Microbes Produce #Green Fuel from Sun

Scientists harness microbes that "eat" electrons produced by solar cells and "excrete" a green synthetic fuel that can later be used whether the sun is shining or not. Look for alternative fuels made by sunlight within five years. R.C.J.


Here's what the researchers say about their own work: UMass Amherst Researchers Developing Potentially ‘Transformative’ Method to Produce Clean, Green Biofuels...A new way to make valuable chemicals and more affordable “green” fuel from solar power, bacteria and carbon dioxide could be “truly transformative” for our society if it works on a commercial scale...
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#3D Printers for the Classroom Planned

Kids will soon be able to design and fabricate their own candy bars using a 3D printer being designed by Cornell University to use kid-friendly materials, including cookie dough and chocolate, as well as Play-Doh, plastic and metal. Look for consumer 3D printers for fabricating personalized products at home within seven years. R.C.J.



Here's what Cornell says about its own work: The Fab@School laboratory will introduce students to the excitement and power of digital fabrication, empowering them to imagine, invent, collaborate and create geometric structures, simple machines, and usable products. They will learn engineering and other STEM skills in this compelling environment. The Society of Manufacturing Engineering states that personal digital fabrication will bring "revolutionary changes for manufacturers and consumers." The Fab@School coalition brings together two colleges of engineering, two colleges of education, and a non-profit association to address educational implications. The infrastructure developed will include hardware, software, a curriculum, and an online collaborative space. The Fab@School laboratory will make digital fabrication practical and scalable in elementary and middle school classrooms for the first time.
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#ConsumerReports Unveils Facebook's Privacy Debacle

Consumer Reports says that Facebooks change of policy to automatically make users opt-in to reveal personal information is a bad choice. Look for Facebook to weather this storm despite the controversy, unless CR and other consumer groups can rally a rebellion within six months. R.C.J.


Here is what CR says about Facebook: Consumer Reports' take on Facebook's new privacy controls...Faced with growing disenchantment with Facebook’s privacy controls, CEO Mark Zuckerberg today held a press conference to release details of the revamp of the site’s oft-criticized controls. Here’s a rundown of the changes and CR's first take on them...
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Walking and Running #Robots Mimic You and I

Robots that can run and walk just like you and I are approaching fast at Oregon State University. Look for robots milling about among us within seven years. R.C.J.


Here is what OSU says about its progress in mobile robots: Researchers at Oregon State University have made an important fundamental advance in robotics, in work that should lead toward robots that not only can walk and run effectively, but use little energy in the process. By achieving an optimal approach with robotic mechanisms, studies are moving closer to robots that could take on dangerous missions in the military, create prosthetic limbs for humans that work much better, or even help some people who use wheelchairs to gain “walking” abilities...
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Will Living Proteins Revolutionize Computing?

Living proteins inside our bodies enable smarter computing circuits than the fastes supercomputers--our brains--a one of those proteins is now being harnesses for future quantum computing devices. Look for protein-based electronics first for medical, then for quantum computing within five years. R.C.J.


Clathrin, a protein found in every cell of the human body, could become a self-assembler of future information processing systems that are smaller, faster and cheaper than today's computer circuitry, according to a company investigating the technology. Boston-based ExQor Technologies said it has demonstrated that the material can be formed into nano-sized biolasers suitable for transmitting information. It expects the technology will initially be used in medical applications. The precision of clathrin's self-assembly process, and ultra-small size also could be used to improve solar cells and batteries with nanoscale electronic and photonic properties not possible with silicon.
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#Robot Races Set New World Records--Twice!

Micro-robots measured in microns (micrometers) set a new world records in the 2-mm dash at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sponsored IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Anchorage, Alaska. Look for micron-sized robots to be fielded for applications in medicine and manufacturing within this decade. R.C.J.


Here's what NIST says about its competition: Robots Big and Small Showcase Their Skills at NIST Alaskan Events...Make room, Bender, Rosie and R2D2! Your newest mechanical colleagues are a few steps closer to reality, thanks to lessons learned during two robotics events hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the recent IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Anchorage, Alaska. The events—the Virtual Manufacturing Automation Competition (VMAC) and the Mobile Microrobotics Challenge (MMC)—were designed to prove the viability of advanced technologies for robotic automation of manufacturing and microrobotics...
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17 Tips for Using Social Media to Get the IT Job You Want

Social media can mean business if used properly if you follow these tips. Look for job hunters everywhere to increasinly use search engine optimization (SEO) and social medis to enhance their job prospects over the next few years. R.C.J.


Here's what Chris Talbot at eWeek says: Why look for a new IT job when you can bring recruiters, human resource representatives and hiring managers to your doorstep? Recruitment experts say that the job market has changed and those looking for new jobs must change their tactics. Here 17 tips to help you get started on using SEO and social media to pump up your search for the IT job you want.
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#EcoCar Winners in--Mississippi Wins Again!

EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge--a three-year "geen car" competition was established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM), and managed by Argonne National Laboratory. Look for commercial car designers to incorporate the innovations invented at these 16 universities over the next ten years. R.C.J.


Here's what Mississippi says about its victory: Mississippi State Takes Top Honors, VT and Penn State Come in Second and Third...It’s official! Today Mississippi State earned the highest score of 844 out of a possible 1000 points and placed first in the 2010 EcoCAR Year Two Finals in San Diego this morning! Their exceptionally designed extended-range electric (EREV) vehicle utilizes biodiesel, UQM electric motors, and a battery pack provided by A123 Systems. Huge congratulations are also due to second-place winner Virginia Technological Institute, and third-place winner Pennsylvania State University...
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#Robot Races Set New World Records--Twice!

Micro-robots measured in microns (micrometers) set a new world records in the 2-mm dash at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sponsored IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Anchorage, Alaska. Look for micron-sized robots to be fielded for applications in medicine and manufacturing within this decade. R.C.J.


