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Transparent solar cells

A spectrally selective approach could let tablets, e-readers, and windows turn light into power
February 25, 2013

ubiquitous_logo

Imagine a world where any surface could be coated with solar cells, converting sunlight and even the glow of light bulbs into small amounts of usable energy. This is the goal of a new startup called Ubiquitous Energy, MIT Technology Review reports.

The company hopes to develop affordable, transparent coatings and films that could harvest light energy… read more

Topics: Electronics | Energy | Nanotech/Materials Science

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New injectable hydrogel encourages regeneration and improves functionality after a heart attack

February 22, 2013

Microscopic images of pig hearts damaged by heart attack show the growth of new heart muscle tissue (Shown in Red, Figure A) after treatment with an injectable hydrogel compared to a heart left untreated (Figure B, right) (credit: Karen Christman/UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering)

University of California, San Diego bioengineers have demonstrated in a study in pigs that a new injectable hydrogel can repair damage from heart attacks, help the heart grow new tissue and blood vessels, and get the heart moving closer to how a healthy heart should.

The gel is injected through a catheter without requiring surgery or general anesthesia — a less invasive procedure for patients.… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Biotech

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Russia asteroid impact: ESA update and assessment

February 22, 2013

The estimated orbit around the Sun of the Chelyabinsk object. It illustrates the orbits of Venus, Mars and Earth, together with the Sun and Earth at impact. The illustration is based on data provided by Dr Peter Brown. (Credit: NASA)

The first firm details of the 15 February asteroid impact in Russia, the largest in more than a century, are becoming clear. ESA is carefully assessing the information as crucial input for developing the Agency’s asteroid-hunting effort.

At 03:20 GMT on 15 February, a natural object entered the atmosphere and disintegrated in the skies over Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Extensive video records indicate a northeast to… read more

Topics: Environment/Climate | Space | Survival/Defense

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Carver Mead: ‘A bunch of big egos’ are strangling science

The scientific revolution has stalled, here's how to kickstart it
February 22, 2013

carver_mead

ISSCC Microelectronics pioneer, Caltech professor emeritus, and all-around smart guy Carver Mead believes that the scientific revolution that began with the discovery of special relativity and quantum mechanics has stalled, and that it’s up to us to kickstart it, The Register reports.

“A bunch of big egos got in the way,” he told his audience of 3,000-plus chipheads at the International Soild-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC)… read more

Topics: Computers/Infotech/UI | Electronics | Physics/Cosmology

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New retinal implant gives sight to nine blind people

1500 pixels, with no camera required; patients able to read letters
February 22, 2013

subretinal implant powered by external battery-powered coil (credit: K. Stingl et al./Proc. Royal Soc. B)

German and Hungarian researchers have brought sight to nine blind patients with hereditary retinal degeneration, using a subretinally implanted microelectronic chip with 1500 pixels.

The chip size is approximately 3mm x 3mm and is surgically implanted below the fovea (area of sharpest vision in the retina).

It provides a diamond-shaped visual field of 15 degrees diagonally across chip corners.

It is powered by a subdermal coil behind… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Cognitive Science/Neuroscience | Human Enhancement

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3D-printed ears that look and act like the real thing

February 22, 2013

ear

Cornell bioengineers and Weill Cornell Medical College physicians have created an artificial ear that looks and acts like a natural ear, giving new hope to thousands of children born with a congenital deformity called microtia.

They used 3-D printing and injectable gels made of living cells to fashion ears that are practically identical to a human ear.

Over a three-month period, these flexible ears… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Human Enhancement | Nanotech/Materials Science

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A flexible, transparent gesture sensor

February 22, 2013

A comparison between the image being focused on the sensor surface and the reconstructed image (inset) (credit: Oliver Bimber, Johannes Kepler/ University Linz)

A new method of capturing images based on a flat, flexible, transparent, and potentially disposable polymer sheet has been developed by a team of researchers at Johannes Kepler University Linz in Austria.

The new imager, which resembles a flexible plastic film, uses fluorescent particles to capture incoming light and channel a portion of it to an array of sensors framing the sheet.

With no electronics or internal components,… read more

Topics: Innovation/Entrepreneurship | Nanotech/Materials Science | VR/Augmented Reality/Computer Graphics

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Sony announces PS4 PlayStation

February 21, 2013

Sony PS4 controller (credit: Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.)

