Robotic Killer Cheetah

The Steampunk Cheetah measures 61 cm or 24 inches high and 127 cm or 50 inches in length. It weighs around 40 pounds. This mechanical cat is constructed with typical electrical conduit. It took 20-gauge steel to work out this spectacular image of the Cheetah. The best part of this cool Steampunk cheetah is watching her sprinting across on her paw wheels with great zest and zeal. The movement of this metallic cheetah is such that it is going to grab his enemies.
Source geekologie

The desk of the future- idesk

The technology called Pictionaire is under development by Microsoft Research and the University of California, Berkeley. This 4 x 6 foot table has a camera mounted above it, much like the futuristic hexagonal-type board game. The user has the power to place a physical object on the Pictionaire, and, with a little drag-and-drop gesture, he or she will have a digital copy of that item. The original physical object can be moved, and the digital copy can be traced onto a whiteboard or a sketchpad. The user also has the option of putting a wireless keyboard on the table, and the table can become a display. From what it looks like in the video
Source:coolest-gadgets

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Chip Makes Neurotoxicity Tests Quicker and Easier

The chip, called a network formation assay (NFA), should let researchers test compounds quicker and more reliably, making neurotoxicity tests easier and animal experiments less common. Although animal tests are still required by the FDA for drug development, improved in-vitro tests will mean that fewer toxic compounds make it to the animal-testing stage.
There is another reason researchers need better in-vitro screening techniques. Many European countries have already banned cosmetics testing on animals, while a European Union directive called REACH will require more frequent chemical tests.
Source:technologyreview
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Scientists embed laser light into silicon chips

Australian scientists have developed a silicon-embedded laser that will help speed up computer processing time.
The laser, developed by physicists from the University of Sydney, will replace the current system of transmitting data, using electronic signals over copper, with faster light pulses.
University of Sydney Associate Professor, David Moss, said the multiple wavelength laser will speed up processing and make computers cheaper.”The on-chip light source will be the key to enabling the simultaneous transmission of multiple data channels either on-chip or between chips in a single optical fibre, each at a different wavelength”
Source:techworld

Robots climb up the wall

The latest projects of Amir Shapiro, head of the robotics laboratory in the Department of Engineering, are wall-climbers, two of which are inspired by animals that climb. One robot, inspired by snails and their trails of mucus, secretes a tiny trail of hot melted glue that allows it to stick to walls as it climbs, while another, inspired by cats and rodents, has four legs with claws made of fish hooks to help it climb rough surfaces.
This video presents four types of wall climbing robots that were developed in Dr. Amir Shapiros lab at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. Click here to watch the video
Source:physorg

Wireless sensors, mobile phones aid obesity battle

It’s been widely reported that people have been using the Nintendo Wii, particularly the Wii Fit, to get in shape. Well, researchers have seized upon this trend to monitor Wii players–as well as runners, exercise junkies, weekend warriors and others interested in a more active lifestyle–with various wireless sensors and mobile devices to help fight obesity.
At the University of Southern California, child-obesity experts have outfitted overweight teens with wearable sensors to keep track of their exercise. The sensors transmit information to cell phones in a lab, but soon, test subjects will take the devices home and get text messages if heart monitors and sweat sensors indicate they are being lazy.
In Louisiana, where obesity is rampant, study participants at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center put wireless pedometers in their shoes and have been given BlackBerry Curves to take pictures of what they eat. Data and photos get sent to weight counselors, who then prepare personalized health advice for their charges.
Source:fiercemobilehealthcare

Replacing lightbulbs with OLED wallpapers

OLEDs may soon replace lightbulbs in homes and offices with panels of energy-efficient light built into Walls. Wallpaper that can glow with light and bendable flat-panel screens are a step closer thanks to research into organic LEDs (OLEDs), which are widely hailed as the next generation of environmentally friendly lighting technology.OLEDs use very little power to produce light, even compared with modern energy-saving bulbs. The chemicals they are made from can be painted on to thin, flexible surfaces, allowing them potentially to be used to replace traditional lightbulbs in homes and offices with panels of energy-efficient light built into walls, windows or even furniture. Other uses include flexible display screens, whose very low power consumption would mean they could operate without mains power, for example as roadside traffic warning signs powered by small solar panels.
Source:guardian

Cypress’s PSoC® 3 and PSoC 5 Architectures Recognized in EDN Magazine’s Hot 100 Products for 2009

EDN magazine has recognized the PSoC® 3 and PSoC 5 programmable system-on-chip architectures from Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: CY) in the 2009 Hot 100 Products issue. EDN editors sort through thousands of new products and technologies introduced each year to identify items for the annual Hot 100 Products list. PSoC 3 and PSoC 5 devices extend the world’s only programmable analog and digital embedded design platform, delivering unmatched time-to-market, integration, and flexibility across 8-, 16-, and 32-bit applications.
Source:Cypress

Cypress Semiconductor in Pole Position for the Next-Generation Touchscreens

In a research note, titled Cypress Semiconductor in Pole Position for the Next-Generation Touchscreens, Kumar writes:

Our checks indicate that Cypress has captured bulk of the new design wins for multi touch capacitive smart phones. The differentiating attributes include higher level of functionality, attractive cost, lower power consumption and a tightly integrated software stack. Based on current design activity, we expect Cypress to displace Synaptics and become the dominant supplier of touch screen chip solutions in 2010.

Touchscreen solution from cypress

What differentiates Cypress is the software, which has allowed the company to sign up pretty much all the major touchscreen cell phone makers as potential customers. The software inside Cypress’ chips makes the touchscreens more sensitive and provides more tactile feedback, and would turn most phones into good touch devices with higher functionality.

Palm and RIM are using Cypress’s products. Samsung and LG are expected to shift their high end smart phone touch screen chip designs to Cypress based solutions. Cypress is also expected to increase its footprint at Nokia and Motorola at the expense of Synaptics and Atmel respectively.

Source: Om Malik on Next Generation Touchscreen Technology
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World’s Longest Laser — 270 Km Long — Created

A 270-kilometre optical fiber has been transformed into the world’s longest laser, a feat its inventors believe will lead to a radical new outlook on information transmission and secure communications.
When normal telephone conversations or data sent over the internet are converted to light in order to travel through standard optical fibers the signals lose around 5 per cent of their power for every kilometre that they travel. The signals then have to be amplified to ensure that they reach their destination, a process which creates background noise and affects the signals quality.

Using a physical process called the Raman effect*, a natural phenomenon that affects light passing through a material and fiber Bragg gratings to reflect light at both ends of the fiber, the team can create a uniform distribution of light through a cavity in the optical fiber. This scheme also presents an ultra-long fiber laser offering new opportunities for handling ultra-fast communications at a high operational capacity.
Source:sciencedaily