Here's what NIST says about its competition: Robots Big and Small Showcase Their Skills at NIST Alaskan Events...Make room, Bender, Rosie and R2D2! Your newest mechanical colleagues are a few steps closer to reality, thanks to lessons learned during two robotics events hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the recent IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Anchorage, Alaska. The events—the Virtual Manufacturing Automation Competition (VMAC) and the Mobile Microrobotics Challenge (MMC)—were designed to prove the viability of advanced technologies for robotic automation of manufacturing and microrobotics...
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3-axis #MEMS #Accelerometer Cuts Power, Add Features

Accelerometers are micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) that do everything with motion--from triggering the airbag in your car to changing from portrait to landscape orientation on you iPhone. Look for ultra-low power MEMS chips to add new user-interface features to every mobile device you use--like shake to answer cell phones--over the next three years. R.C.J.


STMicroelectronics NV claims its new three-axis accelerometer lowers the power requirements and shrinks the size of micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) motion detection. The new MEMS chip is aimed at extending battery life in consumer applications and includes special circuitry for integration with gyroscopes to create a complete inertial measurement unit (IMU) for mobile handsets, remote controls, gaming controllers and similar user-interface applications. Built-in algorithms for single- and double-tap recognition—anywhere on a consumer device—can eliminate the need for selection keys on mobile devices. A programmable first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer memory block allows the accelerometer to perform smart power management, along with a sleep-to-wake-up mode that keeps the read chain active thereby automatically increasing the output data rate when it wakes up in response to an event. STMicro claims the device can save up to 90 percent over the power required for previous accelerometers, quoting operating currents as low as two microamps.
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#MEMS Oscillators Aim to Obsolete Quartz Crystals, #SiTime on Top #

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) use tiny oscillating bars to create timing chips that aim to be cheaper and smaller than traditional quartz crystals--with SiTime taking an 85 percent market share. Look for mobile devices and even AC powered equipment to switch to MEMS oscillators en masse over the next five years. R.C.J.


SiTime Corporation, the industry leader in MEMS-based analog semiconductor solutions, today announced that it has 85% share of the MEMS-based timing market, according to a recent report from Yole Développement, a leading MEMS technology consulting firm. The report also forecasted that the MEMS-based timing market will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 80% from 2010 to 2015.
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#Hillcrest Labs Releases Free #Kylo Web Browser for #TV

Tired of having to squint to see the buttons on your browser when watching TV on your PC--try the free TV browser for PCs. Look for Kylo to become a standard way to watch TV on PCs in 2010. R.C.J.


Here's what Hillcrest says about its free TV browser for PCs: Hillcrest Labs today unveiled the latest version of the Kylo browser, the free Web browser for TV, which the company introduced earlier this year. Developed for the millions of households that connect their PCs or Macs(R) to the TV, Kylo lets users visit sites across the Web with a browser that was specifically designed to be viewed from a distance in the family room, living room, or dorm room. In addition, Hillcrest Labs announced that its award-winning companion product, the Loop pointer, is available at half price, just $49, from now through June 11 in celebration of the new Kylo release and in advance of Father's Day...
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#3D TV Takes Off Albeit Slowly

3D TVs need standardization and more content to fulfill their potential, according to iSuppli. Look for 3D TVs to ramp up slowly at first, hitting peak mass market distribution by 2012. R.C.J.


Here is what iSuppli says about its own report: Although consumers have started to buy 3-D TVs, a number of challenges—including standardization, content availability and interoperability—must be resolved before the new television technology can take off, according to iSuppli Corp. Worldwide shipments of 3-D TVs—introduced to the market for the first time in March—are expected to reach 4.2 million units in 2010, thanks to increasing traction and acceptance from enthusiastic early adopters. Global 3-D TV shipments will then triple to 12.9 million units in 2011 and then more than double to 27.4 million units in 2012...
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#Microvision #Ups Laser-based #PicoProjector Rez to 720p HD

Laser pico-projectors promise to enable every device that house information to have a "big screen" mode that shines ultra-bright, ultra low-power displays on any surface--now in 720p HD. Look for every mobile device to eventually include models with pico projectors within three years. R.C.J.


Here's what Microvision says about its SID announcement: Microvision Unveils Increased Brightness, 720p HD Ready Laser Pico Projector Demonstrator at The Society For Information Display Conference...(SID)...Company also plans to showcase portable gaming, automotive and wearable display applications enabled by its PicoP display engine technology...Microvision, Inc. (NASDAQ:MVIS), a leading developer of ultra-miniature projection display products announced today that it plans to demonstrate a 720p HD ready laser pico projector at The Society For Information Display annual conference, May 25 – 27, at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, Washington...The 720p prototype pico projector outputs 15 lumens of brightness while still maintaining its compact, low profile form factor, very similar to Microvision’s current WVGA product. The company plans a commercial product version of a 720p HD PicoP display engine in the second half of 2011.
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#EInk, #Chilin Partner on #eReaders

Chilin Technologies (Taiwan) specializes in RF/Zigbee, barcode functionality, RFID, wireless sensors and now is getting into the ePaper business. Look for eReaders using E-Ink displays under Chilin's brand by 2012. R.C.J.


Here is what E-Ink says about its new partnership with Chilin: E Ink Corporation, the leading developer and producer of electronic paper display technology, and Chilin Technology Corporation, a leading manufacturer of vertically integrated flat panel displays, announced a partnership today to bring low-power industrial and other specialized electrophoretic displays to the marketplace. The cooperation between the two companies enables solutions that are highly integrated, easy to use and install, and tailored to unique customer environments...The partnership makes the patented E Ink Vizplex imaging film available to Chilin for mass production, distribution, and sales to consumers. The collaboration not only expands E Ink’s product offerings but also leverages Chilin’s extensive ability to engineer and manufacture low-power, customized solutions for the industrial market.
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#Army Dragnet Targets #Terrorists on #SocialNetworks

The U.S. Army is trying to do something about online radicalization, like the Nigerian who tried to blow up a U.S.-bound airliner despite the seemingly impossible task of tracing them down using conventional methods. Look for innovative ways to track terrorists over the Internet in the five years, despite the anonymous nature of online usage. R.C.J.


