20 most recent innovations in electronics

Touchscreen Device Shifts Shape As Needed

Thu, 19 May 2016 00:00:00 Z

The innovative Cubimorph prototype changes shape to offer touchscreens in different configurations.

Created by a team from the University of Bristol, the Cubimorph is made up of modular cubes with touchscreens on every side. These cubes are joined with a “hinge-mounted turntable mechanism” to form a chain able to self-reconfigure to suit the function of the device. In one example given by the team, the Cubimorph could shift from phone shape to a console shape for gaming.

Although the Cubimorph is still in the development phase, the team believes it is a significant first step towards a truly modular interactive device.

Smart Glove Turns Sign Language Into Text And Speech

Wed, 27 Apr 2016 00:00:00 Z

Sign language has helped the hearing-impaired communicate for many centuries, way before it was formalised and officially recognised, but this long-standing language of gestures has now been given a 21st-century technological upgrade. Saudi designer and media artist Hadeel Ayoub has invented a smart glove that recognises hand movements and converts them into the relevant text.

Much like Google Translate can give anyone a basic grasp of a foreign language in an instant, this glove is designed to help sign language users make themselves understood by those who can't usually interpret it.

Five flex sensors sit on the fingers, monitoring how they're being manipulated, while an accelerometer integrated into the fabric of the glove figures out how the hand is being held and the direction in which it's pointing. Through three successive prototypes, the glove has been made thinner, lighter, and faster, and the latest version includes a text-to-speech chip to vocalise the words as they're signed.

Ayoub has also created a computer application for displaying the signed words and phrases on a small screen. Eventually, she wants to create a mobile app so the same effect can be seen on a smartphone or tablet, and once Wi-Fi is incorporated - scheduled for the next prototype - the glove could also be used to send texts and emails. The addition of a motion controller in the fourth version of the glove should add to its accuracy too.

"I had one mission when I started this project and it was to facilitate communication between all kinds of disabilities, eliminating barriers between people who have a visual, hearing, or speech impairment," explains Ayoub in a press release. "The prototypes each have a new additional feature, an LED light, and a speaker for example, that took me one step closer to my goal. Once I've incorporated Wi-Fi and translation features into it the glove will be useful for all - no exclusions as to who the user can reach, wherever, whoever, from any country at any time."

While other researchers have worked on similar projects in the past, Ayoub says her invention is the lightest and most practical yet. She also has plans for a version for kids and wants to incorporate multilingual capabilities into the device so that speakers of sign language are able to communicate in whatever tongue they choose.

The fourth prototype is expected to cost in the region of £255 (US$386) and Ayoub has already been approached by several companies interested in manufacturing it. She's hoping that the costs are eventually picked up by schools and companies buying the gloves for their students and staff. You can keep up to date with the project at Hadeel Ayoub's own blog.

Cheaper, Transparent Smart Skin Powers Itself

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 00:00:00 Z

Flexible, wearable sensors open the door for everything from more effective health monitoring to robots with a sense of touch that can respond to stimuli like humans. While numerous electronic skin technologies have been developed, getting costs down has remained a problem. A Chinese team of scientists has now developed a new transparent smart skin that they claim is not only cheaper to produce, but is also able to harvest mechanical energy to power itself from movement.

The researchers say that previous attempts to increase the sensitivity of electronic skins has generally meant a corresponding increase in the number of electrodes, thereby also making them more expensive. Some smart skins also need an external power source, which means more wires. Other technologies, such as the Paper Skin, have impressive capabilities, but their lack of transparency limits their potential for use in wearables.

Made of ultra-thin plastic films, the researchers' new skin achieves a touch resolution of 1.9 mm using just four silver-nanowire electrodes and an analog localizing technique. The system also includes a component which creates electric charge through friction in a similar fashion to the University of Wisconsin-Madison's nanogenerator car.

Energy is created through the triboelectric effect, harnessing the electrical charge created when certain materials come into contact with each other, like when you run a comb through your hair. The principle has been used to generate electricity in everything from clothing to touchscreens, and means the smart skin could harvest energy from the movement of prosthetic fingers without the need for external batteries.

