Tech Universe: Monday 13 May 2013

• RIGHT FOR FLIGHT: An 800 Km flight from Warton in Lancashire to Inverness in Scotland isn’t really anything special, unless it’s a drone passenger jet flying on commercial routes and controlled by a pilot on the ground. That’s the flight that a British Aerospace Jetstream made recently. There was a pilot aboard who handled the takeoff and landing but otherwise the aircraft flew on auto, testing its detect-and-avoid technology on fake objects fed into the computer during flight. It will be a big step, having drone aircraft flying passengers to their destinations, but surely safety considerations would keep a pilot aboard, just in case. New Scientist.
• GLUED TO THE WALL: Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology wanted to create a robot that could climb walls. While other robots have used the technique that allows geckos to climb, these robots use thermoplastic adhesives to stick to the wall temporarily. When the adhesive is warmed it flows into the kind of gaps found on rough surfaces. At a critical temperature above 70 degrees the adhesive is very tacky allowing the robot foot to stick to the wall. Cool it again and the robot can kick free and move a step. In tests, a 1 Kg droid slowly carried a 7 Kg weight up walls made of wood, plastic, stone and aluminium. Now they need to find a way to speed up the heating and cooling. New Scientist.
• FIGURING THE FORESTS: In 2020 the Biomass satellite will be launched by the European Space Agency to weigh the Earth’s forests. Its radar system will be able to sense the trunks and big branches of trees from orbit. Then the satellite will calculate the amount of carbon stored in the world’s forests and allow researchers to better understand the role forests play in the carbon cycle and climate. Not all of the world’s forests though: the satellite will not be permitted to operate over North America, Europe and the Arctic in case it interferes with missile early-warning and space-tracking systems. Defence against protection is a difficult trade-off. BBC.
• HAIRY FLIGHT: The satellite ESTCube-1 is testing out a new method of propulsion. Solar sails reflect photons from the sun to push the spacecraft forward. The new method uses wires with a positive charge that extend from the craft and repel positively charged protons. The repulsion pushes the craft. The tiny satellite is only 10 cm wide and its 10 metre long positively charged wire is only half the width of a human hair. While this tiny craft is only a test, full size craft with 100 wires, each 20 Km long, could move quickly enough to reach Pluto in less than 5 years. Manufacturing 20 Km wires with a diameter less than a human hair will be challenging enough. New Scientist.
• IN THE HOLE: Suppose you want to hide from microwaves, how might you do it? Surprisingly, researchers at Duke University discovered all it takes is a cheap 3D printer and some plastic with holes in just the right places. Of course, it’s those holes that are the key. Algorithms determined the location, size and shape of the holes so they deflect microwave beams. A hole in the centre of the disc is where an object to be hidden must be placed, then microwave beams must travel through the side of the disc. The holes guide the microwaves around the object, effectively hiding it. So it’ll be a while before humans can hide using this technique. redOrbit.

Tech Universe: Tuesday 14 May 2013

• THE ROBOT OR THE CREAM?: HERB is a sophisticated Home Exploring Robot butler being built at Carnegie Mellon University. Its role will be to perform challenging manipulation tasks in places where people live and work. Its first task was to separate an Oreo cookie from its cream — a surprisingly challenging task for a robot, but obviously an essential skill. In the end one side prevailed … Carnegie Mellon University.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBgfpl0lcIo

• GENERATOR PLANT: When researchers at the University of Georgia in the US wanted to find a better way to generate electricity they studied plants — photosynthesis, to be precise. Using structures called thylakoids, plants capture photons of sunlight and convert them into almost an equal number of electrons, splitting water atoms into hydrogen and oxygen. The electrons eventually create sugars that allow the plants to grow. The researchers manipulated proteins contained in the thylakoids, interrupting the pathway along which electrons flow. Then they added carbon nanotubes to act as electrical conductors. Their approach resulted in greater levels of electrical current than those reported in similar systems. They suggest this system could be used for remote sensors or other portable electronic equipment that requires less power to run. We’re still only playing catch-up with nature. PhysOrg.
• C+ FOR FRUIT: LED lamps are the in thing for those wanting to save energy. It turns out they also boost the amount of Vitamin C in tomatoes grown under them. Researchers at Wageningen University suspended special LED modules between the plants around tomato clusters, exposing the tomatoes to extra light. Some varieties of tomatoes grown under the LEDs contained up to twice as much vitamin C as the tomatoes not exposed to the lights. Hmmm, is there any effect LEDs are having on us then? Wageningen University.
• TOUCH TO LOCK: Fumbling with doorkeys while juggling an armload of shopping is never fun. With a Kevo doorlock all you have to do is touch it, and let your iPhone handle the unlocking side of things. If you don’t have an iPhone, you can buy a key fob instead. The smartphone app also lets you send an electronic key to other people, such as tradespeople, and you can revoke access at any time. The lock uses military grade PKI encryption to protect you, and works via Bluetooth Smart Ready Technology. The lock also has a standard key for when you’ve lost your smartphone. It’s helpful that you don’t have to actually work the phone to make the door unlock — just having the phone in your pocket is all it takes. Kevo.
• BABYGRAMS: An ultrasound picture of a foetus is so flat. Pioneer’s new hologram service in Japan creates a 3D image of a developing baby, using a compact hologram printer. A full colour hologram takes 120 minutes to produce, while a single colour takes only 90 minutes. The hologram is visible within a 23 degree viewing angle and in white light. I wonder how that extra level of detail will affect those who later go on to miscarry? DigInfo TV.

Tech Universe: Wednesday 15 May 2013

• LIGHT CYCLE: Revolights City v2.0 bike light kits are riveted right into the rims of the wheel. The light shines forwards onto the road, but also makes the bike visible from all angles. The white light stays at the front of the front wheel, while the red rear light stays at the back of the back wheel. The arcs of light are formed by LEDs powered by Lithium-ion batteries and programmed to detect your speed and blink on as they pass the front or rear of the bicycle. Batteries last about 4 hours and can be recharged via USB. That’s some pretty clever engineering. Revolights.
• EASY PHONE HOME: Should your 4 year old have their own cellphone? After all, if there’s an emergency it would be great for them to be able to call you for help. But on the other hand there are plenty of risks and costs to be considered. The 1stFone is designed for very young children. It’s quite small, can be programmed with up to 12 numbers but doesn’t have a screen or internet access and can’t send texts. Which just leaves the lessons about what constitutes an emergency. BBC.
• THE WRITE PHONE: Folks in the US with a hearing problem can get some help from a screen on their phone. The Hamilton Captioned Telephone uses the free US Captioned Telephone Service to display the words spoken by the other party on a 7 inch backlit color display as you participate in a phonecall. Luckily you can choose a font size if your eyesight’s not too great either. Red Ferret.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoMJUtyh77Y

• VIRTUAL TUNNELS: Old-fashioned robbers would tunnel into a vault to extract quantities of cash from a bank. These days it takes a computer and co-ordinated raids on ATMs. Recently a worldwide gang of criminals drained $45 million dollars from ATMs in just a few hours by using bogus swipe cards with fraudulently increased withdrawal limits. First attackers breached a couple of Middle Eastern banks and tinkered with access codes and withdrawal limits. Then data was loaded onto random cards that use a magnetic strip, such as hotel key cards. Finally operatives all over the world used the cards to withdraw cash from ATMs. See what can be achieved with a bit of planning. Seattle Times.
• HERE TODAY AND GOOGLE TOMORROW: NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey have been making images of our planet for 30 years or more, and now those images have been put to good use. Google Timelapse lets you view images of various parts of the globe in sequence from 1984 to 2012 so you can easily observe changes. For example, watch the Aral Sea dry up, or as irrigation appears in Saudi Arabia. Be prepared for some disturbing viewing. Google Timelapse.

Tech Universe: Thursday 16 May 2013

• A PLANE BOX: Care to own your own plane? Maybe the single engine, piston-driven Synergy would be for you. The aircraft has a unique shape with a double box tail that reduces drag. Its creators claim twice the speed for a given horsepower, or triple the economy for a given speed, and that it can land at low speeds on local airfields. The shape will turn heads too. Synergy.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcDIXDRBJis

• JELLY SPY: Cyro is a robotic jellyfish from Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering. The robot has 8 aluminium arms and a flexible silicone covering, and is designed propel itself through the water the way a real jellyfish would. It’s almost 2 metres wide, weighs nearly 80 Kg and can swim for around 4 hours thanks to its nickel metal hydride battery. Cyro could be used to monitor fish, clean up after oil spills or maybe to carry out surveillance for the military. The next problem is to find a longer-lasting power source. CNN.
• THE WEATHER CROWD: The Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone is crammed full of sensors: thermometer, barometer, hygrometer and a magnetometer to measure ambient temperature, air pressure, humidity and the Earth’s local magnetic field strength. This is being exploited by an online service called WeatherSignal, which says it can use this data to crowdsource real-time weather information and publish it on a website. This all relies on users installing and running a free app, but then why not? New Scientist.
• STEELING THE ATMOSPHERE: Steel production accounts for as much as 5% of the world’s total greenhouse-gas emissions because it’s mostly produced by heating iron oxide with carbon. A new technique uses an alloy of chromium and iron, both of which are plentiful and cheap. What’s more the process creates no emissions other than pure oxygen and yields metal of exceptional purity. The process could be suitable for smaller-scale steel factories, but a commercially viable prototype is still several years away. It’d be good to see the atmosphere filling with oxygen for a change. MIT News.
• IT’S A SNAP: Memoto’s 5 megapixel camera measures only 36 by 36 by 9 millimeters and holds 8 Gb worth of photos. It’s designed to clip on to your lapel and capture images every 30 seconds. Then it applies algorithms to the images to find the most interesting ones. You can then simply transfer the photos to your computer, or upload them into a service that filters the day’s photos down to around 30 key moments. The life logger is designed to stop taking photos though if it’s put in a pocket or on a table. Smile, you’re on Memoto Camera. Technology Review.