The PlayStation 4, as you’d expect for a seven-years-later follow-up, has impressively bumped specs. An eight-core X86 AMD “Jaguar” CPU and a 1.84 Teraflop AMD Radeon graphics engine (with “18 compute units”) comprise the central processing on the PS4, CNET reports.

There’s also 8GB of fast GDDR5 memory. The PS4 will use a hard drive for storage versus an SSD, but the included capacity in the box… read more

Topics: Entertainment/New Media

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Carbon nanotube transistors orders of magnitude better at spotting cancer, say bioengineers

February 21, 2013

detecting_prostate_cancer

Mitchell Lerner at the University of Pennsylvania and associates have revealed a technique that uses an array of carbon nanotube transistors on a silicon chip to detect a biomarker of prostate cancer known as osteopontin (OPN), The Physics arXiv Blog reports.

The transistor can detect OPN at concentrations of 1 picogram per milliliter — a concentration three orders of magnitude weaker than ELISA can manage. ELISA is the… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Biotech | Nanotech/Materials Science

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Temporary tattoos could make ‘electronic telepathy,’ ‘telekinesis’ possible

Temporary electronic tattoos could soon help people fly drones with only thought and talk seemingly telepathically without speech over smartphones
February 21, 2013

(Credit: mc10)

The devices are less than 100 microns thick, the average diameter of a human hair. They consist of circuitry embedded in a layer or rubbery polyester that allow them to stretch, bend and wrinkle. They are barely visible when placed on skin, making them easy to conceal from others.

The devices can detect electrical signals linked with brain waves, and incorporate solar cells for power and antennas that allow… read more

Topics: Cognitive Science/Neuroscience | Electronics

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MIT researchers build ultrahigh-definition Quad HD (4K) TV chip

February 21, 2013

uhd_quadhd_mit

At the International Solid-State Circuits Conference this week, MIT researchers unveiled their own Quad HD video chip design.

Quad HD is also known as 4K and ultrahigh-definition (UHD). The new Quad HD video standard enables a fourfold increase in the resolution of TV screens.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, several manufacturers debuted new UHD models.

There is no UHD content… read more

Topics: Electronics | Entertainment/New Media | Internet/Telecom

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A new solid-state hard drive that uses ultrasound to store more data

February 21, 2013

Acoustic-assisted magnetic recording (credit: Oregon State University)

Electrical engineers at Oregon State University have discovered a new method, called acoustic-assisted magnetic recording, to use high-frequency sound waves to create durable solid state storage that allows for storing more data in a smaller space, using less power.

“We’re near the peak of what we can do with the technology we now use for magnetic storage,” said Pallavi Dhagat, an associate professor in the… read more

Topics: Computers/Infotech/UI | Electronics

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Water on the moon: it’s been there all along

February 21, 2013

Traces of water have been detected within the crystalline structure of mineral samples from the lunar highland upper crust obtained during the Apollo missions, according to a University of Michigan researcher and his colleagues.

The lunar highlands are thought to represent the original crust, crystallized from a magma ocean on a mostly molten early moon. The new findings indicate that the early moon was wet and that water there… read more

Topics: Environment/Climate | Space

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Google Glass: how to get one

February 21, 2013

google_glass

“We’re looking for bold, creative individuals who want to join us and be a part of shaping the future of Glass,” says the Google Glass team.

“We’d love to make everyone an Explorer, but we’re starting off a bit smaller. We’re still in the early stages, and while we can’t promise everything will be perfect, we can promise it will be exciting.”

“Using Google+… read more

Topics: VR/Augmented Reality/Computer Graphics

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Stanford scientists fit light-emitting bioprobe in a living cell

Light-based probes can be inserted without damage to the cell, could have profound impact on biological research
February 20, 2013

This image shows a photonic nanobeam inserted in a cell. Clearly visible are the etched holes through the beam as well as the sandwich-like layer structure of the beam itself. The beam structure alternates between layers of gallium arsenide and photonic crystal containing the light-producing quantum dots. (Photo credit: Gary Shambat, Stanford School of Engineering)

Stanford engineers have developed a new class of biophotonic (light-emitting) probes small enough to be injected into individual cells for intracellular sensing and control, without harm to the host.

The researchers call their device a “nanobeam,” because it resembles a steel I-beam with a series of round holes etched through the center. This beam, however, is not massive, but measures only a few microns in length and… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Biotech | Physics/Cosmology

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