The new smart skin's creators say it's sensitive enough to pinpoint the location and force of an interaction, and can even detect a bee flying toward or away from the surface. It is also electrically stable, with the smart skin subjected to over 30,000 cycles and maintaining the same level of output.

Ultimately, the team suggests their technology could move us a step closer to offering robots and prosthetics with a sense of touch at a reasonable price.

The team's study appears in the journal ACS Nano.

Light-Powered Contact Lenses

Mon, 19 Oct 2015 00:00:00 Z

In a patent granted this month, Google shows off plans to build contact lenses that are powered by and communicate through light pulses. The patent, numbered 9158133, gives a peek on the role contact lenses can play in the future.

Google’s contact lenses will be light-powered. Using embedded cells that turn light into an electronic current, these contact lenses don’t need wired charging. They can use solar power or harvest energy from a beam of light. The patent does not mention batteries so these contacts have to constantly generate power.

In the patent, the ability to measure body heat and blood alcohol content are mentioned as possible new features for the Google lenses.

However, unlike the ones that measure blood sugar levels, these lenses can communicate with an external device. The patent proposes using pulses of light invisible to the human eye which another device can read. Through photodectors installed, they can receive data or special instructions, too.

This ability can play a key role in many fields. For example, if a display item has an embedded LED light pulsing a signal at a specific frequency, the contact lens can pick it up and forward this detection to a mobile device. This can mean targeted campaigns and even let makers know how long a person is staring at a specific thing.

Also, it can be a way to authenticate payments as a biometric. Instead of a fingerprint, it can scan eye topography and verify transactions in a blink.

Of course, a patent is only the beginning to a long process of making a product. However, it’s clear that Google believes that future hardware shouldn’t be confined to wraps around the wrist or the body. The eyeball might be an odd choice but Google has tried it before (remember Glass?) and maybe, the second time’s the charm.

Use Gestures To Log In

Fri, 07 Aug 2015 00:00:00 Z

Microsoft is proposing an alternative to passwords with a system that authorizes the user by recognizing hard-to-mimic gestures.

According to a patent filed by Microsoft, the system would allow users to create an authorization gesture that is easy for the user to perform but very difficult for would-be thieves to reproduce. This is achieved by the company’s patented technology that is able to identify biometric specific such as finger length, finger position, and even the angle between the fingers—aspects that are unique to each user and cannot be replicated simply by watching the gesture being performed.

According to the company, the system could work on devices of all sizes, from smartphones to the Xbox One with Kinect.

Monitor Charges Your Smartphone

Mon, 03 Aug 2015 00:00:00 Z

Samsung’s new SE370 monitor comes equipped with wireless charging capabilities, making charging a smartphone as simple as setting it next to the screen.

Designed to help declutter work stations, the SE370 monitor is equipped with Qi wireless charging technology, the leading wireless charging standard. The wireless charging area is embedded in the monitor’s stand, and compatible devices placed in the charging zone will begin charging automatically, with an LED illuminating to confirm the process.

Battery Charges Itself With Light

Mon, 22 Jun 2015 00:00:00 Z

Researchers have created a battery able to charge itself with light that is both safer and able to charge faster than conventional batteries.

Created by a team from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, the battery eschews the typical anode in favor of a titanium nitride photoanode that is more stable and much safer than conventional materials. Using indoor light and no other power source, the battery was able to recharge within 30 seconds and can survive more than a hundred power cycles, producing enough electricity to power a small fan and a LED.

Self-Powered Video Camera

Tue, 21 Apr 2015 00:00:00 Z

By using the light reflected from the object being recorded, researchers claim to have created a prototype video camera that could potentially record indefinitely under its own power. By incorporating energy-harvesting photodiodes within the pixels of its image-capture array, the new camera produces self-sustaining electrical power while simultaneously capturing video footage.