At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute using IBM's Blue Gene supercomputer, efforts to model how terrorists recruit ordinary citizens over the social networks have hopes of unveiling the steps by which ordinary citizens are radicalized online, so that these trends can be detected and countered before tragedy ensues. The World Wide Web permits anyone with a browser to access any computer system on the globe anonymously. As a result, citizens have quick, fear-free access to information, but at the cost of leading users to anonymous "sessions" that could be conducted by recruiters for terrorist organizations. As a result, online communities have become a free-for-all where plots are hatched, organized and executed all under the watchful eye of traditional security organizations, but with no easy way for law enforcement officials to track down and arrest potential terrorists before, during or after the fact. Now, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory aims to improve the situation by funding Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in a 10-year, $35 million probe at its newly established Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center (SCNARC)...
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Ink-Jet Printable #Nanotube #Transistors Made Easy #Semiconductor #Nanotech

Carbon nanotubes hold the promise of succeeding silicon circuits, plus can be fabricated atop cheap plastic substrates to enable "spray on" electronics using ink-jet printers. Look for easy-to-use ink-jet printable electronics to proliferate into a variety of applications over the rest of the decade. R.C.J.


Today a great deal of energy is being expended in research organizations to refine and perfect methods of sorting nanotubes so that ink can be produced that is conducting, semiconducting and insulating. With inks in hand, transistors and other circuit elements can be printed by ink-jet printers on flexible polymer substrates. Now Rice University researchers claim to have found a method that sidesteps the costly and difficult sorting step, enabling unsorted nanotube circuitry to be ink-jet printable without presorting. The relatively simple method discovered by Rice faculty Fellow Robert Vajtai and professor Pulickel Ajayan, ink-jet prints unsorted nanotubes in layers. By controlling the number of layers printed on each circuit trace, the researchers demonstrated how to ink-jet print the source, drain and dielectrics necessary to create field-effect transistors...
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#MIT Harnesses 'Void' to Nix Friction in #MEMS

Micro-electro-mechanical systems like accelerometers have already revolutionized user interfaces thanks to the iPhone and Wii, but friction standing in the way of their future development has been nixed by MIT. Look for frictionless MEMS devices within three years. R.C.J.


Accelerometers, gyroscopes and other micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) chips must overcome forces of friction that are disproportionate to their size. Now, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists hope to reverse that trend by harnessing a power--called the Casimir force--that only manifests at the nanoscale to sidestep friction by causing parts to naturally repel, rather than attract, each other...But what if MEMS parts could be architected so that they repel each other at startup, instead of attract? Then friction and its diminutive sibling, stiction, could be easily overcome, making MEMS parts draw less power and be more reliable and longer lived. Now scientists at MIT claim to have demonstrated how naturally repelling architectures can be crafted, by harnessing a force that only manifests at the nanoscale: the Casimir force.
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All-Electric Commercial Truck Has Zero Emissions, 100-Mile Range

By this time next year, there will be nearly a dozen all-electric automobiles and commercial trucks rolling on U.S. streets, but the first one you are likely to see will be the Navistar eStar, which Federal Express will start using for urban deliveries later this year. Look for a dozen more all electric vehicles to hit the market by the end of 2010. R.C.J.


Navistar's all-electric delivery truck—the eStar—heralds a new breed of green trucks and cars for getting around town. Last year, Smith Electric Vehicles (U.K.) began importing its all-electric truck, the Newton, which is a much larger vehicle—eight tons with separate cab compared with the two-ton walk-in eStar. Navistar claims its eStar is the first all-electric delivery-sized vehicle.
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Researchers cast #graphene into #quantum dots

Carbon chips herald the day when silicon chips run out of steam circa 2020, offering a migration path to ever higher performance electronics using quantum dots like the researchers propose here. Look for graphene quantum dot to enable sensor, semiconductors and optical communications by the end of the decade. R.C.J.


Graphene quantum dots could enable single-molecule sensors and could lead to ultra-small transistors and on-chip communications with semiconductor lasers, according to Rice University researchers who recently revealed their plans to create these ultra-small wells. Quantum dots are vacancies (wells) that can confine excitons—bound electron-hole pairs—in a semiconductor to achieve properties that are superior to those of bulk materials. The Rice University researchers have added a new twist—leaving a single layer of carbon in the bottom of the well...Next the researchers want to...adjust the band gap of devices by changing the size of the dot, thereby tuning its properties for specific applications such as chemical sensors, solar cells, medical imagers and nanoscale circuits.
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Researchers claims #quantum #teleportation record

Beam-me-up Scotty just got translated into Chinese--at least for data--as researchers demonstrate instantaneous communications using quantum teleportation between two points miles apart. Look for instantaneous communications gear by the end of the decade. R.C.J.


Scientists in China have demonstrated the world's longest teleportation of entangled photons at the Hefei National Laboratory, the University of Science and Technology and Tsinghua University in Bejing. The previous record of a few hundred meters was surpassed by the almost 10 miles distance between Badaling, China and Beijing.
Quantum entanglement—what Einstein called spooky action at a distance—enables photons, electrons and even atoms to achieve a synchronized state that stays that way even when they are separated. Theoretically, such entangled particles could enable instantaneous communications between two points regardless of their distance. Past attempts have been confined to fiber-optic cables inside laboratories, but these Chinese researchers have succeeded in performing the experiment using free-space communications.
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#IBM, #MediaTek to debut #60-GHz chipset

Unsnarling that tangle of wires behind your home theater will be a task for the 60-GHz chipsets that perform the task wirelessly. Look for wireless audio, video and networking equipment by next year. R.C.J.


