in my neighborhood would play in a nearby park every evening. Our undisputed leader was a boy who was barely a year older than I was.
He was a take charge type of person who introduced the new kids to everyone, taught them the rules of games we played, and made sure no one felt left out. We also trusted him blindly because he always had our backs whenever we messed up.

None of the leadership lessons I have learned, unlearned or relearned since then have had as profound an impact as the ones I learned as a child. Three, in particular, stand out:


Vineet Nayar, CEO HCL Technologies

1. Trust: Do your co-workers trust you? Do they accept that you will consistently and without hesitation, stand up for them whatever the situation? Only that kind of trust makes people feel empowered, gives them the courage to innovate, take risks, and push themselves beyond their comfort zones to find success.
David Maister, Charles Green, and Robert Galford, who wrote The Trusted Advisor, outlined four attributes for assessing your trust quotient. They focus on the key traits of credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation. Take this online assessment to evaluate your trust quotient..

2. Empathy: Did you notice that look of anxiety as your teammate walked into the office this morning? Or did you completely miss it because you were locked in your own thoughts, more concerned with pending deadlines and deliverables? Do you treat your team members as human beings, and not just as co-workers?
Here’s the issue: Emotional intelligence is widely recognized as a leadership quality, but being transparent about your emotions isn't. I'm puzzled by the fact that organizational and company leaders are expected to maintain a “stiff upper lip”.. Why can't we rejoice in and celebrate our successes or conversely, show concern with setbacks, rather than taking them in stride? Why don't we laugh and cry with the highs and lows in the lives of our colleagues? We are human beings, and knowing that our bosses care about us is a fundamental human need.

3. Mentorship: No matter how talented we may be as individuals, we all crave the guidance and direction from a mentor who will teach us the rules of the game. Pat Riley, the widely respected former NBA coach, once said that there was no great player who didn't want to be coached. The same holds true in the workplace. Would you be where you are today if your first manager hadn't nudged you in the right direction? When people are unsure or uneasy about what the future holds for their organizations and for themselves, mentorship and coaching are critical.
I certainly didn’t realize when I was playing with my friends in the park that I was learning important leadership principles and life lessons that would never go out of fashion. At a time when people everywhere are questioning their leaders' values, these characteristics seem to resonate even more.

Robots Will Quickly Recognize and Respond to Human Gestures, With New AlgorithmsNew intelligent algorithms could help robots to quickly recognize and respond to human gestures. Researchers at A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research in Singapore have created a computer program which recognizes human gestures quickly and accurately, and requires very little training.

2012-06-08T11:35:00.001+05:30

New intelligent algorithms could help robots to quickly recognize and respond to human gestures. Researchers at A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research in Singapore have created a computer program which recognizes human gestures quickly and accurately, and requires very little training.


New intelligent algorithms could help robots to quickly recognize and respond to human gestures.

Many works of science fiction have imagined robots that could interact directly with people to provide entertainment, services or even health care. Robotics is now at a stage where some of these ideas can be realized, but it remains difficult to make robots easy to operate.
One option is to train robots to recognize and respond to human gestures. In practice, however, this is difficult because a simple gesture such as waving a hand may appear very different between different people. Designers must develop intelligent computer algorithms that can be 'trained' to identify general patterns of motion and relate them correctly to individual commands.
Now, Rui Yan and co-workers at the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research in Singapore have adapted a cognitive memory model called a localist attractor network (LAN) to develop a new system that recognize gestures quickly and accurately, and requires very little training.
"Since many social robots will be operated by non-expert users, it is essential for them to be equipped with natural interfaces for interaction with humans," says Yan. "Gestures are an obvious, natural means of human communication. Our LAN gesture recognition system only requires a small amount of training data, and avoids tedious training processes."
Yan and co-workers tested their software by integrating it with ShapeTape, a special jacket that uses fibre optics and inertial sensors to monitor the bending and twisting of hands and arms. They programmed the ShapeTape to provide data 80 times per second on the three-dimensional orientation of shoulders, elbows and wrists, and applied velocity thresholds to detect when gestures were starting.
In tests, five different users wore the ShapeTape jacket and used it to control a virtual robot through simple arm motions that represented commands such as forward, backwards, faster or slower. The researchers found that 99.15% of gestures were correctly translated by their system. It is also easy to add new commands, by demonstrating a new control gesture just a few times.
The next step in improving the gesture recognition system is to allow humans to control robots without the need to wear any special devices. Yan and co-workers are tackling this problem by replacing the ShapeTape jacket with motion-sensitive cameras.
"Currently we are building a new gesture recognition system by incorporating our method with a Microsoft Kinect camera," says Yan. "We will implement the proposed system on an autonomous robot to test its usability in the context of a realistic service task, such as cleaning!"