Currently able to capture one image per second, the new device has been created by a team at Columbia Engineering using commonly available electronic components to produce an image capture array with an area of 30 x 40 pixels.

"We are in the middle of a digital imaging revolution," said T.C. Chang Professor of Computer Science Shree K. Nayar, who directs the Computer Vision Laboratory at Columbia Engineering. "I think we have just seen the tip of the iceberg. Digital imaging is expected to enable many emerging fields including wearable devices, sensor networks, smart environments, personalized medicine, and the Internet of Things. A camera that can function as an untethered device forever – without any external power supply – would be incredibly useful."

Leveraging his experience in computational imaging, professor Nayar hit on the idea that despite the fact that solar cells and the digital image sensor in a camera perform different functions, they are both primarily designed to convert light into electrical current. Given this fact, professor Nayar took the next logical step in thinking that, if both devices convert light to electricity, then why not purpose one device to do both things? As a result, and to emulate a reasonable image, professor Nayar and his colleagues then employed an array of such multipurpose detectors to create a low-clarity image of an acceptable resolution.

Utilizing just two semiconductors for each pixel, during each image capture the simple circuit first records and transfers the image to be recorded, then converts the incident light into energy to charge the array's power supply. As part of the design, the image capture array constantly and automatically switches between image capture and power generation states.

The team claims that this process could also be employed to produce power for other connected devices, such as tablets or phones, when the camera is not specifically employed to capture images. Though, in its present form, the prototype device does not function in this manner.

Professor Nayar explained that he and his team "... took an extreme approach to demonstrate that the sensor is indeed truly self-powered and used just a capacitor to store the harvested energy."

Housed in a 3D-printed body, the prototype device is obviously of low resolution at present, but further work by the team is anticipated to increase the number of pixels contained in the array, while simultaneously reducing the image sensor down to microchip levels.

"A few different designs for image sensors that can harvest energy have been proposed in the past," said professor Nayar. "However, our prototype is the first demonstration of a fully self-powered video camera. And, even though we’ve used off-the-shelf components to demonstrate our design, our sensor architecture easily lends itself to a compact solid-state imaging chip. We believe our results are a significant step forward in developing an entirely new generation of cameras that can function for a very long duration – ideally, forever – without being externally powered."

Smartphone Cover Allows Use Of Gloves

Tue, 17 Mar 2015 00:00:00 Z

Anyone who has ever tried using their smartphone while wearing gloves will know it's nigh-on impossible. You therefore have a number of choices: wear fingerless gloves or special touchscreen-friendly gloves, remove your gloves while using the phone, or desist from using your phone entirely when out in the cold. Or thanks to a new product called Glovys, you could fix the problem using technology.

Glovys is a removable device that enables you to use your smartphone while wearing gloves. It bridges the gap between the glass and your gloved finger, allowing the capacitive touchscreen to sense changes in pressure.

It comprises two sheets of film with transparent circuits on them, separated by a small gap. When you press on the top sheet, the two circuits touch together, creating an electrical discharge which activates the screen. Glovys does all of this without using any batteries and without needing to be calibrated in any way.

You attach Glovys to your smartphone simply by pressing the sticky pads on all four corners. These sticky pads can be reused and washed, potentially enabling you to mount Glovys to your phone multiple times.

Glovys allows for swiping, scrolling, and text input

Glovys started life as a touchscreen designed to be used underwater, but during testing it was discovered that it also worked well with gloves. The design is now patented, with its creators hoping to continue to improve the product through further development.

It's available for most iPhones, from the iPhone 3 up to the iPhone 6 Plus. However, its lead designer Oskar Marko MusiÄ‡ is keen to produce further versions of Glovys for other devices, including different phones, tablets, and wearables.

Continuous Liquid Interface 3D Printer

Tue, 17 Mar 2015 00:00:00 Z

This new 3D printing technology looks like science fiction. But it's entirely real — the scientists who created it were inspired by the futuristic liquid metal in the movie Terminator 2.