IBM and MediaTek Inc. will debut Tuesday (May 25) their 60-GHz transceiver chipset at the IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit Symposium in Anaheim, Calif.
The partners have been cooperatively developing the chipset for IEEE's Wide Personal Area Network standard which will replace that snarl of cables connecting video, audio and control signals among multi-media equipment. The transmitter chip had been previously described by IBM and Mediatek, but this is the first time they have described the receiver chip. The matched chipset is expected to be commercially available by next year. Because 60GHz signals cannot penetrate solid objects, they are confined to individual rooms. They also can interrupted by people or other objects in a room. To compensate, IBM and Mediatek have downsized military phased-array radar technologies to a single chip, allowing 60 GHz transmitters to steer the beam around obstacles between it and the in-room receivers to which signals are being routed...
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Visible light illuminates a new approach for #wireless comms

Wireless used to be synonymous with RF (radio frequency) but no more. Now the National Science Foundation, major universities and their industrial partners worldwide are turning those LEDs everyone is switching to for illumination into data hubs--whether they are in you home, business, car or where ever. Look for visible light communications to enable wireless networking in locations where RF is prohibited (hospitals) or inconvenient (signage) over the coming decade. R.C.J.


With preparations well under way for a societal shift to solid-state lighting based on high-output LEDs, a proverbial light bulb has appeared above the heads of some forward-looking engineers. Their proposal: Why not switch the LEDs on and off so fast the eye cannot tell, in order to use them to transmit data too? With enough advance work, every new LED light fixture could also be wired into the network backbone, accomplishing ubiquitous wireless communications to any device in a room without burdening the already crowded radio-frequency bands. Visible light communications (VLC) is being refined by industry, standards groups and well-funded government initiatives. And the stakes are enormous, since the traditional lighting market is measured in trillions of dollars and the transition to solid-state has already begun. This year, LED lighting will account for more than a $1 billion market, with projected growth to about $7.3 billion by 2014, according to Strategies Unlimited (Mountain View, Calif.). Most of those apps will not attempt to replace other wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMax and LTE, but will aim for niches that are not well served by RF wireless today-from hospitals and aircraft, where RF can interfere with signals in life-critical equipment, to robots that could navigate halls for mail delivery using virtual signposts in overhead lighting, or signage that could supply additional information when a phone camera is pointed it...
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4th Gen #MEMS Gyroscope #Microchip to Improve Apps

Analog Devices has a variety of accelerometers to meet the requirements of a wide variety of motion sensing applications. The new ADXRS450 can track motions as fast as 300 degrees per sec--almost a ful 360 degree spin. Look for motion sensor to be built into every handheld device or intuitive manual-free user control. R.C.J.


Here's what ADI says about its own part: ADI's ADXRS450 is the most vibration-immune MEMS gyro available, with sensitivity to linear acceleration specified at all time high, and power consumption at an all time low in this 4th generation device...
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Glasses-Free #3D Coming to Phones Thanks to #3M

3D without the dorky glasses was something I perfected ten years ago using a $5000 custom made slidebar and a Nikon DSLR to capture 36 side-by-side images that you dice up behind a lenticular lens to create an autostereoscopic display--now 3M has reduced that cost to under $1. Look for every cell phone with a color screen to adopt these new autostereoscopic screens over the next two years. R.C.J.


Here's what 3M says about its own demonstrations at the Society of Information Display (SID) next week: 3M Demonstrates Suite of Display Film Solutions During SID Display Week 2010; Energy Efficient Films for TVs, Monitors and Notebooks With Glasses-Free 3D Film for Handhelds...Building upon its efforts to improve energy efficiency in electronic devices, 3M’s Optical Systems Division will showcase a number of energy efficient exhibits for notebooks, handheld devices, monitors and LCD TVs during SID Display Week 2010, to be May 24-28 in Seattle, Wash. In addition, the company will demonstrate its glasses-free 3D film for handhelds--the world’s only film to deliver auto-stereoscopic 3D without impacting color or resolution of the displays...3M will show its field sequential 3D optical film for handheld devices—enabling true auto stereoscopic 3D viewing on mobile phones, gaming and other handheld devices without the need for glasses. The film only requires one LCD panel, operating at a 120Hz refresh rate. Backlight module assembly is nearly identical to existing systems—allowing for simple integration at the assembly stage.
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Carbon-based Graphene #Semiconductor to Boost NextGen Electronics #Microchip

Plasmons are collective oscillations of the free electrons that can couple with a photon to create a quasiparticle called a plasma polariton, which scientists believe enable carbon-based electronics. Look for plasmons to be harnessed to enable semiconductors of graphene--pure carbon sheets--that outperform silicon semiconductors within five years. R.C.J.


Here is what researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory say about their discovery: Scientists working at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered striking new details about the electronic structure of graphene, crystalline sheets of carbon just one atom thick. An international team led by Aaron Bostwick and Eli Rotenberg of the ALS found that composite particles called plasmarons play a vital role in determining graphene's properties...A theoretical model of plasmaron interactions in graphene, sheets of carbon one atom thick. The electric charge carriers in graphene are negative electrons and positive holes, which in turn are affected by plasmons-density oscillations that move like sound waves through the "liquid" of all the electrons in the material. A plasmaron is a composite particle, a charge carrier coupled with a plasmon...Understanding the relationships among these three kinds of particles-charge carriers, plasmons, and plasmarons-may hasten the day when graphene can be used for "plasmonics" to build ultrafast computers-perhaps even room-temperature quantum computers-plus a wide range of other tools and applications.
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Synthetic #Bacteria Spells Doomsday for Natural Lifeforms?

Creating living organism using synthetic DNA opens Pandora's Box--putting natural lifeforms on notice for their "inferiority" and giving any disgruntle genetic engineer the opportunity to endanger the Earth with uncontrollable epidemics. Look for a lively debate on whether limits should be imposed on synthetic biology in a manner similar to the debate that closed down human cloning efforts. R.C.J.


