What is most annoying about having WiFi is the people who will try to piggyback on your open network or try to hack your password. With this coated wallpaper however, you will never have to worry about freeloaders ever again. Unless of course, they are inside your own house.

Grenoble INP Phd student Fabien De Barros and the Centre Technique du Papier in France have developed this wonderful wallpaper that is coated with silver-crystals that is able to block certain wireless frequencies, which just happens to be the same as a WiFi router’s frequency.

Why not just block unauthorised users by setting up a password-protected network though? The best security one could have with one’s wireless network would be to secure it with encryption. The downside of doing this, especially outside of one’s home would be the hassle of having to share the passwords with authorised users of said network.

There are still some kinks that need to be worked out of this invention, as the wallpaper cannot block signals if you have a window (and I certainly hope you won’t wallpaper over your windows, signal blocking or not). The inventors are still working on a clear coating of protection equal to that of the wallpaper.

Who would buy this technology? It’s hard to say, because unless you’re working out of your windowless basement or a closet, you’re likely not going to be able to put the wallpaper to full use.

Personally, I’ll stick to my encrypted WiFi at home for now, because that’s a free solution, but until my neighbours stop trying to hack onto my WiFi, there may be consideration for this invention yet.

Putting the two together, a Colorado-based company known as ShelfX is putting the technology to good use, with its new Vending Fridge.

Automatic payment of course, means getting rid of the cashier and having the customer check out goods on their own. However, there are many troubles hounding this method of shopping, the least not being shoplifting.

The Vending Fridge is an apt name for the technology, as it is a fridge that works similarly to a vending machine, except much smarter. The fridge will only open to customers when it recognises an account with its associated payment method through a QR code scanned from the user’s phone, or an RFID card.

Customers are then allowed to scan the sheves for whatever they want to buy, and remove whatever item they like. When the door of the fridge is shut, the system knows what items have been removed and automatically charges the customer’s account. What is good about the fridge is that you can move items around as you like, you will only be charged for the items that are missing off the shelves.

It also helps owners do automatic inventory checking and will send remittances to shop-owners once a month of the revenue generated, minus a fee that is taken by ShelfX.

Watch The Vending Fridge in action here.

ShelfX has stated that potential use of the technology are in hotels, offices, retail stores, gyms, schools and libraries. The Vending Fridge is available for pre-order for US$599 via ShelfX’s website.

This is actually a pretty useful tool, and I can see potential use for all the places cited by the company. Automated payments make life so much more convinient, and this technology can also help curb shoplifting. I hope to see this type of system out in the streets sometime soon.

This is why Daikin Industries is developing a new coating, for the use on circuit boards of mobile phones. Not only is the coating water-resistant and also moisture-resistant, it is also environmentally friendly.

Making mobile phones waterproof is not new technology, with plenty of phones in Japan that are made waterproof. These mobile phones however, can only keep water out, by sealing any cracks and holes that may allow for water leakages.

Watch a video demonstration of the product here.

Building on top of these designs, the waterproof coating is developed to give an extra layer of protection to the phone, on top of having a waterproof outer casing. The coating dries as a thin film, and circuit boards are coated just by dipping into the solvent. It takes only one minute to dry at room temperature, so it could be said that the coating works immediately after applied.

The coating is not intended for full protection from water, but it is made to heighten waterproofing standards, and also to reduce malfunctions should any accidents happen. The coating is non-flammable and is of low toxicity, which makes for an environmentally friendly product.

I own a waterproof phone, and it is so only because the makers have sealed all its little crevices, and covered its connectors with a lid. Even so, I have been reluctant to get the thing wet. Maybe with this waterproof coating inside on the circuit boards, I might be more relaxed to handle it near water. It makes you wonder if this coating can be expanded to use on devices such as laptops. I’d definitely love a waterproof laptop.

Starting September of this year, Japan’s Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank will be putting in these new ATMs, developed by Fujitsu, at 10 branches, a drive-through ATM and two mobile banks. Customer authentication with the machines only require their palm print, birthdate and four-digit PIN, with no cards required.

Users who want to use the service will have to register their biometric data at a bank branch. The ATMs will be usable to withdraw cash and conduct other transactions without requiring a card.

There are danges that come with the use of ATM cards, with criminals installing card skimmers that allow them to duplicate your card without you even knowing it.

Current ATMs that require biometric data as additional security features, compares the data read on the machine to the data stored on the cards. This means that ATM cards are still required for any transaction made at the machine. Lose your card, and you will lose access to your cash, via ATMs anyway.

Cardless ATMs are able to provide to customer convenience, and the system was developed in response to the people who lost their cards and personal identification in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, being rendered unable to access their accounts.

Personally, I believe cardless ATMs are the way to go, in this era. I, for one, have a bad habit of leaving my wallet at home, and heading out without cash or card on hand, so this type of ATM is perfect for my convenience. I hope to see these ATMs being implemented all over the word in the next few years.

Keio University has come up with a little add-on that will put an end to your troubles, if you just don’t like obstructing the screen with your fingers.

The add-on is an elastic device that attaches to the front camera of your mobile device. It is built based on “Gel-Force” technology developed earlier in 2003. There are markers on the add-on that are detected and tracked by the phone camera, and by tracking deformations on the elastic add-on, the system is able to use this as input information. Of course, the precision of the controls depends heavily on your hardware, but most phone cameras nowadays should have a decent resolution and refresh rate.

View the video demonstration of the working controller here.

The add-on is also able to provide tactile feedback for the user, unlike the flat surface of the touchscreen. Attaching the add-on to the rear camera also provides the user with no obstruction to the screen at all.