Joseph DeSimone and the other University of North Carolina scientists who describe it in a new paper published today in Science call it "continuous liquid interface production." (They've also founded a new company called Carbon3D to sell the printer.)

Unlike conventional 3D printing, their printer continuously forms a new object, rather than printing it in layers. As a result, they say, it's much faster than conventional 3D printing (it takes minutes, instead of hours).

This could finally bring the big advantage of 3D printing — that it lets you easily customize or tweak designs by making changes to software, rather than building new manufacturing machines — to mass consumer products.

Node Power Outlet

Fri, 06 Mar 2015 00:00:00 Z

The Node Power Outlet is clever and useful at the came time. MetaPhys of Japan has created a new style of electrical outlet which gets rid of many of the problem of traditional outlets. The two dual grooves curving around the wall plate are live with electricity in every inch. You can plug-in your lights, chargers, and other gear at any spot. Think about how much easier this could make like with your cell phone charger, MP3 charger, and other plug-in devices. The will not consume the entire outlet by covering up the other plug, since the other plug is the entire wall plate.

Currently these Node Power Outlets are only being sold in Japan, but you can grab one through the MetaPhys website, if you can read Japanese. Some people worry about the safety of this unique plug-in system, but in reality it is just a safe as any other outlet. It would still require inserting something into the outlet to get shocked. The only difference is the amount of outlet space available. In some ways these stylish outlets may be less prone to grabbing your child’s attention.

Drones As Smart Dollies

Tue, 03 Mar 2015 00:00:00 Z

Drone tech is exciting and full of potential, but few companies are focusing on tech that provides benefits drone users can enjoy now, without spending a fortune or managing an architectural firm or large-scale agricultural concern. Perceptiv Labs, a YC Winter 2015 cohort startup with a founding team out of Waterloo’s top-flight robotics engineering department, is offering high-flying drone hobbyists, filmmakers and journalists a relatively affordable, yet advanced way to introduce some highly intelligent automation into their video-making antics right now.

Perceptiv, which also has funding from Version One Ventures, is launching SHIFT today via pre-order campaign, a $600 accessory (which will retail post-campaign for $800) that works with the DJI Phantom and 3D Robotics Iris, providing a vision sensor, processor and autopilot program for capturing amazing aerial shots via subject tracking. Essentially, it turns these hobbyist drones into robotic flying dollies for capturing great pans, zooms and fly-by shots, with computer vision tech making sure to keep a user-defined subject exactly where it needs to be in the frame along the way.

As a startup, Perceptiv is targeting a much larger opportunity that includes much more ambitious advances in computer vision and autonomous device operation. Co-founder Neil Mathew explained in an interview the broader vision for his company.

“The end goal is to build the infrastructure of vision-based intelligence for drones that will let them navigate independently in unknown spaces, avoid collisions with obstacles, and be able to track and detect objects,” he said. “[We want them to] understand a scene, and intelligently respond to instructions as opposed to just being able to fly manually.”

It’s not a unique goal – other companies, including large industry heavyweights like Qualcomm and Intel, are also very interested in research projects related specifically to computer vision and autonomous vehicles. Nvidia also showed off a number of collision avoidance models that incorporate computer vision and advanced object detection at CES this year. But Mathew explained that where Perceptiv differs from many of these other companies is that they’ve actually launched a product, rather than just announcing research programs.

SHIFT is that product, and it’s designed to offer a very real, immediately tangible impact for a specific audience right now, rather than the promise of something cool coming five or ten years down the road.

“Our product is something that will let professional filmmakers take really beautiful precise shots with drones, without two years of piloting experience,” he said. “It’s relatively easy to fly a drone up high and get a simple shot, but being able to take some sort of complex maneuver with a drone where you’re tracking a subject of interest, it becomes really difficult to fly a drone as well as control camera angles at the same time.”

Pinched Power Cables As Remote Controls

Mon, 16 Feb 2015 00:00:00 Z

In the wireless-powered society of today, cables and wires are thrown out the window whenever possible. An overhaul of what a cord can do might save it from turning obsolete. MIT’s Media Lab, through Cord UI, is discovering other ways to utilize the trusty cable.