Tech Universe: Friday, 17 May 2013

• MOVIES IN SIGHT: Some people, such as the vision or hearing impaired, find movies challenging or perhaps even pointless as they may not see or hear what’s going on. Captioned screenings are rare, and current personal captioning devices that fit inside a cup holder with a screen attached are bulky, display text out of the line of vision to the screen, and distract other patrons. Now some cinemas are introducing Sony Entertainment Access Glasses that display captions only to those wearing them. The captions appear to float a couple of metres in front of the wearer. Audio tracks also describe the action on the screen for blind people. Of course, this depends on the movie maker supplying captioned tracks and on the theatre having the necessary digital equipment. Next thing to work on: translation subtitles. All Tech Considered.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsckbFwU2SQ

• THE INSIDE STORY: Traditional umbrellas are tricky to work with: they quickly turn inside out in a decent gust of Wellington wind, may poke someone’s eye out if you’re not careful and are likely to block your vision as you keep the rain off your face. The Rainshader has a new approach, based on the shape of a motorcycle helmet. It’s particularly aimed at people watching sports who need to be able to see the action while keeping the rain at bay. The makers claim it’s virtually impossible to blow inside out, and its fibre glass ribs and rubber handle mean you’re less likely to be zapped by lightning in a thunderstorm. So it’s a bit like an expanded hood really. Rainshader.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqiuR5HFeKU

• A $2 CLEAN: Clean water is essential to our survival, but it can be expensive to remove bacteria and other harmful particles. At the Indian Institute of Technology researchers found that silver nanoparticles combined with an aluminium composite can do the job at low cost. As water flows through the filter the nanoparticles oxidise, releasing ions that kill viruses and bacteria, and neutralise toxic chemicals such as lead and arsenic. In tests a 50 gram composite filtered 1500 litres of water without needing reactivation. The researchers estimate a family of 5 could have clean drinking water for a year from a single $2 filter. That could prove affordable for people even on extremely limited incomes, though even better would be for governments to supply filters for free. New Scientist.
• ONE UP: The semiconductors in our electronics, carry along the electrical charge of electrons, and that’s good. But electrons in the presence of a magnet have a property that’s not being used: they have spin, up or down. One spin state aligns with the magnetic field, while the other opposes it, which could be used to mark the 1 or 0 of a computer bit. A team at the University of Delaware have confirmed the previously only theoretical presence of a magnetic field generated by electrons, which could in turn allow them to exploit the spin property. Or maybe electronics just make your head spin. University of Delaware..
• DRONE RESCUE: The Canadian Mounties are onto it — recently they saved the life of someone whose car had flipped at night in remote Saskatchewan by sending out a drone to search. The Draganflyer X4-ES helicopter drone was flown towards the driver’s last known location where it used an infrared camera to search for life signs. Nearby searchers on the ground were able to rescue the driver once the drone had pinpointed his location. This seems a perfect use for drones. Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apEnf-0Rzb4

This is both fun and thought-provoking. Would we send brains into space and capture their thoughts and memories?:

Visual effects veteran Hasraf ‘HaZ’ Dulull has written and directed this riveting faux documentary chronicling humanity’s first steps into deep space.

Set in the not-too-distant future, the story unfolds as project personnel talk about the mission and their various roles within it. But just as things start to get rolling, the team is confronted with something far more profound.

[Via io9: Short film Project Kronos explores the dawn of interstellar travel.]

Project Kronos from Hasraf HaZ Dulull on Vimeo.

Tech Universe: Monday 06 May 2013

• MICROSCOPIC MOVES: People have made movies before by animating small toy figures, but the world record for small now goes to IBM with their animated atoms. Researchers used their scanning tunneling microscope to make a stop-motion film where the characters and action are formed by positioning individual carbon monoxide molecules and their component carbon and oxygen atoms, and using copper 111 as the surface of the animation. But are the characters well rounded? IBM.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSCX78-8-q0

• CRANKING: It’s only a concept at the moment but the 4StrikeBike wants us to pedal with our hands as well as our feet. To that end it adds pedals to the handlebars. The crankshaft has a special freewheel system that allows the bike to be cycled with both arms and legs or with the legs alone, or the hand pedals can each be fixed in place in their highest position and allow the handlebar to be like that on a normal bike. There could be a lot of power in that bike. 4StrikeBike.
• PRINT SHOOT: There are plenty of problems around guns, but one is that if the wrong person gets hold of a gun people can be killed. Safe Gun Technology is creating a fingerprint reader to effectively lock a gun unless an authorised user is holding it. The fingerprint reader can be set to allow multiple users. The company has created a prototype of a Remington 870 pump shotgun often used by US law enforcement and is now working on adding its system to handguns. While those intent on crime can probably disable this kind of thing easily enough it may at least stop some kids from shooting one another. Safe Gun Technology.
• TWO IN THE SUN: The Sunseeker Duo will be not only the fastest solar-powered plane ever built but it will also be the first to carry a passenger. The solar cells have an efficiency of almost 23% so the Duo will have enough power to maintain a steady climb on direct solar power. Meanwhile folding wings mean it can fit into a regular hangar in spite of its 22 metre wingspan, or it can quickly be taken apart and transported in a special trailer. No tow plane required. Solar Flight.
• STEP CHANGE: Wheelchair users aren’t specially thrilled by steps. But if they use the Japanese Unimo electric chair perhaps they’ll change their minds. The wheelchair looks more like an armchair and is designed for rest homes and hospitals. Instead of wheels it uses rubber crawler tracks and can do a 360 degree turn in a confined space such as a lift. It can also climb over a step that’s 15 cm high. That means it can move on rutted roads, gravel roads in parks and in sand on beaches and other places where conventional electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters cannot travel smoothly. The user controls the chair with a joystick. So how many hospitals have rutted roads and sandy beaches? Tech-On.

Tech Universe: Tuesday 07 May 2013

• GLOVE ALERT: If you work with toxic substances it’s a fairly safe bet that you wear protective clothing such as gloves. Even so, how can you tell when a toxic substance may be present? Researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies EMFT engineered a glove that recognizes if toxic substances are present in the surrounding air. Custom-made sensor materials are embedded in the glove along with sensor-activated dyes. If a toxic substance is detected the glove changes colour, for example, from white to blue. That’s handy. Fraunhofer.
• DEADLY DNA: After a crime police may take DNA from a suspect to match with DNA found at the scene. If the samples manage to get accidentally mixed the DNA may falsely show a suspect was at a crime scene. But there are some DNA sequences, called nullomers, which don’t exist naturally because they’re incompatible with life. Tagging a suspect’s sample with nullomers can help show when samples have been mixed, and may clear some wrongly accused people. In tests which diluted the DNA samples 100,000 times, the nullomers were still identifiable, and didn’t interfere with analysis of the original DNA profile. In some countries such deadly nullomers could mean the difference between life and death for an accused person. New Scientist.
• BUG EYED: Insects such as bees and flies have compound eyes that give them a panoramic view and great depth perception. Now US researchers have created a camera that uses a hemispherical array of 180 microlenses that give it a 160 degree field of view and the ability to focus simultaneously on objects at different depths. Those features could make the camera extremely useful for security cameras, surgical endoscopes and micro aerial vehicles. Ah, but it’ll be the software that’s really crucial. Wired.
• THE BANDED HUMAN: The Myo armband measures the electrical impulses produced by physical activity. But it’s no ordinary life logger counting steps or tracking heart rate. Instead it’s a gesture control device. A flick of the wrist may call up the next slide in a presentation, or perhaps clench your hand to stop video playback. Squeeze an imaginary trigger to fire a weapon in a game. The device pairs with gadgets via Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, uses rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries and an ARM processor. It features a 6-axis inertial measurement unit for motion sensing. Presumably it works equally well on either arm and could perhaps even be worn on the leg. Thalmic Labs.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWu9TFJjHaM

• FULL COLOUR PLASTIC: The ProDesk3D printer doesn’t limit you to printing with just a single coloured filament. Instead it offers true full colour printing through its 5 colour PLA cartridge system that mixes primary colours. It is capable of printing objects down to 25 microns and uses a dual-extruder head to provide PVA-based support material alongside the main design. 3D printing seems to be maturing quickly. BotObjects.

