Fantastic Invention - Scientists create wireless network with LED room light

Lights are no longer just for lighting up.

Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) in Berlin, Germany, have developed a new kind of optical WAN with enough throughput to allow four people in a room to watch a film from the Internet on their laptops, in HD quality.

The technology can potentially be used on both laptops and mobile telephones.

The researchers say they’ve achieved a transfer data rate of 100 megabits per second (Mbit/s) without any losses, using LEDs in the ceiling that light up more than ten square meters (90 square feet). This area also marks the radius in which the receiver — a simple photo diode on the laptop — can be placed before it is out of range.

In lab tests, the team pushed speeds even further using red-blue-green-white light LEDs. Those transmitted data at a blistering 800 Mbit/s, setting a record for VLC or visible light communication.

Klaus-Dieter Langer, the project leader said:  “For VLC the sources of light – in this case, white-light LEDs – provide lighting for the room at the same time they transfer information. With the aid of a special component, the modulator, we turn the LEDs off and on in very rapid succession and transfer the information as ones and zeros.”

The system works because the modulation of the light is imperceptible to the human eye. Langer explains: “The diode catches the light, electronics decode the information and translate it into electrical impulses, meaning the language of the computer.“

While rigging a system to turn LEDs into a transfer medium may not require many components, sending data over light waves is not without challenges. The key one is that whenever on object (like a hand) comes between the light and the photo diode the transfer is impaired.

The HHI scientists stress that the optical WAN is not intended to replace other networks, but rather serve as an additional and low-invasive option in environments where radio transmission networks are not desired or not possible, such as hospital surgical rooms.

“Combinations are also possible, such as optical WLAN in one direction and PowerLAN for the return channel. Films can be transferred to the PC like this and also played there, or they can be sent on to another computer,” notes a release.

The scientists will demonstrate how videos are transmitted by light at the International Telecommunications Fair IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung IFA) in Berlin from September 2-7, 2011.

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Stone Like Optical Disc

Start-up Millenniata and Hitachi-LG have teamed up to create a new optical disc along with a read/write player that will store any data — movies, photos, and music — forever. The disc is compatible with any current DVD or Blu-ray player.
Millenniata calls the product the M-Disc, and claims that it “cannot be overwritten, erased, or corrupted by natural processes.” In fact, if you were so inclined, you can dip it in liquid nitrogen and then boiling water without harming it (See video).
The M-Disc platters resemble typical DVDs and Blu-ray discs in that they are made up of multiple layers of material sans a reflective or dye layer. During the recording process, a laser “etches” permanent pits onto a proprietary rock-like data layer using higher temperatures and as much as five times more energy than ordinary optical discs.

 The platters can be read on any machine that can read a DVD, however, Millenniata’s machine is required to write it. Currently, the discs can store about the same amount of data as a DVD (4.7GB) but only write at 4x or roughly half the speed of today’s DVD players. Plans to ramp up recording speed are underway.

Millenniata will target consumers first when it launches the M-Disc read-write player in early October. After that, the company plans to make a foothold in the long-term data archive market as an alternative to cloud and other storage and backup technologies.

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Travelling in to the Future - A Reality???

Recently i was watching an Documentary on Discovery channel, a very good documentary about Travelling into future by Stephen Hawking. I just want to share this with friends

According to Stephen Hawking, one of the world's smartest physicists, time travel might be possible. Hawking doesn't hold out much hope for time traveling through wormholes, even though he muses about the fantastic conditions that might someday make them work. Nor does he think we'll ever be able to travel back in time, because of paradoxes. His example: "What if a scientist travels back in time and shoots his earlier self? He is now dead. So who fired the shot? It's a paradox."
Traveling forward in time is another matter. Hawking says it would be possible if you could build a gigantic spacecraft, "a truly enormous machine," carrying a huge amount of fuel, enough to accelerate it for six years at full power. That would bring it to a velocity almost as fast as the speed of light.

"At this speed, a single day on board is a whole year of Earth time. Our ship would be truly flying into the future. The slowing of time has another benefit. It means we could, in theory, travel extraordinary distances within one lifetime. A trip to the edge of the galaxy would take just 80 years."

 Unfortunately, this would probably be a one-way trip. Or, this advanced civilization could build a ship with a fuel tank that's many times bigger, and once the ship reaches its destination, it could turn around, accelerating back toward Earth at that same speed. But then by the time they arrive back home, another method of time travel might have already been invented.

If you got any chance to watch that documentary on Discovery channel, watch it calmly.  They are showing variety of methods and explaining how Time travel is possible.