Dark Chocolate Could Prevent Heart Problems in High-Risk People

2012-06-02T21:28:00.000+05:30

Daily consumption of dark chocolate can reduce cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, in people with metabolic syndrome (a cluster of factors that increases the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes), finds a study published in the British Medical Journal.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Dark chocolate (containing at least 60% cocoa solids) is rich in flavonoids -- known to have heart protecting effects -- but this has only been examined in short term studies.
So a team of researchers from Melbourne, Australia used a mathematical model to predict the long-term health effects and cost effectiveness of daily dark chocolate consumption in 2,013 people already at high risk of heart disease.
All participants had high blood pressure and met the criteria for metabolic syndrome, but had no history of heart disease or diabetes and were not on blood pressure lowering therapy.
With 100% compliance (best case scenario), the researchers show that daily dark chocolate consumption could potentially avert 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people treated over 10 years.
Even when compliance levels were reduced to 80%, the number of non-fatal and fatal events potentially averted was 55 and 10 per 10,000 people treated over 10 years, and could still be considered an effective intervention strategy.
The model also suggested that $A40 (£25; €31; $42) could be cost effectively spent per person per year on dark chocolate prevention strategies and could be used for advertising, educational campaigns, or subsidizing dark chocolate in this high risk population, they add.
The authors stress that only non-fatal stroke and non-fatal heart attack were assessed in their analysis, and that the potential effects on other cardiovascular events, such as heart failure, are yet to be tested.
Also important, they say, is that these protective effects have only been shown for dark chocolate (at least 60-70% cocoa), rather than for milk or white chocolate, probably due to the higher levels of flavonoids found in dark chocolate.
Nevertheless, they conclude that the blood pressure and cholesterol lowering effects of plain dark chocolate "could represent an effective and cost effective strategy for people with metabolic syndrome (and no diabetes)."

Ion-Based Electronic Chip to Control Muscles: Entirely New Circuit Technology Based On Ions and Molecules

2012-05-30T21:41:00.003+05:30

Klas Tybrandt, doctoral student in organic electronics at Linkoping University, Sweden, has developed an integrated chemical chip.

The chemical chip can control the delivery of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This enables chemical control of muscles, which are activated when they come into contact with acetylcholine. (Credit: LiU/Ingemar Franzén)

The Organic Electronics research group at Linköping University previously developed ion transistors for transport of both positive and negative ions, as well as biomolecules. Tybrandt has now succeeded in combining both transistor types into complementary circuits, in a similar way to traditional silicon-based electronics.
An advantage of chemical circuits is that the charge carrier consists of chemical substances with various functions. This means that we now have new opportunities to control and regulate the signal paths of cells in the human body.
"We can, for example, send out signals to muscle synapses where the signalling system may not work for some reason. We know our chip works with common signalling substances, for example acetylcholine," says Magnus Berggren, Professor of Organic Electronics and leader of the research group.
The development of ion transistors, which can control and transport ions and charged biomolecules, was begun three years ago by Tybrandt and Berggren, respectively a doctoral student and professor in Organic Electronics at the Department of Science and Technology at Linköping University. The transistors were then used by researchers at Karolinska Institutet to control the delivery of the signalling substance acetylcholine to individual cells. The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In conjunction with Robert Forchheimer, Professor of Information Coding at LiU, Tybrandt has now taken the next step by developing chemical chips that also contain logic gates, such as NAND gates that allow for the construction of all logical functions.
His breakthrough creates the basis for an entirely new circuit technology based on ions and molecules instead of electrons and holes.

Gestures Fulfill a Big Role in Language

2012-05-28T21:50:00.000+05:30

People of all ages and cultures gesture while speaking, some much more noticeably than others. But is gesturing uniquely tied to speech, or is it, rather, processed by the brain like any other manual action?

Scientists have discovered that actual actions on objects, such as physically stirring a spoon in a cup, have less of an impact on the brain’s understanding of speech than simply gesturing as if stirring a spoon in a cup. (Credit: Image courtesy of Acoustical Society of America (ASA))

A U.S.-Netherlands research collaboration delving into this tie discovered that actual actions on objects, such as physically stirring a spoon in a cup, have less of an impact on the brain's understanding of speech than simply gesturing as if stirring a spoon in a cup. This is surprising because there is less visual information contained in gestures than in actual actions on objects. In short: Less may actually be more when it comes to gestures and actions in terms of understanding language.
Spencer Kelly, associate professor of Psychology, director of the Neuroscience program, and co-director of the Center for Language and Brain at Colgate University, and colleagues from the National Institutes of Health and Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics will present their research at the Acoustics 2012 meeting in Hong Kong, May 13-18, a joint meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), Acoustical Society of China, Western Pacific Acoustics Conference, and the Hong Kong Institute of Acoustics.
Among their key findings is that gestures -- more than actions -- appear to make people pay attention to the acoustics of speech. When we see a gesture, our auditory system expects to also hear speech. But this is not what the researchers found in the case of manual actions on objects.
Just think of all the actions you've seen today that occurred in the absence of speech. "This special relationship is interesting because many scientists have argued that spoken language evolved from a gestural communication system -- using the entire body -- in our evolutionary past," points out Kelly. "Our results provide a glimpse into this past relationship by showing that gestures still have a tight and perhaps special coupling with speech in present-day communication. In this way, gestures are not merely add-ons to language -- they may actually be a fundamental part of it."
A better understanding of the role hand gestures play in how people understand language could lead to new audio and visual instruction techniques to help people overcome major challenges with language delays and disorders or learning a second language.
What's next for the researchers? "We're interested in how other types of visual inputs, such as eye gaze, mouth movements, and facial expressions, combine with hand gestures to impact speech processing. This will allow us to develop even more natural and effective ways to help people understand and learn language," says Kelly.