Tech Universe: Wednesday 08 May 2013

• BEES WITH BRAINS: Carbon fibre RoboBees created at Harvard University are about the size of a coin and weigh less than a tenth of a gram. Although they have to be tethered to a power supply and controller they fly vertically and horizontally with ease. The independently controlled wings flap at up to 120 times per second using piezoelectric actuators. Such tiny robots could be used for environmental monitoring, or perhaps pollinating crops where real bees are in short supply. Now the researchers want to find tiny power supplies and computers that can let the bees off their leashes. One day the skies may be full of tiny robots. Harvard University. Video:
• OIL SOAK: Boron nitride is also known as white graphene and it can do a particularly useful job: cleaning up organic pollutants from waterways. The material has a large surface area for its weight, so it can mop up a lot of pollutants. In recent tests researchers found it could mop up 29 times its own weight in engine oil yet still float on water. Then the oil can be driven out in a furnace or by being ignited so the sheet of boron nitride can be used again. Even better would be to find a way to extract the oil so it could be used productively. BBC.
• SILVER EAR: A team from Princeton University recently used 3D additive printing to create an ear with embedded electronics. They combined a matrix of hydrogel and calf cells to form cartilage with silver nanoparticles that form an antenna. Potentially electric signals from the printed ear could be connected to a person’s nerve endings and restore or enhance human hearing. I guess the calf cells would be replaced with human cells. EurekAlert.
• SPIN CHARGE: An integrated motor drive and battery charger for electric vehicles may reduce charging time from 8 hours to two. The new power transfer method involves a rotating transformer that includes the motor and inverter in the charger circuit to increase the charging power at a lower cost. At the moment the system works in the lab, but the researchers aim to enhance it for industrial use. Getting those charging times down is crucial. Chalmers University of Technology.
• SEIZURE SIGNALS: Australian researchers have had success predicting epileptic seizures in a group of people who experienced between 2 and 12 seizures per month. They did it with two devices: one is implanted between the skull and brain surface to monitor long-term electrical signals in the brain. The other is implanted under the chest and sends signals recorded in the brain to a handheld device. The handheld device used red, white and blue warning lights to indicate the likelihood of a seizure. After a month of simply recording EEG data an algorithm was developed for each person. Although the warnings weren’t always correct, 8 of the 11 patients had their seizures accurately predicted between 56% and 100% of the time. Which, after all, is a lot better than no warning at all. The University of Melbourne.

Tech Universe: Thursday 09 May 2013

• GOODBYE HERSCHEL: We all know the need to maintain equipment we use — adding oil to the car, tightening up the bike chain. But when that equipment is out in space and it runs out of liquid helium coolant it turns out that’s just hard luck. The Herschel Space Observatory has been collecting loads of data since 2009, but the other day it ran out of coolant and observations have ceased. Astronomers will continue to analyse all the images and other data the HSO recorded though and may yet make new discoveries. The spacecraft will soon be propelled to a stable orbit around the Sun where it will remain indefinitely. Rescue mission anyone? European Space Agency.
• A DIFFERENT STRIPE: TV crime shows frequently have a computer quickly sorting through thousands of faces to identify a suspect, but that kind of facial recognition doesn’t work well for identifying animals by their patterning. That led researchers at MIT to develop a system called SLOOP that could help conservationists. The system uses algorithms to recognise patterns such as stripes or spots and produces a short list of likely candidates. The images are then turned over to crowdsourcing, asking online users to pick the most similar pair. Researchers need this kind of system when studying creatures such as whale sharks or skinks, where it’s by far easier and quicker to take a photo than to catch the animal and tag it. Turn it into a pattern-matching game and people are sure to play it. MIT News.
• PAPER TRAILS: Laser Enabled Advanced Packaging is a way to create really thin RFID tags — thin enough to be able to embed them in a sheet of paper. That could open up possibilities in stopping counterfeiting in bank notes or for tracking paper documents. It could also reduce the price of RFID tags, meaning they could be more widely used. North Dakota State University.
• SNEAK PEEK: Imagine walking up to a shop window and after a few moments ads related to the object you’re looking at start to play. The SideWays eyetracking device uses an ordinary video camera and a special program to assess where you’re looking. It first recognises the corners of your eyes and then works out where your pupils are and which direction you’re looking in. A prototype device was able to track the gazes of 14 testers, though it can be confused by glasses and can’t recognise when people look up or down. The developers want to work next on being able to recognise multiple gazes at once. Before long the watchers will know more about us than we know ourselves. New Scientist.
• FIRE LIGHT: Put the Voto in a hot cooking stove and the small fuel cell creates and stores energy for an LED light or to charge cell phones. The device has two parts: a fuel cell box contains fuel cards designed to derive energy from the heat of charcoal burning around the box. The other part is a rechargeable handle that remains outside the stove to collect and store the energy. Disconnect the handle after the fire cools and use it to charge a phone or light the included LED. The Voto is designed for developing nations where cookstoves and kerosene lamps are the norm. It’s a superb idea, though the initial cost could be a barrier for those who most need this and similar gadgets. Point Source Power.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK-7MHheeC8

Tech Universe: Friday 10 May 2013

• A NEW WHEEL: Bike wheels have spokes, as we all know. Except for Loopwheels — bicycle wheels with integral suspension. They’re designed for smaller folding bikes that don’t usually have any room for suspension. The wheels reduce vibration and give a smoother ride. Rather than spokes radiating to the rim from a central hub, Loopwheels have 3 oval loops of carbon composite material between the hub and the rim. Aluminium extrusion connectors attach the springs to the hub and rim. That’s a clever idea. Loopwheels. Video:
• THE WIND AND THE LIGHT: The new LED streetlights PingQuan, China are interesting. Rather than being connected to the grid via underground wires each one has its own HoYi! wind turbine, two 280 watt solar panels and a storage battery, allowing it to function completely off-grid. I guess maintenance costs could be quite a bit higher than regular streetlights though. Inhabitat.
• DNA TO GO: Extracting DNA is no easy task, given that it involves a centrifuge, lots of toxic chemicals and 20 or 30 minutes of work. Researchers compare it with picking up human hairs using a crane. A handheld device from the University of Washington does the job easily in 3 minutes thanks to microscopic probes and electric fields. DNA-sized molecules stick to the probe and are trapped on the surface ready for collection and analysis. The handheld device can handle 4 human fluid samples at a time, but it should scale easily to handle the more usual 96. Perhaps this could be useful for crime scene forensics. University of Washington.
• TB ON A STICK: If a doctor suspects you have TB it can take a couple of weeks to culture a sample and make a diagnosis that may or may not be accurate. A new microfluidic device the same size as a standard lab slide can reduce that wait time to a couple of hours. The new system detects DNA from the tuberculosis bacteria in small sputum samples. The device amplifies any target DNA sequences and captures them with polymer beads. Then a miniature nuclear magnetic resonance imager identifies the TB. Test results from known samples produced no false positives and were highly accurate. The device isn’t yet ready for real-life use yet, but it could be very valuable for controlling the spread of TB in developing countries. This move to handheld medicine is very encouraging. KurzweilAI.
• TWO FACED ADS: There’s a poster on a bus stop in Spain. As seen by most adults it displays an innocuous message, but viewed from lower down, where a child would see it, there’s a phone number and information about getting help if you’re being abused. The aim of course is to help children even where they’re being accompanied by an adult who’s abusing them. The ad uses lenticular printing which many of us are familiar with from cards that show different pictures depending which way you turn them. How long until junk food advertisers twig to this? The Verge.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zoCDyQSH0o

An opportunity came my way on Saturday 04 May 2013 to join a bus tour to the West Wind windfarm I often see when I walk our dogs round the top of Mt Victoria. As we walk our circuit and look across Wellington we sometimes spot the majestic arms of the turbines peeking above the western hills.

Of course, I also often write about wind turbines in my Tech Universe column for the NZ Herald Online, so I was interested to get a closer look.

I’ve visited the lone turbine on Brooklyn Hill several times, but West Wind is much much bigger. The towers are around 70 metres tall, while each of the 3 blades is 40 metres long and weighs around 10 tonnes. By comparison, the Brooklyn Hill wind turbine is around 31 metres tall and each blade is 13.5 metres long.

See my review of the walk from the Brooklyn Hill wind turbine to the radar station in Te Kopahou Reserve.

An added attraction was a stop to see the New Zealand Fur seals on the South Coast, so I signed up for the tour.

Turbines in the cloud.

The wind farm

The Wellington Rover bus picked 8 of us up outside the City Council offices, while a couple of other buses picked up others in the group at the railway station. All together there were three 9-seater buses on the tour. It was a mild day with some light cloud, occasional sunshine and no wind — perfect for the 4 hour tour.

Our driver, Craig, was friendly and knowledgeable, and looked after all of us really well.

Turbine, almost 70 metres tall.

After a short drive out through Karori and down to South Makara Road all 3 buses met up at the gate to Terawhiti Station on the corner with Oteranga Bay Road.