Up until now, there have been various add-ons that have been developed for the gamers to attach to their phones to provide better controls for games, but these atttachments usually adhere to the screen and take up a lot of screen space.

It might sound strange to have a touchscreen phone, yet not use the touch function at all, but personally I think this is an interesting development, and not just for gamers either.

Looking at the man in the video, it looks like he’s only riding a segway, but on closer inspection, Yusuf Akturkoglu is actually a paraplegic mobilized the Tec Robodic Mobilization Device.

The device was invented to not only make everyday living much easier for people with spinal cord injuries, but also to give them more independance.

One of the most basic points of the mobilization device is its ability to allow its user to stand up, not unlike a person riding a segway. The device is easily mounted from the back, instead of from the front, unlike a conventional wheelchair. It also uses a simple suspension system that allows its user to stand up with just a light pull.

The mobilization device gives a degree of independance to the paraplegic user that most conventional wheelchairs are impossible to provide. Reaching for the high shelves when grocery shopping, or opening the freezer door may be things we take for granted everyday, but being confined to a wheelchair makes these actions near impossible. With the ability to stand using the mobile device, the user can easily perform these actions.

The best thing about the mobilization device is its size, with a width that is half of a conventional wheelchair, the user can navigate through narrow spaces and through places that are not adapted for wheelchairs.

The Tec Mobilization Device is already in the market in Turkey, and the company is looking to release the device for markets in Europe and the United States, where it will cost approximately US$15,000.

According to the patent application, it is ‘a material attachable to skin, which is capable of detecting a magnetic field and transferring a perceivable stimulus to the skin.’ That’s just basically describing a vibrating alert system that’s attachable to your skin, or in layman’s terms, a vibrating tattoo.

Whatever device that is emmiting a magnetic field would interact with the tattoo, making it vibrate in a certain way.

Basically, much in the same way that users can change their ringtones to different callers, in the future phones will be able to emit different magnetic fields for calls, SMS’s, low battery alerts that would literally be transmitted to your skin.

Technically, the patent doesn’t mention that the technology is only limited to tattoos, in case users are not too enthusiastic about inking their skins. The application talks about using badges and such. Of course, those who more than welcome tattoos have much to be excited about as there is a lot of talk about “ink enriched by ferromagnetic or paramagnetic compounds” and how they can be used.

Personaly I think this is a pretty good idea, and although I don’t think I’ll ever get a tattoo, applying this to something like a badge or patch would be ideal. Imagine being able to use this technology in a setting where it is either too noisy, or conversely very quiet and you do not want to break the silence.

Now with Toshiba Tec‘s erasable toner, you will be able to use the paper up to five times.

Erasable copying has existed previously, but with those conventions, usually special paper is needed along with their compatible copiers. With Toshiba’s invention, regular paper and a compatible photocopier will work. Not too bad, at least there you can save on the paper.

The principals behind how the erasable toner works the same as Pilot’s line of erasable pens, using heat to erase the ink. Although the ink itself is invisible, marks left behind on the paper are still barely visible, so sensitive documents should head to the shredder.

View the erasable toner and copier in action here.

The photocopy machine comes also with a built-in scanner, which is perfect for archiving documents as they are erased. The machine is also able to sort paper that is reusable and paper that is not, unlike conventional photocopiers in which a person has to sort out the sheets manually.

Toshiba is develeping the system now, with plans to release somtime this winter. Currently the only colour available for the ink will be blue, but they are planning to develop other colors as well.

This sounds like a great idea, and it’s good to the environment too. For some reasone, I tend to make a lot of misprints if I’m working the photocopying machine, so at least with the erasable toner, I can reuse the paper.

Unless of course you were pointed at with this SpeechJammer device.

Researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan developed the device, which is capable of making you physically stop speaking. Research indicates that when we talk, we are actively listening to our own speech, and not just using our mouths as an “audio out” speaker. We listen to what we say and how we sound gives shape to what we continue speaking.

How the SpeechJammer works is by recording what you have said as you say it, and playing it back at you with a delay of a few hundred milliseconds. Such a minute delay is capable of literally rendering us speechless, as it messes up our natural cadence, in an effect known as Delayed Auditory Feedback.

The Institute tested out a prototype of using a directional microphone and a directional speaker, with a distance sensor, and it is capable of working up to 100 feet (30.5 meters).

The interesting part of the research comes with the result that when used on regular people, it causes them to stutter, but when used on people with speech impairments, it was capable of relieve their problems.

Imagine all the uses and misuse such technology can lead to. On the good side, we could probably see this used in places like cinemas and the theaters perhaps. ALthough on the dark side, it could be used to silence protesters, and that would be the end of freedom of speech. I suppose it is up to the user of such technology, just as other devices have been used for good or evil.

Fish however, seem to be much easier to fool.

A pair of scientists from New York’s Polytechnic Institute have discovered that real fish will follow a robot fish, if it hels them reduce energy during swimming.

The scientists tested this out, by putting a robot fish in a tank and live fish would follow, if the robot fish had a fluid swimming motion. Fish would only follow the robot when it has its motion just right. It allows for the fish to use up less energy, similar to how geese fly in a vee formation.

Watch the video of the experiment here.

What is good in this discovery is that if live fish can be lead by a robot fish, the robot can be employed to move populations of fish away from any dangers, such as oil spills, and other environmental disasters. The scientists say that it also sheds light on the motives of why fish form schools, including that energy conservation is very important to the schools of fish.

Not all the fish were fooled by the robot, as it was twice their size and covered in plastic. Although the experiment was interesting in that most of the fish introduced to the robot would readily make it their leader.

Interesting research, although I can’t help but think that this may become a new fish lure in the not so distant future. I would actually feel sorry for the fish for being so easily tricked, if that ever happened.