For ex: If we sit in a train which travels at an speed of 3,00,000 Miles per sec., and it rotates the earth 7 times per sec (at its peak speed) at that time inside the train on the law of physics everything becomes slow. so if the train travels 50 years and stops at a place the passengers inside can feel only 7 days in their life. so after a week they board at destination they can see a different world which is 50 years forward. like that the explanations move on. Watch that documentary by searching its time of broadcast.

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Wave Power, Alternative Energy Source

Have u Ever Imagine waves can be useful to generate power. Our Oceans have got a great hidden power with them. For all readers information, i have provided some important information about How Wave's can be used as an alternative energy source

Waves are caused by the wind blowing over the surface of the ocean. In many areas of the world, the wind blows with enough consistency and force to provide continuous waves. There is tremendous energy in the ocean waves. Wave power devices extract energy directly from the surface motion of ocean waves or from pressure fluctuations below the surface.
Wave power varies considerably in different parts of the world, and wave energy can't be harnessed effectively everywhere. Wave-power rich areas of the world include the western coasts of Scotland, northern Canada, southern Africa, Australia, and the northwestern coasts of the United States.

Ocean Wave Energy Technologies

A variety of technologies have been proposed to capture the energy from waves. Some of the more promising designs are undergoing demonstration testing at commercial scales.
Wave technologies have been designed to be installed in nearshore, offshore, and far offshore locations. The OCS Alternative Energy Programmatic EIS is concerned primarily with offshore and far offshore wave technologies. Offshore systems are situated in deep water, typically of more than 40 meters (131 feet).
While all wave energy technologies are intended to be installed at or near the water's surface, they differ in their orientation to the waves with which they are interacting and in the manner in which they convert the energy of the waves into other energy forms, usually electricity. The following wave technologies have been the target of recent development.

Here's an video for ur understanding

 Even though these systems were under continuous testings, in Future due to lot of effort put by scientists human race can surely successful in finding lot of quality alternative energy sources.

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Lot of changes

Lot of changes happened in these 5 years i have stopped writing my Blog. Once again i am going to write about important inventions and technical inventions which are useful for humans. Hope this may be useful for lot of persons.

Amazing use of Technology

Cambridge Consultants unveiled an innovative medical device concept for managing diabetes that uses NFC, the close-proximity wireless communications standard, to integrate glucometers and insulin pumps. The device, developed with Philips, targets millions of diabetics worldwide, and may be the first of a new generation of medical devices using the wireless technology.

NFC wirelessly links a glucometer and an insulin pump. The glucometer records the blood sugar reading and then recommends a bolus dose of insulin. If the patient accepts the dose, then they simply swipe the glucometer against the insulin pump, which could be located beneath clothing, and the drug is delivered.

This is amazing for several reasons. First and foremost, the patient is in on the decision. And right up there next is where else can it be used? Cambridge lists pain, asthma, respiratory care, gastric electrical stimulation therapy, and congestive heart failure and urinary urge incontinence treatment.

Relying on the inherent nature of NFC and its working range of just 10 cm, a user must intentionally bring NFC devices into close proximity to make a connection, transfer information and then trigger the process.

Yes, I know that the hundreds of products and apps introduced daily are important too, but it's especially cool to see technology used in unique and life-improving ways.

Near Field Communication - NFC a new standard

Natick, MA—Venture Development Corp.’s above-titled report says that wireless communication standards such as 802.11 and Bluetooth are attention getting, often creating new market opportunities. These standards significantly influence product development and vendor strategies, especially when they converge with other wireless technologies. The near-field communication (NFC) standard is having a similar impact on the RFID market.

More than just a wireless connection, NFC is positioned as a basic tool that allows customers to interact intuitively with an increasingly electronic environment. However, the near-term success of NFC is challenging to predict as a more complete customer understanding of NFC, its possibilities, and its limitations is required.

What is NFC?

Evolving from a combination of contactless, identification and networking technologies, NFC is a short-range wireless connectivity standard. With the increased adoption of RFID contactless smart-cards to support a broad range of applications, such as access, payment, and ticketing, and the commercial availability of NFC-enabled devices such as cell phones from Nokia, the convergence of NFC with RFID is gaining interest.

Pioneered by Philips and jointly developed with Sony, the NFC standard specifies a way for cells phones, PDAs, and other wireless devices to establish a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. After the P2P network has been configured with NFC, another wireless communication technology, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, can be used for longer-range communication or for transferring larger amounts of data.