Here's what the Hastings Center says: Craig Venter Group announced that it had created the first viable cell with a synthetic genome and President Barack Obama called on the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues to "undertake, as its first order of business, a study of the implications of this scientific milestone." President Obama wrote, "It is vital that we as a society consider, in a thoughtful manner, the significance of this kind of scientific development. Synthetic biology certainly raises deep philosophical and moral questions about the human relationship to nature,” according to Gregory Kaebnick, a Hastings Center scholar who is managing the project. “It’s not clear what the answers to those questions are. If by ‘nature’ we mean the world around us, more or less as we found it, we may well decide that synthetic biology does not really change the human relationship to nature—and may even help us preserve what is left of it.” Nor is it clear that the questions raised by synthetic biology are new ones. According to Thomas H. Murray, president of The Hastings Center and the project’s principal investigator, “We have come up against similar problems in other domains—most notably, in work on nanotechnology and gene transfer technology—but synthetic biology poses them especially sharply and pressingly"...
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#USB device seeks to improve #password #security

Password insecurity is the number one weakness exploited by hackers to break into secure computers, to steal your identity and to gain access to secure locations, but almost no one uses the difficult-to-type and -remember 15-digit secure passwords with a mix of upper, lower and numeric characters--until this $10 device made them easy. Look for everyone concerned about password security to make room for a Password Booster on their key chain within two years. R.C.J.


Here is what EETimes says: Arguably the biggest security gap on today's networks are passwords, prompting government agencies to mandate regularly changing 15-character passwords with random upper- and lower-case characters, numbers and the occasional punctuation mark. Besides being extremely difficult to remember, the approach also requires users to generate secure passwords--a task that pits casual users against the skills of highly trained hackers. Breaches like the recently publicized Google hack in China only served to illustrate the extent of network security problems. Now a security expert has received patent on a solution to the password dilemma, which he calls Password Booster. The USB device the size of a flash drive boosts a simple "seed" password--like your cat's name--into a "super password" with 15-characters that meets stringent government network security requirements...The patented technology will be licensed to a manufacturer through an auction this summer...
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NextGen Electronics Harness Carbon-based Graphene #Semiconductor #Microchip

Plasmons are collective oscillations of the free electrons that can couple with a photon to create a quasiparticle called a plasma polariton, which scientists believe enable carbon-based electronics. Look for plasmons to be harnessed to enable semiconductors of graphene--pure carbon sheets--that outperform silicon semiconductors within five years. R.C.J.


Here is what researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory say about their discovery: Scientists working at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered striking new details about the electronic structure of graphene, crystalline sheets of carbon just one atom thick. An international team led by Aaron Bostwick and Eli Rotenberg of the ALS found that composite particles called plasmarons play a vital role in determining graphene's properties...A theoretical model of plasmaron interactions in graphene, sheets of carbon one atom thick. The electric charge carriers in graphene are negative electrons and positive holes, which in turn are affected by plasmons-density oscillations that move like sound waves through the "liquid" of all the electrons in the material. A plasmaron is a composite particle, a charge carrier coupled with a plasmon...Understanding the relationships among these three kinds of particles-charge carriers, plasmons, and plasmarons-may hasten the day when graphene can be used for "plasmonics" to build ultrafast computers-perhaps even room-temperature quantum computers-plus a wide range of other tools and applications.
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10 Major Flops #Microsoft, #Apple Want Us to Forget

Good engineering does not insure commercial success, as is recounted here in a slideshow of major failures at Apple and Microsoft that might have been near-and-dear to early adopters, but never made it to center stage. Look for history to repeat itself endlessly, but with eyes wide open. R.C.J.


Here is what eWeek's Don Reisinger says: Apple and Microsoft might be two of the most successful companies in the tech industry, but that doesn't mean that the two tech giants haven't had their fair share of missteps. Of course, we rarely remember those. Whenever it comes time to discuss Apple, our attention immediately shifts to the iPod or the iPhone. For old-timers, it might even shift to the Apple I or the first Macintosh. On Microsoft's side, it's easy to get lost in the tale of Windows, Internet Explorer or even Office. But what about those flops? Rather than sing the praises of Apple or Microsoft, why not talk about some of those products that the two companies would like us to forget? Some of the following choices might be obvious to tech historians, but we're willing to bet that a good number will surprise you...
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#3M Conquers #3D with Glasses-Free Film for LCDs

3D without the dorky glasses was something I perfected ten years ago using a $5000 custom made slidebar and a Nikon DSLR to capture 36 side-by-side images that you dice up behind a lenticular lens to create an autostereoscopic display--now 3M has reduced that cost to under $1. Look for every cell phone with a color screen to adopt these new autostereoscopic screens over the next two years. R.C.J.


Here's what 3M says about its own demonstrations at the Society of Information Display (SID) next week: 3M Demonstrates Suite of Display Film Solutions During SID Display Week 2010; Energy Efficient Films for TVs, Monitors and Notebooks With Glasses-Free 3D Film for Handhelds...Building upon its efforts to improve energy efficiency in electronic devices, 3M’s Optical Systems Division will showcase a number of energy efficient exhibits for notebooks, handheld devices, monitors and LCD TVs during SID Display Week 2010, to be May 24-28 in Seattle, Wash. In addition, the company will demonstrate its glasses-free 3D film for handhelds--the world’s only film to deliver auto-stereoscopic 3D without impacting color or resolution of the displays...3M will show its field sequential 3D optical film for handheld devices—enabling true auto stereoscopic 3D viewing on mobile phones, gaming and other handheld devices without the need for glasses. The film only requires one LCD panel, operating at a 120Hz refresh rate. Backlight module assembly is nearly identical to existing systems—allowing for simple integration at the assembly stage.
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#Eticket Downloads to #iPhone then Displays to Gain Entry

Electronic ticketing has come to concerts--now venues can upload e-tickets to your handheld device which you then just display to gain entry. Look for e-tickets to come to every venue that takes tickets over the next two years. R.C.J.