The first of the five prototypes is a standard study lamp that substitutes the dimmer knob with a knot on the cord. As the knot is tightened embedded sensors and a micro-controller dims the light. In another prototype, a standard office clip clamping on the Macbook charger wire was able to send the computer to sleep. The charger cable, infused with pressure-sensitive sensors, sends a pulse when pinched to put the computer to sleep.

The headphones use special external woven fibers that detect both touch and pressure. When the cord is pinched, it triggers the pause/resume functionality of the iPhone’s 3.5mm jack. By using resistors that detect ground and human touch, pinches from cord stress will not trigger a response.

A kink-sensitive cord also acts as the kill switch for the power strip. By kinking the cord with hands or feet, the power is automatically cutoff. The last of the five prototypes is a hard drive cable. A tug on the cord will send requests to the computer for safe device ejection eliminating the often forgotten ritual of right-clicking before pulling out the USB plug.

The cord has always been seen as a means of transporting data or power but with limited use for control. MIT Media Lab’s Cord UI projects opens up a new world of interface with water pipe metaphors for power and data transfer that can make everyday tasks easier.

Led Light Bulb That Extends Your Wifi

Thu, 08 Jan 2015 00:00:00 Z

It doesn’t matter how much money you spend on your wireless router or access point, you’re going to end up with a few dead zones. Unless you have a really tiny home, office or apartment, you’re probably going to need more than just one device to make sure you have access to the Internet whenever and wherever you have some “down time.”

You could throw up a bunch more access points, range extenders or wireless networks, or you could just screw in the new Boost LED light bulb from Sengled.

On the illumination side of things, you get 470 lumens of warm white LED light. On the Wi-Fi side of things, you get two network modes (client and access point), two antennas for maximum 300Mbps rate and the 802.11b/g/n standard at 2.4GHz.

Then, there’s the app. The Sengled app lets you add new bulbs, customize your connections and control any of the bulbs.

Router Replaces Password With Tap

Fri, 02 Jan 2015 00:00:00 Z

Keewifi is a router that aims to be easier to use than an ordinary router, as well as being safer by completely eliminating the use of passwords. Rather than entering a passcode, devices are connected to the Keewifi by putting them right up to the device -- tapping it, for example -- and are managed using the device's Android and iOS apps. With this, it is impossible for someone to connect to the network by guessing the password (since it doesn't use one).

This type of connection is achieved using proximity-based technology, and with it places like coffee shops eliminate the need to hand out passwords by letting users hover their device near the router. Keewifi features 802.11ac and dual-band transmissions, and offers speeds up to 867Mbps.

Troubleshooting is simplified by using what the makers call "The Zen Button" -- when users press it, the router resolves common problems that affect WiFi, and will automatically switch over to a less occupied channel if necessary. The app, meanwhile, allows the router's owner to approve and ban devices, limit how long they can be connected, and more.

Modular Lighting System

Tue, 16 Dec 2014 00:00:00 Z

American firm Choi + Shine Architects has created tube-shaped lighting modules that assemble into three-dimensional arrangements using magnets. They designed the Bit Light system so that users can easily increase or decrease the amount of illumination produced by adding or removing modules, without having to change the fixture.

"Unlike conventional lighting, the design consists of low-voltage lighting modules that can be interconnected into variable forms, while providing general illumination. We think it is unique, attractive and useful as it provides a new (and fun) way of altering the illumination level within a space."

The modules, or "Bits", contain LEDs that run in a strip through the middle of the translucent polycarbonate tubes, between magnetic conductors hidden beneath caps at each end. These can be linked by multi-directional connectors with nickel-plated steel casings, which also have a magnetic conductor in each square arm.

Watercolor Bot

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 00:00:00 Z

Not all of us are, alas, artistically inclined. Luckily, we now have robots to help. WaterColorBot 2.0 connects right with your computer, turning images on the screen into a bot-painted watercolor on paper.