The wind farm itself has 62 turbines in total within the bounds of the massive 53 square kilometre Station. That’s 13,000 acres for the metrically challenged.

We spent a few minutes admiring views at the base of one of the turbines. They’re huge, with enormous blades which seem to disappear in an optical illusion as they reach the bottom of their arc.

I find the turbines majestic and quite beautiful with their smooth curves and regular shape. Certainly seeing lines and groups of them spread across the landscape is spectacular.

Turbines on the hills.

Turbines in the sun.

Terawhiti Station

Terawhiti Station is huge. It went on and on and on. It was more like driving through a national park than through a farm. The hills are covered with bush and scrub, inhabited by wild goats, wild pigs, even deer, apparently. There are also farm animals: cattle and sheep. Hawks hovered overhead playing in the air currents as they came off the turbines.

We drove up rough roads until we reached the first of the turbines and in other parts of the tour too. Some roads were steep and relatively narrow, while others, created for transporting the turbines, were wide and easy.

The power company created a temporary wharf at Oteranga Bay on the South Coast and built 33 kilometres of roads so as to transport everything into place. We saw occasional notices of height restrictions for vehicles: 12.5 metres, or 11 metres.

At one place our guide pointed out the remnants of the gold mining that took place in the late 1800s. He mentioned a time when there were maybe a thousand miners. Most gave up quickly when a seam they’d found stopped suddenly, thanks to Wellington’s fractured landscape. It could take months of hard graft to find where any seam continued.

Māori settlements were in the area too. We saw the vestiges of one area where they would trap the wood pigeons or kereru that would gather to feast on the fruits of the trees.

Down by Oteranga Bay one area is sectioned off because it was an urupa, or graveyard.

The Army had a presence in the area in World War Two. As with most of Wellington’s hills they installed bunkers, creating roads so they could bring in the supplies they needed. We didn’t visit any of the bunkers or even spot any of them on our tour though.

Apparently Oteranga Bay was also where in the early days the farmers would drive their cattle to so they could be loaded on to barges to be taken to market. Driving them on the tracks over the hills would have taken days.

Near the old homestead.

The seals

At some point we stopped at the old homestead on the coast for a toilet break. There’s a rather surprising large flat area of grass by the sea with a couple of houses on it, one of them the old homestead.

Then it was a short drive down to and briefly along the coast to the spot where the seals haul out. Our guides gave us a cup of tea (or coffee or soft drinks) and a muffin or two. Then we had some free time to wander around and observe the seals, without getting close enough to bother them.

New Zealand Fur Seals in amongst the rocks. There are more in the sea beside the rocks but they aren’t really visible in this photo.

There were probably a dozen or more seals sunbathing on the beach, with perhaps a couple of dozen more on the rocks or in the sea nearby. Apparently in July and August there can be hundreds on the beach. Even the ones we saw were pretty pongy. When there are hundreds on the beach the stench must be overpowering.

Seals, zoomed in.

Our guide explained something interesting to us too: seals move on land with a looping motion like a caterpillar, while sealions lift up and walk on their flippers. The New Zealand Fur Seal (its official name) is actually a sealion.

The seals on the beach are males — the females are away out at sea fishing and looking after any pups.

Not far away were various small fishing and recreational boats, and several divers were in the water too. While access through Terawhiti Station is extremely limited, those with a good 4-wheel drive vehicle can drive around the coast on the beach from Owhiro Bay. In New Zealand the Queen’s Chain is a strip of public land along beaches and beside rivers, that allows access to the water even where private land might seem to lay claim to the beach.

See photos and videos by Aimee Whitcroft who organised the tour.

My impressions

As the tour wore on I became more and more aware of what a privilege it was to be taking part in it. Terawhiti Station is enormous, rugged and beautiful.

The wind turbines are enormous, sleek and beautiful. There are so many of them, and they stretch into the distance on the ridges of the folded hills.

In retrospect it seems obvious that they require a huge amount of infrastructure. All the roading that had been created so they could be trucked into place was impressive. There are even spare turbines in one storage spot along the route we took.

I count myself lucky to have seen the seals. I have seen them before, at Red Rocks and also when my partner bought me a brief helicopter tour of the South Coast for a birthday once. But every time we can enjoy the creatures around us is special.

I was thrilled to have learned about the gold mining past and the Māori settlements, and enjoyed the isolation, the rugged terrain, and the beautiful warm still day with part cloud, part sun, and views my iPhone didn’t do justice to. The other people on the tour were interesting and pleasant, and the driver was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.

A bonus of the tour was the opportunity to look back at Brooklyn Hill from the western side. I’ve looked down on this section of coast from Te Kopahou Reserve, and from above on our helicopter tour, so this completed my mental image of the area.

All in all it was a fabulous way to spend a morning.

Windfarm, hills and sky.

Tech Universe: Monday 29 April 2013

• PEDAL CHARGER: Gadgets you use while cycling, such as for GPS, can quickly run out of juice, so wouldn’t it be handy if all your pedalling could help charge them up? The Atom does just that, charging an iPhone 1% for every two minutes of pedaling. It easily attaches to the axle on the rear wheel and charges devices via a USB cable or by powering its own battery that can later be used as an external battery for your phone. Because it’s siphoning off some of the energy from pedalling it adds a slight drag to the bike — about the same as a 0.3% gradient, and uses internal gearing to maximise efficiency. That beats draining your phone just to track a ride. Gizmodo.
• GET THE SUNSHINE IN: IBM are working on a High Concentration Photovoltaic Thermal system that can make the most of the solar energy it concentrates. Usually solar collectors are limited in how much sunshine they gather as otherwise they’d simply get too hot. This highly efficient and low cost collector will be cooled by water that will remove some of the heat and could itself be used for air conditioning. The system uses a large parabolic dish made from many mirror facets and photovoltaic chips, while a tracking system determines the best angle based on the position of the sun. It converts 30% of collected solar radiation into electrical energy. The cooling system is inspired by the hierarchical branched blood supply system of the human body. Engadget.
• PATCH GAMES: One child in 50 is likely to have a problem with amblyopia where one eye is weaker than the other. The traditional treatment is to have the child wear an eye patch for months. Researchers at McGill University think a better option may be to have the kids play Tetris — it worked in a small study with 18 adults. They had volunteers wear special goggles for an hour a day while playing Tetris. The goggles allowed one eye to see only falling blocks, while the other eye could see only the resting blocks. After two weeks their vision had improved more than that of a control group. I’ll bet most kids would prefer the video games to the eye patch. BBC.
• FLYING THUMBS: It can be hard work typing on a tablet’s touchscreen keyboard. After studying millions of English-language tweets that originated from mobile devices a team of researchers has designed a new KALQ keyboard layout optimised for typing with thumbs. After several hours of training novice users were able to reach 37 words per minute on the new layout — the fastest thumb typing speed ever reported. The layout puts most vowels by the spacebar, on the righthand side, and the most commonly used letters are clustered. Left handers can swap orientation, and key size can be changed to match thumb size. Several hours of training for typing on a touchscreen? That’s dedication. GigaOm.
• BIG HEAD: Bike helmets are fine when they’re on your head, but a pain to carry round when they’re not. Carrera’s foldable bicycle helmet has a flexible frame, elastic fitting system and adjustable side straps that adapt the helmet to the shape of the head. An included belt wraps around the folded helmet so it attaches easily to the bike frame when not wearing it. Now, if they could just find a way to also make it fold flat. Carrera.

Tech Universe: Tuesday 30 April 2013

• RIGHT LIGHTS: Light pollution is a huge waste of energy and money, damages our health and stops us from enjoying the natural wonders of the night sky. Unfortunately conventional sodium or mercury vapour streetlights contribute to the problem, scattering and leaking light in all directions. Now a team of researchers has an idea for LED streetlights that send a rectangle of light on to the street where it’s useful. A special lens focuses the light’s rays so they travel parallel to each other in a single direction, while a reflecting cavity captures any rays that escape. Meanwhile a diffuser reduces glare. Now they’re working on a prototype that can prove the concept. Let’s keep the skies dark. BBC.
• NO BOOM IN IRON: There are quite a few problems with fertiliser, one of which is its potential for use in home made bombs. Researchers at the Sandia National Lab found something that could help: mix in some iron sulfate, a waste product from steel foundries. They say that the new mix not only prevents the use of the fertiliser to make bombs, but also helps the fertiliser’s performance by improving the pH of soil and increasing the levels of iron in food. It sounds like a simple way to do a lot of good. Technology Review.
• LIVING PRINTS: Researchers studying how the human liver works also need to test how drugs interact with it. Now they can print tiny livers for themselves. A 3D printer created by US company Organovo makes livers half a millimetre deep and 4 millimetres across that can perform most functions of the real thing. The printer works by building up layers of hepatocytes and stellate cells and also adds cells from the lining of blood vessels. The miniature livers can be used for studying the effects of drugs, but the company has a goal of creating full size livers suitable for transplant. And perhaps being able to print tiny livers for testing can free up more of the real thing for transplants. New Scientist.
• THE ENEMY WITHIN: Pancreatic cancer is very difficult to treat, partly because of the way it spreads to other parts of the body. US biologists may have found a way to defeat it though, by using genetically modified bacteria to deliver radiation directly to the cancer cells. Studies in mice have been very successful. The technique uses a bacterium, modified with the radioactive compound rhenium-188, that can burrow inside key immune cells. The researchers believe that after further development and testing this technique could supplement standard treatments. Just point those bacteria the right way. Wired.
• GROWING DIESEL: We may have the University of Exeter to thank if we can fill up our trucks soon with diesel produced not from oil but from bacteria. The diesel produced by their special strains of E. coli bacteria is almost identical to conventional diesel fuel and the engines that run on it won’t need any modification. The next challenge is to make the process commercially viable. Bacteria — so useful. University of Exeter.