NFC enables electronic devices to exchange information and initiate applications automatically when they are brought in close proximity, or touched together. NFC operates in the unregulated (Instruments, Scientific, Medical—ISM) RF band of 13.56MHz and fully complies with existing contactless smart-card technologies, standards, and protocols such as FeliCa (Sony) and Mifare (Philips). NFC-enabled devices are interoperable with contactless smart-cards and smart-card readers conforming to these protocols. NFC range is approximately 0-20 cm (up to 8 in.) and communication is terminated either by a command from the application or when devices move out of range.

Relevant NFC applications

NFC opens up myriad new opportunities. It will enable people to effortlessly connect digital cameras, PDAs, video set-top boxes, computers and mobile phones. With NFC it is possible to connect any two devices to each other to exchange information or access content and services—easily and securely. Solution vendors argue that NFC’s intuitive operation makes it particularly easy for consumers to use, while its built-in security makes it ideal for mobile payment and financial transaction applications. However, NFC-enhanced consumer devices are also targeted at applications that exchange and store personal data such as messages, pictures, and MP3 files.

Applications for NFC are broad reaching, and the potential to support multiple applications via NFC exists. Consequently VDC has grouped NFC-related applications into three basic categories:

* Short-range, near-contact mobile transactions—applications such as access control or transport/event ticketing, where the NFC-enabled device storing the access code or ticket is presented near a reader. Mobile payment—so-called m-commerce—applications where the customer must confirm the financial transaction by entering a password or simply accepting the interaction. Also included are applications requiring simple data capture such as picking up an Internet URL from a smart label on a poster and advertisement;
* Short-range, near-contact linking transactions–connecting two NFC-enabled devices to enable a P2P transfer of data such as downloading music, exchanging images or synchronizing address books; and
* Short range, near-contact discovery transactions—customers are able to explore a device's capabilities to find out which functionalities and services are offered as NFC-enabled devices may offer more than one possible function.

In order to provide a more complete understanding of the real-world potential for NFC, here are some example applications for NFC-enabled devices to consider:

* In addition to facilitating contactless smart-card-based transactions, emerging cell-phone multimedia capabilities could be leveraged to support NFC transactions such as the purchase and download of games, music, MP3 files, videos, software, and other files to NFC-enabled handheld devices by touching NFC-enabled computers;
* Consumers are able to make online travel reservations using a PC and download reservations and/or tickets to a cell phone or PDA by bringing the mobile device in close proximity to the computer and checking-in for the trip or hotel stay by touching the handheld device to the terminal or kiosk at the departure gate or check-in station. No printing of documents, such as tickets and hotel receipts, is required;
* Posters, signs, and advertisements with RFID transponders can be scanned/read using an NFC-enabled device to download more information, make a purchase, such as paperless event tickets, and store other pertinent electronic data;
* Pictures can be taken using an NFC-enabled cell phone with an integrated digital camera. The device could then be presented/touched to a NFC-enabled television, kiosk, computer, and others, to transmit images for display and/or printing; and
* In conjunction with another wireless technology that may provide longer range and greater bandwidth, large files can be transferred between two devices, such as a laptop and a desktop, simply by touching the two NFC-enabled devices together.

Moreover, the increased use of mobile services benefiting from synergies with NFC is becoming more apparent. By integrating NFC applications with existing mobile services, mobile operators could secure new revenue opportunities by:

* Charging customers subscription fees;
* Charging retailers/service providers fees to use the system; levying fees for individual purchases or other transactions; or
* Applying service charges for adding value to the electronic cash value stored on a mobile phone via a mobile service.

What about NFC and the potential for ‘theft by RF?’ First, the relatively short read range gives customers control over NFC and the applications. NFC-enabled devices add another level of security over the traditional smart-card, as it can be powered on/off or include a passcode or voice biometric code for higher-volume transactions. For applications that require tighter security and perhaps anti-counterfeiting measures, chips can be used to store biometric information for identification.

NFC role in contactless smart-cards

Based on the ISO-14443 and ISO-15693 standards, high-frequency (13.56MHz) contact-less smart-card solutions for access control, transit fare cards, and payment/m-commerce have advanced over the last few years in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. VDC believes the recent introduction of NFC-enabled cell phones that support RFID and contactless smart-card technology will foster market development and growth across vertical and application markets. However, the adoption of NFC-enabled solutions may be restricted by investments in legacy IT infrastructure and wireless communication. Access control, transit fare cards, and cell phones with smart-card “subscriber information modules” are all relatively new technology platforms without worries of legacy infrastructure. So NFC is a viable, attractive solution for these applications. However, in terms of mobile payment/m-commerce, the challenge for contactless smart-card applications in the US has been the need to overhaul the existing hardware infrastructure.