Here is what Barcoding Inc. says about its business to helps MissionTix.com scan and process e-tickets on mobile Devices: Barcoding Inc., a leader in enterprise-wide mobility systems, today announced that it has launched a customized mobile ticket scanning application for Baltimore-based Mission Media, LLC’s sister company, MissionTix.com, an online ticketing service for buying and selling tickets for concerts, performances, fairs and other local events. Created with Barcoding’s CaptureSoft™ eXpress software platform, the application allows venues to use handheld devices to scan and process a barcode from both printed tickets and tickets displayed on a mobile device, such as a smartphone...Now, ticket holders no longer need to print a ticket if they have a mobile device with Internet access. A concertgoer could buy a ticket en route to a performance, and present the e-ticket displayed on their phone for admission. In addition, with Barcoding’s customized application, handheld scanners are able to recognize the ticket’s electronic barcode from a screen while simultaneously tracking admitted tickets in real-time by communicating with other handhelds in the venue’s system...Barcoding’s application will debut in June for the first time at the Recher Theatre in Towson, Md.
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Analog Devices Announces 4th Gen #MEMS Gyro

Analog Devices has a variety of accelerometers to meet the requirements of a wide variety of motion sensing applications. The new ADXRS450 can track motions as fast as 300 degrees per sec--almost a ful 360 degree spin. Look for motion sensor to be built into every handheld device or intuitive manual-free user control. R.C.J.


Here's what ADI says about its own part: ADI's ADXRS450 is the most vibration-immune MEMS gyro available, with sensitivity to linear acceleration specified at all time high, and power consumption at an all time low in this 4th generation device...
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Xsens, Analog Devices collaborate on 'Iron Man' #MEMS sensors

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) enable tiny sensors to perform stunning feats including tracking the orientation of a live character's entire body so that animation software can render them super heros. Look for inertial MEMS motion sensors to move from automotive and consumer into entertainment, medical, sports and other applications where motion matters over the rest of the decade. R.C.J.


MEMS inertial measurement units enabled the life-like animations in the films "Iron Man" and "Alice in Wonderland." Actors wearing a MEMS motion suit from Xsens Technologies B.V. (Los Angeles and The Netherlands) pre-visualized the movies for film makers. Analog Devices worked with Xsens on the project...the partners have working for a decade using inertial MEMS sensors to solve a number of problems like active stabilization in ground vehicles, submarines and aircraft as well as for virtual reality simulation and training. The common element is the inertial measurement unit (IMU) Xsens makes out of MEMS sensors. The traditional way to track actors motion is with a black suit dotted with reflective markers--white dots--which unfortunately only work well in a dark studio with dozens of camera surrounding the scene. Unfortunately, even in a dark studio, an actor's body shields some of the white dots some of the time leaving holes in the tracking data, which have to be manually filled in during post-production which can take days or even weeks to perform. Unlike traditional special effects black suits dotted with reflective spots, Xsens' body suit uses 17 IMUs to track body orientation during action sequences. Actors wear the motion suit under a regular costume to simultaneously capture their motion. Each of the 17 IMUs used by the battery powered motion suit have three ADI high-speed single-axis gyros that track rotational motion, two high-speed two-axis accelerometers to track linear motion, plus magnetometers to provide a heading. Game producers are also using the Xsens suit to create animated characters.
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Pay #TV Regains Recession Losses, Gaining 7 Percent in 2010

People were turning their cable off, or at least downgrading to lower prices packages, in droves after the recession hit, but now they are coming back. Look for cable TV to prosper alongside IPTV and other pay models over the next few years. R.C.J.


Here is what ABI says about its own prediction: Pay TV market growth slowed in 2009 due to the recession. However, 2010 is expected to be a better year as operators have been signing up new subscribers, and existing subscribers are migrating to premium channels and advanced services...pay TV revenue will net more than $312 billion for cable and telecom carriers in 2010...among the different pay TV platforms, telco TV service revenue is growing the fastest as broadband penetration and Internet speeds ramp up. For example, Deutsche Telekom’s IPTV subscriber base essentially doubled within a year, to one million. As fiber broadband deployment expands its footprint, operators will have the opportunity to offer High Definition IPTV that should help to boost ARPU and service revenue. ABI Research anticipates that telco TV service revenue will top $17 billion in 2010.
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#Ford Enlists Military Avatar to Stress Test Vehicles

Ford had adopted a former military avatar complete with mil-spec rendering accuracy in all aspects of its physical strength and endurance. Ford will use the "SantosHuman" its virtual-reality based factory-automation environment, adopting him into the family of Jack and Jill. Look for ergonometric software simulations at all the major car makers within seven years. R.C.J.


Here's what Ford says about Santos: Jack and Jill, the digital employees that have become a staple in Ford’s virtual manufacturing toolbox, are getting ready to meet their multifaceted new friend: Santos. Santos was created for the Department of Defense at the University of Iowa, and has been heralded by ergonomists as the next generation of digital modeling. His comprehensive capabilities allow him not only to simulate motion, but provide feedback on forces against the human body. Santos also can alter his movements based on changes in his virtual environment, allowing engineers to predict what will happen in the real world. Virtual modeling has been used to improve ergonomics at Ford since 2000, and now Santos’ advanced abilities can help take that to the next level.
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#Navigation Electronics Up 3X by 2015

Navigation will blossom over the next few years, tripling by 2015, according to this ABI report. Look for navigation to become a part of everything that moves over the next few years--cars, cell phones, cameras and more. R.C.J.


Here's what ABi says about its own report on UBM's Business Wire: Consumer Navigation Market to Reach 267 Million Shipments by 2015, Says ABI Research...A new ABI Research study forecasts that the global market for consumer navigation devices, services and systems will triple between 2010 and 2015, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25% over the next five years...This market transformation is having an effect on the industry as a whole. Traditional personal navigation device vendors are experiencing increased pressures on their bottom lines as they work to expand their presence. Furthermore, all ecosystem players must also find ways to compete with free offerings, differentiate their solutions, and meet the evolving needs of the consumer...
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#Smartphone Center of #Infotainment Deal at #Nokia, #Harman

Smartphones in "terminal mode" will enable apps to be acceessed by drivers, according to Nokia and Harmon Intl. Look for the smartphone to become the centerpiece of European automobiles over the next five years. R.C.J.