Tech Universe: Wednesday 01 May 2013

• A MOTE IN THE MOUSE: Back in the day a computer would fill a huge room; now you often carry one in your pocket. Researchers at the University of Michigan are working on smart dust, with prototypes only a cubic millimetre in size. Their Michigan Micro Motes include sensors to monitor temperature or movement then send data via radio waves. Of course you’ll be wanting to know if these microscopic computers need AA batteries. The idea is that they’d scavenge energy from nearby sources, perhaps via a solar panel or by exploiting temperature differences. Although this all seems more a fantasy than a practicality, the Michigan team has implanted a Micro Mote inside a mouse tumour so that it can report back on its growth. There may yet come a day when a magician can sprinkle a handful of dust and wave a wand to work miracles. New Scientist.
• SOAPY SAVINGS: Mosquitoes famously help transmit malaria — a big problem in some parts of the world. Hundreds of thousands of people die from malaria each year. That’s why two students in Burkina Faso invented a mosquito repelling soap. Faso Soap, is made from karate citronella, and other secret local herbs. Who needs nano-stuff? Low tech can also save lives. Clutch.
• DID YOU SAY?: The Chinese Si-Rui brand cars are gaining voice recognition supporting Mandarin Chinese. Soon drivers will be able to us voice commands for the radio, TV and DVD player, media player and navigation system. For example, apart from just playing the next song, a driver may be able to say “Search gas station” to find the nearest place to fill up. Actually, it’s the DVD controls that concern me. Nuance.
• EARTH AND WATER: Hydrophobic materials are usually made from thin polymer coatings that degrade when heated and are easily destroyed by wear. This reduces their usefulness in equipment for taking salt out of water or in steam-based power plants. Researchers at MIT created a new class of hydrophobic ceramics that can endure both extreme temperatures and rough treatment. That’s an achievement because ceramics generally attract water, rather than repelling it. It’s rare-earth oxides that do the trick. By fusing them into a solid ceramic form through sintering the result is materials with strong hydrophobic properties. Technology Review.
• THE THINKING PHONE: We already control lots of devices with our brains — it’s just that the signals pass through an intermediary such as fingers or voice box to do it. Now Samsung’s Emerging Technology Lab want to let us be more direct. Their research involves a cap studded with EEG-monitoring electrodes. They’ve already shown that people can concentrate on an icon blinking at a distinctive frequency to launch an app and make selections within it, for example. Unlike traditional EEG monitors that can take nearly an hour to set up this cap takes only a few seconds as it doesn’t require any gel. At this stage it’s all very slow and clunky, but further research should help speed things up. It’s good to see plenty of research going on around controlling devices by thought alone. Technology Review.

Tech Universe: Thursday 02 May 2013

• TELL-TALE BREATH: Swedish researchers using a simple, commercially available breath sampler found they were able to detect up to a dozen different drugs, including methadone, amphetamine, methamphetamine and cocaine in the breath of testers. The analyser collects micro-particles from breath on a filter which is sealed and stored for later analysis. Later analysis using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry reveals the trace of drug use on the breath. It stands to reason that our breath can reveal what’s gone into our bodies. Phys.org.
• SWIM TIMER: Serious sportspeople may aim to keep their hearts beating within a specific rhythm range while training. For those on dry land there are various gadgets available, but for swimmers it’s another matter. It’s not only waterproofing that’s the problem, but that most devices may interfere with swimming. A Lebanese device clips to the forehead, just below swimming goggles to measure heart rate and keep track of laps and turns. The Instabeat device reads the temporal artery and displays a readout in the goggles. It weighs 30 grams and the rechargeable lithium-ion battery lasts for 8 hours. And conversely, this one may help the land-based athletes too. MedGadget.
• THIRD ARM: Imagine you’re an engineer out in the field working on unfamiliar equipment in an unfamiliar environment. There’s a lot of potential for messing up. A robot arm could help, by relaying video back to base or from base back to you, by pointing out which parts to use, where to start or where items belong. The Mobile Repair and Operations prototype pairs with a smartphone and can overlay on the phone’s screen guides such as arrows or signs. At the worksite a microphone, video and projector on the robot arm can be used to help the engineer with the job, or potentially guide them to safety in an accident. If the robot could also offer a hand that would be even more useful. BBC.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc2HywlRODE

• WAVING WALLS: Rather than just sticking solar panels on the roof of a house one architect believes they could instead be incorporated in the walls in the form of fabric strips. At least one house in Germany has used this idea. The Soft House features a network of textile strips on the facade with integrated photovoltaic cells, generating up to 16,000 watt-hours of electricity. The strips can move with the sun and be angled to maximise shade in summer or light in winter. Fabric strips wouldn’t immediately spring to mind as being able to withstand years of weather. Discovery News.
• BETTER BATTERIES: Australian researchers have found a way for electric vehicles to travel further on a charge. A material based on Germanium stores 5 times more energy and can carry a car twice as far on one charge as the batteries currently in electric vehicles. What’s more the material is cost-effective, easy to synthesise and allows a battery to charge more quickly. What’s not to like? University of Wollongong.

Tech Universe: Friday 03 May 2013

• DELIVERY DOG: Search and rescue is a hazardous job, especially in collapsed buildings. In fact there may be some places where only a robot shaped like a snake could reach. How to get the robot into place may still be a problem though, so why not send in the dogs? Researchers attached a snake robot via a harness to a trained recue dog and sent the dog into a collapsed training building. The dogs are trained to bark when they find a point of interest. At that time the researchers trigger the harness to fall off the dog and release the robot. The robot is then able to writhe and slither around, relaying video back to the rescue team. Now they need a robot dog to deliver the snake robot. BBC.
• SEND A ROBOT: All those huge wind turbines generating electricity are doing a great job, but they have to be inspected regularly and that’s quite a challenge. Of course it’s the ideal job for a climbing robot like the HR-MP20 that can run up the wind turbine and crawl out onto the blades. The little 4-wheeler works wirelessly, hanging on with magnets and can carry cameras, sensors and various inspection devices. The robot weighs 9 Kg and can climb at up to 13 metres per minute. Its radio control range is around 760 metres in line of sight. That’s quite an inspection gadget. Helical Robotics.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mme8SzDOTE8

• TOUCHING ROBOTS: Our skin is an amazing sensor, detecting even the lightest of touches. Matching that with an artificial skin that can detect touch, for robots, for example, is a big problem. Now researchers at Georgia Tech may be onto something. They built tiny arrays of around 8,000 transistors bundled together with nanoscale crystals of zinc oxide, a semiconducting material. These taxels produce electronic signals when subjected to a mechanical force such as a touch. They’re about as sensitive as a human fingertip too — much more sensitive than previous approaches to the problem. Taxels: nice name. io9.
• THE SPOKEN WEB: There are plenty of people who have no access to the Internet: even if they had a computer they still can’t read and write. The Voices project in Africa lets users of specially created web content control it by speaking, listening to the page and by pressing certain buttons on their phone. The system can also push voice messages out to individual handsets, allowing for the creation of a voice version of Twitter called Tabale. One problem is that many languages, such as Bambara spoken in Mali, haven’t been studied sufficiently for good voice recognition. Technology can bring huge benefits, but there’s still so much research yet to be done. New Scientist.
• THE QUIET TUK: In some parts of the world the 3-wheeled tuk-tuk serves as a taxi. Now Terra Motors in Japan are introducing an electric version that can travel 50 Km on a 2 hour charge while carrying several passengers. The Philippines plan to replace 100,000 of their petrol-powered tuk-tuks with electric vehicles by 2016. The electric vehicles are quieter and will help reduce air pollution. They look quite swoopy too. TechCrunch.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcUUBmEtqeM

Sometimes life changes happen suddenly.

Back in March I took all the MacTips I (and a handful of others) had written between 01 January 2012 and 28 February 2013 and compiled them into a book I optimistically named A MacTips Sparkler, Volume 1, March 2013. Buy a copy for yourself.

When I chose that title I was expecting to follow up over the next few years with Volumes 2, 3 4 and so on. I launched the book around 27 March 2013, a day or so before the Easter break.

After a few days off, offline and at the beach, I sat down to work on Tuesday 02 April and thought Nooo, I really don’t want to write another MacTip.