The magstripe/dial-in combination dominates the U.S. payment processing market, yet remains costly by adding communications overhead and security vulnerabilities to every transaction. In contrast, the United Kingdom totally overhauled its infrastructure over the last 10 years to migrate from magstripe to chip-based cards, issuing an estimated 80 million cards to date.

Over the last 10 years financial contactless smart-cards have worked against the payment processing and wireless infrastructure roadblock. Meanwhile, a new de facto wireless communications infrastructure has, in effect, been built: the cell phone. Through NFC-enabled cell phones, e-commerce can be easily integrated into the wireless world. These devices provide secure storage for data, including confidential personal data, such as credit card numbers, coupons, membership data or digital rights.

However, one of the critical success factors of NFC in mobile phones will be the support of a common standard by the major mobile manufacturers—a process that is in full swing. The top three mobile vendors in the world, Nokia, Motorola and Samsung, as well as by NEC, Panasonic and Sony have already joined NFC Forum. Members of the NFC Forum also include MasterCard, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, and Visa.

Will NFC challenge Wi-Fi and Bluetooth?

Although there is always room for more wireless technology, on one hand, some argue that introducing a new standard, such as NFC, alongside 802.11 and Bluetooth may prove to be an uphill battle. On the other hand, some would argue that they do not think NFC really steps on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. They simply do not see NFC being used to download pictures from digital cameras, or as a WLAN. NFC is demonstrably too slow. At 212 kilobits per second, NFC’s data rate is nearer a 55K modem than the 1- or 7-Mbps speeds of either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

And, both Sony and Philips have 802.11 and Bluetooth products, with each insisting the NFC standard would complement the more established wireless networks. Like VDC these market leaders believe there is room for a simple, less-expensive solution. In fact, with the ever-increasing complexity and cost of adding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, price could become a major deciding factor for OEMs and manufacturers. NFC reportedly would cost 20¢ per chip. Bluetooth is expected to drop to $4-5 per radio. If the promise of af-fordable chips is realized, NFC technology could be effectively leveraged in the near-to-mid term for payment and security/access applications.

Along with affordability, ‘power drain’ issues have become of utmost importance within 802.11 and Bluetooth markets. By using a chip, rather than a battery, NFC hopes to stand out against the rest. As a result, VDC sees NFC-enabled devices connecting myriad un-powered items such as RFID tags and smart-cards within the next three to five years.

Augmented Reality - Future is unpredictable

The new technology, called augmented reality, will further blur the line between what's real and what's computer-generated by enhancing what we see, hear, feel and smell.

On the spectrum between virtual reality, which creates immersible, computer-generated environments, and the real world, augmented reality is closer to the real world. Augmented reality adds graphics, sounds, haptics and smell to the natural world as it exists. You can expect video games to drive the development of augmented reality, but this technology will have countless applications. Everyone from tourists to military troops will benefit from the ability to place computer-generated graphics in their field of vision.

Augmented reality will truly change the way we view the world. Picture yourself walking or driving down the street. With augmented-reality displays, which will eventually look much like a normal pair of glasses, informative graphics will appear in your field of view, and audio will coincide with whatever you see. These enhancements will be refreshed continually to reflect the movements of your head. In this article, we will take a look at this future technology, its components and how it will be used.

Augmenting Our World

The basic idea of augmented reality is to superimpose graphics, audio and other sense enhancements over a real-world environment in real-time. Sounds pretty simple. Besides, haven't television networks been doing that with graphics for decades? Well, sure -- but all television networks do is display a static graphic that does not adjust with camera movement. Augmented reality is far more advanced than any technology you've seen in television broadcasts, although early versions of augmented reality are starting to appear in televised races and football games, such as Racef/x and the super-imposed first down line, both created by SporTVision. These systems display graphics for only one point of view. Next-generation augmented-reality systems will display graphics for each viewer's perspective.

Augmented reality is still in an early stage of research and development at various universities and high-tech companies. Eventually, possibly by the end of this decade, we will see the first mass-marketed augmented-reality system, which one researcher calls "the Walkman of the 21st century." What augmented reality attempts to do is not only superimpose graphics over a real environment in real-time, but also change those graphics to accommodate a user's head- and eye- movements, so that the graphics always fit the perspective. Here are the three components needed to make an augmented-reality system work:

• head-mounted display
• tracking system
• mobile computing power

The goal of augmented-reality developers is to incorporate these three components into one unit, housed in a belt-worn device that wirelessly relays information to a display that resembles an ordinary pair of eyeglasses. Let's take a look at each of the components of this system.