Evil Mad Scientists Laboratories has unveiled the second version of WaterColorBot, now with no assembly required along with a few other upgrades. You just snap a standard watercolor palette into place, and the bot's arm does the physical work for you. But there's still plenty of room for human artistic input: WaterColorBot connects to a computer, where you can create your own drawings on the screen. Or choose from preloaded vector art—depends on what you're trying to prove.

Wireless Christmas Lights

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 00:00:00 Z

Christmas is centered around the concept of light, as people in the Northern Hemisphere are struggling through the darkest parts of winter when the days are their shortest. That’s why Christmas lights are such an icon of the festive season. The tradition is now about to get a touch of wireless magic, as a company called Powered by Aura has developed a system to wirelessly power up Christmas tree lights.

The centerpiece of the system is the forest green Aura Power Ring, which can be placed underneath smaller trees less than 5 ft (1.5 m) tall, or snapped around the middle of trees measuring between 5 and 10 ft (3 m). Plugging into a standard outlet, the ring wirelessly transfers power to the LED ornaments that light up autmatically when entering the power field. To do this safely, the transmitter and receivers are precisely tuned so the energy does not interfere with the surroundings.

Power isn't the only wireless aspect of the Aura system, with users able to connect to the power ring via Wi-Fi and control the ornaments with a remote control or through an app available for Android and iOS. This allows the user to remotely turn all the lights on and off, set schedules, and set timers.

Aside from the ease of decorating a tree without dealing with a tangle of wires, the Aura system also cuts the risk of fires as there is no direct heat involved and no wires to short circuit. Additionally, unlike wired lights where the bulbs are all connected and one broken bulb can mean tossing the entire strand, the Aura bulbs all operate independently of each other. Besides being safer and tidier, the absence of wires also allows for more flexibility when placing lights around the tree.

Charge Your Phone Using A 9-Volt Battery

Fri, 28 Nov 2014 00:00:00 Z

Smartphones are more powerful than ever, but they still have an annoying tendency to run out of juice just when you need them most. The Kickstarter-backed Plan V could get you out of such a fix, as it's a small and light keyring-based device that can be used to charge your smartphone from a 9-volt battery.

Likened by its Sydney-based creator Flintu to a car jumper cable for phones, the Plan V isn't a typical battery charger like the LithiumCard, as it contains no power of its own. Rather, it's a very small adapter that enables you to plug your phone or similar device into a 9-volt battery that you supply.

The idea is, if your phone dies or gets too low on juice, you whip out the Plan V and attach it to a 9-volt battery, thus getting you around four hours additional talk time on a Galaxy S5 (as an example).

This comes with a glaring drawback, in that you'll need to either carry a battery around or be near somewhere that sells one. Still, at least the Plan V only weighs 7 grams (0.24 oz), and is around the size of a key, so it shouldn't weigh heavy on your keyring.

At present, the Plan V charges devices like the Samsung Galaxy S5 via Micro USB, but Flintu aims to add a stretch goal to its Kickstarter to try and get Apple MFI certification and offer a version for the iPhone too.

Cheaper LED Bulbs Due To Convection Cooling

Wed, 29 Oct 2014 00:00:00 Z

Cree has already gone a long way towards making incandescent light bulbs obsolete, by introducing its relatively normal-looking, inexpensive LED bulbs. Today, however, the company announced that those bulbs will soon be ... well, even more normal-looking and inexpensive, thanks to the elimination of the heat sink.

On the current generation of Cree LED bulbs, the heat sink takes the form of a sort of multi-finned collar that goes around the base of the bulb. This gives the bulb additional surface area, allowing it to better dissipate the heat that it generates while running.

The new bulbs, however, incorporate a convection-based technology that Cree calls 4Flow Filament Design. This incorporates slots both in the base of the bulb, and at the top. As heat generated by the bulb rises and exits out the slots on top, it continuously draws cooler ambient air in through the slots on the bottom. This eliminates the need for the heat sink, resulting in a cheaper-to-manufacture, lighter bulb.