Then I considered the idea of stopping MacTips, of never writing another one again, and a feeling of utter relief washed over me. After 13-some years of writing weekly (sometimes twice-weekly) Tips for users of Apple products it was time to change direction.

MacTips at the end.

Decision made I took action, informed subscribers and readers and set the site up to be sold, as explained in TidBITS: MacTips.info Web Site Goes Up for Auction:

Miraz Jordan is auctioning off her 13-year-old MacTips.info Web site, complete with nearly 1,000 posts. As of this writing, the price is at $3,400, which doesn’t seem bad at all for that amount of content and a site that averages 30,000 unique visitors per month (with a peak of 105,000 visitors in January 2012), along with 350 email subscribers, 600 Twitter followers, 2,100 RSS readers, 400 YouTube channel subscribers, and 500 Facebook “likes.” The Flippa auction is slated to end on 7 May 2013.

I’ve never sold a website before, though I’ve sold plenty of items on New Zealand’s local auction website, TradeMe. It turns out the principles are the same: give it a clean, establish relevant data points, list with plenty of helpful information.

The first bid came in almost immediately, meeting the reserve price, and as I write several bidders are slowly ratcheting up the price. With a week to go I’m optimistic of earning a bit of very welcome cash. My budget’s been extremely tight for quite a few years now and I’m looking forward to things easing.

And with the 4 to 6 hours per week I’m gaining by not writing MacTips and looking after the site? My partner says I should take it easy and relax for a while, so I’m doing that.

I’m also putting a bit more energy into another informational website I set up a couple of years ago: Run Spot Run is a site for people in Wellington, New Zealand who have dogs. It reviews local off-leash areas (and some enjoyable on-leash walks), and carries bits of news of interest to its target audience.

Meanwhile, I continue to write my Tech Universe column for the NZHerald Online, 5 days per week. I am available though for part-time, casual and short-term jobs writing or training. Let me know if there’s something I can do for you.

Tech Universe: Monday 22 April 2013

• STICK TO IT: One problem surgeons have is how to anchor skin grafts so they have time to heal. Stitches and staples are useful, but cause their own trauma to the skin. And we all know that sticky dressings usually fall off if they get wet. A team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the US took inspiration from a parasitic worm that lives in the guts of fish. They’ve created a patch that’s covered with microscopic needles. Like the spikes on the parasite, the needles easily penetrate skin, but then swell up and lock in place. There’s less trauma, and the patch is 3 times stronger than materials currently used for burns patients. Tests in animals have proven the patch a success. You’d think that would be handy for ordinary sticking plasters too. BBC.
• THE BIG PICTURE: The US military uses long-wave infrared cameras to detect humans at night by their heat signatures. That works well, but the cameras are so large they have to be mounted on vehicles and they’re costly too. It would be much more convenient if individual soldiers could carry them. That may soon happen though as the latest prototype LWIR camera has a sensor whose pixels are so small 12 would fit across a single human hair. The pixels are configured in a high-resolution 1280×720 focal plane array. The new cameras are relatively cheap, but their perfomance is comparable to that of the larger imagers. That’s one more item for soldiers to carry. DARPA.
• BIG THINGS; SMALL PACKAGES: When it comes to powering devices the choice is between capacitors that release energy quickly but can store only a small amount and batteries that store a lot but release or recharge slowly. A new microbattery from the University of Illinois manages both high power and high storage. The batteries can also recharge 1,000 times faster than competing technologies. The team have achieved this feat with a 3 dimensional microstructure for both anode and cathode. Now the obvious question: how long until these batteries are being implemented in our gadgets? University of Illinois.
• PILL POPPER: People may take too many prescription painkillers on purpose or by accident, and may die as a result. Students at Brigham Young University created Med Vault to help reduce such overdoses. Their pill container resists tampering and breaking and dispenses pills only on a schedule programmed in by a pharmacist. Patients must key in an access code to retrieve pills that are ready to be dispensed. Let’s hope the pain’s not bad enough to prevent them keying in the access code. Brigham Young University.
• YELLOW GOLD: From sulphur to plastic — a team at the University of Arizona has used a new chemical process to transform waste sulphur into a lightweight plastic that can be used to make batteries. Lithium-sulfur, or Li-S, batteries are more efficient, lighter and cheaper than those currently used. The new plastic is easy and inexpensive to produce on an industrial scale and makes use of a waste product from refining fossil fuels. The process adds an unnamed chemical to sulphur to polymerise it. Making waste products useful is always a good idea. University of Arizona.

Tech Universe: Tuesday 23 April 2013

• CARAVAN CLASS: The 8.5 metre 2014 Land Yacht travel trailer from Airstream is a very upmarket caravan. It uses luxury materials and Italian design in its 3 rooms. A bedroom, bathroom, living area and a hideaway galley kitchen provide enough room for 5 people to holiday or even live in. Features include hidden LED lighting, ducted air conditioning, a powered awning and a hidden storage area under the bed. Its look remain classic Airstream though. No need to rough it while caravanning. Wired.
• AGING ANTS: How do you track individual ants in a colony of thousands? With barcodes, of course. A team of Swiss scientists glued barcodes to hundreds of ants and recorded all their movements for more than a month. Then they used video to analyse the position and orientation of every ant twice a second. They also tagged ants with different colours to denote their age, which allowed them to see how ants undertook different tasks as they grew older. Pity the lab technician who had to glue on all the barcodes. Ars Technica.
• HOUSING SPHERES: If you’re building habitations in extreme environments you can expect that they’ll be pretty unusual. At The Ekinoid Project that means spheres raised up off the ground and self-sufficient so they don’t need infrastructure such as pipelines, powerlines and sewage systems. Each sphere would be around 10 metres in diameter and could be joined to several other spheres to create a hub. At the moment the project is only in its early design stages, but it looks intriguing. And somewhat alien. The Ekinoid Project.
• THE INNER ROBOT: In keyhole surgery it’s very handy for surgeons to actually be able to see what they’re doing. One technique may be to use tiny robots. But the problem lies in how the robots can crawl around on the slippery surfaces inside the body. Researchers from the University of Leeds used a treefrog as their model when they created the feet on their robot. The feet use capillary action to adhere to even wet surfaces, but on a scale of a thousandth of a millimetre to gain enough adhesion. Their prototype robot is still too large to be used in surgery, but they aim to sort that out soon. Caution: robots inside. University of Leeds.
• A SUNSHINE BUZZ: South Korean researchers have created a hybrid energy harvester using silicon nanopillar solar cells and piezoelectric generators. Since it captures solar and sound energy simultaneously, it can still generate power even if one source is absent, for example when the sun’s not shining. The hybrid harvester could be particularly useful in moving vehicles. Keep that engine roar up. PhysOrg.

Tech Universe: Wednesday 24 April 2013

• BIG DIFFERENCE: The world’s oceans receive 80% of the solar energy that arrives on our planet. To make use of some of that energy China may soon be home to the world’s largest Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion power plant, supplying 10 megawatts. The OTEC system takes the natural temperature difference between surface and bottom of the ocean in tropical regions and uses it to create power consistently 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This plant’s still a fairly small pilot though. A fullscale 100 megawatt OTEC plant could produce the same amount of energy in a year as 1.3 million barrels of oil while decreasing carbon emissions by half a million tons. All by exploiting a difference in temperature. Lockheed Martin.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfrWE61EeQY

• WATER YOUR PHONE: The MyFC PowerTrekk, developed at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, uses ordinary water and connects via USB to extend battery life for devices of up to 3 watts. What’s more the water doesn’t need to be completely clean, and can be fresh or salt water. The charger is both a fuel cell and a portable battery, providing a direct power source as well as a storage buffer for the fuel. Inside the unit is a small recyclable metal disc. When you pour water onto it hydrogen gas is released and combines with oxygen to convert chemical energy into electrical energy and provide between 20% and 100% of a battery charge. Now that’s a charger to keep around. KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
• FORK IT IN: The HapiFork may help you eat better, by counting bites and vibrating to alert you when you eat too quickly. Studies have suggested that eating more slowly improves digestion and helps control weight, so if you take more than one mouthful every 10 seconds the fork lets you know. The fork synchs with a smartphone and also has a web dashboard. The electronics it needs are housed in the handle and can be removed before washing. Data from test users shows people take about 70 fork bites per meal. Reduce portion size too. CNN.
• SENSITIVE ROBOTS: Nobody want to be roughed up by a robot, so researchers at Harvard have developed a very inexpensive tactile sensor for robotic hands to make them more sensitive. The TakkTile sensor is intended for commercial inventors, teachers, and robotics enthusiasts. The sensor adds a layer of vacuum-sealed rubber to a tiny barometer that senses air pressure. Added to a robotic hand, it helps pick up a balloon without popping it, or pick up a key and use it to unlock a door. The sensors can be built using relatively simple equipment and standard fabrication processes. This is particularly important for medical and personal care work too. Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
• KEEP MOVING: The Karma Chameleon at Concordia University in Canada is working on interactive electronic fabrics that harness and store energy directly from the human body, then use the power to change the visual properties of the garments. The project weaves electronic or computer functions into the fibres which consist of multiple layers of polymers. It’s not yet possible to manufacture clothing with the new composite fibres but the designers in the project are creating conceptual prototypes. For example, garments could change their shape and colour while being worn, or capture the energy from human movement to charge a smartphone. Now hook it up to mood detectors so your clothes can reflect how you feel. Concordia University.