Head-mounted Displays
Just as monitors allow us to see text and graphics generated by computers, head-mounted displays (HMDs) will enable us to view graphics and text created by augmented-reality systems. So far, there haven't been many HMDs created specifically with augmented reality in mind. Most of the displays, which resemble some type of skiing goggles, were originally created for virtual reality. There are two basic types of HMDS:

• video see-through
• optical see-through

Video see-through displays block out the wearer's surrounding environment, using small video cameras attached to the outside of the goggles to capture images. On the inside of the display, the video image is played in real-time and the graphics are superimposed on the video. One problem with the use of video cameras is that there is more lag, meaning that there is a delay in image-adjustment when the viewer moves his or her head.

Most companies who have made optical see-through displays have gone out of business. Sony makes a see-through display that some researchers use, called the Glasstron. Blair MacIntyre, director of the Augmented Environments Lab at Georgia Tech, believes that the Microvision's Virtual Retinal Display holds the most promise for an augmented-reality system. This device actually uses light to paint images onto the retina by rapidly moving the light source across and down the retina. The problem with the Microvision display is that it currently costs about $10,000. MacIntyre says that the retinal-scanning display is promising because it has the potential to be small. He imagines an ordinary-looking pair of glasses that will have a light source on the side to project images on to the retina.

Using Augmented Reality
Once researchers overcome the challenges that face them, augmented reality will likely pervade every corner of our lives. It has the potential to be used in almost every industry, including:

• Maintenance and construction - This will likely be one of the first uses for augmented reality. Markers can be attached to a particular object that a person is working on, and the augmented-reality system can draw graphics on top of it. This is a more simple form of augmented reality, since the system only has to know where the user is in reference to the object that he or she is looking at. It's not necessary to track the person's exact physical location.
• Instant information - Tourists and students could use these systems to learn more about a certain historical event. Imagine walking onto a Civil War battlefield and seeing a re-creation of historical events on a head-mounted, augmented-reality display. It would immerse you in the event, and the view would be panoramic.
• Gaming - How cool would it be to take video games outside? The game could be projected onto the real world around you, and you could, literally, be in it as one of the characters. One Australian researcher has created a prototype game that combines Quake, a popular video game, with augmented reality. He put a model of a university campus into the game's software. Now, when he uses this system, the game surrounds him as he walks across campus.

There are hundreds of potential applications for such a technology, gaming and entertainment being the most obvious ones. Any system that gives people instant information, requiring no research on their part, is bound to be a valuable to anyone in pretty much any field. Augmented-reality systems will instantly recognize what someone is looking at, and retrieve and display the data related to that view.

What makes Dell to Recall its batteries

Dell and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently announced that 4.1 million laptop batteries could short-circuit under the right conditions, causing an explosion or a fire. The massive recall isn't the first to hit the computer industry – HP and Apple both recalled laptop batteries between 2000 and 2006. But the threat of explosion does set it apart. How could something like a battery actually catch on fire?

To understand what's going on, it's helpful to know a little bit about how batteries work. Batteries have a negatively charged terminal and a positively charged terminal. In a battery, energy from electrochemical reactions causes electrons (negatively charged particles) to collect at the battery's negatively charged pole. Charged particles are attracted to opposite charge, so if you connect a battery to a circuit, the electrons will flow from the negative pole, through the circuit and to the battery's positively charged pole. In other words, the battery generates a moving charge, or electricity.

The exact reaction that generates the electrons varies, depending on the type of battery. In a lithium-ion battery, you'll find pressurized containers that house a coil of metal and a flammable, lithium-containing liquid. The manufacturing process creates tiny pieces of metal that float in the liquid. Manufacturers can't completely prevent these metal fragments, but good manufacturing techniques limit their size and number. The cells of a lithium-ion battery also contain separators that keep the anodes and cathodes, or positive and negative poles, from touching each other.

If the battery gets hot through use or recharging, the pieces of metal can move around, much like grains of rice in a pot of water. If a piece of metal gets too close to the separator, it can puncture the separator and cause a short circuit. There are a few possible scenarios for what can go wrong in the case of a short circuit:

* If it creates a spark, the flammable liquid can ignite, causing a fire.
* If it causes the temperature inside the battery to rise rapidly, the battery can explode due to the increased pressure.
* If it causes the temperature to rise slowly, the battery can melt, and the liquid inside can leak out.

There are several reasons why multiple laptop battery models have been recalled in the past few years. People want small, lightweight laptops that they can use for long periods. They also want their laptops to have bright screens and lots of processing power. For these reasons, laptop batteries have to be relatively small, but they also have to hold a lot of energy and last a long time.

Making lithium-ion batteries that can hold more power for a longer period requires vital components, including the separators, to be small and thin. The reduction in size makes it more likely that the batteries can fail, break, leak or short circuit.