Here's what GPS Business News says: Harman and Nokia to Interface Cars with Smartphones. The Automotive Division of in-car infotainment specialist Harman International and Nokia have announced their collaboration to develop technology which seamlessly integrates smartphones into in-vehicle infotainment systems. Known as Terminal Mode, the standard pushed by Nokia not only allows to use mobile applications and content through cars' infotainment systems, but also to access car data such as position, speed, fuel level, etc. to enable new innovative solutions. Harman is particularly interested in leveraging smartphone capabilities in connection with Entry- and Mid-level infotainment systems...Nokia is already partnering with Continental, Alpine, Fiat, and a few other automotive companies to develop and promote this technology.
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#SolarSail to Power #Space Craft to #Venus

On Friday the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will launch the first spacecraft to use solar sails to navigate space missions. Look for solar sails to be increasingly used for deep space missions, because of their low-power and longevity. R.C.J.


Here's what JAXA says: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency have announced the postponement of the launch of the Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI" (PLANET-C) by H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 17 (H-IIA F17) today due to adverse weather conditions. After studying weather conditions from tomorrow, we decided to carry out the launch at 6:58:22 a.m. on May 21, 2010 (Japan Standard Time, JST) because the weather is expected to recover in that timeframe...JAXA will broadcast the launch of "AKATSUKI" and "IKAROS" by the H-IIA F17 from the Tanegashima Space Center through the Internet...
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#3D TV Comes to Poland, Russia

Poland had its first 3D TV broadcast this weekend, and Russia will follow suit this fall. Look for every major television market to screen 3D TV over the next year. R.C.J.


Here's what Broadband TV News says: On Saturday, May 15, Canal+ successfully undertook the first-ever 3D transmission in Poland, broadcasting the Ekstraklasa match between Wisla Kraków and Odra Wodzislaw. There were public screenings in pubs and the Multikino cinema chain in Warsaw, Kraków and Poznan, with subscribers with 3D sets and HD receivers also able to watch the match at home...Meanwhile in Russia, the DTH platform NTV-Plus has announced plans to broadcast the UEFA Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan on May 22 in 3D...There will be a public screening at the October cinema in Moscow...
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#Quantum method generates faster random numbers

Random number generators are used in all kinds of algorithms besides encryption, and as computers get faster they need to be truly random, which can only be achieved with quantum effects, like the method illustrated here. Look for quantum mechanics to play an increasingly important role in computing throughout the rest of the decade. R.C.J.


Random numbers are usually not really random, since the methods by which a truly random number can be generated are few, far between and very slow to calculate. As a result, most applications in need of random numbers have to make do with pseudo-random numbers. Now researchers at the University of Illinois claim to have crafted a truly random number generation algorithm that is fast to execute. The new method is based on shaping the optical pulses from a laser diode and then digitizing the time interval between random photon arrivals at a detector. Based on quantum mechanics, which insures that the measured interval is truly random, the method can nevertheless be tuned to execute as fast as 100 Mbits per second today, with the potential to achieve 10 Gbits per second with planned improvements to its laser driver circuit and detector...
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#Apple #iPhone, #RIM #Blackberry Snag Market Share

RIM and Apple rose to the fifth and sixth positions in the global market for cell phones, while Motorola fell to eighth. Look for RIM and Apple to increase their market share in the future as more and more people switch to smartphones. R.C.J.


Here is what iSuppli says: Changing of the Guard in Cell Phones: RIM and Apple Displace Motorola: In yet another indication of the smart phone’s revolutionary impact on the wireless business, Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) and Apple Inc. in the first quarter rose to the fifth and sixth positions in the global market for all types of cell phones, while Motorola Inc. fell to eighth place. RIM, whose cell phone line consists entirely of Blackberry smart phone devices, achieved the best results of the Top 10 cell phone brands in the first quarter, with its shipments rising by 364,000 units or 3.6 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2009. This defied the industrywide slowdown and caused the company’s rank to rise to No. 5 in the global cell phone market, up from eighth place in the fourth quarter of 2009. Apple in the first quarter shipped 8.8 million mobile handsets, every one an iPhone, giving it a 3.04 percent share of global shipments. Company shipments rose by 0.2 percent from 8.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2009, giving it the No. 6 position in the market in the first quarter, up from ninth place in the fourth quarter of 2009. Apple achieved the second-largest sequential increase in shipments among the Top 10 brands. RIM and Apple were the only smart phone brands among the Top 10 to achieve sequential quarterly growth. In contrast, Motorola in the first quarter posted a 29.2 percent decline in shipments to 8.5 million units, down from 12 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. This caused the company’s rank to slide two positions to eighth place, falling behind both Apple and Chinese handset OEM ZTE Co. Ltd...
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#Apple #iPad Prompting Copy Cats Like wtih #iPhone

Microsoft's Courier, HP's Slate, Dell's Streak as well as unnamed tablet-computer prototypes at Samsung, Asustek and Google (with Verizon) have all been scrapped in their original form, and will be retooled to copy the iPad. Look for innovation to take a back seat to creation of dozens of copy-cat iPad look-a-likes in a manner similar to the way smartphones all copy the iPhone. R.C.J.


Here's what Bloomberg says: In the wake of the debut of Apple’s iPad on April 3, hardware companies are doing a lot of high-tech soul-searching about the tablets they have in the pipeline, Bloomberg Businessweek reported in its May 17 issue. Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. and Asustek Computer Inc. also are reassessing the tablet market. Much is at stake in getting it right. Although tablets are projected to make up only 1 percent of computer sales this year, that may rise to almost 25 percent by 2015, according to Coda Research Consultancy...
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#Netbook Market to Fragment Due to #Apple #iPad

Netbook market to fragment after stellar year of 36.3 million shipped in 2009, and 58 million predicted for 2010, but now popularity of iPad will begin breaking down sub-notebook sales by region, with emerging markets (where notebooks are not widely used yet, like China) going with netbooks while established notebook markets will begin adopting tablets like the iPad. Look for every major computer maker to release an iPad look-alike over the next year. R.C.J.