Note: there was no Tech Universe on Anzac Day, 25 April.

Tech Universe: Friday 26 April 2013

• RUN IN PLACE: While you play video games your character may run, walk, jump and be incredibly athletic. Meanwhile, chances are you’re sitting comfortably. Virtuix hope to change that with their omnidirectional treadmill, a natural motion interface. The Omni is a small octagonal platform, with an enclosing rail above it to hold you in place. As your onscreen character moves, so do you. You can walk and run in any direction, stand still, look around and generally be more engaged in your character. Add a VR headset for the full immersive experience. That could be a whole more fun at the gym too. Virtuix.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpYJXrDHOBk

• COOLING STEAM: If you have an electric car then you may have to trade off heating and air conditioning against the distance you can travel on a battery charge. Researchers at MIT are working on a new thermal battery that can be used for either heating or cooling. Water is pumped into a low-pressure container, evaporating and absorbing heat in the process. Then an adsorbant material pulls water vapour out of the container, keeping the pressure low so more water can be pumped in and evaporated. That process keeps the passengers cool. Or the heat that’s released from adsorption can be used to warm up the passenger compartment. Eventually the system needs to be recharged, which could use heat from a solar water heater, and happen while the battery’s charging. A steam engine in a car, eh? Technology Review.
• LIVING ON THE RIVER: The WaterHouses are smart, 34 eco-friendly apartments in Hamburg, Germany. They’re actually built directly on the Elbe river, connected to shore by footbridges. A building control system provides a touchscreen to individually adjust heating and cooling, while heating and hot water come from a geothermal heat pump system and solar thermal elements in the facades. And when the river floods, do they rise with the tide? WaterHouses.
• LIVING ON THE ROAD: The Kiwi designed Romotow isn’t your ordinary caravan. It features an aerodynamic shape and plenty of glass, and is lightweight for added fuel efficiency. Its big point of difference though is that the main body is contained within a shell. The inside portion with the indoor living area can be swivelled by 90 degrees, leaving the outer shell as a covered outdoor area. Unfortunately the caravan’s still only a design awaiting a protoype but it would be great to see these on New Zealand’s roads. Romotow.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3GERYRN2aY

• PICKABOT: Industrial robots are superb at tirelessly repeating the same action over and over without change, for example in welding parts. But Industrial Perception are aiming to give robots the ability to make some decisions for themselves, for example, picking a particular object out from a pile of many objects. Their robots use multiple 3D sensors and engineered algorithms to carry out assigned tasks. The robots start by creating a real time digital 3D model of the scene. Then they search for a specific shape by fitting a 3D mesh of the desired object over the shapes in their field of vision. Finally the robots act on the object, perhaps picking it up and moving it. They may be slower than a human worker, but can work without breaks and without tiring. No smoko for robots. Singularity Hub.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azCrJhKOUoo

Commander Chris Hadfield is definitely someone to follow on Twitter. He frequently posts gorgeous photos of Earth from the International Space Station. Now he has a video showing us how he goes about taking those photos:

Throughout his ISS mission, CSA Astronaut Chris Hadfield has been taking some of the most incredible photos of Earth ever seen. In this video, the Station Commander takes us to the best seat in the house to gaze at the visual splendour of the Earth. He shares his techniques and his passion for capturing the fleeting glimpses of our changing world that has galvanized a vast and diverse audience of space-lovers.

Just look at that giant lens!

Hadfield also frequently makes movies about how things work in space. They’re absolutely worth watching too.

Tech Universe: Monday 15 April 2013

• HOT SLIME: The BIQ House in Hamburg runs on algae. The facade of the building includes 129 bioreactors containing microalgae that generate biomass, provide heat and offer some soundproofing. An energy management centre harvests and stores solar thermal heat and algae to to create hot water. That’s one building where the green slime stays. Daily Mail.
• THINK IT SO: Fingerprints or iris scans may be used to protect important data or facilities, but such systems are slow and expensive. Researchers at UC Berkeley may be able to create a low-cost and fast way to use thoughts for computer passwords. In tests they had people wear a low-cost Neurosky MindSet that connects via Bluetooth. Test subjects were given a task such as imagining singing a song of their choice. The distinct brainwaves were enough to authenticate users on the computers. Now that would have to be easier than remembering hundreds of passwords, but how does it handle tiredness or the influence of medication? UC Berkeley.
• PHONE IT IN: Smartphones can do a lot of clever things, but how about reading fingerprints, scanning irises and identifying a face? AOptix has hardware and an app that turns an iPhone into a mobile biometric reader. A special case around the phone collects fingerprints, while the phone’s camera is used for iris scanning and facial recognition, and the built-in microphone collects recordings of the voice. The user can add notes and email data back to base. This isn’t for the general public though and is likely to be used by government agencies. That’s a lot of power in a small device. Wired.
• SMART READS: Have a reading assignment for your studies? Maybe you diligently read the whole book, or perhaps you flick through a few pages, or maybe you never even open the book. Beware the power of ebooks: your lecturer may know just which pages you have and haven’t read, what notes you made or where you failed to highlight key parts. CourseSmart technology allows lecturers to track the progress their students make through digital textbooks. It collects data and then creates an engagement index for each student that can highlight factors such as how often the student opened a particular textbook. On the other hand, it won’t know if a student makes notes on paper or in a separate computer file. The New York Times.
• A LONG VIEW: A camera featuring a low-power infrared laser beam and superconducting nanowires can tell when a single photon has hit. With that information it can create high-resolution 3D images from up to 1 Km away. The infrared capability means the camera detects a wide variety of different items, like clothing, that don’t normally reflect laser beams well. The camera could perhaps be used to scan a forest from a plane, or scan the ocean floor. One problem is that superconductors have to be cooled to a few degrees above absolute zero, so this won’t be a handheld gadget any time in the near future. 3D from a single camera isn’t bad. Wired.

Tech Universe: Tuesday 16 April 2013

• IN A SPIN: E-Volo’s VC200 is a two-seater volocopter that should soon be granted a provisional airworthiness certificate. The developers aim for a flight time of more than 1 hour, and a speed of more than 100 Kph. The minimum flight altitude is around 2,000 metres. The electric Volocopter is a vertical takeoff and landing craft that uses many propellers placed within a circular frame above the body of the craft. The whole craft broadly resembles a helicopter without a tail. That looks like a fun way to fly. E-Volo.
• ON THE GAME: The Reactive Grip from Tactical Haptics is a device for gamers that brings a more realistic sense of using weapons during a game. Slider bars in the handle move as the player uses various weapons in a game, for example simulating the kick of a gun or the resistance of fighting with a sword. The system also has potential for sportspeople and surgeons. The developers hope to fund developer kits later this year. It seems slow going with making interactions with virtual worlds feel more realistic. Road To VR.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=610iTKlYBVM

• HANDS FREE: One US man who lost both hands after a vehicle accident now has bionic hands he can control directly or through an iPhone app. The i-Limb Ultra Revolution hands from Touch Bionics have 5 individually powered fingers, including a fully rotatable thumb. The app lets him choose from 24 different types of grip patterns. He can now easily pick up a pen or a lolly, use an electric drill, play pool or shake hands. Prostheses have made huge advances in such a short time. CNN.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCyaaga8MqA

• DON’T HANDLE THE FRUIT: Fingerprints are still a really useful tool in crime fighting, but one area where they haven’t been used is with food. It’s pretty tricky to lift a print from porous surfaces like those on fruit and vegetables. Forensic scientists at the University of Abertay in Dundee modified a substance known as Powder Suspension and were able to lift high quality prints from onions, apples and tomatoes. Which goes to show that criminals should stick to their crime and not take breaks for snacks. BBC.
• PLANE WORRYING: A commercial airline pilot and IT security consultant recently gave a talk that showed an Android phone with a special app could take control of a plane. The transmissions between an aircraft and the control tower aren’t secured, so he used them to demonstrate the hijack possibilities on a virtual plane. What’s next? No taking phones on planes? Net Security.

Tech Universe: Wednesday 17 April 2013

• ANY OLD BITE: Snake bites, bee stings and many other things can fill your blood with venom. So how can that venom be removed? The answer may lie in a nanosponge invented by researchers at the University of California. The nanosponges are made of a biocompatible polymer core wrapped in a natural red blood cell membrane. In tests with mice the nanosponges lowered mortality rates to around a half or even a tenth, depending on when the nanoparticles were injected. This means the nanosponges could be used as a generic therapy for toxins, rather than the current method of using specific remedies for specific bites and stings. Perhaps that could eventually mean an over the counter kit travellers could carry for emergency use. U-T San Diego.
• VISIBLE BRAIN: Researchers have problems studying the brain because they simply can’t see through the lipids or fats that surround each cell. Instead they have to slice a brain into sheets only a fraction of a millimetre thick and study each sheet separately. In the process they may sever vital connections or introduce deformities. A new technique from Stanford University called Clarity uses a hydrogel to replace the lipids that hold everything in place. The result is a brain that is transparent to light and permeable to molecules that can act as markers. Researchers can now study the brain or in fact any organ much more easily. It’s just a pity techniques like these can’t be used on live brains. io9.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-NMfp13Uug

• LIT UP BRAIN: US researchers used tiny devices containing LEDs the size of individual neurons to activate brain cells in mice. The LEDs caused the mouse brains to release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure. The LEDs, thinner than a human hair, were housed in a fibre implanted deep into the brain, so the mice were free to run around, go through a maze or run on a wheel. The researchers used the LEDs to reward the mice for specific behaviours. The devices may be used in future to learn more about the brain or perhaps for pain control. And eventually, we’d guess, may end up in the same markets as illegal substances. Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
• LIGHT WORK: More than 19% of the world’s electricity consumption is accounted for by lighting. A prototype tube LED from Phillips could bring huge savings of both money and electricity because at 200 lumens per watt it’s twice as efficient as lights currently used in offices and industry. Philips expects the light to go on the market in 2015. Save even more by installing windows and skylights too. BBC.
• KIDNEY EXCHANGE: People whose kidneys fail may need to wait a very long time for a donor organ. A team at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston achieved a breakthrough in growing a new functioning kidney for a rat. They used a collagen scaffold made from healthy rat kidneys and a wash of human stem cells in a bath of oxygen and nutrients. The kidneys grew and were shown to function in a rat, although only at 10% efficiency. This approach could eventually lead to human kidneys being grown from a recipient’s own stem cells, based on kidneys from a pig. Which would change a great many lives, if it’s ever actually achieved. New Scientist.

Tech Universe: Thursday 18 April 2013

• BABY PRINTS: Prenatal sonograms give those expecting a baby an exciting glimpse of the new life within. But what if those parents are blind? One Brazilian industrial designer solves that problem with 3D printing. Sophisticated programs take the sonogram data and turn it into a simulation or a life size printed model. The simulations are useful to doctors who may be able to discover things like a cleft lip or Downs Syndrome. The 3D models make it possible for visually impaired family members and friends to appreciate the fetus. A full model of a fetus at 12 weeks costs around $200. Let’s hope those costs can be reduced. Tech Page One.
• LIE BACK AND PEDAL: Electric bicycles are one thing, but Outrider USA makes recumbent electric trikes that can travel at up to 65 Kph. Choose between pedal only, electric only, or pedalling with electric assist. Range is up to 265 Km if you do some of the work or 175 Km if you don’t. The Lithium Polymer battery charges from 0% to 100% in 180 minutes. It looks like a nice ride. Outrider USA.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS6JVhX0d8c

• REMEMBER THE CHARGE: While older batteries had an annoying memory effect caused by incomplete charging or discharging, lithium-ion batteries don’t. Or so we thought. Scientists have now found that in fact LiFePO4 batteries, such as those used in electric vehicles, can suffer the effect too. The good news is that the effect is tiny and can probably be counteracted in the software used for managing the battery. The last thing we need is for expensive electric vehicle batteries to run out after a brief trip to the shops. PhysOrg.
• SWIPE THAT: Fujitsu Laboratories are working on a new user interface that detects finger positions and gestures so you can interact with real world objects such as pieces of paper and books. A camera and projector together detect fingertip position, while a processor compensates for potential errors like those caused by curved pages in open books. That means, for example, that you could select part of a document with your finger and automatically capture the data into your computer. Tap or swipe to turn the page? DigInfo TV.
• A LONG VIEW: The Thirty Meter Telescope will be the world’s largest optical telescope when it’s completed on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawai’i. Construction is to start early in 2014, with observations starting in 2021. As one of the largest optical telescopes in the world, it should be able to observe light from 13 billion years ago and track extrasolar planets. That’s a particularly huge telescope to have on the ground. New Scientist..

Tech Universe: Friday 19 April 2013

• PATCH PERFECT: Many people need to monitor their health closely, perhaps after a stay in hospital. The Bio-patch sensor is a skin patch that’s as thin as a piece of paper. It’s inexpensive, versatile and comfortable to wear. The patch measures bioelectrical signals through the skin. Exactly what it measures depends on where it’s worn: it measures electrocardiography on the chest, but brainwaves on the skull. On the forearm it tracks muscle response. The wearer can analyse the readings in their smartphone, or data can go straight to a health worker for professional analysis. There’s a tiny battery in the patch, which is equipped with wifi too. KTH The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
• VIDEOS BY NUMBER: Have you been watching videos online? If they were smooth and easy you can probably thank the data centre hosting the videos for using redundancy, data distribution and cueing techniques. Any individual video is likely to be cut up, duplicated and stored across different discs to help create a smooth and unbroken experience. But that approach also uses a lot of electricity. A new technology called network coding may be able to reduce both redundancy and power draw. Rather than storing copies of videos, the system uses algorithms to transform the data that makes up a video into a series of mathematical functions. Devices can then use the functions to compensate for missing portions of the data. There’s logic in that. Technology Review.
• WORD SHAKE: If you have to spend a while on a treadmill perhaps you’d like to do some reading at the same time? It’s not easy though as your head bobs up and down. Engineers at Purdue University have created ReadingMate to solve the problem. The system adjusts text on a monitor to counteract the bobbing motion of a runner’s head and allows them to read normal-size text on a small monitor mounted in front of the machine. Because our eyes already try to compensate for the movement the system can’t just move the text in synch with the head, so an algorithm handles the calculations. A system like this could be helpful for pilots or people operating heavy machinery to compensate for turbulence while trying to read from a display. Meanwhile, maybe an audio file is a better choice. Purdue University.
• CLEAN ON COMMAND: LG’s RoboKings are voice activated robot vacuum cleaners. Clap twice to pause operation. The smart cleaner can move towards the user by recognising the direction the voice is coming from. It can also remember the corners of a room and efficiently locate obstacles thanks to 3 ultrasonic sensors. Upper and lower cameras help the robot to clean dark places. The cleaner operates at 48 decibels for up to 100 minutes on a charge. Voice control’s a handy feature. FarEastGizmos.
• HOME PRINTER: A team of architects in Amsterdam has a 3D printer that’s 6 metres tall. They’re planning to use it to print a whole canal house from different types of plastics and wood fibres extruded through a flexible tube. The architects draw their plans on a computer and feed them to the printer. The printer will first create exterior walls, followed by ceilings and individual rooms, then finally furniture. The pieces will then be assembled on site. This project is an experiment to prove the concept, although the cost will likely be more than for a conventional house. And the great thing is it’s easy to produce scale models beforehand on a regular sized 3D printer. Let’s just hope it can work with plastics produced from renewable sources. BBC.

Recently I published another ebook. This one’s for people who use Apple products such as Macs, iPhone and iPads, and the software that runs on them.

A MacTips Sparkler, Volume 1, March 2013:

Add sparkle to your work and leisure or just enjoy some sparks of ideas. A MacTips Sparkler, Volume 1, March 2013 is chock full of tips about using Macs, iPhones and iPads.

Perhaps this would appeal: How to fill a series of dates in Numbers.app? Or this: How to Track Friends with your iPhone?

Sick of running out of battery on your laptop before you notice? This Tip will help: Review: Low Battery Saver app.

Did you lose a file? How about using the Recover lost data Tip? Or maybe your Trash has eaten up your hard drive without your spotting it? This is the Tip for you: Hazel remembers to empty the Trash, that secret hoarder of files.

A MacTips Sparkler, Volume 1, March 2013.

Buy A MacTips Sparkler now: US$10.

Oh, and please tell your friends and family about the book too. There’s something in it for almost everyone.

Readers loved these Tips

Here are just a few of the comments that have been left on these Tips (edited for length)

• Cindy: Thanks! This was so easy! Your info was a great help.
• Julia: Thanks for the tip about how to get the path in spotlight. I’ve been incredibly irritated by Spotlight presuming you want to open a file rather than just locate it for attachment.
• Michael: Thanks, this has been bothering me for a wee while.
• Ana: Thank you! Didn’t think I could do this myself! Saved me so much time! SO Helpful!
• Sonia: That was fantastic. Not only solved my problem but gave me another useful tool. I now know how I can use overtype. I just didn’t know I had accidentally engaged it. Thanks to Miraz for walking me through it.
• Gerald: Perfect!! Thank you!!
• Jane: Thanks so much for the tips! Now I can enjoy reading in bed with my iPAD3. (I was so frustrated and cursed for the supposedly nice feature of tilting.)

If they all found these Tips so useful, I’m sure you will too. In fact, I’m so sure, that if you buy the book and don’t find anything useful in it, let me know within 7 days and I’ll give you a full refund.

My other ebooks

This is my third MacTips ebook. The other two were originally published on the Kindle bookstore but can now be bought from MacTips:

• 22 Tempting Timesavers for Mac Users
• Sizzling Safari Tips for Mac Users