Here is what ABI Research says: Starting in February, 2009, ABI Research forecast that approximately 35 million netbooks would ship into world markets in the course of the year. That estimate was viewed in some quarters as unrealistically high. However the final 2009 shipment numbers – 36.3 million netbooks shipped — have confirmed that the forecast was perhaps a little conservative. In 2010, netbook shipments are expected to reach 58 million while a new element has been added to the mobile consumer electronics market equation: the media tablet, initially personified by Apple’s iPad. How will mobile CE markets react to a “new kid on the block” so soon after the start of the netbook craze? At the same time, ABI Research sees the pace of netbook market growth slowing to a CAGR of 23 percent, as media tablets start to steal some netbook thunder. The firm’s new “Netbooks, MIDs, Media Tablets, and Mobile CE Market Data” conservatively forecasts media tablet sales of about eight million in 2010.
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#SocialNetworks Targeted by #Army #CounterTerrorism Dragnet

RPI and the Army will enlist engineers and scientists to uncover the "signatures" of global terror networks. Look for inventive methods of tracking terrorists regardless of the anonymity of the Internet within five years. R.C.J.


The Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) will pursue a 10-year, $35 million probe, funded by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, to create a virtual network utilizing thousands of software agents that simulate adversarial users interacting with ordinary citizens. The goal is to understand how terrorists are recruited via global networks.
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#Quantum Move Toward Next Generation Computing RT

Quantum dots hold the promise of realizing the ultimate in compact storage--one electron per bit--but they have been difficult to study until these researchers invented a cantilever that can count individual electrons. Look for quantum computing devices to become commonplace within seven years. R.C.J.


Here's what the researchers say about their own work: Physicists at McGill University have developed a system for measuring the energy involved in adding electrons to semi-conductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots – a technology that may revolutionize computing and other areas of science. Dr. Peter Grütter, McGill’s Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education, Faculty of Science, explains that his research team has developed a cantilever force sensor that enables individual electrons to be removed and added to a quantum dot and the energy involved in the operation to be measured. Being able to measure the energy at such infinitesimal levels is an important step in being able to develop an eventual replacement for the silicon chip in computers – the next generation of computing. Computers currently work with processors that contain transistors that are either in an on or off position – conductors and semi-conductors – while quantum computing would allow processors to work with multiple states, vastly increasing their speed while reducing their size even more. Although the term “quantum leap” is used in everyday language to connote something very large, the word “quantum” itself actually means the smallest amount by which certain physical quantities can change. Knowledge of these energy levels enables scientists to understand and predict the electronic properties of the nanoscale systems they are developing...
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RT #Graphene sheets preped as thermal management material #Semiconductor #Microchip

Graphene--crystalline sheets of pure carbon--conduct heat as well as they conduct electricity, making them ideal for thermal management applications, but in need of a fabrication method. Now University of California at Riverside researcher Alexander Balandin claims to have solved the fabrication problem. Look for graphene as a thermal material within three years. R.C.J.


Here's what the researchers say about their work: Hot New Material Can Keep Electronics Cool, according to professor Alexander Balandin and a team of UC Riverside researchers, including Chun Ning Lau, an associate professor of physics. The UCR researchers have taken another step toward new technology that could keep laptops and other electronic devices from overheating. Balandin, a professor of electrical engineering in the Bourns College of Engineering, experimentally showed in 2008 that graphene, a recently discovered single-atom-thick carbon crystal, is a strong heat conductor. The problem for practical applications was that it is difficult to produce large, high quality single atomic layers of the material. Now, in a paper published in Nature Materials, Balandin and co-workers found that multiple layers of graphene, which are easier to make, retain the strong heat conducting properties.
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RT Transistor-laser breaks Kirchhoff's Law, rewrites textbooks #Semiconductor #Laser #Microchip

Transistor-lasers could enable on-chip optics by providing both an electrical and an optical output, but the old-school textbooks will have to be rewritten to accomodate the new device. Look for transistor lasers in commercial chips within five years. R.C.J.


The EE inventors of the transistor-laser (TL) —a transistor with both optical and electrical outputs—claim it fits perfectly within the semiconductor migration path to integrated optics. Unfortunately, all the electronics textbooks will have to be rewritten to use TLs in circuits, inventors say, because the transistor-laser breaks the time-worn concept of conservation of charge—Kirchhoff's Law, which has to be rewritten to accommodate the transistor laser developed by Milton Feng and Nick Holonyak Jr. at the University of Illinois. The researchers have created an equivalent circuit to their quantum-well-based transistor-laser that accurately models the charging and discharging mechanisms in the transistor-laser's base, where lasing occurs. As a consequence, TL circuits can now be studied in computer simulations that analyze both frequency and time-domain performance. The researchers have verified their algorithm on a prototype transistor-laser cast in III-V materials. The emitting layer was composed of indium gallium arsenide quantum wells sandwiched inside a p-type base. An emitting cavity of 2.2 microns wide and 0.85 millimeter long emitted at 1.0 micron wavelength, had a threshold current of 40mA and enabled direct modulation of the laser at 3 GHz...
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#Apple Claims #Kodak Camera in Phone Infringes Patents

Apple's now alleging that Kodak infringes it patents. Look for Apple to defend its patents with a vigor that is in direct proportion to its iPhone and iPad sales figures, which are stellar. R.C.J.


Here's what Total Telecom says: International Trade Commission on Thursday voted to launch an investigation into accusations by Apple Inc. that Eastman Kodak violated Apple's patents. At issue is whether Kodak infringed two Apple patents when Kodak created a series of cameras and other video-related devices. Apple filed its complaint against Kodak on April 15. ITC said in a statement that Apple asked ITC to issue "an exclusion order and a cease-and-desist order," essentially barring the items from being sold and imported into the U.S. The action is the latest in a string of corporate feuds between Apple and other Wall Street firms. Apple is currently involved in a dispute with Nokia Corp. regarding the iPad device...
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